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| Courtesy of Lionsgate |
(Rated R for strong violence and language throughout.)
The cast: Ryan Reynolds, Samuel L. Jackson, Gary Oldman and Salma Hayek.
What it’s about: The world’s top protection agent (Reynolds) is hired to guard the life of his biggest enemy – the most dangerous assassin on the planet (Jackson). They’ve got 24 hours to travel from London to The Hague to testify against a crazed Eastern European dictator (Oldman), but he unleashes a host of killers to make sure they never make it.
The good: The best element of the movie – by far – is the camaraderie between Reynolds and Jackson. Their chemistry is reminiscent of Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte, Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, Chris Tucker and Jackie Chan, or any other classic buddy flick of the ’80s and ’90s. They effortlessly volley one-liners (and f-bombs) back and forth, like comedic tennis players. It’s those scenes that help The Hitman’s Bodyguard rise above its many weak spots.
The not-so-good: The action sequences are chaotic and tough to follow, the hazy lighting makes daytime scenes almost impossible to look at, and the story is so thin that it’s tough to justify the movie’s two-hour running time. The plot also wastes bonkers performances from Hayek (who plays Jackson’s imprisoned wife) and Oldman, which is downright criminal.
Furthermore, I’m not a prude by any stretch of the imagination, but I was shocked at the jarring imbalance between the movie’s light tone and its use of graphic violence. It’s weird to watch Oldman’s character kill a small child, then almost immediately switch to Jackson and Reynolds’ characters having a competition to determine who can use a word that starts with “mother” in the funniest way. (Spoiler alert: it’s Jackson. He’s always going to win.)
Grade: B-
Brigsby Bear
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| Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics |
(Rated PG-13 for thematic elements, brief sexuality, drug material and teen partying.)
The cast: Kyle Mooney, Mark Hamill, Jane Adams, Greg Kinnear, Matt Walsh, Michaela Watkins and Claire Danes.
What it’s about: The less you know about the plot going in, the more you’ll enjoy the story. To be safe, I’ll go with the studio’s official synopsis. Brigsby Bear Adventures is a children’s television show produced for an audience of one: James (Mooney). When the show abruptly ends, James’ life changes forever and he sets out to finish the story himself.
The good: What a weird, creative and surprisingly sweet story. Brigsby Bear was nowhere on my radar earlier this year, but over the last few weeks I started hearing intense positive buzz. I initially didn’t figure it was for me because star and co-writer Mooney – a cast member on Saturday Night Live – is the driving force behind a lot of quirky, out-there sketches I tend to find annoying on that show. I’m so happy to be wrong.
Oddly enough, the aspects of Mooney’s SNL sketches that get on my nerves are what work so beautifully in this movie. He has created yet another meek, emotionally-stunted hipster who sees the world in a unique way that makes him special. Most of the time, the different iterations of this character make it seem like he’s ripping off Wes Anderson; however, the persona totally works for James. It’s frustrating that I can’t explain why without getting into spoilers, but you’ll know exactly what I mean within the first 15 minutes.
It’s as if Mooney, who co-wrote the script with Kevin Costello, was using all those previous shorts as a warm up for what he accomplishes here. Of course, it helps that he’s got an incredible supporting cast who takes the admittedly bonkers premise and plays it totally straight. Hamill and Kinnear are particularly strong, while Walsh and Watkins handle most of the emotional heavy lifting that stems from the plot’s spoilery thematic elements. This one’s an acquired taste, but those who don’t mind their indie films with a heavy dose of twee will find plenty to appreciate. At the very least, you can’t complain that it’s unoriginal.
The not-so-good: The final scene goes for an ambiguous ending that allows viewers to have their cake and eat it too. Namely, if you think the characters behave unrealistically considering the spoilery elements of the plot, the last moments let you explain it away. However, if you like that the story exists in a world of dream logic, then those moments fit right in with the rest of James’ quirky personality. It struck me as a disappointing copout, but nothing that ruins the movie. I’m curious to see how other viewers interpret it.
I was bummed that Adams disappears almost immediately. Hamill does too, although he shows up again near the end for a bit. The characters’ presence is felt through the entire film, but the actors are so good that I wanted more of them.
Grade: B+
DVD Review: Descendants 2
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| Courtesy of Disney |
(Rated TV-G.)
The cast: Dove Cameron, Cameron Boyce, Sofia Carson, Booboo Stewart, Mitchell Hope and China Anne McClain.
What it’s about: When the pressure to be perfect becomes too much for former villain Mal (Cameron), she flees Auradon Prep (where kids of Disney heroes attend school) to her former home on the Isle of the Lost (where iconic Disney baddies reside). Hoping to bring her back, pals Evie (Carson), Carlos (Cameron), Jay (Stewart) and Ben (Hope) follow her trail, but their plan is thwarted by Mal’s rival Uma (McClain), the daughter of Ursula. Now the kids must get back in touch with their wicked roots if they want to stop Uma’s evil plan.
The good: This Disney Channel sequel, like its 2015 predecessor, is insanely popular with kids. I can see why, based on the bright color palette, catchy (autotuned to death) pop songs and fun dance numbers co-choreographed by director Kenny Ortega (who also helmed the High School Musical franchise).
The costumes are well-designed and the lead performance from Cameron – working to transition from kiddie fare like this and the recently-canceled Liv and Maddie to more mature stuff – suggests she could make the jump from child star to grown-up actress.
The not-so-good: Look, giving this made-for-TV movie a bad review feels like punching a kitten – especially considering it’s so clearly made for preteens, not 35-year-old men. Still, the Disney Channel generally excels at creating quality entertainment that appeals to kids and grownups alike (like their canceled-too-soon sitcom Girl Meets World) but they dropped the ball here.
I don’t know if scheduling conflicts played a role, or if the network knew they had a slam-dunk from the beginning no matter how it turned out. But aside from Cameron (and Carson, mostly), the performances are wooden, the story is paper-thin (it feels like a 30-minute episode stretched to two hours) and the sets look like a high school production of Once Upon a Mattress.
Despite those drawbacks, Descendants 2 still manages to improve on the original and kids can’t get enough. Who cares what a crusty, middle-aged film critic thinks, right?
Special features: Various behind-the-scenes featurettes, deleted song, Descendants: Wicked World Season One animated shorts.
Grade: C-
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