MOVIE REVIEW: BLACK WIDOW

 

Natasha Romanoff, aka Black Widow, confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy, and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger.

Director: Cate Shortland

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Florence Pugh, David Harbour, O-T Fagbenle, William Hurt, Ray Winstone, Rachel Weisz

Release Date: July 9, 2021 

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence/action, some language and thematic material

Runtime: 2h 13min

Review:

Black Widow, directed with a meticulous hand by indie director Cate Shortland, is an engaging spy thriller/family drama that's far more grounded than most Marvel movies.  Scarlett Johansson's long overdue solo outing feels a bit like a film displaced in time, you get the strong sense this film should have come out much earlier.  Being sandwiched between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers Infinity War allows the stakes to less grand and more personal.  That being the case, the film is able to focus on her character and relationships on a more granular level while still delivering massive action set pieces.  This makes the film's first half feel more like a Mission Impossible/Bond mash up than a straight up superhero film.  It also benefits from more organic banter and interactions which is due in no larger part to the stellar cast assembled.  Johansson wears this character like a second skin at this point but she's able to bring some more nuance and vulnerability to her performance here.  It'd have been easy for her to phone in her performance, but you get the sense she really cares about this character and cares about her legacy in this universe.  Her costars deliver equally strong performances even if the script is clunky on more than a few occasions.  Florence Pugh delivers a fun and memorable turn as Natasha's "sister" Yelena Belova.  Pugh's wry wit and spunk really shines through her entire performance.  It's a perfect showcase for an immensely talented actress who looks to be taking over the mantel from Johansson.  Pugh and Johansson have natural chemistry together and they serve as the beating heart of the entire film.  David Harbour is perfectly cast as Russian super solider who's more brawn than brains.  Rachel Weisz is sadly underutilized but she makes the most of her scenes since she's clearly acting well above the material.  Ray Winstone's villain isn't asked to do much more than talk menacingly and look vaguely greasy which leaves the finale lacking the cathartic kick it's meant to have.  Instead, it does what most Marvel movies do, and become a long CGI action sequence which is well choregraphed but becomes mildly numbing by the end since we know how it'll all end.  There in is the main problem with the film, had Marvel made and released this film after Captain America: Civil War it would have amplified the emotional impact of the character's ultimate sacrifice in Avengers Endgame.  Ultimately, Black Widow is a well-made spy thriller that fleshes out her character on a personal level but still feels like a missed opportunity.  

B

MOVIE REVIEW: THE FAVOURITE

In the early 18th century, England is at war with the French. Nevertheless, duck racing and pineapple eating are thriving. A frail Queen Anne occupies the throne, and her close friend Lady Sarah governs the country in her stead while tending to Anne's ill health and mercurial temper. When a new servant, Abigail, arrives, her charm endears her to Sarah. Sarah takes Abigail under her wing, and Abigail sees a chance to return to her aristocratic roots.

Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

Cast: Olivia Colman, Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz, Nicholas Hoult, Joe Alwyn, James Smith, Mark Gatiss

Release Date: November 23, 2018

Genres: Biography, Comedy, Drama

Rated R for strong sexual content, nudity and language.

Runtime: 1h 59 min

Review:

At some point during Yorgos Lanthimos cynically funny film, you might get the sensation that you are watching a mash up of Stanley Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon and Milo Foreman’s Amadeus.  That’s hardly a bad thing but as the film moves on its genuinely funny script and biting wit take hold, carried ably by the top notch cast.  The three leads share the sort of chemistry that’s rare to find.  It’s instantly recognizable and they make you care about these fairly terrible human beings.  Olivia Colman, Emma Stone and Rachel Weisz are all in top form with each being given multiple moments to shine.  It’d be criminal not to mention Nicholas Hoult who finds a way to standout in supporting role.  The Favourite is truly a fun ride through and through filled with top notch performance and stellar camera work that’s sure to be iconic as the film ages. 

A

MOVIE REVIEW OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL & PHANTOM

Cindy Prascik's reviews of OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL & PHANTOM

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL



A mischievous magician gains the wisdom to become a powerful ruler after being swept away to a land of magic and mystery as director Sam Raimi and screenwriters Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) explore the genesis of author L. Frank Baum's enduring tales of Oz. Shady illusionist Oscar Diggs (James Franco) enchants curious audiences at a Kansas circus. A self-professed con man, he's a fast-talking performer who aspires to follow in the footsteps of inventors like Thomas Edison. Oscar is being chased across the circus grounds by the rampaging Strongman when a tornado blows in and everyone runs for cover. Seeing a hot-air balloon as his only chance for escape, the illusionist jumps in and cuts himself free. Magically transported to the wondrous world of Oz, he soon encounters Theodora (Mila Kunis), a temperamental witch who surmises that he is the wizard named after their land (Oscar's nickname is Oz), foretold to fall from the sky, defeat a nasty witch, and ascend to the throne. Theodora takes Oscar to the Emerald City to meet her sister Evanora (Rachel Weisz), a powerful witch who reveals that he cannot become the rightful ruler of Oz until he's accomplished his mission. Later, as Oscar and his new flying-monkey companion Finley (voice of Zach Braff) prepare to face their fearsome enemy, they're joined by the fragile but fearless China Girl (voice of Joey King) and benevolent witch Glinda the Good (Michelle Williams), who helps them prepare for the arduous battle ahead. Together with the brave people of Oz, Oscar draws up a plan to rid the land of evil once and for all, and become the great and powerful king who will rule from his throne in the Emerald City. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Release Date: Mar 08, 2013

Rated PG for sequences of action and scary images, and brief mild language

Runtime: 2 hr. 10 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Director: Sam Raimi

Cast: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff.


Review by Cindy Prascik

Dearest Blog, today I braved the infamous late-winter cinema crowd, plus everyone with a sentimental attachment to the Land of Oz, to spend my Saturday at Marquee.

First on my agenda, and everyone else's, was Oz: The Great and Powerful.

Neither a remake nor a reboot, Oz looks at a familiar world from an unfamiliar vantage point. The Witch of the West has Wicked, now the Wizard has Oz.

Spoiler level here will be mild-ish.

Oz' primary selling feature is that it's a work of art, absolutely stunning from start to finish. Sets, scenery, costumes, makeup...I would run out of superlatives long before I could come close to adequately describing them. My cinema oooh-ed and ahhh-ed aloud throughout.

The cast is fine, neither good nor bad enough to be worth mentioning. Mila Kunis, the only one of the main cast who hasn't at least been nominated for an Oscar, is easily the best of the lot.

Annnnnnnnnnnd...that's about all the nice things I have to say about Oz. Clocking in at an extremely bloated two hours and ten minutes, at times it bored me so much I wished I wanted popcorn or needed to use the bathroom. Fans who see this hoping for even a shred of what makes The Wizard of Oz so very special will leave sorely disappointed. It's missing some of the good nature and innocence of its predecessor, to be sure, but I don't even fault it there; I suspect perhaps that's impossible to duplicate in this day and age. More importantly, it's just bad storytelling: Disney throwing money at the screen--all style, no substance--much like it's theatre counterpart, Wicked.
Like Avatar before it, Oz: The Great and Powerful is about as gorgeous a film as ever you're likely to see, with little else to recommend it. I've struggled mightily these last several hours debating a fair rating; clearly it deserves full marks for appearance (and, make no mistake, it's absolutely worth seeing on a big screen for that alone), but little or no credit for anything else, so, of a possible nine Weasleys, we'll set it right in the middle at four and a half.


PHANTOM


The fate of humanity rests in the hands of a Soviet submarine captain whose tragic past casts a dark shadow over the present, and whose underwater craft might be host to an otherworldly entity in this apocalyptic thriller starring David Duchovny, Ed Harris, and William Fichtner. The Cold War has enveloped the entire globe, and when a Soviet submarine targets the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet for nuclear attack, it appears that the final battle has begun. But Capt. Dmitri Zubov (Harris) has a choice -- one that could pull the world back from the brink of annihilation. Meanwhile, it seems as if other forces are at work on Zubov's submarine. Now, in the depths of the South Pacific, Capt. Zubov will fight to ensure that there will be a future for every man, woman, and child on the planet. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Cast: Ed Harris, David Duchovny, William Fichtner, Lance Henriksen, Johnathon Schaech

Release Date: Mar 01, 2013

Rated R for violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 37 min.

Genres: Suspense/ThrillerDirector:Todd Robinson

Review by Cindy Prascik


Next on my agenda was the Cold War thriller Phantom.


The crew of a Soviet submarine must thwart those who would to use it for a nefarious purpose.
Dear Reader(s), I gotta tell you a little story about Phantom. Two weeks ago I saw this trailer before Snitch. Last week it opened at my cinema. This week it's down to one show a day; it's not gonna see another weekend. I am not sure how a movie like this, with this cast, sails so far under the radar (see what I did there?), but this one's all but invisible.
The most noticeable thing about Phantom is that the Soviet crew is played by a thoroughly American cast, speaking unaccented American English. While committing to the choice 100% works much better than, say, 2011's Three Musketeers--where the "French" people all spoke English with a random mix of American, English, and German accents--it's an unfortunate distraction in what's actually a pretty solid little thriller.

Ed Harris is magnificent in the lead, and the always reliable William Fichtner is solid as his right-hand man. David Duchovny is effective as the film's mysterious antagonist...is his mission just secret, or is it secretly evil?? The excellent supporting cast is fleshed out by familiar faces, including Lance Henriksen, Sean Patrick Flanery, Jonathan Schaech, Jason Beghe, Derek Magyar, and Jordan Bridges.

Plenty of twists and turns, coupled with the mission's high stakes and the sub's cramped quarters, make for a tense, exciting 98 minutes; I was on the edge of my seat for the duration. The contrived ending will likely deprive the film of any love from Serious Critics, but I enjoyed even that, despite its being overly obvious.

Odds are you're gonna miss Phantom at the cinema, so don't make that mistake when it comes to DVD.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Phantom gets seven.

Until next time...



I know some people without brains who make an awful lot of movies!

MOVIE REVIEW: OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL 3D

A mischievous magician gains the wisdom to become a powerful ruler after being swept away to a land of magic and mystery as director Sam Raimi and screenwriters Mitchell Kapner and David Lindsay-Abaire (Rabbit Hole) explore the genesis of author L. Frank Baum's enduring tales of Oz. Shady illusionist Oscar Diggs (James Franco) enchants curious audiences at a Kansas circus. When he is inexplicably transported to the wondrous world of Oz, he encounters three witches named Theodora (Mila Kunis), Evanora (Rachel Weisz), and Glinda (Michelle Williams), who pose him an awesome challenge: root out a ruinous force of evil that threatens to destroy the entire kingdom, and become the great leader that the population has been waiting for. Should Oscar succeed in summoning the necessary sorcery and creativity to deliver the land from darkness, he will forever be known as the Wizard of Oz. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Sam Raimi

Cast: James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle Williams, Zach Braff, Joey King

Release Date: Mar 08, 2013

Rated PG for sequences of action and scary images, and brief mild language

Runtime: 2 hr. 10 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

Let me start of by saying I’ve never been a Wizard of Oz fan. I’ve watched the film various times and it just never connected with me. I got it but the connection just never occurred. I went into this prequel expecting something akin to Tim Burton’s mess of an Alice in Wonderland prequel from a few years back. Strangely Raimi’s prequel worked so much better for me. It’s got some obvious issues but for a film that’s 2 hours long, I found myself entertained for the better part of it. Raimi’s general template is borrowed from the original film with plenty of callback to the classic film. Enough to keep any diehard fan happy. Raimi delivers a candy colored assault on the senses, especially if viewed in 3D, from the moment we enter Oz. It’s a rather rousing experience especially as the film’s quasi-fantasy epic story begins to unfold. James Franco at the lead left me feeling fairly conflicted. At times during the film I thought he was terribly miscast and at others I thought he was perfectly suited. In the end, I really couldn’t decide so it’s a mix bag at best. Mila Kunis and Rachel Weisz do good work in limited and underdeveloped roles. Kunis is solid but tends to oversell her performance especially later in the film where it feels increasingly off. Weisz on the other hand is having a ball in her role, chewing up scenery with a wicked sort of determination appropriate for the character. Michelle Williams as Glinda is an angelic sight to behold; she fits the character very well. Zach Braff and Joey King voice a pair of CGI creations with impressive ease. The CGI on both of them, especially China Girl, are really impressive creations. The visual effects as a whole are wonderfully done, occasionally recreating the look from original film in some of the backgrounds. As mentioned this isn’t a perfect film. Its evil characters are underdeveloped and the crux of a certain important conflict seemed half baked at best. While I did enjoy the experience I can’t say there are plenty of spots, especially before the final act, that could have been trimmed a tad. Honesty, there no reason for this film to be over 2 hours long; still I found it thoroughly enjoyable warts and all.

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE BOURNE LEGACY

IN THEATERS ON DVD

THE BOURNE LEGACY




The fourth installment of the highly successful Bourne series sees the return of the franchise's screenwriter, Tony Gilroy, this time stepping into the director's seat for an entry which sidelines main character Jason Bourne in order to focus on a fellow estranged assassin (Jeremy Renner). Edward Norton and Rachel Weisz co-star, with Joan Allen and Albert Finney reprising their roles from the previous films. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Tony Gilroy

Cast: Jeremy Renner, Edward Norton, Rachel Weisz, Joan Allen, Albert Finney

Release Date: Aug 10, 2012

Rated PG-13 for Violence and Action Sequences

Runtime: 2 hr. 15 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller

Genres: Comedy

Review:

The Bourne Legacy is one of those films that come into being because of behind the scenes issues. Paul Greengrass had a falling out with the studio which made Matt Damon bow out; the studio didn’t want to let an established franchise die on the vine. It’s just one of those odd births that lead us into The Bourne Legacy which is an effective if slightly bland supplement to the Bourne trilogy. The write around is well done, covering a story that occurs parallel to the 3rd film thereby keeping it firmly established in the world. Tony Gilroy isn’t afraid to reference or even give visual cues to the trilogy, the opening shot and final scene offer some nice symmetry with the Damon led films. The general conceit of the film works fine but the script suffers a tad from over explanation. Lots of expositional conversations occur in the first half, the type were people include their job title and schooling in conversations so the audience is up to speed. It’s a slow waltz up to the crux of the story which might leave some a bit surprised at the lack of actual action in this action film, especially in the first half. Lots of techno babble about pills and back office government agencies with a very upset Edward Norton screaming out orders take us to Jeremy Renner’s Cross. Renner’s conversion into an action star is more or less complete and as Cross he’s effective but outside of being overly chatty Cross is kind of bland. The character feels strangely underwritten, leaving us with an easily forgettable lead. Rachel Weisz is mostly regulated to a constant state of panic intermixed with jogging through Manila slums. Her performance is fine but the character feels incredibly one note. So much so that when the big action set piece hits in all it’s parkour/motorcycle glory I was kind of hoping she die to give Cross some deeper motivation for survival. Legacy isn’t a bad film by any stretch and there are worse ways to spend 2 hours but in reality the only way it would have been worthwhile would have been if Cross ran into Bourne in the final reel, maybe someday.

B-

[Trailer] The Bourne Legacy

New full trailer for The Bourne Legacy is out and it looks like the plot will be expanding on the Bourne universe exploring more areas of the entire Treadstone project and fall out.

Looks like it can be surprisingly good even though it was a strange way to keep an actor centric franchise alive, a solid cast always helps…..

[Teaser Trailer] The Bourne Legacy

To say this film is a risk would be an understatement. Some franchises are associated with certain actors and once Matt Damon decided to skip the next entry due to behind the scenes issues most assumed the Bourne series would be dead in the water expect the studio of course.

Deciding to create a new story line, with Jeremy Renner in the lead as a different character, within the same world is an interesting approach. It’s intriguing enough for me to be interested and this teaser, along with the amount of talent assembled along with some returning stars, make this teaser all the more intriguing…..