Missing review

MISSING: 

TECH-THEMED THRILLER DELIVERS THE CHILLS! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

SCREEN GEMS AND STAGE 6 FILMS

Storm Reid in Missing

 

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS MILD SEARCHING SPOILERS!

A teenage girl scours the web in search of her missing mother in…Missing, the new thriller written and produced by Aneesh Chaganty and a standalone sequel to his 2018 film Searching. I enjoyed Searching a lot when I saw it and thought it was an interesting take on the mystery/Gone Girl-esque genre as the entire film takes place on a computer screen which had been done before in films like Unfriended, but it didn’t feel as gimmicky, and this style of filmmaking benefited the story it was telling, not to mention an electrifying John Cho performance I mean, damn! 

            Now, we have the sequel with newcomers Nick Johnson and Will Merrick in the directors’ chairs and Storm Reid (12 Years a Slave, A Wrinkle in Time, The Invisible Man (2020)) in the lead role. The big difference between this and Searching is where Searching was about a father looking for his missing daughter, Missing revolves around the daughter looking for her parent. 

            I was a little skeptical when I first heard about it, while I thought it looked fine judging by the trailer I felt I didn’t need Searching to become a franchise and was like “Were people asking for this?”. This sounds like one of those lazy “Here We Go Again” sequels where they copy and paste the plot of the first movie and change a few details around, but the filmmakers managed to deliver an equally fascinating thriller that has a few references to its predecessor in there but stands on its own quite nicely. 

            The film follows June (Reid), a rebellious teenage girl who parties hard the night her mother Grace (Nia Long-The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Friday, Soul Food) leaves on a vacation in Colombia. But when her mother mysteriously goes disappears, June searches the web for answers behind her disappearance and to hopefully find her before it’s too late. 

            However, as she digs deeper and deeper she discovers that her search begins to raise more questions than answers. 

            The film also stars Ken Leung (Rush Hour, Lost, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) as Kevin, Joaquim de Almeida (Clear and Present Danger, Desperado, Fast Five) as Javier, Daniel Henney (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Last Stand, Big Hero 6) as Elijah Park, Amy Landecker (Dan in Real Life, A Serious Man, Transparent) as Heather, Tim Griffin (American Sniper, The Gift, Central Intelligence) as James, Megan Suri (Valentine’s Day, The MisEducation of Bindu, Never Have I Ever) as Veena, and Rainn Wilson (The Office, Super, Cooties) as Spencer. 

            Overall, Missing is a worthy follow-up to Searching that also works as a gripping thriller on its own merits. It could have easily been just a paint-by-numbers semi-remake of Searching so I’m grateful this film was able to hit familiar beats as its predecessor and do something vastly different with the story and mystery. 

            What makes this film different from Searching is that the daughter is stuck thousands of miles away from her missing parents so she can’t really get into a car and drive over to where clues might be found unlike John Cho in the first film and has to rely solely on her technology and the aid of a Colombian errand man she hires to help crack the case. 

            Even when it does start hitting the same bullet points as the first film (Character discovers details about missing person that don’t make sense, unusual financial transactions, strange locations they went to, etc.), it doesn’t hit them exactly and will often throw your for a loop. There was a moment when a supporting character was shown to be a possible suspect and for a moment I thought “Oh, this is like what they did with the detective character from Searching”, but it turned out to be a complete fake-out and once the true mastermind was revealed, I was genuinely surprised. 

            It also helps that the acting is superb especially from Storm Reid who is excellent in this movie and does a great job giving a very heartfelt performance as well as having strong chemistry with the supporting characters, some of which are standouts themselves. Joaquim de Almeida in particular is the biggest standout as this errand man in Colombia whom Reid’s character hires to help find her mom, he steals many of the scenes he’s in as this very relatable, everyday guy who is extremely flawed himself and even goes through his own arc throughout the film.

            I don’t remember if I brought this up in my Searching review, but the editing in both films is absolutely flawless which is hard to believe since both films take place almost entirely on computer and smartphone screens. Every little detail on the main characters’ computer screens is well thought out whether it’s brief pauses during text messages or chats, jumping in-between different apps and websites, and even something as mundane as recovering a password has all this attention to detail put into it and I commend the editors and filmmakers for their work. 

            While Searching may be a little stronger in terms of its plot, Missing is a surprisingly well-crafted mystery that sprinkles a few references to the first film, but does a great job being a standalone film. I guess, you could say this is technically an example of a “Here We Go Again” sequel done right and succeeds where others like Taken 2 and The Hangover: Part II have failed. 

Plane review

PLANE: 

LATEST GERARD BUTLER ACTION FILM IS A BUMPY BUT VERY ENTERTAINING FLIGHT THAT FULLY EMBRACES ITS STUPIDITY! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

LIONSGATE

Gerard Butler and Mike Colter in Plane

 

            Gerard Butler (300, Has Fallen trilogy, Greenland) stars as a pilot who teams up with a prisoner to save his passengers from a hostile territory they landed in for an emergency landing after an intense plane crash in the new action movie, Plane. The film is directed by Jean-François-Richet (Assault on Precinct 13 (2005), Blood Father, The Emperor of Paris) and produced by Lorenzo di Bonaventura, who is no stranger to action films as he had produced the Transformers and G.I. Joe movies, Salt, and both RED films. 

            These kinds of movies are usually hit-or-miss to me especially during an era that brought some of the most game-changing action films of all times like the John Wick franchise, Mad Max: Fury Road, Top Gun: Maverick, and the recent installments of the Mission: Impossible series. But there’s been plenty of mindless action movies in recent years that I had a good time with like XXX: Return of Xander Cage, Moonfall, and Michael Bay’s Ambulance, so I have my fair share of action movies that are incredibly stupid that I enjoyed. 

            That’s where Plane comes in which I knew what I was getting into when I first saw the trailer, but whether it was going to be stupid fun or just stupid was hard to tell. Gerard Butler as an action star is an interesting one because for every 300, Olympus Has Fallen, and Greenland, there’s also a Geostorm, Gods of Egypt, or London/Angel Has Fallen. 

            It seems the secret to having Butler in an action film is knowing how to utilize him correctly, otherwise you’d get sh*t like Lockout, but I digress. I was curious to see if Plane was going to end up being one of his hits or misfires that went down faster than the titular plane itself, it’s a hit! 

            Plane is the kind of film that knows it’s silly and stupid and just has fun with it, the plot is very standard, and the film itself doesn’t even try to take this type of formula to new heights (No pun intended). Instead, it’s a dumb, fun throwback to macho action movies from the 1980s like Rambo, Predator, and Commando where the big guy with the gun makes an unlikely partnership with another character (a criminal in this film’s case) to rescue hostages from bad guys. 

            If you’re going into this expecting high art or something that will challenge you (I have no idea why you would in the first place!), you’re not going to get that. But if you’re looking for a fun action movie to watch with your friends, have a few drinks, and turn your brain off for then you will have a great time on this flight. 

            The film follows Brodie Torrance (Butler), a commercial pilot tasked of transporting a man accused of murder known as Louis Gaspare (Mike Colter-The Good Wife, Halo franchise, Luke Cage) by the FBI. But when the plane sustains critical damage during a storm and Torrance makes an emergency landing on a war-torn island, the passengers are suddenly captured and held hostage by a group of anti-government militias. 

            This results in Torrance doing the unthinkable, teaming up with the accused murderer to rescue his passengers and escape from the island. 

            The film also stars Yoson An (Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny, Mortal Engines, Mulan (2020)) as Samuel Dele, Tony Goldwyn (Nixon, Tarzan, Oppenheimer) as Scarsdale, Daniella Pineda (The Originals, Cowboy Bebop (2021), Jurassic World 2 and 3) as Bonnie, Lilly Krug (Every Breath You Take, Heart of Champions, Zero Contact) as Brie, Joey Slotnick (Twister, Family Guy, Hollow Man) as Sinclair, and Paul Ben-Victor (The Wire, Entourage, The Irishman) as Hampton. 

            Overall, Plane is a perfect example of a dumb popcorn movie done right with plenty of intense action sequences, corny dialogue, and charismatic performances from Butler and Colter. One of the greatest action movies of all time? Absolutely not, but I don’t think even the movie would call itself that. 

            It’s essentially a silly action movie that’s very reminiscent of films of the genre from the 80s and 90s and it does the job. This could easily fit as a late-80s or early-90s action movie and just swap Gerard Butler and Mike Coulter out with Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone as the pilot and Wesley Snipes as the accused murderer and have the VHS release advertised like crazy at a Blockbuster Video store. 

            You know how audiences called the first Venom movie and Morbius throwbacks to movies released in the 90s and 2000s? Well, here’s one that fully embraces the nostalgia of an 80s or 90s movie and is actually good at what it does. 

            This film does not take a beloved IP or character and turn them into a complete joke, instead it’s like the director watched a lot of action movies on VHS growing up and thought “I want to make one of those someday!” so he obtained this 30-year-old script, got Gerard Butler and Mike Colter onboard, and made something fun and entertaining that people who grew up with films released in that time period will have a blast from the past while watching it. 

            Gerard Butler and Mike Colter are excellent leads for a film like this, Butler in a more reserved performance than usual as this pilot who just wants to ensure the safety of his passengers and visit his daughter while Colter is the covert-ops guy who handles most of the firepower and on a quest for redemption. Both do a great job working off each other and you enjoy seeing them interact with one another or simply blowing down the villains. 

            I don’t know what more I can say, Plane gave me what I was expecting, and it went all out in delivering exactly that. If you’re looking for a fun stupid movie to turn your brain off for and enjoy Gerard Butler and Mike Colter kicking ass, then you’ve got a flight to catch. 

A Man Called Otto review

A MAN CALLED OTTO: 

TOM HANKS SHINES IN THIS UNEVEN BUT EFFECTIVE COMEDY-DRAMA! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** out of 4

COLUMBIA PICTURES

Tom Hanks in A Man Called Otto

 

            Tom Hanks (Forrest Gump, Cast Away, The Post) goes from awkward Geppetto to grouchy old man in A Man Called Otto, the new film from director Marc Forster (Finding Neverland, Stranger Than Fiction, Quantum of Solace) and based on the 2012 novel A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman. The film is an American retelling of A Man Called Ove, which had previously been adapted into a 2015 Swedish film of the same name. 

            I’m not familiar with the 2015 film nor the original book, so I’m going to this as a standalone movie and judge it on its own merits. So, if you’re looking for a review that describes how faithful it is to the source material, go somewhere else. 

            This movie kind of flew under my radar as I remembered it coming out, but either the release date was constantly pushed back, or I was too distracted by other films out at the time that I forgot about it until seeing a trailer for it on another movie recently. I love Tom Hanks as an actor, he’s given so many iconic performances throughout his career and is one of those actors where even when he’s in a movie that’s sh*t he’ll be one of the major highlights of it (His performances in Elvis and Pinocchio not withstanding!). 

            Which brings us to this movie that’s riding on the success of Clint Eastwood’s Gran Torino and other dramas about cranky old men bonding with their new neighbors. I don’t know if the book or 2015 film are like that, but you can see how this version was influenced by those kinds of films. 

            So, how does A Man Called Otto stand out from the rest? It doesn’t, but it’s alright. 

            It doesn’t do much new with this kind of formula and feels like a by-the-numbers PG-13 Gran Torino remake, but the acting is solid (especially from Hanks) and there is enough in here to keep you emotionally invested. 

            The film follows Otto Anderson (Hanks), a grumpy widower whose only form of joy comes from criticizing and judging his neighbors for disobeying the rules. But when a young family moves in next door, Otto’s world is turned upside down as he starts forming an unexpected friendship with his new neighbors, most notably with the quick-witted pregnant wife and mother of two Marisol (Marina Treviño-Perfect Strangers, The House of Flowers, Narcos Mexico). 

            The film also stars Truman Hanks as Young Otto, Rachel Keller (Legion, Fargo (TV series), In the Shadow of the Moon) as Sonya, Manual-Garcia Rulfo (Cake, From Dusk till Dawn: The Series, The Magnificent Seven (2016)) as Tommy, Cameron Britton (Mindhunter, The Girl in the Spider’s Web, The Umbrella Academy) as Jimmy, Peter Lawson Jones (Alex Cross) as Reuben, and Juanita Jennings (Runaway Jury, Vacancy 2: First Cut, Side Effects) as Anita. 

            Overall, A Man Called Otto is a familiar but decent comedy-drama with standout performances from Hanks and Treviño and plenty of moments that will tug at your heartstrings. What sort of brings the film down for me is the tonal inconsistency of the script because while the funny moments are genuinely hilarious and the drama is very poignant, when they’re put together they contradict each other during several scenes and the film as a whole feels a little disjointed because of that. 

            Despite its flaws, there is a lot to admire about this film starting with a very against-type performance from Tom Hanks. Hanks is usually known for playing incredibly kind and likable characters (As well as being an incredibly friendly man in person) so it’s refreshing to see him portray a bitter elderly man who’s sick of everyone’s sh*t and while some may draw comparisons to Clint Eastwood’s Walt Kowalski from Gran Torino, Eastwood’s character had elements of bigotry and racism whereas with Hanks in this movie, he hates just about everyone in his neighborhood but learns to be less grumpy over the course of the film. 

            Marina Treviño also shines in this movie despite not being familiar with her other work as Marisol. She is an excellent contradiction to Otto’s cold personality and is able to put up with it while also showing him a better world out there, I love the scenes whenever they’re interacting with one another whether it’s Otto teaching Marisol how to drive or him bonding with her and her family. 

            The film also has a lot of flashback sequences involving Young Otto and his deceased wife Sonya which will be very hit-or-miss depending on the viewer. I didn’t mind most of them personally, but there were some that felt unnecessary and broke the pace of the story at times.

            I wouldn’t call A Man Called Otto one of Marc Forster’s best directing efforts, but if you saw the trailer and thought it looked interesting or you’re just a fan of Tom Hanks then go ahead and check it out. I can’t promise a masterpiece, but I can guarantee a flawed but fascinating emotional journey on par with the titular character himself. 

M3GAN review

M3GAN: 

FUN, CAMPY HORROR-COMEDY THAT’S SURPRISINGLY CLEVER AND RELEVANT! 

By Nico Beland

Movie Review: *** ½ out of 4

UNIVERSAL PICTURES

The titular doll of terror gives Chucky a run for his money in M3GAN

 

            A doll with artificial intelligence goes horribly wrong in M3GAN, the new horror-comedy film produced by Jason Blum (Get Out, Happy Death Day 1 and 2, The Invisible Man (2020)) and James Wan (Saw, The Conjuring 1 and 2, Malignant) with Gerald Johnstone in his directorial debut. The film is based on an idea from Wan and screenwriter Akela Cooper (Hell Fest, Malignant, The Nun 2) that differs quite a bit from Wan’s previous films about killer dolls, most notably the Conjuring and Annabelle movies. 

            This one serves as a commentary on embracing technology too much and what happens when technology runs amok. A lot more relevant and thought-provoking than something like Chucky for example. 

            I was intrigued when I first heard about the film, it sounded like Steven Spielberg’s A.I. if it was (intentionally) terrifying or an unofficial prequel to Ex-Machina. Granted, I was slightly turned-off by the PG-13 rating because I find horror and PG-13 don’t usually go together with some exceptions…this is one of those exceptions! 

            This is a very fun movie that blends campy horror with tongue-in-cheek humor as well as a timely message about the over-reliance on technology that fits perfectly with today’s society. I knew I was in for a good time once the movie started with a Tropic Thunder-style fake toy commercial for a product called PurrPetual Petz that had me laughing hard and thinking back to seeing commercials like that on TV all the time as a child. 

            The film follows Gemma (Allison Williams-Girls, Get Out, The Perfection), a roboticist at a technologically advanced toy company in Seattle known as Funki who takes in her niece Cady (Violet McGraw-Love, Ready Player One, The Haunting of Hill House) after her parents were tragically killed in a car accident. Gemma introduces Cady to her most game-changing project, a life-size doll with artificial intelligence known as M3GAN who is designed to be the perfect companion for the child that is synced-up with her, Cady in this case. 

            At first everything seems fine, but then M3GAN begins to develop self-awareness and becomes hostile to anyone who comes between her and Cady. A series of horrific events start occurring with Gemma and Cady being the only ones who can stop M3GAN’s reign of terror before she goes public. 

            The film also stars Brian Jordan Alvarez (Will and Grace, Jane the Virgin, Get Shorty (TV series)) as Cole, Ronny Chieng (The Daily Show, Crazy Rich Asians, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) as David Lin, and Lori Dungey (Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring) as Celia. 

            Overall, M3GAN is a thoroughly entertaining film that seamlessly blends horror and comedy without shying away from engaging characters and clever storytelling. Honestly, I think I had more fun with this than most of the big blockbusters I saw last year. 

            I feel like this is what the 2019 Child’s Play was trying to do (Which I thought was fun, but pretty disposable when I saw it) as that was basically an updated and more high-tech version of Chucky but lacked the character’s personality. That is not the case with M3GAN because despite essentially being a robot, she does develop a personality and clear character over the course of the film while interacting with Gemma and Cady, and by the end she becomes a straight-up intimidating horror villain that puts Chucky and Annabelle to shame. 

            The film also explores the psychological effects of having a toy like this and becoming overly attached to it which I found incredibly fascinating. Where M3GAN becomes more possessive and violent as the film progresses, Cady starts off as a genuinely sympathetic kid just trying to adapt to this new living situation after the death of her parents, but when this new tech comes into her life, she becomes overly dependent on and addicted to it, her social skills start diminishing, and gets aggressive and downright crazy, all of this feels very natural and makes you wonder “What would you do in Caty’s situation?”. 

            I also found myself growing attached to Allison Williams’ Gemma which can be best described as a complete reversal of her Get Out performance. We’ve seen this trope in films before where an estranged family member has to take care of a child and feels unfit or unprepared for the responsibility, but she plays it quite well and has plenty of standout moments. 

            The film also did a great job at throwing me for a curveball when Caty’s therapist was introduced because once she showed up I kept thinking “Oh great, there’s going to be a situation where she forces Gemma to give Caty up to go live with family on her father’s side, but Caty doesn’t want to leave!” which does not happen, and I commend M3GANfor not going that route. 

            The effects on the M3GAN character are incredible and almost Ex-Machina level, she was created with a mixture of animatronics, puppetry, an actress in a costume, and CGI when necessary, and she looks very convincing. To the point where I was constantly guessing if I was looking at an animatronic robot doll or CG which rarely happens to me nowadays in film (Just look at Marvel CGI and you’ll know what I mean) so it’s refreshing to see a major Hollywood production utilizing CGI mixed with practical effects again just like in the days of Jurassic Park. 

            With that said, I felt the climax was pretty generic (Aside from a sequence involving another robot) where now M3GAN is saying stock horror movie villain dialogue and it hits a lot of similar beats as other climaxes involving killer robots/toys, but I was having such a great time with the rest of the movie that it didn’t really matter to me. I also wasn’t a big fan of the way it ended and just felt like a last-minute sequel bait slapped on if it becomes a big hit (Which it apparently is), 

            M3GAN was a very pleasant surprise that exceeded my expectations in just about every way. It’s an effective mix of campy horror, tongue-in-cheek humor, timely social commentary, and strong characters, it’ll terrify you, make you laugh, and you’ll be invested all the way through.