Fast reviews for busy people! Watch as I review three movies in less time than it takes to make the bed! Have a look as I race against the clock to tell you about the absurd gravitas of “The Naked Gun,” the body horror rom com “Together” and the stylish kid’s flick “The Bad Guys 2.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I join CTV Atlantic anchor Todd Battis to talk about the absurd gravitas of “The Naked Gun,” the body horror rom com “Together” and the stylish kid’s flick “The Bad Guys 2.”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I joined CTV NewsChannel anchor Roger Peterson to have a look at new movies coming to theatres, including the stylish cartoon action of “The Bad Guys,” the absurd gravitas of “The Naked Gun”
Watch the whole thing HERE!
I sit in on the CFRA Ottawa morning show with guest host Andrew Pinsent to talk about the new movies coming to theatres including the stylish cartoon action of “The Bad Guys,” the absurd gravitas of “The Naked Gun” and the body horror rom com “Together.”
Listen to the whole thing HERE!
SYNOPSIS: “The Bad Guys 2,” the animated sequel to the 2022 hit “The Bad Guys,” reunites the above-the-title stars, Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Awkwafina in a story about trying to do the right thing. “Things sure have changed,” says Bad Guys leader Mr. Wolf. “Not everyone believes it, but the Bad Guys went good.”
CAST: Sam Rockwell, Marc Maron, Craig Robinson, Anthony Ramos, Awkwafina, Zazie Beetz, Richard Ayoade, Lilly Singh, Alex Borstein, Danielle Brooks, Maria Bakalova, Natasha Lyonne. Directed by Pierre Perifel.
REVIEW: Based on the children’s book series “The Bad Guys” by Australian author Aaron Blabey, “The Bad Guys 2” the titular naughty characters, ringleader Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), safecracker Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), hacker Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), master of disguise Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson) and the gang’s short-tempered “muscle” Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos), have gone straight.
Or at least they’re trying to.
Framed for a series of robberies they didn’t commit, they’re kidnapped by the Bad Girls, a band of baddies led by a devious snow leopard named Kitty Kat (Danielle Brooks), who blackmail them into one last heist. “Life is like is like a car chase,” says Mr. Wolf ((Sam Rockwell). “There will be bumps along the way.”
Like a riff on “Oceans 11” but for kids and with an outer space component, “The Bad Guys 2” has a groovy soundtrack that mostly sounds like it escaped from a mid-Sixties Matt Helm movie, stylish animation and the quick pacing of a kid’s adventure movie.
“It’s not the action, it’s the distraction,” says Mr. Wolf about the movie’s elaborate cons, but he may well have been speaking about the movie. There are big action sequences sprinkled throughout “The Bad Guys 2” but that is just the distraction from the clever character work from the voice cast.
Sam Rockwell voices Mr. Wolf with an appealing George Clooney swagger, so much so I’m surprised George isn’t asking for residuals, and the rest of the cast keeps up, delivering fun and funny characters that round out the cast. MVP Awards belong to Marc Maron for his lovestruck delivery of Mr. Snake and Richard Ayoade as the diabolical Professor Rupert Marmalade IV.
Unlike “Jason X,” the tenth installment of the Friday the 13th series which was buried by a trip to outer space, “The Bad Guys 2,” and (NO SPOILERS HERE) their trip to the cosmos plays pretty well although it goes on a bit too long, dragging out the film’s finale, without the sharp writing of everything that came before it.
Still, it’s a funny movie for the whole family about doing the right thing, even if it isn’t the easiest option, that has entertainment value for all ages.
SYNOPSIS: In “Twisters,” a stand-alone sequel to the 1996 disaster film “Twister,” Daisy Edgar-Jones plays Kate Cooper, a meteorologist and weather whisperer who retired to the comfort of an office job following a tragic encounter with a tornado in her home state of Oklahoma. Drawn back into the world of storm chasing by the opportunity to test a groundbreaking new tornado tracking system, she returns to the field. “The worse the weather,” says her mother (Maura Tierney), “the happier the girl.” As central Oklahoma is beset by the worst tornado season in years, Kate finds herself torn between an old colleague (Anthony Ramos), a famous social media storm chaser (Glen Powell) and a shady developer (David Born).
CAST: Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, and Sasha Lane. Directed by Lee Isaac Chung.
REVIEW: The new movie falls somewhere between remake and sequel of the 1996 film, but those expecting a flying cow may be disappointed. The signature image from the original is nowhere to be found, but fans of airborne objects will still find much to enjoy. “Sometimes the old ways are the best ways,” says Tyler (Powell).
Director Lee Isaac Chung captures the adrenaline of storm chasing in frenetic scenes that place the characters in the middle of violent, swirling wind maelstroms. The intensity of those scenes, however, is matched only by the passionate tornado talk. Kate and Tyler enjoy a good weather-related chin wag (although there is no mention of climate change here), but the meteorologicalese tends to slow down the film’s forward momentum.
In other words, when the titular tornados are in motion, the movie is exciting. When they’re being talked about, less so.
The people doing most of the talking, Powell, Edgar-Jones and Ramos, aren’t just props with wind-blown hair. Each are given an obstacle to overcome, whether it is the weight of first impressions, the impact of trauma or the guilt that comes with selling out one’s principles. The character arcs, like Powell’s shift from reckless cowboy to cowboy scientist, a charismatic turn that gives the tornados a run for the movie’s best special effect, gives “Twisters” the opportunity for meaningful exchanges between the characters.
It’s also the rare action/disaster flick, that values brains over brawn in almost every sticky situation the characters find themselves in.
For all the character work, “Twisters” misses an opportunity with the expected, and more than hinted at, romance between Kate and Tyler. As it is their attraction that has all the heat of an Oklahoma winter’s night.
“Twisters” may not have the consistent, blustery excitement of the original, but it does deliver satisfying wet ‘n wild summer blockbuster action.
Despite the title, “Dumb Money,” a new ripped-from-the-headlines dramedy starring Paul Dano, now playing in theatres, is a smart take on how an on-line investment blogger led the French Revolution of Wall Street.
Dano is Keith Gill. By day he’s a financial trader, at night he’s Roaring Kitty, host of a quirky on-line show broadcast from his Brockton, Massachusetts basement. Wearing tie-dyed cat t-shirts, topped with a red headband, he offers up stock advice for a tiny audience, who respond with torrents of abuse. In early 2021 he makes waves when he goes all in, sinking his life’s savings, into an unorthodox hunch.
“Yo! What up everybody,” he says on the show. “Roaring Kitty here. I’m going to pick a stock and talk about why I think it is interesting, and that stock is GameStop.”
Wall Street hedge funders had been short selling the video game retailer’s stock, hoping to profit if the stock fails, but Gill thinks the stock is undervalued, that there is life left in the company. His passion for the GameStop slowly wins over his handful of viewers, who snap up the cheap stock. As more and more people buy, the stock rises, and soon rockets to upwards of $500 a share.
The ”retail traders,” the students and restaurant workers who take Roaring Kitty’s advice, get rich while the billionaire hedge funders, in particular Gabe Plotkin (Seth Rogen) of Melvin Capital, begin to lose money, to the tune of $1 billion a day.
Roaring Kitty becomes an internet sensation, an underdog David against Wall Street’s Goliath.
“A lot of people feel the system is broken,” he says. “The whole idea of the stock market is if you’re smart, and maybe with a little luck, you can make your fortune. Certainly not anymore. There’s no hope for the little guy. But maybe now there is.”
As the stock soars, the mainstream media takes notice, as does the White House and Congress.
“You got the rich dudes pissing their pants,” says Keith’s brother Kevin (Pete Davidson). “They’re coming after you.”
Once you get past the dense financial jargon about short selling, etc, “Dumb Money” is a fist-in-the-air crowd pleaser. It’s a very specific story, based on true events, but there is a Frank Capra-esque quality to the account of outsiders giving the middle finger to power, and, for the most part, winning.
Dano is nicely cast as Gill, an outside who, as an agent of chaos, briefly fought against a rigged system and emerged victorious. In addition to bearing a remarkable resemblance to the real Gill, Dano brings forth the resolute nature of the character, a man who valued the power of the class movement he started more than the dollars that accumulated in his portfolio.
Stealing scenes is Davidson as Keith’s wild card younger brother Kevin. He is as brash as Keith is reserved, as impulsive as his brother is methodical, and provides a blast of energy every time he’s one screen.
“Dumb Money” doesn’t get too bogged down by the financial verbiage, although it may be worth a trip to the “short sell” Wikipedia page before buying a ticket. It’s a rousing, high energy story of leveling the playing field that captures the spirit of the time.
“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” the globe-trotting seventh installment in the “Transformers” live-action film series, is both a sequel and a prequel. Set in 1994, it wedges the story between the events of “Bumblebee,” set in 1987, and “Transformers,” which takes place in 2007.
Primarily based on Hasbro’s “Beast Wars” storyline, it reboots the franchise with a new cast and a new tribe of Transformers.
The story begins as Noah (Anthony Ramos), an unemployed Brooklyn-based electronics expert, desperate for cash to help his ailing little brother, steals a silver-blue Porsche 964 Carrera RS 3.8. What he doesn’t realize is that the car is actually a rebellious Autobot named Mirage (voice of Pete Davidson) with the ability turn invisible and create illusions.
Meanwhile, while working at a museum on Ellis Island, artifact researcher Elena (Dominique Fishback) discovers a bird sculpture with unusual markings and the symbol of the Maximals, the mostly peaceful descendants of the Autobots. More fuel-efficient than their ancestors, with a cry of “Maximals, MAXIMIZE,” they transform into animals like a western lowland gorilla (Ron Perlman), a peregrine falcon (Michelle Yeoh), a white rhinoceros (David Sobolov) or a cheetah (Tongayi Chirisa).
Inadvertently engaging a key for interdimensional space travel, Elena attracts the attention of the heroic Optimus Prime (voice of Peter Cullen), the Maximals, the dark, planet-destroying god Unicron (Colman Domingo) and an evil subgroup of the Decepticons called the Terrorcons.
“Once I have this key,” snarls Unicron, “I alone will reign supreme.”
If the planet is to be saved, the Autobots, Maximals, Noah and Elena must join forces, travel to a remote village in Peru and secure the all-powerful key. “This is about the fate of all living things,” says Optimus Primal (Perlman).
“Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” delivers what fans expect from the franchise. The transformations from car-to-character are cool, the action scenes deliver the expected heavy metal punch, Optimus Prime is as stentorian as ever and the Maximals are underused, but pretty cool.
Director Steve Caple Jr. also adds in an appealing human element with the addition of Ramos and Fishback, and even the alien robots are imbued with a bit more soul—and in Mirage’s case, more personality—than usual.
It’s a shame then, that the simple story isn’t more interesting. The individual elements work well, in some cases better than in Michael Bay’s franchise instalments, but we’ve seen too many end-of-the-world scenarios in recent years. It may be Armageddon time, but familiarity breeds, well, maybe not contempt, but complacency. The stakes just don’t seem all that high because they’re hung on a predictable story with a generic superhero premise.
Having said all that, “Transformers: Rise of the Beasts” is a good time at the movies. Sure, it could use a little more air in the tires in the mid-section and there is way too much exposition as we reach the end game, but it delivers what matters to fans: rock ‘em, sock ‘em robot action writ large.
“We may be bad,” says Wolf, in “The Bad Guys,” a new DreamWorks animated heist flick now playing in theatres, “but we are so good at it.”
Wolf, voiced by Sam Rockwell, leads a criminal organization of anthropomorphic animals, safecracker Snake (Marc Maron), master of disguise Shark (Craig Robinson), an apex predator of a thousand faces, Piranha (Anthony Ramos), a loose cannon with a short fuse and eight-legged tech wizard Tarantula (Awkwafina), who use their frightening reputations to strike fear into the hearts of their victims.
“Do I wish people didn’t see us as monsters?” asks Wolf. “Sure I do, but these are the cards we were dealt so we might as well play them.”
The gang is riding after a particularly daring bank robbery, but the wind is taken out of their sails when Governor Diane Foxington (Zazie Beetz) shames them during a press conference, calling them second rate hacks, driven by anger, not intelligence. “They have all the classic signs of a crew in decline,” she says.
Her televised insults push the Bad Guys to plan the ultimate heist, the theft of The Golden Dolfin, a priceless award given to philanthropists and do-gooders. This year it will be awarded to Professor Marmalade (Richard Ayoade), a hamster with a heart of gold.
When their heist goes sideways, the Professor Marmalade, from the goodness of his heart, makes a deal with the Bad Guys and the Governor. He will teach the reprobates to use the skills they developed being bad, to be good.
“Being good,” he says, “just feels so good and when you are good, you are loved.”
Question is, can these bad guys be rehabilitated, or is it time to take the “walking garbage” to the trash and lock them up forever?
Based on the New York Times best-selling graphic novel series by Australian author Aaron Blabey, “The Bad Guys” is kind of like “Ocean’s 11,” but for kids. The emotional undercurrents that Pixar weaves into their movies are missing, replaced with a snappy, stylish story that is more swagger than substance. The movie’s singular message—don’t judge a book by its cover—is a good one for kids, but it is hammered home with the subtly of a Don Rickles one liner. It’s a movie about not accepting stereotypes, that is ripe with stereotypes.
The animation is stylish, but not as sophisticated as we’ve come to expect from big screen offerings like this. Wolf’s fur is rudimentarily rendered and the overall look doesn’t have the zip of Pixar or other computer-generated films.
Having said all that, “The Bad Guys” succeeds through sheer strength of the characters and the humor in Etan Cohen and Hilary Winston’s witty script. There are silly characters kids will get a kick out of, like the flatulent piranha, coupled with jokes parents will appreciate.
Despite its shortcomings, in the end, “The Bad Guys” does good for the audience.
