Unsolicited Movie Reviews - Summer Edition 2017

Unsolicited Movie Reviews – Summer Edition  2017

There has been a mixed bag of quality in the theaters this summer. Why in God’s name there was any need to extend series like the Transformers and Pirates of the Caribbean is beyond me. Judging by ticket sales it was beyond the audiences as well. Conversely, I’ve written how I thought DUNKIRK was a masterpiece and the War for the Planet of the Apes capped a phenomenal trilogy that was always better than it had any right to be. But huge movies like that are going to have an audience either way. Here are four other, less hyped, pictures that I had time to dig into the last few days.

Wind River – A tracker for the Fish and Wildlife Service finds the body of young girl, who has been murdered and raped, in a remote part of the Wind River Indian Reservation in Wyoming. It is a great story with an exceptional cast and it is beautifully shot. But, what is really notable about the film is all that it gets done in a short amount of time. It is a rare film indeed that: (1)Delicately portrays a palpable sense of loss after a tragedy; (2)Provides a totally satisfying and visceral, revenge plot; (3)Shines a glaring and troubling light on the continued struggles of an often overlooked and forgotten segment of our population

Wind River does all three. If it had carried off just two it would have been a really good film. Consequently it is an exceptional movie. Jeremy Renner is sneaky good as is Elizabeth Olsen. But for me the most notable performance is by Gil Birmingham as the father of the victim. He’ll break your heart.

Lucky Logan – I wanted to like. I planned to like. Trust me I tried to like. I should have liked it. Turns out, I didn’t really like. No doubt the film has its funny parts. It is quirky and fast paced like a lot of Soderbergh’s films. What I don’t understand is why Soderbergh would even come back to the genre after 3 Ocean’s movie. The film is even billed as Ocean’s 7-11. This plays off the fact it takes place in West Virginia and North Carolina and has a “hillbilly” cast of characters. Actually, cast of caricatures would be more like it. I’m quite certain they just had a script for a 4^th Oceans movie and decided to add a few Ya’lls and Howdys. Unfortunately, where the Oceans movies were sleek and smart LL is strained and dull. There were plot holes big enough to drive a jacked up 4x4 through. Not the least of which was leaving the impression that Charlotte, NC and West Virginia were fairly close together geographically as opposed to several hours apart.

Channing Tatum continues to prove he is a good actor and the story line with his family is interesting. Daniel Craig is genuinely funny in his role but despite a few good parts there just isn’t enough for me to recommend it. The film as a whole was a disappointment.

What Happened to Monday – This is not a theatrical release. It is a NETFLIX exclusive that dropped in August continuing the onslaught of projects produced by the streaming giant. Not having to worry about distribution apparently makes way for an enormous about of studio productivity.

This is a classic sci-fi, action tale. It stars the wonderful Noomi Repace as the Settman siblings. Set 40 years in the future, in an attempt to combat over-population, the earth’s governments have taken drastic actions implementing the One Child Policy. Additionally, using the Child Allocation Bureau they secretly exterminate the “overages” while misleading the people claiming they are just putting the children in cryogenic storage until they find a solution for the over-population. It is all very Logan’s Run. The Settman siblings are 7 identical sisters who have been raised in hiding. To avoid detection they eventually share the public identity of one person, Karen Settman.  Each sibling takes a day of the week out in the world. Coincidentally, their day of the week is also their name, Sunday takes Sunday. Monday takes Monday etc. 

Very, Very Entertaining. Well worth a stay-in date night. The action and suspense is very good. There is quite a bit of violence and at least one very steamy love scene. You’ve been warned.

The Hitman’s Bodyguard – Another straight up, grab the popcorn and turn your brain off action movie. The jokes are smart. The buddy relationship works and all in all it never takes itself too seriously. It isn’t a classic like Die Hard or as well-crafted as Kingsmen but it is still very entertaining.

Ryan Reynolds is as dependable an actor as there is in Hollywood. He’s just likeable. He also has superb comedic timing. Samuel Jackson is Samuel Jackson. He is brash and loud and says the F-word A LOT! If that type of thing bothers you I would suggest another movie. Between the violence and language it earns its R rating.