by Josh Sewell
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| Courtesy of Sony |
Bad Boys for Life
(Rated R for strong bloody violence, language throughout, sexual references and brief drug use.)
I have to say, I didn’t approach the latest entry in Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s buddy cop franchise with a lot of optimism. The original Bad Boys launched Michael Bay’s career in 1995 and helped turn Smith into a superstar. Bad Boys II didn’t come along until eight years later and perfectly encapsulated Bay’s bloated, nihilistic filmmaking style.
After that, the franchise lay dormant for 17 years. On the surface, Bad Boys for Life reeked of two past-their-prime stars going back to the well yet again after a string of box office misfires. And sure, that might have been what finally spurred the long-in-development project forward after several false starts.
But something weird happened: they actually made a good movie. And I don’t mean, “good for a couple of old guys pretending to be action heroes.” I mean “best in the series” good. How the heck does that happen?
Well, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Bay declining to return (he’s replaced by Belgian filmmaking duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah) means there’s suddenly more of an emphasis on story and characterization. The same thing happened when Travis Knight took over directing duties on Bumblebee and made the best movie in the Transformers franchise. Bay is great at action sequences, hyperviolence and rapid-fire editing, but so are plenty of other filmmakers who grew up watching his movies.
The screenplay (by Chris Bremner, reworking a previous version by Peter Craig and Joe Carnahan) takes a page from the Fast and Furious franchise’s playbook by emphasizing the importance of family, friends and history. It would be depressing to watch Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) still acting like hotshot rookie cops even though they’re in their 50s – like the actors playing them.
Instead, the movie acknowledges the passage of time by asking what happens when reality sets in and they’re not the superheroes they believed they were when they were young and arrogant. That’s because retirement starts looking good to Marcus after he becomes a grandfather, while a case from Mike’s past resurfaces with deadly consequences that force him to atone for past indiscretions.
The flashy style of the previous installments is definitely still here, but there’s a surprising amount of heart this time around. I found myself actually invested in the characters, rather than just laughing at their one-liners and waiting for the next car chase or shootout.
Of course, those great one-liners are still here, thanks to a surprisingly enthusiastic Smith and Lawrence, whose chemistry is still terrific after nearly two decades away from these characters. They could’ve sleepwalked through a lazy sequel for big paychecks (which I’m sure they still got), but instead showed up with something to prove. That might be because they’re flanked by younger, hungrier costars (Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Jacob Scipio and a phenomenal Vanessa Hudgens) who match their intensity and comedic chops in their scenes together.
Now, a film designed to send popular characters into the sunset has revitalized the franchise thanks to a huge weekend at the box office and fantastic word-of-mouth from happy audiences. A fourth movie is already in the planning stages and something tells me we won’t have to wait another 17 years for it.
Grade: B
Dolittle
(Rated PG for some action, rude humor and brief language.)
Robert Downey Jr. hasn’t had much success trying to separate himself from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He originally tried a tentative exit by producing and starring in 2014’s The Judge, a throwback to ’90s-era John Grisham dramas that he hoped might be his shot at an Oscar or two. Instead, it bombed. Hard. He finally said farewell to Tony Stark with last summer’s Avengers: Endgame and set out for new territory, but the failure of his latest project has fans wondering if we might see him back in the Iron Man armor sooner than anyone anticipated.
Dolittle, yet another reboot (reimagining?) of the story about a doctor who can talk to animals, reportedly cost $175 million and underwent weeks of costly reshoots that dramatically altered the film’s original tone. However, the triage didn’t work; the film tanked over the four-day weekend with $29.5 million and Universal is expecting to lose more than $50 million (right after Cats also flopped – yikes).
The plot is a bit more complicated than it needs to be. A few years after losing his wife, Dr. John Dolittle (Downey), is pulled out of seclusion to save the gravely ill Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley). He reluctantly sets sail on an epic adventure to find a hidden island that holds the cure, accompanied by his talking animals (voiced by a multitude of household names) and a young apprentice (Harry Collett). Along the way, he must battle old adversaries (including Michael Sheen and Antonio Banderas) and help creatures in peril.
Look, is Dolittle a good movie? Not at all. But it’s nowhere near the disaster some are painting it as. (Creatively speaking, that is. The writing’s on the wall from a financial standpoint.)
Yes, you can see the seams of reshoots and ADR. Yes, Downey’s doing a weird Jack Sparrow thing. Yes, everything leads up to an exceptionally ridiculous fart joke. But you’ve also got Sheen in scenery-chewing villain mode (remember how fun that was in the Twilight flicks?), while Craig Robinson and Kumail Nanjiani get some laughs playing a revenge-hungry squirrel and a cowardly ostrich.
It’s a silly movie for kids, with everything that entails. Based on my daughter’s reaction, the target demo is going to like it just fine. There’s no way it’ll become another long-running franchise for Downey (he’s already moved on to a third Sherlock Holmes chapter). But as a one-and-done flick that kids will watch repeatedly on DVD during long car trips? It’ll have a long afterlife.
Grade: C-
Blu-ray Spotlight
Black and Blue (Rated R violence and language; now available): An action-thriller about a rookie police officer (Naomie Harris) who inadvertently captures the murder of a young drug dealer on her body cam. After realizing corrupt cops are responsible, she teams up with someone from her community (Tyrese Gibson) to escape bad guys on both sides of the law. Special features include deleted scenes and two behind-the-scenes featurettes.
(Rated R for strong bloody violence, language throughout, sexual references and brief drug use.)
I have to say, I didn’t approach the latest entry in Will Smith and Martin Lawrence’s buddy cop franchise with a lot of optimism. The original Bad Boys launched Michael Bay’s career in 1995 and helped turn Smith into a superstar. Bad Boys II didn’t come along until eight years later and perfectly encapsulated Bay’s bloated, nihilistic filmmaking style.
After that, the franchise lay dormant for 17 years. On the surface, Bad Boys for Life reeked of two past-their-prime stars going back to the well yet again after a string of box office misfires. And sure, that might have been what finally spurred the long-in-development project forward after several false starts.
But something weird happened: they actually made a good movie. And I don’t mean, “good for a couple of old guys pretending to be action heroes.” I mean “best in the series” good. How the heck does that happen?
Well, I don’t think it’s a coincidence that Bay declining to return (he’s replaced by Belgian filmmaking duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah) means there’s suddenly more of an emphasis on story and characterization. The same thing happened when Travis Knight took over directing duties on Bumblebee and made the best movie in the Transformers franchise. Bay is great at action sequences, hyperviolence and rapid-fire editing, but so are plenty of other filmmakers who grew up watching his movies.
The screenplay (by Chris Bremner, reworking a previous version by Peter Craig and Joe Carnahan) takes a page from the Fast and Furious franchise’s playbook by emphasizing the importance of family, friends and history. It would be depressing to watch Mike Lowrey (Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Lawrence) still acting like hotshot rookie cops even though they’re in their 50s – like the actors playing them.
Instead, the movie acknowledges the passage of time by asking what happens when reality sets in and they’re not the superheroes they believed they were when they were young and arrogant. That’s because retirement starts looking good to Marcus after he becomes a grandfather, while a case from Mike’s past resurfaces with deadly consequences that force him to atone for past indiscretions.
The flashy style of the previous installments is definitely still here, but there’s a surprising amount of heart this time around. I found myself actually invested in the characters, rather than just laughing at their one-liners and waiting for the next car chase or shootout.
Of course, those great one-liners are still here, thanks to a surprisingly enthusiastic Smith and Lawrence, whose chemistry is still terrific after nearly two decades away from these characters. They could’ve sleepwalked through a lazy sequel for big paychecks (which I’m sure they still got), but instead showed up with something to prove. That might be because they’re flanked by younger, hungrier costars (Alexander Ludwig, Charles Melton, Jacob Scipio and a phenomenal Vanessa Hudgens) who match their intensity and comedic chops in their scenes together.
Now, a film designed to send popular characters into the sunset has revitalized the franchise thanks to a huge weekend at the box office and fantastic word-of-mouth from happy audiences. A fourth movie is already in the planning stages and something tells me we won’t have to wait another 17 years for it.
Grade: B
 |
| Courtesy of Universal |
(Rated PG for some action, rude humor and brief language.)
Robert Downey Jr. hasn’t had much success trying to separate himself from the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He originally tried a tentative exit by producing and starring in 2014’s The Judge, a throwback to ’90s-era John Grisham dramas that he hoped might be his shot at an Oscar or two. Instead, it bombed. Hard. He finally said farewell to Tony Stark with last summer’s Avengers: Endgame and set out for new territory, but the failure of his latest project has fans wondering if we might see him back in the Iron Man armor sooner than anyone anticipated.
Dolittle, yet another reboot (reimagining?) of the story about a doctor who can talk to animals, reportedly cost $175 million and underwent weeks of costly reshoots that dramatically altered the film’s original tone. However, the triage didn’t work; the film tanked over the four-day weekend with $29.5 million and Universal is expecting to lose more than $50 million (right after Cats also flopped – yikes).
The plot is a bit more complicated than it needs to be. A few years after losing his wife, Dr. John Dolittle (Downey), is pulled out of seclusion to save the gravely ill Queen Victoria (Jessie Buckley). He reluctantly sets sail on an epic adventure to find a hidden island that holds the cure, accompanied by his talking animals (voiced by a multitude of household names) and a young apprentice (Harry Collett). Along the way, he must battle old adversaries (including Michael Sheen and Antonio Banderas) and help creatures in peril.
Look, is Dolittle a good movie? Not at all. But it’s nowhere near the disaster some are painting it as. (Creatively speaking, that is. The writing’s on the wall from a financial standpoint.)
Yes, you can see the seams of reshoots and ADR. Yes, Downey’s doing a weird Jack Sparrow thing. Yes, everything leads up to an exceptionally ridiculous fart joke. But you’ve also got Sheen in scenery-chewing villain mode (remember how fun that was in the Twilight flicks?), while Craig Robinson and Kumail Nanjiani get some laughs playing a revenge-hungry squirrel and a cowardly ostrich.
It’s a silly movie for kids, with everything that entails. Based on my daughter’s reaction, the target demo is going to like it just fine. There’s no way it’ll become another long-running franchise for Downey (he’s already moved on to a third Sherlock Holmes chapter). But as a one-and-done flick that kids will watch repeatedly on DVD during long car trips? It’ll have a long afterlife.
Grade: C-
Blu-ray Spotlight
 |
| Courtesy of Sony |
Black and Blue (Rated R violence and language; now available): An action-thriller about a rookie police officer (Naomie Harris) who inadvertently captures the murder of a young drug dealer on her body cam. After realizing corrupt cops are responsible, she teams up with someone from her community (Tyrese Gibson) to escape bad guys on both sides of the law. Special features include deleted scenes and two behind-the-scenes featurettes.
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