DOLITTLE
Rated: PG
Release Date: January 17, 2020
Director: Stephen Gaghan
Stars: Robert Downey Jr., Antonio Banderas, Harry Collett, Carmel Laniado
Plot: A doctor that can talk to animals goes on a dangerous journey to save the Queen
Oh, Universal Studios, what have you done? Not even a month ago you gave us all hairballs and forced naps when you released CATS. Now we have to play guess-the-country-where-Dolittle-grew-up because his accent changes literally in every scene, and we have to try and remember who is who because you thought it was a great idea for Dolittle to have 10 talking animals go on the adventure with him. (Plus two kids).
Alas, it seems as though this movie was doomed from the start. It was plagued with rewrites, re-shoots, redraws, and missed release dates. In fact, this movie is now well over two years in the making. Not to mention that there were director issues as well. Rumors are that another director was called in to do the re-shoots.
Watching this feels like you are watching one of those kindergarten plays where all of the kids stand in a line then one by one they step forward, deliver their line, and step back. There are so many scenes where there are 6 or 7 characters with lines that it is impossible for the movie to have any sort of balance, chemistry, or character depth.
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BLOODSHOT
Rated: PG-13
Release Date: March 13, 2020
Director: Dave Wilson
Stars: Vin Diesel, Eiza Gonzalez, Guy Pearce
Plot: A tech firm brings a soldier back to life, but the person responsible for the scientific breakthrough has alternative plans
This is exactly what you think it is. It is a comic book turned action flick that doesn’t bother with things like character development or worry about massive plot holes. The whole premise of the movie is so far-fetched that you can easily suspend disbelief and just roll with it.
If you are into action flicks, this is a perfect film for you. It has all of the gadgets and explosions you could ever want. It even has all of the cheesy one-liners.
There isn’t anything great about this movie, but there isn’t anything terrible either. It’s fun, it’s exciting, and it is an escape from reality. What more could we all want right now?
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ONWARD
Rated: PG
Release Date: March 6, 2020
Director: Dan Scanlon
Stars: Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Octavia Spencer
Plot: Two brothers go on a quest to bring back their dad for one last day together
Disney/Pixar has an uncanny talent at taking very heavy subject matter and turning into an animated feature that is entertaining for the whole family and still stays true to the emotional depth of the circumstance the hero is in. Films like UP and INSIDE OUT are perfect examples of how they can take what seems to be an impossible task and make it work well.
Now, we can add ONWARD to that list.
My only negative comment about this movie is that it starts off a bit slow. However, after the first 15 or 20 minutes it hits its stride and becomes a fantastic film that the whole family can enjoy. The rest of the film is fun, funny, quirky, heartwarming, and exciting. It’s filled with great physical comedy, adventure, fascinating characters and unique world building.
One of the best things about this movie is the twist. It is one that you’ll never see coming, but it plays perfectly to the audience.
If you are looking for a fun day with the family, ONWARD should be on your short list of things to do.
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THE INVISIBLE MAN
Rated: R
Release Date: February 28, 2020
Director: Leigh Whannell
Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Aldis Hodge, Storm Reid, Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Plot: A woman tries to convince everyone that her abusive, ex-boyfriend is invisible and attacking her
There is a huge debate in the monster movie geekdom over whether this movie is a new reboot of Universal’s Dark Universe, if it is a continuation of the Dark Universe, or if the Dark Universe is dead and this is just another monster movie put out there by Universal Studios with no affiliation to any of their other monster movies.
They can have that argument all day long. What I know to be true is that this is the first of the four monster movies, (THE WOLFMAN, DRACULA UNTOLD, THE MUMMY, and THE INVISIBLE MAN), that is actually good.
This film is filled with high suspense, a compelling story, great acting, and good pacing. The first 10 minutes will have you on the edge of your seat and having to remind yourself to breathe. And the suspense builds from there.
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EMMA
Rated: PG-13
Release Date: February 21, 2020
Director: Autumn de Wilde
Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Johnny Flynn, Bill Nighy, Mia Goth
Plot: A wealthy, young woman spends much of her time playing match-maker, while trying to avoid those that would want to marry her
Fans of Jane Austen will know that this film is based on one of the first romantic comedies to ever be written in book form. It helped to lay the groundwork for the tried and true Rom-Com formula we see in so many films, shows, and books today. By that account alone this is a film worth seeing.
This adaptation of the 1815 novel stays true to the original text in most cases. This is both a positive and a negative for the film and the audience. For those of you excited to see Jane Austen’s words and characters come to life, your wish has been fulfilled. For those of you wanting to see a funny, fast-paced Rom-Com, you will be left wanting more.
That does not mean that this is a bad film. To the contrary, it is quite good. It is however, a comedy set in the 1800’s that plays like it is still in the 1800’s, so the conflict and the situations are very tame compared to our lives 200 years later. The same can be said as to how humor has changed in the last two centuries as well. I’m sure the writing was significantly funnier back then than it is today.
The acting is fantastic, including one of the best performances of her career by Anya Taylor-Joy. She commands the screen and the set with simple looks and gestures. Then as the secondary characters are layered into the story, we are blessed with a perfect cast for this film.
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THE HUNT
Rated: R
Release Date: March 13, 2020
Director: Craig Zobel
Stars: Betty Gilpin, Hilary Swank, Ike Barinholtz
Plot: A group of rich liberals kidnap and hunt conservatives for sport
If you are the kind of person that goes to movies for the gratuitous violence and prefer your plots to be paper thin, this movie is your Magnum Opus. Literally, there is no plot to this movie for at least the first 45 minutes and maybe even longer. All that happens in the first half is violent, bloody death after gory death.
When we finally do get some sort of semblance of a plot it feels like the entire idea and script were thought up and written out over a three-beer lunch between two college buddies. It’s basically death, death, death, oh, here’s a really flimsy reason why, death, death, big fight scene, death, the end.
I’m sure that on some level this is supposed to be a really smart, satire regarding our current political environment, but the reality is that it completely misses in both being smart and a satire. It is nothing more that a bloody romp through a forest.
On a base level this is fun and sometimes funny, but overall it’s just too pointless and dumb to be worth a recommendation.
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THE CURRENT WAR: DIRECTOR’S CUT
Rated: PG-13
Release Date: October 25, 2019
Director: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Nicholas Hoult, Michael Shannon, Tom Holland
Plot: The story of the battle between the men that wanted to bring electricity to the modern world
Clint Says: Wait for the digital release
I’ve been excited about this movie for well over two years now. In fact, this film was marketed and scheduled for release near the end of 2017, but it was under a studio whose president got himself in a lot of trouble and eventually was kicked out of Hollywood. Finally, after two years, and I’m sure a lot of legal battles, we get to see this film.
When you put the likes of Cumberbatch, Shannon, Holland, and Hoult in the same movie you know that the acting is going to be superb. And it is. I only wish the script had been a little better to match their acting abilities. I’m sure it can’t be easy to make an exciting movie about powering cities with electricity, but it feels like they could have done a bit more to make it somewhat more thrilling.
Because of the lack of excitement, the film feels like it drags along in some places. It does have moments of action and entertainment, but not enough to keep the movie moving forward.
That said, the story is quite compelling if you are a history buff. There is a lot happening in the story that lets you know the high stakes game that was being played by a few wealthy geniuses.
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For a list of digital releases over the last few months
click here
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