Quick Reviews: Beast, Prey, Uncharted, and More!
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It’s been a minute, so how about an update of the movies I’ve seen. It’s picking up!
Beast – Idris Elba goes into the jungle with two daughters and Shallot Copley and ends up doing battle with a lion. What’s not to like? Seriously, this movie is very well made and it knows exactly what it was made to do, to thrill audiences. I went into the movie not knowing much other than that I was excited to watch Idris fight a lion, and while it delivered in that regard, it also shows what a good filmmaking team can do. This movie is directed by Baltasar Kormákur (director of the incredible Everest) and written by Ryan Engle, who wrote a little film called Rampage and clearly hasn’t met a creature feature he couldn’t write. Loved how Balthasar used long takes in this movie to both give the audience a mounting sense of dread but also the layout of various locations, establishing a visual identity and language to make the escapes all the more thrilling.
The Long Hot Summer – Aaron Neuwirth inceptioned me into watching this after mentioning the Paul and Joanne doc on HBOMax inceptioned him into watching it. This movie is a really fascinating picture given that it came out the same year (the superior) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof and was likely made in response to the success of that play in the first place. We love a twin movie situation in Hollywood. I enjoyed this movie quite a bit, even if the ending wrapped up a bit too 1950s for my taste. Paul Newman is very great and Joanne his equal match, although Orson Welles is prob the MVP of the film for sheer foolery he brings to the screen. I also loved how this was shot on location but you can tell certain scenes were shot on a studio.
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – A genuine surprise. I enjoyed this film quite a bit and it has a really fun animation style.
Prey – A thrilling watch, even if I will be annoyed forever how one character died. I will now wait patiently for the next Predator movie set in a bygone time period.
40 Years Young – A very cute romcom about a man who finds out that his son might not be his son and the journey of self-discovery it encourages. There’s also a cooking competition and hot people on the beach. A very fun and breezy Netflix film.
Persuasion – As a noted Jane Austen fan, I am always here for a new interpretation of her work, be it modern or period. However, Persuasion never gets to truly take off because it is trying to be both modern and period. There is far too much winking towards the camera, I believe someone called it the Fleabagification of Jane Austen, and they’re right. I think I was truly lost in the language of the story, if we’re going to modernize why not go all the way? Instead the characters are stuck with half measure dialogue that doesn’t quite do Austen’s words justice and a script that doesn’t let its main character be as active in the story as one would like.
Uncharted – A globe hopping adventure that manages to be visually boring and charm sucking. There are some talented actors in this and outside of Tati Gabrielle everyone is as flat as the camerawork and story. I need Hollywood to leave plane fights alone for a while (unless they’re Tom Cruise) because just like The Gray Man, some of the action beats are incomprehensible.
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