Suspending disbelief is both a requirement and a challenge in the action comedy “Heads of State”. Premiering worldwide on Prime Video, “Heads of State” is a big-budget summer popcorn movie in every sense of the term. Rather than taking it to theaters, Amazon MGM Studios elected to make it one of their big summer streaming releases. It’s an utterly preposterous concoction. But there is just enough scenic globetrotting, crazy action, and wild set pieces to keep your attention.

The movie stars Idris Elba and John Cena and it wastes no time challenging its audience. Elba plays U.K. Prime Minister Sam Clarke, a bit grumpy and cynical but believable as England’s head of government. Much harder to buy is Cena playing United States President Will Derringer, a former underwear model, turned action movie star, turned America’s Commander in Chief. Both actors put in the work. But while Elba’s sophistication and charm clicks, Cena is less convincing – endlessly oscillating between inspiring world leader and all-out goofball.

A petty (and at times almost juvenile) rivalry has formed between the two heads of state. Clarke is a six-year incumbent with sagging approval ratings who doesn’t like Derringer’s image-first celebrity politician status. Derringer still holds a grudge for Clarke endorsing his opponent via a highly publicized fish and chip dinner. It comes to a head during a press conference as the two prepare to depart London for an important NATO meeting.

Seeing the need for some good press, their chiefs of staff (played well by Sarah Niles for the Yanks and Richard Coyle for the Brits) concoct a relatively simple PR scheme. They reluctantly agree to fly together on Air Force One in an effort to show solidarity. But while in Belarusian air space, their plane is attacks by terrorists loyal to Russian arms dealer Viktor Gradov (Paddy Considine). Clarke and Derringer manage to parachute out as the plane crashes. And while the rest of the world believes them to be dead, the two are forced to put aside their differences and work together if they want to get to safety.

“Heads of State” comes from director Ilya Naishuller who is perhaps known for the considerably better “Nobody” starring Bob Odenkirk. In his defense, this is a much different movie with a much different aim. The screenwriting trio of Josh Applebaum, André Nemec, and Harrison Query lean heavily on comedy which both helps and hurts their movie. It unquestionable shows the film doesn’t take itself seriously (as it shouldn’t). At the same time, the constant petty arguing, the slew of overly corny jokes, the goofy needle drops – it starts to wear thin pretty quick.

Yet the cast works hard to make the movie more entertaining than it has any right to be. It gets a boost from Priyanka Chopra who plays MI6 agent Noel Bissett. She’s a former love interest of Clarke thought to have been killed after a botched operation in Buñol, Spain. Chopra adds some unexpected punch to the action. Equally fun is Jack Quaid who gets a small part playing a goofy yet endearing CIA operator in charge of a Warsaw safehouse.

Even with what seems like stretches of self-awareness, the absurdity of “Heads of State” can be tough to look past. It’s not helped by Cena’s casting, jokes that frequently miss their marks, or the dopey occasions where the movie tries to say something serious. But it’s somewhat saved by Idris’ charisma, Chopra’s grit, and a handful of impressive high-dollar set pieces that energize the movie when it needs it most. Is that enough to justify the potential sequel that is teased at the end? For some, perhaps. For me, probably not.

VERDICT – 2.5 STARS

Way back in the 1990s Adam Sandler had a breakout run of movies that transformed him from a Saturday Night Live cast member to a big screen star. Among them was 1996’s “Happy Gilmore”, a silly but endearing comedy about a rough around the edges hockey player who shakes up the prim and proper world of golf. The film didn’t blow up the box office but it was a commercial success. Even more, it gained and has maintained a loyal and vocal cult following.

Since then, Sandler movies have slid into a frustratingly redundant but undeniably lucrative routine. They’re often lazy exercises that recycle the same humor and are stuffed with nonstop cameos from the actor’s many friends. Nevertheless, there apparently remains a demand for these movies as evident by the enormous deals Sandler has made with Netflix. And that leads us to their latest collaboration.

“Happy Gilmore 2” arrives nearly thirty years after the original film released. At its core is a fairly basic feel-good comeback story with occasional scenes that tease a beating heart. But Sandler and director Kyle Newacheck drown their story in nostalgia, flooding the movie with constant callbacks. Far worse, “Happy Gilmore 2” is plagued by some of the worst tendencies from the more recent Sandler movies. In other words, it smothers out the few good gags with waves of unfunny low-bar humor. And it wedges in endless cameos that leads to one embarrassingly bad scene after another.

For Sandler’s Happy Gilmore, a lot has happened since winning his first championship in 1996, A ridiculous narrated prologue tells us Happy would go on to have a successful professional career, winning five more titles. Meanwhile at home, he and his wife Virginia (Julie Bowen) had five children together. But everything changed in 2014. While playing in a Mother’s Day golf tournament, Happy shanks a drive which ends up striking Virginia in the head, killing her.

Left alone to raise their five kids, a (supposedly) devastated Happy quits golf and drowns himself in booze. He ends up broke which leads to him losing everything including their home. Still he refuses to get back into golf, instead taking a job stocking produce at a local supermarket. But then his lone daughter Vienna (Sunny Sandler) is offered a spot in an exclusive $75,000 a year ballet school in Paris. Determined to help her realize her dream, Happy dusts off his clubs and heads back to the Tour.

The film’s big bland baddie is Frank Manatee (Benny Safdie). He’s the CEO of the Maxi Golf League, a raucous reimagining of the game of golf. Manatee approaches Happy about joining his tour but Happy declines. This inspires an angry Manatee to seek out Happy’s old rival Shooter McGavin (Christopher McDonald) who has spent the last 29 years in a mental institution. Manatee’s plan is to railroad Happy’s comeback and catapult Maxi as the world’s premiere golf league.

For reasons that are never really explained, golf’s future suddenly hangs in the balance. And it will be decided by a tournament pitting the five top Maxi golfers against the five top Tour golfers. It all leads to a chaotic final act that stands out most for its haphazard directing and editing. For a stretch it frantically bounces all over the place before finally settling down for an attempt at an emotional payoff that it never quite earns.

To no surprise, the movie is littered with bad performances, mostly from nonprofessional actors who are just there to be recognized. Others like Safdie, Bowen, Steve Buscemi, and Margaret Qualley do what they can while being handcuffed to bad material. Meanwhile Sandler is solid enough in a familiar role he can do in his sleep. If there is a standout, it has to be McDonald who has a lot of fun bringing back Shooter McGavin.

“Happy Gilmore 2” throws so much at the screen that die-hard fans are sure to find something they’ll enjoy. But no matter how much nostalgia Sandler and company employ, this mostly uninspired and imagination-free sequel lacks the spirit and charm of its predecessor. It’s a half-hearted effort that attempts to find humor in running jokes about alcoholism, dopey bare butt gags, and celebrity non-actors saying and doing silly things. The results are mostly witless, crude, and borderline humiliating. But at least they had a better time making it than I had watching it. “Happy Gilmore 2” is now streaming on Netflix.

VERDICT – 1.5 STARS

With his superhero run as Venom (hopefully) done, it looks like Tom Hardy is leaning back into the tough, hard-nosed roles that made him a star. We got a good reminder of him at his best in last year’s underrated and underappreciated “The Bikeriders”. And he completely lets loose in his latest feature “Havoc”, a gritty underworld action thriller that sees Hardy teaming with writer-director Gareth Evans.

Evans first grabbed attention in 2011 with his Indonesian action thriller “The Raid”. He followed it with “The Raid 2″ in 2014 and the unsettling gothic folk horror feature “Apostle” in 2018. His latest pulls some technical inspiration from each of his previous films, but overall it has a noticeably different flavor. It’s a little bit of John Wick mixed with a little bit of John Woo. But Evans puts his own furiously violent stamp on the action which is what gives “Havoc” its style and energy.

“Havoc” opens with an electric car chase sequence as the cops pursue a speeding 18-wheeler through the downtown of an unnamed American city. I won’t spoil how the pursuit ends, but it sets in motion the events that will unfold over the film’s mostly propulsive 100 minutes. As Evans’ story unfolds, her serves us a veritable buffet of bullets, blood, and bodies that is only matched by heaping helpings of corruption, betrayal, mistaken identities, and underworld retribution.

Hardy plays Walker Mackey, a hardened homicide cop haunted by the shady dealings from his past. One evening he and his strait-laced new partner Ellie (Jessie Mei Li) are called to investigate a horrific crime scene. Three heavily armed masked men busted in on a drug deal and massacred a room full of Triad members including Tsui (Jeremy Ang Jones), the son of a powerful mob boss and crime family matriarch (Yeo Yann Yann).

While looking for clues, Walker discovers a video showing two young people fleeing the scene, Charlie (Justin Cornwell) and his girlfriend Mia (Quelin Sepulveda). Walker immediately recognizes Charlie as the estranged son of mayoral candidate Lawrence Beaumont (played by Forest Whitaker). But are he and Mia eye-witnesses or suspects? Walker informs Beaumont about his son and we quickly learn the two have a complex relationship. Beaumont implores Walker to find Charlie in return for wiping away any debts between them.

From there the story kicks into overdrive as Walker races to find Charlie and Mia as they look for a way to escape the city. Meanwhile the Triad is hunting the young couple who they believe are responsible for the massacre. And the real killers are after them too, hoping to erase any potential witnesses. Once all of these parties and their motivations are established, the story leans almost exclusively on the action. Don’t expect much character development, any thematic depth, or unexpected plot twists.

But here’s the thing – the action is more than able to carry the movie through to its finish. Evans doesn’t shortchange his audience, creating extended action sequences and infusing them with equal amounts of chaos and brutality. Admittedly they aren’t for the squeamish as the blood sprays just as much as bullets. But they are brilliantly choreographed and shot in a way that helps “Havoc” easily earn its name.

As for Tom Hardy, he’s the perfect fit for this tough and merciless world, bringing his rugged edge and signature swagger to the kind of character he was chiseled to play. Whitaker is always a welcomed presence as is Timothy Olyphant who gets a juicy role as a crooked police detective. They all add flavor to a wickedly entertaining, high-octane action showcase that keeps us riveted by delivering exactly what it promises. “Havoc” premieres April 25th on Netflix.

VERDICT – 4 STARS

Independent distributors Neon and A24 have a long history of releasing prestigious indies that are hits with critics and awards voters alike. At the same time, neither have been afraid to delve into genre, especially the diverse and blood-soaked world of horror. The latest example is Neon’s “Hell of a Summer”, a horror-comedy homage of sorts from co-directors, co-writers, co-producers, and co-stars Finn Wolfhard and Billy Bryk.

To the young filmmakers’ credit, Bryk and Wolfhard show off a genuine appreciation for the slasher genre. But outside of a few funny lines and some well-executed gags, they aren’t able to bring along anything fresh or unexpected. And they aren’t able to put their own stamp on what is well-worn material. Even more, they never quite commit to either the horror or the satire. So the movie ends up stuck somewhere in the middle, excelling in neither but not really floundering either.

“Hell of a Summer” embraces nearly every summer camp slasher trope, putting a playful spin on some of them and leaning a bit too heavily on others. The film’s biggest strength is found in the goofy but endearing Fred Hechinger. He plays Jason Hochberg, a 24 year-old whose low-bar dream is to one day become a camp leader. In fact he’s so determined that he chose his seventh straight summer at Camp Pineway over an internship at a law firm, much to the chagrin of his frustrated mother (Susan Coyne).

Jason arrives at Pineaway Camp to work another summer for the owners, John (Adam Pally) and Kathy (Rosebud Baker). What he doesn’t know is that the couple have been mercilessly murdered by an unseen killer in the film’s prologue. Jason takes it upon himself to take charge until John and Kathy arrive. But that’s easier said than done, especially on Counselor Weekend where his fellow camp counselors would rather party than do any of Jason’s planned activities.

Outside of Jason, the counselors are a collection of slasher movie archetypes whose purpose should come as no surprise. There’s the image-obsessed Bobby (Bryk), the lovestruck Chris (Wolfhard) and the girl he’s crushing on, Shannon (Krista Nazaire), the tough guy, Mike (D’Pharaoh Woon-A-Tai), the TikTok pretty girl, Demi (Pardis Saremi), the kindly outcast, Claire (Abby Quinn), the theater brat, Ezra (Matthew Finlan), the weird girl who loves the occult, Noelle (Julia Lalonde), the moody kid with a peanut allergy, Ari (Daniel Gravelle), and the raging vegan, Miley (Julia Doyle).

In fairness, nearly everyone has at least one funny line to deliver which turns out to be one of the movie’s saving graces. But in reality they’re just fodder for the masked killer who pops back up and starts murdering the counselors in often underwhelming ways. The mystery of the killer’s identity immediately becomes a central part of the story. Unfortunately the reveal is a shallow, uninspired letdown which leaves a ton of questions and ends things on a yawn-worthy note.

Outside of several funny lines and a really good Fred Hechinger performance, “Hell of a Summer” has a hard time standing out in a memorable way. It can’t quite muster the same appeal as the blood-soaked genre movies it clearly admires. And it doesn’t have enough of its own flavor to come across as something original. But Bryk and Wolfhard show impressive flashes as young filmmakers, especially when it comes to snappy humor. And while they still have a ways to go in some areas, the pair show an energy and commitment that will only help them going forward.

VERDICT – 2 STARS

Director Ben Smallbone gets some compelling material to work with in “Homestead”, a post-apocalyptic drama that has all the makings of an immersive big screen experience. The film takes its inspiration from the popular 2018 novel Black Autumn by Jeff Kirkham and Jason Ross. The book was the first in a 10-volume series which is now being adapted into an eight-episode streaming series by Angel Studios.

That last bit speaks to a hurdle “Homestead” has a tough time clearing. The movie does some solid tablesetting from building up the story’s complex world to introducing the characters who inhabit it. But just as the story reaches its dramatic crescendo, the film comes to a sudden halt. That’s because it’s all working towards the streaming series. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that. But it shortchanges those hoping for a more complete big screen experience.

Written for the screen by Phillip Abraham, Leah Bateman and Jason Ross, the movie opens with a jolt as a nuclear bomb is detonated near Los Angeles. Soon after, the nation’s power grid is hacked and communications are cut off. These early signs of a crumbling society plunge the entire country into chaos. Fear leads to panic which leads to violence as desperate people scramble for supplies. Meanwhile information remains scarce, leaving the population spiraling into oblivion.

Amid the turmoil we’re introduced to Jeff Eriksson (Bailey Chase), a combat hardened former Special Forces operator whose had a tough time setting aside his military persona since retiring. Despite his best efforts and the encouragement of his wife Tara (Kearran Giovanni), Jeff has struggled to connect with his kids, especially with his oldest son, Abe (Tyler Lofton). After the bomb is detonated, Jeff’s soldier side kicks into full gear. He gathers his family and heads to a place called Homestead.

Nestled on a sprawling property in the Rocky Mountains, Homestead is a massive fortified estate owned by a wealthy landowner named Ian Ross (Neal McDonough). Ian and his God-fearing wife Jenna (Dawn Olivieri) have been preparing for this day by building his own solar power system, indoor gardens for growing food, a warehouse stocked with rations, and an arsenal full of weapons. He even took the precaution of hiring Jeff and former members from his unit to lead his security force if something were to ever go down.

Early on, “Homestead” leads you to believe it’s some doomsday survivalist tale heralding the virtue of those with the foresight to be ready for the inevitable apocalypse. But as it turns out, the movie is smarter than that. It fairly quickly introduces a number of legitimate moral quandaries that none of their military background or end-of-the-world readiness prepared them for.

Much of the film’s conflict is between Ian and Jeff – two men who see their situation through dramatically different lenses. Ian is determined to protect Jenna and their daughter Claire (Olivia Sanabia) at all costs. But he has genuine empathy for those unprepared and optimism that the government will eventually come to their aid. Jeff is a rock-hard realist who struggles to maintain a grasp on his humanity. His tactics are well-meaning but cold and forceful to the point that he’s unable to see beyond “the mission” at hand.

Things ratchet up more as refugees begin arriving at Homestead’s gates. The human dilemma becomes a significant plot point and adds an element to their situation that Ian never considered. His decisions get even tougher when more hostile threats arrive. The story takes a few unfortunate diversions including a schmaltzy teen romance that clashes with the rest of the movie. But overall Smallbone does a good job developing the drama and building tension.

Yet there’s still the nagging issue of the film playing like a big screen pilot episode with so much left unfinished. There are several story threads that are left dangling because they’re clearly intended for the series (take Jeff’s daughter and her prophetic visions). In fairness, the filmmakers never hide their intent and this isn’t the first film meant to frame what’s to follow. But “Homestead” needs a more solidifying third act and a payoff that does more than direct us to a streaming platform. Still, the movie succeeds in several ways, and it’s hard not to be absorbed in the dramatically rich setup we’re given.

VERDICT – 3 STARS