THE WEEKEND WARRIOR MAY 24, 2024
FURIOSA, THE GARFIELD MOVIE, SIGHT, HIT MAN, THE BEACH BOYS, KIDNAPPED
It’s Memorial Day weekend, which is normally a banner time to get out to the movies, since it is considered by many disappointed by the showing of The Fall Guy and IF as the TRUE start of the summer. We’ve seen some massive $100 million plus hits opening on this weekend, including last year’s The Little Mermaid and the year before, Tom Cruise’s long-awaited Top Gun: Maverick, but it’s been such a regular landing place for sequels to massive blockbusters to the point where we’ve seen Mission: Impossible, Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, X-Men, Fast and Furious, and Jurassic Park sequels being released over the holiday weekend to great success. Top Gun: Maverick still has the biggest three-day opening for the weekend with $125 million, and that being a recent post-COVID blockbuster hit over Memorial Day tells us that the box office is not floundering, and there’s room for a few hits this weekend.
FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA (Warner Bros.)
I don’t have much more to say about George MIller’s return to the “Mad Max” world with this prequel starring Anya Taylor-Joy as the character played by Charlize Theron in Fury Road with Chris Hemsworth playing the villain Dementus. You can read my full review here. I wasn’t really a fan and was pretty disappointed in it.
THE GARFIELD MOVIE (Sony)
Chris Pratt voices the popular feline created by Jim Davis as a cartoon strip in the ‘70s, which led to animated series and eventually two movies where Garfield was voiced by Bill Murray… and I’m oddly unsure whether I saw any of those.
Like Furiosa, this is being sold as a prequel telling the origin of Garfield as a kitten, but that’s really only a small portion of the movie told in flashback as we see Garfield being left by this father (voiced by Samuel L. Jackson) and encountering Jon (Nicholas Hoult) in an Italian restaurant, in case you were wondering where the lasagna fixation comes from.
Before the press screening of this began, a good friend and colleague of mine asked me why I was there seeing the movie, since I was one of the few critics who wasn’t there with small kids, and I didn’t have a good answer for him. As the film went along, I had even less justification for being there to watch this, since it’s not like I’m a huge fan of Garfield in any of his various formats. No, I just was around that Sunday and decided to go see the press screening, because otherwise, I probably would never see this movie.
There isn’t so much of the “origin story” some might be expecting, since we only see Garfield as a kitten a few times, and mostly, it’s his adventures with Odie as his father returns and they face a vengeful cat named Jinx (voiced by Hannah Waddington) who took the warp for a milk heist years earlier. So basically, this is the exact same plot as Furiosa.
The plot for the movie is just so weak and ridiculous, at times making references to the Mission: Impossible franchise in a way that’s clearly meant more for parents than kids, who won’t get those references at all.
Seeing Garfield in 3D animation is about as weird as seeing the likes of SpongeBob SquarePants in that realm, but at least those movies always lean heavily on their jokes and humor where the writers of The Garfield Movie just don’t have the comedy chops to deliver anything but the most minor of chuckles, if that.
I guess we can be thankful this is an animated movie without the likes of Akwafina and Kegan-Michael Key among the voice cast, though Cecily Strong is doing such a obvious and overt impression of Frances McDormand’s character from Fargo that I actually wondered if McDormand agreed to bring back that distinctive North Dakota drawl back for the role.
Maybe this isn’t nearly as bad as The Emoji Movie or either of The Angry Birds Movies, but it modulates so much between being silly and absolutely inane, rarely offering the humorous aspects one would expect from a character that originated in a cartoon strip.
Rating: 5/10
SIGHT (Angel Studios)
The latest faith-based biopic from Angel Studios is this film directed by Andrew Hyatt, starring Terry Chen as Dr. Ming Wang, a renowned eye surgeon who declares it his mission to restore the sight of a blind orphan who arrives in his waiting room. The movie also stars Greg Kinnear. I probably could have gotten a screener of this to review, but it kind of slipped past me, nor did I really have much interest in the topic to make more of an effort.
THE BOX OFFICE CHART
All the below are four-day predictions.
1. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (Warner Bros) - $58.3 million N/A
2. The Garfield Movie (Sony) - $38.5 million N/A
3. IF (Paramount) - $22.5 million -33%
4. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (20th Century) - $17.5 million -31%
5. The Strangers Part 1 (Lionsgate) - $6.5 million -45%
6. The Fall Guy (Universal) - $6.2 million -26%
7. Sight (Angel Studios) - $5.4 million N/A
8. Challengers (MGM) - $2.1 million -27%
9. Back to Black (Focus Features) - $2 million -30%
10. Tarot (Sony) - $1.3 million -36%
HIT MAN (Netflix)
Opening in theaters ahead of its Netflix streaming debut in June is the latest from Richard Linklater, a project co-written, co-produced and starring Glenn Powell as Gary Johnson, a psychology professor at the University of New Orleans, who has a side job helping the New Orleans PD going after those who are hiring contract killers. Usually, Gary just works in the van due to his knack for electronics and recording gear, but when the undercover cop Jasper (Austin Amelio) who normally pretends to be a killer gets suspended, Gary is urged to fill in. Things are going quite well with his new position until he meets Adria Arjona’s Madison, a gorgeous woman wanting to hire Gary’s “Ron” to kill her husband, and he decides to talk her out of it instead.
I saw Hit Man back at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September, and really enjoyed it, so I decided to watch it again more recently (this week, in fact) to review, and it definitely didn’t play nearly as well the second time around. That’s not to take anything away from what is a really enjoyable and entertaining film that really shows off Powell’s charm and charisma as a leading man, but I guess learning about Gary Johnson (the real-life person on which the movie is based) is more interesting the first time around when you don’t already know where things are going.
Gary Johnson is a great character for Powell, allowing him to explore many different sides of himself as an actor as we watch Gary transform himself from this nerdy professor to this tough almost unrecognizable hired killer who changes his style and method depending on who he’s encountering and what they might expect out of a killer. Watching Powell alter his hair and makeup and demeanor to create the various fictitious killers is quite entertaining
All Gary has to do is to get the perp on the record declaring that they’re paying to kill someone, and that’s all the police need to take the target in, even though many of those caught are eventually let go. Many defense attorneys use the “entrapment” defense, even though most of the perps were targetted specifically, because they had been advertising their desire to kill someone.
I wasn’t familiar with Arjona before I saw this, but besides being smoking hot, she has such a great personality that pairs well with Powell, maybe even better than his rapport with Sydney Sweeney in Anyone But You. Once she’s introduced, the movie begins veering further into romantic comedy territory, away from the true crime aspects inherent in the premise.
Other than Powell and Arjona, the only other significant member of the cast is Austin Amelio, a sleazy character that could have easily been played by a much younger Matthew McConaughey, who adds a bit more intrigue into whether Gary and Madison might get busted for being in a relationship with Madison still thinking Gary is the hitman Ron.
Hit Man is ultimately quite an entertaining and crowd-pleasing offering from Powell and Linklater, one that should have been a theatrical hit, though we’ll never know how it does since Netfllix doesn’t report box office, and we’ll just have to see how it does once it’s on the streamer.
Rating: 7.5/10
Hit Man will be released in select theaters on Friday for a two-week run before it eventually steams on Netflix starting June 7.
THE BEACH BOYS (Disney+)
I’m genuinely surprised by Indiana Jones and Jurassic World producer Frank Marshall’s pivot to becoming a documentary filmmaker with five docs made in the last four years ago, this one following up his The Bee Gees: How Do You Mend a Broken Heart, the excellent Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story, and two others which I haven’t seen. This is a very thorough documentary that covers a lot of ground, including Brian Wilson ultimately breaking away from the group then coming back. As someone who was amongst the people who found the Beach Boys to be quite corny when I was younger – I was a Beatles fan through and through – the movie reminded me about how when I came to New York and started working in studios, I started to realize the production genius of Brian Wilson. I don’t have a ton to say about this movie, other than the fact that I enjoyed it, and that you can watch it on Disney+ starting Friday.
KIDNAPPED: THE ABDUCTION OF EDGARDO MORTARA (Cohen Media Group)
Marco Bellocchio’s period drama played at a bunch of the September festivals, with its look at a Jewish boy who is kidnapped and separated from his family by the Catholic Church in 1958. I remember liking it but I had seen it far too long ago to write a review.
A few other movies I didn’t get to…
SOLO (Music Box Films)
QUEEN OF THE DEUCE (Greenwich Entertainment)
ATLAS (Netflix)
NYC REPERTORY
If you’ve been keeping track, Spider-Man Monday continues with Spider-Man: Far from Home (2019) in many theaters across the country.
This weekend, you can see Gregg Araki’s Totally F***ed Up (1993) as part of “Modern Families,” and “American Landscapes: The Cinema of Kelly Reichardt” continues with two of her more recent films, First Cow and Showing Up.
Metrograph Selects will screen René Clément’s Purple Noon (1960), while “Animal Farm: Moles” will screen one of my all-time favorite movies, Some Like It Hot (1959) this weekend.
This weekend, “Euro-Heists” will show two British heist classics that have been remade, 1969’s The Italian Job, starring Michael Caine, and the 1955 version of The Ladykillers with my pal Jason Simos of the Peter Sellers Appreciation Society introducing the movie on Saturday and Sunday.
Quentin Tarantino dominates the “‘90s Noir” series this weekend with both 35mm and DCP screenings of his early films, Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction. (Honestly, I have no real preference though the 35mm screenings are probably more rare and closer to how they were screened in the ‘90s.)
“Ethics of Care” will be focusing on Lars von Trier with screenings of Melancholia (2011) and Breaking the Waves (1996), as well as Roberto Rossellini’s Europe ‘51 (1952).
“Dream With Your Eyes Open” screens Mirror and Akira Kurosawa’s Dreams this evening (Thursday), as well as screenings of Paprika and Jodorowsky’s The Holy Mountain.
“Small Town, Big Dreams” screens Wang Bing’s Three Sisters (2012).
The “Out of the ‘80s” series continues this weekend with Modern Romance, Winter Kills, Cutter’s Way, Hollywood Shuffle, Fast Time at Ridgemont High, and more. Alec Guinness’ The Lavender Hill Mob and Le Samouraï both continue through next Thursday, and this Sunday’s “Film Forum Jr” is another stone-cold classic, Raiders of the Lost Ark!
This weekend’s “Let’s Go Crazy: Cult Musicals” are The Apple (1980) and The Who’s Tommy (1975), plus they’re showing Tank Girl again as part of the “Late Night Favorites.” Another favorite of mine, Scorsese’s After Hours will also screen all weekend, and on Friday and Saturday night, they’re doing special screenings of Vincenzo Natali’s Cube (1997), screening in 35mm.
The new series “This is Cinématographe” will show Dangerous Game (1993) on 35mm on Friday, and then on Saturday, you can watch Dunston Checks In and A Bucket of Blood, also in 35mm. On Sunday, they’re showing The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants with a QnA with director Ken Kwapis and Amber Tamblyn. On Monday, you can watch Michel Gondry’s Human Nature (2001), which I remember being pretty bad.
The Paris will mostly be showing Richard Linklater’s Hit Man this weekend, but on Sunday, you can see the musical classic Singin’ in the Rain (1952) as part of the Academy Museum Branch Selects program., this one selected by the Production and Technology Branch.
NITEHAWK CINEMA PROSPECT PARK & WILLIAMSBURG
Jean-Luc Godard’s Band of Outsiders screens Saturday and Sunday brunchtime at the Prospect Park location, as will Tarantino’s Kill Bill Vol 1 and Vol. 2, the latter as part of “She Wants Revenge,” which will screen David Fincher’s Gone Girl at the Williamsburg location Saturday morning. Late night Friday in Williamsburg, you can watch the OG superhero movie, Blade, starring Wesley Snipes. Saturday morning, you can watch The Rescuers Down Under (1990) in Williamsburg.
There’s another screening of The Right Stuff on Saturday, and Miyazaki’s Princess Mononoke will screen as part of “World of Animation” on Sunday. Tim Burton’s Mars Attacks! Screens on Friday night, while Malick’s The Thin Red Line (1998) screens on Sunday as part of MoMi’s “See It Big at the ‘90s Multiplex.”
The hilarious Wet Hot American Summer will screen on Saturday night as part of Cult Cafe, while Death Laid an Egg (1968) will screen on Friday night as part of Night Owl Cinema’s focus on Giallo Horror. On Sunday, Cinema For Kids will screen Back to the Future… so you’ll have to decide between that and Raiders of the Lost Ark at the Film Forum. Also on Sunday, you can see Jean Renoir’s The Rules of the Game (1939) as part of “International Classics.”
John Greyson’s Genie Award-winning 1996 film Lillies will be shown as a 4k restoration with Greyson doing a QnA on Friday night.
As part of “Musical Mondays,” they’re showing Gene Kelly and Frank Sinatra in On the Town just once at 7pm.
Next week, there are lots of odds and ends but plenty of good movies, if not any huge wide release blockbusters. You’ll have to wait for June for those.