It’s a Battle with the Past in ‘Creed III’

March 2, 2023

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Majors v. Jordan: who do ya got? (CREDIT: : Eli Ade/© 2023 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures)

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Jonathan Majors, Tessa Thompson, Alex Henderson, Spence Moore II, Wood Harris, Florian Munteanu, Phylicia Rashad, Mila Davis-Kent

Director: Michael B. Jordan

Running Time: 116 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for The Violence of the Game

Release Date: March 3, 2022 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan, Alex Henderson in flashbacks) has hung up his gloves and turned his focus towards training other fighters. But we’re all savvy enough to know what’s coming next. Something’s always lurking around the corner to pull the hero back in. In this case, it’s a surprise from the past in the form of childhood friend Damian Anderson (Jonathan Majors, Spence Moore II in flashbacks), who was once a promising boxer himself before a lengthy prison stay on weapons charges. Despite his advanced age by boxing standards, Dame his sights set on the heavyweight title, and that unhinged ambition threatens to wreck the stability of Adonis’ personal and professional lives.

What Made an Impression?: Creed III marks Jordan’s directorial debut, and he certainly puts his visual stamp on the action within the ring. Slo-mos and zooms zip around the open space to emphasize every inch of pummeling these shirtless bodies endure. This movie absolutely does not shy away from the blood and bruises inherent to the subject matter. This isn’t a revolutionary take, but it is an effective one, and I found myself wincing more than I’d hoped to. And with that in mind, I couldn’t help but wonder if we as a species should just retire boxing once and for all. Now, I’m no expert on the sport’s modern rules and regulations, so maybe there are sufficient precautions to prevent any tragedies. But it’s still a fundamentally violent pursuit, and Creed III very much underscored that truth.

As for the relationship drama, it’s positively Shakespearean, and deployed with maximum operatic tumult. Dame is like a Falstaff cast out of the kingdom, but much more dangerous than that jolly royal companion. I was a little surprised by just how animalistic Majors allowed himself to be. At this point, Creed has established its own identity separate from its Rocky origin, and that was true even before Sylvester Stallone decided to sit this chapter out. Even so, Creed III has no interest in forgoing the standard training montage and climactic title bout. But when the storytelling instincts are so strong, and the actors are so unflinchingly committed, the power of the straightforward storytelling comes through.

Creed III is Recommended If You Like: Letters from prison, ASL conversations, Yet another training montage

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Title Matches

‘Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre’ is Impressively Confusing

March 1, 2023

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Which one’s Ruse? (CREDIT: Dan Smith/Lionsgate)

Starring: Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, Cary Elwes, Josh Hartnett, Hugh Grant, Eddie Marsan, Bugzy Malone, Peter Ferdinando

Director: Guy Ritchie

Running Time: 114 Minutes

Rating: R for Spies Being Spies

Release Date: March 3, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Would you watch a movie in which the motley crew of Jason Statham, Aubrey Plaza, and Cary Elwes team up together for some espionage? What if we also threw Josh Hartnett into the mix as one of the biggest movie stars in the world? And what if Hugh Grant played the billionaire arms dealer they have in their crosshairs? Well, that might all sound ridiculous, but it’s exactly what Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre has to offer. Will the plot make any sense, or will everyone be too stylish and quippy to even care about something like logic?

What Made an Impression?: I often find espionage movies difficult to parse, and I know I’m not the only one. In a way, that’s the nature of the genre.With all the subterfuge and double-crossings, these stories tend to be opaque by design. And Operation Fortune really takes the cake in that regard, because pretty much immediately I had no idea what was happening. Who are these spies? What country, if any, do they work for? What disaster are they trying to prevent? Does anything even matter?

That confusion isn’t necessarily a problem, especially if you have style and wit to spare, but it’s also nice to have a sense of something resembling a base reality. Instead, the Operation Fortune engine plows forward without letting us know its origin or destination. It’s so ill-defined that I was positively shocked when Guy Ritchie was revealed as the director during the credits. It certainly features some of his trademarks and regular players, but it also feels so out to sea that I could hardly believe that it was actually made by someone so familiar.

Anyway, even though I abandoned all hope of ever understanding what was happening, I at least held out hope that I might be entertained. That happened sporadically, with Plaza providing her trademark bitterly playful edge, which is a new flavor for Ritchie World. And at one point Cary Elwes says something that I’m pretty sure was meant as a subtle reference to The Princess Bride‘s poison cup scene. Other than that, everyone in the cast seemed to be enjoying themselves, while I was left out in the cold crying, “I wish I knew what was going on!”

Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre is Recommended If You Like: Hugh Grant being a total dirtbag

Grade: 2 out of 5 Hard Drives

jmunney’s Top Cinematic Choices for March 2023

March 1, 2023

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She’s back. (CREDIT: Paramount Pictures and Spyglass Media Group)

They keep making new movies, and some of them are even worth watching. Here’s what’s at the top of the slate for March 2023:

Creed III: Adonis Creed still has something to say with his fists. And this time Michael B. Jordan is Michael B. Making his directorial debut!

The bell dings for Creed III on March 3.

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Lead vs. Supporting Conundrums: 2022 Edition

February 27, 2023

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A Lead Actor and a Supporting Actor? Or 2 Lead Actors (CREDIT: Jonathan Hession/Courtesy of Searchlight Pictures. © 2022 20th Century Studios All Rights Reserved.)

Every awards season, there’s a bit of discussion revolving around certain movie performances that straddle the line between Lead and Supporting roles. Sometimes, actors are blatantly submitted in the wrong category, perhaps to avoid competition with a co-star, or because of perceived lack of competition with other movies. And other times, it’s not always easy to say for certain which category is the right one. So I’m here to offer my assessment! It’s a little late this year, seeing as the Oscar nominations have already been announced, but I still felt like chiming in.

(Feel free to chime in with your own takes on this topic if you have any.)

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Jeff’s Wacky SNL Review: Woody Harrelson/Jack White

February 26, 2023

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Five! Five-Timer SNL! (CREDIT: NBC/Screenshot)

Woo-hoo! This is Woody Harrelson’s fifth time hosting Saturday Night Live. His first was all the way back on November 18, 1989. And guess what? It’s also musical guest Jack White’s fifth time! (That does include his appearance with ex-wife Meg when the White Stripes were the MG back in October 2002.) So there’s really no other option for me besides reviewing the sketches of this episode with five (5) words each!

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That’s Auntertainment! Episode 51: Super Bowl Commercials

February 26, 2023

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You’re not you when you’re watching commercials when you’re hungry (CREDIT: Screenshot)

We interrupt your regularly scheduled That’s Auntertainment! programming for a commercial break. A super commercial break.

Also: some thoughts on recent news about Whose Line is it Anyway?

Entertainment To-Do List: Week of 2/24/23

February 24, 2023

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Are we rebooting FUN yet?! (CREDIT: STARZ/Screenshot)

Every week, I list all the upcoming (or recently released) movies, TV shows, albums, podcasts, etc. that I believe are worth checking out.

Movies
–Cocaine Bear (Theaters)
–Linoleum (Theaters) – Jim Gaffigan stars, and I know some of the producers.

TV
–Party Down Season 3 Premiere (February 24 on STARZ) – My favorite part of this show is when Scott Aukerman asks Adam Scott what his catchphrase is.
-Screen Actors Guild Awards (February 26 on Netflix’s YouTube Channel)
–The Mandalorian Season 3 Premiere (March 1 on Disney+)

Music
-Adam Lambert, High Drama
-Gorillaz, Cracker Island
-U.S. Girls, Bless This Mess

They Finally Made a Movie Out of the ‘Cocaine Bear’

February 23, 2023

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Cocaine Bear Gonna Cocaine Bear (CREDIT: Universal Studios)

Starring: Keri Russell, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Alden Ehrenreich, Ray Liotta, Christian Convery, Brooklynn Prince, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Margo Martindale, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Aaron Holliday, Kristofer Hivju

Director: Elizabeth Banks

Running Time: 95 Minutes

Rating: R for A Trail of Terrifyingly Bloody Drug-Fueled Destruction

Release Date: February 24, 2022 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: A bear did cocaine. A BEAR did cocaine! A bear did COCAINE! A bear DID cocaine!

A BEAR DID COCAINE!

This is a movie that certainly delivers on the premise of its title. After a botched bit of drug trafficking leaves a duffel bag full of cocaine unsupervised in a Georgia park, a black bear ingests mass quantities of the powder and proceeds to become supernaturally aggressive. A park ranger, some teenage miscreants, a single mom and her young daughter and her daughter’s friend, and a couple of hikers all get caught in the path of the rampage, while the guys who are on the hook for the stash go to extreme lengths to retrieve it. What could possibly go right?!

What Made an Impression?: After watching a film like Cocaine Bear, I find it helpful to paraphrase the classic movie-mocking show Mystery Science Theater 3000 by utilizing the mantra “Just repeat to myself: It’s just a movie, I should really just relax.” Except, in this case, this nightmare is actually based on a true story. Very loosely based on a true story, though, so we can still remain at ease. In the real version, the bear died before it had the chance to do any sort of damage. Still, despite the fantastical exaggeration, the movie has a rather grounded feel to it that serves as a reminder about how we’re all living – for now – at the mercy of nature.

Let me be absolutely clear (if I haven’t been already): this is one of the most graphically violent mainstream American movies I’ve seen in quite some time. Body parts are torn off and tossed aside with ease, while guts are exposed as a feast for cubs. And it’s made all the more distressing by the fact that we get to know pretty much all of the victims before they meet their demises. Sometimes extreme cinema is positively invigorating; other times, it makes me ask: should I be watching this?

While Cocaine Bear made me reckon with mortality more than I was expecting it to, I could at least appreciate the craft and the commitment. The use of CGI in the bear is obvious and occasionally dodgy in close-ups, but in a way that counterintuitively works. It feels like a cartoon has invaded the physical realm in the worst way possible. And then there are the performances, which dial up the Southern-fried quirks in about half the cast, and then you have the more grounded work, particularly by Ray Liotta in one of his final on-screen appearances. Even in a film as outlandish as this one, in which he’s playing a drug trafficker sporting a gloriously coiffed mane that’s wilder than any woodland creature’s, he finds the genuine motivating oomph. Simply put, we’re in good hands with him, as he forges a true connection in a situation where everything could easily go off the rails in every direction. So come for the brute-force premise, and stay for the subtle surprises.

Cocaine Bear is Recommended If You Like: Piranha, Anaconda, Lake Placid, 80s Rock ‘n’ Roll

Grade: 3 out of 5 Duffel Bags

The ‘Jesus Revolution’ Movie Will Not Be as Revolutionary as It Possibly Could Be

February 22, 2023

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Also Pictured: Jesus (PHOTO CREDIT: Dan Anderson)

Starring: Joel Courtney, Kelsey Grammer, Jonathan Roumie, Anna Grace Barlow, Kimberly Williams-Paisley

Directors: Jon Erwin and Brent McCorkle

Running Time: 119 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for A Few Bad Trips

Release Date: February 24, 2023 (Theaters)

What’s It About?: Hey, have you heard the good news? That’s a favorite phrase of people spreading the Christian gospel, and they were doing it really enthusiastically in the 1960s and 70s, particularly in sunny Southern California. This is the vision of America that Jesus Revolution wants us to see. The Jesus movement of the era brought evangelical Christian fervor to hippies, drug users, and anyone else who was just looking for something to believe. Some of the major figures in the movement were Greg Laurie (played by Joel Courtney), who emerged from an unmoored, religion-free childhood with a single mom and multiple stepfathers; Lonnie Frisbee (played by Jonathan Roumie), who’s basically Hippie Jesus Matthew McConaughey; and Chuck Smith (Kelsey Grammer), the token traditionalist who starts to cotton to the vibes of the new generation. Will Jesus Revolution manage to convert any viewers? Let’s find out!

What Made an Impression?:  I’m not a godless heathen, as I’m still a practicing Catholic (though some Protestant sects might consider that pretty godless), but modern American Christian cinema still tends to be a little too didactic for my tastes. Co-director Jon Erwin is certainly known for his faith-based output alongside his brother Andrew in the likes of October Baby and I Can Only Imagine, as well as the Kurt Warner biopic American Underdog. This time around, he’s got a new co-director in the form of Brent McCorkle, but the religious angle is obviously still front and center. So that aspect might not be up my alley, but the time period and its corresponding soundtrack certainly are. I’ve enjoyed the convergence of Jesus and hippies before in the likes of Godspell and Jesus Christ Superstar, so I was interested to see if Jesus Revolution could pull off a similar trick.

And the verdict is: eh, I liked the music, at least. (You can’t go wrong with “Jesus Is Just Alright” in this case, after all.) The main issue is that it all just feels so perfunctory. Sure, Chuck and Lonnie have differing approaches when it comes to preaching to their congregation, but it never feels like any of the conflicts can’t easily be solved with just five minutes of conversation. Meanwhile, Greg has to convince his girlfriend’s dad that he’s worthy of her, and that whole segment just made me want to scream, “Hey Dad, he’s already redeemed! Didn’t you watch the first half of this movie?!” (At least his drug-fueled escapades have an ironic Reefer Madness-esque edge to them.)

Look, I’m sure these struggles actually happened in real life, so the Jesus Revolution team obviously had to make do with the raw materials of the true accounts. But there’s a way to finesse the mundane details into something that can make your audience stand up and shout “Hallelujah!” Alas, I cannot report that I was genuinely inspired.

Jesus Revolution is Recommended If You Like: Having perfect attendance at Sunday school

Grade: 2 out of 5 Baptisms

A Review Called “Some Thoughts About ‘A Man Called Otto'”

February 21, 2023

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Purrer and Otto (CREDIT: Niko Tavernise/Columbia Pictures)

Starring: Tom Hanks, Mariana Treviño, Truman Hanks, Rachel Keller, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Cameron Britton, Mack Bayda, Juanita Jennings, Peter Lawson Jones, Christiana Montoya, Alessandra Perez, Mike Birbiglia, Kelly Lamor Wilson

Director: Marc Forster

Running Time: 126 Minutes

Rating: PG-13

Release Date: December 30, 2022 (Theaters)/January 6, 2023 (More Theaters)

When I finally managed to sit down to watch A Man Called Otto, I’d forgotten that Rachel Keller was in it. But I bet a lot of people never even knew that at all until they witnessed her first scene. I’m pretty sure she’s not in any of the trailers, though I did hear through the grapevine at some point after opening day about her inclusion in the cast, which certainly made me more excited, as I’ve liked in everything else I’ve seen her in previously. Weirdly enough, though, I’m also happy that I forgot that news for a bit, because her appearances in flashbacks as Otto’s wife are more devastating when you don’t see them coming.

Anyway, would I myself ever want to be a man called Otto? Eh, does it have to be this Otto? He’s so angry at the world! Understandably so, but it’s terminally exhausting. I’d rather he be my Abuelo Otto instead, like his new neighbors take to calling him.

Grade: Wait a minute: The Cat!

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