Esteemed Academy Award nominated actor Michael Shannon makes his directorial debut with the new film “Eric Larue”. This fascinating and even complicated feature had its world premiere at Tribeca in June and just recently screened in Little Rock at Filmland 2023, the annual curated “celebration of cinema” hosted by the Arkansas Cinema Society.

Shannon has chosen some heavy subject matter for his debut. Based on Brett Neveu’s 2002 play of the same name, “Eric LaRue” deals with the sensitive topic of school shootings. It takes a compelling approach, putting its entire focus on the aftermath. More specifically, the movie looks at how a local community deals with such horror. And much of it is examined through the eyes of the young killer’s mother who’s played by the brilliant and too often underappreciated Judy Greer.

But as the movie progresses it’s almost as if the school shooting takes a backseat to the film’s more curious interest – religion, particularly American evangelicalism, or at least the movie’s perception of it. The story (adapted for the screen by Neveu) spends much of its time exploring various facets of modern day religiosity. It’s far from the most balanced representation and it’s clear that the filmmakers have their opinions. What’s surprising is how much time they commit to expressing them.

Just as unexpected is the movie’s tone. You would never anticipate it, but “Eric LaRue” is full of humor. So much that you could almost (and I stress ‘almost’) consider it a black comedy. To its credit, the film delivers some pretty big laughs often with the subtlest of touches. Still the challenge of tone management is something the movie battles throughout.

It should be emphasized that the film is never flippant or insensitive towards school shootings, gun violence, or the various personal traumas that stem from them. In fact the film’s best moments see Shannon dialing back the humor and taking more introspective and incisive looks at the emotional toll taken on those trying to understand and cope. Instead the humor is almost always reserved for the religious – something that grows more and more obvious as the story progresses.

Greer gives the movie its emotional center in playing Janice LaRue. Months earlier Janice’s 17-year-old son Eric (Nation Sage Henrikson) walked into his high school and shot and killed three of his classmates. Understandably devastated, Janice now tries to piece her life back together and move forward. But navigating through her pain proves to be difficult. As does navigating through her local community, where reactions to her range from uncomfortable to downright cruel.

We learn it has been three months since Eric was sent to jail and Janice has yet to pay him a visit. This has concerned her Presbyterian pastor Steve (Paul Sparks) who is pushing her to go see her son. He’s also persistent in trying to convince Janice to meet with the mothers of the murdered students. He’s certain that such a meeting is crucial to the healing process.

Janice’s husband Ron (a nearly unrecognizable Alexander Skarsgård) isn’t much help. He too is grieving but has found some semblance of comfort at the more charismatic Redeemer Church across town. Encouraged by his co-worker and Redeemer parishioner Lisa (Alison Pill), Ron begins attending Bible studies and worship services led by the church’s pastor Bill Verne (Tracy Letts).

And that sets the table for the majority of the story which follows Janice as she’s pulled, prodded, and pressured into doing what other people think is best for her. That alone makes for an evocative premise. But staying emotionally attached can be tough, especially with the movie’s preoccupation with religion and its frequent use of humor to make some of its points.

Overall “Eric LaRue” is a challenging film that I’m convinced can’t be fully grasped in just one viewing. And despite some curious choices, it’s a testament to Shannon’s convictions. Rather than picking something safe for his first venture behind the camera, he has made something important to him. And his vehemence can be sensed all throughout it.

Unfortunately “Eric LaRue” has yet to be picked up for distribution which isn’t entirely surprising. Perhaps studios are hesitant to take on such a heavy subject (although the acclaim of 2021’s “Mass” might suggest otherwise). Or maybe it’s the humor that makes them uneasy. Whatever the reason, the movie deserves an audience. And hopefully it will get its chance to earn one soon.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

I’m not sure how big of a demand there was for another Expendables movie. Yet here we are. To their credit, the first two films were quite fun, especially for those of us who relished in the glory days of the over-the-top action flicks from the 80s and early 90s. Unfortunately the third movie milked the formula dry while softening to a PG-13 rating in hopes of appealing to a wider audience. It didn’t work.

Now after nearly ten years Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, and an ensemble of their old and new friends are giving it another whirl with “Expendables 4” (or “Expend4bles” for cooler (?) cosmetic reasons). Director Scott Waugh and the screenwriting trio of Spenser Cohen, Tad Daggerhart, and Max Adams set out to make another throwback action movie more in line with the franchise’s first two installments (it even glibly advertises its R rating just so fans will know they’re not going easy).

What we end up with is a hefty serving of unabashed fan food. It’s a movie meal custom-cooked for fans and it should satisfy the appetites of those hungry for more goofy banter and gleefully violent action. At the same time, “Expend4bles” is all but certain to turn off those who tend to look down on these kinds of films or who have no affinity or attachment to their genre roots. Personally I like that it never pretends to be anything other than what it is. It ends up being pretty much what I signed up for. But that doesn’t mean it’s not without its flaws.

While Stallone’s aged mercenary Barney Ross has always been the heart and soul of the series, it’s Statham’s perpetually grumpy Lee Christmas who takes the lead in this new bullet-riddled adventure. Series stalwarts Dolph Lundgren and Randy Couture return (but sadly no Terry Crews or Jet Li) while Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, Megan Fox, Jacob Scipio, Levy Tran, and Andy Garcia add some fresh albeit less interesting blood to the team.

Laying out the story seems rather pointless considering everything is mainly there to setup the action. What story we do get is pretty silly and safe. Barney’s Expendables are sent on a mission to stop a former British national turned arms dealer (Iko Uwais) from nabbing some nuclear detonators and starting World War III. The mission goes bad and the team gets shaken up. But soon the good guys are back on the trail of the big bad guy, this time with a little personal vengeance as a motivation.

And that’s the story in a nutshell. There is a whole subplot involving some mysterious evil antagonist who goes by Ocelot. But it’s so woefully underdeveloped that it never registers as remotely interesting or important. It’s the same for the new team members. Jackson is a solid enough fit and Fox (when not serving as glaringly obvious eye candy) gels surprisingly well with her mostly male counterparts. But they all feel thrown in rather than developed. And the performances overall are a mixed bag, and not just from the newbies.

Yet the movie delivers where it counts – in the action. A few scenes of laughably evident green screen aside, Waugh gives his audience exactly what anyone going to an Expendables movie should expect – playful macho banter, corny one-liners, and tons of bullets, blades, and bodies. Statham gets the most room to shine and Tony Jaa pops up and is let loose in the second half. They can’t cover all the blemishes (and there are several), but they help to remind us of what makes these cockamamie creations click. “Expend4bles” hits theaters today.

VERDICT – 3 STARS

One thing about 2014’s “The Equalizer” and it’s 2018 sequel – you knew exactly what you were going to get. Both were action thrillers built upon a fairly simple and straightforward premise. But they had a secret ingredient that made them stand out from the countless other movies of their kind – Denzel Washington. The charismatic and infinity talented Oscar-winning actor brings a certain prestige and gravitas to every movie he appears in. The “Equalizer” films are no different.

That includes Washington’s latest, “The Equalizer 3”, the final film in director Antoine Fuqua’s hitman trilogy. To no surprise Washington is great in reprising his role of Robert McCall, an aged yet still quite lethal hitman looking to put his violent past behind him. Robert is a fascinating contradiction. On one hand he’s an efficient and effective killer who has plowed his trade with brutal precision. On the other hand there’s a nobility to Robert that you might think clashes with his profession. There’s a righteousness in the sympathy and compassion he has for the persecuted and downtrodden.

In both facets of his character Washington is as convincing as ever, showing a fierce (and often frightening) intensity in the action scenes and a genuine warmth and humanity in others. As a movie “The Equalizer 3” features that same kind of duality. It’s as much of a patient character study as it is a hardcore action movie which may throw some people off. But for me, that was one of its strengths.

But don’t worry, it still has the gritty, brutal violence fans of the previous film’s expect and it wastes no time tossing some our way. The film opens with Washington’s Robert McCall carrying out a job in Italy. He eliminates (in his own special way) a notorious mobster who has been distributing synthetic amphetamines out of his Sicilian vinyard. The drugs has been used to fund terrorist activities all across the globe. But Robert is seriously wounded and eventually passes out while driving away from the scene.

He’s found and rescued by a benevolent local doctor named Enzo (Remo Girone). Robert wakes up in the small coastal town of Altamonte where he begins his recovery under Enzo’s care. Over time Robert finds himself falling for the quiet village and the friendly locals who call it home. But when the people he’s grown to love are targeted by a powerful mob boss from Naples named Vincent Quaranta (Andrea Scarduzio), Robert is forced to dust off the skills from his past in order to stand up for the townsfolk and their home.

As Fuqua and screenwriter Richard Wenk patiently let things play out, there’s a side story of sorts involving a young and ambitious CIA agent Emma Collins (Dakota Fanning, reteaming with Washington for the first time since 2004’s “Man on Fire”). At first Robert’s interactions with her seem superfluous, but they end up leading to a satisfying conclusion.

Despite its predictable framework, “The Equalizer 3” works thanks to Washington’s commitment to his character and the journey he takes, both physical and emotional. Washington never overplays a scene and he makes you believe in every interesting layer he peels back. Meanwhile Fuqua’s direction is spot-on and he wisely leans on the talents of his lead actor. Yet he’s crafty in how he approaches the action, shooting Washington in a way that hides any limitations the 68-year-old actor may have. Fuqua also makes great use of the scenic Amalfi Coast, sprinkling in some gorgeous shots and giving the area (especially Altamonte) some real personality.

Everything combines to make for a entertaining final chapter in the Equalizer series. It can’t quite shake the feeling of predictability and much of the story plays out exactly as we expect it to. But the strength of Denzel Washington’s screen presence can’t be overstated. He offers his character a worthwhile send-off while giving fans of the previous films the satisfying farewell they’ll be looking for. “The Equalizer 3” opens today exclusively in theaters.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

(CLICK HERE to read my full review in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

In 2020 Marvel alumni the Russo brothers and Chris Hemsworth teamed up to make “Extraction”, a no-holds-barred old-school action flick. The results were pretty great. Now Netflix has brought back all the key players for “Extraction 2”, a bigger sequel in nearly every possible way yet one that doesn’t lose sight of what made its predecessor work. Sam Hargrave returns to direct with Joe Russo writing the script which is taken from a story he conceived with his brother Anthony and Andre Parks.

The first film ended with several lingering questions. If you remember the story’s protagonist, former SAS operator turned black-ops mercenary Tyler Rake (Hemsworth), was seriously wounded while on a mission in Bangladesh. After falling off a bridge and plunging into the muddy river below we’re left wondering if he was dead? A blurry final shot hints that he may have survived.

“Extraction 2” makes it clear he did indeed survive. It opens with Tyler’s body being retrieved and rushed to a hospital in Dubai where he lays in a coma for several weeks, his close friend and fellow mercenary Nik Kahn (Golshifteh Farahani) by his side. After waking up he undergoes a rigorous rehab just to be able to walk again. Once discharged Nik sets him up in a remote cabin in Austria where he can live off the grid and have a quiet retirement. Yeah right.

One day Tyler is paid a surprise visit by a mystery man played by none other than Idris Elba. The man tells of a mission that requires someone with Tyler’s special (and quite lethal) skill set. Tyler is quick to decline. At least until he hears who sent the man – his ex-wife Mia (Olga Kurylenko). And that changes everything.

It turns out Mia’s sister Ketevan (Tinatin Dalakishvili) is stuck in an abusive marriage with a powerful Georgian gangster, Davit Radiani (Tornike Bziava). He’s incarcerated in a savage Georgian prison but has used his power and influence to have Ketevan and their two children locked up with him. Realizing she has to get her kids out, Ketevan reaches out to her sister for help. Upon hearing the story Tyler immediately accepts. Nik quickly joins in along with her brother, Yaz (Adam Bessa).

Action movie fans will love where things go from there. It starts with Hargrave and company putting together a lengthy and elaborately staged prison break-in and breakout sequence. It utilizes numerous crazy visual techniques and unquestionably expensive practical effects. It’s incredibly immersive despite the sheer craftsmanship sometimes pulling the spotlight away from the story being told. Who cares – it’s an exhilarating initiation into the film’s style of action.

From there things only ratchet up as Tyler, Nik, and Yaz take Ketevan and her children on the run from the film’s true antagonist, Davit’s cold ruthless big brother Zurab (Tornike Gogrichiani). Zurab has ran the family business while his brother has been in the clink, smuggling drugs and weapons to build a militarized criminal empire he calls the Nagazi. With seemingly endless resources at his disposal, Zurab has the means and the maniacal drive to hunt Tyler and his his sister-in-law wherever they go (which is precisely what he does).

While action is the main dish, Russo’s script does seek to dig a little deeper into Tyler’s pained personal history which was expressed in the first film but never really explored. There’s not a lot of time spent on it here, but what we get adds a welcomed human layer to Tyler. It’s a nice touch that brings the occasional break from the otherwise non-stop bullet-firing, bone-cracking, and blood-letting.

Then there’s Hemsworth who gives another tough and soulful performance which is a nice departure from his work as the bumbling God of Thunder in the MCU. Hemsworth is a well-rounded actor who has the grit and physicality for a role like this. He also has a natural charisma and an inherent likability that makes him and his character easy to root for. As for Farahani, she makes for a terrific foil and deserves her own spin-off movie.

To be clear, there’s not much in “Extraction 2” we haven’t seen before. But when you hone in on the action, choreography, and stunt work there aren’t many recent movies that have done it better. The painstakingly polished and furiously detailed set pieces are the film’s bread and butter, and it’s hard not to appreciate the amount of craft it took to pull some of this stuff off. All in all, count this as a sure-fire hit for Netflix. “Extraction” premieres today on Netflix.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

While hard at work writing her new novel Emmanuèle gets a phone call that no one wants to receive. She learns her 85-year-old father André has had a stroke and is being rushed to the hospital. This all too relatable moment sets the table for “Everything Went Fine”, the affecting and probing adult drama from renowned French filmmaker François Ozon.

“Everything Went Fine” is based on a memoir by the late Emmanuèle Bernheim that chronicled her own experience with her father’s death (Bernheim was the screenwriter for Ozon’s 2003 film “Swimming Pool” and his 2004 film “5×2”). Ozon sets aside his more provocative proclivities to give us an honest yet sensitive treatment of some weighty subject matter. The results are a richly human and unsentimental feature that sometimes operates like a procedural but one fueled by an unshakable warmth and empathy.

“Everything Went Fine” isn’t the first movie to tackle assisted suicide. But rather than taking on the ethics of the controversial practice, Ozon’s interests are far more pragmatic. He digs into the more personal and practical implications. His filmmaking and storytelling is intentionally low-key, but the gravity of these ideas and themes are never lost on us. And he even finds time for dabs of mordant humor often when you’re least expecting it.

The movie is driven by a gripping performance from Sophie Marceau who plays Emmanuèle. It’s beautifully modulated work that keeps so many of Emmanuèle’s feelings internalized. Yet her inner conflict is always evident to the audience and is conveyed with resonating emotional detail by Marceau. Also good is André Dussollier playing Emmanuèle’s father, André. He’s a terse and temperamental man who has fueled much of the long-standing tension in their family.

Most of the movie follows Emmanuèle and her sister Pascale (Géraldine Pailhas) as they pay visits to the hospital, get updates from their father’s doctors, and manage his affairs the best way they know how. But after André is moved from the hospital to a rehabilitation clinic (rather than home) he broadsides Emmanuèle with a shocking demand. He wants her to help him end his life. She’s understandably against it and is taken aback by him putting such a thing on her shoulders. It ends up peeling back another layer to their already complicated relationship.

One of the things I love most about “Everything Went Fine” is how delicately Ozon handles the family history. And rather than force-feeding us, Ozon lets us sort it out and fill in the blanks for ourselves. He gives us just enough detail to grasp the dynamics at work. Through his lens the Bernheims are revealed to be a bourgeois family of artists who have lived comfortably off their successes.

But they’re also a family marked by their own inner turbulence. For example while Pascale is really close with her sister, it’s clear Emmanuèle is her father’s favorite. Yet we get a couple of subtly revealing flashbacks to Emmanuèle’s childhood that tell a different story. Then there’s Claude (a subtly penetrating Charlotte Rampling), the girls’ mother and André’s former wife. She has Parkinson’s and severe depression and channels a clear resentment towards her ex-husband. All of it works to enhance the drama. Yet there are even more details that Ozon leaves for us to sort out on our own.

Over time we gain a good understanding of Emmanuèle’s emotional dilemma as she parses through a range of conflicting feelings. On the one hand there is the bitterness left from her painful childhood. On the other hand she feels obligated to be a good daughter. And then there’s the sheer weight of what he’s asking her to do. Ozon lets it all play out organically. And the patient rhythm of his storytelling combined with some top-to-bottom stellar performances lends the material just the kind of dramatic heft it needs.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

(CLICK HERE to read my full review in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)

Many of today’s horror movies are custom-made for easy consumption and even easier profit. Many studios have embraced the low-budget low-risk formula. They’ve realized that they don’t need to spend a lot of money to get people in the seats. Horror fans turn out. I’m certainly not against filmmakers taking risks, having fun, or showcasing their style. And I’m certainly not opposed to studios finding ways to make money. But the horror films of today rarely leave a lasting impression. What’s a good remedy for that? Well, fresh new ideas are always welcomed. But sometimes it’s good to get back to the basics.

Take “Evil Dead Rise”. It is absolutely a franchise horror movie so calling it “original” might be a stretch. But it comes from a series that has always had its own brutal (and sometimes wacky) identity. You may know what to expect from an Evil Dead movie, but you’ll never be fully prepared. Also, it’s a series that has wisely kept itself from over-saturating the market. This is only the fifth feature film since the original released back in 1981 and the first in ten years.

“Evil Dead Rise” is the second feature from writer-director Lee Cronin. His previous film was 2019’s “The Hole in the Ground”, a cleverly effective chiller that shares some of the same thematic interests as his latest, namely the anxieties of parenthood. While his first movie had a more psychological horror bend, Cronin’s sophomore effort let’s him explore that parenthood theme in the grisly, gruesome Evil Dead world which longtime buddies Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell first launched 42 years ago for only $375,000.

Times have changed and movies cost a lot more to make. But “Evil Dead Rise” stays true to its roots and was made for a modest (by today’s standards) $15 million. But don’t worry, every penny made its way onscreen. Everything from the gnarly practical effects to the incredible makeup to the gallons upon gallons upon gallons of blood helps to create this visually amazing buffet of grotesquerie that long-time fans are hungry for.

Cronin has turned in a film that’s every bit as unsettling and gory as its predecessors (the lighter “Army of Darkness” being the one exception). Whether it’s someone swallowing jagged shards of glass, a cheese grater to the back of the leg, or a scalp ripped off a head, “Evil Dead Rise” leaves no doubt that it’s not for the squeamish. It’s a stone-cold killer of a movie that grabs you by the jugular and doesn’t let go. Yet Cronin doesn’t leave us emotionally high-and-dry. He gives us rooting interests, and he develops characters with enough humanity to make us care. That proves crucial.

After one of the best cold opens in recent memory (a nod to the ‘cabin in the woods’ trope the original Evil Dead movie made famous), Cronin takes us to Los Angeles where we’re introduced to Ellie (a terrific Alyssa Sutherland). She lives in a low-income high-rise apartment with her three children, Bridget (Gabrielle Echols), Danny (Morgan Davies), and Kassie (Nell Fisher). Life is hard for Ellie who has been raising her kids by herself ever since her husband and their father left. Even worse, the old building they live in is set to be demolished and Ellie still hasn’t found them a place to live.

Ellie is paid a visit by her estranged sister Beth (Lily Sullivan), a guitar tech for a touring rock band. Beth has gotten some unexpected news and looks to her big sister for guidance. But their family reunion is interrupted after an earthquake rocks their neighborhood. The quake opens up a hole in the parking garage revealing what appears to be an old vault (we learn the building was once a bank). In the movie’s lone instance of head-scratching inanity, Danny crawls down the hole and discovers some religious relics, a couple of old vinyl records, and one particular old tome that’s bound in flesh and inked with blood – the Naturom Demonto aka The Book of the Dead.

Fans know where it goes from here. The book is opened. The creepy incantations are recited. The soul-feasting flesh-destroying Deadites are unleashed on an unsuspecting Ellie and her family. Through it all Cronin keeps the tension steadily rising while seamlessly blending in slivers of humor often in the most unexpected moments. It’s all accentuated by the eeriness of the dim apartment building setting which becomes a playground of giddy gore-filled horror intent on making you squirm

Any real emphasis on storytelling withers away in the second half, but to his credit Cronin knows what his audience wants. He gives them a tightly wound 97 minutes that’s shrewdly tuned to satisfy the demands of devoted fans and to terrify those who are coming in fresh. And he does it all while subtly planting seeds for possible future films. Altogether it makes “Evil Dead Rise” a bloody good addition to its franchise and a feral jolt of energy for its genre. “Evil Dead Rise” is in theaters now.

VERDICT – 4 STARS