Friday, August 18, 2023
A little 'Strays' OK but too much doggy style just gets ruff and ruffer
Thursday, August 10, 2023
'Demeter' yarn gives more than anticipated in summer dog days
No yo-ho-ho's here, though, or bottles of rum, either, as told from just one chapter of the late-19th century, Bram Stoker novel that introduced the "Prince of Darkness" and, eventually, bloodsucking as a spectator sport.
Of course, gobs of the latter get mixed among some legitimate fire and brimstone, too, as the crew of the Demeter, a Russian merchant vessel carrying a strange load, scatters to and fro while looking for -- and running from -- that thing going bump, bump, bump every night after night on their way from Romania to England. Even the many animals on board, including creepy-crawly rodents, might find it hard to escape such foreboding darkness.
Certainly, neither director André Øvredol nor a trio of credited writers leave any room for laughs in their serious-minded thriller, that is, unless we count the early excuse a few land-lubbing Bulgarians give the Demeter captain (a no-nonsense Liam Cunningham) when he asks for their help in loading an ominous cargo of 24 unmarked crates.
Their refusal sounds something like a broken-English version of, "Gee thanks, but we really have to get out of this place before sunset." Yes, most of us will understand their hurry to depart, and ultimately, uh, just get to feed on watching players such as the heroic ship doctor (a solid Corey Hawkins) slowly discover what any vampire fanatic already knows.
Rated "R" by MPAA: for bloody violence; 1:58; $ $ $ out of $5.
Friday, August 4, 2023
Nicely named 'Shortcomings' briskly overcomes a very few of its own
Friday, July 28, 2023
Comedy hit 'n 2 misses: 'Theater Camp,' 'Mansion,' & busted 'Bubble'
Three alleged movie comedies debut at least somewhere today, and it says here that the often rib-tickling "Theater Camp" comes closest to matching the description.
At the very least, the latest attempt to cash in on one of the most popular rides in a few Disney theme parks does impress with special effects that actually resemble the ones playing smartly on the same-named attractions in Anaheim, Orlando, Paris, and Tokyo.
Otherwise, director and former Disney employee Justin Simien ("Dear White People") utilizes all-star names such as Jamie Lee Curtis, Danny DeVito, Tiffany Haddish, Owen Wilson, and the now you see him, maybe you really do not Jared Leto, to bring or look for life in all the proper paranormal places.
Of course, leading players LaKeith Stansfield, Rosario Dawson and child actor Chase W. Dillon have their own hands filled with absorbing their film's remarkably clunky beginning and somehow making it a moving, meaningful exploration of grief. Unlike the fun-filled ride, a load of laughs it is not.
Rated "PG-13" by MPAA: some thematic elements and scary action; 2:02; $ $ and 1/2 out of $5.
Finally this weekend, "The Beanie Bubble" bounces back and forth between fiction and reality, with the former likely winning in a landslide as a book-based look at making and selling stuffed toys by the planet full in the 1990s.Right away, first-time directors Damian Kulash and (former "SNL" writer) Kristin Gore let us know: "There are parts of the truth we can't make up. The rest of it we did."
Then they proceed to turn toy manufacturer Ty Warner, owner of "Ty Inc." and creator behind the lunacy associated with the tiny stuffed animals that became the Beanie Baby collecting craze for a couple of years, into a complete and total buffoon.
Not so surprisingly, usually reliable Zach Galifianakis portrays the apparently self-possessed Warner in the same creepy way that scored in two legitimate career high points: his famously immature Alan from "The Hangover" trilogy, and infamously despicable twin brother Dale on the cable comedy, "Baskets."
Through no fault of their own, Elizabeth Banks and HBO's "Succession" star Sarah Snook -- as a pair of love interests evidently based on an assortment of composite characters from Warner's life -- get mostly lost during a constant barrage of story shifts between the toy titan's successes in the '80s and '90s.
Thus, Geraldine Viswanathan becomes a distaff best as the brainy and cute employee given short shrift by the conniving Warner, at least in how it is all told here. By the way, real details about the craze that made some collectors rich may be easier to discover in the 2021 documentary, "Beanie Mania."
Rated "R" by MPAA: for language; 1:50; $ $ and out of $5.
"Theater Camp" and "Haunted Mansion" are now in theaters everywhere. "The Beanie Bubble," playing exclusively in northeast Ohio at the Cedar Lee Theater, is also streaming on Apple TV+.
Other films new in theaters today: "The Baker" and "Talk to Me." Streaming only: "Paradise" (Netflix).
Friday, July 21, 2023
'Oppenheimer' speaks loud volumes; Initially sharp 'Barbie' goes flat
My biggest complaint about "Barbie," the other alleged blockbuster on this weekend's movie menu, mostly surrounds the lack of legitimately playful substance for girls and boys still young enough to toy with the Mattel doll that has been alive now for 65 years.
I mean, a screenplay that so easily throws around words such as patriarchy, cellulite, and existential does not a kids' movie make, even if a "PG-13" stamp probably should provide enough encouragement to keep anyone but mature children under age 12 or so away from theaters showing it.
Alas, with promotion dollars making every child in the free world aware of the movie's existence, that certainly will not be the case. As a result, many parents who cannot resist the wishes of their darling 5-, 7-, or 10-year-olds, might be shocked -- or worse -- by what "stereotypical" Barbie (a fine Margot Robbie) discovers about the real world (at least according to director Greta Gerwig, who co-writes with partner Noah Baumbach).
In short, after an acceptably sweet and funny first 20 minutes, the performance of Ryan Gosling (as the ever-clueless Ken) and a grandly overstated, feminist soliloquy by America Ferrera, as a former Barbie mom now currently disenchanted as a real mother, become hip highlights of this more silly than clever movie.
And, if anyone cares, 9-year-old grandgirl Vivian, who still plays with every Barbie product just about ever made, ONLY gives thumbs up to those swell opening minutes.
Rated "PG-13" by MPAA: suggestive references and brief language; 1:54; $ $ and 1/2 out of $5.
Friday, July 14, 2023
Actors and faith steer 'The Miracle Club' toward a few uplifting places
Also new in theaters today: "Psycho-Pass: Providence" and "They Cloned Tyrone (debuts July 21 on Netflix as well).
Sunday, July 9, 2023
Impressive quartet of women helps put latest 'M:I' into Cruise control
See Tom. See Tom run. See Tom jump. Simply see Tom Cruise, back for a seventh time as very secret agent Ethan Hunt in "Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part One," get the summer blockbuster job done -- again -- but truly not without the mighty contributions of four sensationally smart, strong, and swift females.
Their characters all steal scenes with stunning regularity, whether playing with or against Cruise's master of manipulation in trying to outwit a brilliantly mysterious threat to the world or joining him in an assortment of entertaining, if occasionally inane action hijinks.
Franchise fans will recognize Impossible Missions Force collaborator Ilsa Foust (Rebecca Ferguson), here opening proceedings with a cool $50-million bounty on her lovely head and, arriving much later, the wily White Widow (Vanessa Kirby), back from 2018's "M:I -- Fallout" and still scheming as effectively as ever.
It is a pair of "Mission" newcomers, though, who become even more watchable in the personas of a thief extraordinaire named Grace (Hayley Atwell) and the chief villain's henchwoman, Paris (always-fab Pom Klementieff from Marvel's "Galaxy" gang). Certainly, you will agree, especially during a couple of kick-ass moments down the stretch.
Hunt's often humorous sidekicks, Luther Stickell (Ving Rhames) and Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), show up regularly, too, nicely doing justice to the classic, old TV show that started it all, even if this whole lengthy shebang actually begins with a chilling, pre-credits sequence involving none of the specialist regulars.
That intrigue occurs on a supposedly invisible and invincible Russian submarine, whose captain describes it as "the most fearsome killing machine ever devised by man." Regardless, and despite a few moments of long-winded, bureaucratic mumbo-jumbo interrupting various other thrills from there, perhaps neither he nor we seriously have seen anything yet.
Believe it, returning director/co-writer/producer Christopher McQuarrie has much more "Reckoning" in store here -- and likely then some in "Part Two," already set to debut on June 28, 2024.
Rated "PG-13" by MPAA: intense violence/action sequences, some language, and suggestive material; 2:43; $ $ $ $ out of $5
("Mission: Impossible -- Dead Reckoning Part One" opens in theaters on July 12, with "Fan Access" screenings also slated earlier.)
Already new in theaters this weekend: "Insidious: The Red Door," "Joy Ride," "The Lesson," and "Sound of Freedom." Streaming only: "The Out-Laws" (on Netflix).
Friday, June 30, 2023
Along comes final 'Jones' with its mystical stuff and a comfortable end
Rated "PG-13" by MPAA: language, action, sequence of violence, and smoking; 2:34; $ $ and 1/2 out of $5
Thursday, June 22, 2023
'Asteroid City' does look cool; 'No Hard Feelings,' though, if it's a mess
In this case, names such as Fernando Contreras Diaz (art director), Adam Stackhouse (production design), and four-time Oscar winner Milena Canonero (costume designer) deserve as much credit as anyone for keeping us watching this "imaginary" tale -- complete with "behind-the-scenes" machinations -- being shown on TV within the film.
Of course, Anderson's most faithful enthusiasts likely will buy in immediately, and Bryan Cranston, as an Edwin R. Murrow, "See It Now" type, certainly helps by introducing the particulars in all their small-screen, black-and-white glory.
The fictional title location itself then arrives via train, automobile, and an assortment of peachy-pastel, desert-minded hues that work fabulously. Various and many human connections follow, even well before a more silly than scary sci-fi intruder enters the mostly wry -- and dry -- proceedings.
And if one of Anderson's messages somehow emphasizes the importance of communication by forcing us to realize how meager and meaningless special effects just had to be on '50s-era television, then so be it. By the way, when's that next blockbuster?
Rated "PG-13" by MPAA: brief graphic nudity, smoking, and some suggestive material; 1:45; $ $ $ out of $5
Friday, June 16, 2023
'Flash' flashes; 'Elemental' burns out welcome; Yogi still hits in 'Over'
So, here comes another superhero film in the not-so-familiar form of "The Flash," just what many of us might need to keep the summer movie season always trying to hit its expected stride. Yeah, right, you say?
Quite simply, a tough girl made of fire (voiced by TV actress Leah Lewis) somehow falls for a nerdy water inspector (Mamoudou Athie, most notably from the last "Jurassic World" film), and we're expected to buy her Cinder Lumen and his Wade Ripple as the latest reincarnation of Romeo and Juliet for the big screen.
The family names and an assortment of other word plays from a trio of sitcom scribes-turned first-time screenwriters actually might keep adults entertained. Meanwhile, if kids do not really enjoy the colorful sights and sounds of Element City, where a lot of hot air resides, they likely will resort to much twisting, turning and trips to the rest room.
At least the Pixar cartoon short that precedes the main feature should keep everyone happy with a sweet kind of dog-walks-man story. It's called "Carl's Date" and features characters from the 14-year-old, Oscar-winning feature, "Up." Those would be good ol' Carl Fredricksen (the ever-recognizable tones of the late Ed Asner) and his talking canine, Dug (voiced by writer/director Bob Petersen). Now that's Pixar at its charming best.
Rated "PG" by MPAA: with some peril, thematic elements, and very brief language; 1:42; $ $ and 1/2 out of $5
Last but definitely not least today, all-time baseball great Yogi Berra lights up the screen in "It Ain't Over," by simply being a nice guy and, believe it or not, one of the most quoted personalities in "Bartlett's Familiar Quotations."In fact, the mostly funny "Yogi-isms" made extraordinarily famous by the New York Yankees' Hall of Fame catcher and hitter, are why the three-time American League Most Valuable Player and 10-time World Series champion is not always considered one of the best major leaguers of all time.
Certainly, those of us old enough to remember Berra clobbering oh-so-many bad pitches for home runs, especially against our beloved Cleveland Indians back in the day, might argue solidly on the late, great, and gentle Yogi's behalf, no matter how much we hated those other damn Yankees.
In the documentary about his teeming life and family and career, so too do an assortment of celebrities -- from Lindsey Berra, the narrator/executive producer of the film and the oldest of his 11 grandchildren, to comic/actor Billy Crystal to loads of teammates, fellow all-stars, and baseball-related talking heads.
Fans of America's favorite pastime will find director/writer Sean Mullin's doc to be a legitimate, fast-moving treat. Everyone else might call it eye-opening. Ater all, as wiseman Yogi apparently once said, "You can see a lot by watching."
Rated "PG" by MPAA: smoking, some drug references, language, and brief war images; 1:38; $ $ $ $ out of $5
Thursday, June 8, 2023
'Daliland' takes infamous painter to different and strange places
Thursday, June 1, 2023
Anyone for a new 'Spider-Man' or, perhaps, dazzling dozens of 'em?
Of course, if that's too many Spiders in one sentence, then please know you ain't seen nothin' yet! I mean, brilliant high-schooler Miles Morales (again with the committed voice of Shameik Moore) might be "the only Spider-Man in Brooklyn" but . . . uh, you'll catch the drift when you see it -- from an instantaneous visit to Legoland, to a nice chat with a pregnant Spider-Woman, and a full assortment of look quick or you might miss a few under, over and all around.
Glimpses of real faces spot the cool landscape, and a few voices might be recognized, too, in a creatively artistic -- and occasionally draining -- mix. (The biggest blotch likely will arrive only for those of us who may get bummed by cliffhanger endings.)
Meanwhile, the evolving stories of the gifted Morales, quibbling with sparkling parents (Brian Tyree Henry and Luna Lauren Velez), and courageous friend/soulmate/heroine Gwen Stacey (Hailee Steinfeld), ever dealing with her solid cop father (Shea Whigham), among other issues, nicely help shake off any and all of the action cobwebs.
One warning: Only the deepest kids under 10 or so might understand much of it. But better news, the villain of the piece (Jason Schwartzman) never really goes batspit evil.
Rated "PG" by MPAA: animated action violence, some language, and thematic elements: 2:20; $ $ $ $ and 1/2 out of $5
Also new Friday in theaters: "The Bogeyman," "Sanctuary, and "The Starling Girl." Streaming: "Shooting Stars" (only on Peacock).