"Prey" Review: A Prequel On Par With The Original
In a world of streaming, Prey is one of those films that will be released directly on Hulu, but is worthy of the big screen! The beautiful landscape, scale of humans versus animals or Predator, and entertaining story would have been worth the summer blockbuster theater check-in. This film is on par with the original Predator in terms of entertainment and story! It’s worth the watch this weekend!
Naru (Amber Midthunder) is a young Comanche who wants to hunt like the men in her tribe, but isn’t given the same respect because she is a woman. Her older brother, Taabe (Dakota Beavers), recognizes her potential but also knows Naru has to earn her stripes. She’s an excellent tracker, knows natural medicine, and can throw an axe like the rest of the boys. Her opportunity comes in the form of a hunt for a big cat. Her much larger test however, comes from the sky and no one else seems to notice. In fact, she’s the only one to pick up on the signs of a much larger, dangerous being in their midst.
As with any of these movies, it takes a while before the Predator is revealed fully and that’s when the fun begins. The kills and weapons in Prey are creative and awesome for franchise fans! This particular predator has so many different weapons in its arsenal that we get to see used in creative ways. Similarly, because of the time period (late 1700s), our weapons are primitive in comparison. Yes, our weapons are always primitive in comparison to a Predator’s but this showdown calls for a primal fist to cuffs. It’s the stripped back, crude nature of this story that touches our basic needs and thus makes the movie a suspenseful and thrilling watch. Amber Midthunder is the heart of the film and a protagonist underdog we can get behind!
The battle of wits is what all Predator films come down to, but the camera work and editing are elements that make this exciting to watch as well. Director, Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane) uses matching shots of wounds being cleaned and the fight for survival amongst predator and prey of all walks of life weave together a story that is understood through montage. Low angles show the scale of the Predator (Dane DiLiegro is a former basketball player) 6’9” frame towers over its competition. Aerial shots of high grass fields show the speed in which this Predator can move on its prey!
Perhaps an interesting point in this film is how the Predator only goes after what it deems as a threat or real competition. Similarly, Hulu should not be afraid to take on the competition in the box office if it has a movie like this on its hands! This likely would have done well by word of mouth. Instead, to take a line from the film, they said “This is as far as you go. No more. This is it.” Hopefully, the overwhelming response from fans will change their mind in the future!
Rating: B+
"Wonder Woman 1984" Review: A Made For TV Hero Film
It’s not that “Wonder Woman 1984” is not entertaining. I found myself invested in Diana Prince’s (Gal Gadot) journey by the time it was coming to a close. It’s just not as inspired and handled with the same care that director Patty Jenkins had with its predecessor, Wonder Woman. While the studio was brave in releasing the film in 2020 to HBO Max and theaters during COVID, this film is suited for small screen excitement. It’s not much of a visual spectacle and suffers from a predictable story.
The last time we learned about Diana Prince’s back story it was focused during World War I. This time we’re in Washington D.C. in 1984. (As a 10 year DMV resident, D.C. is displayed well in the film.) Diana works at the Smithsonian and is burdened by her responsibilities as a protector of her city, while not having a true relationship with anyone due to her double life. After a jewelry heist she thwarted reveals precious artifacts were squirreled away in said store, the artifacts wind up coming to the Smithsonian to be analyzed by Dr. Barbara Minerva (Kristen Wiig).
Barbara is the overlooked lab geek that just wants to be noticed. She gets special attention from Maxwell Lord (Pedro Pascal), a failing serial entrepreneur, who is driven to succeed at all costs. He's after the crystal that’s recently come into her possession and seems to be the only person who knows it is a Dream Stone. Anyone who touches it and makes a wish will have it granted at a price. That’s it. That’s the bad guy, the McGuffin, and the lesson. Be careful what you wish for. Diana, Barbara, and Maxwell all get a chance to make a wish, knowingly or unknowingly.
The story is unremarkable and the characters are dull. The problem with characterization in this film is that every person that you think “something ain’t right with him/her”, you’re correct. There is no subtlety in the design and depth of these characters. Everyone as written, whether child actors, villains or heroes are stereotypes of archetypes we’ve seen before. Even the glow up of Kristen Wiig from baggy clothed nerd to beauty feels pedestrian.
Gal Gadot has a strong on screen presence throughout the two and a half hour running time. In fact, her earnest performance is what makes the film palatable. In a year in which we’ve had an unprecedented lack of super hero films, it’s nice to have a moment to escape! I highly recommend seeing it in the comfort of your home over seeing it in theaters. You won’t regret it. Oh, and stick around mid credit roll to see a nice cameo!
Rating: C
"TENET" Review: The Rubik's Cube Of Movies
Have you ever wondered if a Rubik’s cube could be described as a movie? If you said yes, then I give you the equally perplexing and entertaining movie, TENET! Directed by Christopher Nolan, in his one of a kind, high quality, action-packed and gritty style! If you’ve experienced one of his prior films, (Dunkirk, Inception, The Dark Knight Trilogy, any one from his catalogue really) you can understand how watching a Nolan movie pulls you in immediately and keeps you feeling an ebb and flow of emotions. Honestly, the previews do this movie no justice.
The film starts with The Protagonist (John D. Washington) being selected for a mission that’s described as a job to prevent a Third World War. During this assignment he learns about inversion (a temporal anomaly which an event happens in reverse). For example, when he drops his gun in an inverse its actually him catching the gun. If that example left you perplexed, don’t worry, you’re in the right place. Throughout this assignment he meets Kat (Elizabeth Debicki), the wife of Andrei Sator (Kenneth Branagh) whom he must protect as she’s a key for saving the past from the future.
John D. Washington and Robert Pattinson’s characters have great chemistry, and their performances are ideal. Washington is a natural lead with Washington performing all his stunts. One of the flaws of the movie is that it was hard to hear some of the dialogue because of the fast-paced scenes and the music being overbearing at times.
This movie continuously keeps you on a rollercoaster ride to figure out what’s going on. As soon as you think you know where the film is headed, it dips in another direction. The cinematography of Nolan’s constant collaborator, Hoyte Van Hoytema, and production in this movie were top tier as expected. I predict a few Oscar nods. This is a well-crafted story that may take a couple of views to fully understand what you’ve seen. The IMAX experience is necessary for this film so I’d recommend seeing in theaters if you can or are willing to go in person (practice social distancing). When you walk out of the theater, you’ll feel as accomplished as if you finished a Rubik’s cube…or at least one side.
Rating: B+
Sonic The Hedgehog: Didn't Disappoint!
One of the most influential childhood characters makes his long awaited spin jump from our gaming consoles onto the big screen. I think it's safe to say that when we saw the first draft of the hero’s look last year, it made us feel like it’d be okay to skip this one; but the famous blue hedgehog sped through those concerns and didn't disappoint.
The movie is the origin story of Sonic (Ben Schwartz) living on earth. The lonely hedgehog accidentally creates a power outage that ultimately brings unwanted attention. The government hires Dr. Robotnic (Jim Carrey) to investigate the cause of the catastrophe. Once he realizes that Sonic is the culprit, Robotnic plans to capture Sonic and use him as research for personal gains and world domination. As Sonic plans to get out of dodge, he finds himself in a dilemma which forces him to stay on earth to find his famed rings. While being chased by Dr. Robotnic, Sonic finds a friend in Tom Wachowski (James Marsden) and they go on a quest to find his rings with multiple mishaps along the way.
This movie brought me back to sitting in front of my Sega Genesis for hours and tuning into the cartoon as a kid. If you’re a fan of Sonic, you will feel engaged and nostalgic. There are numerous easter eggs in this film, so keep your eyes peeled to find them.
There are some instances in the movie that feel off in the edit and acting, but they find their way back to these scenes making sense. Director Jeff Fowler did a good job of bringing this film to fruition (especially with the Sonic updates) with his vision. The movie had some positive messages for the kid in all of us involving believing in yourself and the importance of friends. Jim Carrey is stand out as Dr. Robotnic. His character development gave us a flashback to the animated and over the top Carrey we grew to love in Ace Ventura and The Mask. The movie’s soundtrack is another nuance that tied the movie together well. Honestly, I thought the film could have done well as a PG13 and had more action but as a PG rating, it's up to par and has something for everyone to enjoy. It'll be money well spent if you take the kids and I think Sonic will be around for years to come.
P.S. Stick around through the credits.
Rating: B
"The Aeronauts" Review: This High Flying Balloon Falls Flat
Amazon’s The Aeronauts is based on the true story of early meteorology and flight. The film re-teams The Theory of Everything co-stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones. It’s a harrowing adventure high above the clouds that manages to be equally lifeless at any point the film tells the story of life on the ground.
Amelia Wren (Jones) is a balloon pilot who is no stranger to the skies. She flew with her late husband on plenty of flights. So the opportunity to fly on a scientific expedition with James Glaisher (Redmayne) is welcomed. For Glaisher, he hopes to push past the heights previously set by other pilots to document the unknown of what is above us.
Within the balloon, the duo takes on challenges that come from humans facing atmospheric conditions they’ve never seen before. George Steel’s cinematography and sound designer Andy Kennedy’s attention to detail make the experience of watching Wren and Glaisher feel tangible as an audience member. As the balloon starts to ice over, the basket that separates them from a 20,000+ foot fall to their death does as well. The creaks and pops of the equipment draw you in, as does the cool blues and somewhat desaturated hues of the cinematography.
Weaved in between the experience in the sky is the backstory of Wren and Glaisher. These scenes give us context to who they are, how they met, and how the expedition came together but are not interesting enough to keep the viewer engaged. You’re left with a burning desire to get back into the balloon with their present peril instead of on land with their past.
There’s a scene in The Aeronauts in which Glaisher is trying to convince a body of scientists and explorers to allow him to have his own balloon. They laugh in his face and walk out as he pleads for them to hear him out. “Please, please” he clamors. This scene feels fitting for the entire movie. It begs you to hear it out! This is a film about early exploration of the sky above us for goodness sake! Unfortunately, outside of its outstanding visuals, it doesn’t have much to say.
Rating: D+
"Frozen II" Review: Disney, Let It Go!
Perhaps much like the theme of the movie, the Frozen franchise is in its autumn. Frozen II offers up a change in its characters, settings and gives a form of growth to all. Suffering from the sophomore slump, while this film offers big numbers and beautiful scenery, it doesn’t quite capture the magic of its predecessor because it’s too busy trying to stand in the shadow of it.
Picking up shortly after the original, Anna (Kristen Bell) and Queen Elsa (Idina Menzel) are leading the kingdom of Arendelle with Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and a newly permafrosted Olaf (Josh Gad) by their sides. Still trying to find herself, Elsa can’t ignore the voice she hears calling out to her. The voice may hold answers to the past as the kingdom tries to find answers to its future after the spirits of Earth, Fire, Wind and Water remove everyone from their homes.
Following the voice takes the group to an enchanted forest, which previously could not be entered by anyone. Inside they meet two factions that have been stuck inside for years and search for answers to the past to secure their future. Equipped with solo songs for each character throughout the film, like its songs, it’s forgettable. In fact, most of the songs help to move the struggling story along rather than being an extension of each characters’ inner feelings bursting out of them as musicals should do.
Another reason this outing isn’t as great as the last is because it’s missing heart and a true villain. The heart of the first film was the love between two sisters and the power that exists and can be cultivated from that love. Here, each character follows their own storyline and thus, as a whole, the movie suffers from meandering at times due to a seemingly forced narrative instead of the organic story in the first film. Without a true villain to physically go up against, these characters aren’t written well enough to display the true struggle of (wo)man vs. self that it whiffs at. There’s an opportunity for the film to explore what happens when a loved one smothers you with good intentions, but doesn’t realize they’re holding you back. There are decisions that some characters make that seem to be, well, out of character. It’s as though going from the beat sheet that five writers created for the story wasn’t quite filled in by Jennifer Lee’s screenplay.
On a positive note, Olaf steals the show as the lovable snowman who seems to be graduating from kindergarten to first grade metaphorically. He’s inquisitive about the world around him and his curiosity and zest for life is endearing. Olaf certainly provided most of the laughs that the children in the audience I saw the film with had.
Frozen II is an example of Disney’s machine over-cranking. While the film will undoubtedly be a money maker, lightning hasn’t struck twice. You won’t be able to name a single tune you heard upon exiting the theater. With glimpses of what could have been a solid, universal story, the writing is half baked and thus this film falls short. Your kids will love it though!
Rating: C
"Doctor Sleep" Review: Don't Overlook This One!
In a world where sequels, reboots, remakes, and a lack of creativity exists, it’s hard to believe that we’re revisiting the Overlook Hotel. There are certain classics we shouldn’t touch. I would have thought The Shining would be one of them, but director Mike Flanagan gives us The Shining meets Inception in an intriguing look at where Danny Torrance (Ewan McGregor) is nearly forty years later in the new movie Doctor Sleep.
After learning how to deal with and master his shine, Danny has decided to dampen it by staying under the influence of the bottle. Drowning his grief to escape being haunted, literally and figuratively, by ghosts of his past, it’s years later that an event causes him to run to a small town and unexpectedly sober up. It’s when he starts to sober up that a connection with a powerful “shiner” named Abra (Kyleigh Curran) is made miles away. Simultaneously, a group of adults who have been living for centuries by finding people who shine and eating off of their life force, feels Abra on their radar and have to have her.
The first act of the film meticulously sets up the foundation for the expansion of its world. Once the film establishes itself, following its lead is a pleasure to watch. Flanagan slowly builds the layers of psychological horror through character development, cinematography, and a controlled camera that knows what to show, for how long, and what not to show.
McGregor brings an everyday man’s sensibility to the role as the reluctant, eventual mentor. Curran has a lot to take on as a child actor. It’s rare that you see a horror film in which the kid involved is not only not afraid of the monster or villain, but has a healthy understanding of the power she possesses and is willing to stand toe to toe with said villain. Curran embodies this balancing act with a rare comprehension of her character that helps make the film work. Which brings us to Rose The Hat (Rebecca Ferguson). Ferguson gives her character a tangible quality that is both attractive and terrifying. With a villain this good, it’s hard not to root for her and her band of thieves at times.
Flanagan makes a smart move in giving us the fan service in the final act of the film, rather than throughout it. In fact, he pays homage to many of the iconic frames Kubrick created by not giving us a shot for shot match, but instead finding his own frame in the same space. It’s a clever tip of the hat, that keeps us from making intense comparisons.
Doctor Sleep reminds us that occasionally a sequel can be done right these days. It’s a rich expansion of a world that shows us that sometimes the only way to face your demons is to go through them. I wouldn’t overlook this one!
Rating: B+
"Dolemite is My Name" Review
First, I want to take the time to welcome Eddie Murphy back to cinema. It's been a long time coming and now he's hit the Netflix small screen with a star studded cast to give us Dolemite is My Name. If you know anything about comedy and Blaxploitation from the 70's then you've heard of the man known as Dolemite. Director Craig Brewer (Hustle and Flow) gives us a look at Rudy Ray Moore's story in how he brought his first movie to the big screen and his tenacity to become the "Baddest Motherf*@#*& alive."
The film starts off with Rudy (Murphy) trying to find his niche in the entertainment industry doing odd jobs from singing, hosting clubs and working at a record store in order to find his claim to fame. After receiving inspiration from a local homeless man, Rudy creates the character Dolemite (a provocative pimp character with legendary stories). With the help of this persona, he finds his calling in the industry as a successful comedian. Subverting the norm, Rudy continues to find ways to push the envelope and turn his comedy albums into must have records around the US. It’s during a moment on the road that he gets the idea to make a motion picture of his character and bring it to the big screen with the thought process that movie distribution will put him everywhere at once. The only problem is he has no idea what he's doing. As he takes on the task, he quickly finds out he may have bitten off more than he could chew.
In the words of Dolemite, "its a movie that's made for the people and has funny, titties and kung fu." And this movie has all that and more! This movie also gives an inside scoop on what it took for black entertainers to breakthrough and have a voice in the entertainment industry in Hollywood by building from rock bottom in the 70s. The movie has a star studded cast featuring Snoop Dogg, Wesley Snipes, Mike Epps, Craig Robinson, Keegan Michael Key, Bob Odenkirk, Luenell and Tituss Burgess as well as appearances from other A listers. Seeing all these great actors in a cohesive film felt like a relatable episode of SNL.
Each actor embodied their roles. Ms. Lady Reed (Da'Vine Joy Randolph) did an outstanding job as Dolemite's first lady. I was surprised to see the chemistry of Da'Vine and Eddie work well together. Eddie Murphy is the and delivered with a capital D. Also seeing Wesley Snipes (D'Urville Martin) in a comedic role was another hidden gem in the movie. He gave the zeal and tenacity and has me looking forward to Coming to America 2 (still on the fence about this sequel).
Overall, this might go down as a cult classic about a cult classic. Funny, witty and did I mention funny? It made me want to go watch some Dolemite (not the greatest films by far) films over again with my new appreciation for what it took to make them. This film has great production value and a big screen film feel to it, which isn’t always typical of a Netflix movie. This is guaranteed to be a film you watch a few times with your family, friends and your pimp friends over the coming holidays.
Rating: B