MOVIE REVIEW: THE PROTEGE

 

Rescued as a child by the legendary assassin Moody, Anna is the world's most skilled contract killer. However, when Moody is brutally killed, she vows revenge for the man who taught her everything she knows. As Anna becomes entangled with an enigmatic killer, their confrontation turns deadly, and the loose ends of a life spent killing weave themselves ever tighter.

Director: Martin Campbell

Cast: Maggie Q, Michael Keaton, Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Malahide, David Rintoul, Ori Pfeffer, Ray Fearon, Caroline Loncq, Robert Patrick

Rated R for strong and bloody violence, language, some sexual references and brief nudity

Release Date: August 20, 2021

Genres: Action, Crime, Thriller

Runtime: 1h 49min

Review:

The Protégé plays like a hybrid between Mr. & Mrs. Smith and La Femme Nikita.  The latter fits perfectly for the film's star, Maggie Q, who led the underseen and underappreciated  2010 series Nikita.  Needless to say, she's perfectly in her comfort zone here.  Martin Campbell brings his directorial clout having helmed two well regarded Bond films.  Together they should make for a match in heaven but a hackneyed muddled script hampers what should have been a slam dunk.  Thankfully the action sequences well staged and engaging with Q doing the majority of her own stunts.  In addition to being incredibly adept at the physicality needed for the role but she's equally capable as an actress.  She has the ability to go from stone cold stoic to vulnerable with an impressive subtly.  Samuel L. Jackson, who plays her adoptive father, is more subdued than his recent turn in The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard instead he seems to be channeling Jules from Pulp Fiction which is a nice change of pace.  Michael Keaton makes the biggest impression in a supporting roles as he works the sort of wry world weary charm and intensity that worked so well for him in Burton's Batman.  Keaton and Q make for a strange May December pairing since they don't share any tangible romantic chemistry.  Even though their relationship isn't believable both performers are able to make each of their interactions the high points of the film.  So why doesn't the whole thing work better as a cohesive whole?  The script doesn't do any favors for the cast and director as they try their hardest to overcome the inherent limitations in terms of story and dialogue.  Thankfully, The Protégé is able to overcome this and still deliver a fun spy thriller even if its not as good as it could have been.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: FREE GUY

 

When a bank teller discovers he's actually a background player in an open-world video game, he decides to become the hero of his own story -- one that he can rewrite himself. In a world where there's no limits, he's determined to save the day his way before it's too late, and maybe find a little romance with the coder who conceived him.

Director: Shawn Levy

Cast: Ryan Reynolds, Taika Waititi, Jodie Comer, Lil Rel Howery, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Joe Keery

Rated PG-13 for strong fantasy violence throughout, language and crude/suggestive references

Release Date: August 13, 2021

Genres: Action, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Runtime: 1h 55 min

Review:

In a strange world The Lego Movie and John Carpenter’s They Live got married and had baby which grew up to be Free Guy.  Shawn Levy’s video game film is fun romp which isn’t nearly as clever as it thinks it is but manages to maintain an undeniable energy that makes the whole thing enjoyable.  Ryan Reynold’s uses his endless charm to great extent to make the film work.  He’s pretty much the lifeblood of the film but Killing Eve star Jodie Comer ends up being the film’s beating heart.  Together they make a fun onscreen couple among all the insanity that pulls heavily from the Grand Theft Auto video game series.  The supporting cast help make the film work through the predictable story.  Lil Rel Howery is incredibly earnest as Guy’s best friend, so much so that a moment near the end is surprisingly moving.  Taika Waititi though makes the biggest impression with his natural comedic talents.  Waititi’s character is incredibly over the top but so much fun as he spoofs the worse version of video game company owners.  Free Guy is a fun film but you can’t help but think that you’ve already seen much better versions of the same story. 

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: RESPECT

 

Following the rise of Aretha Franklin's career -- from a child singing in her father's church choir to her international superstardom -- it's the remarkable true story of the music icon's journey to find her voice.

Director: Liesl Tommy

Cast: Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans, Audra McDonald, Marc Maron, Tituss Burgess, Saycon Sengbloh, Hailey Kilgore, Skye Dakota Turner, Tate Donovan, Mary J. Blige

Release Date: August 13, 2021

Genre: Biography, Drama, Music

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, strong language including racial epithets, violence, suggestive material, and smoking

Runtime: 2h 25min

Review:

Aretha Franklin was a seminal star whose impact on the musical world still reverberates through the musical world.  Unfortunately, Liesl Tommy’s biopic is a paint by the numbers affair that plays more like a high end Lifetime film with better actors.  The film’s structure is a painfully predictable with melodramatic moments that will make most have flashback of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.  The film’s saving grace is it’s cast with Jennifer Hudson leading the way with her spectacular voice making the musical sequences the highlight of the film.  Hudson is ready made for these types of roles which highlight her voice over her acting ability.  She’s a capable actress but the script isn’t interested in any sort of deep dive into what made Aretha tick as it only scratches the surface of her trouble upbringing and relationships with men.  Still, she’s able to shine in the moment where she belts out Franklin’s songs.  The film stages those moment with the type of loving affection that they deserve.  The supporting cast do solid work with Forest Whitaker making the biggest impression.  Whitaker is the type of performer that can take small moment and imbue them with emotions that range from menace to tenderness.  When he and Hudson share the screen the movie pops in a significant way that makes the rest off the film feel like a bit of a letdown since it never maintains that type of quality.  Respect, sadly, ends up being a run of the mill biopic that doesn’t do anything truly meaningful deserving of it’s subject.

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: DON'T BREATHE 2

 

A blind veteran must use his military training to save a young orphan from a group of kidnappers.

Director: Rodo Sayagues

Cast: Stephen Lang, Brendan Sexton III, Madelyn Grace, Adam Young, Bobby Schofield, Rocci William

Release Date: August 12, 2021

Genre: Horror, Thriller

Rated R for strong bloody violence, gruesome images, and language

Runtime: 1 h 38 min

Review:

Fede Alvarez's Don't Breathe was surprisingly effective horror thriller that used it central conceit to maximum effect.  Stephen Lang delivered a memorable turn as the murderous rapist killer.  The sequel wants you to forget some of nastier parts of what we saw in the original and decides to turn The Blind Man into an antihero in a series of increasingly ludicrous set pieces.  Rodo Sayagues takes over directorial duties from Alvarez and he does a solid job mimicking his visuals and overall style.  Sayagues creates some inventive set pieces but he never achieves the sort of nail biting tension needed to make the sequences work.  They are still as brutal and gory as the original film but they don't have the same visceral effect.  It doesn't help that the script for the sequel is decidedly stupider than the original.  The first film required a certain level of disbelief but the sequel doesn't bother with that or any semblance of reality especially once it hits the final act.  Stephen Lang does his best to carry the film and you get the distinct impression that he really enjoys playing the character.  Unfortunately the supporting cast isn't nearly as committed or strong.  Madelyn Grace tries her best as The Blind Man's adopted daughter but she never comes across as authentic or believable.  Brendan Sexton III's turn as the villain is laughably bad especially once his character's motivations are revealed.  Don't Breathe 2 falls into the category of forgettable follow ups to infinitely better originals.  

C-

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Suicide Squad

My dear reader(s): The weekend just passed brought us the latest installment in DC Comics' extended cinematic universe, the Suicide Squad.

A collection of the criminal and the criminally insane embark on another secret mission.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers or a general familiarity with the product.

Technically, I believe the Suicide Squad is considered a sequel to 2016's Suicide Squad. In reality, minus Jared Leto's Joker and with an almost completely new cast, it feels more like a do-over. The original was universally reviled (though I didn't hate it), so putting maximum artistic distance between the two probably was in the best interest of the new movie.

It comes as no surprise, then, that Suicide Squad and *the* Suicide Squad are two very different films. As mentioned, gone is Leto's deeply divisive Joker. While that's a significant character to remove from the mix, I don't think the movie misses him. Gone, also, is Will Smith as Deadshot. The team's new leader is Bloodsport, portrayed by Idris Elba. Will Smith is cool, but I can't say there are many actors I wouldn't happily swap for Elba, and Mr. Smith is no exception. (Sorry, Will. Love ya.) Margot Robbie makes her third big-screen appearance as Harley Quinn, and — given the character's psychoses — it feels inappropriate to say she's delightful, but delightful she is. She's come to own the character, and certainly she owns the screen whenever she's on it. Joel Kinnaman returns as Rick Flag, and Viola Davis as Amanda Walker, but most of the other faces are new to the property, if mostly familiar to movie-goers. Notable are the brilliant Peter Capaldi, John Cena, and David Dastmalchian, a favorite of mine since he named Rachel Dawes as next on the Joker's hit list in the Dark Knight. (Dastmalchian and co-star Michael Rooker have also done time in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.) Sylvester Stallone is a scene-stealer as the voice of King Shark. Most of the performances can fairly be called terrific without a "for the genre" qualifier. The Suicide Squad uses a solid score by John Murphy and an interesting selection of tunes to underscore its dark mood, another important distinction from the original, which often felt more like a series of music videos than it did one cohesive film. The movie has its fair share of juvenile humor, but an equal helping of legitimately funny bits. CGI is decent throughout, and action scenes are exciting and don't wear out their welcome. Harley Quinn features in a fight sequence that is right up there with the Freebird/church scene in Kingsman: the Secret Service as a new classic and maybe an all-time great.

While the 2016 and 2021 Suicide Squads are very different, they're also quite similar. Both are very, very violent, though in a stylized way that doesn't seem as much about the gross-out as it does about interesting visuals. Both have a bright comic-book look to them, with colorful graphics and bold text. Both feature an abundance of bad language and disturbing content. (Why does James Gunn hate birds??) Both play Harley Quinn's insanity for laughs when, really, hers is a grotesque and unsettling story. If the houses ended up looking quite different, it's clear their foundations were the same.

The Suicide Squad is now playing in cinemas worldwide, and streaming on HBO Max through the first week of September. It runs 132 minutes and is rated R for "strong violence and gore, language throughout, some sexual references, drug use, and brief graphic nudity."

The Suicide Squad is good fun for those who aren't squeamish about extreme content, a definite improvement over the original. Of a possible nine Weasleys, the Suicide Squad gets seven and a half.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: THE GREEN KNIGHT

 

King Arthur's headstrong nephew embarks on a daring quest to confront the Green Knight, a mysterious giant who appears at Camelot. Risking his head, he sets off on an epic adventure to prove himself before his family and court.

Director: David Lowery

Cast: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury, Sean Harris, Ralph Ineson

Release Date: July 30, 2021

Genre: Adventure, Drama, Fantasy

Rated R for violence, some sexuality and graphic nudity

Runtime: 2 h 10 min

Review:

David Lowery’s deconstructed Arthurian tale is a methodical pensive take that’s moody and visually stunning.  Lowery’s film isn’t going to be for everyone since his pacing is deliberately slow as he lets visual and moments linger on screen for an extended amount of time.  Everything moves at a slow simmer allowing the thematic meaning to seep into your mind.  It’s the opposite of a blockbuster film since it asks you actively digest what’s being presented on screen. Dev Patel leads the film ably in a understated but thoughtful turn as Sir Gawain as he tackles destiny and life during his journey. Patel’s dialogue is sparse but he communicates a books worth of emotions via his eyes.  The supporting cast is equally effective with Alicia Vikander making the biggest impression in a duel role one of which leaves her nearly unrecognizable. David Lowery’s film fits nicely next to John Boorman’s classic Excalibur and much like that film it’s a visual feast that will leave you thinking about it long after the film is over.    

A-