The Devil Wears Prada 2, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
A Fluff piece made for the Stiffs
Film: The Devil Wears Prada 2
Cast: Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway,Emily Blunt, Stanley Tucci, Simone Ashley, Caleb Hearon, Justin Theroux, Lucy Liu, Kenneth Branagh, BJ Novak, Tracie Thoms, Tibor Feldman, Patrick Brammall, Helen J. Shen, Rachel Bloom Director: David Frankel.
Rating: * * 1/2
Runtime: 119 m

20 years later the sequel to the hit 2006 release, ‘Devil Wears Prada’ makes its way to the screens and it’s deliberately designed to be similar to the original - only the times have changed. It’s a post covid world. Mobile phones are everywhere. Publishing has gone digital, readers have migrated to internet and social networks and marketing has become more visual. Print journalism is dying. AI is rearing its ugly head. The artistic community which was held in high esteem find that their equity doesn’t have many takers anymore because of the collapsing media landscape. The movers and the shakers in the publishing world now find themselves prostrating before newly minted Tech billionaires to fund their dreams.

The high priestess of the fashion magazine world Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) finds herself trying to navigate an alien magazine-scape in order to keep herself and Runway, relevant. In the meanwhile Andy Sach’s (Anne Hathaway), an ex-runway intern, who has become a celebrated journalist for Vanguard and gets downsized in one fell swoop, gets offered the features editor post in Runway. They both come up against former Runway intern/PA, Emily Charlton (Emily Blunt), now a high-powered executive for a luxury group, Dior. That’s the gist of the set-up here.

‘Runway’ owner Irv Ravits (Tibor Feldman) conks off in the middle of a prestigious showing, his son Jay Ravitz (BJ Novak) takes over and soon enough billionaire techy Benji Barnes (Justin Theroux) swoops in to give his latest girlfriend Emily, something to play with. It’s a melodramatic turn that gets more convoluted as the runtime progresses.

This is a creatively bankrupt though fairly entertaining retread - that’s if you are looking for nothing more challenging than a few piddly laughs and needless attitude that doesn’t appear sharp anymore. The precious few sharp one-liners delivered by Meryl Streep can still get you on a high. Streep commands all your attention even though it’s Hathaway who rules the roost as far as runtime goes. We don’t see Andy do much journalism. She seems more of a gopher making calls and arranging interviews.

Through most of the movie, Streep stays low key. She no longer appears to have the power to make her minions scurry around to do her bidding. Her latest assistant Amari (Simone Ashley) doesn’t have much to do what with downsizing and budget cuts that are now plaguing Runway too. We don’t see any ravishingly beautiful models either.

Nostalgia drives this narrative so the story is quite threadbare. The lead characters reprise some of those memorable ticks of yore. Much of the snarky banter and edgy interactions that made the first film memorable, is missing though. The return of director David Frankel, screenwriter Aline Brosh McKenna, and stars Anne Hathaway, Meryl Streep, Emily Blunt, and Stanley Tucci, do nothing much other than mine nostalgia for the brand. Lucy Liu, Justin Theroux and Kenneth Brannagh add weight to the A list cast but their presence doesn’t uplift the experience.

Patrick Brammall who plays Andy’s romantic interest and Brannagh who is Priestly’s stay at home partner, look rather lost in the jumbled up plotting. Stanley Tucci’s Nigel is the only character who garners sympathy because of his innate goodness.

The many subplots and add-on characters don’t justify their presence in the scheme of things. Fashion itself is a minuscule part of this engagement.The bit about Sasha Barnes( Lucy Liu) doing a Mackenzie Scott feels too obvious. Even Lady Gaga’s cameo (which also includes a live song performance) fails to perk-up the narrative. Every sequence feels trite and flaky. Don’t expect many satirical asides or acerbic retorts.

Brosh McKenna’s dialogue is amusing but not up to the first film’s standard. The musical score by Theodore Shapiro is rather distracting. It takes the bite away from the dialogue. The production design is decent. The clothes/fashion though, seem a little downmarket. Molly Rogers’ costumes fail to emulate or better Patricia Field’s couture originals. DP Florian Ballhaus returns but his camera fails to capture the mood or the sentiment. The pacing is smooth enough but the tempo gets a little rushed towards the end.

The movie is fairly engaging. There are a few funny and poignant moments to keep you going. But it fails to match up to the original. This film is rather an obligatory low stakes brand reawakening rather than a fresh salvo. There are no surprises here.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Migration 2: Greenland, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
An unrealistic survival actioner
Film: Greenland 2: Migration
Cast: Gerard Butler, Morena Baccarin, Tommie Earl Jenkins, Roman Griffin Davis, Amber Rose Revah, Nelia Valero de Costa, Gisli Orn Gardasson
Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Rating: * * 1/2
Runtime: 98 min

Ric Roman Waugh’s “Greenland,” released during the pandemic, was a story about an estranged family learning to deal with one another at a time of disaster. The movie had sufficient doses of emotion, action and suspense to garner attention.

The opening credits montage sequence has visual resonance. The highlight here is the Eiffel Tower missing it’s top half. Earth is still reeling from the after effects of the impact of a meteor. Radiation and frequent earthquakes render living in any place risky. “Migration” begins five years after Greenland, instability in the region has made bunker living impossible and John Garrity (Gerard Butler) an ordinary guy caught up in an extraordinary situation, is back trying to get through to his wife Allison (Morena Baccarin) and now-teenaged son Nathan (Roman Griffin Davis), that they need to keep moving to safety. Radiation exposure has taken its toll on John and the perilous journey across the frozen wasteland of Europe is going to be tough.

They have already over-stayed in their current bunker, supplies have grown scarce, and severe tremors make their survival precarious. John and his family, among others, those lucky enough to escape via lifeboat, hope that what a scientist among them (Amber Rose Revah) theorized, that the biggest crater left by one of Clarke’s fragments, might actually contain basic necessities for life and provide protection from the radiation storms, might be true.

“Greenland” was a adequately exciting disaster film but it’s over-indulgence in special effects towards its end was quite off-putting. The plight of the Garritys though was fairly compelling. A sequel was not expected though.

There’s nothing much that’s original about this sequel. Screenwriters Mitchell LaFortune and Chris Sparling and Waugh seem to have put together elements, bits and pieces, from several successful disaster/horror films to arrive at this refurbished construct. There’s not much happening on the inter-familial front either. New characters introduced are disposed off without getting time to make their mark. The special effects don’t live up to standard expectations either. And the probability that the Clarke crater left behind from the strike would become a site of thriving life forms in 5 years is conceptually nonviable.

This sequel has a few emotionally resonant moments and is intermittently gripping. It’s a bit chaotic and the conflict and decisions don’t count as original anymore. Obstacles are resolved all too easily. Characters are many and all-too-forgettable. The opening sequence was gravitating but thereafter the movie loses steam. As a result, there’s hardly any tension and the gravity of the situation never hits home.

Cinematographer Martin Ahlgren shot on the Sony VENICE 2 and visually the setup ticks all the right boxes. Yet the scale feels constrained and the soft ending feels like a cop-out. At best this is a serviceable disaster movie, set in a post-apocalyptic world. However, the illogical turns make it suspect!

johnsont307@gmail.com

Zootopia 2 (2025) Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
Animated Buddy cop rhapsody
Film: Zootopia 2 (2025)
Cast: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jason Bateman, Ke Huy Quan, Fortune Feimster, Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, Idris Elba, Shakira, Patrick Warburton, Quinta Brunson, Nate Torrence, Alan Tudyk, Bonnie Hunt, Don Lake, Jean Reno
Directors: Jared Bush, Byron Howard
Rating: * * * 1/2
Runtime: 107 min.

The much-awaited follow-up to the 2016 Oscar-winning animated hit, Zootopia 2 draws us back into the world where land animals of all shapes, sizes and environs live together in peace. The sloth, the Arctic mob boss, the gazelle (Shakira), and the sheep Bellweather (Jenny Slate), are all back in action along with a slew of other interesting characters like the viper Gary De'Snake (Ke Huy Quan), podcaster Nibbles Maplestick (Fortune Feimster), Pawbert Lynxley (Andy Samberg), Milton Lynxley (David Strathairn), Brian Winddancer (Patrick Warburton), a blonde horse and others. There are also some new environs to feast your eyes on, including a desert, an Alpine mountain, and a coastline. This movie is designed as an ode to friendship and community living and is crackling with puns and variegated humor.

The Bunny Judy Hopps (Ginnifer Goodwin), a crusader for justice and the Fox Nick Wilde (Jason Bateman), a con artist who avoids danger at all costs, who met on opposite sides of the law in the first film, are now partners in the police department.

They get into trouble after ignoring orders from Police Chief Bogo (Idris Elba) and get sent to a special support group facilitated by Dr. Fuzby (Quinta Brunson), for partners who fail to adjust to each other. Eventually the rookie cops become the target of a police manhunt while they attempt to find Gary De’Snake.

Though the buddy-cop story gets a bit frazzled by various complications, including the involvement of predatory land-grabbers, there’s a sprightliness that is imminently endearing. The detailing is quite specific and impressive. The pace is racy and the great use of space is evident. The car chases and water-tube rides add visual dazzle and excitement to the non-stop action.

The plot encompasses a series of hilarious episodes. The gags play out hysterically. Sly pop culture references, puns, the constant play on words and terrific insider jokes keep you in splits.

Vocal contributions from A listers like Andy Samberg, David Strathairn, Jean Reno, Macaulay Culkin, Jenny Slate, Tommy Chong, John Leguizamo, June Squibb, Josh Gad, Shakira, Dwayne Johnson, and many others keep the interest going.

Shakira’s single “Zoo” has the pep and bop to get you dancing in the aisles. The design of each species is so meticulous and detailed that it’s a joy to behold. The impressive visuals, polished humor and frequent doses of emotion gets you entrenched in what’s happening on screen. This film provides fresh insights about the animal kingdom and sends out a strong message about bonding with beings that are different from you. This is a well-crafted, intimately endearing laugh riot and there’s no doubt about that!

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Now You See Me: Now You Don't, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
Staring illusion in the face
Film: Now You See Me: Now You Don't (2025)
Cast: Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Dave Franco, Isla Fisher, Justice Smith, Dominic Sessa, Ariana Greenblatt, Rosamund Pike Director: Ruben Fleischer
Rating: * *
Runtime: 112 min.

The “Now You See Me” trilogy, is basically about magicians pulling a con on powerful bad guys and redistributing that wealth among the public - in a sort of modern Robin Hood activism. In this third entry the Four Horsemen return along with a new generation of illusionists to perform mind-boggling magic while being involved in a plot to steal the world’s biggest diamond.

The new director Ruben Fleischer and writers Michael Lesslie, Paul Wernick, Rhett Reese, Seth Grahame-Smith mix the old with the new ( fresh additions to the team and some new tricks) to keep the interest in the series going. The magic tricks don’t exactly impress but the plot twists and turns are enough to keep you moderately interested.

Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), the forceful erstwhile leader of the group continues to be at loggerheads with his team. The team consisting of mentalist Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson), card shark Dave Wilder (Dave Franco), escapologist and Danny’s ex girlfriend Henley Reeves (Isla Fisher), resist his authority and there’s a lot of bickering, and insulting going on. The opening sequence has Charlie ( Justice Smith), June (Ariana Greenblatt), and Bosco Leroy ( Dominic Sessa) out a crypto scamster and redistributes his wealth. Danny, impressed by the trio, recruits them to join the Horsemen in Antwerp to assist them in their mission. The diamond they plan to steal belongs to a South African, International crime syndicate boss Veronika Vanderberg (Rosamund Pike). Morgan Freeman has a brief role as Thaddeus Bradley, the retired ex-magician and former Grandmaster of The Eye, a secret society for magicians.

Danny’s plot to steal the diamond during a rare public appearance in Antwerp feels half baked at best. There’s no great flair in the trickery here and the stakes are rather mediocre. The narrative is crowded with unexplained backstories and generic hostility. Convenience and contrivance motivate the flashy tricks department here.

The “Now You See Me” movies are not told as a convincing story. The flashback reveals don’t offer much in the way of explanations. They only manage to repeat the illusion. They are cursory and convoluted in the way they are structured. There’s a lot of flash and dash but nothing solid to take home as a memory.

Ruben Fleischer who took over the directorial baton from Louis Leterrier and Jon M. Chu, manages to make this a comedy thriller with exotic locales, convoluted plots, fancy heists and vivid villains. Abu Dhabi and Antwerp are the places where the choicest stunts are staged. All the cast members are fairly competent. But it’s Rosamund Pike as the villain in chief, even with a bad South African accent, who manages to make a meal of her villainous role. She is the most vivid and engaging in a film that fails to corner glory even with its plethora of magic tricks.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Frankenstein(2025) Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
An artistic rendition of a monstrous experiment
Film: Frankenstein
Cast: Oscar Isaac, Jacob Elordi. Christopher Waltz
Director: Guillermo del Toro
Rating: * * * *
Runtime: 149 m

Netflix

Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel titled ‘Frankenstein’ is named after the scientist Victor Frankenstein and not the Monster he made in the lab… but when we hear the word Frankenstein the first thing that comes to mind is the monster. This film gives Victor and his monster similar weight-age. Shelley’s 200-year-old source material, has been grist for creative liberties since long and Guillermo del Toro is no different. But his version comes very close to what Shelley envisioned while writing the book.

Del Toro’s vision is ambitious, uncompromising and makes the macabre look artistic. This long-gestating romanticization of darkness is driven by passion and forged with perseverance. The auteur’s imagery of gothic horror is impressive. Frankenstein adheres closely to its source material. The film is split into two distinctive halves: Frankenstein’s story and the creature’s story.

The first part focuses on Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), with glimpses of his abusive childhood and his crazed, deranged scientist adulthood driven to surpass everything his father(Charles Dance) achieved.

Del Toro’s inspired scenario begins towards the end where creator and creation are playing pursuer and pursued in the frozen Artic. We see an expedition crew on their boat in the Artic, that’s stuck in the ice, help a near frozen Victor (Oscar Isaac) aboard. The monster (Jacob Elordi) suddenly comes on the scene, disposing off a few of the sailors and falls into the freezing water, seemingly dead. Frankenstein, still wary of his creation, begins telling the ship’s captain (Lars Mikkelsen) the whole story.

The movie is set in 1857, a Victorian period, when electricity is already in use. The visionary scientist Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac), initially is forced to navigate financial constraints while pursuing his dream. When he gets unlimited funding from a wealthy arms dealer, Henrich Harlander (Christoph Waltz), and his brother William’s (Felix Kammerer) unfettered support, Victor is able to pursue his most ambitious project. Frankenstein fulfills his dream of creating a creature (Jacob Elordi) from corpses.

Guillermo del Toro’s adaptation makes an artistic swath through the familiar story making it look new, rich and fantastical. This is a horror film that scares you yet makes you feel strongly for the tragic creator and his creation. This treatment is a moving account with philosophical, psychological and spiritual implications.

When the creature gets to tell his side of the story the narrative evolves into a more complex telling. It becomes more emotional as the creature’s neediness calls out to Elizabeth (Mia Goth), a compassionate woman, who in turn feels drawn irrevocably to him. An old man (David Bradley) also shows him some kindness…before all the hatred and violence begins to engulf the story. This portion of the film is rather touching and is bound to move you.

Jacob Elordi's menacing yet vulnerable creature is born from an empathetic understanding of the story and the character’s place in it. So it’s a triumph for Del Toro and Elordi. Elordi is wonderful in the part, at once conveying intelligence, sensitivity, rage and indomitable strength beautifully.

Oscar Isaac's Victor is consumed by ambition, and obsessed by the belief that he is creating something good. His performance as the crazed scientist is on point. Christoph Waltz and Mia Goth, shine brightly in their respective roles too.

The potent gorgeous visuals are the real highlight here. Like in all Del Toro films, they are vividly macabre and haunting. The film is visually stunning. Cinematographer Dan Laustsen creates immersive gothic imagery that leaves you stunned. The breathtaking visuals of Scotland are just out of this world. The production design, the costuming, make-up, red-green contrasts, Alexandre Desplat’s score, all linger in your mind. It’s a well-constructed and bountifully realised work - one from the heart. Del Toro’s script and direction make this effort the most faithful, yet unique take on the book.

Del Toro once told an interviewer that he dreamed of making the greatest Frankenstein. …and he has succeeds in that ambition. This is undoubtedly the best Frankenstein film ever made. All credit to Del Toro for sticking uncompromisingly to his vision and creating a masterpiece in the horror genre. The film ends with a quote from Byron: “And thus the heart will break and yet brokenly live on”. The experience of it says it all. This movie makes you feel the creature’s pain and it’s an unforgettable experience.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Predator: Badlands Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
A fresh new take on the iconic antagonist
Predator: Badlands (2025)
Cast: Elle Fanning, Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi, Michael Homick, Rohinal Nayaran, Reuben De Jong, Cameron Brown. Voices: Stefan Grube, Alison Wright, Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer.
Director: Dan Trachtenberg
Rating: * * *
Runtime: 106 min.
#20thCenturyStudios #LawrenceGordon #DavisEntertainment #ToberoffEntertainmentProduction #TSGEntertainment

Dan Trachtenberg’s follow-up to ‘Prey’ is a surprisingly mild-mannered franchise entry in the ‘Predator’ series. There’s not much room for crushing brutality, grimness or gore here because the story is about building bonds with the unlikeliest of allies. The iconic sci-fi villain is an underdog hero here.

Dek (Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi), a young Predator monster, who is ordered to be killed by his domineering father Yautja chieftain Njohrr, is spared death by his elder brother Kwei (Mike Homik). Kwei sends Dek to the “death planet” Genna where every being is a killer and even the grass, branches of trees and luna-bugs are treacherous. Dek has to find his path through the deadly flora and fauna - a task that no one has succeeded in before. En route he meets up with a legless female android Thia (Elle Fanning) and they adopt a cuddly monkey-like creature. There’s another ruthless synth Tessa(Fanning again) in the mix, who has been tasked with capturing the Kalisk and bringing it back to the Weyland-Yutani corporation.

The story is told from the Predator’s point of view. The half-pint of his clan of intergalactic trophy hunters, Dek becomes an unlikely hero when he manages to slay the Kalisk, a fierce creature that intimidates even his father.

From the moment Dek touches down on the planet, we get relentless, slick sci-fi action embedded with some incredibly cool moments. When Dek meets Thia, the film takes an unexpected turn, with the tone and tenor changing to that of a buddy comedy. Patrick Aison and Brian Duffield’s script gets inventive in creating funny moments that get the audience involved.

Predator: Badlands has terrific FX heavy set pieces, action beats, is consistently entertaining and has colorful violence. The bits of violence and dismemberment are not bloody. Instead of blood red we see milky white, green, purple, orange substances oozing out of the varied creatures and synths. Arms are lopped off, skulls are crushed, brains pierced and cut-off legs do kung fu on their own. The action is both funny and propulsive.

Badlands, unexpectedly, has an endearing arc. It seeks to challenge outmoded, cliched representations of masculinity in cinema. The journey is pure joy. The unlikely hero learns lessons about friendship from a half-bodied humanoid/synth and a cute CGI animal.

Unlike previous Predator movies, this one has an emotional depth that is searing. Dimitrius Schuster-Koloamatangi makes Dek humanistic - lending him rage, humour and a vulnerability that gets you onto his side. Elle Fanning in the dual role of Thia/Tessa, polar opposites, is effortlessly distinctive, nuanced and empathetic in both roles. It’s a winning performance that could garner awards come awards season.

This film is visually impressive. The CGI is seamless. Trachtenberg’s inventive helming sets it apart from earlier Predator issues. The world building is fresh and the treatment is endearing. The older fans of Predator movies may be disappointed but it’s also likely that a fresh new surge of young blood will keep the franchise going.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Bugonia, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
A beautiful, bizarre take on modern belief systems
Film: Bugonia
Cast: Jesse Plemons, Aidan Delbis, Emma Stone, Alicia Silverstone, Stavros Halkias
Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Rating: * * *
Runtime: 118 m

Yorgos Lanthimos latest,“Bugonia”, after the critical success of “Poor Things” and “Kinds of Kindness”, is a black comedy which is far more easily accessible than his earlier films. Even so, it has the typical Yorgos stamp all over it. Produced by Ari Aster, “Bugonia” is a radical, capricious adaptation of Jang Joon-hwan’s Korean film “Save the Green Planet!”

Bugonia is a daring attempt to mesh absurdist satire, sci-fi meanderings with psychological horror, as the film follows two men who kidnap a corporate leader they believe to be an alien. The premise may seem bizarre but in Yorgos-land it’s par for the course. An apiarist, Teddy (Jesse Plemons), and his impressionable cousin Donny (Aidan Delbis), both conspiracy theorists, kidnap Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone) the high-powered CEO of a major company, believing she’s an alien from the Andromeda species intent on destroying humanity. Fed to the brim by conspiracy podcasts and unverified online sources, the pair’s plan is to cleanse themselves of their “psychic compulsions.” Once they abduct her, they shave her head, strip her, cover her in lotion, and chain her to a bed. For the rest of the film we see Teddy interrogating her.

There’s relentless tension as the power dynamics between classes bubble up in the interrogation. The constantly shifting power play between the haves and the have-nots makes it all very unpredictable. The exchanges between the wealthy, well-educated, liberal, Michelle and the poor, paranoid, conspiracy-driven Teddy (and cousin), mirror the polarity we see in society today - between the progressive liberals and the extremist right wing. Like in the real world the extreme views seem to have the upper hand. Teddy’s rants about the corporate class’s domination, current generations techno enslavement and the poisoning of the natural world, hits home hard.

“Bugonia” is a well-structured film that provides enough shocks as it escalates to a unpredictable yet satisfying conclusion. The scripting is incisive. Yorgos envelopes us with a scathing critique of capitalism in which paranoia and falsehoods form familiar bedfellows. The pace picks up speed as perceptions get challenged and the drama intensifies. The dialogue hints at impalpable elements that eventually cause the run-of-play to turnaround on it’s head. The dialogue exchanges have an intensity that builds up tension as the movie reaches for an original and unique ending.

The choice of ending may not appeal to all but it makes ‘Bugonia’ an unique experience. It’s surprising enough to catch you unawares. It’s a bold audacious choice that makes the whole experience memorable. The three lead actors deliver well calibrated performances. They manage to capture feelings vividly enough for the audience to feel its burn. Emma Stone’s performance is nuanced, Jesse Plemons’ intensity makes the paranoia come alive and Aidan Delbis lends strong support to help keep the esoteric vein in check. The soundtrack lends the movie an orchestral crescendo that accentuates the drama in subtle increments. The production design makes the bizarre acceptable. The cinematography by Robbie Ryan is also quite stunning. Shot in 35mm the camerawork contributes majorly to the unease. Every frame is textured with shadow and light and it’s visually beautiful yet unsettling.

Bugonia goes against traditional story telling conventions. Yorgos’ offbeat mix of black humour, drama, horror and sci-fi is quite potent. The script plays-up modern inequalities while exploring current belief patterns in an oddly disturbing, darkly funny vein. The movie’s strangely absurd chaotic world feels familiar enough for the audience to participate in the emotional see-saw it wrings us through. Yorgos’ film might be peculiar but it’s also beguiling, funny and visually enrapturing.

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