Movie Review: The Kid Detective (2020)

Genre: Crime Dramedy  

Director: Evan Morgan  

Starring: Adam Brody, Sophie Nelisse, Wendy Crewson  

Running Time: 97 minutes  

Synopsis: In the small town of Willowbrook, Abe Applebaum (Adam Brody) is a washed-up 32 year-old detective. As a child prodigy he was celebrated for his skillful sleuthing, but his upward momentum was crushed at age 12 when he was unable to solve the disappearance of his classmate (and the Mayors' daughter) Gracie. Now Abe is presented an opportunity for redemption when teenager Caroline (Sophie Nelisse) seeks his help to find out who stabbed her boyfriend. The first serious crime case of Abe's career leads to a complex web of deceit, and reopens wounds of the past.

What Works Well: Beneath a glib exterior, this Canadian production packs surprising depth of character and emotional resonance. The unfulfilled promise of youth, a life drifting sideways, and unmet parental expectations are preludes to an investigation that delves into the dark side of puppy love, drug dealing at school, and ultimately evil hiding in plain sight. Adam Brody allows the burden of disappointment to ride on his shoulders.

What Does Not Work As Well: The material is willing to get quite dark, all the way to heinous crimes and abuses, throwing doubt on the wisdom of committing to humorous undertones. The most serious and impactful revelations meekly settle for telling but not showing.

Key Quote:

Abe: It's difficult to accept the difference between who you are in your head and who you are in the world.



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Movie Review: Breaking News In Yuba County (2021)

Genre: Dark Comedy  

Director: Tate Taylor  
Starring: Allison Janney, Mila Kunis, Regina Hall, Juliette Lewis, Ellen Barkin, Matthew Modine, Awkwafina  

Running Time: 96 minutes  

Synopsis: In Kentucky, timid Sue Buttons (Allison Janney) is married to banker Karl (Matthew Modine), who is not only ignoring her and having an affair, but also laundering money for a local mobster. Sue is impressed by television personality Gloria Michaels (Juliette Lewis), who is covering the story of a missing teenager. When Karl drops dead, Sue senses an opportunity to finally get the world to notice her: she secretly buries Karl and reports him missing. Soon she is basking in the media spotlight as the distraught wife, but also attracting the attention of Karl's criminal associates and police detective Harris (Regina Hall).

What Works Well: In a breezy opening act, Sue is introduced as drifting through life with an unwanted cloak of invisibility, her birthday forgotten by all including her half-sister (Mila Kunis). Hubby Karl's mid-thrust death is funny.

What Does Not Work As Well: The rest of the movie flounders into unoriginal silliness derived from To Die For and the Coens, but with neither zest nor wit. The clutter of secondary characters (including a couple of goons and their boss, Karl's lover, ex-con brother, the brother's ditzy boss, her lover, detective Harris, and her partner) stumble over each other, some carrying unearned attitudes but all of them lacking substance. Recognizing the congested narrative dead-end, writer Amanda Idoko rushes into a mad killing spree, chasing the misguided notion that every additional murder relieves the burden of coherence.

Key Quote:

Detective Harris: Mrs. Buttons, usually in a missing persons case, people call the police before calling the media.

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Movie Review: Midway (2019)

Genre: Historical War Action  

Director: Roland Emmerich  

Starring: Ed Skrein, Luke Evans, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart, Woody Harrelson, Patrick Wilson  

Running Time: 138 minutes  

Synopsis: Japan attacks Pearl Harbor in December 1941, but fails to destroy American aircraft carriers. The United States enters the war and Japan's Admiral Yamamoto starts planning an attack on Midway Island to achieve dominance over the Pacific. The US intelligence team headed by Lieutenant Commander Edwin Layton (Patrick Wilson) intercepts enemy communications and starts to piece together the Japanese attack plan, allowing Admiral Nimitz (Woody Harrelson) to mobilize a defence. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Colonel Jimmy Doolittle (Aaron Eckhart) leads an air raid on Tokyo to unsettle the enemy, while Vice Admiral William "Bull" Halsey (Dennis Quaid) and ace Navy pilots Dick Best (Ed Skrein) and Wade McClusky (Luke Evans) are involved in the escalating war in the Pacific. 

What Works Well: This is an unapologetically old-fashioned World War 2 action movie, faithful to historical fact and dedicated to celebrating heroism, sacrifice, and determination under fire. Despite an ambitious scope covering several major battles and culminating at Midway, writer Wes Tooke admirably maintains cohesion in melding strategic Yamamoto and Nimitz-level maneuverings with the front-line exploits of Best and McClusky, among many others, effectively capturing the critical strategic decisions and in-the-heat of the moment actions upon which history turned. Director Roland Emmerich delivers several stirring naval combat scenes, and maintains focus on individual sub-stories within the chaos of attack, defense, and counter-attack at sea. 

What Does Not Work As Well: The CGI effects are impressive but predictably over-done, and the out-of-uniform lives of the characters are essentially non-existent. The cast members do their job with minimum fuss, but quantity defeats quality and none are provided the opportunity to rise above basic representations.

Key Quote:

Edwin Layton (to Nimitz, in reference to Pearl Harbor): Sir, I'm the intelligence officer responsible for overseeing the greatest intelligence failure in American history.

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Movie Review: Fighting With My Family (2019)

Genre: Sports Biography  

Director: Stephen Merchant  

Starring: Florence Pugh, Lena Headey, Vince Vaughn, Nick Frost, Dwayne Johnson  

Running Time: 108 minutes  

Synopsis: In Norwich, England, working class couple Patrick and Julia (Nick Frost and Lena Headey) run a local semi-pro wrestling circuit featuring their teenaged children Zak and Raya (Jack Lowden and Florence Pugh). The family dreams of getting noticed by the World Wrestling Entertainment, and Zak and Raya are finally given an opportunity to audition in London. But WWE recruiter and coach Hutch (Vince Vaughn) only selects Raya for further training, and she jets off to Florida leaving Zak resentful. Raya adopts the stage name Paige as she attempts to qualify for the WWE, but she faces numerous challenges and an increasingly strained relationship with her family back home.

What Works Well: Plenty of heart ensures a warm glow in this biography of professional wrestler Paige, with a focus on humble roots and an unlikely path to stardom. The hardscrabble family background features sports-as-salvation from addictions and incarceration, with love, support, ambition, and humour fueling Paige's rise. She still has a lot to learn once her WWE training starts, and Florence Pugh invests in Paige's complex personal growth as she meets competitors from other backgrounds and navigates her brother's doldrums. Vince Vaughn builds a steady bridge between Norwich and glamour, and Dwayne Johnson enjoys a couple of prolonged scenes as himself. 

What Does Not Work As Well: The rags-to-riches story arc offers few surprises, leading to a high-volume final act filled with triumphalism, lacking subtlety, and compromised by a never-before-seen opponent.

Key Quote:

Raya (to Coach Hutch): You didn't cut me and I didn't quit.

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Movie Review: Running With The Devil (2019)

Genre: Crime Thriller  

Director: Jason Cabell  

Starring: Nicolas Cage, Laurence Fishburne, Leslie Bibb, Barry Pepper, Adam Goldberg  

Running Time: 100 minutes  

Synopsis: A Vancouver-based crime boss (Barry Pepper) complains to his Seattle-based supplier (Nicolas Cage) that recent cocaine shipments have been tampered with. The supplier takes a break from his day job as a cook and embarks on a trip to trace a shipment from a farmer's field in Colombia, through Mexico, and into the United States. The Cook's associate "the Man" (Laurence Fishburne) has slipped from middle-man to addict, contaminating the drugs and aiming to go into business on his own. His sidekick (Adam Goldberg) is picked up by an FBI agent (Leslie Bibb), and she is soon on the trail of the Cook and the Man.

What Works Well: Writer and director Jason Cabell invests in an informational follow-the-dots structure where one drug shipment is the centre of attention. From a farmer in Colombia to various mules and scuzzy middle-men navigating border crossings, the drugs change hands and gain in value, fueling an international industry. Meanwhile, victims of the tainted supply drop dead in the suburbs and alleyways of Seattle and Vancouver. Without stretching, Nicolas Cage and Laurence add a gloss of acting talent.

What Does Not Work As Well: The product is the story, and the people are afterthoughts. The intentional absence of names and the incessant jumping between sub-stories ensure none of the characters register as anything other than designated roles, resulting in dry soullessness. The choppy episodes include some incomprehensible distractions (including a few bewildering ambushes), and a couple of late-in-the-day twists are both implausible and unimpressive.

Key Quote:

The Cook (to his wife): The are some...administrative issues I have to attend to.

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Movie Review: Ready Or Not (2019)

Genre: Horror Comedy  

Directors: Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett  

Starring: Samara Weaving, Adam Brody, Andie MacDowell  

Running Time: 95 minutes  

Synopsis: The Le Domas family accumulated their wealth in the game industry, after their ancestor encountered a mysterious benefactor. As young boys, Daniel and Alex Le Domas are traumatized by a violent game of Hide and Seek at the family mansion. 30 years later, innocent outsider Grace (Samara Weaving) marries Alex (Mark O'Brien) despite warnings about his family's weirdness. Sure enough, her wedding night is interrupted by a potentially deadly tradition.

What Works Well: The combination of cheeky humour and outright horror redefines the unease of being the misfit within a wealthy family most interested in protecting secrets and traditions. A bride's leap of faith is transformed into a survival nightmare filled with close escapes, corpses, lots of blood, uncertainty about who to trust, and moments of acidic humour, all set in the traditional horror milieu of a spooky mansion. The Le Domas family is enlivened by Alex's mother Becky (Andie MacDowell), brother Daniel (Adam Brody), and unhinged aunt Helene (Nicky Guadagni).

What Does Not Work As Well: This is a pure romp, neither promising nor delivering any depth. Grace's friends and family are conspicuous by their complete absence, and the profanity is carried to excessive levels.

Key Quote:

Alex: So at midnight, you have to play a game.

Grace: Why?...

Alex: It's just something we do when someone new joins the family.

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Movie Review: The Lighthouse (2019)

Genre: Drama  

Director: Robert Eggers  

Starring: Willem Dafoe, Robert Pattinson  

Running Time: 109 minutes  

Synopsis: In New England of the 1800s, Thomas and Ephraim (Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson) arrive at a rocky outcrop to operate and maintain a lighthouse for a four week stint. The grizzled and more senior Thomas cares for the lighthouse lamp and orders Ephraim to do all the dirty and menial tasks. After encountering disturbing visions of a mermaid and hostile seagulls, Ephraim starts to lose his mind. When a storm moves in and prevents the two men from returning to shore, full-fledged alcohol-fueled madness sets in.

What Works Well: The black and white cinematography combines with stormy skies, raging oceans, and that incessant foghorn to create a threatening aesthetic. Both Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson throw themselves into their roles, pushing theatricality towards the insanity of isolation, disoriented masculinity, sexual frustration, and the dangers of excessive power imbalance.

What Does Not Work As Well: While undoubtedly artistic, the absence of plot results in a tedious two-character drama, and the slippage towards derangement opens the door to a mishmash of anything-goes themes and images. With plenty of verbose and bombastic inspiration drawn from Greek and other mythology, the material may be better suited to a stage show.

Key Quote:

Thomas: How long have we been on this rock? Five weeks? Two days? Where are we? Help me to recollect.

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Movie Review: The Tomorrow War (2021)

Genre: Science Fiction War Action  

Director: Chris McKay  

Starring: Chris Pratt, J.K. Simmons, Yvonne Strahovski, Betty Gilpin  

Running Time: 138 minutes  

Synopsis: In 2051, humans are fighting a losing battle against alien invaders known as Whitespikes. In desperation, a group of humans travel back in time to 2022 to appeal for recruits (essentially their parents and grandparents) to join the battle through the Jumplink time travel portal. Iraq War veteran Dan Forester (Chris Pratt) is drafted into the future war, leaving behind his wife Emmy (Betty Gilpin), brainy young daughter Muri, and estranged father James (J.K. Simmons). Landing in the middle of a Miami battle zone in 2051, Dan has to lead a group of green recruits in a raging war with the vicious Whitespikes, and then teams up with his grown daughter (Yvonne Strahovski) to find a way to save humanity.

What Works Well: This big, bold, and loud science fiction war adventure enjoys some of the finest human versus alien combat action since the days of Aliens and Starship Troopers. The visual effects are impressive, with the Whitespikes playing their part as disgustingly effective and difficult-to-kill creatures combining size, nimbleness, and lethal intent. The war scenes are awe-inspiring, whether in confined spaces, wide-open cityscapes, or futuristic military bases. A couple of the secondary soldiers fighting alongside Dan add texture: Sam Richardson as an out-of-his-depth scientist and Edwin Hodge as a jaded multi-tour veteran of the future war.

What Does Not Work As Well: The quieter sequences approach cringe-levels of derivative recycling from other movies. Dan is saddled with everything from career disappointments and dad issues (in 2022) to seething daughter hostility (in 2051). Other than the reliable J.K. Simmons, the rest of the cast members are unable to breathe authenticity into the character building scenes. The film's colour aesthetic is an unfortunate muddy mess. 

Key Quote:

Colonel Muri Forester (about the Whitespikes): They have no use for prisoners or government, technology, money... nothing. We are food. And they are hungry.

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Movie Review: The Gentlemen (2019)

Genre: Action Comedy  

Director: Guy Ritchie  

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Hugh Grant, Colin Farrell, Charlie Hunnam, Henry Golding, Jeremy Strong, Eddie Marsan  

Running Time: 113 minutes  

Synopsis: In England, reporter Fletcher (Hugh Grant) tries to blackmail Raymond (Charlie Hunnam), the second-in-command to crime boss Michael Pearson (Matthew McConaughey). Flashbacks reveal Fletcher's investigations on behalf of his editor Big Dave (Eddie Marsan). Michael rose from humble beginnings to control the illegal marijuana trade in England. Seeking to retire, he negotiates the sale of his empire to fellow gang boss Matthew (Jeremy Strong). Then another gang represented by Dry Eye (Henry Golding) makes an unsolicited offer, followed by a break-in at a secret cultivation facility by the acrobatic gang of Coach (Colin Farrell). As the level of violence increases, Michael has to sort out friend from foe.

What Works Well: This bright and breezy crime comedy buzzes with the energy of a witty and mazy script (by director Guy Ritchie). A multitude of enjoyable twists and turns are packed into less than two hours, the brisk pacing rewarding attention with non-stop enjoyment. All the performances add to the eclectic milieu of bad guys believing they are much brighter than they are, with Hugh Grant particularly memorable as the eloquent newsman well out of his depth but nevertheless taking a wild swing at riches. The short and sharp action scenes arrive at pleasingly regular intervals, and often carry spiky levels of humour. 

What Does Not Work As Well: As usual and expected when Ritchie splashes around in this genre pool, the action is bursting at the seams with a difficult-to-keep-track-of number of characters making noise aplenty, and inconsequential - although always entertaining - side quests.

Key Quote:

Michael Pearson: If you wish to be the king of the jungle, it's not enough to act like a king. You must be the king. And there can be no doubt. Because doubt causes chaos and one's own demise.

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Movie Review: Booksmart (2019)

Genre: Coming-Of-Age Teen Comedy  

Director: Olivia Wilde  

Starring: Beanie Feldstein, Kaitlyn Dever, Lisa Kudrow, Jason Sudeikis  

Running Time: 105 minutes  

Synopsis: In California, brainy best friends Molly and Amy (Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever) are about to graduate from high school when they realize that by solely focusing on academic performance for the past four years, they have missed out on all the fun of being teenagers. They decide to make up for it in the one night before graduation, leading to party adventures but also new perspectives on their classmates and themselves. 

What Works Well: The mix of wild high school comedy, first crush romance, general mayhem, and social diversity is underpinned by the fundamentals of a deep friendship between two likeable but imperfect girls. The second half picks up considerably once the high jinks arrive at the target party. Both Amy (interested in another girl who may or may not be gay) and Molly (harboring a crush on a victim of her superiority complex) have lessons to learn, and director Olivia Wilde stylishly captures their journey and still finds time to round many classmates into interesting secondary characters. 

What Does Not Work As Well: The premise only works by skipping over the sudden onset of self-awareness in supposedly two smart teens (other classmates also made it into university! and they had fun!!). The investment in introducing the large ecosystem of fellow students and teachers surrounding Molly and Amy is admirable but also results in a slow and meandering first half. Ambition ultimately exceeds the script's limits, with jerky tonal shifts between carnage and poignancy and several characters discarded. The embrace of vulgarity is excessive.

Key Quote:

Molly: We missed out. We didn't go to parties because we wanted to focus on school and get into good colleges.

Amy: And it worked!

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