By: Henry J. Fromage –
This week was time to catch up on all of those theatrical releases I’ve been ignoring in favor of those dirty docs.
193. Captain America: Brave New World
Yeah, I’m not going to tell you this is the grand return of Marvel or anything. But there’s something still entertaining enough there for me to keep coming back, maybe just due to the interlocking lore and watching the character development of the heroes. Anthony Mackie is a perfectly suitable Captain America 2.0 by my book, noble yet self-doubting, ready to see the good in people but also capable of kicking plenty of ass. Probably this is circling back around to backing up a literal dump truck of cash to Chris Evans’ doorstep as Marvel flails to recapture that cultural cachet it enjoyed several years ago, but if that happens, we can have two Captains America. Three Beers.
194. Opus
So, this is basically The Menu, but instead of an eccentric famous chef trying to murder all of his critics, this time it’s an eccentric famous pop-star played by John Malkovich. When you get used to the fact that the plot thought process doesn’t extend a lot further than that, you can have your fun with things. Malkovich is having an absolute blast, and the Western artist commune/cult that surrounds him is imaginative. Ayo Edebiri is good as well, at least until it’s time to show true terror, which she strangely struggles with. The songs by Nile Rodgers and The Dream are surprisingly solid, too, considering how much we’re told of their excellence. Three Beers.
195. Locked
This thriller two-hander stars an extra skeevy Bill Skarsgard as a down on his luck loser and erstwhile carjacker who finds a too-easy mark is more than he bargained for- after entering the extra-fancy looking SUV, he finds he can’t exit, and when Anthony Hopkins calls to inform him it’s his car and he’s gonna play his own private vigilante game with him, well, he’s truly fucked. Yes, this is one of those (largely) single-setting thrillers, and to its (and Skarsgard’s) immense credit, it works far more than it doesn’t. Three Beers.
196. Black Bag
Steven Soderbergh just keeps cranking out smart and polished genre entertainment at the rate of Hong Sang-soo, but unlike that Korean master, he doesn’t keep making the same movie. This one is a devilish spy thriller starring a clearly on the spectrum Michael Fassbender and a coy Cate Blanchett as a married MI-6 couple who may have found themselves on opposite sides of the search for a mole who’s stolen a dangerous weapon. Marisa Abela, Tom Burke, Naomie Harris, Rege-Jean Page, and Pierce Brosnan play potential friends or foes (why not both?). This is a clever puzzle that satisfyingly locks into place by the end. Two Beers.
197. Revelations
Netflix’s latest Korean feature film release comes from Train to Busan‘s Yeon Sang-ho, but surprisingly light on the supernatural elements for him. Instead, the monster at the center of this serial killer tale is human psychology, whether for the killer himself, the increasingly unhinged Preacher who goes after him, or the haunted police officer on the track of them both. It has its rough patches enough for me to consider whether it’s just a bad film, but it does come together in the end. Three Beers.
198. Holland
Nicole Kidman can play a Stepford Wife-type in her sleep, so it’s a bit curious what drew her to this long in-development Black List script. Perhaps it was the presence of director Mimi Cave of the excellent Fresh, but unfortunately this collab felt much more on the stale side. Anyway, it’s a somewhat boilerplate Coen Bros-type small town crime riff attempting an arch tone it never builds up enough to really earn. Maybe there’s a better cut of this somewhere? Four Beers.
199. Unstoppable
This sports drama tells the story of Anthony Robles, a wrestler who overcame being born with just one leg to become a high school and eventually NCAA champion. The always excellent Jharrel Jerome embodies his determination and drive, especially in the face of a difficult family situation (Jennifer Lopez plays his hard-working mother and Bobby Cannavale his deadbeat step-dad). This is a meat and potatoes uplifting sports story. Two Beers.
