New Releases:
Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One – Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) and his IMF team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: To track down a terrifying new weapon that threatens all of humanity before it falls into the wrong hands. With control of the future and the fate of the world at stake, and dark forces from Ethan’s past closing in, a deadly race around the globe begins. Confronted by a mysterious, all-powerful enemy, Ethan is forced to consider that nothing can matter more than his mission — not even the lives of those he cares about most.
Expectations: Shoot for the sky in your excitement for this film because Tom Cruise and this entire franchise have done nothing but dazzle us with phenomenal action, intriguing stories and a fast-paced ride that thrills at every turn in the whole lead-up to this point and from the advance reviews, including some from friends of mine, this might be the best one yet. I’m an easy mark for these movies but Tom Cruise’s uber enthusiasm and love for cinema translates to the big screen and always guarantees a satisfying movie experience. This one is going to be massive.
Blu-Ray:
Scream VI – Following the latest Ghostface killings, the four survivors leave Woodsboro behind and start a fresh chapter.
Review: So quickly after the Radio Silence team brought back this franchise in the first film not directed by creator Wes Craven, we get this new installment featuring our new core four of players while omitting one of the legacy characters, Neve Campbell’s Sydney Prescott, and bringing one back into the fold with a personal favourite, Hayden Panitierre’s Kirby Reed. The film is bigger and badder with Ghostface slashing up the Big Apple this time around and I’m game for even more if there is any left in the tanks. It also has an opening scene that vies for a series’ best award, simply brilliant and kind of game-changing.
Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret – For over fifty years, Judy Blume’s classic and groundbreaking novel Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret. has impacted generations with its timeless coming-of-age story, insightful humour, and candid exploration of life’s biggest questions. In Lionsgate’s big-screen adaptation, 11-year-old Margaret (Abby Ryder Fortson) is uprooted from her life in New York City for the suburbs of New Jersey, going through the messy and tumultuous throes of puberty with new friends in a new school. She relies on her mother, Barbara (Rachel McAdams), who is also struggling to adjust to life outside the big city, and her adoring grandmother, Sylvia (Kathy Bates), who isn’t happy they moved away and likes to remind them every chance she gets.
Review: I can’t believe it has taken this long for a literary classic like this to get a film adaptation but I will say that they put it in the perfect hands with Edge Of Seventeen filmmaker Kelly Fremon Craig. With brilliant performances from young actress Fortson and Canadian actress McAdams, this film soars on heart and soul while being unflinching to its central issues. Margaret’s story is every girl’s story of self-discovery, no matter the time period, and its reliability is what makes the film soar. I know this because my wife told me.
Renfield – R.M. Renfield (Nicholas Hoult) decides to leave his centuries-long line of work as a henchman and familiar to Count Dracula (Nicolas Cage) and finds a new lease on life in modern-day New Orleans when he falls in love with a feisty but perennially aggressive traffic cop named Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina).
Review: A lot of people were turned off by this colourful and bloody little horror comedy offering and, yes, it is a bit of a mess in its narrative but there is one key thing that makes this can’t miss, Nicolas Cage’s Dracula. He relishes every moment in the iconic role and is clearly having the time of his life, which translates well to the audience. This film isn’t going to blow you away to any degree but I contend that it is a fun watch at least.
Sisu – During the last desperate days of WWII, a solitary prospector (Jorma Tommila) crosses paths with Nazis on a scorched-earth retreat in northern Finland. When the Nazis steal his gold, they quickly discover they have just tangled with no ordinary miner. While there is no direct translation for the Finnish word “sisu”, this legendary ex-commando will embody what sisu means: a white-knuckled form of courage and unimaginable determination in the face of overwhelming odds. And no matter what the Nazis throw at him, the one-man death squad will go to outrageous lengths to get his gold back — even if it means killing every last Nazi in his path.
Review: This is a crazy one-man army epic that has nods to the spaghetti westerns of Sergio Leone starring Clint Eastwood while also forging its own path littered with blood, guts and bone. A silent figure up until the very end, Tommila’s main character becomes bigger than life like an 80s Stallone or Schwarzenegger character and I was here for every second of him dispatching Nazi soldiers. If you love a good action flick and are looking for something John Wich adjacent, this is the film for you.
Beau Is Afraid – With his mother’s gloomy spectre looming over his entire life, grizzled outcast Beau has never made sense of his miserable existence. And perpetually baffled by reality and his conflicting urgent needs, the neurotic New Yorker gets a hearty slice of crippling anxiety and sheer paranoia when he sets foot in a strangely familiar war zone: his neighbourhood. But as the pill-popping hermit reluctantly embarks on a Sisyphean quest for answers, determined to reunite with his estranged mum at all costs, Beau must summon every last ounce of courage to confront everything that has kept him in the dark. To have a fighting chance of deciphering the sinister secrets that continue to rule his life, Beau must grapple with deep-seated phobias, deal with heavy guilt, and face the menacing parent. Because, in his case, love was a fiendish trap–the labyrinthine depths of maternal affection were only the means to an end. Now, the drugs don’t work, and Beau is afraid. As the universe conspires against his conquest and the end draws near, will Beau be able to fight his inner demons for a change?
Review: I had been waiting for writer and director Ari Aster’s new film, being a huge fan of Hereditary and Midsommar but I was certainly not even a little bit prepared for this film and I don’t think anyone was. This is definitely for a niche audience who love to see things that are widely left than center so, with that in mind, you know I absolutely loved it. Joaquin Phoenix is brilliant in his loser character’s odyssey into his own fears of every degree and, if this wasn’t such a wild arthouse swing, he might be praised for it more. I think it’s one of my favorites this year and I will definitely be watching it again but is a hefty sit at three hours long.
Steve’s Blu-Ray Geek Outs:
King Solomon’s Mines – Allan Quartermain leads an expedition into uncharted African territory in an effort to locate Elizabeth Curtis’ husband Henry, who was searching for King Solomon’s legendary treasure. Along the way they encounter a variety of wild animals including snakes, a leopard and a rhino. Quartermain isn’t keen on having a woman on the expedition and he and Elizabeth quarrel regularly. Elizabeth and her husband were not very fond of one another and her journey is driven by her own guilt. She and Quatermain fall in love but survival becomes their goal when they meet dangerous tribesmen.
Review: A marvel of its time in 1951, this film had a lot of technical acclaim behind it and won two Oscars, for cinematography and editing, but also got the nod for Best Picture as well, losing to All About Eve, which is understandable. The adventure film was a box office smash and was progressive enough to be the first time the Watusi tribe allowed themselves to be filmed and gave an in-depth look at indigenous culture, employing existing villages and locally recruited extras. The film was also to blame for the affair between stars Deborah Kerr and Stewart Granger who were both married at the time.
Queen Christina – Queen Christina of Sweden ascended to the throne at the age of six and as an adult has proven to be a wise and just ruler. There is much speculation about who she will marry – and produce an heir – but she is not interested in any of the possibilities mentioned, including Prince Charles. She does fall in love with the Spanish ambassador, Antonio, but marriage is out of the question given that he is a Roman Catholic. Some around her, such as Count Magnus, demand that she send him away and the mob rises openly against him. She insists that she has the right to be happy and is forced to choose between love and her duties as queen. Hers is not a happy future, however.
Review: A story about Swedish royalty, made in 1933, this is definitely a project to show off the legendary beauty of lead actress Greta Garbo. She was the driving force of the production as well as she had a big say in the casting of her co-star, somebody that almost was Sir Laurence Olivier before it was discovered that they shared zero chemistry. The film is also interesting as it has been said that the real Queen was a known lesbian which makes this an early entry into queer cinema I think.
One Ranger – British Intelligence meets Texas Justice in this white-knuckle action-thriller. A gunslinging Texas ranger (Thomas Jane) tracks a bank robber (Dean Jagger) across the desert — only to discover he’s an international terrorist set on detonating a bomb in the heart of London. When the lawman’s partner is killed, he is drawn into partnership with a British intelligence agent (Dominique Tipper) and her boss (John Malkovich) to bring the outlaw to justice — dead or alive.
Review: Being a direct to video release, the hopes that this will be fantastic are pretty low but it has the genre grit of Thomas Jane being the lead actor, someone I enjoy a lot. It also is the continued questionable film choices of John Malkovich who seems to do these films more than theatrical releases these days. The film was done by writer and director Jesse V. Johnson and I was hoping for more of a cohesive story like Hell Hath No Fury was but this one, with the convoluted storytelling, is a bit of a mess. Although, it was an entertaining one.
Television:
Quarterback (Netflix) – Following NFL quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Kirk Cousins and Marcus Mariota on and off the field from the beginning of the 2022 season to its conclusion.
Review: I would consider myself a sports guy for sure but football has always been a bit of a hard sell for me as I find myself bored with what I’m seeing time to time. That said, I found myself really intrigued by this series and especially the in-game pieces with the quarterbacks all mic’ed up. Hearing the players talk on the field, the trash talk and the moments of self-doubt leading, sometimes, to elation, is a really interesting aspect of the game to focus on. I hope this goes beyond one season because it is a really great concept.
What We Do In The Shadows: Season 5 (Disney+) – Based on the feature film of the same name from Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi, “What We Do in the Shadows” is a documentary-style look into the daily (or rather, nightly) lives of four vampires who’ve “lived” together for hundreds of years in Staten Island. The self-appointed leader of the group is Nandor the Relentless, a great warrior and conqueror from the Ottoman Empire. Then there’s the British vampire Laszlo — a bit of a rogue and a dandy and a fop, he might say. He’s a lover of mischief and a great soirée, but not as much as he loves seeing Nandor fail miserably in every attempt. And then there’s Nadja: the seductress, the temptress, the vampiric Bonnie to Laszlo’s Clyde. Also cohabiting in the vampire household is Guillermo, Nandor’s familiar; and Colin Robinson, an energy vampire and day-walker of sorts — he feasts on humans, but not on their blood.
Expectations: Easily one of the funniest shows on television, the Staten Island crew is back for more late-night hijinx and this time Kristen Schaal is part of the main cast and I couldn’t be happier. As a big fan of the original film from Taika Waititi, this series can do no wrong and Matt Berry is a comedic gem but I also now have a deep love for the entire cast, most of whom I had never seen before. This is definitely one of the most quoted shows in my household and for good reason.
Foundation: Season 2 (AppleTV+) – Far in the future, The Empire is about to face a reckoning unlike anything else it’s faced before: several millennia of chaos have been predicted by the galaxy’s leading psycho-historian, Hari Seldon. But can The Empire offset the disaster before it begins?
Expectations: I remember when AppleTV+ released the first season of this series, I knew it looked cool and I knew about the source material by famed Science fiction writer and real scientist Isaac Asimov but had kind of forgotten about it. In my prep for my blog this week, I decided to finally start my journey and I’m so sad that I’m just realizing its brilliance now. Well cast, incredibly shot and intriguing from the first moments, this finally feels like my sci-fi replacement for shows like Battlestar Galactica and The Expanse. There is a braininess to the storytelling that hooks me in and makes me wildly wonder what’s next because it is so unpredictable. All in all, I’m not caught up yet but feverishly making my way to season two.
Steve Stebbing 