MOVIE REVIEW: ASTEROID CITY

 

World-changing events spectacularly disrupt the itinerary of a Junior Stargazer/Space Cadet convention in an American desert town circa 1955.

Director: Wes Anderson

Cast: Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson, Tom Hanks, Jeffrey Wright, Tilda Swinton, Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Adrien Brody, Liev Schreiber, Hope Davis, Steve Park, Rupert Friend, Maya Hawke, Steve Carell, Matt Dillon, Hong Chau, Willem Dafoe, Margot Robbie, Tony Revolori, Jake Ryan, Jeff Goldblum

Release Date: June 23, 2023 

Genre: Comedy, Drama, Romance

Rated PG-13 on appeal for brief graphic nudity, smoking and some suggestive material

Runtime:1h 45m

By this point in Wes Anderson's career people should know what they are getting into when they step into the theater to watch one of his films.  His esoteric, meticulous style may not be for everybody but you have to appreciate the level of craftmanship on display in every shot.  This latest entry has all of his quirks and style set to max which a multilevel structure that allow him to explore a wide variety of themes and ruminations on life, love and loss.  Anderson has run through these sort of themes in the past but this is his most densely packed film which is ready made for discussion and dissection. The film follows a very specific pace which might be a bit slow for some since its in no hurry to get anywhere.  Like everything in this film, its measured and calculated and it allows the all star cast really shine in each scene.  It's truly an ensemble piece with everyone getting their moment throughout the film with Schwartzman and Johansson getting slightly more screen time.  Those looking for a straightforward comedy might be disappointed since it's a much more varied beast that has more charm than outright belly laughs.  As the film moves into its final act it also gets more experimental in its structure and overall approach.  Asteroid City proves to be something far more interesting and innovative when its all said and done.  Its an impressive feat from Anderson and his cast but I don't believe this is the type of film that will change people who dislike his singular style into fans.  

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: NO HARD FEELINGS

 

On the brink of losing her childhood home, a desperate woman agrees to date a wealthy couple's introverted and awkward 19-year-old son before he leaves for college.

Director: Gene Stupnitsky

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Andrew Barth Feldman, Laura Benanti, Natalie Morales, Matthew Broderick

Release Date: June 23, 2023 

Genre: Comedy

Rated R for sexual content, language, some graphic nudity and brief drug use

Runtime: 1h 43m

No Hard Feelings is a throwback sex comedy that works because of strong turns from Jennifer Lawrence and Andrew Barth Feldman.  Gene Stupnitsky's gives his film a breezy likable tone that makes it easy to like.  Anyone who's seen his previous film, 2018's equally raunchy Good Boys, will have a good idea of what's in store as it delivers the same mixture of raunchiness and sweetness throughout.  The plot uses a deceivingly simple set up to build into something a bit more character focused than you'd expect from this kind of film.  Jennifer Lawrence deserves a lion’s share of the credit as her natural charisma and talent make this film far more enjoyable than it should be.  Lawrence shows off some impressive comedic timing along with a real talent for physical comedy something on full display in one scene that's sure to have plenty of people talking.  Andrew Barth Feldman is more than up to the task as the doe eyed, nerdy introvert who Lawrence is tasked to bring out of his shell.  Together they share some fun, awkward chemistry together which generates the majority of the laughs especially early on as Lawrence sets the sex appeal to ten paired with Feldman's scared turtle.  The May December relationship manages to maintain a certain tenderness and sweetness even as the story takes some fairly predictable turns in its final act where it starts to lose some steam.  The script tries to give the character's a bit more depth but it only partially works since it’s not really fleshed out which makes for a clunker ending that feels a bit too air tight.  That being said No Hard Feelings is an enjoyable romp that brings more than its fair share of adult laughs to the screen.   

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: EXTRACTION 2

 

Back from the brink of death, commando Tyler Rake embarks on a dangerous mission to save a ruthless gangster's imprisoned family.

Director: Sam Hargrave

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Golshifteh Farahani, Adam Bessa, Olga Kurylenko, Daniel Bernhardt, Tinatin Dalakishvili, Idris Elba

Release Date: June 16, 2023

Genre: Action, Thriller

Rated R for strong/bloody violence throughout and language

Runtime: 2h 2m

Sam Hargrave's follow up to his pandemic hit doesn't offer a lot more in terms of story as it plays fairly close to the original's plot simply switching out targets and adversaries.  The film's main draw is its action sequences and they are taken to another level of coordinated madness that nearly makes you forgot about the incredibly barebones story driving the entire thing.  Hargrave spends very little time explaining how Hemsworth's Rake survived a seemingly fatal wound at the end of the original.  Once that's out of way, a rather intriguing appearance from Idris Elba starts the story in earnest.  The set up is fairly basic as we're introduced to an array of Eastern European bad guys straight from central casting.  They're disposable fodder that serves as nothing more than meat for the grinder.  It quickly leads to the 22 unbroken shot that's impressive in terms of the sheer scale due to all the moving parts involved in coordinating the carnage thrown onscreen.  Its audaciously outlandish and insane but it's hard not to enjoy the action spectacle thrown at the audience in steady succession.  The rest of the film still has plenty of set pieces following the prison escape but that moment is definitely the most memorable of the entire film.  Sadly, the story doesn't get nearly the same amount of attention that the action does since it does the bare minimum to make the character more three dimensional.  The cast, for their part, do their best to make the characters more interesting and engaging than what's written on the page.  Chris Hemsworth's leads the film with the same steely dogged determination that he brought in the original.  The film doesn't ask him to do much more than be a believable killing machine as he dispatches enemy with a impressive gusto, people of a certain age might get flashbacks of 1985's Commando which less quips.  Golshifteh Farahani and Adam Bessa are given far more to do in this entry with Farahani taking full advantage of the expanded screen time.  Hemsworth and Farahani share some great chemistry together, the third film would be wise to take as much time with the characters as it does with the action sequences.  

B-

Cindy Prascik's Review of Renfield

My dear reader(s), this weekend I had the opportunity to catch up with the Dracula-adjacent movie Renfield.

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

The eternal sidekick embarks on a journey of self-improvement, putting him at odds with his dark master.

Renfield is a solid horror comedy that's heavy on gore and fairly light on lore. Laughs take the lead, with a beautifully over-the-top Nicolas Cage camping it up as the immortal Angel of Death, and Nicholas Hoult as his downtrodden sidekick. Awkwafina nearly steals the show as an incorruptible police officer whose own quest for vengeance intersects with Renfield's mission. The original premise is its own reward here, but the movie also benefits from nice special effects, well placed humor, and an efficient runtime.

Renfield clocks in at 93 minutes and is rated R for "bloody violence, some gore, language throughout, and some drug use."

If you can stomach a lot (a LOT) of blood and you're in the mood for a new take on an old tale, Renfield is the flick for you. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Renfield gets eight.

Renfield is now streaming on Peacock.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: ELEMENTAL

In a city where fire, water, land, and air residents live together, a fiery young woman and a go-with-the-flow guy discover something elemental: how much they actually have in common.

Director: Peter Sohn

Cast: Leah Lewis, Mamoudou Athie, Ronnie del Carmen, Shila Ommi, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Catherine O'Hara, Mason Wertheimer, Joe Pera, Matt Yang King

Release Date: June 16, 2023

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Rated PG for some peril, thematic elements and brief language

Runtime: 1h 42m

Elemental is a charming romantic comedy disguised as a children's movie which shows that Pixar can still deliver the kind of emotional resonance that makes their films special.  Peter Sohn delivers a beautifully animated journey into a fully realized world of anthropized elemental that's simply dazzling to look at.  The animation packs a mindboggling amount of detail into each frame that's its almost impossible to catch every bit of it in one showing.  The character designs themselves are wonderfully crafted with each elemental given a distinctive look and feel.  Story wise it does feel like it might lean a bit older since the central plot is a rather sweet romance pair with a not so subtle immigrant subplot which will likely go over younger kids heads.  Its a straightforward story done with believable and personal stakes that makes you invested in the story.  A major reason the story resonates is the voice work turned in by film's leads Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie.  Lewis and Athie make a believable and likable onscreen pair with both turning in strong vocal performances that really shine throughout.  Lewis, in particular, provides a nuanced level of emotional range that makes Ember all the more memorable.  Together they share a special kind of chemistry which works in the film's favor.  The subplot involving Ember's immigrant father and his wish to have her run his story is the film's secret weapon and sure to elicit a tear or two by the time the film ends thanks in large part to a heartfelt turn from Ronnie del Carmen.  Elemental may surprise people who haven't been impressed with some of Pixar's more recent offering because it delivers the kind of emotional heft that makes you forget your watching a kids movie.

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE FLASH

 

Worlds collide when the Flash uses his superpowers to travel back in time to change the events of the past. However, when his attempt to save his family inadvertently alters the future, he becomes trapped in a reality in which General Zod has returned, threatening annihilation. With no other superheroes to turn to, the Flash looks to coax a very different Batman out of retirement and rescue an imprisoned Kryptonian -- albeit not the one he's looking for.

Director: Andrés Muschietti

Cast: Ezra Miller, Sasha Calle, Michael Shannon, Ron Livingston, Maribel Verdú, Kiersey Clemons, Antje Traue, Michael Keaton

Release Date: June 16, 2023

Genre: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for sequences of violence and action, some strong language and partial nudity

Runtime: 2h 24m

Andrés Muschietti's The Flash is cornucopia of superhero wackiness powered by a manic energy that makes the whole thing incredibly watchable.  Muschietti takes a kitchen sink approach by staging some inventive action set pieces which ranges from charmingly goofy early on like a "baby shower" rescue or a bit of mayhem that plays more like a circus parade before we move to the requisite superhero action.  The variety in these sequences keeps the entire thing from feeling stale since each sequence offers up it's own sort of energy.  These set pieces, as fun as they are, wouldn't work as well as it does if Ezra Miller didn't deliver a strong performance.  Miller's, legal issues aside, is a talented performer and this role allows him to really flex his acting muscles as he plays two different versions of the titular character at different stages in his life.  He balances the more mature, damaged central character with the more carefree and naïve iteration of himself with impressive ease.  In both cases, he brings a grounded, authentic emotional center to the characters even amongst the increasingly insane situations splashed on screen.  The character's arch through the multiverse differentiates itself from other film using the trope by centering it around the character's personal growth and acceptance, Star Trek: The Next Generation fans might get echoes of the episode Tapestry which used a similar approach.  Its a smart approach which centers the film even as a bevy of cameos and Easter eggs are thrown onscreen.  The most substantial of these is Michael Keaton donning the cape and cowl once again, something he does with his general ease as he brings back the same Burtonesque energy that's sure to thrill children of the 80's.  Once Keaton shows up on screen the film does lean heavily into fan service which will make a portion of the fandom very happy and will likely be lost on people under a certain age.  Sasha Calle joins the film roughly around the same time as she brings a quiet ferocity to her character that the film would have benefited from exploring.  Instead her character feels rushed and underserved which is a shame.  Michael Shannon returns as General Zod in what amounts to a thankless role since its little more than an extended cameo that there simply to set up Barry's internal conflict.  While it makes sense in terms of the story being told you can't help but think there had to be a better way to use both Calle and Shannon.  Its a minor quibble especially when you step back and look at the amount of juggling Muschietti is doing to make The Flash work as a fun and engaging superhero story centered around a personal journey about growth.  

B