Cindy Prascik's Review of Triple Frontier

Thanks to the Death Plague currently decimating my office, this week I was able to catch the Netflix original film Triple Frontier.

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

Having various degrees of success readjusting to civilian life, a suspiciously-handsome group of ex-Special Forces soldiers plans to steal a drug lord's ill-gotten gains.

Triple Frontier is just the sort of picture that still gets me out to the cinema: a big, shoot-em-up actioner with testosterone to spare, kinda like the Expendables, only with smaller people who take themselves a little more seriously.

Given my dwindling tolerance for the movie-going public, it's my good fortune that Netflix gave me the opportunity to catch this in the comfort (and quiet) of my own home.

While they aren't all exactly A-List, the aforementioned smaller people--Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Pedro Pascal, and Garrett Hedlund--have a fair bit of big-screen cred among them. Each has his moment(s) to shine, and none is better or worse than exactly what the material requires. Triple Frontier is certainly action packed, yet at times I was surprised how slow it seemed. It's good that there's more going on than just gunfights and explosions (she says, grudgingly), but somehow the bits that *aren't* gunfights and explosions don't quite earn their keep. Part of the problem is that the trailer sells a heist film, but the actual heist is a relatively small part of the story; the majority of the film's runtime is burned on what follows. Effects and action/fight choreography are solid, but even the movie's most meaningful dialogue is awkward and stilted. Despite any other failings, the film boasts a groovy soundtrack and does a good job of sustaining tension right up to a predictable finish.

Triple Frontier clocks in at 125 minutes and is rated R for "violence and language throughout." It may not be the best movie of the year, but Triple Frontier holds its own.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Triple Frontier gets seven.

Fangirl points: You guys...CHARLIE HUNNAM! Until next time...

Cindy Prascik's Review of If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd

Today I was fortunate to catch If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd, on Showtime.

If I Leave Here Tomorrow is a loving but unflinching look at the band Lynyrd Skynyrd.

This film documents well known events, so kindly expect "spoilers" if you are unfamiliar with Lynyrd Skynyrd's story.

If I Leave Here Tomorrow focuses on the band's humble beginnings on the wrong side of the tracks in Jacksonville, Florida, through its mid- to late-70s heyday, but beginning, middle, and end are touched by the tragic 1977 plane crash that claimed the lives of six people, including three band members.

If I Leave Here Tomorrow blends new and old interviews with terrific photos, video clips, newsreel footage, and excerpts from what appear to be home videos. How lucky we are that someone captured so much in an era long before everyone had a video camera in their pockets! The movie plays to a backdrop of both better- and lesser-known Skynyrd tunes.

Filmmakers and band members alike clearly revere founding lead singer and songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, but that doesn't stop the movie from touching on his violent darker side. Still, it's clear to this day that Skynyrd members new and old feel Van Zant's vision as the driving force behind the band.

Band members prove to be mostly good interviews, telling entertaining stories of hard-working early years and the debauchery that fame brought. More than a couple of their remarks may surprise those who take the band only at face value. Harrowing first-person accounts of the plane crash are almost certain to bring the hardest-hearted viewer to tears. Today, when such hard lines strive to define and divide us, it's fantastic to watch this band of hippie-hillbilly-bluesmen erase all such barriers.

If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd clocks in at 95 minutes and is rated TV14. (There's some rough language and a good bit of drinking and drug use.)

If I Leave Here Tomorrow: A Film About Lynyrd Skynyrd is a story told with love, but it does not tiptoe around the band's less-flattering moments. It's a well-crafted picture that truly does these legendary artists justice. Of a possible nine Weasleys, If I Leave Here Tomorrow gets nine.

If I Leave Here Tomorrow is currently running on Showtime's family of networks, and is available on Showtime On Demand and Showtime Anytime. 40+ years and many hard losses since the plane crash of 1977, Lynyrd Skynyrd is in the midst of what it is calling its "farewell" tour, slated to wrap up in September.

Fangirl points: I've met a lot of people, specifically a lot of famous people, specifically-specifically a lot of famous musicians, and Johnny Van Zant is one of the nicest people I have ever met!

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: CAPTAIN MARVEL

Captain Marvel is an extraterrestrial Kree warrior who finds herself caught in the middle of an intergalactic battle between her people and the Skrulls. Living on Earth in 1995, she keeps having recurring memories of another life as U.S. Air Force pilot Carol Danvers. With help from Nick Fury, Captain Marvel tries to uncover the secrets of her past while harnessing her special superpowers to end the war with the evil Skrulls.

Director: Anna Boden, Ryan Fleck

  

Cast: Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Djimon Hounsou, Lee Pace, Lashana Lynch, Gemma Chan, Annette Bening, Clark Gregg,  Jude Law

  

Release Date: March 8, 2019

  

Genres: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

  

Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief suggestive language

  

Runtime: 2h 4 min

  

Review:

Captain Marvel is a solid if bland origin story.  That's not to say that there isn't fun to be had but the plot does telegraph some of the biggest reveals.  At the center of the film is Brie Larson who is typically a strong performer.  Here though, she's mostly wooden and she never really gives her character much personality.  As such, the titular character and star isn't all that interesting for the majority of the film.  Thankfully the supporting characters give the film a lot more life.  Sam Jackson finally gets his proper due in the MCU by giving us a look at Nick Fury as a young SHEILD agent.  The film is at its best when it pairs Larson and Jackson in a sort of buddy comedy, which really gives the film some life.  The real surprise though is a Ben Mendelsohn who brings a lot more to the table than you'd expect.  His character looks like a standard baddie but there's much more depth at play than at first glance.  Throw in a scene stealing cat and you get film that's better in it's final act than it was in the previous two portions.  The soundtrack is bound to make certain people nostalgic even if it plays like a copy of "Now that's what I call Music 90s."  Ultimately the film does a workman like job of checking all the boxes on a origin film but with a clever feminist twist even if it's not a natural or organic as say Wonder Woman.

B- 

MOVIE REVIEW: GRETA

Frances finds a handbag on the New York subway and promptly returns it to Greta, an eccentric French piano teacher who loves tea and classical music. Having recently lost her mother, young Frances strikes up a seemingly harmless friendship with the lonely and kindly widow who enjoys her company. But when Greta's behavior becomes increasingly erratic and obsessive, Frances does whatever it takes to end the toxic relationship before things spirals out of control.

Director: Neil Jordan

Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Chloë Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe, Colm Feore, Stephen Rea

Release Date: March 1, 2019

Genres: Drama, Horror, Mystery

Rated R for some violence and disturbing images

Runtime: 1h 38 min

Review:

Greta is one of those odd ball thrillers that pulls you in because of the talent assembled but never provides anything new or groundbreaking.  Neil Jordan’s film is wonderfully shot which makes it look far better than it deserves.  So it has a nice glossy veneer that elevates the subject matter even when it’s at its most ridiculous.  Isabelle Huppert is a decorated actress fully capable of playing this role in her sleep and she makes the entire thing run even if you do wonder why such an acclaimed actress is slumming it in such routine Fatal Attraction/Single White Female knock off. Chloë Grace Moretz is solid overall even though her and Huppert’s characters are so thinly written that there’s very little depth to either of them.  Maika Monroe makes the most of her supporting role even making more nuanced as the film moves around.  Ultimately, Greta is one of those films that pops up on cable down the road and is just interesting enough to keep you from changing the channel.         

C+