THE WEEKEND WARRIOR July 5, 2024
SOUND OF HOPE, BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F, THE IMAGINARY, MOTHER COUCH
I began last week’s column by stating that I was probably going to take much of July off, and at this point, a few of you may be wondering how they missed that. Well, I wrote it but then ended up killing last week’s column due to lack of time. Honestly, I’m getting pretty burnt out on writing this regular review column, since it ends up taking up a lot of time, and I’m trying to figure out how to make this column more interesting. I have a few ideas, and I hope that the handful of people who read this each week will be interested in the new direction.
Of this week’s movies, I haven’t seen nor will I see DESPICABLE ME 4 (Universal), though I already reviewed Ti West’s horror film, MAXXXINE (A24), right here. I also wrote a short review of Nikhil Nagesh Bhat’s KILL (Lionsgate/Roadside Attractions) after seeing it at the Tribeca Film Festival – but I really didn’t like that at all, even though it’s also getting a wide release this weekend.
That just leaves one wide release that I’ve seen but haven’t reviewed yet, and that’s…
SOUND OF HOPE: THE STORY OF POSSUM TROT (Angel Studios)
The latest faith-based offering from Angel Studios is another true story, this one based on the small town of Possum Trot, Texas where a group based out of a local church began a movement for its constituents to adopt desperate children in need of families. It’s the pet project of Donna Martin (Nina King) and her husband, the Reverend WC Martin (Demetrius Grosse), who learn about the horrible conditions these children are facing from social worker Susan Ramsey (Elizabeth Mitchell). Although they are not wealthy, they step forward to adopt the kids and get others to do the same.
I certainly don’t want to be cynical about this true and quite important story, because honestly, kids really should know the love of a good family and not have to be put into a world full of violence and abuse that ruins their chances at a contented childhood. In that sense, the existence of this film could help get across that important message, except that it probably deserved a better movie about the subject than this. Much of the film revolves around the Martins trying to deal with a troubled teen girl named Terri (Diaana Babnicova), something that ends up completely derailing the entire movie, since it spends so much time following Terri’s story, and to be perfectly frank, the actress playing her isn’t very good.
Directed and co-written by Joshua Weigel – making his feature film directional debut here –the screenplay (co-written with Rebekah Weigel) is pretty weak, creating something episodic as one thing happens, then another, with very little real connection between them. The movie also tries so hard to be heart-warming and inspirational, but instead, it just comes across as schmaltzy and saccharine with a string-laden score that goes ut of its way to make the viewer feel something but to little effect.
Sound of Hope is a movie so laden in sentimentality and preaching – this seems to be a return to that aspect of these faith-based movies that has been softened up in a few of the better recent movies in this vein – that it doesn’t allow one to fully appreciate the achievements of the Martins and the other people of Possum Trot. Surely, there was a better movie that could have been made based on this story, but this one ends up feeling like something that deserves to show on the Hallmark or Lifetime channels.
Rating: 5.5/10
THE BOX OFFICE CHART
A reminder that Despicable Me 4 opened on Wednesday, while both Sound of Hope and Kill open on Thursday, the 4th of July, so only MaXXXine opens on Friday, although it did also have previews on Wednesday night.
1. Despicable Me 4 (Universal) - $78.5 million N/A
2. Inside Out 2 (Disney/Pixar) - $31.2 million -46%
3. A Quiet Place: Day One (Paramount) - $26.3 million -50%
4. MaXXXine (A24) - $9.4 million N/A
5. Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot (Angel Studios) - $7.4 million N/A
6. Bad Boys: Ride or Die (Sony) - $6 million -42%
7. Horizon: An American Saga (Warner Bros.) - $5.5 million -50%
8. Kalki 2898 AD - $2.5 million -53%
9. Kinds of Kindness (Searchlight) - $2.1 million 33%
10. Kill (Lionsgate) - $1.8 million N/A
BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F (Netflix)
It’s been thirty years since Eddie Murphy portrayed Axel Foley in a “Beverly Hills Cop” movie, and clearly, he must have wanted to do more, since there’s no way this movie would have happened without Murphy. Unfortunately, the results aren’t that strong, and in fact, there was so much about this movie that annoyed me that I didn’t even feel like going back to watch some of the original movies. (I should note that I probably never saw the third movie in the ‘90s, but I also hadn’t rewatched the first two movies since they were in theaters in the ‘80s.)
Foley is still fighting crime in Detroit, but he has an adult daughter, Jane, played by Taylour Paige of Zola, who is a defense lawyer back in Los Angeles and has gotten into trouble with gangsters while defending a cop killer. Axel is called back out to help her, but there are some serious issues between father and daughter, who feels like her father wasn’t present for her. Once Axel is back in L.A., he starts learning that his old partner Billy (Judge Reinhold), missing and believed dead, may have been involved in some sort of conspiracy.
This is a new production from Jerry Bruckheimer and his long-dead partner Don Simpson, following the success of Top Gun: Maverick and the Bad Boys revival, which has brought Will Smith and Martin Lawrence back to the top of the heap as far as box office stars. We’ll never know whether Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F would have done the same for Murphy, since it’s getting a nominal theatrical release, which probably won’t report box office.
Not that it matters because as the film opens with “The Heat is On” and we get just about every other big song from the original movies, it’s obvious that the filmmakers just wanted to replicate everything anyone might have liked in Murphy’s original movies, so the soundtracks are cherrypicked as the first 15 or 20 minutes seems to be nothing but rehash.
The scenes between Eddie and Paige are some of the film’s best, but the addition of Joseph Gordon Levitt as Axel’s new partly does bring something new to the mix to counter all the needless nostalgia. Kevin Bacon plays another member of the L.A. police who is so obviously crooked from the moment we meet him, but it’s not a particularly strong or convincing performance. Paul Reiser has such a small negligible role, and even Judge Reinhold is gone for most of the picture, though his presence and that of John Ashton’s Chief Taggart seem so forced and unnecessary with Axel having new characters to interact with. They even bring back Bronson Pinchot’s Serge for one fairly inconsequential sequence that like everything is
This is directed by Mark Molloy, someone who doesn’t seem to have very much filmmaking experience, or skill, and yet, he somehow got this gig despite only directing commercials and music videos, apparently. The last two Bad Boys movies (and Top Gun: Maverick) also had a much better director than what they decided would work for bringing Axel Foley back.
Nothing about the movie is ever particularly funny, as Murphy resorts back to all the old bits from previous movies, and the action scenes just seem so stale and unexciting when you consider all the great action we’ve seen in the decades since the last movie. Even Murphy seems to get tired of Foley’s schtick of showing up places and pretending to be someone else.
By the third or fourth time the Axel F theme was played, I was ready to throw something at my television screen, and the soundtrack by Lorne Balfe is so bogged down in trying to replicate the ‘80s synth work of Harold Faltermeyer, that Axel F rarely seems to offer anything new or unique to this franchise.
The whole thing just feels dated, and is so focused on capitalizing on nostalgia that may or may not still be a thing. So many people have stated that Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F should have been released in theaters, but this one doesn’t even stand up to Coming 2 America in terms of laughs and the originality of its storytelling, so it’s perfectly suited for those who would rather stay home watching movies over the 4th of July then go out and see some of the better theatrical offerings.
Rating: 5.5/10
THE IMAGINARY (Netflix)
Directed by Yoshiyuki Momose, this new animated feature from Studio Ponoc hits Netflix this Friday, as it explores a theme that we’ve seen covered a lot this year, kids and their imaginary friends. It involves a young girl named Amanda and her imaginary friend, Rudger, the latter who ends up being stranded in the Town of Imaginaries after they encounter an odd character named Mr. Bunting who has his own eerie ghost-like companion.
The first time I watched this, it was a dubbed version, which was fine, but I was pretty excited to go back and watch it in the original Japanese with subtitles, since as I suspected, that was much better. (You should have the choice of either when it streams on Netflix starting Friday.)
Coming so soon after the terrible horror movie Imaginary and John Krasinski’s IF (which I didn’t hate), the film’s biggest problem is that it’s exploring something that’s just been all over media this year. Momose approaches the idea with a lot more colorful and creative ideas that really pop off the screen, reminiscent of the work of the late Satoshi Kon (Paprika), although there is a very dark and serious moment that changes things, as the focus shifts to Rudger trying to survive without the presence of Amanda. As with those other movies, it’s also dealing with what happens to imaginary friends when the people who imagined them begin to forget about them, but in this case, it just works better than those other movies mentioned.
This is a super-imaginative animated film that should appeal to those who enjoy the films of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, though I definitely recommend the subtitled version over the dubbed. Kids should definitely enjoy it as an alternative to the theatrical animated movies out now, though there are also quite a few things that older animation enthusiasts should appreciate.
Rating: 7.5/10
MOTHER, COUCH (Film Movement)
Niclas Larsson adapted and directed this oddball dramatic thriller, starring Ewan McGregor, Rhys Ifans, and Lara Flynn Boyle as the adult kids of a woman (Ellen Burstyn) who has decided to camp out on a couch inside an abandoned furniture warehouse. Taylor Russell plays the daughter of the store’s owner (F. Murray Abraham) who spends time with McGregor’s David as he watches over his mother.
Apparently, this movie is based on a book and honestly, I have no idea how anyone could read the premise of a mother camped out on a couch and the family drama surrounding her and think that it would make a good movie, because Mother, Couch is NOT a good movie.
Between McGregor’s overacting and a premise that never keeps the viewer interested, I wasn’t even quite sure why any of them were at the furniture store. There’s some chatter about them looking for a dresser, but if it’s explained why Burstyn has decided to camp out on the couch there, I must have missed it, since I did not get why that was happening.
I’ve been a major Taylor Russell stan for a long time, and her scenes with McGregor are easily the best parts of the movie, but they’re also so few and far between as the film regularly goes off the rails, like when McGregor gets into a physical altercation with the 91-year-old Burstyn, who actually doesn’t have a ton to do in the movie. In another scene, F. Murray Abaham wields a chainsaw to cut a dresser in half over an altercation over money. That’s the type of “what the f*ck” stuff that’s going on in this movie that already falters from its very premise.
I missed this at the Toronto International Film Festival last year, but reviews weren’t great, so I assume I didn’t miss much, and I was right. This is such a misguided effort where none of the decent cast really have many moments to shine, and when it’s over, you’re more likely to wonder what you had just watched, rather than feeling satisfied by the experience.
Rating: 4/10
Mother, Couch opens in New York at the Angelika on Friday and in L.A. on July 12.
FAMILY PORTRAIT (Factory 25)
Opening at the Metrograph on Thursday and on the digital platform this Friday is this new movie from Lucy Kerr, which as the title implies, follows a family trying to take a group picture, something I’ve experienced with my own family. Kerr’s movie premiered at the 2023 Locano Film Festival where it won a directing award for Kerr, and if you’re not in New York (or Chicago, where it opens on July 12, or L.A. which gets it on July 19), then you can stream it via the very reasonably-priced Metrograph at Home.
Movies I didn’t get to…
MURDER COMPANY (Maverick Film/Complex Corp)
GOLDILOCKS AND THE TWO BEARS
NYC REPERTORY
It’s a new month so new series have revved up at the Metrograph, beginning with “Summer at Sea,” premiering six films this weekend, including Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom (2012) in 35mm, Christian Petzold’s recent Afire (2023), Luca Guadagnino’s A Bigger Splash (2015), as well as older films like Otto Preminger’s Bonjour Tristesse (1958), Agnes Barda’s La Pointe Courte (1955), and Ingmar Bergman’s Summer with Monika (1953).
“In Pursuit of Shadows” is screening all three chapters of Andrew Lau and Alan Mak’s crime classic trilogy, Infernal Affairs, and on Monday, they’re showing Jack Hazan’s A Bigger Splash (which was an inspiration for Guadagnino’s movie, which also screens this weekend).
“Under the Pavement, The Beach” screens Jean-Luc Godard’s La Chinoise (1967) and Chris Marker’s A Grin Without a Cat (1977).
“Visionary Auteurs: Five Decades of MK2” continues with Woman is the Future of Man, Le Bonheur, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Three Colors: Blue, Ash is Purest White, and more.
“Piping Hot Pfeiffer” also continues to slay with screenings of Scarface, The Witches of Eastwick, Dangerous Minds, Frankie and Johnny, and Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence. (Kind of bummed they only did two screenings of Jonathan Demme’s Married to the Mob, as that was one of the ones that I really wanted to watch again.
“‘90s Noir” continues with Wong Kar Wai’s Fallen Angels (1995), while “Ethics of Care” will screen the Dardennes’ L’Enfant on Tuesday.
Movies continuing in the “Dream With Your Eyes Open” series include Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Memoria on Tuesday and Thursday, and Gaspar Noé’s Enter the Void on Wednesday. You can also see Robert Altman’s Nashville and Kubrick’s Barry Lyndon on Monday as part of the series celebrating sound mixer, Tom Fleischmann.
Opening on Friday at the Film Forum is a new 4k restoration of Akira Kurosawa’s classic Seven Samurai from 1954 which will play here for a little more than two weeks. (This restoration will also play at the Laemmle Royal in L.A. starting July 12 and a few other theaters around the country.) On Thursday, July 4, the Film Forum is also screening HItchcock’s North by Northwest (1959) and Eliz Kazan’s On the Waterfront to celebrate the 100th birthday of Eva Marie Saint, who stars in both of them. Vittoria de Sica’s Shoeshine also will continue to run through Thursday, July 11, as will Powell and Pressburger’s The Small Back Room.
All weekend, the IFC Center is screening Brian De Palma’s Blow Out (1981), starring John Travolta. This weekend’s late night favorites are Jonathan Demme’s Oscar-winning The Silence of the Lambs, Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange (actually playing for the whole week, not just Friday and Saturday late), and the 1999 remake of The Mummy.
NITEHAWK CINEMA PROSPECT PARK & WILLIAMSBURG
On Saturday and Sunday brunch time, Prospect Park will play the flat-out classic, Heathers (1989) as well as Steven Spielberg’s Jaws (1975) while on Monday night, you can see The Monster Squad from 1987.
On Tuesday, Prospect Park will play Vincente Minelli’s The Sandpiper (1965) as part of “Misfit Alley” and on Wednesday, the Anime After Dark offering is Miyazaki’s Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro (1979), which really isn’t screened as much as some of the other master’s films.
Williamsburg will show Kubrick’s The Killing (1956) on Saturday and Sunday at brunch time, as well as Monday night. It will also show Jaws, in case you can’t get to Prospect Park. Argento’s Suspiria (1977) will play on Friday and Saturday night as part of the midnight July Giallo series.
Out on Huntington, Long Island, the Cinema Arts is showing Yorgos Lanthimos’ Alps as part of a retrospective for the Greek filmmaker, then on Saturday, it’s playing the ‘80s classic Dirty Dancing, Sunday sees a screening of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse from 2023, and on Monday, it’s showing another fairly recent Marvel movie, Guardians of the Galaxy. On Tuesday, they’re screening the 1974 The Great Gatsby, starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. Wednesday begins a Political Film Festival with Mr. Smith Goes to Washington on Wednesday and The Best Man on Thursday.
(Unfortunately, there’s a problem with the website that made it impossible to figure out what is playing this weekend. Hopefully that will be fixed soon.)
This is closing down for the month of July to do some upgrades to its projection room.
Next week, Sony is releasing Greg Berlanti’s historic rom-com Fly Me to the Moon, plus there’s a ton of limited releases, so check back next week for hopefully another Weekend Warrior. ˜