Month: August 2018

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of August 27, 2018

Upgrade
Rated R for strong violence, grisly images, and language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 85%
Available on Disc and Streaming
This Audience Award winner from SXSW follows a technophobe in the near future who loses everything when his wife is brutally murdered and he is left paralyzed from the neck down. But when an eclectic young billionaire offers to place a secret device in his body, he not only gains the ability to walk again, but gets some serious fighting skills as he sets off on a revenge-filled mission to take revenge on the guys who ruined his life. The film may lack stars, but it certainly doesn’t look like a low-budget indie. It is extremely well-written and produced, and the acting is unexpectedly strong for such a genre picture. But what stands out the most is the unique and creative fight choreography, which I can easily proclaim is the best that I’ve seen since The Matrix (which is almost 20 years old by the way). From the first moment when our hero starts his butt-kicking, I started getting not just excited, but almost giddy. What I thought would be a decent sci-fi indie turned out to be a massively entertaining thriller. A-

RBG
Rated PG for some thematic elements and language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 96%
Available on Disc, Streaming and on CNN
Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is the star and subject of this documentary which explores where she came from, how she got to the Supreme Court, and what pushes her to be the controversial figure that she is today. To some she is a hero and inspirational figure and to others she is a dangerous and subversive progressive who stands against the status quo. This film represents more of that hero point of view, and in fairness, it could use a bit of counterpoint to keep it balanced. But its message rings true and you definitely come away with the idea that her heart and her intentions are not only honest, but righteous as well. I rather enjoyed getting to know the notorious RBG and what makes her tick, and have a new-found appreciation for this great woman. B+

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of August 20, 2018

Deadpool 2
Rated R for strong violence and language throughout, sexual references and brief drug material
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
On Disc and Streaming
One of 2018’s bright stars is this sequel to the 2016 adult action comedy about a man (Ryan Reynolds) who is killed in an experiment, but brought back to life as a vigilante super hero who, very aware of the audience watching, cracks jokes while cutting off the villians’ limbs and heads with creativity and in expertly choreographed fashion. This time out, he has just lost the person most important to him and as an act of penance he commits to help a young mutant who is being hunted down by a hitman from the future named Cable (Josh Brolin). Just like the first film, the action is fast, as are the constant barrage of jokes, which almost always hit. When the first film came out, it was a risky venture and the studio capitalized big with their relatively small investment. This time though, the production has swagger, like it knows it’s going to be a smash coming out of the gate, and that confidence makes this an absolutely thrilling experience. And for this home release, we also get the new Super Duper Cut, which offers up almost 15 minutes more material which could not be shown in theaters. I would tell you it’s even more offensive, but honestly, the project has a great heart so it’s hard to not enjoy. A-

First Reformed
Rated R for some disturbing violent images
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 94%
On Disc and Streaming
In this indie, Ethan Hawke plays a solitary middle-aged priest at a small church in upstate New York, who turns empathetic to ecoterrorism after counseling a young couple in his church. This is a slow burn for sure, and not your average night on the couch watching a movie. The subject matter is extreme, and honestly hard to watch at times. But I was held captive for almost its entirety, waiting patiently for what would come next. Hawke’s performance was excellent, as is usual for his small-budgeted films, but unfortunately I found the ending to be way too unconventional for my taste. The story is basically straight forward until the last five minutes, which both confuses and distracts from the central message. I understand what writer/director Paul Schrader was trying to say but it certainly lacked coherence in relation to the overall narrative. B-

The Walking Dead: Season Eight
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
On Disc and Streaming
Back for their eighth season is Rick and company as they battle Negan for control of their region and revenge for the murder of their friends, all while fending off the growing horde of zombies. There is still a lot to like about this franchise including some great action sequences and tons of gore for horror fans. But the eighth season has proven to be too much for many of its fans, and audiences are starting to die off because of it. When making a pizza, more ingredients and more time in the oven aren’t always the best solution, but that’s what we got here. A good storyline from the comics has been stretched too thin and gone on too long. If you’re in it to the end, like I am, you’ll try to ignore the plethora of problems, but unfortunately they are still there as the writing room tries to milk the Rick/Negan war for all it’s worth. C+

Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton

Week of August 13, 2018

Crazy Rich Asians
Rated PG-13 for some suggestive content and language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 97% at time of writing
In Theaters
Based on the best selling novel by Kevin Kwan, Crazy Rich Asians follows a young NYU economics professor (Constance Wu) who is invited by her charming boyfriend (Henry Golding) to accompany him to a wedding in Singapore, where she will get to meet his family for the first time. Once the trip starts though, she is quickly made aware of a deep secret he has been hiding: his family is filthy rich – and worse yet – his mother (Michelle Yeoh) is highly protective of who gets to date her son. There is so much to like about this film. First you can tell that the source material is as rich as the family, with a plethora of multi-faceted characters, some lovable and many detestable, all of which are well-acted by the exceptional cast. These characters provide a springboard for comedy with some really big laughs throughout. The production is first rate, with a surprise turn for director Jon M. Chu, who until now has only been responsible for some really lousy pics in the G.I.Joe and Step Up franchises. Here he shows that there was talent just waiting to be seen. Also to like is the fantastic vacation that my mind felt I had in Singapore. I didn’t know much about the country before watching, but now that I’ve experienced this virtual travelogue, I now can’t wait to visit for real. But what is most to like here is the story and how it unfolds. You are Constance Wu as she experiences extreme culture shock, not of race, but of money. You feel the tension upon her first exposure and you can’t help but empathize with her fear, love, joy, confusion, heartbreak and determination. It is certainly one of the best romantic comedies in recent years and will go down as a classic in the genre. If the film has any fault, its in the occasionally cheesy moment or corny character that feels a bit inorganic – but fortunately those moments are forgivable and we are left with a pretty great and memorable love story. A-

Avengers: Infinity War
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action throughout, language and some crude references
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 83%
On Disc and Streaming
This first of a two-part Avengers mega story brings together all of the Disney Avenger casts to fight the evil Thanos as he attempts to collect all of the world’s Infinity Stones in order take over the universe and kill half of it off as a perverted act of mercy. While the film is fairly long, it moves along at a fast pace as it tries to include as much from the Marvel universe as possible in order to make the plot make sense. And while it is at sometimes ridiculous, it is mostly very fun to watch with not only great action sequences, but also some great comedy to take in as you catch your breath. It is a tad dark towards the end, but I have faith that Disney will make up for it by summer of next year, and any dread we may now feel will slip away. B+