The Bad Guys

Familyfaire: The Bad Guys (2022) PG   The Bad Guys is about a gang of master thieves led by the Big Bad Wolf (voiced by Sam Rockwell). When the gang is caught trying to steal a priceless award, Professor Marmalade (voiced by Richard Ayoade) vows to turn the gang into ‘The Good Guys.’ Undoubtedly, Wolf and his gang will turn the attempt into another way to steal the award back. I liked the Ocean’s Eleven aspects of the plot with slow motion and split screens, and I loved Craig Robinson’s Shark character, who though a giant shark, is a master of disguise. Kids will love the not stop action and the silly characters, though I quickly got tired of the farting piranha. There is enough substance to the plot, including a very cool twist at the end, to keep parents from getting bored. Overall, not a bad way to spend some time with a motley group of thieves led by a big, bad wolf who has a weakness for a little kitty.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  The Bad Guys Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide.

My Take: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent   (2022) R  A cash-strapped Nicolas Cage (yes, that Nic Cage) has decided to retire from acting and agrees to make an appearance for 1 million dollars at a billionaire’s (Pedro Pascal) birthday party. It gets complicated when Nic learns that the billionaire is not only a fan but is a drug kingpin, and the CIA wants Nic to spy on him and save a kidnapped teenager. I am a big fan of Nicolas Cage (having discovered him in a Forgotten FIlm of mine, Valley Girl), and I love it when actors aren’t too full of themselves to be able to make fun of their personas. Well, Mr. Cage, I salute you. Unbearable Weight is a fun film full of letting Nic Cage be Nic Cage. If you are a fan of any of his movies, this is one for you. There are constant references to Cage’s films, both good and bad. Pedro Pascal is hilarious as the billionaire with a Nic Cage crush. The scenes where Cage and Pascal go to town while on LSD had me constantly cracking up. The plot is a little silly, and I had a tough time with Tiffany Haddish’s over-the-top portrayal of a CIA agent who forces Cage to become a spy looking for a kidnapped girl. However, this is too much fun of a film to be ruined by one bad performance. So go and take a ride on the Nicolas Cage experience. You won’t be disappointed.   My Rating: Full Price   The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Website  Now playing in theaters nationwide.

My Take: Polar Bear (2022) PG  Polar Bear is about a new mother as she raises her cubs in a world that has become increasingly hard due to the polar bears shrinking habitat. I am going to warn you right off the bat that you will need some tissues while watching this film. Nature can be cruel, and this film is about how polar bears are quickly losing their habitat, and very soon, if things don’t change, they won’t be able to survive. Yes, there are some beautiful shots of the two cubs playing with each other in the snow and scenes where we see just how much the mother loves her cubs. And there is a wonderful scene where two adult bears play and dance about on the snow and ice. But, and this is big, there is also hardship and death, where the film doesn’t pull any punches in its hard-hitting reality. The film is beautifully narrated by Catherine Keener, who lets us experience the movie through the eyes of one of the young cubs as they grow up under the protection and guidance of their fierce but loving mother. Polar Bear is a film that will touch your heart and maybe, just maybe, inspire you to help protect these magnificent creatures. My Rating: Full Price   Polar Bear Website  Now playing on the Disney+ platform.

My Take: The Northman  (2022) R   The Northman is a tale about a Viking prince, Amleth (Alexander Skarsgård), who, after years away, has come back to avenge his father’s (Ethan Hawke) death and rescue his mother (Nichole Kidman). Filmmaker Robert Eggers is known for making films that are a little strange, a little weird. I was expecting a whole lot of strange, but instead, I got a fantastic Norse tale that has some magic and a few horse-riding gods, but overall it’s a bloody story of revenge and fate, with a little bit of Shakespeare thrown in. Alexander Skarsgård fills the screen with his hulking body as he fights his way, one bloody step at a time, to get revenge on his father’s brother, who killed his father, stole his crown, and took Amleth's mother as his bride. Amleth witnesses all this as a boy, and as he escapes, he vows revenge. We skip to years later, and Amleth is on the search for his mother and his uncle. Along the way, he meets a slave, Olga (Anya Taylor-Joy), who is eager to help Amleth in his quest, and little by little, Amleth starts killing his uncle's tribe, all the while hiding out as a slave. The Northman is a magical tale full of blood and chopped-off heads, along with a healthy dose of Viking lore and a landscape that is beautiful but harsh. The fight sequences are savage, and the revenge is ruthless, but so are the people that inhabit this world. This is a tale of one man’s obsession and how far he will go for that revenge he can almost smell and taste.    My Rating: Full Price  The Northman Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

Forgotten Film: Birth (2004) R   It’s been ten years since losing her husband, Sean, to a heart attack while jogging, and now Anna (Nicole Kidman) is about to get re-married. At the party to celebrate a family birthday, a mysterious young boy shows up uninvited and tells everyone that he is Sean, Anna’s late husband. And so starts the strange and captivating film Birth. As you can imagine, Anna is so slow to believe that her husband has been reincarnated into this little boy, but as she gets to know the new ‘Sean,’ she learns that he knows facts about her and her family that only the original Sean could know. The question is, will you, the viewer believe that Sean the boy is Sean the husband. Kidman gives a spectacular performance of a woman who loved her first husband and wants that feeling to return. Cameron Bright is convincing as Sean, who takes his place in the world very seriously and wants Anna back in his life. Birth is a film that takes a turn near the end that may or maybe not answer all your questions.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Birth Info

Weird Credits: From the credits of The Bad Guys: Wolf’s Car Design

Coming Soon to a Screen Near You: Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) Thor (Chris Hemsworth) is trying to deal with the aftermath of the Avengers' battle with Thanos. Should he retire and give up being a superhero? But there is a new foe to fight, Gorr the God Butcher (Christian Bale), and Thor asks his friends to help take down Gorr, who intends to make the gods extinct. Directed by Taika Waititi, appearances by the Guardians of the Galaxy, and Christian Bale? I think that’s enough to see this next Marvel film, don’t you?   Thor: Love and Thunder Website

Until Next Time!

Cyrano

My View: Cyrano (2021) PG-13   The legendary story of a wordsmith and master swordsman, Cyrano (Peter Dinklage), who falls madly for the lovely Roxanne (Haley Bennett). Despite being in love with Roxanne, Cyrano is too full of self-doubt to make a move but then is enlisted by the dashing Christian (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) to woo her with letters that Cyrano writes for Christian. Cyrano de Bergerac is one of my favorite plays and has been brought to the screen numerous times, including some of my favorites of all time: Love Letters (1945), Cyrano de Bergerac (1950), Electric Dreams (1984), and the classic Steve Martin romantic comedy Roxanne (1987). So, accordingly, I fell in love with this version of Cyrano, a musical starring Peter Dinklage, who, instead of the enormous nose making Cyrano feel that he is not worthy of Roxanne’s love, it’s his size that causes his doubts. This version of Cyrano is a musical with a score written by members of the Indie-rock band The National. While not a great singer, the songs in the film allow Dinklage to half-sing, half-speak the songs, but this makes for a more mournful and soulful Cyrano, as he pours out his heart for a love lost. Dinklage is one of those performers who commands your attention, and he does this with an ease that makes him seem effortless on the screen. Haley Bennett is superb as the lovely Roxanne and Kelvin Harrison, Jr. belts some of the film's best songs as the tongue-tied Christian. I thoroughly enjoyed this revisit to an old friend about a man who sacrifices his happiness for what he thinks will make the love of his life happy, only to be disappointed by the cruel turn of events.   My Rating: Full Price  Cyrano Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View:  Studio 666  (2022) R   Dave and the rest of the Foo Fighters are looking for the perfect place to record their much-anticipated 10th album. Finally, they have found the ideal location, a mansion in Encino that is steeped in rock and roll history. However, there is one problem: supernatural forces threaten to take over their lives. If you are a fan of the Foo Fighters and have enjoyed their music videos, you will have a good time watching this film. Based on a story written by frontman Dave Grohl, a huge horror fan, the film is a take on the haunted house theme, with an evil force possessing Grohl for mayhem and gore. The film is a takeoff on all the low-budget slasher films you have seen, with each new death bloodier and grosser than the last one. The film is funny, but it overstays its welcome by at least 30 minutes, and I got tired of the seemingly endless plot, as the killings keep going long after I thought it was fun. The band looks as if they were having a blast and a lot depends on if you like Dave and his tendency to overact. If you're not a fan, you might want to skip Studio 666 and maybe try something like The Cabin in the Woods (2011) or Tucker and Dale vs. Evil (2010) instead.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee  Studio 666 Website  Now playing in theatres nationwide.

My View: No Exit (2022) R  Darby (Havana Rose Liu) is a runaway from rehab desperate to visit her sick mother, but Darby is stranded by a blizzard in an isolated highway rest stop. Shortly after arriving, she discovers a kidnapped child hidden in a car belonging to one of the people inside the rest stop she is stranded with. Darby (Havana Rose Liu) is a runaway from rehab desperate to visit her sick mother, but Darby is stranded by a blizzard in an isolated highway rest stop. Shortly after arriving, she discovers a kidnapped child hidden in a car belonging to one of the people inside the rest stop she is stranded with. No Exit is a gripping suspense film that starts with the premise that there is a kidnapper among the four people you meet in a rest stop, and you have to figure out who it is and how to get the child safe while trapped in cramped quarters. The film has plenty of nice twists to keep you interested while keeping the suspense high. I enjoyed this film, where you get to play detective along with Darby and try and figure a way out of an impossible situation. Havana Rose Liu gives us someone in Darby to help us figure out what is going on in a desperate attempt to rescue the child. No Exit loses a bit of steam in the second half, but it’s still a cool roller coster ride that becomes a bit horrific.  My Rating: Full Price   No Exit Website  Now playing on the Hulu platform.

In Memory of Ed Wood (A Movie I've Only Seen in Trailers But Just Looks Like a Bad Idea): A Day to Die  (2022) R   After killing a drug syndicate member while protecting a parolee, Connor (Matt Dillion) has one day to pay two million dollars in reparation. He enlists his old military ops crew, led by Brice Mason (Bruce Willis), to steal two million dollars. Anything these days with Bruce Willis on the movie poster is a bad sign. Willis is making a ton of these direct-to-video movies where he comes in, acts for a day or two, and then departs, making the film basically a walk-on for him, and the rest of the film is an action film without its star.    A Day to Die Info

Forgotten Film: Nobody's Fool (1994) R  Sully (Paul Newman) is a man in his 60’s who has lived a carefree life. He has a job as a construction worker, lives in a rented apartment, and gets by because he is charming and good-looking. He spends most of his days drinking beer at a local watering hole and flirting with his boss's wife (Melanie Griffith). Then in walks his son, Peter (Dylan Walsh), going through a messy divorce and has moved back to his hometown. Now, Sully must confront the past he has long ignored. Newman was one of those actors who could do incredible things with very little. Newman’s Sully is a man who, though full of faults, is someone you still root for. It’s that easy-going charm that Newman fills the screen with as no one else can. Nobody's Fool is a film that lets Newman fill with his presence, and it's a performance that is one of his best, especially of his later career. The cast is outstanding, including Bruce Willis as Sully’s boss and Jessica Tandy as Sully’s landlord (and old 8th-grade teacher), but it’s Newman that makes this film work and worth watching.   My Rating: Full Price    Nobody's Fool Website

Weird Credits: From the credits of Cyrano: Action Prop Buyer

Coming Soon to a Theatre Near You: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022)   A cash-strapped Nicolas Cage (yes, that Nic Cage) has agreed to make an appearance for 1 million dollars at a billionaire’s (Pedro Pascal) birthday party. It gets complicated when Nic learns that the billionaire is not only a fan but is a drug kingpin. OK, Nic Cage is playing himself, so this could go one of two ways: a heck of a lot of fun or a huge mess. Either way, it will be worth seeing for this Cage fan.      The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent Website

Until Next Time!