Ok, so don’t let the wacky sounding title fool you. “Black Crab” is a Swedish action thriller coming to Netflix next month and the first trailer does a great job selling the film. It’s based on a novel of the same name by Jerker Verdborg and it thrusts its audience into a harsh and dangerous post-apocalyptic world. Noomi Rapace stars and Adam Berg directs this movie that could turn into a surprise hit for the streaming giant.
Rapace plays Caroline, one of six soldiers sent on a daring covert mission across a frozen archipelago. Their mission is to carry a mysterious package to an unknown party waiting on the other side. But for Caroline, it’s about something else entirely – something much more personal. As they make the trek, the team encounters countless threats from both nature and man. The snippets we get from the trailer look incredible, and it seems like Berg is really leaning on his perilous setting. I can’t wait to see where this one goes.
“Black Crab” premieres March 18th on Netflix. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
In “Kimi”, the new pandemic-era tech thriller from Steven Soderbergh, Zoë Kravitz plays Angela Childs, an employee of a Seattle tech company called Amygdala. She works from home as a voice stream interpreter, monitoring data streams recorded by the company’s premiere device Kimi. Kimi is a smart speaker similar to Amazon’s Alexa. But this one uses human monitoring to better tune the devices with their owners. It’s an understandably controversial practice that has put the company’s CEO Bradley Hasling (Derek DelGaudio) on the defensive.
Angela suffers from agoraphobia and anxiety which was only made worse by the COVID-19 lockdown. Now she stays holed up in her apartment listening to her streams and watching the people in the apartment building across the street. She’s fond of a neighbor named Terry (Byron Bowers), but she can’t even bring herself to step outside and meet him at a nearby food truck much less go out on a date.
Image Courtesy of HBO Max
All of that sets the table for Soderbergh’s latest, his third consecutive movie to release straight to streaming on HBO Max. The script is by screenwriter David Koepp whose career is littered with some big hits and some big misses. Here Koepp keeps a tight focus, putting together a clever and engaging story that’s driven by a terrific lead performance from Kravitz. Meanwhile Soderbergh brings his usual technique and sense of style that fans of his have come to expect.
The story really kicks into gear after Angela overhears a potential violent crime on one of her data streams. She goes through the proper channels and tries to report it to her bosses. But with the company set to hold an initial public offering, a huge scandal could cost Hasling millions of dollars. So upper management is in no rush to draw unwanted attention. But Angela digs deeper, and with the help of her Romanian tech colleague Darius (Alex Dobrenko), she uncovers something that Amygdala will go to any length to keep hidden.
The movie has two very different halves, but they come together seamlessly under Soderbergh’s direction. The first half is very much a character drama, and it puts a heavy focus on Angela and her struggles. Soderbergh and Kravitz do a good job in these early scenes of defining Angela for us. Soderbergh also does a great job making it feel very much like a film of our current time. Face masks, hand sanitizer, references to quarantine, etc. all will be looked at in years to come as a reminder of the challenges to normalcy all of us have faced.
Image Courtesy of HBO Max
The second half is when the film’s thriller element amps up. It’s also where we see most of Soderbergh’s creativity both with sound and the camera. There are certain tricks that really stand out and work well. Such as running certain scenes at a slightly higher speed or slyly tilting the camera an unusual angle. Both add a tense and disorienting feeling to specific moments in the story.
While its ending nearly comes unglued, Soderbergh keeps it together in large part due to the rooting interest we have in Angela. The film’s commitment to fully developing her into a character we care about pays dividends in the final 15 minutes as the movie goes full genre nuts. But I’d be lying if I didn’t admit to liking how this thing ends. It’s a fitting finish to a movie that immersed, entertained, and surprised me throughout. “Kimi” is now streaming on HBO Max.
Those darn creepy kids. I can’t even count how many movies have been made about spooky children. Certainly enough to be a horror sub-genre all their own. The latest is a catchy little chiller called “The Twin”. It comes from director Taneli Mustonen and it seems to have an interesting release model – in theaters, on VOD, and streaming exclusively on Shudder.
The often underrated Australian actress Teresa Palmer stars as the mother of twin boys. When one of the twins is killed in a tragic accident, she and her husband (Steven Cree) relocate with their surviving son to Finland to try and start a new life. But (as you might expect considering this is a horror movie) their retreat to the quiet and tranquil Finnish countryside turns into a nightmare. I’ll let you watch the trailer to see what I mean. I’m intrigued.
“The Twin” is set for release May 6th on the above spots. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
With “The Last Bus” Scottish director, writer, and accomplished painter Gillies MacKinnon gives us a warm-hearted road-trip movie that happens to be right up my alley. Driven by an outstanding lead performance from screen vet Timothy Spall, “The Last Bus” tells a simple and straightforward story. But that’s exactly what this tender and bittersweet drama needs to be.
Written by Joe Ainsworth, the story centers on an elderly man named Tom Harper (Spall) and most of what we learn about him is fed to us throughout his journey. What journey, you ask? The 838 mile trip from John O’Groats on the U.K.’s northeastern tip to Lands End, the mainland’s most southern point. And why is he making such a trip? Because of a pledge he made to his late wife Mary.
Image Courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films
“The Last Bus” is several things, but above all it’s a moving meditation on life, love, and the commitments we make to those closest to us. It’s also a beautiful reminder of the blessing of memories. Tom’s journey is intercut with well handled flashbacks to key moments with Mary – highs and lows that defined their loving marriage. They’re framed as memories brought to Tom’s mind during different stops on his meticulously planned pilgrimage.
With his free bus pass in hand, Tom moves from town to town, stopping at diners and B&Bs that he and Mary visited in their youth. Along the way he encounters an eclectic blend of strangers, often relying on their kindness to keep him going, especially as the arduous journey begins to take its toll. Yet he pushes on, determined to reach his destination. “I just want to keep my promise.”
Image Courtesy of Samuel Goldwyn Films
It turns out the more we learn about Tom and Mary’s backstory the more predictable the movie becomes. With each stop things become more obvious and the conclusion, though undeniably sweet, seems like an inevitability. There’s also a strange addition to the story as word of Tom’s travels gets around. He unknowingly becomes a social media sensation with radio stations broadcasting his progress as reported by people who catch a glimpse of him on the road. It’s an amusing and well-meaning twist, but one that feels tacked on and that doesn’t really lead anywhere.
Recently there have been several movies about widowers reckoning with grief and/or mortality. Some have taken serious looks at those themes while others have been more whimsical. “The Last Bus” falls somewhere in between. It certainly has the whimsy, but it also has its serious moments too. And much like all these movies, it has a big heart that finds its way into every scene. And even though you know where things are going, you’ll still want to stay on the bus and see it through till the end. Just like Tom. “The Last Bus” is now available on VOD.
There’s really no need to rehash the long and painful history of video game movies. For various reasons, video games just haven’t translated well to the big screen. At first, there wasn’t enough to the games to warrant a film version (movies like “Super Mario Bros” and “Street Fighter” are prime examples). These days video games offer more than enough content to fill a movie yet filmmakers still struggle to get them right. Now there’s a stigma attached and many critics are quick to dismiss any movie that carries the ‘video game adaptation’ tag.
Yet these adaptations still keep coming. One reason is because video game developers have become incredible storytellers. Countless video games thrust their players into immersive narrative-driven experiences on par with all other story-based entertainment. These worlds, characters, relationships, and adventures offer plenty of big screen inspiration. It’s the execution part that trips filmmakers up.
Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures
The latest game-to-movie adaptation is “Uncharted”, a sprawling action-adventure based on the Sony PlayStation franchise of the same name from game developer Naughty Dog. It’s helmed by Ruben Fleischer (“Zombieland”, “Venom”) who was handed a whopping $120 million budget from Sony Pictures to finally make a movie that’s been in various stages of development for 15 years.
The game and now the movie’s chief protagonist is Nathan Drake, an ambitious treasure hunter and descendant of famed 16th century explorer Sir Francis Drake. Here, Nathan is played by Tom Holland who gives us a noticeably younger version of the character. He fits the story (penned by Rafe Lee Judkins, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway) even if not everything about his character makes sense. That’s because the movie rushes through his backstory, confining it to a brief prologue and a couple of exposition drops. That helps get right to the action, but it also leaves Nathan feeling a bit shallow.
Getting by as a part-time bartender and a part-time pickpocket, Nathan’s true love is history. He learned it from his older brother Sam who took off 15 years earlier. Sam swore to come back and get Nathan but never did. I believe that’s meant to be a point of conflict within Nathan, but (as with so much of the movie) there’s very little time given to the emotions of the characters. I think Holland gets to shed a tear in one scene, but otherwise none of the characters ever get to convey any deeper feelings.
One evening Nathan is approached by seasoned treasure hunter, Victor “Sully” Sullivan (Mark Wahlberg) who tells him about the lost gold of explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Sully thinks he has found the key to discovering the gold’s location, but he needs Nathan’s help. Despite his love for history and his dreams of adventure, Nathan is reluctant to sign on. But when Sully mentions his past connections with Sam (who was also after Magellan’s loot) Nathan agrees to come, thinking if he finds the gold he may find his brother.
Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Of course with such noteworthy treasure still undiscovered there are sure to be other parties on the hunt. Enter Santiago Moncada, a wealthy and quite ruthless Spaniard who has long had his sights on Magellan’s gold. He’s played by the always good but (here) woefully underutilized Antonio Banderas, who gets to do a little mustache twirling but never gets to fully extend himself as the antagonist. And there are other people in the mix including Moncada’s hired mercenary Braddock (Tati Gabrielle) and Sully’s untrusting colleague Chloe (Sophia Ali).
As the movie hops from New York to Barcelona to the Philippines, we get a couple of big set pieces, a few fight scenes, and lots of parkour. We get questions of loyalty as the old ‘honor among thieves’ mantra pops up again and again. And of course there are a handful of Easter eggs that people who haven’t played the game will never get – a naughty dog decal stuck on a trunk, Nolan North (the voice actor who plays Nathan in the games) lounging on the beach, etc.
“Uncharted” really leans on its star power, especially Holland who plays a very Holland-like character – charismatic, boyishly charming, a bit daffy, and with an unshakable innocence (even when he tries to talk tough). Wahlberg is a sturdy fit for an otherwise one-dimensional role and Gabrielle has quite the screen presence. Unfortunately the story keeps them all tightly confined in their genre roles as the movie checks off the typical boxes. No one is allowed to really dig deeper into these characters. Still there’s enough entertainment packaged into this otherwise conventional action flick to offer a nice two-hour escape.
Image Courtesy of Sony Pictures
Sadly, many critics will automatically lump “Uncharted” in with all the other video game movies. And they’ll examine it first and foremost through that particularly sour and jaded lens. So right out of the gate the movie is forced to tote baggage it shouldn’t have to. In reality, there’s nothing about “Uncharted” that screams “video game adaptation”. It’s an action-adventure movie that borrows more from Bond and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” than some video game movie formula.
So with that said, how does “Uncharted” play as a MOVIE – no qualifiers or categories. In a nutshell, it does what it sets out to do. It’s entertaining enough with a couple of set pieces that really pop on the big screen. The banter between Holland and Wahlberg is fun although it does run its course. It’s all far-fetched and silly and relies on a lot of conveniences to propel its story forward. But whatever, “Uncharted” gets by and is worth a watch for genre fans and fans of the characters. It’s not a movie you’ll revisit over and over again, but it’s also not the train wreck some will be quick to label it as. “Uncharted” is now showing in theaters.
Chris Pine leads a new action film called “The Contractor”. The film comes from television producer, graffiti artist, journalist, and film director Tarik Saleh. It was actually shot way back in 2019 where it went by the name “Violence of Action” (changing it was a good move). Now it’s set for an official release via Paramount Pictures and yesterday the first trailer dropped. In addition to Pine several other familiar faces appear including Ben Foster, Kiefer Sutherland, Gillian Jacobs, Nina Hoss, and Eddie Marsan.
Pine plays James Harper, a soldier who (by no choice of his own) is given his honorable discharge from the U.S. Special Forces. Now struggling to support his family, he joins his best friend (Foster) in taking a job with a private contracting firm ran by a fellow military veteran (Sutherland). But once he learns his employer is running crooked jobs for the U.S. government it puts him at odds with his boss. Soon he’s fighting for his life (as action stars tend to do in situations like this). While there are several familiar strokes to the story, it looks entertaining enough.
“The Contractor” opens in theaters on April 1st. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
Keith & the Movies 