Multiplex Madness
Bonhoeffer
⭐️⭐️
Genre: Drama
Director: Todd Komarnicki
Starring: Jonas Dassler, August Diehl, David Jonnson, Flula Borg, Moritz Bliebtreu, Nadine Heidenreich, Patrick Mölleken, Clarke Peters
I don't think the proper response to seeing a studio logo is "I am so tired," but that's the only thought Angel Studios has inspired in me. It's not just that their chosen business is to appeal to the faith and inspirational market, it's just that they do it in such a trite and uninspired way. Bonhoeffer at least seems to almost branch out into a borderline thriller, though it doesn't feel like anybody who works with the studio has any idea how to "thrill" its audience. The movie tells the story of Deitrich Bonhoeffer, a German pastor who stood up to the Nazi government throughout the 1930's and 40's. The tagline boasts "pastor, spy, assassin," and he is indeed two of those things. That third bit is a bit strained, because while he was involved in an assassination attempt on Adolf Hitler, it wasn't a successful one and he wasn't exactly the one to make the attempt. I'd describe that as closer to a conspirator than an assassin, but I guess they want that John Wick audience to watch their movie. Bonhoeffer isn't the worst thing I've seen come out of Angel Studios, because at least the storyline is half-interesting. The movie has an inspiring morality about it, warning of the dangers of perverting faith for political power, while criticizing the religious who sit by and let it happen. The film has such an infantile presentation to its drama that it's well meaning story falls victim to its lack of subtlety. It's a movie made by people who saw the "I could have saved one more" scene in Schindler's List and thought "The whole movie should be like that." It's hammy with its melodrama to the point that it just becomes a bore when it should be enticing. I'm sure the people who made this actually wanted to do this story justice, but unfortunately they tell it in a way that feels like a crime.
GladIIator
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Genre: Drama, Action
Director: Ridley Scott
Starring: Paul Mescal, Connie Nielson, Denzel Washington, Pedro Pascal, Joseph Quinn, Fred Hechinger, Lior Raz, Derek Jacobi
A sequel to Gladiator has been rumored off and on for a while now, including a weird development phase where Russell Crowe was supposed to return as a time traveler following his death in the original. It was an idea so stupid that I would have given anything to see it, as opposed to the easy Gladiator sequel to make, which was just Gladiator again. And that's what Gladiator II winds up being, another Gladiator. Take that for what it's worth. This time with a Ridley Scott who has far more indulgent and theatrical historical epics under his belt, often trying the recreate the success of the first Gladiator's indulgance and theatricality, few achieving it (save perhaps The Last Duel). Gladiator II sees the son of Connie Nielson, revealed to be Russell Crowe's as well, grow up to be an enslaved soldier, just like his pops. He fights gladiator matches and becomes a symbol of hope under oppression, again like dear old dad. Like said before, it's Gladiator again, except this time with the guy from Aftersun. Paul Mescal is a good actor, though he lacks the presence Russell Crowe had in the original, as he can't escape being a lighter clone as the film's redundant qualities barrell down on him. While the film can't escape redundancy, it still maintains Gladiator's primal appeal with excellent action scenes and messy thrills. In some ways Gladiator II benefits from being born into a generation that was influenced by the first film. The people who made Game of Thrones obviously loved Gladiator, and the people who made Gladiator II obviously loved Game of Thrones. Gladiator II is a quality product of its generational inspiration, even if it isn't as impactful as its namesake. Those who treasure that namesake will definitely want to check it out.
Wicked Part I
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Genre: Musical, Fantasy
Director: Jon M. Chu
Starring: Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande-Butera, Michelle Yeoh, Jeff Goldblum, Jonathan Bailey, Ethan Slater, Bowen Yang, Marissa Bode, Peter Dinklage
Every once in a while I remember that last year had four two-part movie starters that were supposed to conclude this year, and the only one that had it's second installment arrive as expected was Rebel Moon (this was the one that everyone wanted the least). The fact that these second movies never came out reflects very little on the films themselves (except maybe Fast X, because the production for both films sounds like a shit show), but rather production woes based on Hollywood strikes (Mission: Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part 2) and overly ambitious production goals (Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse). 2024 learned zero lessons from this, offering up even more multi-film sagas, including Renny Harlin's three-part Strangers slasher movies and Kevin Costner's four-part Horizon western. I admire ambition, to a limit. At least The Strangers was one giant, low-budget production. Costner went out and spent hundreds of millions of dollars on a glorified mid-2000's television miniseries and is at risk of not finishing it.
Now we have Wicked, masking that pesky "Part 1" in marketing materials, probably because we've gotten to the point where "Part 1" might make audiences groan and deflate potential success (this was what Paramount attributed to Dead Reckoning's mid performance, even though the Barbenheimer phenomenon was the more likely culprit there) and, if you lure people in, the cliffhanger ending probably won't turn people off in of itself if the movie is good enough (ala Infinity War, Dune, or Across the Spider-Verse). Wicked was advertised as just an adaptation of the Broadway musical, but is actually just the first half of it. Broadway fans can rest assured knowing that both Wicked films were filmed as one production, so the second half is on track with little hurdles in its way. They'll have to wait until next November for it, but that was always the plan.
I'll admit that I have limited affinity for The Wizard of Oz. It's something I appreciate more than I genuinely like. It's a stunningly made, groundbreaking movie, but I just never connected with it. I anticipated a similar feeling for Wicked, and to an extent, Wicked followed through on that. It's also a well done movie that dazzles the audience it's targeted at, though my lack of investment in the Oz franchise limits just how interested I am in it. That might come off as blunt criticism, but I think of it more as a notice that I am a neutral observer.
For those not Broadway-versed, Wicked tells a flipped view of the Oz story, centering on Elphaba, the "Wicked Witch," here portrayed as a magical girl who has been labeled a freak due to her green skin. The film shows her attending college in the land of Oz and her frenemy relationship with "Good Witch" hopeful Glinda, leading up to a confrontation with the great Wizard himself. I'll admit, I'm not too interested in a story about the Wicked Witch, as she's about as two-dimensional as any film villain has ever been. However, I have to admit, that also makes her ideal to latch any sort of character traits onto her with ease. Wicked does that quite well, albeit with a generic racism moral piled on top of a Mean Girls take on Harry Potter. Cynthia Erivo gives a warm and bold performance as Elphaba, while Ariana Grande offers up comic relief with a frilly take on Glinda. The film is helmed by Jon M. Chu, who directed a previous Broadway adaptation with In the Heights. Admittedly, I find Wicked less interesting than In the Heights, which was a more energetic and satisfying knock-out musical, but Chu is a talent with films like this. He always uses his camera smartly, having it dance with the choreography of the big numbers. Wicked also has what is probably the largest budget Chu has ever worked with, which intrudes on that slightly, as he's also forced to show off the big sets and special effects more than to let the rhythm flow through the movie. That's too bad, but Wicked is also a very bombastic power ballad musical, so it does match the tone of the picture.
It probably seems like I'm being harsh on this film, but I feel like I'm weighing it out. For what it's worth, it's probably the second best Oz film, behind the beloved 1939 classic. I'm not really who this movie is targeted at, but I'm going to give it credit for doing right by its audience. Everyone else in the theater was absolutely glowing about this movie. It's exactly what they wanted, and there is greatness in that.
The Wild Robot ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
New To Digital
Absolution ⭐️⭐️
Monster Summer ⭐️⭐️
Smile 2 ⭐️⭐️1/2
We Live in Time ⭐️⭐️1/2
New To Physical
Beetlejuice Beetlejuice ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
Godzilla Minus One ⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
The Killer's Game ⭐️⭐️1/2
Speak No Evil ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Reagan ⭐️
Coming Soon!
