Films – Page 7 – Spinning Platters

Film Review: “The Roses”

This Roses has jokes, but no thorns.

Theo (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Ivy (Olivia Colman) share a happy moment in ‘The Roses’

Comedies are making a noisy return to theaters this year! With One of Them Days, The Naked Gun, and Freakier Friday successfully attracting audiences, and Spinal Tap II and Good Fortune waiting in the wings, 2025 could be a turning point for the comedy genre’s decade-long theatrical absence. The Roses aims to continue the trend. The Roses comes from director Jay Roach (Austin Powers; Meet the Parents) and is based on the novel The War of the Roses by Warren Adler and the subsequent 1989 film adaptation starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. In a plea for wider audience approval, The Roses has declawed the source material in favor of a softer, mostly harmless black comedy. If not for the winning duo at its center, The Roses would wilt under the strains of its vignette-styled antics, but fortunately has the chemistry and enough laughs to withstand its structural shortcomings. Continue reading “Film Review: “The Roses””

Film Review: “Relay”

Ahmed best reason to see predictable corporate thriller

In a brief scene in the new film Relay, its star, Riz Ahmed, gets a chance to use the sign language skills he picked up in his 2020 Oscar-nominated performance in Sound of Metal. That’s a cool throwback for Ahmed fans, and, given his exceptional talent (see also Encounter, Nightcrawler, and HBO’s series The Night Of), he no doubt has many. But his fans may be disappointed in Relay, a serviceable corporate espionage thriller in which Ahmed’s performance is the only bright spot. Continue reading “Film Review: “Relay””

Film Review: “Eden”

A star-studded affair to relish (then forget)

Frederick (Jude Law) and Dore (Vanessa Kirby) scowl at newcomers.

The “Galapagos Affair” is a fascinating and troubling true story. Multiple eyewitness accounts have been published, as well as a documentary and non-fiction books, about the incident. Director Ron Howard, no stranger to the “based on a true story” aspect of filmmaking (Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon, Thirteen Lives, among others), depicts the “Galapagos Affair” in his new film, Eden, a thriller set among paradise-seeking settlers on the island of Floreana in the 1930s. Eden is a star-studden affair, a sexually-charged collision of characters unfolding in a harsh natural environment, but the crucial “why” behind the proceedings is never explored, resulting in the film’s inability to be anything more than a diverting thriller. Continue reading “Film Review: “Eden””

Film Review: “Ne Zha 2”

A cinematic fireball of epic proportions and rich mythology

Ne Zha prepares for battle in ‘Ne Zha 2’

Here’s a couple movie tidbits to know before your next trivia night: 1) the highest grossing animated film of all time is Ne Zha 2; and 2) the highest grossing non-English language film of all time is, you guessed it, Ne Zha 2. With a global haul of over $2.1 billion and counting, this box office record-buster is a Chinese animated sequel to a 2019 animated movie about a popular Chinese mythological figure and humanity’s deity/demon protector, Nezha. The Ne Zha films are directed by Jiaozi and developed and produced through his production company, Chengdu Coco Cartoon. Now, after setting international box office records and following a short stint in a few North American theaters in February, Ne Zha 2 takes aim at American audiences with an English-dubbed version in theaters. Despite its complex plot and intimidating mythological context, its stunning visuals and epic scale more than earn its theatrical experience. Continue reading “Film Review: “Ne Zha 2””

Film Review: “Highest 2 Lowest”

Lee and Denzel’s fifth collaboration is a mix of many highs and 2 many lows

David King (Denzel Washington) strolls through the office in ‘Highest 2 Lowest.’

It’s tough to avoid comparing a remake to the original, especially if the original is a five-star masterpiece. Such is the case for Spike Lee’s Highest 2 Lowest, which is based on Akira Kurosawa’s 1963 procedural crime drama, High and Low (which is based on a 1959 book, King’s Ransom by Ed McBain). Kurosawa’s High and Low explores stark class divisions within post-war Japan, challenging the characters with life-threatening moral dilemmas and utilizing a detailed police procedural plotline to expose these divisions, literally and metaphorically. Lee moves the 1960s Japan setting to a present-day New York City, shifts the protagonist’s business empire from a shoe company to a music label, and abandons High and Low’s slow burn pace for a thriller, all of which deliver a mixed bag of results. Continue reading “Film Review: “Highest 2 Lowest””

Film Review: “Nobody 2”

The first Nobody does it better

Hutch (Bob Odenkirk) lets his dark side emerge in ‘Nobody 2.’

Hutch Mansell, the deceptively mild-mannered, disgruntled everyman (and former elite assassin), is back. Hutch pleased audiences with a barrage of brutal bad guy beat downs in 2021’s Nobody, directed by Ilya Naishuller (Heads of State), a self-aware, more grounded version of a John Wick-esque action flick. Nobody was a surprise hit, considering its non-action star, Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul; Mr. Show), and because its release coincided with the controversial return to theaters from Covid-19 lockdowns. And yet its success greenlit a sequel, and Nobody 2, from director Timo Tjahjanto (The Shadow Strays), mostly delivers the same ruthless fun as the original, but with more than a few questionable choices. Continue reading “Film Review: “Nobody 2””

Film Review: “Weapons”

It’s 2:17 am. Do you know where your children are?

Nothing to see here… just young children running into the night at 2:17 am….

Zach Cregger triumphs with Weapons, proving the success of his 2022 critically acclaimed horror movie Barbarian was no fluke. Indeed, the writer/director’s sophomore effort is the better picture. Clever, downright scary, and at times laugh-out-loud funny. Cregger’s new film brings freshness to a glutted genre in need of something new. Continue reading “Film Review: “Weapons””

Film Review: “The Naked Gun”

One hundred percent pure, unadulterated co… medy

Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson) fashionably thwarts a robbery in ‘The Naked Gun’.

A cop is thwarting a bank robbery, engaging in hand-to-hand combat with one of the robbers. At first, they block punches, then their actions become a game of patty-cake, and then it’s a pantomime as the cop dispenses with the robber with a finger gun. Ah yes, the healing power of comedy! From the minds of legendary filmmaking trio Zucker, Abrahams, and Zucker (Jim Abrahams and brothers David and Jerry Zucker) came Airplane! (1980) and Top Secret! (1984) and then The Naked Gun (1988), a feature film version of the TV show, Police Squad! Yes, ZAZ really liked exclamation points. The trio’s brand of humor redefined blockbuster comedies, continuing Mel Brooks’s 1970s “spoof” style of adult, metanarrative, slapstick humor. A remake of The Naked Gun has been circling Hollywood for a long time, and it has finally arrived in the form of a legacy sequel directed by The Lonely Island’s Akiva Schaffer (Popstar; Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers). Could the new Naked Gun capture the unapologetically silly nature of the original, and is that type of parodic comedy still funny today? The answer to both is ‘yes, of course, now shut up and watch the movie.’ Continue reading “Film Review: “The Naked Gun””

Film Review: “The Fantastic Four: First Steps”

Third time’s a (fantastic) charm!

Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal) turns from the fire.

It’s the third (released) attempt at a Fantastic Four movie, and after two truly embarrassing attempts, this time Marvel Studios got it right. The Fantastic Four: First Steps is the best Marvel feature film since Avengers: Endgame. The Fantastic Four could have been an interesting and worthwhile introduction to a new phase of the MCU, in its aesthetic, tone, and multiversal angle, had it been released following Endgame. Unfortunately, here we are, with a decade-long experience of watching Marvel cinematic fodder, constantly lowering expectations, and suffering from superhero fatigue. Luckily, Fantastic Four: First Steps pushes through any worry and/or fatigue with a fun, concise (don’t think about the plot too much!), and beautifully constructed story setting with the best character chemistry since the first Avengers film. Continue reading “Film Review: “The Fantastic Four: First Steps””

Film Review: “Smurfs”

Smurfs uses familiar tricks and catchy tunes to reset the series, but is it too late?

After three feature film attempts between 2011 to 2017 to push The Smurfs brand back into mainstream culture, with diminishing returns, Paramount Animation is restarting with a new film, Smurfs. Losing the ‘The’ in the title is a futile way to differentiate itself from the previous set of forgettable films, even though this new film represents the best of the bunch. Smurfs is beautifully and creatively animated, and features catchy songs and skillful voicework, but still comes off as a stale retreading of tropes, jokes, and plot devices from superior animated films of the last decade. Continue reading “Film Review: “Smurfs””