Netflix’s “Hit Man” is almost here. This action rom-com from director Richard Linklater (a long time favorite of mine) made a big splash at Venice, Toronto, and Sundance. Now it’s coming to select theaters this weekend ahead of its upcoming release on the streaming platform June 7th. To get us ready, Netflix has dropped some hilarious new character posters featuring the many faces of the film’s star, Glen Powell.
Powell has been everywhere since appearing in the box office smash “Top Gun: Maverick”. In “Hit Man” he plays Gary Johnson, a college professor moonlighting as a tech guy who helps the police with sting operations. Through some unexpected circumstances he’s asked to fill in for a suspended cop and go undercover – a job he proves to be surprisingly good at. Linklater and Powell have worked together a few times before and their creative chemistry is undeniable. As for the posters, they give us just a taste of the wackiness we can expect in this fun and steamy thriller.
Aside from their hilariously clunky titles, the rebooted Planet of the Apes series has repeatedly delivered while surprising me in a number of ways. Going back to the first film, 2011’s “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”, the series has told thematically rich and emotionally impactful stories to go along with state-of-the-art motion capture and visual effects. So I was expecting more of the same with the long-awaited fourth installment, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes”.
Directed by Wes Ball, “Kingdom” is a standalone sequel to 2017’s “War for the Planet of the Apes”. Its story takes place 300 years after “War”, but the DNA of the previous three films can be seen all throughout it. Unfortunately the execution doesn’t quite live up to its predecessors. To no surprise “Kingdom” looks great and it hits a few good emotional beats. But it struggles mightily to capture the vision and narrative breadth of the Caesar trilogy.
Image Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
The issues with “Kingdom” grow more evident over time. First, it’s incredibly slow developing and it takes a long time for the story to gain any traction. That’s made worse by the fact that the movie is far longer than it needs to be. We tread a lot of familiar ground in the arduous 145 minutes which leads to another issue – “Kingdom” has a tough time distinguishing itself, not just from the other three Apes movies, but from other dystopian sci-fi adventures. It walks its own path but utilizes a few too many formulas to get where its going.
Set generations after the death of Caesar, apes have become the dominant species while humans are considered wild and untamed. A young chimpanzee named Noa (Owen Teague) is part of an ape clan devoted to nurturing and training eagles. While out collecting an eagle egg as part of his coming-of-age ritual, Noa witnesses a party of raiders, led by a foreboding gorilla named Sylva (Eka Danville), heading towards his village. Worried, Noa rushes home to find his village under siege.
Sylva attacks Noa and leaves him for the dead in the ashes of his village. But Noa survives and when he wakes he finds his father dead and his clan abducted. Heartbroken and driven, Noa sets out to find and rescue his clan. On his journey he crosses paths with Raka (Peter Macon), an erudite orangutan who is faithful to Caesar’s teachings. Raka begins to enlighten Noa on Caesar’s message of peaceful coexistence, especially after noticing they’re being watched by a human girl who they name Nova (Freya Allan).
Image Courtesy of 20th Century Studios
After saving Nova from another roundup by Sylva, the girl reveals that she can speak. She tells them that Noa’s clan has been taken to a coastal settlement ran by an ape monarch named Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand). We learn Proximus is obsessed with a heavily sealed vault that he believes contains old human tech. His zeal has led him to abduct and enslave several ape clans, forcing them to work on opening the vault. As you can probably guess, Noa’s journey leads to a clash with Proximus which is both inevitable and surprisingly unremarkable.
Unremarkable best describes “Kingdom”. There’s nothing glaringly bad about the film. It just never comes close to the thrilling or emotional highs of its predecessors. Neither Noa or Nova are especially compelling, and (judging by the ending) the film seems too focused on setting up yet another Apes trilogy. But perhaps most discouraging is how dull the movie can be. There is plenty of fat that could have been trimmed to make this a tighter and more riveting experience. As it is, “Kingdom” will sit as a serviceable but rather prosaic early summer feature.
As I’ve mentioned elsewhere, it’s a bit amusing to have a third installment in a film franchise that’s titled “Chapter 1”. Yet here we are with “The Strangers: Chapter 1”, a prequel to the 2008 original film that was written and directed by Bryan Bertino. I really enjoyed the first Strangers movie for a number of reasons. It was a simple and straightforward psychological horror film yet soaked in atmosphere and tension. It was genuinely frightening and earned its status as a cult favorite. There was a sequel, 2018’s “Strangers: Prey at Night”, but that one is better left forgotten.
“The Strangers: Chapter 1” is set to be the first in a trilogy of films, all of which were shot together over a three-month stretch in late 2022. All three are directed by Renny Harlin who’s perhaps best known for helming the early 1990s action hits “Die Hard 2” and “Cliffhanger”. And all three are written by Alan R. Cohen and Alan Freedland working from a story by Bryan Bertino. It’s meant to be a relaunch of sorts, but it’s hard to say how much excitement it’ll generate. Especially considering how this one turned out.
Image Courtesy of Liongate
“Chapter 1″ pulls much of its inspiration from the 2008 original. In fact too much. You could say it’s a carbon copy but minus the thick tension and steady sense of dread. But the film’s biggest problem is that it’s barely half of a movie stretched out to feature length. There’s about 30 minutes of material which means we spend a lot of time spinning our wheels and going nowhere. It’s made worse by a flat “To be continued” ending that does nothing to entice us with what’s to come.
To its credit, the movie does a decent job setting up a story that takes place “somewhere in Oregon”. Lovebirds Maya (Madelaine Petsch) and Ryan (Froy Gutierrez) are on a three-day cross-country roadtrip from New York to Portland where Maya is set for a big job interview. While passing through the tiny town of Venus, the couple stops at a diner to get some food. They’re greeted by your garden-variety backwoods locals – weird and a little creepy (as they’re often depicted in the movies).
As bad luck would have it, Ryan and Maya find themselves stranded after their car won’t start and the mechanic can’t get the part he needs until the next day. They’re able to find a rustic Airbnb deep in the woods just outside of town where they settle in for a quiet romantic night. That is until three masked psychos begin terrorizing them – first with annoying yet seemingly harmless harassment. But once they break out the axes and butcher knives things get much more serious.
Much like the 2008 film, the setup is pretty simple. But where “Chapter 1” flounders is in its lack of scares and in its inability to create and sustain suspense. Outside of a few lazy jump-scares, Harlin relies on a steady diet of frightened closeups and the psychos roaming around the house knocking on doors, peering through windows, and standing in the shadows. There are a couple of scenes of action but not nearly enough of it.
Image Courtesy of Lionsgate
Meanwhile Ryan and Maya prove they’re not the sharpest knives in the drawer. Some of their choices will have you shaking your head and shouting at the screen. This is especially true later in the movie where you won’t find a hint of good judgement. Yes I know this isn’t unusual for the horror genre. But here it felt especially maddening.
But that seems like a small gripe when compared to the more glaring issues. Namely that “Chapter 1” is just a stripped down version of 2008’s “The Strangers” that feels like a 30-minute pilot episode drawn out to feature length. We spend most of our time waiting for something to happen…anything. And when it finally does, the payoff isn’t worth the wait. Even worse, it struggles mightily to muster up any anticipation for the movies to come. “The Strangers: Chapter 1” is out now exclusively in theaters.
The great J.K. Simmons has slowly and steadily moved into that special category of actors who I will watch in anything. The Oscar-winning Simmons has appeared in nearly 250 productions that span movies, television, stage, and even video games. Perhaps most impressive is his ability to excel in any genre. Whether it’s superhero movies, dark comedies, adult dramas, gritty action films, or animated family features, you’re liable to see Simmons in anything. And you can guarantee that he’ll be good in it.
His latest film does a good job proving my point. From director (and Simmons’ real-life wife) Michelle Schumacher, “You Can’t Run Forever” sees the actor letting loose in a juicy role that may catch some people by surprise. He plays a mysterious serial killer who goes on a murderous rampage in rural Montana, eventually targeting and hunting a terrified young girl. Co-written by Schumacher and Carolyn Carpenter, the story makes good use of its Northwest setting and even better use of Simmons, who remains a chilling presence even as things start to go off the rails.
Image Courtesy of Lionsgate
“You Can’t Run Forever” opens with a bang (several of them actually). A man on a motorcycle (Simmons) pulls up to a country gas station to fill up his tank. There he guns down three people in a manner that almost indicates some warped moral code. He willingly leaves two witnesses and then rides away. It’s a shrewdly brutal cold open that immediately and firmly establishes Simmons’ character in our minds.
From there were introduced to Miranda (Isabelle Anaya), a young teen who suffers from panic attacks following a recent trauma. After her divorce, Miranda’s loving mother Jenny (Fernanda Urrejola) remarried to the kindhearted Eddie (Allen Leech). Both have daughters from previous marriages and are now expecting a child of their own. For Miranda, adjusting to this new family has been a struggle.
In an effort to spend some quality time together, Eddie takes Miranda with him on a day trip to pick up a new bassinet. While taking a bathroom break at a rest stop, they encounter the strange man from the opening scene. It only takes a few minutes for their encounter to turn violent. Miranda flees deep into the Montana forest with the unhinged killer stalking her like a predator does his prey. To survive she’ll need to conquer her anxiety and find an inner-strength she never knew she had.
The story unfolds on two fronts. While Miranda runs for her life in the woods, the news reaches Jenny and Eddie’s daughter Emily (Olivia Simmons) back home. Meanwhile two dutiful yet overwhelmed young deputies, Morgan (Andres Velez) and Dwyer (Graham Patrick Martin), feel their way through the investigation while waiting for the new sheriff to arrive. They’re well-meaning but at times shockingly incompetent to the point that they almost feel like a parody.
Image Courtesy of Lionsgate
Both sides of the story work together yet have their own weaknesses. For instance, some of the choices made by the deputies and Miranda’s family will have you shaking your head. And there are a couple of miscalculations later that don’t quite have their desired effect. Take Miranda’s encounter with mushrooms which leads to a drug trip sequence that doesn’t land as intended. These gripes don’t derail the movie, but they do take your attention away from what it does well.
As far as pacing, following a strong opening and a solid middle act, the film loses some steam in the final stretch. But it picks itself up and ends with a tense though conventional finish. Even with its hiccups, Schumacher makes some savvy choices that energize her movie. For example, we never learn much about the killer beyond vague hints at what might have pushed him over the edge. That may frustrate some, but I found it made him more unsettling. And a lot of credit goes to Simmons who gives us a cold-hearted yet cryptic antagonist. It’s yet another great performance from one of the most consistently good actors working today. “You Can’t Run Forever” opens May 17th in select theaters and on VOD.
Sometimes the story behind a movie can be more compelling than the movie itself. I’m not saying that’s the case for “The Last Run”, but its behind-the-scenes drama was pretty interesting. Arguments over creative differences, frequent rewrites of the script, and some rather significant departures had MGM Studios wondering if the film would ever get made.
“The Last Run” was first set to be directed by John Boorman (“Deliverance”, “Hope and Glory”) but he left because he didn’t like screenwriter Alan Sharp’s original script. Shortly after, Boorman was replaced by the legendary John Huston (“The Maltese Falcon”, “The African Queen”). Despite not liking the script, Huston agreed to make the film. His constant rewrites led to some intense disagreements with star George C. Scott during early production (it’s said Scott’s drinking didn’t help). It eventually led to Huston walking off the set. Enter Richard Fleischer who came in and saw the film over the finish line.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Scott shared his long-held desire to play a “Bogart-like” part. So it’s pretty easy to see what drew him to “The Last Run”. While watching it, similarities to certain Humphrey Bogart movies such as “High Sierra” instantly came to mind. I’m not saying “The Last Run” matches those Bogart classics, but it’s certainly in the same vein.
Scott playing Harry Garmes, a semi-retired criminal and seasoned driver who was once a wheelman for organized crime families in Chicago. That was nine years ago. Now he’s living in the small village of Albufeira, Portugal where he owns a fishing boat that he leases to his loyal friend Miquel (Aldo Sambrell). You could say Harry is somewhat of a solitary man, merely existing ever since his marriage fell apart following the tragic death of his three-year-old son. He spends most of his time tuning and test-running his 1956 BMW 503 convertible just to prove to himself he still has it.
Harry is surprised when he unexpectedly receives a job offer – his first in nearly a decade. Some area gangsters orchestrate the prison escape of a hotheaded and obnoxious young killer named Paul Rickard (Tony Musante). Harry is to pick him up and drive him from Portugal, across Spain, and into France. The first phase of the job goes off without a hitch. But before heading to France, Paul orders Harry to stop in a nearby town to pick up his girlfriend Claudie (Trish Van Devere). The rest of the story revolves around the different relationships that spring up within the trio after an unexpected double-cross turns things upside-down.
While both Boorman and Huston had their issues, there’s actually a lot to like about Sharp’s script. For one, there’s a very deliberate withholding of information in select areas that may frustrate some viewers. But it has a very distinct (and quite effective) purpose. Sharp also does a good job with his characters. Scott is a great fit – tough but sympathetic – and Sharp is able to tell Harry’s story without spoon-feeding us every detail. But Claudie is the real wildcard and Sharp leaves us constantly questioning her loyalties.
Alongside Sharp’s script and Fleischer’s crisp direction, the movie is enhanced even more by composer Jerry Goldsmith doing his best Ennio Morricone impression (and that’s not an insult). Then there’s the exquisite cinematography of Academy Award winner Sven Nykvist, the frequent DP for the great Ingmar Bergman. From the gorgeous shots of the countryside to the thrilling high-speed car sequences, Nykvist gives the film a gritty yet organic texture.
“The Last Run” wasn’t well received at the box office and it’s a movie that you rarely hear talked about today. But it’s a rock-solid crime genre flick and yet another terrific vehicle for George C. Scott. It tells a wily story that’s propelled by good performances and a cool Euro-American style. It may tip its hand a little too soon, but frankly I didn’t care. I was having too much fun with this simple yet beguiling gangster-thriller entry.
Only a few days after receiving a mysterious new teaser, the star-studded “Megalopolis” has dropped a full trailer ahead of its upcoming May 16th premiere at the 77th Cannes Film Festival. “Megalopolis” is an epic science-fiction drama written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola. It’s Coppola’s first feature film since 2011 and a passion project that the acclaimed filmmaker first conceived way back in 1977. The new trailer gives us a deeper yet even more cryptic look into this wild $120 million creation.
Adam Driver plays Cesar Catilina, an accomplished architect who can control time. He sets out to rebuild a decaying city into a thriving utopia but is met with constant opposition by the corrupt Mayor (played by the wonderful Giancarlo Esposito). A fantastic array of talent fills out the cast and includes Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Jon Voight, Jason Schwartzman, Shia LaBeouf, Grace VanderWaal, Laurence Fishburne, Talia Shire, Dustin Hoffman, and Kathryn Hunter. It’s still hard to figure out exactly what this movie is. But in many ways that only adds to the intrigue.
“Megalopolis” is set to release exclusively in theaters sometimes in 2024. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.
Keith & the Movies 