by Josh Sewell
Godzilla vs. Kong
(Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of creature violence/destruction and brief language. Now playing in select theaters and available on HBO Max.)
The cast: Alexander Skarsgard, Rebecca Hall, Kaylee Hottle, Millie Bobby Brown, Brian Tyree Henry, Julian Dennison, Kyle Chandler and Demian Bichir.
What it’s about: In this finale to the four-movie franchise that kicked off in 2014, Kong and a team of scientists (led by Skarsgard and Hall) risk a deadly journey to find his true home. They’re joined by young Jia, a deaf orphan girl who has established an emotional bond with the giant creature. Meanwhile, Godzilla has recently stepped up his attacks on major cities, but a conspiracy theorist (Henry) and two teens (Brown and Dennison) think he’s being protective rather than malevolent. Their quest to find answers eventually leads to an epic battle between two iconic heavyweights.
The good: Thankfully, Godzilla vs. Kong is a big step up from its dismal predecessor, 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters. However, it doesn’t reach the ridiculously delightful heights of 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, my favorite of the series.
The visual effects are terrific and I like that the bulk of the narrative focuses on Kong. I’m firmly Team Kong, though – fans of the big lizard may have a different opinion since he only makes sporadic appearances until the finale.
As with previous installments, human characters remain afterthoughts (the title makes the film’s priorities clear), but they get a bit more to do this time around. Still, two days after watching the film, I couldn’t tell you anybody’s name if you put a gun to my head.
It’s nice to see Skarsgard play a good guy after a long string of dark roles. He’s not really fleshed out beyond “weird handsome scientist,” but neither is anyone else. It’s great that screenwriters Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein, along with director Adam Wingard, understand what a gift they have in Brown, since the previous film wasted her considerable talents by having her scream in a series of rooms.
Hottle is also strong as the most empathetic human character, while Bichir is clearly having a blast as the mustache-twirling villain. It’s the campiest performance in the movie, which matches the goofy tone.
The not-so-good: Hall and Chandler are both squandered, which is infuriating considering they’re fantastic actors. The latter only pops up for a few brief scenes as a worried dad. (Side note: it’s crazy that he has now appeared in two separate movies about King Kong.)
Chances are you’ll forget all Godzilla vs. Kong as soon as it’s over, but it’s nice to have silly, disposable blockbusters again after such a chaotic year. If you’re fortunate enough to be vaccinated already, I suggest seeing it on the biggest screen possible.
Grade: B
Bad Trip
(Rated R for crude sexual content, pervasive language, some graphic nudity and drug use. Available on Netflix.)
The cast: Eric Andre, Lil Rel Howery, Michaela Conlin and Tiffany Haddish.
What it’s about: Television host Andre takes his unique brand of absurdist comedy into the real world with this Borat-style hidden camera movie. He plays Chris, a lovable loser who decides to travel from Florida to New York to reconnect with the woman of his dreams (Colin). He hits the road with his best friend Bud (Howery) in a car they borrowed from Trina (Haddish), Bud’s sister. There’s just one problem – she recently escaped prison and she’s hunting them down. As the characters make their way up the East Coast, they encounter actual people who don’t know they’re in a movie.
The good: Bad Trip is a mixed bag overall, but the flick’s episodic nature works to its advantage. If a particular prank or scene isn’t your brand of humor, it won’t be long until the characters move on to another gross, cringe-inducing gag.
For me, the most surprising aspect of the film is how often it highlights the inherent goodness of the unsuspecting people involved in the pranks. Unlike Borat, which strived to mock the worst aspects of humanity, most folks that experience the craziness unleashed by Andre, Howery and Haddish do their best to help them.
In one scene, a kindhearted bystander rushes to squash the escalating tension between two characters without hesitation, even though the argument takes place in front of a horrific car accident. In another memorable moment, an Army recruiter calmly talks Chris out of enlisting because of his emotional instability. It’s shocking that he stays cool in the face of Andre’s increasingly ridiculous tantrum.
The not-so-good: Andre, Howery and Haddish are fantastic (I seriously don’t know how they kept it together for some of these pranks), but the story is too flimsy to work as a narrative through line for the hidden camera stuff. Those who are easily offended or have weak stomachs should also stay away – Bad Trip goes to some disgusting extremes.
Grade: C+
True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee
(Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of creature violence/destruction and brief language. Now playing in select theaters and available on HBO Max.)
The cast: Alexander Skarsgard, Rebecca Hall, Kaylee Hottle, Millie Bobby Brown, Brian Tyree Henry, Julian Dennison, Kyle Chandler and Demian Bichir.
What it’s about: In this finale to the four-movie franchise that kicked off in 2014, Kong and a team of scientists (led by Skarsgard and Hall) risk a deadly journey to find his true home. They’re joined by young Jia, a deaf orphan girl who has established an emotional bond with the giant creature. Meanwhile, Godzilla has recently stepped up his attacks on major cities, but a conspiracy theorist (Henry) and two teens (Brown and Dennison) think he’s being protective rather than malevolent. Their quest to find answers eventually leads to an epic battle between two iconic heavyweights.
The good: Thankfully, Godzilla vs. Kong is a big step up from its dismal predecessor, 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters. However, it doesn’t reach the ridiculously delightful heights of 2017’s Kong: Skull Island, my favorite of the series.
The visual effects are terrific and I like that the bulk of the narrative focuses on Kong. I’m firmly Team Kong, though – fans of the big lizard may have a different opinion since he only makes sporadic appearances until the finale.
As with previous installments, human characters remain afterthoughts (the title makes the film’s priorities clear), but they get a bit more to do this time around. Still, two days after watching the film, I couldn’t tell you anybody’s name if you put a gun to my head.
It’s nice to see Skarsgard play a good guy after a long string of dark roles. He’s not really fleshed out beyond “weird handsome scientist,” but neither is anyone else. It’s great that screenwriters Eric Pearson and Max Borenstein, along with director Adam Wingard, understand what a gift they have in Brown, since the previous film wasted her considerable talents by having her scream in a series of rooms.
Hottle is also strong as the most empathetic human character, while Bichir is clearly having a blast as the mustache-twirling villain. It’s the campiest performance in the movie, which matches the goofy tone.
The not-so-good: Hall and Chandler are both squandered, which is infuriating considering they’re fantastic actors. The latter only pops up for a few brief scenes as a worried dad. (Side note: it’s crazy that he has now appeared in two separate movies about King Kong.)
Chances are you’ll forget all Godzilla vs. Kong as soon as it’s over, but it’s nice to have silly, disposable blockbusters again after such a chaotic year. If you’re fortunate enough to be vaccinated already, I suggest seeing it on the biggest screen possible.
Grade: B
(Rated R for crude sexual content, pervasive language, some graphic nudity and drug use. Available on Netflix.)
The cast: Eric Andre, Lil Rel Howery, Michaela Conlin and Tiffany Haddish.
What it’s about: Television host Andre takes his unique brand of absurdist comedy into the real world with this Borat-style hidden camera movie. He plays Chris, a lovable loser who decides to travel from Florida to New York to reconnect with the woman of his dreams (Colin). He hits the road with his best friend Bud (Howery) in a car they borrowed from Trina (Haddish), Bud’s sister. There’s just one problem – she recently escaped prison and she’s hunting them down. As the characters make their way up the East Coast, they encounter actual people who don’t know they’re in a movie.
The good: Bad Trip is a mixed bag overall, but the flick’s episodic nature works to its advantage. If a particular prank or scene isn’t your brand of humor, it won’t be long until the characters move on to another gross, cringe-inducing gag.
For me, the most surprising aspect of the film is how often it highlights the inherent goodness of the unsuspecting people involved in the pranks. Unlike Borat, which strived to mock the worst aspects of humanity, most folks that experience the craziness unleashed by Andre, Howery and Haddish do their best to help them.
In one scene, a kindhearted bystander rushes to squash the escalating tension between two characters without hesitation, even though the argument takes place in front of a horrific car accident. In another memorable moment, an Army recruiter calmly talks Chris out of enlisting because of his emotional instability. It’s shocking that he stays cool in the face of Andre’s increasingly ridiculous tantrum.
The not-so-good: Andre, Howery and Haddish are fantastic (I seriously don’t know how they kept it together for some of these pranks), but the story is too flimsy to work as a narrative through line for the hidden camera stuff. Those who are easily offended or have weak stomachs should also stay away – Bad Trip goes to some disgusting extremes.
Grade: C+
(Now available in hardcover.)
The author: Abraham Riesman
What it’s about: In this recent bio about the life and career of Marvel Comics icon Stan Lee, journalist Riesman begins with his childhood in the 1920s – when he was Stanley Martin Lieberman, descendant of Jewish immigrants from Romania – and concludes with his harrowing final days. It’s a (mostly) objective look at Lee from multiple perspectives, serving as the most definitive exploration to date of the man who transformed modern pop culture.
The good: True Believer is meticulously researched thanks to Riesman’s time conducting more than 150 interviews and investigating thousands of pages of private documents, which turned up never-before-published revelations. (The notes section where he cites his sources is substantial in length.)
The author’s work demonstrates that Lee’s life was far more complex, provocative and ultimately tragic than his mythical, highly sanitized self-promotion would have fans believe. Those who only know the writer-editor from his cameo appearances in the film adaptions of the Marvel comics he’s credited with creating (including the Avengers, Black Panther, Spider-Man, the X-Men and numerous others) are in for a jarring read.
Far from a lovefest, Riesman effectively demonstrates that, at best, Lee took far more credit for the creation of Marvel’s most adored superheroes than he deserved. At worst, he made millions off the backs of talented artists like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, while paying them a pittance for their efforts.
The most compelling section of True Believer is the last two chapters, in which Riesman sheds horrifying light on the Lee’s twilight years. Following the death of his beloved wife, Joan, a host of grifters and abusers swooped in, including his own troubled daughter, JC. These awful months were mired in controversy, soap opera-level drama and tragedy.
The not-so-good: Riesman does his best to remain neutral, although he ultimately concludes Lee is better at self-promotion than creative endeavors. It’s also clear he lands firmly in the pro-Kirby and Ditko camp.
While the final chapter is painful but riveting, most of the book’s second half gets bogged down in the minutiae of Lee’s shady business dealings. Riesman is correct that it’s important to examine in light of the man’s legacy, but it becomes really dry after a while.
Grade: B-
The author: Abraham Riesman
What it’s about: In this recent bio about the life and career of Marvel Comics icon Stan Lee, journalist Riesman begins with his childhood in the 1920s – when he was Stanley Martin Lieberman, descendant of Jewish immigrants from Romania – and concludes with his harrowing final days. It’s a (mostly) objective look at Lee from multiple perspectives, serving as the most definitive exploration to date of the man who transformed modern pop culture.
The good: True Believer is meticulously researched thanks to Riesman’s time conducting more than 150 interviews and investigating thousands of pages of private documents, which turned up never-before-published revelations. (The notes section where he cites his sources is substantial in length.)
The author’s work demonstrates that Lee’s life was far more complex, provocative and ultimately tragic than his mythical, highly sanitized self-promotion would have fans believe. Those who only know the writer-editor from his cameo appearances in the film adaptions of the Marvel comics he’s credited with creating (including the Avengers, Black Panther, Spider-Man, the X-Men and numerous others) are in for a jarring read.
Far from a lovefest, Riesman effectively demonstrates that, at best, Lee took far more credit for the creation of Marvel’s most adored superheroes than he deserved. At worst, he made millions off the backs of talented artists like Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, while paying them a pittance for their efforts.
The most compelling section of True Believer is the last two chapters, in which Riesman sheds horrifying light on the Lee’s twilight years. Following the death of his beloved wife, Joan, a host of grifters and abusers swooped in, including his own troubled daughter, JC. These awful months were mired in controversy, soap opera-level drama and tragedy.
The not-so-good: Riesman does his best to remain neutral, although he ultimately concludes Lee is better at self-promotion than creative endeavors. It’s also clear he lands firmly in the pro-Kirby and Ditko camp.
While the final chapter is painful but riveting, most of the book’s second half gets bogged down in the minutiae of Lee’s shady business dealings. Riesman is correct that it’s important to examine in light of the man’s legacy, but it becomes really dry after a while.
Grade: B-
Reach out to Josh Sewell on Twitter @IAmJoshSewell
Comments
Post a Comment