Posts Tagged ‘Ismael Cruz Cordova’

VERITY: 2 ½ STARS. “the equivalent of a summer beach read.”

SYNOPSIS: In “Verity,” a new psychological erotic thriller starring Anne Hathaway and Dakota Johnson, and now playing in theatres, the line between fiction and reality blurs as a ghostwriter uncovers secrets about a famous author. “There is no light where we’re going.” Says Verity (Anne Hathaway). “Darkness ahead.”

CAST: Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, Josh Hartnett, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Alex Cooper. Directed by Michael Showalter.

REVIEW: Although released in the fall, “Verity” is the equivalent of a summer beach read.

Based on Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name, “Verity” sees Dakota Johnson as struggling writer Lowen Ashleigh. Broke and facing eviction, she is in bad need of a job.

The gig as a ghostwriter for Verity Crawford (Anne Hathaway), a bestselling author of thrillers who has been left immobilized and unresponsive after a terrible car accident, offers Lowen the chance to start anew at the author’s isolated Vermont estate.

At the house while sorting through Verity’s notes, Lowen uncovers what she thinks is an autobiography. The manuscript, however, is more than a straightforward look at Verity’s life. On the pages, in stark black and white, are what appear to be intimate details to the author’s culpability in her family’s tragedies. “A writer’s words should be honest and bloody and a little bit terrifying.”

In a quest for the truth, Lowen is drawn into a world of obsession where real life and fiction are tangled.

“Verity” breathes the same suburban Gothic air as “The Housemaid,” but has none of the delirious spirit that made the Amanda Seyfried/Sydney Sweeney movie a silly and steamy crowd pleaser.

There are twists and turns aplenty, but very few shocks in this talky, deliberately paced movie. Like Daphne du Maurier on quaaludes, it plods through the story of truth vs. fiction as though the set was filled with molasses. Fans of the novel may enjoy seeing Hoover’s famous “headboard sex scene” brought to life, (VERY MILD SPOILER AHEAD) but the core notion that a compelling narrative trumps facts feels forced and, by the time we get to it, morally ambiguous.

Of the top line cast only Hathaway dives in, providing a darkly theatrical turn. Seen mostly in flashbacks, she’s mean and menacing with a touch of camp.

When she is on screen, mouth bloodied after biting her lover or happily unplugging her children’s baby monitors, “Verity” comes alive, only then to be deadened by the surrounding turgid storytelling.

THE PICKUP: 2 STARS. “promises fireworks, but delivers a dud.”

SYNOPSIS: In “The Pickup,” a new action comedy now streaming on Prime Video, Eddie Murphy and Pete Davidson play odd couple armored truck drivers drawn into a scheme by cunning thief Zoe (Keke Palmer). “You two are going to help me steal 60 million dollars from the casino,” she says.

CAST: Eddie Murphy, Keke Palmer, Pete Davidson, Eva Longoria, Ismael Cruz Cordova, Jack Kesy, Andrew Dice Clay, Marshawn Lynch. Directed by Tim Story.

REVIEW: Given the talent involved, the most surprising thing about “The Pickup” is how excruciatingly unsurprising it is. Not even its three, very appealing above-the-title stars can rescue this 1980s inspired tepid action comedy.

To be precise, it’s more action than comedy, although there is a golden “Neutron Bomb” needle drop.

Murphy, who can usually wring laughs out of even the most banal of material (I’m looking at you “Candy Cane Lane”) but here it’s as if he’s sleepwalking. He’s playing the older, seasoned armored truck driver to Davidson’s inexperienced wildcard—Murphy’s Russell has twenty-five years on the job whereas Davidson’s Travis only took a fifteen-hour on-line course—but while Murphy’s serious, deadpan delivery supplies the odd laugh, his usual charm is hidden under a bushel.

Davidson riffs on his public persona. Vulnerable but scrappy, he plays Travis as an underdog whose reach exceeds his grasp. He’s a gullible dreamer, a screw-up, and (conveniently) a math whiz who can do complex equations in his head. Davidson’s awkward charm goes a long way, but the character is more goofy than funny.

Palmer fares better, creating a baddie you actually root for.

By the time the end credits roll, “The Pickup” reveals itself to be less than the sum of its parts. All three leads are charismatic, and promise fireworks, but deliver a dud.