MOVIE REVIEW: MISSION IMPOSSIBLE - FALLOUT

Ethan Hunt and the IMF team join forces with CIA assassin August Walker to prevent a disaster of epic proportions. Arms dealer John Lark and a group of terrorists known as the Apostles plan to use three plutonium cores for a simultaneous nuclear attack on the Vatican, Jerusalem and Mecca, Saudi Arabia. When the weapons go missing, Ethan and his crew find themselves in a desperate race against time to prevent them from falling into the wrong hands. 

Director: Christopher McQuarrie

Cast: Tom Cruise, Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, Rebecca Ferguson, Sean Harris, Michelle Monaghan, Alec Baldwin, Henry Cavill, Angela Bassett

Release Date: July 27, 2018

Genres: Action, Adventure, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for some suggestive material

Runtime: 2h 27min

Review:

Mission Impossible – Fallout is truly a fantastic piece of filmmaking.  Christopher McQuarrie raises the bar even more than he did in the last entry by delivering action set pieces that are beautifully designed and filmed.  Everything about the film is big from its set pieces to its stakes.  The plot is a twisty yet simple story that has our heroes chasing down plutonium.  I wished that the film did a better job of holding its secrets a bit closer to the vest.  Some the twists are fairly obvious but it doesn’t hurt the overall enjoyment of the film as a whole.  At the center of the entire thing is Tom Cruise.  Cruise is a seemingly ageless daredevil who just wants to believe he’s literally some sort of superhero.  Returning cast members Ving Rhames, Simon Pegg, and Rebecca Ferguson aka sexy British Michelle Monaghan all turn in strong supporting turns with each getting their time to shine.  Henry Cavill makes for a solid foil to Cruise but I would have like a bit more subtleness and depth to his character.  Sean Harris returns as the villain from the previous film who is incorporated into the plot that references previous iterations, something refreshing which ultimately make the film more engaging.

A

MOVIE REVIEW: TEEN TITANS GO! TO THE MOVIES

It seems that all the major superheroes out there are starring in their own movies -- all but the Teen Titans. Robin is bound and determined to remedy that situation by becoming a star instead of a sidekick. With a few madcap ideas and a song in their hearts, the Teen Titans head to Hollywood to fulfill their dreams. Things soon go awry, however, when a supervillain plans to take over the planet -- putting the very fate of the young heroes on the line.

Director: Peter Rida Michail, Aaron Horvath

Cast: Greg Cipes, Scott Menville, Khary Payton, Tara Strong, Hynden Walch, Will Arnett, Kristen Bell

Release Date: July 27, 2018

Rated PG for action and rude humor

Runtime: 1 hr. 33 min.

Genres: Animation, Action, Comedy

Review:

Teen Titans Go! To the Movies delivers exactly what you would expect if you were a fan of the Cartoon Network show.  The meta humor is ratcheted up to the nth degree.  DC fans will find themselves in heaven with all the easter eggs and cameos that come up.  The film’s plot is pretty straightforward but it’s consistently funny on multiple levels.  There’s the usual fart jokes that will keep kids giggling but there a lot more advanced and nuanced comedy that most parents will enjoy.  The film does drag a tad in it’s latter half which should come as a big surprise since the shows episode only run 15 minutes long.  Still its great to see Greg Cipes, Scott Menville, Khary Payton, Tara Strong and Hynden Walch voice the Titans on the big screen.  Will Arnett is perfect as Slade the Titans arch nemesis.  Arnett’s voice and comic timing melds perfectly with the shows humor.  Overall it’s an impressive achievement from everyone involved.  Teen Titans Go to the Movies is a film kids will love as well as superhero fans.

A-

Cindy Prascik's Review of Mission Impossible: Fallout

Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for Mission Impossible: Fallout.

 

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

 

The past comes after Ethan Hunt and his team with a vengeance.

 

Mission Impossible: Fallout has been called the best film in its lengthy franchise, and that's probably a fair, if arguable, assessment. Ridiculously high stakes and and insane stunts make the Fast & Furious movies look like gritty realism by comparison. Fight and chase scenes are expertly choreographed and never dull or repetitive, even if they go on a bit. Tom Cruise--who, as Facebook has pointed out multiple times this week, is older in this MI installment than Wilford Brimley was in Cocoon (!!)--is in top action-hero form, performing his own stunts whenever the insurance allows and carrying the franchise on his back as if he has no other option. The cast is fleshed out with the usual array of familiar and (generally) likable faces: Rebecca Ferguson, Ving Rhames, Henry Cavill's moustache, Angela Bassett, Michelle Monaghan, and Simon Pegg, who is always best thing about any film lucky enough to have him. The brilliant Sean Harris also makes a welcome return as baddie Solomon Lane. Now I shall (reluctantly) mention just a few negatives: While MI: Fallout has a LOT of moving parts, the twists aren't all that clever. They're enjoyable and satisfying, but I made a game of guessing "surprises" before they happened, and I didn't miss the mark even once. There are too many impossibly lucky turns among the chase scenes (a little of that goes a long way), and some "thinking out loud" dialogue that is too silly even for a movie as over-the-top as this. Henry Cavill's wooden delivery, while perfect for a goody-two-shoes like Clark Kent, is jarringly bad for a character that should be at least a little hard to figure out. Finally, even though it doesn't lag, Fallout would have been well served by at least a small trim of its excessive runtime. Not one of those things makes MI: Fallout less than a great movie, but, in the interest of full and fair disclosure, these are what I see as its flaws. Also, since several people have asked, no, you won't be lost if you haven't seen the previous installment (or any previous installments) in the series. The film explains itself more than well enough for even the most casual fan to keep up.

 

Mission Impossible: Fallout clocks in at a whopping 147 minutes and is rated PG13 for "violence and intense sequences of action, and for brief strong language."

 

Easily the most exciting offering of the season, Mission Impossible: Fallout is that rare commodity: a fun summer blockbuster that's also a genuinely fantastic movie. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Mission Impossible: Fallout gets eight.

 

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: MAMMA MIA! HERE WE GO AGAIN

In 1979 young Donna, Tanya and Rosie graduate from Oxford University -- leaving Donna free to embark on a series of adventures throughout Europe. On her journeys, she makes the acquaintances of Harry, Bill and Sam -- the latter whom she falls in love with, but he's also the man who breaks her heart. In the present day, Donna's pregnant daughter, Sophie, dreams of renovating a taverna while reuniting with her mother's old friends and boyfriends on the Greek island of Kalokairi.

Director: OI Parker

Cast: Lily James, Amanda Seyfried, Christine Baranski, Julie Walters, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård, Dominic Cooper, Cher, Meryl Streep

Release Date: July 20, 2018

Genres: Comedy, Musical

Rated PG-13 for some suggestive material

Runtime: 1h 54min

Review:

Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is a surprisingly strong sequel to the fizzy original.  Getting the bad out of the way, the film feels the loss of it’s A List cast from the original, the majority of them appear but with limited screen time.  Lily James carries the majority of film as the young Donna and she’s more than capable.  I do wonder if they asked Grace Gummer, one of Streep’s daughters, to play the role since she bears such a striking resemblance to her when she was younger.  Still Lily James pulls off an impressive performance, capturing most of Streep’s mannerisms from the original film.  The rest of the younger cast is equally as effective portraying their older, legendary counterparts.  The song selections here aren’t as strong as the original film which is understandable since the original used nearly all the greatest hits.  Still they are catchy enough to keep any ABBA fan smiling.  The strangest thing about Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again is how reflective and heartfelt the film is.  It’s far more emotional than you’d expect from a sequel to a light fizzy original.  Meryl Streep appears in what is an extended cameo but her appearance packs an emotional punch and really brings the film full circle.   

B

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Equalizer 2

Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for one of my favorite things in this wide world: a new Denzel Washington movie. On the docket: The Equalizer 2.

 

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

 

Righting the world's wrongs takes a personal turn for Robert McCall.

 

Well, dear reader(s), I would be remiss indeed if my review of a Denzel Washington movie didn't begin by mentioning just how lucky we are to have Denzel Washington doing what he does. He is one of the world's most gifted actors, and, for my money, Hollywood's greatest and most watchable leading man. However good or bad the movie, there is something incomparably special about him, and I'm pleased to report that The Equalizer 2 gives his talent a surprisingly good workout.

 

The Equalizer 2 boasts plenty of action, with well-choreographed fight scenes playing out against the backdrop of an impending hurricane. The climactic confrontation in the height of the storm is especially exciting. Quieter bits of character development and plot progression occasionally seem a little longer than necessary, but not enough to derail the whole. We may take for granted that Denzel will be extraordinary--and end-to-end he's no less--but The Equalizer 2 features an exchange between him and a young co-star that matches even his (or anyone else's) greatest performances, absolutely chill-inducing. Harry Gregson-Williams' brooding score and phenomenal work by the sound department perfectly compliment the movie's somber tone. If the primary plotline makes its twists a bit too obvious, there's enough greatness surrounding it that it hardly matters.

 

The Equalizer 2 clocks in at two hours on the dot, and is rated R for "brutal violence throughout, language, and some drug content."

 

The Equalizer 2 is a worthy and satisfying follow-up to the original. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Equalizer 2 gets eight.

 

Fangirl points: Denzel! (Obvs.) My gal Melissa Leo!

 

Until next time...

Cindy Prascik's Review of Skyscraper / Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation

Dearest Blog: This weekend it was off to Marquee Cinemas for a pair of movies that were right up my alley: Skyscraper and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.

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

First on the agenda: Skyscraper.

When the world's tallest and most technologically-advanced building is sabotaged, it's up to Security Consultant!Rock to rescue his family and take down the baddies who are after his boss.

Something you should know about Skyscraper from a glance at its one-sheet, nevermind a single trailer, is that the movie is stupid. We are talking Fast & Furious levels of epic stupid; nothing about it makes any sense in the real world. I feel like the advertising doesn't leave room for doubt, but since unrealistic expectations seem to make a great many folks unhappy with movies, I'm telling you anyway. I'm also telling you this does not in any way, shape, or form make Skyscraper a less-than-great summer blockbuster.

First we have Dwayne Johnson. The beauty of Dwayne Johnson is...well...Dwayne Johnson. By the time the CGI embers have settled, you'll find yourself believing he really could wrangle all this ridiculousness and emerge the victor. Ice that cake with his boundless charisma, and the result is always a supremely watchable film. His supporting cast hardly matters, but Neve Campbell and Chin Han are solid, while Pablo Schreiber and Kevin Rankin are even better despite being woefully underused. The kids are cute and not irritating, which is essentially all I ask of kids, onscreen and off. Skyscraper boasts terrific disaster effects and insane stunts, but the best thing I can say about the movie is it features a lead character with a disability, but never becomes *about* the disability. He's just a guy doing what he has to do, and that sort of representation in a blockbuster like this is quite encouraging. A few small warnings and negatives: If you are squeamish about heights, best sit this one out; heights don't really bother me, and I haven't closed my eyes so much since The Walk. (That's without the 3D.) Some of the action/fight sequences are too comical even for a film this over-the-top, and, despite end-to-end action, the movie does feel a little long.

Skyscraper runs 102 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sequences of gun violence and action, and for brief strong language."

Bolstered by its charismatic lead and stellar effects, Skyscraper is an exciting bit of pointless summer fun. 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Skyscraper gets six and a half.

Next up, one of my most-anticipated titles of 2018 (yeah, you heard me): Hotel Transylvania 3.

Mistaking Drac's loneliness for exhaustion, Mavis arranges a family vacation on the high seas.

Despite my intense dislike of Adam Sandler, I have always had a soft spot for the Hotel Transylvania movies. It may be that I'm predisposed to like movies about Dracula, or just that Sandlier is strictly limited to doing only one stupid voice, rather than a bunch of them, but, whatever the reason, I really, really look forward to these movies and I have loved every one.

Hotel Transylvania 3 is surprisingly original. Its humor is more amusing than laugh-out-loud funny, but sharp animation, bright colors, and lively tunes will keep kids and adults engaged. Action sequences are outstanding, with a terrific opening sequence setting a fun tone. A standout score by Mark Mothersbaugh ties up the whole thing in a charmingly creepy bow. HT3 has a sweet message that's more than adequately conveyed as it plays out, so, if I had one small quibble, it's that the movie does belabor its point a bit at the end.

Hotel Transylvania 3 clocks in at a quick 97 minutes and is rated PG for "some action and rude humor."

Hotel Transylvania continues to surprise with a third installment that may be its best yet. 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation gets eight.

Until next time...