Green Book review

GREEN BOOK:

VIGGO MORTENSEN AND MAHERSHALA ALI ARE PERFECTLY MATCHED IN THIS SURPRISINGLY ENTERTAINING RIDE!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES AND DREAMWORKS PICTURES

Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali in Green Book

            Director, Peter Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin, There’s Something About Mary) partners Viggo Mortensen (The Lord of the Rings trilogy, A History of Violence, Captain Fantastic) up with Mahershala Ali (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay: Parts 1 and 2, Moonlight, Hidden Figures) for a road trip through the 1960s Deep South in the new comedy-drama, Green Book. The film is based on the true story about the friendship between African-American classical pianist, Don Shirley and white Italian-American bouncer who served as his driver and security guard, Tony Vallelonga.

            This could have easily crashed and burn given that Farrelly is usually known for low-brow comedies co-directed by his brother, Bobby. While films like Dumb and Dumber, Kingpin, and There’s Something About Mary were well-received and commercially successful upon release, they’ve had several misfires in recent years.

            A movie that’s based on a true story and deals with themes of prejudice and discrimination that’s also meant to be funny is being directed by one of the guys who directed an unfunny Bill Murray with an animated city living inside of him. Sounds like it’s destined to fail right? Well, no need to worry as Peter Farrelly takes a more mature approach with this film and delivers a surprisingly fun and charming journey through bumpy subject matter with two perfectly matched leads behind the wheel and in the back seat.

            Set in the 1960s, the film follows an Italian-American bouncer from a neighborhood in the Bronx named Tony Vallelonga, or Tony Lip (Mortensen) who has been hired by African-American world-class pianist, Don Shirley (Ali) to drive him on a concert tour from Manhattan to the Deep South. However, during their journey these two unlikely friends must rely on the Green Book to guide them to the few establishments that were then “safe” for African-American citizens. With encounters from racist police officers, drunken rednecks, and white business owners “Following traditions”, Tony and Don are forced to set aside differences to survive and buckle up for the journey of a lifetime.

            The film also stars Linda Cardellini (Scooby-Doo, Freaks and Geeks, Avengers: Age of Ultron) as Dolores Vallelonga, Iqbal Theba (Seinfeld, Glee, Arrested Development) as Amit, and Sebastian Maniscalco (Comedy Central Presents, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee) as Johnny Venere.

            Overall, Green Book is a smooth ride that balances drama and comedy quite well and the chemistry between Mortensen and Ali is something of legends. You got a foul-mouthed, angry, white man from New York driving the car with a calm and wise African-American man in the back, all sorts of hilarity ensue as well as a powerful friendship.

            I’m not sure how historically accurate this movie is and I’m positive certain aspects were toned down by Hollywood for a wider audience. Shockingly, its lighter tone actually works, don’t get me wrong, there are some intense moments, but this isn’t Straight Outta Compton or BlacKkKlansman where they need to rise up and sabotage the system, but rather have two mismatched characters on a wild adventure in a dark era and see how their friendship progresses over time, that’s where the focus should be.

            The performances and relationships between the characters are where Green Book shines, but the plot isn’t exactly perfect. It’s not at all badly written or a lazy narrative, but at times it is a little predictable and relies on a lot of buddy road trip movie clichés, thankfully they don’t ruin the movie and it’s mostly just a nitpick on my part.

            I doubt Green Book will make as big a splash as something like Widows or Creed II, but for something that could have been dead on arrival given the Farrelly Brothers later efforts, this was a pleasant surprise. It’s a good balance between comedy and drama with mature subject matter and two bizarrely likable leads in the car, it’s worth the ride.

Robin Hood review

ROBIN HOOD:

ROBS FROM ITS BELOVED SOURCE MATERIAL AND GIVES A BELOW BARE-MINIMUM RETELLING!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: * out of 4

SUMMIT ENTERTAINMENT

Taron Egerton, Jamie Foxx, Ben Mendelsohn, Eve Hewson, and Jamie Dornan in Robin Hood

            Taron Egerton (Kingsman 1 and 2, Eddie the Eagle, Sing) dons the hood in the latest retelling of the classic story of thief turned hero, Robin Hood. There have been several film adaptations of Robin Hood over the years, most notably the animated one from Disney and Mel Brooks’ outrageous spoof, Robin Hood: Men in Tights.

            From Kevin Costner in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves to Russell Crowe in Ridley Scott’s version released in 2010, it seems like Robin Hood’s legend isn’t slowing down anytime soon. Aaaaand then director, Otto Bathurst (Criminal Justice, Five Days, Black Mirror) got a hold of the story and gave us this new adaptation of Robin Hood.

            Part of me was interested in the movie when I saw the trailers, you got Taron Egerton, who has already proven to be an undeniable talent in several other projects, portraying the lead plus Jamie Foxx (Collateral, Django Unchained, The Amazing Spider-Man 2) as “Little” John. But at the same time, I was skeptical because didn’t Ridley Scott give us a Robin Hood film adaptation not too long ago, why do we need another one right now?

            So, I got a ticket and gave the movie a watch, and I’ll be honest, it completely surpassed my expectations. Robin Hood (2018) is so misdirected and poorly handled that it’s a comedy, from its dreadfully cluttered action sequences to its performances that range from passable at best to over-the-top laughably bad, it’s like the Robin Hood equivalent of Batman & Robin.

            This can go down in history with other 2018 releases like Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Venom as one of the all-time greatest, unintentional comedic failures. Not once was I invested in the story and characters nor was I ever able to take it seriously.

            The film follows Robin of Loxley (Egerton), who after returning home to England from fighting in the Crusades, befriends an Arab fighter he came across during battle named Little John (Foxx). In hopes to bring down England’s corrupt royal crown, Robin is trained by Little John to become a thief and steal the riches of the Sheriff of Nottingham (Ben Mendelsohn-The Dark Knight Rises, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Ready Player One) and give to the poor and starving villagers in the mines.

            With the help of Robin’s love interest, Marian (Eve Hewson-This Must Be the Place, The Knicks, Bridge of Spies), Robin and Little John must do battle with the corrupt Sheriff, bring down this hostile rule, and become a hero.

            The film also stars Tim Minchin (Two Fists, One Heart, Californication, Squinters) as Friar Tuck, Jamie Dornan (Marie Antoinette, Once Upon a Time, Fifty Shades trilogy) as Will “Scarlet” Tillman, F. Murray Abraham (All the President’s Men, Scarface, The Grand Budapest Hotel) as the Cardinal, Paul Anderson (Peaky Blinders, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, The Revenant) as Guy of Gisborne, Josh Herdman (Harry Potter franchise, UGetMe, Marcella) as Righteous, Cornelius Booth (Trauma, Pride & Prejudice, Penelope) as Lord Pembroke, and Bjorn Bengtsson (2003, Offside, The Last Kingdom) as Tydon.

            Overall, Robin Hood should be one of those bad movies that gets me angry to my boiling point and start ranting about how awful it was, and yet, I found it to be a delightful and entertaining failure. Don’t get me wrong, there were aspects that annoyed the hell out of me, but most of the time I was laughing at how over-the-top and stupid it was.

            Out of all the Robin Hood film adaptations I’ve seen, this is by far the worst one, it’s a hilarious textbook example of how NOT to do a Robin Hood movie, that’s right the versions starring Kevin Costner and Russell Crowe are better than this disaster. As a matter of fact, it’s such a huge mess that Robin Hood: Men in Tights, a Mel Brooks directed parody of Robin Hood is a more faithful version of the story than this, and we were laughing intentionally with that one.

            The action sequences are atrocious, every one of them is filmed too close, they’re always cluttered, and there’s unnecessary uses of slow-motion everywhere. It’s almost like someone took Zack Snyder’s battle sequences from 300 and reshot them with the camera operator from the Michael Bay Transformers movies.

            Despite Taron Egerton and Jamie Foxx both being very talented leads in the past, the protagonist characters are passable at best, Egerton is basically just recycling his Eggsy character from Kingsman and Foxx portraying a badass fighter who has a hard time picking an accent and sticking to it, they’re not terrible but I don’t see myself praising them either. Ben Mendelsohn is the one who steals the show as the villain in a very similar way Dennis Hopper was the highlight of the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie.

            Mendelsohn has already proven that he is capable of portraying over-the-top villains in Rogue One and Ready Player One, and here it’s literally like he decided not to act today and do whatever he wanted. From the way he delivers his lines to just his presence in general, I got some huge laughs out of him and it’s even funnier than I was supposed to take him seriously, this is what happens when the studio behind Twilight adapts Robin Hood, laughter at the studio’s expense.

            I almost recommend Robin Hood (2018) as a “So bad it’s good” kind of movie, it’s horribly misguided and features some of the worst editing, plot structure, and action sequences I’ve seen in a very long time, to the point where it was funny. If you want something to watch and make fun of with your friends and a few drinks, this is the unintentional comedy hit of the year.

            But as a Robin Hood adaptation, you’re better off watching one of the many other versions that came before this tragedy. Did I mention, this Robin Hood got arrowed in the chest by a Mel Brooks parody movie? I’ll just leave it at that, a unique failure.

Creed II review

CREED II:

FORMULAIC? YES, BUT STILL PACKS A PUNCH!

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

MGM AND WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Michael B. Jordan is back in the ring in Creed II

            Michael B. Jordan (Chronicle, Fruitvale Station, Black Panther) returns to the boxing ring as Adonis Creed in Creed II, the sequel to the critically acclaimed 2015 hit, Creed and spin-off of the long-running Rocky franchise. I remembered having low expectations when I first saw the trailer for Creed because while Rocky Balboa was a solid conclusion to Rocky’s legacy, the series went on from Academy Award winning gold to flat out ridiculous satire of itself.

            My expectations were put to rest as I watched the first movie, not only was it a good spin-off and continuation of the Rocky franchise, but also on par with the Oscar winning, Rocky and Rocky II. The film was a powerhouse of punches and emotion with well-developed characters portrayed phenomenally by its leads, an effective plot where Rocky trains the son of deceased friend and former opponent, Apollo Creed for an unforgettable boxing match, and even earned Stallone an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

            Now, the Creed saga continues in this highly-anticipated follow-up with Jordan and Sylvester Stallone (Rambo franchise, Cliffhanger, The Expendables trilogy) reprising their roles as Adonis Creed and Rocky Balboa, and Steven Caple Jr. (The Land) replacing Ryan Coogler as director. How does Creed II hold up compared to its acclaimed predecessor? Well, it’s no Rocky II but it’s a solid second round for Creed with just as much heart and drama as the first film.

            Following his unexpected win of the World Heavyweight Championship, Adonis Creed (Jordan) is now a worldwide star and has even proposed to his girlfriend, Bianca Porter (Tessa Thompson-Westworld, Thor: Ragnarok, MIB). But an old enemy from the past returns in the form of Viktor Drago (Newcomer, Florian Munteanu), the son of the man who killed his father in the ring, Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren-Masters of the Universe, The Punisher (1989), Universal Soldier) who challenges Adonis in a match to regain their family’s glory.

            Adonis takes the challenge in hopes to avenge his father’s legacy, but his coach and former boxing champion, Rocky Balboa (Stallone) warns him about the Drago family and that he doesn’t want to relive that tragic moment when Apollo was killed by Ivan thirty years ago. With the rage of his father’s death flowing through him, Adonis trains with Rocky long and hard for the big fight to hopefully take Drago down.

            The film also stars Wood Harris (The Wire, Remember the Titans, The Breaks) as Tony “Little Duke” Evers, Russell Hornsby (Lincoln Heights, Grimm, Fences) as Buddy Marcelle, professional boxer, Andre Ward as Danny “Stuntman” Wheeler, Phylicia Rashad (Just Wright, Frankie and Alice, For Colored Girls) as Mary Anne Creed, and Brigette Nielsen (Red Sonja, Beverly Hills Cop II, Mercenaries) as Ludmila Drago.

            Overall, Creed II is a formulaic yet exciting throwback to when Rocky took Ivan down back in Rocky IV and a solid continuation of the Creed legacy. If you’ve ever seen a Rocky movie before then you know what you’re getting into and while there’s not much new done with the formula, the charm of its characters shines through.

            Michael B. Jordan is giving it his all, and you understand why Adonis would want to step into the ring to fight Drago, despite how powerful they are, and root for him all the way through. His character is going through a lot in this movie, boxing, his relationship with his girlfriend, his relationships with his family and Rocky, and becoming a father, you can tell a lot of stress and frustration is going on and you want to see him get through it. Even if you’re not a boxer, these are all relatable things and Jordan sells every moment.

            Stallone is great again as Rocky Balboa, he continues to be the coach and wise mentor for Adonis Creed in a similar way as Mr. Miyagi from The Karate Kid or Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars. If the Rocky franchise has to continue, I’m glad they took this direction with the Creed movies because Stallone’s pretty old and I doubt he can throw the same punches that he could back in 1976 today.

            What really shocked me was how defined Ivan and Viktor Drago are in this movie, especially after all the goofiness of Rocky IV (Yes, that’s the one with the robot). Even though they act more like comic book villains rather than boxing opponents, they want to challenge Creed and Balboa in a final match to regain their glory and win for their country.

            The final match is exhilarating, despite knowing exactly how it’s going to end, it keeps you invested, gasping, and cheering all the way through. In a good final battle, the hero must take a few blows before finishing up the enemy, if Adonis straight up whaled on Viktor without taking any hits, it’d be a weak climax.

            If you’re a fan of the Rocky franchise and enjoyed the first Creed movie, then Creed II is right up your alley. Sure, it’s much of the same but with a movie like this, it doesn’t matter, grab your boxing gloves, step into the ring, and get ready for the big fight.