OK, OK, I know I said initially that I would be concentrating on watching films at home, and here I am covering four theatrical releases. Old habits and all that. But in fairness, two of them are playing on the major streamers, and the worst one of the lot is the one you have to shell out the big bucks to see at home. Poetic justice?
THE SUICIDE SQUAD: Speaking of poetry, there has to be some in the fact that this series has progressed from one of the very worst comic book adaptions (the 2016 monstrosity) to one of the very best. I was expecting it to be good and crazy, but not crazy good. It’s better than Black Widow. It’s better than either of the Guardians of the Galaxy volumes. It’s better than any DCEU movie outside of The Dark Knight. It’s gleefully nasty, right down to the appearance of the words “Warner Bros.” on screen. It pulls one surprise after another. It’s loads of irresponsible fun. The damn movie made me care about a monosyllabic shark. If it’s not the movie of the year, it’s the miracle of the year. MUST SEE
THE GREEN KNIGHT: I’m not sure what to make of this movie, and I’m not sure everything about it works, but I am sure I want to see it again as soon as possible. I have admired the films of director David Lowery, from his low-key but gripping beginnings with the neo noir Ain’t Them Bodies Saints to his wonderfully mysterious meditation on death, A Ghost Story, to the best of the Disney live action remakes, Pete’s Dragon - the one no one talks about. I thought his most recent film, The Old Man and the Gun, was merely decent, but I still admired its low-key, throwback charms. The Green Knight represents his biggest swing, and it mostly connects. People who bristle at ambiguity and inscrutability will find it frustrating, but for me, it was a little Kubrick, a little Gilliam, a little Malick - and all quite fascinating. Narratively vague as it may be, it’s never less than visually wondrous, and It has one - or two - great Alicia Vikander performances to boot. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
STILLWATER: I have also admired many of Tom McCarthy’s movies, including his Oscar-winning Spotlight, but his follow-up goes down as one of his misfires, albeit a noble one. He aims to explore culture clashes with his ripped-from-the-headlines story that has very strong echoes of Amanda Knox (too many for her taste), and Matt Damon gives one of his best performances as a father trying to prove the innocence of his imprisoned daughter while also trying to redeem himself for past misdeeds. McCarthy makes some fascinating points about how being a screw-up trickles down the generations, and there are some lovely moments as Damon ingratiates himself with a sympathetic Italian family. Unfortunately, Damon’s character makes a choice late in the movie that not only is implausible but also made me lose all sympathy for him - and still another reveal after that is - well, let’s just say Knox is right to be upset about that. NOT RECOMMENDED
JUNGLE CRUISE: It’s not so much out and out bad as it is exhausting. It aims to be a breathless thriller along the lines of 1999’s The Mummy and, obviously, Pirates of the Caribbean, but this movie makes those titles look like Turner Classic Movies fare. The opening action scenes are the all too common blizzard of editing that tries to gin up excitement but only lays bare the flimsiness of the whole show. Even the movie’s best feature - the charisma of Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt - is undercut by the attempt to make them into a romantic couple, when romance just isn’t in Johnson’s wheelhouse. Adventure isn’t out there. NOT RECOMMENDED
COMING SOON: A photo of a retired beloved actor made the rounds recently and got quite a bit of love. I’ll point you to his best movies on the streamers.
I have about 1500 words of disagreement bouncing around my head about Suicide Squad.
Ahhhh! I need to see Green Knight asap!