In 1985, Russian boxer Ivan Drago killed
former U.S. champion Apollo Creed in a tragic match that stunned
the world. Against the wishes of trainer Rocky Balboa, Apollo's son Adonis
Johnson accepts a challenge from Drago's son -- another dangerous fighter.
Under guidance from Rocky, Adonis trains for the showdown of his life -- a date
with destiny that soon becomes his obsession. Now, Johnson and Balboa must
confront their shared legacy as the past comes back to haunt each man.
Director: Steven Caple Jr.
Cast: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone,
Tessa Thompson, Dolph Lundgren, Florian Munteanu, Wood Harris, Russell Hornsby,
Andre Ward, Phylicia Rashad
Release Date: November 21, 2018
Genres: Drama, Sport
Rated PG-13 for sports action violence,
language, and a scene of sensuality Runtime: 2h 10 min
Review:
Creed 2 is a well acted and directed sequel
that delivers what people expect from the Rocky films even though there’s a
strict adherence to the tired and true tropes and beats. Steven Caple Jr. does solid work stepping in
for Ryan Coogler who brought the franchise back to life.Caple Jr. gives his film enough artful
touches to give it a distinctive feel which makes some of the more predictable
moments easier to sit through.The
biggest thing this sequel has going for it is its cast lead by the incredibly
charismatic Michael B. Jordan.Jordan’s profile has risen quiet a bit since the first film
came out and it’s well earned.He feels
much more comfortable in the roles and explores other aspects of the
character’s psyche.Tessa Thompson is
just as comfortable this go around which leaves us with an incredibly watchable
on screen couple.The heart and soul of
these films is still Sylvester Stallone this remains true here even though his
role is limited.Bringing back one of
Rocky’s most iconic adversaries could have been a major misstep but luckily
it’s handled nicely.It’s an interesting
turn that expands on what was, and still is, a cartoonish type of
character.Some of the Drago story
threads still come off as a bit silly but the story really does an impressive
job of adding some interesting depth to Drago.Creed 2 isn’t quiet as impressive as Creed but it more than holds its
own in the Rocky ring.
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!
In an effort to thwart Grindelwald's plans
of raising pure-blood wizards to rule over all non-magical beings, Albus
Dumbledore enlists his former student Newt Scamander, who agrees to help, unaware
of the dangers that lie ahead. Lines are drawn as love and loyalty are tested,
even among the truest friends and family, in an increasingly divided wizarding
world.
Director: David Yates
Cast: Eddie Redmayne, Katherine Waterston,
Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Ezra Miller, Zoë Kravitz, Callum Turner, Claudia Kim,
William Nadylam, Kevin Guthrie, Jude Law, Johnny Depp
Release Date: November 16, 2018
Genres: Adventure , Family , Fantasy
Rated PG-13 for some sequences of fantasy
action
Runtime: 2h 14 min
Review:
I’ll start with a disclaimer; I’ve never
been a die hard Harry Potter fan.It’s a
series that I warmed up too as the stories got more mature but I’d be lying if
I said I loved them.I appreciate them
on multiple levels but if I never saw another film in the universe I’d be
ok.I enjoyed the first Fantastic Beast
film because it was an enjoyable jaunt with some likeable characters starting
with Eddie Redmayne’s Newt Scamander.In
this entry, Redmayne has clearly nailed the character and he’s even more likeable
this go around even though he’s not the primary focus.A large cast of returning faces and new
faces, like Johnny Depp’s titular Grindelwald and Jude Law’s Albus Dumbledore, make
this film feel much larger and busier than the first entry.The movie is never uninteresting but it does
feel like there are multiple story lines jammed into this entry with a hefty
amount of exposition setting up future entries.David Yates film clearly suffers from being a middle entry in a much
larger story which leaves this feeling incomplete by design.Still there is a lot to like and fans of the
series will find plenty to like.
Fired from the National Security
Agency, Frans Balder recruits hacker Lisbeth Salander to steal FireWall, a
computer program that can access codes for nuclear weapons worldwide. The
download soon draws attention from an NSA agent who traces the activity to Stockholm. Further problems arise when Russian thugs take
Lisbeth's laptop and kidnap a math whiz who can make FireWall work. Now,
Lisbeth and an unlikely ally must race against time to save the boy and recover
the codes to avert disaster.
Rated PG-13 for thematic
content, some drug and sexual references, and for language
Runtime: 1 hr. 42 min.
Genres: Crime, Drama,
Thriller
Review:
The Girl in The Spider’s
Web serves as a sort of reboot / continuation of Dragon Tattoo story with Clair
Foy taking over the main role. Claire
Foy seems like she’s miscast at first glance but she’s actually more than capable
to carry on the role from Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara. Foy has a quiet intensity that fits the
character perfectly even if the character has been mainstreamed a bit to make
her more easily digestible to the general public. Still, Claire Foy is able to give this
iteration of Lisbeth enough of an edge to keep the spirit of the character
alive. Not fairing as well is this films
version of Mikael Blomkvist. Sverrir
Gudnason is decidedly bland as the stalwart journalist who mostly just blends
in with the background. LaKeith
Stanfield does give the film a nice boost with his strong on screen presence
even though I wish the film would have given us a bit more of him and Foy
together. Still, Fede Álvarez and his
cast deliver an interesting and engaging entry into the franchise which still
shows signs of life especially with Foy in the lead.
