Popcorn Perspectives with Danny Minton
Week of April 3, 2023
Air
Rated R for language
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 99%
In Theaters
Air tells the story of how a little running company called Nike rose to be a fashion superpower by courting the up and coming legend Michael Jordan to endorse their basketball shoes. Many of us just assume that Nike has always been the basketball player’s shoe of choice but with every success comes trial and tribulation, and a lot of risk taking. Matt Damon portrays Sonny Vacarro, the Nike employee who bent the rules and put his career on the line in order to get Jordan, a man who wanted nothing to do with Nike, on board. Directing is Ben Affleck, who also stars as Phil Knight, the CEO of Nike. It is well-known that these two have a unique synergy and this is one of the best projects either has done since they won the Academy Award for Good Will Hunting. But the icing on the cake belongs to Viola Davis who portrays Jordan’s mom. Her performance is powerful to say the least and really makes you wonder if we would even be talking about MJ today were it not for her behind the scenes presence. Along with a terrific script and strong performances by a talented supporting cast, the movie not only helps you relive the true events of forty years ago, providing a ton of great nostalgia, but it also inspires in the present. It is such a remarkable story and so magically told here. I’m going to guess that the biggest criticism we will hear about this movie is that it looks like a PG-13 film but the language makes it very Rated R. Know what you are getting into here as it might not be the best film to bring your kids to, as many will want to do. I say this as someone who brought his 12-year-old without even looking at the actual rating. And of course he loved it. That being said, it’s sure to be a classic inspirational feel-good film and most likely the early front runner for next year’s awards season. It came out too early in the year you say? Everything Everywhere All At Once came out on April 8 of last year so only time will tell. A
The Super Mario Bros. Movie
Rated PG for action and mild violence
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 55%
In Theaters
This highly-anticipated animated pic tells the story of Mario and Luigi, a pair of plumbing brothers who get sucked into a strange world where major forces are in a war of conquest when the evil turtle Bowser decides to make a move on the princess in order to marry her. For many this story will make perfect sense. In the theater there was a lot of giggling and whispering and many appeared to be having fun. But I’m obviously not the target audience here as for the most part, I didn’t get it. The story is ridiculous and very silly, and the movie comes off like a nervous ball of energy that finally fizzles out after 90 short minutes. The best I can say is that it is a fairly painless experience. While the script isn’t the greatest, it also isn’t the worst. There are some good jokes and the film is well-enough paced to provide a mildly entertaining time for those not indoctrinated into the world of Nintendo. It also helps that the voice talent is top notch with Jack Black, Chris Pratt, Charlie Day, Seth Rogen and Anna Taylor-Joy in the roles of the somewhat iconic characters. Was it enough to turn me into a fan? Not quite. But unlike some similar films like Angry Birds, I wasn’t miserable, which is better than I expected. C