Tag: movies

Film Review: A Bit Of Blood With The Honey

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

The Beekeeper is an action film written by Kurt Wimmer and directed by David Ayer. Jason Statham plays the mysterious and deadly Adam Clay, who is a beekeeper who retired as some undefined government agent who was also known my that moniker. Jeremy Irons, Minnie Driver, and Phylicia Rashad are the more experienced cast members in this line-up. Also included in the cast are Emmy Raver-Lampman, Josh Hutcherson, and Jemma Redgrave.

Jason Statham has retired from some shadowy government group of killers known as the Beekeepers and is actually keeping real bees in his quiet life. He has befriended an older neighbor who was scammed out of all of her savings, which leads to her committing suicide. Statham’s Adam Clay finds the organization responsible and launches into a bloody vengeful rampage that will take him to the most powerful forces in the American government. He has to dodge the attention of FBI agents, one of whom is the daughter of his dead friend. Anyway, Clay uses a variety of gruesome lessons to teach the unscrupulous scammers a bit of fair play.

Jason Statham fans will be relieved to know that he has not been experimenting with his acting style. He can still pull off some implausible fisticuffs with his usual stoic panache. There is plenty of death and dismemberment to satisfy the more ghoulish movie goers. Statham still has an intimidating glare and can handle himself with brutal precision. A lot of bad guys get their comeuppance, and that’s just fine.

Unsurprisingly, the plot is almost completely incoherent. I guess the revenge motive is straight-forward enough, but I was distracted by not really knowing what function the Beekeepers actually served. When are they actually called in and by whom? The president doesn’t appear to know much about them. Basically, the whole background of the character and this weird agency from which he retired did not seem very well thought out. The FBI agent who just lost her mother to a tragic suicide was a little too glib considering the circumstances. I like seeing Rashad onscreen, and her soothing yet somehow firm presence was welcome to see, but she was not around very long. Jish Hutcherson does well as the bratty rich kid behind the scam network. Irons is always pretty solid.

It’s a somewhat fun and forgettable cinematic experience, but it is pretty poorly plotted. Wimmer, the writer, does little to add any real dimension to the main character. He would have done better to have Clay be a retired agent from a more well-known agency, who happened to be a beekeeper. That would have made more sense and perhaps made it easier to enjoy the constant onslaught of fights and mutilation.

Statham remains consistently fun to watch. The film isn’t really so bad as being unwatchable, but it isn’t for the faint of heart. Fortunately, the classic, mindless revenge flick doesn’t need to work that hard generally, however this one could have used a little more effort on the script.

Film Review: Aquaman Swims His Way To Mediocrity

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom is the latest cinematic misadventure from DC Studios and Warner Brothers. James Wan directed this film and shares story credit with David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Jason Momoa, and Thomas Pa’a Sibbett. Johnson-McGoldrick wrote the screenplay. Momoa reprises his role as Arthur Curry/Aquaman and is joined by Patrick Wilson, Amber Heard, Nicole Kidman, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Randall Park, Dolph Lungren, and several others.

In this film, Aquaman splits his time between the land and the sea after he has been married and produced a son. He’s enjoying some family time and rules Atlantis after his brother was imprisoned for his misdeeds in the previous film, simply titled Aquaman. David Kane, also known as Black Manta, has yet to give up his thirst for revenge on Aquaman. Kane is enraged that Aquaman chose not to save his father’s life after defeating him in battle. Aquaman tended to help out against any pirates who chose to terrorize any ships traversing the oceans. Anyway, Atlantis is attacked, Aquaman needs some help to locate Black Manta and decides to break his brother out of prison. Wilson’s Orm Marius is not too pleased to be allied with Aquaman, but he decides that it is better than languishing in prison far away from his ocean home. Anyway, a global chase ensues across the land and the seas. There are plenty of super-powered brawls. The CGI effects are unleashed with abandon. There is also an ancient evil that is using Black Manta’s bloodlust for his its own ambitions of freedom from an eternal prison. This has all the usual trappings and visual spectacles of a comic book movie.

The bright spots in this film are few and far between. Momoa is a compelling and charismatic presence in this film-sometimes. He just could not manage to hold my interest with any real consistency. Patrick Wilson’s performance was a bit more intriguing to me, but he was still having to contend with a pretty lackluster script. The landscapes and seascapes were pretty spectacular but without a sense of authenticity. There were some action scenes that were almost exhilarating. If Amber Heard’s career is ruined after her courtroom debacle with Johnny Depp, I suspect that I would be hard-pressed to miss her. Her performance almost reaches the level of just being dreadful. I suspect that she did not entirely hit the bottom of her acting barrel due to not having much screen time. The other more known cast members were such as Kidman or Lundgren were fine, but the plotting did not do them many favors either.

I will confess that I am not a major expert on Aquaman from the comics, and I know there were some artistic liberties taken when it came to this onscreen iteration. Momoa portrays this version with a bit of immature machismo that is rather off-putting. Aquaman relies mostly on his brute strength other than showing any real sense of cunning or ingenuity. He is complicated later for his humility and willingness to ask for help to protect Atlantis, and that’s fine, but it makes for a bit of a boring lesson when presented in a comic book action movie.

If DC Studios plans on doing a reboot of their franchise after this film, the current range seems to have ended with a bit of a whimper. The more official reviews of this film have not been all that favorable, and the scorn is somewhat deserved here. The film is watchable for the most part, so it’s not a complete failure. It does reach near-perfection in one sense. It’s a clear example as to why this genre of film is sinking in popularity at the box office.

Better luck next time, kids! 

Film Review: It’s All About The Boat

~ Peter Kanelis ~ 1 Comment

The Boys in the Boat is a historical sports drama film directed by George Clooney. Mark L. Smith is the screenwriter whose script is on the book by Daniel James Brown. Joel Edgerton portrays Coach Al Ulbrickson with Callum Turner as Joe Rantz. Jack Mulhern, Alec Newman, Hadley Robinson, and Courtney Henggeler are included in the cast.

The film dramatizes the account of the 1936 American Olympic team who competed in the men’s eight not long before the Second World War broke out. This team were out of the University of Washington and found themselves competing in Berlin with a certain Adolf Hitler being one of the spectators. Much of the film was presented through the perspective of Joe Rantz, who was living out of his car while attending the university. He basically tried out for the rowing team as a sort of last resort. Ulbrickson has his own fight to assemble the right team together to compete in Berlin and get them to work as one.

The film ended up being more compelling than expected. There were characters with a certain mysterious stoicism who were more conflicted and challenged than they were willing to show. Edgerson ended up being more likeable as the story unfolded. There were a couple of stories going on that were interesting. Rantz is basically a loner who had to develop into more of a team player. He was not a hostile or unpleasant fellow, but he had to adjust to not having to rely on just himself as he had been for many years. The film does a good job of evoking sympathy for the intended characters and situations. The setting and period seemed to be represented well. Even the blossoming romance between Turner’s Joe Rantz and Hadley Robinson’s Joyce Simdars. Presumably they got married in real life. The film is framed as a reminiscence of Rantz’s many years after the events depicted.

The film is quite effective in presenting a fascinating piece of history and being entertaining as well as inspirational. I know there is a risk of the story dragging, but I thought there were moments where a little more exposition was needed. There were scenes where I was not sure why characters were upset, but that was likely due to me not having much insight into the sport of eight-man rowing. Also, there it may have been more helpful if the timeline leading up to the climactic Olympic moment was explained more clearly. I guess I like to see dates sometimes on the screen when watching movies of this sort.

I guess there is no perfect movie, in my estimation, however this one gets pretty close. The cast does a great job in that no one seems to be out of sync with their roles. I liked that I was not that familiar with most of these actors and could be surprised by effective and moving performances. It takes a bit for Edgerton’s character to tug on the heartstrings, but the interactions he has with his wife makes one realize that he is not as dictatorial or curmudgeonly as he first appears. Henggeler portrays Hazel Ulbrickson and is absolutely charming. She is quite instrumental in bringing out the humanity in her husband. It was a nice contrast to have the comfortably established and loving commitment between the Ulbrickson and the beginnings of that depicted between Joe and Joyce.

The comradery that developed between the team members was also pretty well done, but we didn’t get to know them as individuals equally, but I understand that was likely due to having to put some restraints on for the sake of a more precise plot development.

There are a few predictable tropes peppered throughout the film. Not a lot of new ground is broken in regard to how this type of story is told, but the story itself seems like it deserves a bit more notoriety given the period and the accomplishment of that particular crew. Clooney deserves quite a bit of applause for this one. The film comes across is a little old-fashioned in some ways, but it’s a fascinating story and the book on which it is based probably has a lot more to offer and fleshes out the relationships between the team members and the coach a lot more.

In spite of some elements that could use a little improvement, I do believe that this is one of the best films I have seen in some time. It still kept me engaged and captivated. I think Clooney pretty much hits the right emotional chords and evokes a curiosity within me concerning the rest of this story. The flaws are very minor when stacked up against all that went right in the composition of this piece.

This is a film that is, without question, worth the effort to see and very easy to enjoy.

Film Review: Old School Godzilla

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Godzilla Minus One is the latest film to feature the most popular giant lizard stomping his way through Japan. The fact that it is made with Japanese cast and crew sort of gives it a sense of authenticity. It’s like the big, mean lizard goers back to his roots. Takashi Yamazaki is the writer and director of this one. The cast includes Ryonesuke Kamiki, Minami Hamabe, and Yuki Yamada. 

The film starts off toward the end of World War II where the audience meets a kamikaze pilot who basically chickened out. Kamiki plays the lead role quite convincingly. His wartime experiences and an unexpected with a giant lizard that killed nearly everyone on a Japanese base where the young pilot had landed to avoid his duty under the pretense of having a malfunction repaired. He returns home to find that his parents perished in an air raid. As he starts to rebuild what is left of his family’s property, he is joined by a young woman who rescued an orphaned baby. When he starts to find hope and a desire to live in spite of his acute survivor’s guilt, Godzilla returns to smash his way through his country and remind him of some unfinished business.

I was pleasantly surprised that most of this works pretty well. There was actually a pretty compelling human drama in the midst of the chaotic rampage perpetrated by Godzilla. The cast was quite good, and I was drawn into the emotional plight of the characters as well as the visual spectacle of Godzilla’s carnage. The film does feel a little too long at times, and my attention did wander sometimes. The special effects were pretty good, but some of them were reminiscent of the 1950’s films. This iteration of Godzilla had some of the familiar lumbering moments of those early films. Some of the more recent versions had a sleeker and more agile appearance.

Yamazaki created a new story but displayed an affection for the original concept. He also did well with presenting characters that were believable in spite of the fantastical root. I actually didn’t mind the gaps in which Godzilla wasn’t onscreen because the lead characters were compelling.

Yamazaki was also smart to not tie his film to the recent productions started in 2014 by Legendary Pictures. I am by means a dedicated follower of Godzilla, but it felt right to have a strictly Japanese setting and cast. It also gave some interesting insight as to the consequences of World War II from the Japanese perspective.

It feels like a long time since I was enthusiastic about recommending a film to anyone who reads this blog, and I have no regret about taking the time for this one. I will predict that few would disagree.

Film Review: These Ladies Don’t Look Right

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Lady Ballers is a comedy film that is produced by The Daily Wire and is directed by Jeremy Boreing, who also co-wrote the script alongside Brain Hoffman and Nick Sheehan. Much of the cast and cameos consist of Daily Wire personalities such as Boreing himself, the guys from Crain & Company, Matt Walsh, Michael Knowles, and Brett Cooper. Other cast members include Tyler Fischer, Daniel Consadine, Billie Rae Brandt, and Lexie Contursi.

Boering is in the lead as a hapless basketball coach who was once quite successful and finds himself missing the days when he could have a reliably winning team. Coach Rob is fired for being too coaching his latest high school team too aggressively and has been unable to navigate some of the new inclusive expectations mandated by the school system. In other words, Coach Rob just isn’t “woke” enough. Rob ends up accidentally employed at a drag bar where he encounters a former star player, played by Consadine. Since the athletic administrations have broadened the qualifications for competing in women’s sports, Coach Rob convinces the perpetually puzzled Alex to proclaim himself to be transgender and compete in women’s track events. An unscrupulous reported named Gwen convinces Coach Rob to take this further, which leads to the reunion of his star basketball team from fifteen years prior. Then, the absurdity kicks into overdrive when the team members branch into other local women’s sports leagues while being lauded for their bravery as they stop their way through victory after victory.

So, the point of this film is to highlight and mock the absurdity of men competing in women’s sports, which at times gets a little too obvious. That means not all of the jokes land with pointed precision. That’s not the say that I never laughed out loud. The overall film is a little uneven at times, but The Daily Wire is still pretty new at this type of content, and I am in agreement with the intended message, so I am willing to view this with a little more forgiveness in my admittedly cold, biased heart.

In spite of some elements not quite working as smoothly as I would have wanted, some of the performances were surprisingly effective because much of the cast had no acting experience. Jake Crain, Blain Crain, and David Cone are The Daily Wire sports commentators in real life and have an onscreen chemistry that translated pretty effectively in this endeavor. The Crain brothers got a little too hammy at times, but that is probably to be expected considering the genre of this film. Matt Walsh, who played the very affectionate boyfriend of Coach Rob’s wife, actually was a little better than I expected. Now some of the praise he has received from colleagues and other viewers may be overselling it a little, but her did threaten to steal the scene a few times. Also, it almost never fails to have someone play a character who is well-known to be the polar opposite of tbe performer’s real persona. In short, Walsh pulls it off here.

Ben Shapiro as a very ambivalent and short-tempered referee was also pretty amusing. There quite a few inside Daily Wire jokes, but they knew this would not have a typical mass release, so most of those worked.

There were times when the film falls into the same trap as others trying to promote an obvious political or social agenda as in coming across as a little too heavy-handed at times. Also, the writers took some swipes at other social concerns The Daily Wire often comments on, and not all of those efforts fit easily into the film. They did sneak in an advertisement for a new line of women’s products from Jeremy’s Razors that was pretty funny.

Comedy is one of the most unreliably subjective things in human existence. There has to be an acceptance that any effort in this space is not going to appeal to everyone in spite of someone’s overall popularity. In a film, it can work almost all of the way through, have a few high notes, or just faceplant hard. In my not so humble opinion, Lady Ballers doesn’t work perfectly, but it also doesn’t fail miserably. In spite of some fairly glaring missteps, I did find some enjoyment in this film and applaud The Daily Wire for taking the risk in broaching this subject and giving the proponents of having men compete in women’s sports the mockery they so profoundly deserve.

Film Review: An Unlikely Friendship, A Very Strange Family

~ Peter Kanelis ~ Leave a comment

Saltburn is a black comedy thriller written and directed by Emerald Fennell. The cast includes Barry Keoghan, Jacob, Elordi, Rosamund Pike, and Richard E. Grant.

This peculiar little story starts off in Oxford in the year 2006. Keoghan plays a student named Oliver Quick who is apparently on scholarship sop he does not quite fit in with his wealthier peers. He befriends one of the popular young chaps named Felix Catton, played by Jacob Elordi. As their relationship progresses, Oliver is invited to spend some time at Felix’s ancestral estate known as Saltburn where the aristocratic, eccentric Catton family welcomes the new visitor. Another intriguing addition the cast is Archie Madekwe’s Farliegh Start, an American cousin who has been staying there was also at Oxford. Oliver may not be quite as inept and awkward as he first appears. and long, windy deception begins that leads to murder and grief.

First of all, the story itself has a very intriguing atmosphere. The cast is quite convincing in their performances. Many of the cast members were pretty new to me. I have seen Pike and Grant who play the wealthy parents many times. The younger ones clearly were talented. The set design for the estate was quite striking. The film has some moments of real beauty in the look. The problem here is that Fennell felt the need to include some pretty graphic, sexually perverse behaviors that would have worked better as merely being implied. As far as this being considered a black comedy, well, much of the so-called comedy did not really come through. Fennell seemed to overindulge in the efforts to be shocking. Instead of being shocked or appalled, I found much of the gratuitous sex to be distracting and weird. There is a whole thing at a graveside that is just completely unnecessary and too disgusting for even me to get into, and I have a pretty strong stomach when it comes to the macabre.

The disappointment I had in this film is even more acute because there seemed to be a real effort at some creativity, but some decisions were made that undermined the strengths and turned it into not much more than smut. Also, some of the revelations left a few unanswered questions that could be answered in a sequel I hope is never made.

It’s just a shame I didn’t enjoy this more. I should have researched this one a little better before I saw it, but I was too intrigued by a film could have been more uniquely creative than what we have been getting out of Hollywood lately. The story and the talent were there, but this could have been so much better if Fennell had used a little self-restraint and not tried to gross out her audience.