Category Archives: Action-adventure

The Running Man

Does America harbor a sadistic society? Are stunt-based TV competitions a last refuge for the desperate? Is “reality” TV real or is it faked? How close are we to a dystopian police state? 

These are legitimate questions one might ask after seeing the new film The Running Man. But if you want to ENJOY the movie, it’s best to table those questions for now and let the almost non-stop action take you along on Ben Richards’s quest for survival. It’s a fun ride with new challenges for The Running Man popping up constantly.

Richards (Glen Powell) is a husband and father whose baby daughter needs meds. He can’t keep a job and keeps getting fired for insubordination. His wife Sheila (Jayme Lawson) works at a strip joint as a waitress. Richards goes to network studios to pursue a spot on a game show and ends up as one of three contestants on The Running Man. The odds that he will survive the hunters who chase him are small but the potential reward is a huge pile of money. 

The film is a revised remake of the 1987 film The Running Man which starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as Richards and Richard Dawson as Damian Killian, the producer and host of the TV show. The new film stars Josh Brolin as producer Dan Killian and Colman Domingo as Bobby, the show’s host. The prize money is in “new dollars” and the currency shown has Schwarzenegger’s photo on it!

Richards’s journey takes him from the dystopian city where he lives to New Hampshire and Maine. The tale is from a book by Bangor resident Stephen King, originally published under the nom de plume Richard Bachman.

Before he hits the road he gets disguises and fake IDs from a crafty anarchist played by the always excellent Willam H. Macy.

In a beautiful old New England home Richards is given refuge by Elton, a strange man played by Micheal Cera whose crazed mother (Sandra Dickinson) ID’s Richards and calls in the Hunters to take him in. For Cera, this is his second odd ball role this year, following his appearance in The Phoenician Scheme back in the spring. 

Richards escapes, ending up in a highway chase, riding with a young woman Amelia (Emilia Jones) before boarding an airplane where he faces off with a prior Running Man contestant Evan McCone (Lee Pace) on his way to the story’s conclusion.

The action is intense and the story moves fast. The movie isn’t exactly one long chase scene but Richards has to stay on the move. A one word review of The Running Man might be “kinetic.” As mentioned, it’s a fun film and Glen Powell is up to the task of carrying it to the finish line. Enjoy it with the large bucket of popcorn.

The Running Man is directed by Edgar Wright, written by Wright and Michael Bacall. Rated R.

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Jurassic World Rebirth

We have a new dinosaur movie Jurassic World Rebirth with Scarlett Johansson. Which begs the question: how good do the dinos look? Also, how good does ScarJo look?

Overall, the dinosaurs look pretty, pretty good! Some better than others. The key dinosaurs in the film are hybrids. Cross bred to create some new looks for dino fans. 

Zora Bennett (Johansson) is a mercenary who is recruited by drug company rep Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) to lead an expedition to an off-limits island in the North Atlantic. An incident caused human researchers to leave the island in the recent past. They also recruit a paleontologist, Dr. Henry Loomis (Jonathon Bailey). Zora/Scarlett wears a few tight-fitting sleeveless tops that show off her figure. And she’s a pretty woman with a bright smile that turns up a time or two before the real action starts.

The mission’s goal is to extract blood from three different creatures: one from the sea, one from land and one from air (a bird or birdlike creature) on or around this island. Supposedly these bloods may be able to mitigate heart disease in humans.

Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali) is the boat owner who is hired to pilot the expedition. He soon gets the team up close to a sea creature. In a harrowing sequence, Zora manages to procure a blood sample. Meanwhile, a family—dad, his two daughters and the older daughter’s stoner boyfriend—are sailing across the ocean. Suddenly their boat is capsized by the sea creature and they are rescued by our gang of adventurers and their crew.

As they approach the island, the family goes into the drink and is separated from the expedition crew. Both parties encounter perilous situations in the jungle. On the island, blood is taken from a land creature and from an air creature, the latter via a needle inserted into a dino egg. Mission accomplished? Gosh, no!

How will they all get off the island? And how will they escape the Distortus Rex, a huge and ugly dinosaur with a healthy appetite? This monstrous dino lopes like Godzilla but his (or her, maybe—how can you tell?) presence onscreen is one of the film’s money shots.

Jurassic World Rebirth was written by David Koepp who scripted the first two Jurassic movies back in the 90s. Gareth Edwards is the film’s director. His resumé includes Godzilla and Rogue One.

Why do another Jurassic movie? Hasn’t that intellectual property run its course? Two reasons: moviegoers—ticket buyers, that is—have in recent years been kind to films from franchises they’re familiar with. And today’s young movie fans want new dinosaur movies to give them a few jump scares and a few “ooh-aah” moments of their own (enjoyed with a tub of popcorn on their laps.) That first Jurassic Park movie came out 32 years ago!

Yes, we’ve seen movie dinosaurs before. And humans in danger in less than welcoming surroundings. Jurassic World Rebirth follows a familiar template. But it is fun and seems just right for some needed summer escapism.

Soundtrack is by Alexandre Desplat. And how about a hand for the sound design crew who make the speakers rattle? 

Jurassic World Rebirth runs two hours and fourteen minutes. It is rated PG-13. 

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From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is NOT a John Wick movie. Although John Wick (Keanu Reeves) makes his presence known at a key moment of the movie. And while there’s a bit of ballet dancing, there’s not much.

FTWOJW:B is the story of Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) who, as a young girl, sees her father killed by an assassin. She vows revenge. Under the tutelage of The Director (Angelica Houston), Eve learns to dance and to battle.

As observed with John Wick films, the face-to-face, often hand-to-hand, combat is staged at times much like a ballet. The film’s pace is relentless and so is the cracking of skulls and other body parts. Eve’s battles involve strong physical skills and a variety of weapons including firearms and knives. Even a flamethrower! 

Eve’s goal of avenging her father’s death runs counter to the sort of detente between the Roma Ruska sect and the group led by the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne). The Director (that is, Houston’s character, not Len Wiseman, the film’s director) tells her to cool it but she does not relent. She takes her revenge mission to a lovely European village where she encounters a knife wielding barista. And has a tense confrontation with The Chancellor.

Armas may be the most beautiful woman to be involved in the nasty business of violence and killing. She employs her skills well and appears to take as much, maybe even more, physical abuse than does Wick himself in his four films. And she knows how to handle a flame thrower!

Also appearing in FTWOJW:B are Wick regulars Ian McShane as Winston and, in his final film appearance, Lance Riddick as Charon. Norman Reedus of Walking Dead fame is introduced as Daniel Pine, a man who, like Eve’s father, hopes to keep his young daughter away from all the nastiness. Could he appear in any future Ballerina films? 

From The World of John Wick: Ballerina is rated R and runs just over two hours but it seems shorter because it moves so quickly. If you could use a good action movie, don’t miss it!

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Novocaine

Jack Quaid has a problem. Or is it I who has the problem?

His highly entertaining new action/adventure film Novocaine is well-crafted and Quaid’s character is developed a bit more than is typical in movies like this one.

But throughout the screening of Novocaine almost every time Quaid appeared onscreen I saw… Bill Hader. They have similar builds, similar hairlines and even some similar facial expressions. Does anybody else have the Hader issue with Quaid or is it just me?

The movie is a treat for fans of violence, chases, gunplay, hand-to-hand combat and all that sort of stuff. It’s a real adrenaline rush. And there are laughs along the way, too.

Nathan Caine (Quaid) is a guy with weird genetic disorder: he cannot feel pain. This has led to some behavioral quirks. He won’t even eat solid food for fear of chewing off his tongue and not feeling it. His only friend is a fellow gamer Roscoe (Jacob Batalon), a guy he’s never actually met except online. 

Nate hooks up with a coworker Sherry (Amber Midthunder) who also has issues from a dysfunctional upbringing. They work at a bank in San Diego where Nate is assistant manager. Novocaine starts out as a sweet romcom.

Then a robbery occurs. The bank manager is killed. Several cops are gunned down. Sherry is taken as a hostage. Nate heads off in pursuit to rescue her—in a police car.

His effort takes him to a commercial kitchen with hot grease and a hot frying pan, a house filled with booby traps and a tattoo parlor where Nate takes on a tattoo artist who is a mountain of a man.

Co-directors Dan Berk and Robert Olsen and writer Lars Jacobson keep the momentum going from the robbery to the final face off on the San Diego docks. The work done by the film’s stunt coordinators is impressive.

Hader—um, sorry, Quaid—is good at comedy AND violence and at mixing the two in the same scene. Batalon’s first onscreen appearance late in the movie is a key element in the plot. And Midthunder is revealed to have abilities beyond being just a sweet, demure young babe.

Among the supporting players are familiar faces Matt Walsh and Betty Gabriel as San Diego cops. 

Novocaine is rated R.

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Dune: Part Two

Timothée Chalamet is the top-billed star of Dune: Part Two. But, make no mistake, this is director Denis Villeneuve’s movie. 

As with other Villeneuve films (notably Bladerunner 2049 and Arrival, plus the 2021 Dune Part One) stunning images are a given. The desert landscapes and gigantic structures offer opportunities for compelling scenes that may or may not be have computer-generated elements but they look awesome.

The battles, big and small, employing high tech and low tech, involving thousands of souls or just two, the menacing desert worms (who provide a cool mode of transportation), the military aircraft that resemble mosquitos, that goofy sandwalk. One epic battle is staged in black-and-white to great effect. And it all proceeds at a good pace because there’s so much story to tell within a run time of 2:46.

Hans Zimmer, whose soundtracks are rarely subtle, charges in with low-pitched signatures that accompany key moments and fuel anticipation. This may be the loudest movie since Oppenheimer.

Because this film’s predecessor was released during the pandemic in October 2021 AND was made available to streaming at the same time as its theatrical release, many folks (including me) saw Dune: Part One on a small screen. Seeing Dune: Part Two on a large screen is, by comparison, overwhelming. It’s often said of films “see this movie on the biggest screen possible.” That suggestion applies here.

Is it necessary to have seen Dune:Part One to appreciate Dune: Part Two? No, but watching the first one or at least reading a plot synopsis provides context. 

Does Timothée Chalamet have the heft to portray a valiant warrior leading a classic quest? He is a slim man with a youthful countenance and cute curly hair. In the first film he is shamed by Jason Mamoa’s character for not putting on muscles. But, yes, he does manage to fill the heroic role ably because he is a talented actor. 

How do the Dune movies compare to the Star Wars films? There are similarities but the Dune movies lack the light-hearted moments and characters that populate the Star Wars universe. Villeneuve takes his sci-fi a bit more seriously.

The main plot: Paul Atriedes (Chalamet) leads a mission to the planet Arrakis to avenge the death of his father and to secure control of “spice,” the crop that fuels this future universe. He has the support of the planet’s persecuted Fremen who include his love interest Chani (Zendaya) and tribal leader Stilgar (Javier Bardem). 

The saga from Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel includes mythic and religious hopes seen in modern Christianity and Islam. Is Paul the Chosen One? The Lisan al-Gaib? The Mahdi? Some of the Fremen believe him to be a messiah.

Returning from the first Dune film are Paul’s mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), Gurney (Josh Brolin), Baron Harkonnen (an enormous Stellan Skarsgård), Beast Rabban (Dave Bautista) and Reverend Mother (Charlotte Rampling). New characters in D2 include Feyd-Rautha (a menacing looking Austin Butler), the Emperor (Christopher Walken) and his daughter Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh).

Dune: Part Two is, on one hand, totally satisfying. A visual treat, a classic tale of good versus evil. On the other hand, there are a few elements of the story yet to be resolved. How soon will talk about a Part Three begin popping up? TBD.

But before that happens, don’t miss Dune: Part Two. It’s a must-see. As mentioned, strap in and see it in a theater. Rated PG-13.

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Argylle

Argylle is an action-packed thrill ride. It’s the kind of movie the world needs right now. There’s your pull quote. 

Bryce Dallas Howard is terrific as a spy tale novelist who quickly finds herself doing many of the wild and wooly things her books’ central character Argylle (Henry Cavill) does. 

Argylle is clever, funny, sometimes silly, colorful and, oh yes, violent. But much of that shooting and punching and kicking and exploding is of a comic nature—just as fantastical as the stuff in John Wick films but with a wink from the filmmaker. Argylle doesn’t move nearly as fast as the quick cut preview trailer does, but there are few slowdowns once it kicks off.

Director Matthew Vaughn, whose film Kingsman: The Secret Service (released here nine years ago) was filled with surprises and dekes and feints, brings similar turns and twists to Argylle. Vaughn also directed two Kingsman sequels, an X-men film and the 2007 fantasy Stardust, taken from a Neil Gaiman tale. 

When Elly Conway (Howard) finishes her fifth book, she sends her mom (Catherine O’Hara) the manuscript. When mom offers a critique, Elly takes a train to visit her mother in person. On the train she encounters Aidan (Sam Rockwell) who tells her his occupation is espionage. She notices he’s reading one of her Argylle spy novels. 

In short order, a fracas occurs on the train, starting Elly and Aidan on their adventure that takes them from somewhere in the western U.S. to London and on to the south of France where they visit a vineyard tended by Alfie (Samuel L. Jackson). Ah, but growing grapes is not Alfie’s real mission—he’s guiding spy missions from his man cave. 

Alfie is also the name of Elly’s cat who rides along in her backpack and looks out through the backpack’s round window. He’s not just along for the ride; he gets into the action at a couple of key moments.

Elly and Aidan’s travels take them to an oil tanker where a long battle occurs with a couple of ridiculously creative scenes that scriptwriter Jason Fuchs and Vaughn have crafted to provide some neat visuals.

Also in the film’s cast are Bryan Cranston, John Cena, Dua Lipa and Ariana DeBose. 

You’ve probably noticed a generally tense mood in the nation and the world in recent months. It’s not necessary to list the reasons why in this review. 

But it is necessary to tune out the world occasionally. Argylle provides a healthy dose of escapism with an engaging story, an array of memorable characters, an energetic soundtrack and one cool kitty. If you could benefit from a couple of hours of fun, you might like Argylle. It’s rated PG-13.

In theaters now, coming to Apple TV+ at a yet-to-be-announced date.

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The Last Voyage of the Demeter

Horror films tend to fall into two main categories: cheesy and over the top or lower key and brooding. The Last Voyage Of The Demeter is of the latter variety. Creepy, yes, with peril lurking but revealing itself gradually. The film takes itself seriously—no winking at the audience.

The title is a bit of a spoiler. The onscreen text at the film’s opening is more of a spoiler. But, even if you know the ultimate outcome—as with Titanic or Apollo 13—the journey and its challenges and surprises provide the cruxes of the tale. 

The story, adapted from a chapter of Bram Stoker’s book Dracula, has hints of trouble from the loading of cargo onto the Demeter at an Aegean port. A wooden box with a curious logo falls and is about to hit young Toby (Woody Norman) when Clemens (Cory Hawkins) saves the kid from certain death. When another would-be crew member bails, Captain Eliot (Liam Cunningham) adds Clemens to the ship’s crew.

As the Demeter prepares to embark on its voyage to London, Toby (and dog Huckleberry) gives Clemons a tour of the lower section including the livestock pens and the cargo hold. The ship looks great in the film, above and below deck. There’s cautious camaraderie among the sailors. First mate Wojchek (David Dastmalchian) is a bit severe. Cook Joseph (Jon Jon Briones) is quite religious. 

Liam Cunningham who was Davos Seaworth in Game Of Thrones, seems to channel Sean Connery a bit in his portrayal of Captain Eliot. (Although Connery was Scottish and Cunningham is Irish.)

In short order, bad things start to happen. Among them, the discovery of a stowaway (Aisling Franciosi). A woman on board is considered bad luck by the crew. Clemons, a med school graduate, helps nurse her out of unconsciousness. She provides clues as to the source evil presence aboard the ship. The livestock is attacked and killed.

Director André Øvredal reveals small glimpses of Dracula which become more complete leading up the film’s climax. Each of the crew members has a confrontation with Drac. The outcomes are not good, some worse than others. 

Without tipping too much in this review, the final scene of the film is, to a certain extent, satisfying. 

The script by Bragi F. Schut and Zak Olkewicz was in so-called “development Hell” for nearly twenty years, per Wikipedia. A round of applause for those Hollywood folks who actually got this movie made!

Interesting credit on the film’s end scroll… for “Covid Marshalls.” The film was shot in 2021, shortly after we all got our first two vaccine shots. You did get your shots, right? 

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Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One

Quality versus quantity. It’s a choice made in many aspects of life. Including action movies. 

For Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One, the choice was quality. The action scenes are thrilling, outrageous and huge fun to watch. But the sitting around talking scenes… eh, not so much fun.

Toby Keith had a hit song called A Little Less Talk And A Lot More Action. I thought of that 30-years-ago country hit as I exited the MI:DR screening. Quantity.

But make no mistake, this new film IS a “must-see.” In the theater. As with many action films of late, it’s sometimes hard to tell what’s real and what’s special effects. However, because the action scenes in MI:DR are so well done, it doesn’t matter. Quality.

MI:DR is a “must-see” because its star is Tom Cruise who “saved Hollywood” last year with Top Gun: Maverick. Tom no longer has that youthful look but when he’s onscreen there’s an electricity and a sparkle that make whatever his eventual payday turns out to be… not enough. 

This time the impossible mission for Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is to track down a key that can provide great power to whoever possesses it. That’s right, a key. Well, it’s a special key made of two pieces that fit together. It provides control of the Entity, a software program that has the potential to mess stuff up really bad. 

To secure the key, Hunt and those who also want it conduct a long running chase from Abu Dhabi to Rome to Venice to the Austrian Alps. Among those involved in the pursuit of the prize are some bad guys and girls and some good guys and girls and some whose allegiance is initially uncertain. Running along with Hunt are his support team played by Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg. 

The film’s money shot is the train business that has been featured in trailers and ads and is seriously mind-blowing. But the chase sequence on the streets of Rome is also a highlight. It features a Fiat being driven down the city’s famous Spanish Steps. 

The cast includes players who can handle physical requirements as well as delivering convincing reads of their scripted lines. Special attention goes to Hayley Atwell as Grace, her highest profile role to date. This movie will bring her to the forefront of movie stardom. 

Rebecca Ferguson, Vanessa Kirby, Pom Klementieff, Esai Morales, Shea Whigham and Henry Czerny also play major roles. Strong cast!

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One is directed by Christopher McQuarrie who also co-wrote it with Erik Jendresen. Rated PG-13. Run time is 2:43.

And, looking ahead… Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part Two is set to hit theaters on June 28, 2024.

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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Welcome back, Dr. Jones! 

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny checks all the boxes. Everything you want from an Indy adventure, you get. And more. Grab the jumbo size popcorn and settle in for two-and-a-half hours of thrills, chills and chuckles.

The film’s first twenty minutes set the tone with action that includes our hero about to be lynched by Nazis in Poland, then wriggling away when a bomb hits, stealing a vehicle, jumping onto a moving train and engaging in a face-off atop a fast moving train. Oh, and that segment wraps with Jones jumping off a high trestle as the train crashes. 

That opening segment is set at the end of WWII and features a de-aged version of Jones. Kinda like they did with some of the stars of The Irishman a few years ago.

Then, in 1969, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) jumps into a new adventure with Helena Shaw (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), the daughter of archeologist Basil Shaw (Toby Jones). Her dad was obsessed with a strange dial, supposedly developed by Archimedes, that can supposedly control, among other things, time.

Jones has one half of the dial but where oh where is the other half that’ll make the magical thing work? Well, that’s what the story’s about.

Of the many chase scenes in IJATDOD, the best may be the one in Manhattan where Jones is pursued through a parade honoring the Apollo 11 astronauts. (By the way: Remember when Harrison Ford was chased through a parade in Chicago in The Fugitive?) The chase features Jones riding a horse in the NYC subway. Love it!

The bad guy in the movie is Jurgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen), a former Nazi, who wants to employ the dial to go back to 1939 and reset history. He encounters Jones back in that opening segment. Then in 1969, he is aided by a gang of henchmen (and one henchwoman) who follow Helena and Jones on their travels from New York to Tangiers, Casablanca, Greece and Sicily. 

Voller’s character, who works for NASA and takes credit for the moon landing, brings to mind Wernher von Braun the real-life German who came to America to design and build rockets in Huntsville AL.

I’ve always considered time travel to be a storyteller’s crutch. But there are so many other fantastical things happening in this movie, why not go back a few centuries? However as Mr. Peabody and Sherman taught us, you have to be careful that you go back exactly where (when?) you want to be in the space/time continuum. 

Maybe the most fantastical thing about IJATDOD is that Helena, despite partaking of derring-do alongside Indy, always looks great. She is a pretty woman.

Also in the film is Antonio Banderas as a sponge diver who leads Indy and Helena into the deep and when they surface, guess who shows up? Voller and his crew.

This is a film to see on a big screen in a theater with big sound—the better to enjoy John Williams’ exciting soundtrack (which reprises the Indy theme throughout.)

Indiana Jone and the Dial of Destiny is directed by James Mangold. Rated PG-13.

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The Flash

We need to talk about Ezra. Is Ezra Miller a big enough star to open and carry a big budget movie? Obviously, the answer is no. Because the makers of The Flash have brought along Michael Keaton as Batman to do a significant amount of the film’s heavy lifting.

Regarding Miller: Despite the creepiness of some of his prior movie roles and despite his real life misbehaviors, his talent is undeniable and his charm and humor shine through in his portrayal of Barry Allen AKA The Flash.

(I will, in this review of the new movie The Flash, refer to Ezra Miller as “he/him” because using a plural pronoun for one single person is confusing to me and to others. If you have a problem with that, just hit delete and move along.)

The film itself has, despite its flaws, enough story and special effects to attract fans who may be suffering from the widely-reported superhero fatigue among the movie-going public. It’s a fun ride! A bit too long—another movie with a climactic battle scene that goes on and on. And then on some more.

Time travel is a key element of The Flash. But what happens when The Flash goes back in time and encounters his younger self? They exist together in that time/space. It makes for some complications, of course. And some funny business. And some useful teamwork.

The opening episode of The Flash may generate a sickening 9/11 flashback for some folks with the image of newborn babies and a nurse falling from a collapsing building. (Spoiler: they don’t die, thanks to The Flash.) Yes, it’s a fantasy movie and, yes, that horrible day was nearly twenty-two years ago, but still…

There’s a decent amount of fan service with references to other DC superheroes. And a Shawshank reference, intentional or not, when a character walks through a wall decorated with a poster of a female movie star. 

The initial encounter by the two Barrys of the gone-to-seed version of Bruce Wayne is among the film’s highlights. Some of Keaton’s finest acting in a well-written scene.

Along with Miller and Keaton, The Flash features Michael Shannon as General Zod who comes to earth from Krypton with evil intents. Sasha Calle is Kara Zor-El AKA Supergirl. And Kiersey Clemons charms as Iris West, Barry’s sort-of girlfriend. 

The big question this movie asks—and the box office will answer—is this: Are The Flash and the film’s star Ezra Miller strong enough to anchor a franchise within the DC Extended Universe? Or will The Flash be relegated to occasional appearances in Justice League ensemble movies? To be determined. 

The Flash is rated PG-13. Directed by Andy Muschietti.

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