Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, and Widows.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
First on the docket, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.
The magical world must pick a side when the dark wizard Grindelwald begins spreading a dangerous message.
Well, dear readers, in my house Harry Potter is gospel. It's unlikely I'll ever worship the Fantastic Beasts movies as I do the original series, but I'm happy enough to see the franchise continue and generally have no issues with its means of doing so. However...
Fantastic Beasts 2 has some problems. It's solid enough that I still enjoyed it, but the negatives are noteworthy.
The Harry Potter movies were always better than they had to be, largely due to the quality of the talent they attracted. Fantastic Beasts also has its share of great actors, but the missteps seem more pronounced. Katherine Waterston, in particular, is annoying to the point of distraction. On the flip side, an under-used Jude Law is wonderful as the young Dumbledore and--though it's unfashionable to say so--Johnny Depp is remarkable as Grindelwald. Law's characterization of Dumbledore skews more amiable-Richard-Harris than aggressively-kooky-Michael-Gambon, a wise choice that leaves plenty of room for development. Though his recent films do little to prove it, for my money Johnny Depp remains the most talented actor in the world. Fantastic Beasts lacks the gravitas of his best projects, but in his turn as Grindelwald there are flashes of the brilliance we once took for granted, particularly during a showcase speech towards the film's end.
Fantastic Beasts runs long and frequently feels like it's wasting time, yet there are no drawn-out action sequences or other obvious spots that could have used a trim. The movie fiddles with canon in ways both large and small, but before anyone gets their robes in a bunch, I'd suggest not everything is as it seems just now. Remember: Three more films are planned for this series. Nods and callbacks to the original series provide plenty of "awwww" moments for die-hards. Fantastic Beasts 2 boasts glorious visuals, with top-notch effects and lovely colors and textures in the costumes. James Newton Howard's always exceptional work in the music department effectively sets the mood from start to finish. It's an uneven but entertaining outing that leaves me excited for the next installment, and hopeful the filmmakers will sharpen their efforts to make a movie more worthy of carrying on this much-loved franchise.
Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald clocks in at 134 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some sequences of fantasy action."
Fantastic Beasts 2 is an imperfect movie that's still magical enough to keep fans of the wizarding world wanting more.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald gets seven.
Next on my agenda, Widows.
When their husbands are killed on a job gone wrong, a group of women attempts to pull off a heist the men had planned.
Widows is being touted by some Serious Film Critics as a potential best picture contender, so I suppose it's a pretty great movie, but the sad fact is I hated every minute of it.
For an action movie that presents as credible drama, Widows has too many suspiciously convenient turns, and a fair few other things I just couldn't swallow. Outlandish tricks work with light entertainment like Oceans 8, but not here. Viola Davis lately makes a career of playing troubled people for whom I just can't muster any sympathy, and her abrasive gang leader is no different. As one of the finest actresses of her generation, I did wonder that nobody could have taught her to hold a dog as if she'd actually *seen* a dog before, but other than that it's a strong performance as another brash, unlikable woman. If there's a more irritating actor than Zooey Deschanel working today, well, I guess her name is Elizabeth Debicki. (End of list.) Smokin' hotness can't save Michelle Rodriguez from being way out of her acting depth. A chilling turn by Daniel Kaluuya is easily the movie's the best work, and, fresh off a stellar performance in Bad Times at the El Royale, Cynthia Erivo manages to present Widows' one and only character with any appeal at all. (Not counting the dog, of course. The dog is always the best character in any movie.) Overall Widows is a drab, violent exercise that's way too implausible for as seriously as it takes itself.
Widows runs 128 minutes and is rated R for "violence, language throughout, and some sexuality/nudity."
The next time I see a movie that opens with Liam Neeson in a van talking about a plan, it better be a sequel to The A-Team.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Widows gets four.
Fangirl points: Garrett Dillahunt! Manuel Garcia-Rulfo! That oddly-placed WASP song!
Until next time!!
