Cindy Prascik's Reviews of A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood & 21 Bridges

This weekend I threw my hard-earned cash at two unfortunate films offered as sacrifices to the Frozen gods: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood and 21 Bridges.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

First up: A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

A jaded investigative journalist is assigned to write a profile of Mr. Rogers.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is about Mr. Rogers, but it isn't really *about* Mr. Rogers. So close on the heels of the documentary Won't You Be My Neighbor? maybe it doesn't need to be. A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is about Mr. Rogers' uncanny gift for teaching healthy coping mechanisms, and the exceptional kindness that always allowed him to see things from another person's point of view. In this "based on actual events" tale, Fred Rogers (Tom Hanks) forms an unlikely friendship with Lloyd Vogel (Matthew Rhys), a world-weary writer assigned to profile him for Esquire magazine. Struggling with changes in his home dynamic and estranged from his ill father, Vogel cynically wonders if the saintly Rogers could possibly be for real. The story is framed within a fictional episode of Rogers' legendary television show, which sounds interesting in concept but plays somewhat awkwardly in practice. Pacing is dicey enough that the film, which isn't all that long, sometimes feels very slow and very, very long. It's also heavy-handed with its lessons of kindness and understanding, which isn't unwarranted in these unkind times, but being beaten over the head with a movie's message never helps me enjoy it much. Negatives aside, where the film really shines is in its leading performances. Hanks and Rhys are brilliant individually and together, even if I did catch a bit of Forrest Gump peeking through Hanks' Fred Rogers here and there. Given that he's the world's most-loved actor, playing the world's most-loved person, best actor nods across the board seem a given for Hanks. (At risk of sounding like a broken record: Ceding nominations only. He may not have Taron's Oscar, either, even if he is Tom Hanks playing Mr. Rogers.) A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood pulls at the heartstrings, but, ultimately, it still feels like the great Fred Rogers hasn't yet gotten the film he deserves.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood runs 108 minutes and is rated PG for "some strong thematic material, a brief fight, and some mild language."

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood features great performances and some touching moments, but overall it's pretty forgettable. Of a possible nine Weasleys, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood gets six.

Fangirl points: An audible twitter rolled through my theater when the Incline turned up!

Next on my agenda: 21 Bridges.

A detective known for taking down cop killers catches a case where eight officers were killed...but can he peel back the layers to get to the heart of the crime?

21 Bridges is a 2019 movie with the gritty feel of a 1970s cop drama. The underlying story of police corruption in the dirty Big City further adds to the old-school vibe. Chadwick Boseman carries the picture with ease, and--while this doesn't require anything on par with his stunning work in 42 and Get On Up--he is eminently watchable. The supporting cast is as good as it needs to be in fairly limited use, with Taylor Kitsch and Stephan James being particularly noteworthy. Characters are broadly drawn and leave little to the imagination, which makes plot twists pretty easy to spot. The movie is fairly intense throughout, though first half does seem to drag a bit. The second half is more solidly paced, playing to a predictable but not unsatisfying finale.

21 Bridges clocks in at a tight 99 minutes and is rated R for "violence and language throughout."

21 Bridges is a serviceable cop drama that offers a nice respite from awards bait and sappy seasonal fare.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, 21 Bridges gets seven.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: SAVAGES

IN THEATERS

SAVAGES



Oscar-winning director Oliver Stone adapts author Don Winslow's best-selling novel into this all-star ensemble crime drama about a pair of peaceful, Laguna Beach marijuana dealers who are targeted for extortion by the ruthless Mexican Baja cartel. Ben (Aaron Johnson) is a devout Buddhist and dedicated philanthropist, and his best friend Chon (Taylor Kitsch) is a former mercenary who trained as a Navy SEAL. They may not seem like major drug dealers, but together they make a comfortable living selling top-quality marijuana. And they share more than just a profitable business; their mutual girlfriend O (Blake Lively) is more than enough woman for the two ambitious young entrepreneurs to handle. But just as Ben and Chun are feeling like they're on top of the world, their blissful life of lawless hedonism threatens to yield dire repercussions. The Mexican Baja cartel wants a piece of the action, and their cruel leader Elena (Salma Hayek) has dispatched her top hatchet man Lado (Benicio Del Toro) to ensure that she gets it. When the cartel kidnaps Ophelia and threatens to kill her unless Ben and Chun comply, the desperate pot dealers enlist the aid of a shady DEA agent (John Travolta) to try and avert a tragedy. Emile Hirsch and Uma Thurman also star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Release Date: Jul 06, 2012

Rated R for Language Throughout, Drug Use Throughout, Nudity, Some Graphic Sexuality and Strong Brutal/Grisly Violence

Runtime: 2 hr. 10 min.

Genres: Drama, Suspense/Thriller

Director: Oliver Stone Cast: Taylor Kitsch, Aaron Johnson, Salma Hayek, Benicio Del
Toro, Blake Lively, John Travolta, Emile Hirsch, Demián Bichir

Review:

Oliver Stone has wallowed in the pits of mediocrity since the mid 90’s, producing films that neither excite nor intrigue. His film’s started to feel like he was phoning it in, putting in as little effort as possible which was readily apparent onscreen. Thankfully Savages is a return to a more confident and self secure filmmaker, closer akin to Natural Born Killers without the film school excess. Working on a script based on a novel by Don Winslow, Stone is kept on course making his most coherent film in years. Savages is a gleefully violent crime tome told in an wonderfully engaging manner. A rather impressive feat since some of the character arch are terribly clichéd and clunky. Even with that, Stone’s film never disengages or loses your interest during its 2 hours plus run time. Taylor Kitsch and Aaron Johnson are stuck playing two halves of what could have been one character in reality. Kitsch does his best to bring some gravity to his role, occasionally succeeding. Johnson is far too passive, a result of how his character is written, to register much. A golden baked and busty Blake Lively is given far too much screen time, made even worse with an annoying voiceover throughout, for my taste bringing very little to the role. The supporting cast, made up of grade A talent, is clearly having a ball playing overblown exaggerated characters. Salma Hayek in a black bob wig is a steely spitfire of a villain. Benicio Del Toro delivers one of his best performances, along with a mullets, in years playing an unhinged psychopath with subtle strength and ease. John Travolta rounds out the cast, playing a small but equally fun role which grows in importance as the film reaches its climax. It’s great to see Stone back on the top of his game let’s hope this is a sign of things to come.

B+

[Trailer] John Carter of Mars

I have to admit I know very little about the Edgar Rice Burroughs’ series this is based on, so this trailer for the new film is a tad confusing.

That being said it does kind of peak my interest with it’s epic scope, and fine production values, so it'll probably be something right up my ally.