A blood-soaked horror movie that asks us to choose the lesser of two really evil characters. Unlike the original movie, suspense is built wile we wait for the next gory beat-down. Recommended, but proceed with caution. Continue reading Don’t Breathe 2
Free Guy is built on a great concept: Guy, a non-player character (or NPC) doesn’t realize he’s an NPC, or that he essentially lives in a video game world. Guy’s lack of awareness in his Grand Theft Auto existence would have been funny on its own. Ryan Reynolds trades in his passive-aggressive sarcasm for playful innocence, spinning comedic gold from Guy’s naivete. As if that weren’t enough, Free Guy asks an intriguing question: what if an NPC became self-aware and fell in love with a player? Filled with winning performances and a playful sense for anarchy not seen since the Looney Tunes, Free Guy is fun writ large. Highly recommended.
Continue reading “Free Guy”
Pig may be about a man’s search for his stolen pig, but its much more than that. The emotions evoked by Nicolas Cage are universal, and anyone who has lost a beloved pet would immediately sympathize with his plight. Under the surface, Pig is a deft examination of tragedy and grief. Robin, as portrayed by Cage, leaves his former life behind for a (nearly) solitary existence in the woods. Unfortunately, humans are defined by our connections to others, and those connections are unpredictable. Cage’s acting is some of the best he’s done in years and should be in the conversation for Best Actor. Highly recommended.
Continue reading “Pig”
The Tomorrow War is a variation on the much better Tom Cruise vehicle Edge of Tomorrow. Pratt plays, Dan, a high school biology teacher sent to battle aliens in the future. Those aliens are mean and nasty, but they are no match against Dan and his plucky family. Even though this movie is completely redundant, the movie is entertaining enough to justify a viewing, particularly if you already have Amazon Prime. (You’re already paying for it, so why not?) Chris Pratt acts convincingly, no matter what the movie throws at him, and proves himself a worthy heir to Bruce Willis. Recommended.
Continue reading “The Tomorrow War”
Old has a great opening act: a group of vacationers are taken to an exclusive beach. Once there, they age rapidly and cannot find a way to leave. The movie is undone by talky dialog and weak acting by the leads. The middle act gets weighed down by sappy sentimentality when it should have ratcheted the tension and the horror of the situation. The mystery is revealed in the end, and while it is intriguing, is loose in its reasoning and cannot erase what came before. A disappointment after the one-two punch of Split and Glass. Not recommended.
Continue reading “Old”
Detroit Cineaste 