Tag: michael-keaton

Film Review: A Hitman’s Mind Starts To Crumble

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Knox Goes Away is a 2023 thriller starring Michael Keaton, who also directed this movie. Gregory Poirier is the director. Keaton is joined by James Marsden. Ray McKinnon, Al Pacino, Marcia Gay Harden, and Suzy Nakamura.

Keaton plays a hitman John Knox, who has just been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of dementia and only has a few weeks before he loses his cognitive awareness. As he is making preparations for his inevitable decline, his son shows up with a wounded hand and in a panic. He explains that he had just killed a man who had lured his teenage daughter online and got her pregnant. The son, Miles, played by James Marsden, is aware of his father’s dubious and lethal profession and calls upon his expertise to help him get away with the understandable murder. Of course, Knox has yet to reveal his condition and is compelled to keep his sanity together as best he can in order to aid his son.

This film has a pretty intriguing plot, and Keaton’s performance is captivating. Knox handles his diagnosis with an impressive amount of stoicism. There is a certain subtlety to how Keaton portrays the lapses in Knox is experiencing as he tries to resolve this crisis and get his personal affairs in order.

Al Pacino plays Knox’s friend who ends up being the only one told about this condition. He is fine in this role, but there just isn’t much for him to do here.

The cast was pretty good overall. Ray McKinnon is one of these character actors who tends to leave an impression for some reason. Much like someone like John Goodman, he tends to make the scenes a bit better regardless of the size of his role. McKinnon plays Knox’s partner who takes the brunt of the consequences brought by Knox’s illness.

There is a fair amount of decent suspense that plays out effectively. One can feel a certain sympathy for Knox’s plight in spite of his terrible career choice.

I still wouldn’t call this a terrific film, but there is some effort at creativity. Keaton does a good job holding it together as both the star and director. It’s a decent enough diversion and has enough depth to keep one engaged.

Film Review: The Search For Love Never Ends For Beetlejuice

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice is a reasonably entertaining if overrated sequel to the original film Beetlejuice released in 1988. Tom Burton returns as director as Michael Keaton dons the familiar makeup and ill-fitting suit. Alfred Gough and Miles Millar wrote the screenplay and share story credit with Seth Grahame-Smith. Catherine O’Hara, Winona Ryder, Jenna Ortega, Justin Theroux, Monica Bellucci, and Willem Dafoe join the cast. Ryder and O’Hara were in the original film in 1988.

Winona Ryder plays Lydia Deetz, who was the rebellious teen-ager in the first film. She has grown up and hosts a paranormal talk show and has a rebellious daughter of her own, played by Jenna Ortega. She learns that her father was killed by a ravenous shark after a bizarre plane crash. Beetlejuice is actually known as Betelgeuse and oversees some strange office in the afterlife. Betelgeuse is still pining for Lydia after over three decades. He also has a vindictive ex-wife hunting him through the corridors. Lydia’s daughter, Astrid, has fallen for a boy who is revealed to be a ghost. She is bamboozled into trading her soul for a return to life for this duplicitous spirit. Out of desperation, Lydia calls upon Betelgeuse to help her reclaim her daughter, however she has to agree to marry the misanthropic ghost with a vengeful ex on his trail.

There are some pretty funny moments. Keaton has lost none of his comic timing in the over three and a half decades since he played this role. Jenna Ortega is a rising star in Hollywood, and her talent is as evident as her beauty. I sort of wish there was more screentime with just her and Keaton, but it just wasn’t meant to be.

The slapstick was a little overdone for my taste. I have a high tolerance for the macabre and general cinematic weirdness, but I had some trouble rolling with it in this one.

I think I found some of Betelgeuse’s opponents too easily dispatched as they converged on him.

The cast is talented and deliver solid performances, but I had some trouble appreciating the story. Lydia’s father, who was played by the disgraced Jeffery Jones in the original movie, is walking around with his head and shoulders bit off. Since Jones had some very serious legal troubles a few years ago, he was not invited to participate in this sequel although he had to be represented somehow.

O’Hara was also pretty good as the obnoxious stepmother to Lydia. There are some funny moments throughout the film, but I was still rather underwhelmed and ready for the movie to end.

I am afraid I will have to disagree with some of the enthusiasm of my fellow cinema patrons. It wasn’t terrible, and I don’t regret seeing the film, but I wish it was a bit more compelling.