Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton
Week of September 24, 2018
Solo: A Star Wars Story
Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action/violence
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 70%
Available on Disc and Streaming
With the success of Rogue One, Disney had big plans with expanding the Star Wars universe by telling back stories that exist outside of the official saga. That is until now. While it made almost $400 million at the worldwide box office, that is a failure when the studio is expecting at least a billion. But I would contend that this is a film worth watching. Going back to Han Solo’s origin story, the very competent but relatively unknown Alden Ehrenreich does an admirable job in the title role, and adding some credible star power are Donald Glover (as the scene stealing Lando), Emilia Clarke, Woody Harrelson, Thandie Newton and Paul Bettany. They even got Ron Howard to take over as director when the original directors couldn’t cut it. While it’s a bit cheesy at times, this is a well-made action film with a fun personality. It has its little problems, but they are easy to overlook when viewing the bigger picture. I think its a shame it didn’t find a wider audience, but I would imagine with this release, it will pick up a larger fan base than it did in theaters. B+
Uncle Drew
Rated PG-13 for suggestive material, language and brief nudity
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 62%
Available on Disc and Streaming
Lil Rel Howery (doing his best Kevin Hart impression) plays a height-challenged basketball fan who dreams of coaching a championship street ball team. Just when his life falls apart, he discovers a rowdy gang of elderly players (Kyrie Irving, Shaquille O’Neal, Reggie Miller, Nate Robinson and Chris Webber) who join up with him to take on the young kids who think they own the game. While some of the jokes don’t hit, and many are fairly mean, once the pros hit the court, the film takes off with a good sense of humor and a fast pace. You could tell there was a lot of fun had by the cast and that chemistry creates a strong likability. It’s certainly not a great film, but it has its moments and its charm. Aside from a little innuendo and language, this actually turns out to be a decent family film with a strong message for kids: you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take. And to my surprise, by the end it turns out to be a decently entertaining film. B-