Sylvester Stallone re-enters the superhero genre in his upcoming film “Samaritan”. We’ve seen him in the Marvel’s “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2” and as a scene-stealing talking shark in DC’s “The Suicide Squad”. But this is a totally different take on the genre. Directed by Julius Avery (“Overlord”), the film is based on a Mythos Comics graphic novel that was written by Bragi Schut (who also happens to be the screenwriter for the film). The new trailer gives us a taste of what Avery, Schut, and Sly (who also produces) are up to.
The story of “Samaritan” goes something like this: a young boy named Sam (Javon Walton) discovers that an aged garbage man (Stallone) is actually Samaritan, a famed superhero who disappeared twenty-five years earlier. Everyone believed him to be dead. But Sam’s discovery and their eventual friendship forces the super-powered Samaritan to come out of retirement. Admittedly, its a fun trailer to watch if for no other reason than to see Stallone. Realistically, it’s kinda hard to tell what to expect. It could be a fun-filled surprise or a forgettable snooze. I’ll definitely be checking it out to see.
“Samaritan” premieres August 26th on Amazon Prime streaming. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
Culture clash comedies can be hit-or-miss, but writer, director and star B.J. Novak gives us a good one with his new film “Vengeance”. What makes this surprisingly rich and textured movie stand out is its blend of influences. It’s a black comedy. It’s a murder mystery. Parts of it has a Western flavor while other parts feel like a neo-noir. It has a can’t-miss satirical bite and offers some timely commentary on the Red State/Blue State divide that’s not-so-silently ripping our country apart. The movie isn’t overtly political. Instead, it’s interested in how we as Americans burrow into our own groups and are quick to judge anyone who doesn’t fit within them.
Novak (“The Office”) plays Ben Manalowitz, a newly hired writer for The New Yorker and an aspiring podcaster. We first meet him at a Brooklyn rooftop party where he and his equally flakey buddy (John Mayer) tout their skewed views on monogamy while questioning what constitutes a “meaningful relationship”. To these guys, hook-up culture allows them to satisfy their self-absorbed needs without putting in the effort of viewing people as more than fixtures. They’re a rather insufferable pair who seem to revel in their big city smugness yet are oblivious when it comes to the shallowness and real-world detachment in their worldview.
You would think that writing for The New Yorker would make a guy like Ben happy. But his complacency is only outdone by his ambition. He’s enamored with the idea of having something profound to say and a podcast would give him that platform. He has the support of his friend and producer Eloise (Issa Rae) who runs a podcast company. But he needs a theme and a story that people want to follow. He finds one in the most unexpected of places.
Image Courtesy of Focus Features
Ben gets a phone call in the middle of the night from a stranger named Ty Shaw (Boyd Holbrook). He’s the older brother of a young woman named Abilene (played briefly in recordings by Lio Tipton). Turns out Ben and Abby hooked up a couple of times when she visited New York. While he didn’t bother to get her last name, she went back home to West Texas telling her family they were a couple. A heartbroken Ty informs Ben that Abby is dead from an alleged opioid overdose. In one of the more far-fetched bits, Ben is guilted into flying to Texas for Abby’s funeral despite not knowing her nearly as well as the family believes.
When Ben arrives he’s picked Ty, a well-meaning yokel who firmly believes his sister was murdered. “She never touched so much as an Advil,” he attests. Of course he doesn’t have any evidence nor has he taken his suspicions to the local authorities. But he’s determined that Ben join him after the funeral to help “avenge” her death. Now to Ben, Abilene is just a name in his phone; nothing more than a wannabe singer who overdosed in a Texas oilfield. But she’s also a potential story and she could be Ben’s much desired ticket to fame.
So with as much faux compassion and sincerity as he can muster, Ben convinces Ty and the rest of grieving family that he’ll get to the bottom of what happened to Abilene. What he’s really doing is shaping his podcast by recording conversations with family members and other locals and sending them to Eloise in New York. But (of course) the more he gets to know Abilene’s family and gets acquainted with dusty rural living, the more he begins questioning his own motivations.
Image Courtesy of Focus Features
“Vengeance” is full of laugh-out-loud exchanges as Ben makes his best efforts to fit in. Whether Novak is poking fun at small-town Southern quirks or picking away at his own character’s big city sensibilities, the movie finds a lot to laugh at from both cultural camps. That said, it’s clearly country-fried Texas that takes most of the ribbing. It doesn’t reach the point of full mockery, but the movie does have its share of broad Southern characterizations. But many of them are genuinely funny, and the movie never lets Ben and his city-boy condescension off the hook.
While comedy runs throughout “Vengeance”, the second half sees Novak veering away from formula and carving out a few trails of his own. He takes many of the stereotypes he leans on early and shatters them, using the pieces to pose some compelling questions. But it’s the character twists that surprise the most. Holbrook’s Ty is a fascinating character – a striking balance of hayseed caricature and clear-eyed revelation. But the most intriguing character comes from a scene-stealing Ashton Kutcher. He plays record producer/small town philosopher Quinten Sellers. He has the look of a snake-oil selling goof. But once he begins speaking, you can’t turn away.
While I’m still not sure if I fully buy the final ten minutes, I do buy B.J. Novak as a feature filmmaker. “Vengeance” is a movie made with confidence and even the few bits that don’t entirely work show a willingness to bend the rules and take some big swings. Overall, “Vengeance” is a film that entertains us, engages us, and indicts us all at the same time. It’s hard not to be impressed with Novak who turns his nerd-out-of-water comedy into something weightier and with more punch. “Vengeance” opens in theaters today (July 29th).
Andrew Dominik’s much talked about Marilyn Monroe biopic(ish) “Blonde” is set to premiere at this year’s Venice Film Festival. With it only weeks away, Netflix has given us our deepest look yet with a brand new trailer. Prior to this our information has mostly consisted of some images, a teaser, and Dominik’s rather haughty defense of his film’s NC-17 rating. This new trailer looks terrific, but whether it steers clear of exploitation and indulgence remains to be seen.
Ana de Armas takes on the demanding role of Marilyn Monroe in a movie that’s said to be more of an “experience” than a full-on biography. Some have compared its approach to Monroe’s story to what “Spencer” did with Princess Diana. I’m not sure how I feel about that. But de Armas looks to be a compelling fit for the part and the cinematography looks to be exquisite. The biggest question centers around how well Dominik captures Monroe’s life. Will it feel authentic or exploitative? We’ll know soon.
“Blonde” premieres September 28th on Netflix. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
I’m far from what you would call an animated film connoisseur. For reasons that I’ve never quite been able to pinpoint, animated movies have never registered with me in the same way they do with millions of other moviegoers. Now there are some I’ve genuinely loved (“The Illusionist”, “The Lego Movie”, “Fantastic Mr. Fox”, “Ratatouille”). But it’s nearly impossible for me to muster the enthusiasm others do whenever a big new animated feature is announced. I’m kinda jealous.
But there was something about the trailer for the recent Dreamworks Animation film “The Bad Guys” that clicked with me. Not enough to get me to see it at the theater, but definitely enough to check it out on Peacock where it’s now streaming. Directed by Pierre Perifel and written by Etan Cohen, “The Bad Guys” touted an interesting premise and was said to pull inspiration from a variety of films like “Oceans Eleven”, “Reservoir Dogs”, and “Pulp Fiction”. And then there’s a cast: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Zazie Beetz, Awkwafina, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, and more.
Image Courtesy of Universal Pictures
Loosely based on a children’s book series by Aaron Blabey, “The Bad Guys” follows a notorious criminal gang of anthropomorphic animals. We have their smooth-talking leader, Mr. Wolf (Rockwell); his cranky best friend and the gang’s safecracker, Mr. Snake (Maron); hacker extraordinaire, Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina); a master of disguise, Mr. Shark (Robinson); and there’s Mr. Piranha (Ramos), a loose cannon who loves a good fight.
Together they have avoided capture despite the dogged efforts of the manic Police Chief Misty Luggins (Alex Borstein). That’s because they always play it smart and never make a job personal. But after the newly elected Governor Foxington (Beetz) puts them down in a televised speech, Wolf decides to pull a heist that will prove their reputation and cement their legacy.
Their job is a big one – steal a trophy called The Golden Dolphin during a gala where it is set to be presented to Professor Rupert Marmalade IV (Richard Ayoade), a beloved guinea pig philanthropist. But their caper hits a snag after Wolf gets an unexpected taste of being good. Things go south, the gang loses the Dolphin, and a conflicted Wolf begins to rethink their Bad Guy status.
Image Courtesy of Universal Pictures
As stories goes, this one has it moments in large part thanks to the characters and the terrific voice work. There’s nothing particularly innovative here and it’s not as funny as I had hoped. But there’s a good chemistry between our reluctant heroes that makes them fun to spend time with. And the animation style is inspired and more often than not quite good.
Unfortunately the movie does fall victim to some of the same tired gags that seem to find their ways into many modern animated films. For example, Perifel and Cohen not only throw in fart jokes and butt jokes, but they come back to them several times. I also found myself checking out a bit during the chaotic and unrestrained finale. But while these things bring “The Bad Guys” down a notch, there’s still plenty to like especially if you’re already a fan of the formula that many of these Hollywood animated films follow. “The Bad Guys” is now streaming on Peacock.
While Ti West’s ode to slasher films “X” started with promise, it ultimately succumbed to a slew of missteps that left it feeling like a trashy knock-off rather than something refreshing and new. Now it has a prequel titled “Pearl”, and after seeing its stylish first trailer, I can say this one looks to deliver everything I had hoped “X” would. And with it set to premiere in a few weeks at the Venice Film Festival, we won’t have long to wait.
“Pearl” (which was written during the production of “X” and shot right after the first film wrapped) sees a returning Mia Goth player the titular character Pearl, the psychotic killer who butchered a group of wannabe porn stars in “X”. This film sets out to tell her backstory and the glimpses we are given are as bonkers as they are bloody. I don’t want to get my hopes up too much, but I really like what I see here.
“Pearl” hits theaters September 16th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
In the opening scene of “Gold”, director Anthony Hayes wastes no time immersing us in his harsh dystopian setting. A drifter (played with remarkable restraint by Zac Efron) sits in a railway boxcar as it slowly moves across the dry parched outback. The man, with his face caked in grime and his clothes covered in dust, hops off the train at a barren depot made mostly of rusted tin and tarp. He’s there to meet another man who is to drive him to a mysterious place called “the compound”. This opening sequence (and really the entire movie) does such a good job drawing you into its world that you can almost taste the grit in your mouth.
Co-written by Hayes and Polly Smyth, this Australian thriller moves at a visceral slow-boil, relying as much of the visual language of DP Ross Giardina’s camera than a driving narrative. Set “Some time. Some place. Not far from now…”, the striking cinematography conveys a not-too-distant future that’s both stunning to behold and undeniably forbidding. And Hayes’ uncompromising dedication to realizing his gritty and minimalist vision makes for an experience that’s hard to shake.
Image Courtesy of Hulu
Perhaps it’s unjust of me, but Efron is an actor that I never expect much from. While there has been a hint or two of his talent, he’s wasted a lot of time on forgettable dramas, corny rom-coms, and lame raunchy comedies. But he proves me wrong in “Gold”, delivering what I feel is the best performance of his career. Efron shows an intense commitment both physically and dramatically and the above-mentioned restraint allows him to show off a side of his talent that I didn’t know he had.
Efron’s drifter is a bit of a mystery. He’s clearly had a tough run as evident by deep scar across his face and a noticeable limp. We learn that he’s from “back west” and is heading to the compound for what he understands to be an opportunity to work and make some money. When he’s picked up at the depot by his driver (played by Hayes himself) the two head off across the grueling landscape. As they drive, their conversations shed a little light on the world’s crumbing society. But Hayes leaves most of that to our imagination and instead hones in on these two men who make a life-changing discovery.
While stopped in the middle of nowhere, the two men stumble across a massive deposit of gold. Unable to dig it out of the ground or pull it out with the truck, they put together a plan to claim their fortune. The driver will take the truck to a village some two days away and get an excavator. The drifter will stay behind and guard their treasure from any potential passerbys. Of course that will require surviving the scorching sun, the harsh land, and packs wild dogs with minimal food and water.
Image Courtesy of Hulu
With the driver gone, we spend all of our time with the drifter as his story turns from fortune to all-out survival. The layers of detail Hayes brings makes the drifter’s worsening circumstances feel remarkably real. Filming near the Flinders Ranges in the South Australian outback creates an authentic setting that is a sparse and arid spread of sand, bushes, and deadwood. Then there are the details Hayes commits to his lead character. Whether it’s his face covered in flies or the various stages of sunburn realized through the incredible work of makeup artist Beth Halsted. Efron’s performance is equally crucial to making it all feel painfully genuine.
As “Gold” unfolds it evolves into a story of greed and the dissolution of humanity. It’s also a man-versus-nature movie but with a slight “The Treasure of the Sierra Madre” vibe. All of these themes and influences come together in a taut, focused, and surprisingly potent thriller. It also features a terrific Zac Efron performance that gives long-time naysayers like me a chance to rethink our past feelings on the 34-year-old actor. “Gold” is streaming now on Hulu.
Keith & the Movies 