Adrian Brody – We Are Movie Geeks

GHOSTED (2023) – Review

Hard to believe, but we’ve not taken a trip into “rom-com” land in 2023. Really? Has this staple been dormant for several months, but with those warmer Spring temps, well, where do most hearts venture? Oh, and since we’re getting nearer to Summer this one’s a hybrid as it’s really a “rom-com-spy-thriller”.This isn’t rare as we’ve seen this played out for at least 30 years, going back to Arnold and new Oscar darling Jamie Lee in TRUE LIES (which inspired a recent CBS TV series). And in the last dozen or so years we’ve had the big “spy reveals” in KNIGHT AND DAY (Tom Cruise) and KILLER (Ashton Kutcher), not to mention the double reveal in MR. AND MRS. SMITH (Bradgilina begins). Well, this new one has a bit of a twist in that the undercover agent is a lady. Plus it also takes a few jabs at modern dating rules and manners, using the social media “online verb”, GHOSTED.

The lady in question is Sadie Rhodes (Ana de Armas) who is feeling down as she returns to her Washington D.C. home after a tough “work trip”. She’s got to stock her fridge, so she drops in at a local farmer’s market. Manning the houseplant stand for a neighbor merchant (after she chides him about his latest dating “dump”), Cole Turner (Chris Evans) tries to help Sadie pick out a potted plant, which leads to a disagreement (she can’t nurture it) that someone ends as a day-long (into the night) first date. Back at his parents’ house (he’s helping out at the farm after his pop was injured) Cole is bummed that Sadie’s not returning his voicemails and texts. His kid sister insists that he’s been “ghosted” for being “needy”.Aha, he accidentally put one of his inhalers in her purse that day and it has an online “tracking” chip. So where is she? OMG, London! His folks encourage him to make a grand “romantic gesture” and since Cole’s got an old airline voucher, so…Across the pond, Cole hones in on a secluded spot where she should be. Instead, he’s jumped and drugged by a quartet of muscled goons. When he awakens, a grinning creep threatens Cole with torture unless he gives them the passcode for something called Aztec. Luckily a black leather-clad hooded hero swoops in with guns blazing. When the dust settles, and his bonds are cut, Cole is shocked to see that his rescuer is Sadie! She’s not an art curator, but rather a CIA operative code-named the “Taxman”. Somehow they have to get past the awkward dating etiquette (“Emojis count as texts”), get Cole out of Pakistan (he was “out” for a while), and stop a ruthless French arms dealer named Leveque (Adrian Brody) from selling the destructive Aztec device to the highest bidder. And then maybe, maybe there’ll be a second date.

Of course, the main component to make a rom-com work is the chemistry of the two leads. Aside from being incredibly photogenic (I can imagine animated hearts floating from the lens), there’s genuine affection present, even as they bicker, as we get hints of the tension increasing the desire. Evans channels the affable charm he projected as the first Avenger into a not-quite-cool everyman (but with the “ultra-handsome). Sure it’s tough to believe Cole’s poor dating history, though the awkward, often clueless demeanor hints at a reason. And Evans does sell the whole “out of his element” vibe, although we’re reminded that Cole was a high school ‘rassler. At least the promise of de Armas as an action goddess has been realized here after her too too brief role in the last Bond flick. She’s super cool and sultry as she dispatches the baddies, plus she too kicks in the charm key in the romantic first meeting “dance” around Evans. Sadie’s an enigma for most of the story, so de Armas really brings out her vulnerability when she finally opens up about her past and her current “occupation”. Brody camps it up as the effete sneering villain and is given great support by his main henchman, the cold-blooded, threatening Mike Moh as Wagner plus Tim Blake Nelson channeling his inner Peter Lorre as the sadistic Borislov (nice name). Though seeming a bit too youthful to be Cole’s folks, Tate Donovan and Amy Sedaris are warm and befuddled as the parents, while Lizzie Broadway brings the right amount of sassy snark to the role of Cole’s kid sister.

After scoring big hits in the musical bio genre with ROCKETMAN and as the rumored backup for BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY, director Dexter Fletcher deftly juggles the rom-com beats and the big action set-pieces. He eases into the changes in tone to insure viewers won’t feel a “whiplash’ in going from the comedy to the explosive thrills. And the film benefits greatly from the many delightful cameos, but I won’t spoil them (perhaps some of his MCU brethren…mmm). Fletcher really gets his leads to commit to the adventure, but they can’t quite get past the uneven script as it begins to echo sequences in superior action epics, with a ludicrous finale that apes a Hitchcock classic (the old merry-go-round). And what adult would really think that traveling across the world after a first date is a great idea (for once the kid sister is right)? Obstacles are predictably tossed in the couple’s path, but we’re sure that there will be last-minute reunions and that Cole will “step up” to be worthy of Sadie’s love and respect. Evans and de Armas are a terrific pairing, but they deserve something more original and clever than the rehashed cliches of GHOSTED.

2 Out of 4

GHOSTED streams exclusively on AppleTV+ beginning on Friday, April 21, 2023

THE SUMMER OF SAM – The Blu Review: The Spike Lee Joint Collection Volume 2

In the summer of 1977, I was 15 years old and seeing STAR WARS over and over in my comfy St. Louis suburb, but I do vividly recall the newscasts announcing that serial killer David “Son of Sam” Berkowitz had finally been collared by the NYPD, ending a year-long reign of terror that left six victims dead and seven others wounded. Spike Lee has always been one of the best directors at evoking a time and place, and he captured that summer so well in his 1999 film SUMMER OF SAM. It was the first time Lee had tackled a subject outside the black experience (it boasts an almost all-white cast), and it’s been one of my favorite of his films. I hadn’t seen it since it was new so was excited when the Blu-ray popped up in my mailbox the other day and I’m pleased to say the film holds up well and the new hi-def transfer looks fantastic.

SUMMER OF SAM was not an in-depth analysis into the psychological workings of a serial killer. The Son of Sam killings were but a sub-plot and Michael Balducci’s role as David Berkowitz was small one. Lee’s film was more a slice of life in New York that looked at the small-minded bigotries and mob-mentality that descend on people when there is somebody a little different in their midst. Mira Sorvino, John Leguizamo, Adrian Brody and Jennifer Esposito played the main characters in SUMMER OF SAM that also took a look at disco, the rise of the punk scene (a key scene takes place at the seminal CBGB club), the Italian Mafia, gay clubs, drug dealers, and swinger’s clubs (specifically Plato’s Retreat). Lee introduced many characters, but really the freaky punk rockers (led by Adrian Brody) were the most sympathetic and moral. Everyone else was crude, prejudiced, and stupid. Lee also created a realistic sense of panic and fear, showing how a city of millions could be literally brought to its knees by one madman with a gun.

SUMMER OF SAM makes its Blu debut on a double feature package called The Spike Lee Joint Collection Volume 2, where it is paired with his 2008 WW2 epic THE MIRACLE OF ST. ANNA (Volume 1 contains THE 25^th HOUR and HE GOT GAME and will be reviewed here soon). The SUMMER OF SAM MPEG-4 AVC Blu-ray transfer really delivers. While its palette is bleak – most of the film takes place at night and is full of grimy close-ups, the Blu features vibrant colors, stable contrast, even flesh tones, and deep blacks. On a technical front, the presentation also doesn’t suffer from any considerable artifacting, crush, source noise, or print damage. It looks great. The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1-channel soundtrack is clean and often aggressive, boosting Terrence Blanchard’s moving score and Lee’s well-chosen use of period tunes (The Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again is used to amazing effect). The one extra on SUMMER OF SAM is a newly recorded audio commentary featuring director Lee and his star John Leguizamo.

I saw Spike Lee’s WWII opus MIRACLE OF ST. ANNA when it was new and was disappointed. I found it uneven, overlong and unimaginatively directed. Though it well-showcased the underrepresented role of black servicemen, it still seemed like a job for hire for Spike Lee (OLDBOY seemed like an odd choice for Lee as well, but it was one of my favorite movies of last year). MIRACLE OF ST. ANNA lacked Lee’s ear for dialog and it seemed like he was trying for a mystery and war epic rolled into one with tonal shifts that were all over the map. Was it Spike’s war movie? A film with a message? A love story? A mystical tale of faith? …or all of the above? I watched it again on this Blu and it still did not work for me. MIRACLE OF ST. ANNA does feature some quality acting, cinematography and a fairly good soundtrack but lacked momentum and badly needed some editing. MIRACLE OF ST. ANNA made its Blu debut in 2009 and this is the same transfer, although Spike Lee did sit down for a new commentary along with James McBride who wrote the source novel and screenplay.

The image is so much different than the set’s co-feature but the presentation is just as impressive. The intentional de-saturation of the color gave the film a raw quality, but color levels are still solid and the detail on firearms and soldiers’ faces is first rate. The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio, especially during the battle scenes, provides every bit of the surround experience you would hope for in a war film. Bullets whiz by, and you can hear the grunts and feel the breath of the soldiers as they crawl through the mud. The Blu also includes the extras that were part of the 2009 release: 20 minutes of deleted and extended scenes; “Deeds Not Words,” a roundtable discussion with Lee, McBride, and a number of black veterans or WWII; and “The Buffalo Soldier Experience”, a short feature about the history of black soldiers.

The Spike Lee Joint Collection Volume 2 is worth a purchase as it well-illustrates the diversity and range of Spike Lee as a filmmaker.

Adrien Brody in ‘The Courier’

It has been set Adrian Brody will star as the leading man in the movie ‘The Courier’. In the process they have already named the director of this film which is Russell Mulcahy. He will be directing the movie offÃ‚ a script by Michael Brandt and Derek Haas.

The CourierÃ‚ centers on a daredevil courier who’s pursued across the country by corrupt cops and rival crime bosses when he has to deliver a briefcase to a notorious underworld figure who can’t be found.

This sounds great, and Adrian Brody always pulls his own in any movie that he is in. Ã‚ I am looking forward to hearing and seeing more of this movie.

Source: www.canmag.com

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