REVIEW: “Black Widow” (2021)

July 9, 2021 by Keith Garlington

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has legions of die-hard fans and for a long time I considered myself among them. To be clear I’m still very interested in the sprawling universe and the direction it goes. I grew up with so many of these characters and I’m anxious to see what the creative heads have in store for them (and us). But I’d be lying if I said this new batch of upcoming films had me as excited as I used to be. One of the few exceptions is “Black Widow”, a movie that I expected to have implications for the future of the MCU, but one that felt firmly linked to the previous phase(s).

For years many of us have been clamoring for a Scarlett Johansson led Black Widow movie. She’s a character who has had a prominent place in the MCU yet still was more of a supporting player. We were all set to get “Black Widow” last year but COVID-19 ended up obliterating the movie release schedule. Now her movie has hit theaters and fans finally get that deeper glimpse into the character’s backstory we’ve been hungry for.

**Image Courtesy of Walt Disney Studios**

While most of the more recent (and upcoming) MCU films have been leaning towards the magical and cosmic, my favorite remains 2014’s “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”. It was certainly spectacular, but it was also more grounded than most of what we’re getting today. That’s the vibe I got from the “Black Widow” trailers and it’s exactly what I hoped director Cate Shortland would deliver. In a nutshell she does. In many ways her film has a very old school MCU feel and fits in much better with the older movies than the new stuff. In fact, outside of a its intriguing end-credits scene, it doesn’t progress any of the current MCU storylines forward. I’m sure some will see that as weakness, but for me its tighter focus was a strength.

“Black Widow” bounces all around the globe giving us big action at every stop. There’s a daring escape in Ohio, a killer fight scene in Norway, an exhilarating chase sequence in Morocco, and a crazy jailbreak in Siberia. And that just scratches the surface. The story (from screenwriter Eric Pearson) follows the events of “Captain America: Civil War” and sees Natasha Romanoff (Johansson) on the run from the US government for violating the controversial Sokovia Accords. She ends up settling off the grid in the mountains of Norway.

But before we get into all of that Shortland treats us to a compelling prologue set in 1995 Ohio. It’s here that we get a taste of Natasha’s childhood, especially her relationship with her kid sister Yelena. Don’t let their normal looking suburban American life fool you. Their parents Alexei (David Harbour) and Melina (Rachel Weisz) are embedded Russian agents and their “family” is actually an elaborate cover for their spy work. With the feds bearing down on him, Alexei and Melina take the girls and barely escape to Cuba. Once there, Alexei reports to his superiors while his “daughters” are put to sleep and taken away. This opening gives us a good first taste of Natasha’s tumultuous life.

Back to 2016, Natasha narrowly escapes a thrilling encounter with Taskmaster, a deadly assassin sent by Ray Winstone’s General Dreykov to retrieve a case full of vials that Natasha doesn’t even know she has. Turns out the vials were sent to her by her estranged sister Yelena (now played by Florence Pugh), who is holed up in a Budapest safe house after escaping Dreykov’s sinister Red Room program. It’s where young women are brainwashed and turned into “Widows” – killing machines under Dreykov’s control. The chemicals in the vials breaks his mind-controlling hold on the Widows which understandably poses a major threat to his nefarious operation. So Natasha heads to Budapest and has an unceremonious reunion with Yelena. Soon Taskmaster and a team of Dreykov’s Widows are hot on their tail. And later Alexei and Melina reenter the picture.

Sound like a lot? Honestly it’s a surprisingly dense story with lots of moving parts and more layers than I ever expected. Shortland’s ability to bring it all together amid so many action scenes isn’t just impressive, it’s miraculous. She also never loses sight of her central characters, routinely giving them breathers and allowing their relationships to unfold. Of course it starts with Johansson who at this point has made Natasha her own. She’s such a good character and one of her great allures is that she has no superpowers. She’s one of us although cooler and tougher. One the best lines in the movie jokingly speaks to her humanity, “I doubt the god from space has to take an ibuprofen after a fight.”

But it’s Pugh who’s sure to turn the most heads. As the tough-as-nails Yelena she has no trouble bringing out the character’s immeasurable grit and swagger. But through Pugh’s absorbing performance we also get to see Yelena’s tightly guarded vulnerability and her poorly veiled pain. And together with Johansson, she helps bring an emotional heft to their complicated sisterhood that grows more intense with each scene. I also have to give a nod to a terrific David Harbour who brings a light comic touch to his out of shape faux patriarch and former super-soldier who’s still yearning for his glory days as Captain America’s Russian rival. As for Rachel Weisz, at times she seems a bit cold and detached. She’s such a great actress and this is far from a bad performance. But compared to Johansson, Pugh, and Harbour she feels a little shortchanged.

While the vast majority of the action, the storytelling, and the character work is done well, not every decision Shortland and Pearson makes works out. A reoccurring struggle for many superhero movies has been nailing down a good villain. “Black Widow” has some serviceable baddies but they could have been so much more. Winstone’s gravelly snarl brings a certain level of menace to Dreykov but otherwise he’s pretty generic. Taskmaster is the much bigger misfire. Everything about the character’s look is great and the action scenes crackle with an extra burst of energy whenever TM shows up. But without spoiling anything, the filmmakers make an unfortunate choice that feels cheap and completely out of left field. I never bought it for a second and was left thinking about all the better things they could’ve done with the character.

Still, “Black Widow” is exactly the kind of movie to help energize the struggling theater business. Sure it’s available to stream on Disney’s Premier Access, but it shines on the big screen especially during its eye-popping final sequence that can’t possibly be appreciated as much on a television. Part family drama, part Bourne thriller, this is a fun action-fueled blockbuster loaded with kinetic fight scenes and rousing set pieces. At the same time the mostly self-contained story packs a surprising amount of heart and finally gives this long-running MCU character a proper send off. And then there’s Pugh, a great new face in the MCU and one sure to impact things moving forward. “Black Widow” opens today in theaters and on Disney+ Premier Access.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

First Glance: “Encanto”

July 8, 2021 by Keith Garlington

I haven’t done many animation first looks but this one is pretty interesting. Disney’s handling of their last animated feature “Luca” was pretty weird – pulling it from its theatrical release and sending it straight to streaming. So far it looks like their next film “Encanto” is slated for the big screen, but it’s still a few months away so I’m guessing anything can happen. The first trailer dropped today to the delight of Walt Disney Animation fans. Where they will get to watch it could still be in question.

“Encanto” comes from co-directors Byron Howard and Jared Bush with music by the seemingly everywhere Lin-Manuel Miranda. It follows the Madrigals, a Colombian family living in an enchanted mountain village. Every child in the family has a magical gift except Mirabel (voiced by Stephanie Beatriz). But when the household’s magic is threatened, Mirabel may be the only one able to save the day. The story sounds a little generic but the animation looks great and I really like the culture and setting.

“Encanto” is currently scheduled for a theater release November 24th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

REVIEW: “No Sudden Move” (2021)

July 8, 2021 by Keith Garlington

Steven Soderbergh’s latest, the straight to HBO Max thriller “No Sudden Move”, sees the filmmaker once again doing his thing and carving his own eclectic path. This stylish crime noir sports a star-studded cast who all effortlessly fit and flow with Soderbergh’s cool and intoxicating rhythm. Honestly it’s hard to watch and not notice his fingerprints all over this thing. Of course it could be because Soderbergh not only directs but also shoots and edits the film himself. The result is something fun and unmistakably his. And to think just a few years ago he was announcing his retirement.

While watching “No Sudden Move” I instantly began thinking of the terrific and underrated “Devil in a Blue Dress”, one of my favorite Denzel Washington films. This movie puts off a lot of those same vibes with Soderbergh once again embracing his long-held love for shady characters in tough spots. Set amid the racial boil of 1954 Detroit, “No Sudden Move” captures both the idyllic facade and corrupt reality of that period. Soderbergh and screenwriter Ed Solomon immerse us in a time where black neighborhoods were being squeezed out in the name of “urban renewal” and ruthless auto companies would use any means necessary to get ahead of their competition.

It’s this simmering and shifting setting that Soderbergh and Solomon sit us down in. They fill it with low-level hoods, shifty middlemen, menacing gang leaders, and corporate shysters, all basking in the technicolor(ish) glow of amorality and self-interest. At the center is Curt Goynes (played with understated precision by a terrific Don Cheadle), an ex-con who has managed to tick off every crime boss he has worked for. Fresh out of prison and in need of money, he takes a job from a shifty fedora-wearing Brendan Fraser who works on behalf of a mysterious unknown party. It’s should be easy and good-paying work – $5000 with $3K up front for only three hours of work. No killing, no beat-downs, just “babysitting”. What could go wrong?

Curt is teamed with the antsy and ever-suspicious Ronald Russo (Benicio del Toro) and the feisty take-charge Charley (Kieran Culkin). The job calls for them to break into the home of an accountant named Matt Wertz (played by a delightfully skittish David Harbour). Curt and Ron are tasked with staying at the home and keeping an eye on Matt’s family while Charley takes Matt to his firm to retrieve some secret documents from his boss’ safe. But as you might suspect, nothing in this story goes smoothly. The documents are missing. Someone is shot and killed. And soon miscreants galore are crawling out of the city’s underbelly with vested interests in this seemingly simple score.

Curt and Ron form a brittle alliance once they realize they’ve been set up, but the allure of more money keeps them from skipping town. If these documents have this many people’s interest surely they’re worth a lot of money. And if the unlikely duo can get their hands on the documents they can sell them to this highest bidder. Considering the heat from the underworld and the corporate world, it’s probably not the smartest play. So it’s no surprise when they find themselves at odds with some of the bigger fish in the pond, namely gangsters Frank Capelli (the stern and menacing Ray Liotta) and Aldrick Watkins (the quietly charismatic Bill Duke).

Solomon’s script fully embraces the concept of dishonor among thieves. His story overflows with back-stabs, double-crosses, and an array of criminal hoodwinks. Soderbergh has a blast with it, giving the characters room to walk their own paths and dig their own holes. Visually he shoots from a wonderful assortment of perspectives and mostly through wide-angle lenses. When combined with the gorgeous lighting, the film looks both stylishly modern and like something plucked from a bygone era of filmmaking. Mix in the snazzy score from David Holmes and it’s hard not to feel like you’ve stepped into a time machine.

Will the performances are great throughout (especially from Cheadle who blew me away), a few characters are wafer-thin and scream for more attention. Jon Hamm plays a police detective who pops up here and there but with little impact (although he does appear in the two funniest scenes). Also Julia Fox (“Uncut Gems”) ends up with a pretty significant role to play but is barely visible through most of the movie. Still, it’s great to see so many quality talents filling out Soderbergh’s world and operating on his unique wavelength. It’s part of what makes all of his films (even his misfires) so fascinating to watch. “No Sudden Move” is now streaming on HBO Max.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

First Glance: “Val”

July 7, 2021 by Keith Garlington

Val Kilmer’s career makes for a fascinating and sobering story. Now the 61-year-old actor gets a chance to share his life in the upcoming documentary simply titled “Val”, set to premiere this week and Cannes before streaming next month on Amazon Prime. There was a time in the 1980’s and much of the 90’s when Kilmer was everyone and a long and prosperous career seemed all but a certainty. But a two year battle with throat cancer left the star of such films as “Top Gun”, “Tombstone”, and “Heat” barely able to speak and on a feeding tube.

“Val” was put together from thousands of hours of video tapes and film reels shot and compiled by Kilmer himself. The new trailer gives us just a glimpse of the behind the scenes access we can expect, not just to his career but also his life. You get the sense from the trailer and from Kilmer’s Twitter account that this a deeply personal project for him; in many ways therapeutic and a means for him to regain his voice. I’ve always liked Kilmer and I’m really anxious to give this a look.

“Val” is getting a limited theater release July 23rd and lands on Amazon Prime August 6th. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

REVIEW: “Fear Street Part Two: 1978” (2021)

July 7, 2021 by Keith Garlington

Part Two of Netflix’s ambitious “Fear Street” horror trilogy is set to premiere on the streaming giant’s platform this weekend, one short week after the release of the first film. This one, reasonably titled “Fear Street Part Two: 1978” fills in a lot of the holes from the first movie and does a better job blending nostalgia with storytelling. At the same time it still runs into some of the same issues that made the first installment feel more like a slasher movie knockoff than something with its own ideas and identity.

The movie begins with a ‘previously on Fear Street’ montage before moving right into direct sequel mode. Picking up where “1994” left off, Deena (Kiana Madeira) and her kid brother Josh (Benjamin Flores, Jr.) bring the tied-up and seemingly possessed Sam (Olivia Welch) to the home of a local hermit named Ziggy Berman played by Gillian Jacobs (If you need a refresher on the first movie check out my review HERE). The kids believe Ziggy has information that can help free Sam from what they think is a witch’s curse that has led to Shadyside’s long and gruesome history of murder.

An reluctant Ziggy sits the kids down, pulls out a tattered old book that looks centuries old, and begins telling Deena and Josh about the Summer of 1978 (because of course they have time for a 90-minute story). That’s when she went to Camp Nightwing, a place that was referenced several times in Part One. It’s essentially a Crystal Lake clone full of serial killer fodder masquerading as campers and counselors. Ziggy begins with a very movie-like disclaimer, “In Shadyside the past is never really past.” She then goes into the bloody events that left her in such a frightened and isolated state.

From there returning director Leigh Janiak and new screenwriter Zak Olkewicz transport us back to July of 1978 which is where the bulk of the movie plays out. Sadie Sink plays teenaged Ziggy who would rather be anywhere than at Camp Nightwing. She’s basically an outsider with a knack for getting in trouble and whose only friend is the creepy camp nurse (Jordana Spiro). We learn pretty quick that she doesn’t get along with her big sister Cindy (Emily Rudd) who happens to be one of the counselors. Over time the movie unpacks some of their old family baggage revealing the reason for the tension between them. It’s not really relevant to the main story, but it’s there and it adds a little character depth.

Amusingly Cindy is portrayed as a stuffy, straight-laced, stick-in-the-mud when in reality she’s one of the few counselors with sense. That’s clearly evident when she’s put beside the cookie-cutter counselor types such as the obnoxious dopeheads Alice and Arnie (Ryan Simpkins and Sam Brooks), the dumb jock (Michael Provost), the sexpot (Jacqi Vene), and so on. Among the more tolerable camp heads is Cindy’s puppy dog boyfriend (McCabe Slye) fittingly named Tommy (one of several fun nods to “Friday the 13th”). And there’s the young Nick Goode (Ted Sutherland), the future sheriff of Shadyside who’s played by Ashley Zukerman in the first film.

Much like it’s predecessor, “1978” leans into the music of the time to constantly remind us we’re in the 1970s. Neil diamond, Captain and Tennille, The Runaways, Blue Oyster Cult, Kansas, and Foghat are just some of the artists on the film’s soundtrack. But the rock tunes eventually give way to the pounding score from Marco Beltrami and Brandon Roberts. The duo so accurately recaptures the music of the slasher movie era that it might sound a bit generic to those not in tune with what they’re going for.

The opening 30 minutes or so does a good job of setting up its story and scratching that retro horror itch at the same time. There is a better balance in these scenes and I was onboard pretty early. As before, this movie shows the depths of the Shadyside and Sunnyvale rivalry while finally digging deeper into the origins of the witch Sarah Frier and the curse that hangs over Shadyside. But over time it slowly devolves into something less interesting. It gets bogged down in the second half as certain characters languish in a cave parsing through witch theories. And much like “1994”, when it comes to teen characters the filmmakers work from a bland and unflattering blueprint. Only a few are worth rooting for while others are annoying or completely disposable with no real resonance whatsoever.

One thing is for certain, the original novels might have been aimed towards kids in the PG crowd, but these first two films have made it clear that this series is far from it. “1978” is high on gore – not nearly as impressive or creative with it as “1994” but gory nonetheless. And then you have the host of potty-mouthed characters who are veritable assembly lines of F-bombs. It really dumbs down some of the dialogue and doesn’t help the characters either. The movie leans heavily into its “mature” elements so be warned.

To the trilogy’s credit it packs enough energy and setup into its middle movie to leave you curious for how everything is going to play out. The third and final film comes out next week and is set in “1666”. It could prove to be the most challenging of the three especially after seeing the weird teaser at the end of this film. As for “1978”, it manages to be both nostalgically transporting and needlessly irritating. Over time it begins to resemble “Stranger Things” but set in a slasher movie world with less personality and charm and minus the characters that make that series so great. As it is, “1978” is serviceable – not terrible but not nearly as good as it could’ve been. “Fear Street Part Two: 1978” premieres July 9th on Netflix.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

First Glance: “Jolt”

July 6, 2021 by Keith Garlington

Kate Beckinsale is handed a rather…electric role in the new action thriller “Jolt” which is set to premiere on Amazon Prime streaming near the end of this month. The first trailer dropped recently and we learn pretty quick that Beckinsale’s character Lindy isn’t someone you mess with. She has some rather severe anger issues which tends to get her into trouble. It’s also tough for the people around her, like the poor schlub who makes the mistake of eating a sandwich and invading her space on the subway. I’m guessing he’s not chewing much at all after their encounter.

The only way Lindy can control her bad temper and violent tendencies is through a peculiar form of shock therapy prescribed to her by Stanley Tucci. But when her boyfriend is murdered Tucci’s electrified meds can’t stop her from seeking revenge. The killer supporting cast includes Jai Courtney, Bobby Cannavale, Susan Surandon, Laverne Cox, and David Bradley. I’m a Beckinsale fan and the “Underworld” star knows her way around action movies. So this could end up being a lot of fun. We won’t have to wait long to find out.

“Jolt” premieres July 23rd on Amazon Prime. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.