MOVIE REVIEW: THE BIKERIDERS

Over the course of a decade, a Midwestern motorcycle club evolves from a gathering place for local outsiders to a sinister gang, threatening the original group's way of life.

Director: Jeff Nichols

Cast: Jodie Comer, Austin Butler, Tom Hardy, Michael Shannon, Mike Faist, Norman Reedus

Release Date: June 21, 2024

Genre: Crime, Drama

Rated R for language throughout, violence, some drug use and brief sexuality.

Runtime: 1h 56m

Review:

Jeff Nichols' The Bikeriders is an engaging motorcycle drama propelled by strong performances from Jodie Comer and Tom Hardy.  Nichols film is set up like a classic tragedy with an air of nostalgia peppering the film's early acts as we follow the rise of the fictional motorcycle club.  There are plenty of wonderfully framed long shots of motorcycles rumbling across the screen against picturesque backdrops.  The club itself portrayed as a rough and tumble group that still has a sense of a moral code especially early on.  Austin Butler serves as Nichols' idealized version of this long lost era but little more.  Butler looks the part of the rebel without a cause although the story doesn't give him any depth or texture.  His character is central to what amounts to a love triangle but he's a frustrating cypher that the script never really explores in any meaningful way.  Jodie Comer, sporting a heavy Midwest accent, fares far better as the film's entry point.  Comer's character is an independent spitfire who is dragged into this world via an undeniable attraction to Butler's Benny.  Comer does an impressive job leading the film and giving her character an authentic sense of desperation as she tries to maintain her relationship alive in a tug a war between the club and Tom Hardy's Johnny.  Hardy is perfectly suited as the club's grizzled president, bring his distinct intensity to the role.  There's an air of sadness to his performance especially in the final act which brings an impressive amount of depth to his character in what is a fascinating turn.  The supporting cast is made up of a series of familiar faces which sadly serve more as window dressing due to a decidedly light script with only Michael Shannon leaving a lasting impression.  There's no denying that The Bikeriders has a distinct appeal mainly due to a pair of stellar performances but it could have been something truly special with a more nuanced script.

B 

Cindy Prascik's Review of Unfrosted

 

My dear reader(s), this weekend I caught up with Jerry Seinfeld's directoral debut, Unfrosted.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing plot-specific.

In the 1960s, two warring cereal giants race to create a new kind of breakfast pastry.

First, let's be clear: Unfrosted is the Rocketman of breakfast stories, that is, a fantasy loosely based on some things that probably happened not at all the way they're depicted here. Imagination: Yay! Realism: Nay.

Jerry Seinfeld's humor isn't for everyone, but if you're a fan, or not actively anti-Seinfeld, you're likely to enjoy Unfrosted, particularly if you're of a certain age. The movie features familiar faces - indeed, to the smallest role, there's hardly anyone unrecognizable - and nostalgia reigns supreme. Unfrosted is short, moves quickly, and is full of easy humor, absolutely nothing challenging or uncomfortable. It's not the kind of thing that would ever be a critical darling, even when Seinfeld was better regarded, and it never would have been a must-see big-screen release, but I found it enjoyable enough. Also, a random fact: Until I saw this movie, I had NO idea that Thurl Ravenscroft ("You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch") was Tony the Tiger, so I guess it's educational too.

Unfrosted clocks in at a quick 97 minutes amd is rated PG13 for "some suggestive references and language."

Unfrosted takes some well-known faces on a humorous, nostalgic spin through breakfast history. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Unfrosted gets five.

Unfrosted is now streaming on Netflix.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: INSIDE OUT 2

 

Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust have been running a successful operation by all accounts. However, when Anxiety shows up, they aren't sure how to feel.

Director: Kelsey Mann

Cast:  Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Lewis Black, Diane Lane, Kyle MacLachlan, Tony Hale, Liza Lapira, Maya Hawke, Ayo Edebiri, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Paul Walter Hauser, Kensington Tallman

Release Date: June 14, 2024

Genre: Animation, Adventure, Comedy, Drama, Family, Fantasy

Rated PG for some thematic elements.

Runtime: 1h 36m

Review:

Inside Out 2 doesn't pack the emotional punch the original did but it still manages to find an inventive and relatable approach to the experience of going through adolescence.  Kelsey Mann takes over the directorial reins from Pete Docter and maintains the same wonderfully abstract and colorful style throughout.  Mann does manage to expand the world by introducing us to the basement where memories create florescent strings which make up Riley's sense of self and the Secret Vault where we get a fun mash up of 2D and video game animation.  The new settings provide plenty of eye candy and their own brand of distinctiveness from the original which is refreshing.  Likewise, the new emotions' character designs are familiar but more exaggerated than the original group led by Anxiety who looks like a mutated Fraggle Rock Muppet.  Amy Poehler again voices Joy and leads the majority of the film with her endless exuberance and optimism.  There's more to Joy's personal journey this go around which gives her more depth and allows Poehler to do more than just be endlessly optimistic.  Phyllis Smith and Lewis Black also return as Sadness and Anger with both delivering solid work again.  Tony Hale and Liza Lapira take over for Bill Hader and Mindy Kaling as Fear and Disgust with admirable ease as the characters get screen time this go around as the quartet trek back to home base.  Maya Hawke and Ayo Edebiri join the cast as Anxiety and Envy with Hawke bring the perfect sense of neurotic, anxiousness to her character.  Hawke get a lion's share of the newcomer's spotlight and her exchanges with Poehler in the opening and finale really shine.  They manage to bring the story together from different ends of the spectrum to its complicated and relatable conclusion although the story toys with larger ideas such as psychical maturation and everything that comes with that but pulls back to focus on the angst.  Its a safer choice and possibly something a sequel would deal with but that doesn't detract from the overall quality of Inside Out 2.

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: ISLEEN PINES

 

A group of friends get together for the annual Halloween party, but are interrupted by mysterious visitors.

Director: Matthew Festle, Alexys Paonessa

Cast: Naiia Lajoie, Jackson Turner, Darren Deng, Glenn Plummer, Jeremiah Benjamin, Alan Maxson, Matthew Festle

Release Date: May 31, 2024

Genre: Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi

Unrated 

Runtime: 1h 24m

Review:

Writers/Directors Matthew Festle and Alexys Paonessa, low budget indie horror comedy Isleen Pines has a fun, over the top energy that echoes Peter Jackson's debut film Bad Taste even if it doesn't reach those heights.  Festle and Paonessa show noticeable talent and confidence behind the camera delivering some fun, colorful shots throughout that works well for the film's tone.  Some well placed songs peppered throughout keep the film moving at a decent pace even during some of the story's weaker portions.  The trilateral story structure is a solid idea, however there's a noticeable drop off when the film moves to the Halloween party.  We are introduced to a series of characters there but don't spend enough time with any of them to make a tangible connection to them which makes it feel more superfluous than the other two segments.  The story is at its best when it focuses on the central trio played by Naiia Lajoie, Jackson Turner and Darren Deng with Lajoie and Turner sharing some solid comedic chemistry together.  The story has Glenn Plummer mostly performing on his own and he delivers a fun performance that has him reacting to the increasingly crazy situation his character finds himself in.  All of this would have been more effective if there'd been a better expansion of the town's mythology which would have helped flesh out the general weirdness at play that would attract something like the alien monster.  As is, there's an uneven flow to Isleen Pines that keeps it from truly hitting its stride and taking full advantage of its gonzo spirit.  

C-

MOVIE REVIEW: BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE

 

When their late police captain gets linked to drug cartels, wisecracking Miami cops Mike Lowrey and Marcus Burnett embark on a dangerous mission to clear his name.

Director: Adil El Arbi, Bilall Fallah

Cast:  Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexander Ludwig, Paola Núñez, Jacob Scipio, Eric Dane, Joe Pantoliano,

Release Date: June 5, 2024

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Crime, Thriller

Rated R for strong violence, language throughout and some sexual references

Runtime: 1h 55m

Review:

Will Smith and Martin Lawrence fourth go around in the Bad Boys franchise brings all the buddy cop banter and kinetic action sequences you've come to expect albeit with a noticeable sense of diminishing returns.  Directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah return after reviving the franchise with 2020's Bad Boys For Life with them continuing to do their best Michael Bay impressions throughout the film.  The film's action sequences are hyperkinetically edited which manages to make for some strong moments highlighted by a helicopter crash and the finale set in an abandoned alligator theme park. The film hits its energetic peaks during these moments even as those sequences play loose with logic and physics that'll require some disengagement from common sense.  The action is fun on its own, but the main draw of this series has always been Will Smith and Martin Lawrence's chemistry together that has carried the previous films even during some of the weaker points.  They still work off each fairly well, but the script doesn't give them enough solid material to work with leaving most of it feel a bit forced until they find their stride in the final act.  There's more natural comedic energy in that final act which is sorely missing from the earlier acts.  At the very least there's a tangible effort to give these two characters an arch by giving Lawrence's Marcus Burnett a near death revelation and Smith's Mike Lowrey a battle with panic attacks.  Lawrence's Burnett is written and played much more cartoonish this go around, almost to a distracting level, leaving Smith to try and balance it all out as the straight man.  The supporting cast is made up of familiar faces from the franchise and new comers with nobody asked to do much more than look cool, confused, menacingly or nefarious.  Rhea Seehorn and Eric Dane in particular are given thankless one note roles as a Tommy Lee John's light US Marshall and villainous mastermind.  Jacob Scipio fares slightly better due to his natural on screen charisma as Lowrey's son from the previous film even though the accidental reconciliation angle is hardly original.  It’s one of the many aspects of the film that would have worked better if a bit more care had been given to the script, as is Bad Boys: Ride or Die is an enjoyable but easily forgettable entry in the franchise.  

 

C

MOVIE REVIEW: IN A VIOLENT NATURE

 

When a group of teens takes a locket from a collapsed fire tower in the woods, they unwittingly resurrect the rotting corpse of Johnny, a vengeful spirit spurred on by a horrific 60-year old crime. The undead killer soon embarks on a bloody rampage to retrieve the stolen locket, methodically slaughtering anyone who gets in his way.

Director: Chris Nash

Cast: Ry Barrett, Andrea Pavlovic, Cameron Love, Reece Presley, Liam Leone, Charlotte Creaghan, Lea Rose Sebastianis 

Release Date: May 31, 2024

Genre: Drama, Horror, Thriller

Unrated

Runtime: 1h 34m

Review:

In a Violent Nature is a fascinating experiment in the slasher genre which flips the script by focusing on the killer's point of view which methodically delivers gory kills but little substance.  Chris Nash's film doesn't break any new ground as much as it gives us another perspective of a well worn genre with this film borrowing heavily from the Friday the 13th series with a small smattering of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.  His film makes great use of the Canadian wilderness as we follow the killer's steady stroll from location to location in long extended shots.  Those short on patience are likely to be frustrated as the film features a bevy of these sequences with little dialogue and no music with some inventive kills interspersed in between.  A handful of those kills are fairly creative and they are sure to make gore hounds happy especially since they're laced with hints of dark humor throughout.  It helps that the collection of young adults that serve as meat for the grinder are written as stereotypically as possible with each going out in a predictable manner.  The steady pace has a headstrong precision that mimics the killer's single mindedness but those expecting any sort of exploration of the genre or central killer will be left wanting as the entire thing is fairly thin outside of its novel approach. In a Violent Nature seems more than content to deliver its simplistic thrills and impressive visuals as a treat to the long time fans of the subgenre.  

B-