I’m always excited about the opening of a new Jason Statham action flick. A WORKING MAN is directed by David Ayer, who had just collaborated with Jason on last year’s excellent BEEKEEPER thrill-fest. It’s co-written by Sylvester Stallone, who (to my surprise) has 44 feature screenplay credits under his Rocky Balboa title belt, mostly for films he starred in. Them ain’t been none too high on brain fodder, but they reliably delivered the desired level of adrenaline boosting.
In this one, Statham plays a former super-soldier running a construction crew for a cozy family business owned by Joe Garcia (Michael Pena), assisted by his collegian daughter Jenny (Arianna Rivas). When Jenny is snatched from a nightclub for unknown nefarious reasons, Jason has to kick-start his old particular set of skills to rescue the lass.
What follows is the accustomed path of working his way up the criminal food chain to save the girl while wiping out a slew of evildoers along the way. This entails deployment of feet, fists, some big knives, a helluva lotta guns, two grenades and a bomb. Unfortunately, the bomb isn’t IN the script. It IS the script.
For all the rounds of ammo fired, the bullets leave fewer holes than the plot. The details are too aggravating to enumerate. If you see this turkey anyway, take a note pad to keep track of them for some fun. Or wait for the streaming release, gather some pals and make it a drinking game. Down a shot every time something doesn’t make sense. No one will be able to drive home safely.
The action sequences were terrific in BEEKEEPER. But this one isn’t nearly as Statham-y as that was. Too much shooting, without his usual screen time of masterful hand-to-hand. Even worse, the choppy edits and dark settings made those clashes less exciting than one should expect from Ayers and Statham.
A couple of possible explanations come to mind. Perhaps Jason was ill or injured and they couldn’t find a stunt double who could adequately match his looks and moves. Or maybe the lighting crew went on strike, and they had to film without enough illumination. The sound was no bargain, either. Much of the dialog was hard to understand because of mumbling or background noises. That may have been a blessing, because the stuff one could hear wasn’t very engaging.
The structure of the story and the makeup of the eponymous hero were pure Statham – the elements that have made him a long-running star, thriving ever since his trio of TRANSPORTER flicks. But the execution here lets him and his fans down. Badly.
A WORKING MAN opens in theaters on Friday, Mar. 28.
Generally, sports films aren’t for me but UNSTOPPABLE is an exception, because this remarkable true story is more that an inspiring sport film but also a true story of human character, strength and determination, and even love and family. It is more than it seems at first. The true story of champion wrestler Anthony Robles, born with only one leg but with an unstoppable drive to succeed in the sport he loves, is inspiring but so is the personal story that goes with it. Robles faced a lot of challenges from the start but had one stroke of really good luck of having a supportive, loving parent in his teenaged mother. Actually, UNSTOPPABLE is not really about sports (although it does have impressive wrestling scenes), but about human courage and drive, and well, heart.
Anthony Robles faces challenges beyond just having been born with one leg, and dealing with the obstacles that creates for his athletic dreams. Anthony and his mother, and all his younger siblings form a loving Latino family but they barely scrapping by financially and things are made more precarious and complex by his mother’s unreliable, bossy husband.
The film tells two emotionally powerful true stories, the sports one and the family one, in parallel, creating a uniquely uplifting and universal human story, both inspiring in its refusal to quit and its capacity for love. UNSTOPPABLE sports an impressive cast, with Jharrel Jerome as Robles, supported by Jennifer Lopez, Don Cheadle, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Pena, and even the real Anthony Robles in wrestling scenes that blend him and the young actor playing him, in an startlingly effective FX.
The film shows Anthony Robles as more than a remarkable athlete but a person of remarkable inner strength, character, and kindness, while still being a fearsome fighter on the wrestling mat. It is inspiring but all done without a false note or sentimentality.
Jharrel Jerome plays Anthony Robles who we meet as a high schooler, a star wrestler with dreams of college, and the oldest child in a large Hispanic family that is barely scraping by financially. Jennifer Lopez plays his mother Judy, the rock holding the family together. Judy had Anthony when she was only 16 and mother and son are exceptionally close, and in many ways, Anthony is her rock as well as the source of her hopes. Bobby Cannavale plays Judy’s husband Rick, Antony’s stepdad and the father of his younger siblings. While Rick can be fun and entertaining, he can also be demanding and critical, particularly towards Anthony. The younger kids all look up to Anthony, and depend on him and their mother, while their loud-mouthed dad bosses everyone around. Worse, Rick likes to drink, is unreliable and has trouble holding a job, putting even more on Judy. Things don’t get better as the story unfolds.
Anthony dreams of becoming a NCAA champ but he is turned down by his first choice college, University of Iowa, which is widely considered to have the best wrestling program in the country. The coach quickly dismisses Anthony from consideration, feeling he is too big a gamble for a program already on top. His other top-pick colleges also pass him over. Although Drexel offers him a scholarship, he decides to go to Arizona State University, so he can stay home and help his mom. When he later goes to the mat against a top-seeded wrestler from University of Iowa, it’s time for some pay back.
The two threads of Anthony’s life are told in tandem, sometimes seems to mirror each other, but it is like two stories, with Anthony often the only connection. While UNSTOPPABLE has the usual basic outlines of any fact-based sports story, the personal one that is told long side it gives it an extra depth, and human connection.
The excellent wrestling scenes deserve special mention, as the FX are impressive, even if you are not a wrestling fan (which I am not). The real Anthony Robles appears in the wrestling scenes, where the film uses camera work, special effects and editing to merge him with the young actor Jharrel Jerome. The effect is seamless and fascinating. Watching Robles turn the tables on opponents by wrestling on his own terms is quite something, and you get a real sense of why some opponents complained that having one less leg to grab was actually to Robles advantage, as wily, flexible Robles slips away from their grasp. The scenes are quite thrilling, and satisfying, to watch, after Robles faces such dismissive treatment by some coaches or opponents.
The cast is superb in both these story lines, as is the storytelling from Oscar-winning film editor-turned-director William Goldenberg. As Anthony, Jharrel Jerome is in nearly every scene, and worked hard to build up his upper body muscle mass, master Anthony’s Arizona accent, his smooth movements on the crutches Anthony used all his life and, importantly, his wrestling moves, so fans of the sport would feel they were watching the real thing. Jennifer Lopez is excellent as his mother Judy, a complex character who is more than just a support for her son, but someone with her own issues. While Bobby Cannavale could easily made Rick a one-note villain, he makes him a more complicated character, haunted in his own way but with misplaced anger taken out on the family.
Fortunately for Anthony, his high school coach Bobby Williams is more of a father figure. Michael Pena is a steady rock as the high school coach, who stays involved even after his young friend goes on to college. Don Cheadle, as always, is excellent as Arizona State wrestling coach Shawn Charles, coming across at first as a hard-nosed, even unfeeling, but gradually softening as he learns the depths of this young wrestler’s inner (and outer) strengths. Michael Pena is steady rock as Anthony’s high school coach who still has his young friend’s back as he goes on to college.
Unable to get a wrestling scholarship, Anthony also takes a job on top of everything else, as a cleaner at the airport, where he wins over everyone on the crew with is positive nature and work ethic.
What Anthony is doing as he pursues his wrestling dreams and what he copes with at home are both enormous challenges – and to have to juggle them at the same time, and successfully, is more than you would think anyone could do. Yet that show of strength and character is exactly why this is such a great true story. If you feel in need for a little break and uplift from depressing news, this well-made, true-story drama can be just the tonic.
UNSTOPPABLE debuts streaming on Prime Video on Thursday, Jan 16.
Now that most schools are back in session, who’s up for a history lesson? Okay, we had one a few weeks ago with the, still in theatres, OPPENHEIMER. And though it’s really well done, to be honest, it’s kind of a “downer” what with all the “atomic bomb stuff”. This new flick also deals with science, but it concerns the exploration of space, much like the surprise “crowd-pleaser” of 2016, HIDDEN FIGURES. Like that film, it concerns one member, rather than the mathematics trio, of a minority that is usually not the focus of these docudramas. Oh, and rather than the swinging sixties this story is much more recent, capping off in 2009. It’s really the story of a dreamer, a man who dares to imagine leaving Earth to travel A MILLION MILES AWAY.
It is the late 1960s when we meet the Hernandez family, who are leaving lots of friends, They’re loading up their sputtering car and heading to another job at another California locale. Such is the transient life of farmworkers. Eight-year-old Jose somehow excels in school, despite rising before dawn to join his parents and siblings in the fields. One of his teachers, the sympathetic Miss Young (Michelle Krusiec), notices his skills and pleads with his parents to let him finish the year in Stockton, to no avail. Despite the long working hours, Jose becomes obsessed with the Apollo 11 moon landing. His dream of reaching for the stars sticks with him through his school years and into his first “white collar” job as an engineer at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. oh, but his bosses underestimate him and the receptionist thinks that he’s the new janitor. This just makes Jose (Michael Pena) more determined. Each year he sends off an application to NASA and gets a curt rejection reply. Luckily, he’s more successful with his romance with a young woman at a used car lot, who had also worked in the fields, Adela (Rosa Salazar). But this is equally challenging thanks to her stern father and scary cousins, who don’t want her to “date”. Somehow the duo makes it to the altar and begins a family. After he begrudgingly shares his space dreams with her, she encourages him to work toward his goal. Jose volunteers for a big multi-nation project in Russia, making him now “tri-lingual”. Upon his return he takes flying and scuba diving lessons. With the next application, Jose delivers his form in person at the Johnson Space Center and hands it to Commander Frederick Sturckow (Garret Dillahunt). And it works, he’s in. Thus begins many months of tense and arduous training, challenging not only himself but also putting a considerable strain on his ever-expanding family.
Mind you, I was one of the few postive reviewers of the last Ant-Man flick, but I’ll admit that I sorely missed Mr. Pena as Scott’s motor-mouthed sidekick. I’m so glad he’s now carrying this story squarely on his more-than-capable shoulders. Certainly, Jose is an inspirational hero, but Pena gives him real humanity. Yes, we’re rooting for Jose as his peers roll their eyes, and we cheer when he’s later elevated to their supervisor. But then we see how his ambitions make his personal life take a “back seat”. Still, his hesitant romance is charming and his interactions with his folks and relatives have a real warmth. Oh, adding greatly to those romantic scenes is the chemistry with the engaging Ms. Salazar, almost making us forget her turn as the “battle angel” Alita. Her smile lights up the screen, even beneath the retro 90s hairstyles (layered, feathered, and frosted tips). And she’s more than a doting adoring cheerleader. In a pivotal scene, she conveys her anger and disappointment upon discovering her hubby’s stash of NASA rejections. Adela wants to be Jose’s partner in every sense while chiding him for his disinterest in her own culinary dreams. Dillahunt also dishes out some “tough love” as Jose’s stern taskmaster, knowing just how to deliver the right type of “nudge”. Kudos to Veronica Falcon and Julio Cesar Cedillo as Jose’s hardworking, nurturing parents who shine in the early sequences with the talented young Juan Pablo Monterrubio playing the daydreaming stargazing grade-school-aged Jose.
Director and co-writer (with Bettina Gilois and Hernan Jimenez) Alejandra Marquez Abella has crafted an entertaining biopic that tugs on the heartstrings without being precious or cloying and extolls the virtues of setting a goal and working to achieve it. We can almost feel the muscle aches and heat exhaustion in those scenes in the near-endless fields (lots of bandages on little fingers) while also making us feel as though we’re right next to Jose in the often frightening astronaut tests (how long can he hold his breathe wearing that heavy spacesuit). The decades are recreated well from the autos to the fashions (and those “rabbit-eared” TVs). The jump from grade school to lab engineer feels like a brisk jump, but perhaps it can be elaborated on in a second film (Jose’s foray into politics a decade ago would make for a great “part two”). The glories of space travel are there, but the dangers aren’t pushed aside. My only major problem with the film is that it’s not in theatres where this true tale of determination could make the most impact. So, if you can get access to this inspiring story, A MILLION MILES AWAY is more than worth the effort (especially for families).
3 Out of 4
A MILLION MILES AWAY streams exclusively on Amazon Prime beginning on Friday, September 15, 2023
It’s time to save your seats for the end of the world. MOONFALL tickets are now on sale!
To mark the opening date when the film falls into theaters & IMAX February 4, 2022, watch this new clip and featurette with filmmaker Roland Emmerich and stay tuned for Luka Kloser “One More Time” (from Moonfall) Official Music Video.
In this featurette Emmerich excitedly shows that MOONFALL is another opportunity to explore a genre at which he is considered a master. And his credo exemplifies what unites all his films: “I always want to give audiences things they haven’t seen before.”
In Moonfall, a mysterious force knocks the Moon from its orbit around Earth and sends it hurtling on a collision course with life as we know it. With mere weeks before impact and the world on the brink of annihilation, NASA executive and former astronaut Jo Fowler (Academy Award® winner Halle Berry) is convinced she has the key to saving us all – but only one astronaut from her past, Brian Harper (Patrick Wilson, “Midway”) and a conspiracy theorist K.C. Houseman (John Bradley, “Game of Thrones”) believes her. These unlikely heroes will mount an impossible last-ditch mission into space, leaving behind everyone they love, only to find out that our Moon is not what we think it is.
Directed by Roland Emmerich and written by Roland Emmerich & Harald Kloser & Spenser Cohen, the film also stars Michael Peña, Charlie Plummer, Kelly Yu, Eme Ikwuakor, Carolina Bartczak, and Donald Sutherland.
PG-13 for violence, disaster action, strong language, and some drug use.
Emmerich, along with frequent collaborator Harald Kloser and screenwriter Spenser Cohen, crafted a screenplay combining gripping science fiction elements, ever-destructive disaster scenarios, and fascinating and relatable characters.
Kloser, who also serves as a producer and composed the film’s score, notes how MOONFALL fits into Emmerich’s body of work. “We want to make people laugh and cry with our movies,” he explains. “It’s really cool for an audience to have that first little laugh early on, so they know it’s okay to have fun, too. That makes the characters’ journeys more exciting. It’s a genre that Roland invented with Independence Day.
“For this film,” Kloser continues, “we came up with the idea of the Moon changing orbit and it looks like it’s going to crash down on us, which is a completely overwhelming situation. But the human spirit won’t give up so quickly. There are always people who exceed their potential, and we like to tell stories about ordinary people in absolutely extraordinary situations.”
And listen to Luka Kloser – One More Time (from Moonfall) Official Music Video.
Director of Photography ROBBY BAUMGARTNER Production Designer KIRK M. PETRUCCELLI Edited by ADAM WOLFE, RYAN STEVENS HARRIS Original Music by THOMAS WANDER & HARALD KLOSER Costume Designer MARIO DAVIGNON Visual Effects Supervisor PETER G. TRAVERS Visual Effects Producer TRICIA MULGREW
Everyone knows someone who just can’t keep their face off of their phones. Well in this laugh-out-loud comedy, Adam Devine (Isn’t It Romantic, TV’s “Workaholics”) stars as a man who’s addiction goes off the rails! Jexi arrives on Digital December 24 and on Blu-ray™ (plus Digital), DVD, and On Demand January 14 from Lionsgate.
She had him at “Hello” in this outrageous comedy about an A.I. life coach becoming a tech nightmare when Jexi arrives on Digital December 24 and on Blu-ray™ (plus Digital), DVD, and On Demand January 14 from Lionsgate. Written and directed by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore (Bad Moms franchise, The Hangover franchise), Jexi features a hilarious all-star ensemble cast including Adam Devine, Alexandra Shipp, Ron Funches, Charlyne Yi, Primetime Emmy winner Wanda Sykes (1999, Outstanding Writing for a Variety or Music Program, “The Chris Rock Show”), Justin Hartley, with Michael Peña, and Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy nominee Rose Byrne as the voice of “Jexi” (Golden Globe: 2008/2010, Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, “Damages”; Emmy: 2009/2010, Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series, “Damages”). Jexi is produced by Primetime Emmy nominee Suzanne Todd, p.g.a., (1997/2000, Outstanding Made for Television Movie, “If These Walls Could Talk”/“If These Walls Could Talk 2”) and executive produced by Mark Kamine (Brad’s Status). The JexiBlu-ray and DVD will include brand-new making-of featurettes, including “Jexi: Making Life Better” and “Unboxing Jexi,” and will be available for the suggested retail price of $24.99 and $19.98, respectively.
To Phil (Adam Devine), a hot Saturday night is binge-watching reality shows and ordering takeout. Phil needs to get a life. What Phil gets is a new phone with an unexpected feature: Jexi (Rose Byrne), a badass A.I. life coach determined to make a man out of him. With Jexi’s help, Phil attracts his dream job, fun friends, and a beautiful girl. But when Phil grows less dependent on Jexi, she morphs into a tech nightmare determined to keep Phil all to herself in this star-studded comedy from the writers of The Hangover and Bad Moms.
BLU-RAY / DVD / DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURES
“Jexi: Making Life Better” Featurette
“Unboxing Jexi” Featurette
“Filming in Fog City” Featurette
“Tech Bros” Featurette
“Phone Fixation” Featurette
CAST Adam Devine Pitch Perfect, Isn’t It Romantic, “Workaholics” Alexandra Shipp X-Men: Apocalypse; Love, Simon; TV’s Shaft Ron Funches Trolls, Once Upon a Time in Venice, Get Hard Charlyne Yi This is 40, Knocked Up, Paper Hart Wanda Sykes TV’s “Black-ish,” “The Other Two,” “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Snatched Justin Hartley TV’s “This is Us,” “Smallville,” A Bad Moms Christmas, Little with Michael Peña Ant-Man franchise, A Wrinkle in Time, TV’s “Narcos: Mexico” and Rose Byrne Spy, Neighbors, Bridesmaids
Earlier this year on Superbowl Sunday, Netflix shocked viewers, and the press, with the latest film in the CLOVERFIELD universe with CLOVERFIELD PARADOX. The sci-fi movie was met with mixed reviews, but the surprise and how it was promoted during the Superbowl was very clever and inspired.
Watch a father’s nightmares unfold as the planet is invaded in Netflix’s new trailer for EXTINCTION, starring Michael Peña (END OF WATCH, ANT-MAN, THE MARTIAN) and Lizzy Caplan (Masters of Sex, NOW YOU SEE ME 2) and directed by Ben Young.
A working class father of the future faces recurring dreams of destruction by an unknown force. When his unwanted nightmares begin to affect his relationship with his family, he soon realizes they may be the key to a horrible reality, as a relentless alien attack begins to destroy the Earth.
As the invaders’ assault progresses, he is forced to find both the strength to protect his family and an understanding of who he truly is.
What better way is there to celebrate the big Fourth of July holiday weekend than taking a trip? Instead of schlepping your luggage to the airport or train station, just head on over to your favorite multiplex and grab your ticket for one last trip to the “Marvel Movie-verse”. Well the last one for 2018. The year’s barely halfway spent, and the third film’s release will have to tide fans over for eight months when CAPTAIN MARVEL makes her (that’s right) feature debut. Now in February we witnessed the wonders of Wakanda in BLACK PANTHER and in late April we were dazzled by the epic galactic fight to stop Thanos in AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR (really part one). After that massive movie event, perhaps it might be the time to go smaller. A whole lot smaller, in fact. Three years ago many film buffs (including myself, to be honest) were poised for Marvel Studios’ first box office dud. This flick showcased one of the earliest Marvel comic book heroes (a founding member of the Avengers), but over the years he had become a punchline (particularly in a famous SNL superhero party sketch from 1979). Plus there was turmoil behind the camera as the director who developed the film was ousted and replaced. And the lead was best known for “rom-coms” and as a lovable goofball in several “indie” flicks. Yet somehow ANT-MAN was a embraced by critics and film goers. He even returned a year later for the big airport battle in CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR. Now finally he’s back, and as teased in the first film’s mid-credits scene, he’s got a petite partner, as part of the titanic tiny team of ANT-MAN AND THE WASP.
First thing to know is that this adventure takes place before the evens of the big Infinity War. Now, as mentioned in that film, Scott Lang AKA Ant-Man and Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye both took plea deals for breaking the Sokovia Accords by helping Captain America (the guys are both fathers and didn’t want to be fugitives from the law and their families). So Scott (Paul Rudd) is back in San Francisco and under house arrest at the place he shares with old prison pal Luis (Michael Pena). There just a couple days left in his sentence, but nerdy FBI agent Jimmy Woo (Randall Park) continues to hover, even as Scott is visited by his adorable daughter Cassie (Abby Ryder Fortson) and his supportive ex-wife Maggie (Judy Greer) and her even more supportive new hubby (he loves Scott) Paxton (Bobby Cannavale). Scott keeps busy, mainly by being a consultant to the private security business he started with Luis and partners Dave (T.I.) and Kurt (David Dastmalchian). Still, he’s haunted by dreams and memories from his first outing as Ant-Man, especially his descent into the sub-atomic micro-universe known as the “Quantum Realm”. After one nightmare, in which he seems to be looking through the eyes of a mystery woman, Scott makes a risky call via “burner phone” to Henry “Hank” Pym (Michael Douglas) and Hope Van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), who are on the run for providing Scott with the tech and suit. Shortly after leaving a message, Scott blacks out after an insect bite and wakes up in the secret lab of Henry and Hope (they figured out a way to trick the FBI). Hank believes that Scott has a connection to his wife (and Hope’s mom) Janet (Michelle Pfeiffer), who was lost in the Realm decades ago. He’s convinced that she’s still alive and that they can track her down and bring her back . But the rescue window will soon close, so they must finish his new invention. They need equipment that can only be purchased from shady underground tech merchant Sonny Burch (Walton Goggins). But things go bad when Burch insists that he partner with the Pyms before he hands over the gizmo. Luckily Hope brought her tricked out Wasp suit complete with wings and blaster ‘stings”. Ah, but then things go from bad to much, much worse when Ava, AKA the mysterious Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen) materializes (literally) to snatch that tech. Thus begins a wild three-way battle and chase between the Ghost, Burch, and “Team Pym” to acquire the device before time runs out on Janet, and the FBI pounces on Scott as his “home/prison” sentence expires.
Of course, the film’s worth rests on whether audiences will root for Scott to triumph. With Rudd’s seemingly effortless charm, that’s not a concern. Once again, he’s the ultimate ‘every-guy”, a conman/clown with a heart of gold, dealing with science concepts “way above his pay grade”. Not cool like Tony Stark or stern and stoic like the “dark knight”, just a fella wanting to make up for lost time with his kid. His partner Hope (the Wasp) as played by Lilly is closer to the standard no-nonsense action hero. She puts up a sturdy emotional wall between herself and Scott (their budding romance from the first flick has long since “played out”), but she softens a touch as Lilly then shows us Hope’s “inner tot” as she nears the “mother and child reunion” she’s desired for decades. As for her papa, Douglas is still the gruff curmudgeon, but now he’s more of the hero (donning his own tech suit), a man on mission trying to save the love of his life. But Scott still gets under his skin, thinking that his union with Captain America to be a betrayal (“Ask me first, before running off with my stuff”). Their main adversary is more complex that most super-villains. John-Kamen is deadly and determined, but also tragic as her powers leave her in agony as they shorten her life, reminding us of Spider-Man’s sometimes sympathetic baddies like Dr. Octopus and the Sandman. And surprisingly she’s a bit sultry and seductive particularly in a scene in which she questions a captured Scott. Oh, and she’s got a past association with Pym, as does another new addition to the franchise, Laurence Fishburne as Dr. Bill Foster. He’s an academic who worked with (more like butted heads with) Pym in his old S.H.I.E.L.D. days. The two screen vets are terrific sparring partners as Fishburne exudes a smooth, icy, smart demeanor. Then there’s the third wheel of the “tech triangle” with Goggins as a pompous high-class fence who’s not nearly as suave as he believes he is (he aspires to be a Bond foe, but wouldn’t even stand a chance against Maxwell Smart).
It’s a G-G-Ghost!! The comic book version is on the right of the film’s villain
As for the returning supporting players and comic co-stars, Pena is still a scene-stealer as Scott’s motor-mouthed BFF. Pena wrings countless laughs by mangling old adages and, reprising a crowd-pleaser, as he recounts past events in his own distinctive vocal pattern. And T.I. is “too cool for the room” once more as the enigmatic hustler Dave. But Dastmalchian, with his Lugosi-like accent, has one of the funniest gags when he encounters the Ghost. After Scott describes her abilities, Kurt tells him that she is the living embodiment of the “boogyman” stories his Eastern European “grandmater” spooked him with as a boy. The moment when he sees Ava, his eyes widen as he says in a quiet gasp, “Baba-Jaga”, well it just had me rolling. Also hysterical is the talented Park as the socially awkward, “by the book” Woo, who thinks Scott is cool and struggles to hide it. He clashes with team Scott several times, as when Greer’s Maggie insists, “This is harrassment, you can’t do this”, as her police detective hubby Paxton, played with energy by Cannavale, meekly shakes his head, as if to say, “Yes honey, he can”. Fortson is endearing and cute, without being cloying or precious. The best addition to the growing franchise is the luminous, dynamic Ms. Pfeiffer as the nurturing Earth (or “micro-Earth”) mother. In recent years her screen appearances have been sporatic, so it’s great news that she’s now a part of the Marvel movies as Wasp 1.0.
Returning director Peyton Reed proves that his action storytelling skills in the first film were not a fluke. He’s had a knack for comedy, but he truly keeps “all the plates spinning” as the guide to this script penned by Rudd himself along with an expert quartet of writers. While the original outing balanced the basic superhero origin story with a sprightly OCEANS 11-style heist, they set their sights a bit higher aiming for a comic caper chase farce mixing elements of the first PINK PANTHER, HEAT, BULLITT (yes, they careen down that twisty SF street while constantly changing size), and (dare I say it) IT’S A MAD, MAD, MAD, MAD WORLD with its scrambling comic cast.. Plus Douglas’s Hank is inching more toward those wacky scientists from the classic 60’s Disney comedies (could Flubber be part of the formula for those perplexing Pym Particles) with his whimsical creations. And it’s refreshing that the planet, or the whole universe, isn’t hanging in the balance though the emotional stakes (we’re comin’ fer’ ya’, ma) are still pretty high (Pym’s gizmos could wreck havoc in the wrong hands). This flick’s often lighthearted tone may be the perfect antidote to what some media folks are calling “superhero fatigue”. Though often tiny in stature, ANT-MAN AND THE WASP tower above most of the big, noisy blockbusters crowding the multiplex. I guess charming entertainment can come in the smallest of packages.
The first few seconds shows the final battle of AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR on Wakanda. Bruce Banner (Mark Ruffalo) never turned into the Hulk during the climax of the film. Was this done only for the trailer or could it be sign of things to come in the next AVENGERS movie…maybe time travel as the team goes mano a mano with Thanos?
Where was Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly during INFINITY WAR?
Find out where Ant-Man and The Wasp were below.
From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes “Ant-Man and The Wasp,” a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrink.
In the aftermath of “Captain America: Civil War,” Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside The Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from the past.
“Ant-Man and The Wasp” is directed by Peyton Reed and stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Peña, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Tip “T.I.” Harris, David Dastmalchian, Hannah John-Kamen, Abby Ryder Fortson, Randall Park, with Michelle Pfeiffer, with Laurence Fishburne, and Michael Douglas.
Kevin Feige and Stephen Broussard are producing, with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Charles Newirth and Stan Lee serving as executive producers. Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers, Paul Rudd & Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari wrote the screenplay.
AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR had a global opening of $640.4 million, making it the highest global opening weekend of all time. The film also shattered domestic records, amassing $257.7 million over three days in the U.S. and Canada for the biggest-ever opening weekend.
Marvel Studios is back at it with this first trailer for ANT-MAN AND THE WASP. We can’t wait for this one!
From the Marvel Cinematic Universe comes “Ant Man and The Wasp,” a new chapter featuring heroes with the astonishing ability to shrink. In the aftermath of “Captain America: Civil War,” Scott Lang grapples with the consequences of his choices as both a Super Hero and a father. As he struggles to rebalance his home life with his responsibilities as Ant-Man, he’s confronted by Hope van Dyne and Dr. Hank Pym with an urgent new mission. Scott must once again put on the suit and learn to fight alongside The Wasp as the team works together to uncover secrets from the past.
With the record breaking box office for Marvel’s AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR, moviegoers wondered where Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly were during the epic film. Find out below.
“Ant-Man and The Wasp” is directed by Peyton Reed and stars Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Pena, Walton Goggins, Bobby Cannavale, Judy Greer, Tip “T.I.” Harris, David Dastmalchian, Hannah John-Kamen, Abby Ryder-Fortson, Randall Park, with Michelle Pfeiffer, with Laurence Fishburne, and Michael Douglas.
Kevin Feige is producing with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Stephen Broussard, Charles Newirth, and Stan Lee serving as executive producers. Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers, Paul Rudd & Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari wrote the screenplay.
“Ant-Man and The Wasp” hits U.S. theaters on July 6, 2018.
Less than a dozen weeks into the movie year of 2018, and a couple of flicks squarely aimed at the tots have scored some big box office bucks and surprisingly strong critical praise (that lil’ Paddington Bear, in his second feature adventure, is still at a whopping 100 percent at Rotten Tomatoes). So, the folks at the “mouse house” are eager to jump into the arena, though the smash BLACK PANTHER is from their Marvel Studios branch. Now, this new flick is from their Disney Pictures banner, not Pixar (recent Oscar winner COCO), or Disney Studios Animation (like the previous year’s winner ZOOTOPIA), or even Disney Nature with its “real life” animal extravaganzas. Now many of the Disney Pictures stamped films have been set in the world of sports like MCFARLAND USA (track and field) or QUEEN OF KATWE (chess) or have been big live-action versions of the classic animated features such as THE JUNGLE BOOK and last year’s megahit BEAUTY AND THE BEAST. And then there’s the Jack Sparrow PIRATES franchise (which may never sink). This time they’re adapting a much-beloved piece of children literature, hoping to repeat the box office bonanza from 2005’s first NARNIA outing. We’ll see if a new trilogy can be culled when Disney, along with a lauded film-maker and a true multi-media superstar, brings to life Madeleine L’Engle’s A WRINKLE IN TIME.
The tale’s main character is the brilliant teenager Meg Murry (Storm Reid), the daughter of equally brilliant parents Kate (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) and Alexander (Chris Pine). We first meet them as they prepare for the arrival of Meg’s kid brother Charles Wallace. Mr. and Mrs. Murry have been trying to convince the scientific community that long distance space travel can be accomplished, not with rockets and thrusters, but through the power of the mind to cause a jump, or wrinkle, in the vast distances. Years later, Alexander disappears without a trace, perhaps while proving his theory. Unfortunately this helps makes Meg and now six year-old Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe) outcasts at school, derided by fellow students and teachers alike. One evening, as Kate and Meg discuss the playground altercation that sent Meg to the principal’s office, Charles invites an eccentric adult into their home, a woman he calls Mrs. Whatsit (Reese Witherspoon). After making several odd statements she disappears. Soon afterward, Meg is befriended by a classmate, Calvin (Levi Miller), who finds her fascinating. Charles leads the two to another friend of his who lives in an old run-down house, the even stranger Mrs. Who (Mindy Kaling), a lady who only responds by reciting famous quotes. Soon the two women are joined by a third, the towering (she hasn’t adjusted her size), Mrs. Which (Oprah Winfrey), who tells the children that their father is alive. Their surroundings begin to simmer and quiver as if the fabric of their dimension is unraveling. The three kids, along with the magical trio, burst though their undulating world and arrive on the planet Uriel, a beautiful utopia. Mrs. Which explains that she used a device known as the “terreract” and “tesserd’ them to this place. But papa Murry is not here, rather he’s somewhere far from Uriel, a planet of darkness known as Camazotz. With the help of Mrs. Whatsit’s sometimes beau the Happy Medium (Zach Galifianakis). Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace will enter “the Darkness”, face down the “Red-Eyed Man” (Michael Pena), and try to locate their long-lost father.
This fantasy journey is firmly grounded by the compelling confident performance of Ms. Reid in her first (of many, no doubt) starring role. Particularly in the opening Earth sequences, she conveys the pain of being an outsider, yearning to fit in while knowing she may be destined for more than just popularity. The confusion at her new surroundings is all in her eyes and movements, along with her fear, then the hesitation giving way to determination. Later she experiences the first tugs of romance, stirred by Calvin played by Miller as a true “teen dream” right out of Tiger Beat Magazine (it’s still around, really). But all is not perfect, as we see his torments from his perfectionist pop. Plus he eagerly succumbs to the Darkness’s temptation, needing to be rescued by the level-headed Meg. McCabe, as the precocious “third wheel” kid brother has energy to spare, bouncing between obnoxious and endearing within seconds. The movie’s marketing department may be banking on the magical ladies played by some show biz heavy-hitters. Winfrey projects the right amount of gravitas, even as she hovers above at over thirty feet in her first scene (“The Amazing Colossal Oprah”, to borrow a “B” movie classic’s title). Later she provides much-needed plot points while being the stern mother (or the “Moe”) to her flighty sisters. Witherspoon is light, ethereal beauty as Whatsit, playful and odd, but never threatening (when she is lead into the Murry home). Kaling is dream-like, a delightfully dotty aunt as she runs along the fleeing flowers and uses bits of trivia for her dialogue. Galifianakis is a prickly, but endearing “drill sergeant”, putting Meg through her “paces” and trying to unleash her potential. Pena is an affable “genie-like” pixie, who reveals his true colors with frightening glee. Back at the homestead, Pine is a playful and passionate papa, who delights at his children as his peers reject his life’s work. And Mbatha-Raw is a nurturing matriarch, nearly overwhelmed at sole parental responsibilities while mourning the loss of her partner and soul mate. Solid support is provided by MOONLIGHT’s Andre Holland as Meg’s stern, but understanding principal and Rowan Blanchard as the school’s “queen B” who bullies others to hide her own insecurities.
Director Ava DuVernay leaps from the indie world of SELMA into this big budget film fable with a fairly steady hand after a somewhat rocky opening act. The Earth-bound sequences are marred by extended close-ups, making this widescreen epic feel like an old Perry Mason episode. Perhaps this is used to make the other planets seem more expansive, but the tightly framed scenes almost induce claustrophobia. We are given a visual “breather” once the quest begins, but the principle characters are posed and still, drinking in the CGI wonders along with the audience.The landscapes are lovely as are the bizarre creatures, the floating butterfly like flowers and a soaring dragon with leaf-like skin. The three “missuses” have looks that may work in book illustrations, but the intricate design make-up and billowy “tarp”-dresses become distracting and cumbersome (we wonder when one will get entangled and trip). The script becomes far too precious with the odd speech patterns of the mystical trio, and it often feels too preachy as Mrs. Which delivers many platitudes (ready-made for framing) and solemn life lessons (a bit of humor would be welcome). Some of the imagery is refreshingly dark (the demise of “Red” and the “Stepford” plastic suburbia are creepy), but there’s no great sense of danger (oh, for a cackling witch). Meg Murry’s is such a terrific role model for boys and girls, that it’s a shame that her first outing isn’t more exciting. The wee ones may enjoy seeing this “bedtime” tale come to life, but the sluggish pace may cause the older audience to wish they could “tesser” and make another crease to forward through A WRINKLE IN TIME.
