There’s a light-hearted vibe to xXx, even when the theoretical stakes are incredibly high, and it feels surprisingly fresh at a time when so many action films take themselves so seriously — it’s also what makes the Guardians films so different. Diesel’s carefree shtick isn’t all that convincing, but he’s surrounded with people that seem to be having a good time in their roles.
Blu-ray Review: xXx: Return of Xander Cage Read Post »
As an otherworldly antagonist, the Bye Bye Man is about as generic and uninteresting as it gets. There’s no compelling back story to uncover, no unsettling taunting or terrorizing (we don’t recall him ever uttering a single word) and no cool signature ability. On top of that, he’s saddled with some terrible looking CGI dog thing. It’s laughably bad.
Blu-ray Review: The Bye Bye Man Read Post »
There’s a lot of comedic talent here and plenty of quirky roles to showcase it. Rob Corddry, who is such a vital part of Ballers’ success, is great as the salty office veteran that seems to find the downside of pretty much everything. Jillian Bell is a female pimp, and while she’s pretty much playing the same character she did in 22 Jump Street she’s still producing laughs. Karan Soni and Vanessa Bayer have good material in shorter stints.
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From a visual perspective, Silence is stunning. The countryside of Taiwan (standing in for 17th century Japan) offers all kinds of amazing views and scenery, and that beauty juxtaposed to the horrific acts being committed proves to be a powerful combination. For instance, one of the first scenes shows priests being burned with the water from hot springs. It’s simultaneously gruesome yet spectacular.
Blu-ray Review: Silence Read Post »
World building is one of Rowling’s undisputed strengths, and she does a good job of setting things within the same universe as the Potter stories without leaning on them too heavily — in fact, the odd name or mention of a character are the only direct connections here. Instead, she focuses on setting the table for a new set of adventures by developing new characters and story arcs.
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Whatever post-production spin the director/producers what to put on it, Collateral Beauty is all about bombarding you with one soul-crushing moment after another. There’s the death of Smith’s daughter, which leads to him attending a support group where others talk about losing their children (the worst nightmare of any parent). It’s pure heartache, and the return of his character from the brink is so uneven and contrived it’s not even uplifting.
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Action is a key element for a crime drama of this nature, and although Live by Night can be a little stingy in doling them out, there is a pair of standout sequences. The post-robbery car chase is really well done and something we haven’t really seen in movies set in this era. The final showdown is a tightly paced gun fight that makes you wish there’d been more of it.
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