Multiplex Madness
The 4:30 Movie
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Comedy
Director: Kevin Smith
Starring: Austin Zajur, Nicholas Cirillo, Reed Northrup, Siena Agudong, Ken Jeong
Apologies to Kevin Smith, but I watched The 4:30 Movie at 3:50 instead. There was no 4:30 showing, and 3:50 was as close as I could get. But with trailers and ads, it started around 4:30 anyway, so I think it counts. But enough of my problems, let's just appreciate that a new Kevin Smith movie came out on the 37th week of the year (IN A ROW?!?!?).
The Critic
Ian McKellen plays an aged theater critic in 1934, who manipulates an actress into helping him blackmail his boss. Complications and melodrama ensue. This is a movie I wish were better than it is, because if it followed its best instincts, it could probably be an exceptional drama. The movie weilds a tremendous cast, though most are kept in monotone circling around Ian McKellen, who is the only one given any character. Meanwhile, the plot's trajectory spirals in convoluted directions, despite playing with an interesting story. It's a lot of muchness, too high on the thickness of its dramatic tension to take a step back and really see what works and what doesn't. Early on, McKellen's character advises Gemma Arterton that less can be more, telling her that a good audience can read the subtlety of a performance without having it spelled out to them. It's crazy to me that the movie that vocalized that advice never heeded it.
The Killer's Game
Dave Bautista plays an assassin who is diagnosed with cancer, and then puts out a hit on himself so his girlfriend will be paid out on his life insurance policy. He the discovers he has been misdiagnosed and has to wade his way through a wave of assassins trying to cash in. It doesn't take long before a viewer will note that the violence in this movie looks fake, with what seems to be cheaply produced CGI blood splatters. One could probably hold it against the movie, but if you're paying close attention, it's very much an intentional stylistic choice. The movie is tongue-in-cheek, Looney Tunes nonsense with the goal of being perfectly serviceable junk food cinema, so ridiculously unrealistic that its charisma lies in how far you're willing to ride its off-the-charts bullshit-o-meter. Some might struggle to give the movie a pass based on how hamfisted its sense of cheek is, though knee-slapping action junkies will likely find something to enjoy in its stupidity. There are certainly movies that do what The Killer's Game does far better than it, though The Killer's Game is a movie with its sole focus on playing up to those who can't get enough.
Speak No Evil
In this remake of the recent Danish film, a family is invited to stay the weekend at the farm of people they've just met, which grows increasingly more disturbing the longer they stay. I haven't seen the original Speak No Evil. I've heard gushing things, but it just has never been opportune. Whether or not fans of that movie will be happy with this Americanization is something I can't attest to, though from a quick study of a wiki synopsis, this version has an extended climax and a far less cynical outcome. Of course, that might make the movie sound watered down, though, in it's own right, the remake is a pretty skillful suspense thriller. Most of its tension is saved for the climax, where the film becomes a chase movie. Setpieces are primal and cleverly constructed, while the performers step up to the plate. James McAvoy is a fucking lion in this movie, switching back and forth between charismatic and intense on a dime and at times demonstrating that he can do both at the same time. I think the movie offers very few surprises that you can deduce from seeing a trailer or TV spot, but it is a solid evening for suspense fans.
Transformers One
There was a pre-release screening of the new animated Transformers movie this weekend, so I decided to quell my curiosity on it. The trailers looked horrendous, but the word on the street said it was quite good. Allow me to dissent. Indeed, the movie is better than the trailers make it out to be, but not by any sizable margin to legitimately matter. Which is unfortunate, because I would like some stability with this franchise, but it never seems to be in the cards. The original Michael Bay movies are random noise, some better than others. It's been evident that the Transformers franchise needed to leave Bay behind since...well, 2007. Watching it limply flail around for any possible foothold has been truly sad to watch, especially when they had a template in Bumblebee in their hands that they foolishly let go. This series seems to have no idea what it's trying to be anymore, and Transformers One is a loose cog in a haywire clock.
Apologies to Kevin Smith, but I watched The 4:30 Movie at 3:50 instead. There was no 4:30 showing, and 3:50 was as close as I could get. But with trailers and ads, it started around 4:30 anyway, so I think it counts. But enough of my problems, let's just appreciate that a new Kevin Smith movie came out on the 37th week of the year (IN A ROW?!?!?).
The 4:30 Movie was inspired by Kevin Smith's purchase of his childhood movie theater in New Jersey, which he used as a free setting to make autobiographical nostalgia movie, possibly also inspired by his love of Steven Spielberg's The Fablemans. That last bit is an assumption on my part, but considering The 4:30 Movie also addresses the corelation between movies, dreams, influence, and aspirations, I think it's fair to think he had Spielberg in the back of his head. The 4:30 Movie has less of an enormous narrative, scaling back it's story and stakes to a single day. That day sees Smith's surrogate character asking the girl of his dreams to an afternoon movie, but since it's rated R, he and his friends have to play some rounds of sneaking-in shenanigans in getting into the movie.
Along with Clerks III, The 4:30 Movie marks something of a return to form for Kevin Smith, who spent nearly the entirety of the 2010's in an experimental stage of his career, which probably wasn't helped by his marijuana addiction, if I were to be blunt (lol, blunt). His last two films saw him slingshot back to making semi-autobiographical comedies based on his life experiences, which is really the type of movie that earned him his cult following (with the aid of two stoners named Jay and Silent Bob). I can't fully say he has his mojo back, because I think there was a hard-hitting Gen X edge to his movies from the 90's that is hard to restore, and it becomes hard to maintain such an edge as we get older and other generations become more prominent. The 4:30 Movie is on the right track, and I think it's an improvement on Clerks III, even if it's not a sizable one. The movie is both very funny and very sweet-natured, making it hard not to leave with a smile on your face. Smith concentrates on those aspects while the plotting suffers because the turns in the movie are too trifle for a full story. I think that matters very little to the movie that Smith wants to make, though it doesn't stop him from pilfering stronger moments from his earlier movies to tell his story (he has not one, but two scenes that echo Stan Lee in Mallrats or Will Smith in Jersey Girl, but without the big celebrity cameo to push them). The result is a movie that's easy to like but a hike to love, as its few attempts at big, impactful moments fail to land. That being said, my personal wish is that Kevin Smith continues to occupy this comfort zone space where The 4:30 Movie resides. If he wants to keep making Yoga Hosers movies, power to him, but this is the area where he seems most confident.
The Critic
⭐️⭐️
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Director: Anand Tucker
Starring: Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai, Lesley Manville
Ian McKellen plays an aged theater critic in 1934, who manipulates an actress into helping him blackmail his boss. Complications and melodrama ensue. This is a movie I wish were better than it is, because if it followed its best instincts, it could probably be an exceptional drama. The movie weilds a tremendous cast, though most are kept in monotone circling around Ian McKellen, who is the only one given any character. Meanwhile, the plot's trajectory spirals in convoluted directions, despite playing with an interesting story. It's a lot of muchness, too high on the thickness of its dramatic tension to take a step back and really see what works and what doesn't. Early on, McKellen's character advises Gemma Arterton that less can be more, telling her that a good audience can read the subtlety of a performance without having it spelled out to them. It's crazy to me that the movie that vocalized that advice never heeded it.
The Killer's Game
⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre: Action, Comedy
Director: J.J. Perry
Starring: David Bautista, Sofia Boutella, Terry Crews, Scott Adkins, Marko Zaror, Pom Klementieff, Ben Kingsley, Alex Kingston, Daniel Bernhardt
Dave Bautista plays an assassin who is diagnosed with cancer, and then puts out a hit on himself so his girlfriend will be paid out on his life insurance policy. He the discovers he has been misdiagnosed and has to wade his way through a wave of assassins trying to cash in. It doesn't take long before a viewer will note that the violence in this movie looks fake, with what seems to be cheaply produced CGI blood splatters. One could probably hold it against the movie, but if you're paying close attention, it's very much an intentional stylistic choice. The movie is tongue-in-cheek, Looney Tunes nonsense with the goal of being perfectly serviceable junk food cinema, so ridiculously unrealistic that its charisma lies in how far you're willing to ride its off-the-charts bullshit-o-meter. Some might struggle to give the movie a pass based on how hamfisted its sense of cheek is, though knee-slapping action junkies will likely find something to enjoy in its stupidity. There are certainly movies that do what The Killer's Game does far better than it, though The Killer's Game is a movie with its sole focus on playing up to those who can't get enough.
MSTies will want to keep an eye out for Future War's Daniel Bernhardt in a supporting role.
Speak No Evil
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Thriller
Director: James Watkins
Starring: James McAvoy, Mackenzie Davis, Scoot McNairy, Aisling Franciosi, Alix West Lefler, Dan Hough
In this remake of the recent Danish film, a family is invited to stay the weekend at the farm of people they've just met, which grows increasingly more disturbing the longer they stay. I haven't seen the original Speak No Evil. I've heard gushing things, but it just has never been opportune. Whether or not fans of that movie will be happy with this Americanization is something I can't attest to, though from a quick study of a wiki synopsis, this version has an extended climax and a far less cynical outcome. Of course, that might make the movie sound watered down, though, in it's own right, the remake is a pretty skillful suspense thriller. Most of its tension is saved for the climax, where the film becomes a chase movie. Setpieces are primal and cleverly constructed, while the performers step up to the plate. James McAvoy is a fucking lion in this movie, switching back and forth between charismatic and intense on a dime and at times demonstrating that he can do both at the same time. I think the movie offers very few surprises that you can deduce from seeing a trailer or TV spot, but it is a solid evening for suspense fans.
Transformers One
⭐️⭐️
Genre: Science Fiction, Action, Comedy
Director: Josh Cooley
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Jon Hamm, Lawrence Fishburne, Steve Buscemi
There was a pre-release screening of the new animated Transformers movie this weekend, so I decided to quell my curiosity on it. The trailers looked horrendous, but the word on the street said it was quite good. Allow me to dissent. Indeed, the movie is better than the trailers make it out to be, but not by any sizable margin to legitimately matter. Which is unfortunate, because I would like some stability with this franchise, but it never seems to be in the cards. The original Michael Bay movies are random noise, some better than others. It's been evident that the Transformers franchise needed to leave Bay behind since...well, 2007. Watching it limply flail around for any possible foothold has been truly sad to watch, especially when they had a template in Bumblebee in their hands that they foolishly let go. This series seems to have no idea what it's trying to be anymore, and Transformers One is a loose cog in a haywire clock.
The film is supposedly a prequel. To what? I'm not sure. Plot developments contradict the Michael Bay movies and it even feels removed from the Bumblebee/Rise of the Beasts dualogy, which may-or-may-not still be in the Michael Bay series but we don't know because nobody who works on them seems to know or care. It's probably best to treat Transformers One as its own thing, as it delves into pre-war Cybertron, where bromanced Orion Pax (future Optimus Prime) and D-16 (future Megatron) are untransformable Energon miners who accidentally discover the gravesite of the Primes, where they might find the dark secret of why they disappeared. It's a story that feels like it should be interesting for those who grew up with Transformers lore, which I have, so I was partially invested in seeing a story like this play out. It just frustrates me that I seem more invested than the people who wrote it. There are ideas here, but the film doesn't take advantage of them. It often goes for the easy, low-effort way out. Megatron's storyline, for example, feels like it should be the most powerful arc of the movie, but it's so undernourished and carelessly constructed that the character that begins the movie just decides to switch him into an entirely different character by the end. It's frustrating to watch, and it probably would have been best played over the course of two films instead of one. Meanwhile, the main plotline of the movie is accidental misfits bumbling their way into a scenario they daydream about, then suddenly become competent because the plot requires it. This whole approach sucks.
The animation is uneven. The character models are ugly, resembling that of television productions with much lower budgets where we would give them a pass, where the only sign that they're in a big budget movie is how shiny they are. The Cybertronian landscapes fare much better, with rich and interesting design work. But even if it were a better-looking movie, it would only go so far to save what is here. It's lavish production design with a convoluted script and clumsy ironic humor that is often the same two or three jokes over and over again (most of the humor lies in variations on a character just getting beaten up off-camera or saying "Oh, wow, okay, we're really doing this?"). The film is so tonally off-balance that it comes off as the animated equivalent of a rumbling wash machine, while there is no ambition to be a real story instead of a loud series of flashy images. It's a shame the movie doesn't capitalize on the creativity it could have, instead of just becoming a generic child-pleaser. The child I took to the theater to see this enjoyed it very much, so parents with young Transformers fans will likely want to check it out. It's only up for exceeding the lowest of expectations, though.
Movies Still Playing At My Theater
Alien: Romulus ⭐️⭐️1/2
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Blink Twice ⭐️⭐️1/2
Deadpool & Wolverine ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Despicable Me 4 ⭐️⭐️1/2
Inside Out 2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
It Ends with Us ⭐️⭐️
Reagan ⭐️
Twisters ⭐️⭐️
New To Digital
The Crow ⭐️1/2
New To Physical
All of Us Strangers ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Inside Out 2 ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Coming Soon!
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