Regretting You, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
An all too obvious melodrama
Film: Regretting You (2025)
Cast: Allison Williams, Mckenna Grace, Dave Franco, Mason Thames, Sam Morelos, Scott Eastwood, Willa Fitzgerald, Clancy Brown
Director: Josh Boone
Rating: * 1/2
Runtime: 116 min.

This schmaltzy romantic drama, a relationship saga that attempts to give your tear ducts a workout, is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s romantic novel of the same name. Film adaptations of her books Reminders of Him and Verity are also in the make and are scheduled to come out soon.

Adapted for the screen by Susan McMartin, directed by Josh Boone and filmed by cinematographer Tim Orr, this film is a spurious melodrama. There’s a lot of crying to go through here.

The story is about infidelity which gets discovered after a fatal crash. It’s the late 2000s. Morgan (Allison Williams), her boyfriend Chris (Scott Eastwood), her sister Jenny (Willa Fitzgerald) and Jenny’s boyfriend Jonah (Dave Franco), are preparing to graduate high school. Jonah has a secret crush on Morgan while Morgan discovers she is pregnant with Chris’ baby. Cut to 17 years later, Clara (Mckenna Grace), Morgan and Chris’ daughter is now preparing for college while nursing a crush on a classmate, Miller (Mason Thames). Jonah and Jenny are also together and have a son. However, a car accident reveals Chris and Jenny’s secret affair. But since they both perish in the crash Morgan and Jonah are left to deal with the fallout.

The narrative plays to an overly emotional tune. There’s hardly any buildup, so the overwrought drama becomes more and more laughable as it prolongs. This plays like a Hallmark-styled love story that is smaltzy with tame romance, plying tears instead of nuance. The characters are thinly sketched and don’t play true to type.

Morgan and Jonah’s dilemma and process of healing gets intersected by Clara’s romance. The tragedy itself is not focused on much. The loss of lives is considered negligible to the burden of dealing with infidelity. Both the adult couples were obviously living a lie. Morgan and Jonah have to deal with being alive and having to come to terms with their losses. In Hoover’s novel Morgan forbids Clara from seeing Miller. The same happens in the film but it gets forgotten soon enough and the romance continues unrestricted.

The plot developments are rather bland here. Obvious plugins for AMC theaters, Paramount etc also spoil the endearment. The narrative is ploddy and unoriginal. The treatment is cheesy, plain and generic and plays like a bad soap. The sun-dappled North Carolina backdrops look inviting but pedestrian performances, ordinary helming, mushy score and underdeveloped characters make the film a crushing bore.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Black Phone 2, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
A fairly distinctive supernatural horror thriller
Film: Black Phone 2 (2025)
Cast: Mason Thames, Madeleine McGraw, Ethan Hawke, Demián Bichir, Miguel Mora, Arianna Rivas, Anna Lore, Jeremy Davies
Director: Scott Derrickson
Rating: * * 1/2
Runtime: 114 min.

Blumhouse’s “Black Phone 2” is set in 1982, a four years after Finney (Mason Thames) survived the vengeful killer Grabber (Ethan Hawke in the earlier film). One would have thought that with the villain no longer available to terrorize, franchise ambitions would lie low. But there’s no accounting for creativity. “The Black Phone” was adapted from a short story by Stephen King’s son, Joe Hill. This film though, gets inventive creating a bogie that comes entirely from mental instability.

Grabber was killed in the climax in the earlier film, but Finney Blake, now 17, in the present film, hasn’t really recovered from that trauma. He is struggling with his life after captivity. He takes out his rage on other kids, tries to numb his pain with marijuana, and attempts to ignore the ringing phones that he keeps hearing. His sister Gwen (Madeleine McGraw) is the one having terrifying visions featuring mutilated children sketching letters into the ice in frozen lakes, with a phone ringing in the background. Her visions get more explicit… she sees three boys being stalked at a winter camp. The siblings are determined to solve the mystery and confront the killer. But is he real or imagined?

Scott Derrickson and writer C. Robert Cargill try to create a nightmarish scenario where the villain, like Freddy Kuger from ‘Nightmare on Elm street,’ gets resurrected and becomes more powerful as his legend gets bigger. This film is a sort of homage to the aforementioned horror classic. There are quite a few savage bloody moments to horrify you here. Surreal nightmarish scenarios work their magic as a unique visual language emerges from the embers of the past.

It may not have real logic or even make any cinema sense but it does manage to creep you in unusual ways. The camerawork by cinematographer Par M. Ekberg does much of the heavy lifting with grainy sequences delineating the nightmares. It’s quite an effective capture of Gwen’s dream state which builds up a past link with Gwen and Finney’s mother who was a counselor, in the ‘50s, at the camp known as Alpine Lake. It’s also hinted that Mrs. Blake’s suicide may have driven her husband (Jeremy Davies) to alcoholism and abuse.

Gwen, Finney, and Gwen’s new boyfriend, Ernesto (Miguel Mora), head to the winter camp managed by husband-and-wife (Graham Abbey, Maev Beaty), in the middle of a blizzard.

The escalation of the supernatural as the primal force to fear doesn’t really work. There are quite a few unintentional laughable moments in the film but the acting and the overall seriousness displayed allows for feeling to creep in. The tonal shift from the grounded in the original to the flaky in this one, was not a great idea. It’s the general treatment that keeps you fairly interested here.

The dysfunctional family dynamic and repressive aspects of religion add depth to the characterizations. The atmospherics add chilling effects to the narrative. The storyline may be convoluted but the director manages to develop empathy for the lead characters. Grabber hidden behind demonic-looking masks, is a villain who has attained legend status, and gives the franchise its raison d’etre. Hawke, is superbly convincing in the demonic role, in which we see him in a series of masks and recognise him for his raspy voice.

Thames and McGraw, as the traumatized teens willing to do battle with evil, Demián Bichir as the camp’s sympathetic owner, Arianna Rivas as his spunky niece, Miguel Mora, who forms a romantic connection with Gwen, are all potent performers.

Derrickson, a past master at horror, displays a stylistic influence that gives the film an eerie underpinning. Atticus Derrickson, his son, designs a music score that will surely haunt you for hours past the movies runtime. This may not be a perfect horror vehicle but it certainly is a fairly effective one.

johnsont307@gmail.com

A Nice Indian Boy, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
A gently persuasive romcom
Film: A Nice Indian Boy
Cast: Karan Soni, Jonathan Groff, Sunita Mani, Zarna Garg, Harish Patel
Director: Roshan Sethi
Rating: * * * 1/2
Runtime: 96 m

‘A Nice Indian Boy,’ based on a play by Madhuri Shekar and directed by Roshan Sethi, is a romcom that ekes out genuine sentiment, while delineating a gay love story between an introverted American Indian and a extroverted white man adopted by Indian parents. Karan Soni who became known for being Deadpool’s regular taxi driver plays Naveen, a doctor who hesitates to take the first step in a relationship for fear that his parents would disapprove. He is conflicted and inarticulate and needs to be nudged into expressing himself. His first meeting with Jay (Jonathan Groff), his polar opposite in personality, a queer freelance photographer, happens in a Ganesh temple. The next time they meet is when Jay is appointed the official staff photographer for the hospital. It takes a while for Naveen to warm up but eventually they click and end up in a live-in.

Jay’s adoptive parents, the Kondurkars, now deceased, were Indian and so he has a sympathetic cultural background; his favourite film, as is Naveen’s, is Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ) and he has a working knowledge of Hindi. So the cultural differences are minimal. It’s Naveen’s conflicted parents that become the problem when it’s time for them to express their wishes to get married. Naveen’s mother Megha (Zarna Garg) is well-meaning but a little overbearing, while his father Archit (Harish Patel) still finds it difficult to fully accept having fathered a Gay son. Naveen’s sister Arundhati (Sunita Mani), who had to go through an arranged marriage is also having relationship issues and is vexed when her parents seem to go out of the way to accept her brother’s choice when they were unwilling to do the same for her.

The film is divided into five neatly assembled chapters. The writing is crisp and to the point. Eric Randall’s script, adapted from Madhuri Shekar’s play of the same name, is both heartening and comedic. The romance plays out with genuine affectation. Naveen’s awkwardness, Jay’s acceptance of that, the gentle nudging from friends that get their relationship going, the differences in each one’s approach, the way they evolve into being a couple and the final reckoning, play out with a sincerity and authenticity that is hard to find. The journey to their joyous marriage feels legitimate and credible. It is also deeply affecting. Each of the characters are developed well enough to make them count.

The riff on DDLJ is charming. The references to Indian pop-culture doesn’t come across as forced. Like in DDLJ the groom wants the acceptance of Naveen’s family. When Jay bursts into song in public singing ‘Tujhe Dekha tho yeh Jaana Sanam,’ the socially awkward Naveen is embarassed but secretly likes the fact that DDLJ is their meeting ground. As their romance progresses, Naveen starts opening up but when it counts he is still found wanting. Naveen gradually develops the courage to acknowledge his desires and convince his parents about the suitability of his choice. Their romance evolves at a natural pace. Nothing is rushed. The narrative showcases the family learning how to appreciate each other, accept the inevitable and gradually renew their bonding with each other.

Jonathan Groff is easy on the eye and eases into the role of the gay charmer splendidly. Karan Soni’s journey as Naveen is much more deeper and heartfelt. As the overbearing mother Garg basically mirrors her own comedy style. Patel and Mani also leave a strong impact in their brief but luminous roles. Director Roshan Sethi handles things with innate sensitivity and grace, allowing tender moments to resonate while keeping the narrative moving at a brisk pace.

A Nice Indian Boy is a bewitching mix of comedy and deeply felt romance. The subtle and nuanced nature of the romance enriches the experience. It portrays relationships with empathy and compassion. The Director skillfully threads through challenges that cultural differences throw up, conflicting world views and the yawning gap between generations. The film celebrates love and shows us that it has a way of balancing everything out. It is both profoundly illuminating, insightful and charming. It’s certainly among the best Asian based movie one has seen in a long time.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Gabby's Dollhouse, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
Candy colored child-friendly fare
Film: Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie
Cast: Laila Lockhart Kraner, Gloria Estefan, Kristen Wiig, Logan Bailey, Eduardo Franco, Juliet Donenfeld, Donovan Patton, Sainty Nelsen, Thomas Lennon, Jason Mantzoukas, Ego Nwodim, Kyle Mooney, Melissa Villasenor, Fortune Feimster
Director: Ryan Crego
Rating: * * 1/2
Runtime: 98 min.

The popular Netflix show gets a live-action animation movie makeover, DreamWorks Animation’s Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie, directed by Ryan Crego, with Laila Lockhart Kraner as Gabby, Kristen Wiig as Vera and Gloria Estefan as Grandma Gigi.

The film probably hopes to create a franchise nearing the size of the Netflix series that spawned 11 seasons, 76 episodes. This film, given the pre-teen target demographic may not achieve that kind of success but certainly the kids would love it.

The titular character Gabby, played in both human and animated form by Laila Lockhart Kraner, possesses a special dollhouse, made for her by her loving grandmother Gigi (Gloria Estefan), with a collection of miniature cats who come to life. Gigi has taught Gabby to miniaturize herself by pinching each put on ear and launching into “The Pinch Pinch Song.”

When Gabby joins her grandmother in her “Kitty Wagon” — on a road trip to “Cat Francisco,” her beloved dollhouse and its denizens accidentally fall off and land into the hands of Vera (Wiig). Vera, a successful businesswoman, having invented “Pretty Glitter Kitty Litter,” has a pet feline Marlena, who accompanies her everywhere. In order to get back her dollhouse, Gabby is forced to set off on an adventure through the real world. Gabby puts on the magical ears, shrinks in size, so that she can rescue her toy friends and reclaim the dollhouse.

Along with her furry animated friends and an assortment of others, she also encounters Chumley (Jason Mantzoukas), a stuffed animal who resents Vera because she stopped playing with him.

Gabby starts out as a live girlish 17yr old and then transforms into an animated version of herself. The Movie, like the series, is interactive, so kids are likely to get excited. The animation is glitter bright and colorful. The events sewn together have a fresh and weird appeal. From start to finish there’s music and song and the kiddie audience is encouraged to sing along and dance. So it’s easy for kids to stay glued to the screen.

The adults accompanying them are more than likely to fall asleep because there’s absolutely nothing in the movie to rouse their interest. The narrative veers into mild life lessons while serenading the young audience with lively pop songs and cat puns. For kids it’s fun to be told “ You’re never too old to play” and “grab the hands of the person sitting next to you.” I can just imagine what the accompanying adult would have to face if he followed that latter instruction.

Kraner serves up likability like in the series. Estefan as the grandmother lends nurturing warmth to her role and Wiig does well to ratchet up some comedic moments. The voice performers —Donovan Patton as CatRat, Julien Donenfield as Cakey the cupcake, Maggie Lowe as Baby Box, and the others including Thomas Lennon, Kyle Mooney, Melissa Villasenor, and Fortune Feimster perform with an effusiveness suitable for a live action animation film .

The script panders to easy acceptability by kids, like in the episodes on TV. There is nothing challenging here. That a 17 year old Gabby is still playing with a dollhouse seems a little innocuous. This is a patchy series of events brought together to seem like a magical realm with bright colors and animation of the most unlikely of toys. The Golden Gate Bridge gets a lavender glow, a cupcake sprinkles tears, miniature cats, winter wonderland of cotton-candy clouds, a doughnut raft, giant gummy worms, Day-Glo underwater dance-pop number - all add to the charm of this hybrid combo specially targeted at children. Ryan Crego manages to draw affection from unchained fantasy and uncomplicated visual design that is why the film garners interest.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Caught Stealing, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
A genre-bending thriller that keeps you on your toes
Film: Caught Stealing
Cast: Austin Butler, Zöe Kravitz, Regina King, Matt Smith, Nikita Kukushkin, Yuri Kolokolnikov, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio, Carol Kane, Laura Dern, Tonic the cat
Director: Darren Aronofsky
Rating: * * * 1/2
Runtime: 107 m

In Caught Stealing, a genre-bending crime thriller based on Charlie Huston’s novel, Darren Aronofsky pivots from an intense psychological drama to an accelerating, wild adventure set in late 1990s New York. Stylish and capricious this crime thriller is sprinkled with dark humor, and works in some depth along with it.

Hank Thompson (Austin Butler), a burned out former high school baseball player who has an alcohol problem, and a past trauma that haunts him, now tending a bar and dating a paramedic Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz), is called on to cat-sit for his neighbor, Russ (Matt Smith). Before he knows it, he finds himself embroiled in a dangerous struggle for survival, forced to deal with a dangerous underworld inhabited by Russian, Jewish, and Puerto Rican gangsters. Is mistaken identity the reason?

Russ, a punk-rock junkie has a stash of money that belongs to some gangsters and Hank becomes the guy they chase because he is on the scene at the wrong time.

The wild adventure takes us through the seediest streets of New York, as Hank gets chased by goons (Benito Martinez Ocasio, Bad Bunny, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio). Police detective Roman (Regina King) is also giving chase.

Hank wants to protect Yvonne and his new cat, Bud - but his tryst with the seedy side of New York is both unpredictable and absurd. He gets beaten up at regular intervals and indulges in alcohol to offset that aggravation.

The chaotic narrative encompasses a series of escalating encounters studded with thrilling action interventions, stylized chases and gritty kinesis. Aronofsky’s signature visual style makes it all the more thrilling. The narrative sparks a playful tone while emotionally charging up the audience and keeping them thrilled out by the sheer energy, inventiveness and swiftness of the encounters.The film is totally gripping, combining dark humor, frenetic action and nail-biting suspense. The narrative goes from comical to emotional to dark in a matter of minutes. The frequent tone-switching keeps the audience on their toes, eager for more. The incredibly vivid cinematography from three-time Oscar nominee Matthew Libatique, taut editing by Andrew Weisblum, gruesome action sequences and comedic moments, keep you intensely engaged throughout. The songs from the Spin Doctors, Madonna, and Semisonic, playing in the background suit the 90’s setting.

Butler’s fully-committed performance works well with Aronofsky’s edgy style. Caught Stealing, gets you all caught up in its tone-switching rapacious adventure. It is undoubtedly a captivating and thrilling experience at that!

Johnsont307@gmail.com

The Lost Bus, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
An immersive survival thriller
Film: The Lost Bus
Cast: Matthew McConaughey, America Ferrera, Yul Vazquez, Levi McConaughey, Kay McCabe McConaughey
Director: Paul Greengrass
Rating: * * * 1/2
Runtime: 129 m
#AppleTV+

“The Lost Bus,” is an adaptation of a book, Lizzie Johnson’s nonfiction book Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire, which dramatizes the events of the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California history.The film focuses on a school bus driver’s efforts to save a group of kids from a rampaging wildfire while ensnared by debilitating personal problems himself.

Director Paul Greengrass who has made some memorable films based on true stories (“Bloody Sunday,” “22 July,” “United 93,”) returns to screens with yet another thriller true story in “The Lost Bus.”

Kevin (Matthew McConaughey) who is in his late forties, has returned to his childhood hometown of Paradise, California, following his dad’s passing. He has a troubled family life. He has an ex-wife who hates him, his dog has cancer, his mother, Sherry (Kay McConaughey, his real life mom) has dementia, and his son, Shaun (Levi McConaughey, real life son), is resentful of everything he does. Kevin needs to earn more as a school bus driver, but Ruby (Ashlie Atkinson), the director of transportation, won’t help him with extra shifts.

Kevin is totally frustrated and at the end of his rope, when more troubles arrive with the fast spreading wildfire. Fire chief Ray (Yul Vazquez) and his teams are all at sea. Evacuation seems like the only option. At the school, teacher Mary (America Ferrera) and 23 kids hop on to Kevin’s bus for a ride to safety.

This is a typical disaster-movie that plunges the viewer into the danger zone with a swiftness that could catch you unawares. Characters get introduced quickly and the narrative moves fleetly towards showcasing how people react to the disaster happening in front of their eyes.

The wildfire is filmed with burgeoning ferocity and provides the necessary enhancement for the drama of rescue under great peril. Greengrass tracks the development of the fire over time as it burns its way to Paradise. Burning heat intensity rages uncontrolled and the viewer can almost feel its singe. This film plays like a true blue disaster movie. Some of the sequences in this film are truly terrifying. Handheld cinematography, evocative visual effects makes us experience Kevin’s precarious situation. A large part of the narrative concentrates on Kevin and Mary’s tryst with the raging fire and the critical decisions they have to make on the run. Time is of essence, danger at every turn, and that is conveyed with a great deal of trepidation and suspense.

Vibrating giant power lines, shuddering transmission towers, wires and metal structures, magnify the risk involved as the roaring flames spreads across the mountains and cliffs of Northern California. Watching Kevin drive dangerously to navigate the horrors that surround him is likely to make you hold your breath. Even though Kevin is shown to suck at life his heroism in the face of disaster is something that would rouse you and make you appreciate his efforts.

This helps us follow the spread of this real-life disaster and also conveys the insignificance and helplessness of the mortals fighting it.

The screenplay by Greengrass and Brad Ingelsby gets bogged down by character detail but it’s all to the benefit of the viewer who walks out of the theatre with a satisfied look. This is a survival against all odds picture and the survival challenges add sharpened thrills to the overall viewing experience.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

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

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
Emotionally compelling drama
Film: Steve
Cast: Cillian Murphy, Tracey Ullman, Jay Lycurgo, Youssef Kerkour, Emily Watson
Director: Tim Mielants
Rating: * * * 1/2
Runtime: 93 m

#Netflix

An emotionally poignant character driven drama set in 1990s, adapted from the book Shy by Max Porter, Steve follows headteacher Steve (Cillian Murphy) as he battles the looming closure of the institution and struggles with his own mental health issues. Parallel to this Shy (Jay Lycurgo), a volatile student is shown wrestling with his past and uncertain future.

The narrative focuses on 24 hrs in the life of Steve. The focus here is on Steve and not on Shy like in the book. He is the head of a boarding school for troubled young men called Stanton Wood. Steve loves his job, is devoted and has great compassion for the inmates there. But it is clearly taking a heavy toll on him. He is stressed out and beleaguered to the point of exhaustion.

The residential reform school for delinquent teenagers also has a headmaster's assistant (Tracey Ullman), the therapist-counselor (Emily Watson), and a new teacher (Little Simz)— who together with Steve must somehow maintain order in a chaotic setup.

Steve is very very tired - that’s how he describes himself when someone asks him. He wants to do good but finds roadblocks at every turn. We see Steve descend into frustrated alcohol and substance abuse. This is also the day when a documentary/news crew has come to chronicle life at Stanton Wood for a social media segment. It also happens to be a day when the pompous local MP (Roger Allam) decides to visit. On that day Steve also receives news from the hospital trust that the school buildings will be sold and the school itself will be closed without consulting the staff.

The students respond to their presence with bizarre behaviour bordering on dark humor. Shy, who Steve is particularly fond of, has run out of chances with his mother and has nowhere to turn to when Stanton Wood gets shut down in 6 months.

Mielants narrative draws you in and makes you feel their pain. We might not get much information about the other students but the battles raging within Steve and Shy are enough to make you feel strongly for them. This drama makes emotion its trump card. Oscar winner Cillian Murphy, in another collaboration with this Belgian director after “Small Things Like These”, shines with an emotively beckoning performance that subtly draws you into it’s soaking embrace.

Both Cillian Murphy and Jay Lycurgo are outstanding in conveying the trauma that Steve and Shy experience. They brilliantly capture the emotional seesaw that they experience in one chaotic day.

This is a deeply moving film that showcases the deteriorating mental health of it’s main characters. We become privy to a deeply moving portrait because of authentic heartfelt performances and fairly good character writing. The audience is sure to be affected by this strong display of emotion.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Play Dirty, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
Busy, Entertaining Action-Comedy
Film: Play Dirty
Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Lakeith Stanfield, Rosa Salazar, Keegan-Michael Key, Chukwudi Iwuji, Nat Wolff
Director: Shane Black
Rating: * * *
Runtime: 125 m
#AmazonPRIME #MXPlayer

Parker, the career thief from Donald E. Westlake’s popular Parker novels, has been played by various actors over time. The likes of Lee Marvin, Jim Brown, Robert Duvall, Mel Gibson, and Jason Statham come to mind but in this adaptation it’s Mark Wahlberg who gets to reprise the famous… or is it infamous character. And he is a decent fit for this Shane Black directorial which plays like a buddy comedy and is busy with action-comedy antics that will gladden your hearts.

Black frames the narrative as a non-stop incident prone, adrenaline-fueled chaotic run that works in heists, shootouts, daring-do, betrayal, murder, vehicle chases and spectacular crashes.

To start with, Parker(Wahlberg) and his crew, Philly Webb (Thomas Jane), Zen (Rosa Salazar), and others, pull off a successful heist and are on the verge of escape when a bystander chances his luck and makes a grab for the heist loot. After a chase that involves random shooting, cars and horses, Parker is able to get back the loot - only to be double crossed by his partner Zen who kills everyone in Parker’s team. Parker manages to escape by the skin of his teeth and is obviously looking for revenge when he visits Philly’s widow (Gretchen Mol) …but then he gets waylaid by the chance of a bigger booty. And that’s where Lakeith Stanfield makes his entry as Parker’s buddy Grofield, a thespian who commits crimes to fund his struggling theatre, and literally steals the show.

There are many more players involved as the heist gets bigger, difficult and more dangerous. The Outfit, a criminal organization run by Parker’s nemesis Lozini (Tony Shalhoub), Keegan-Michael Key and Claire Lovering as Ed and Brenda McKay, as Parker’s partners who get comic as they join in with disguises, Nat Wolff as Kincaid, one of Lozini’s henchman, Peta Wilson, Chukwudi Iwuji, and more, all get involved in staccato rush to pull off a heist that gets more and more daring as the movie plays on.

Wahlberg plays Parker with easy grace but it’s Stanfield who makes the movie interesting with his larger than life antics. Stanfield’s laid back persona helps him easily shift from action-comedy to absurdist humor and back again. Rosa Salazar as Zen does well to stick it when she pulls off the double cross but after that she has nothing much to make an impression with. The screenplay co-written by Black, Charles Mondry, and Anthony Bagarozzi focuses on setting up helter-skelter action beats and comedy so motivations are up in the air. The vengeance bit is left for last and it’s not satisfyingly done either.

Shane Black’s playful approach with funny banter and non-stop action sets up multiple set-pieces that keep the adrenaline rush going. The huge body count doesn’t register though. Alan Silvestri’s score keeps us buzzzing throughout. This is Black’s first directorial after 2018’s flop “The Predator,” so it’s been quite a long wait. “Play Dirty” finds Black playing safe with a familiar concoction that provides the fun without much distinction. Even so, Play Dirty manages to stay exciting and keep you grinning throughout.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

Dangerous Animals, Picks and Piques, Hollywood Film Review, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
This survival thriller hooks you like no other
Film: Dangerous Animals
Cast: Hassie Harrison, Jai Courtney, Josh Heuston, Ella Newton, Liam Greinke, Rob Carlton, Ali Basoka, Michael Goldman
Director: Sean Byrne
Rating: * * *
Runtime: 98 min

Sean Byrne’s Dangerous Animals is a shark attack movie with a double bite. The opening pre-credits interlude itself sets the stage for some attention grabbing series of sequences. Here sharks are only the second biggest threat to Zephyr (Hassie Harrison). The sharks just do what you’ve seen in countless movies but it’s one particular man who emerges more dangerous than them.

Bruce Tucker (Jai Courtney), seems like a good-natured captain of the boat that takes tourists into the ocean for cage diving experiences. It’s only when they are in the water that his true nature surfaces. He overpowers the tourists, feeds them to the sharks as live bait while videotaping the whole despicable act. Zephyr a tough surfer, is his latest victim. But she has no intention of becoming shark dinner. As soon as she goes missing her boyfriend, Moses (Josh Heuston), starts looking for her.

The tension increments as the cat and mouse games between Zephyr and Tucker get played out. Zephyr is not an easy prey. She attempts to outwit Tucker, fights back by using her brain to survive. The protagonist’s fighting spirit and never say die attitude is what helps her escape from being chained to a bed and a locked room.

Nick Lepard’s screenplay is sharp and smart, making every moment in the narrative count. For most of this film’s run time, it is Tucker vs. Zephyr, with sharks circling around. Bryne’s direction does the rest. The narrative is lean and tight with not many characters distracting from the main battle. The action is crunchy and has visceral power. Michael Yezerski’s score keeps you attentive and involved.

Courtney as Tucker is suitably demented. His Jekyll and Hyde personality makes for a fascinating turnaround when it counts most. He’s a cold-blooded psychopath, but also quite pathetic. Courtney and Harrison’s performances keep you glued to the tableau that unfolds. Bryne shows himself to be a master at old-fashioned thrills. This movie really makes you sit up and take notice of his exceptional genre skills. Johnsont307@gmail.com

The Strangers: Chapter 2, Picks and Piques, Hollywood Film Review, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
Hollow recompense
Film: The Strangers: Chapter 2 Two Towers
Cast: Madelaine Petsch, Richard Brake, Rachel Shenton, Brooke Lena Johnson, Froy Gutierrez, Florian Clare, Janis Ahern, Pablo Sandstrom
Director: Renny Harlin
Rating: * *
Runtime: 98 min.

Renny Harlin’s second instalment of his intended three chapter universe of The Strangers is quite a let down. “Two Towers” merely exist as a stepping stone for the third chapter and there’s neither logic or sense going in.

This middle chapter has nothing new to depict. The masked figures are there but their appearance is drawn on past memory. We get a segment of flashbacks telling us what happened previously. Maya has survived the attack from the first film, and begins to wonder if everyone around her might be one of the masked figures who killed her fiancé and tried to kill her. Even the Sheriff (Richard Brake), acts shady and is made out to be a suspect here.

Maya (Madelaine Petsch) is in a state of perpetual flight. Her shift from a dark cabin to a sterile hospital room is not without its demons either. Her ordeal doesn’t seem to have an end. So Maya ends up stalked by the strangers again. And its an ongoing never ending nightmare where she escapes repeatedly and finds herself at the mercy of Strangers and a giant CGI wild boar.

The film opens with statistics about random violence and then goes on to contradict that by giving the menacing strangers a sociopathic back story that hints at being somewhat connected to Maya. Harlin is obviously trying to juice up the narrative by throwing in red herrings along the route.

Harlin orchestrates a brisk tempo and has a visual style that is brighter, less mean and leaner than that of the original film. The atmosphere doesn’t drum up anxiety or fear in the audience. Maya’s nightmare unfolds across the hostile environments of the hospital, the Oregon woods, and the confines of an ambulance. It’s all presented in a harried style mimicking a sort of frenzy but it fails to connect emotionally. Harlin’ shots vary between impressive and mediocre and the inconsistencies in this telling make it a hard to watch movie.

Madelaine Petsch’s sincere effort is in vain here. There’s not much dialogue to lend sense, instead the focus is on Maya/Petsch’s ability to communicate her fears while she goes from victim to active survivor. The performance comes across as hollow because there’s nothing in the narrative to hold on to.



The film is impressively mounted, Renny Harlin’s direction is reminiscent of his big budget action films but it’s not enough to grab your attention and hold you in thrall.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
Film: A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
Cast: Colin Farrell, Margot Robbie, Kevin Kline, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Lily Rabe, Jodie Turner-Smith, Lucy Thomas, Billy Magnussen
Director: Kogonada
Rating: * *
Runtime: 109 min.

“A Big Bold Beautiful Journey” is about how memory of past issues, grief, and loss guide us to shape our future. The film is meant as a soul trip leading to romance. But writer Seth Reiss’ fanciful expectations fail to find a match in Kogonada’s helming. It’s an interesting experiment even though it fails to fulfill engineered expectations.

The concept has some merit. Imagine two commitment phobic singles meeting at a wedding and going on a weird GPS engineered road trip that helps them come to terms with their personal demons? That’s exactly what happens here.

David ( Colin Farrell), is forced to rent a vehicle to get to his friend’s wedding, from two chatty agents (Kevin Kline and Phoebe Waller-Bridge) working in an agency that has two identical cars with strange GPS. David drives away in one of the cars… and Sarah (Margot Robbie) coincidentally takes the second. They are both going to the same wedding.

Sarah and David meet at the venue called “La Strada” and carry on a minor flirtation while discussing who would hurt the other one first in case of a romantic involvement. Next we know Sarah’s car has broken down and she gets a lift in David’s car. The vehicle’s bizarre GPS with a sensual voice helps them come to terms with their fears and foibles while serving as a matchmaker of sorts between the solo travelers.



The GPS directs them through doors (indicating unresolved issues) en route, providing Sarah and David opportunity to come to terms with defining moments of their past. Premature births, parental abandonment, missed connections, young heartbreaks, and other issues that have led them to becoming commitment phobic flit through. Sarah and David thus get a chance to smooth out their lives and become unafraid to commit to new relationships.

David and Sarah tell each other about themselves -their past and present, foibles et al, but it’s not interesting at all. Their issues feel minor so the audience begins to feel cheated. The magical intervention feels totally unnecessary.

This movie is about falling in love and has “Let My Love Open the Door” on the soundtrack. It’s too in your face so the effect is lost. Everything we see feels distant and lacking in emotion. The plotting feels entirely implausible and artificial because at no point in the film do Sarah and David question their current circumstances.

The script is fanciful, the direction feels mediocre, and the editing rather inconsistent. What should have been a magical, mysterious, mystical experience becomes a self-conscious, idiosyncratic, boring fantasy that fails to touch you in any way.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

The Surfer, Hollywood Film Review, Picks And Piques, Johnson Thomas

Hollywood Film Review
Johnson Thomas
Sketchy thrills, disaffecting psychobabble
Film: The Surfer
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Julian McMahon, Justin Rosniak, Alexander Bertrand, Rahel Romahn, Nicholas Cassim, Finn Little, Charlotte Maggi
Director: Lorcan Finnegan
Rating: * 1/2
Runtime: 100 min.

In this film Nicholas Cage tackles a similar role to ‘Vampire’s Kiss’ which he did in 1988 and it’s not a pretty sight. The director Finnegan and Martin, the scriptwriter, have admitted in an interview that this film is partially inspired by the classic 1968 film The Swimmer, an adaptation of a John Cheever short story. But this film inspired or not, doesn’t achieve any great heights.

Cage plays a man who grew up in a small town on the Australian coastline and since has been living in the U.S. for several decades. The opening scene has him return home to Australia with his son (Finn Little) and attempt to venture out to the coastline to surf the waves and also negotiate to repurchase his family home. The moment they arrive at the beach trouble erupts with the Bay Boys, a group of self-styled surf punk bullies who prevent his attempts to surf the waves claiming “Don’t live here, don’t surf here.” His attempts to convince local bigwig Scally (Julian McMahon) that he is actually from there, fall on deaf ears. From thereon the picture just goes berserk in outlandish fashion. His life spirals out of control in bizarre and grotesque ways and his mind begins to unravel under the hot, unrelenting Australian sun. The extremes match those experienced by the lead character in ‘Vampire’s Kiss’ but validating or justifying it becomes difficult.

The blazing heat, tormented by various Bay Boys, persecuted by locals, and stripped of his money, possessions, and dignity, eating scraps from the waste bin, and drinking brown water from a bathroom tap, he becomes a vulnerable pawn for the bullies. There’s worse to come and it’s better left unsaid. He could have just left but the writers and the director want us to believe that this man in a near feral state still wants to confront his oppressors. Sketchy, campy and extreme the masculine angst bit has nowhere to go.

Thomas Martin’s screenplay touches on financial desperation and toxic masculinity but there’s no meaningful uptake from it. The humiliations heaped on the lead character feel manufactured and lacks purpose. The conclusion also falls flat. Cage is often cast as a lonesome man in films of late, and it is getting quite tiresome. The cinematography by DP Radek Ladczuk, is stylish and manages to convey the desperate situation quite well though.

Director Lorcan Finnegan who has had a bizarre track record with films like “Vivarium” and “Nocebo” continues in that vein but it’s not sustainable. This is a terrible attempt at psychological thriller as the writing lacks depth and the helming lacks focus. The attempt at creating claustrophobia is also quite hollow. The frequent zooms into the surfer’s eyes, sudden flash backs and forwards, zooms, jump cuts etc fail to create an atmosphere to reckon with. Cage’s performance is as over-the-top as the script expects of him and though competent, it’s not something worth cheering about.

Johnsont307@gmail.com

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#Maalik * 1/2 : A hinterland based copy of the #MalayalamFilm #Malik, this gangster drama retread feels too fake to curry favor. There’s too much posturing, the treatment feels formulaic, repetitive, unrealistic, cliched, the script is uninspired, the dialogue downright silly, the ultra-violence is off-putting and #RajkumarRao’s performance is just about ok. There’s nothing to gain from watching this flawed attempt to broaden a reputed actor’s skill-set.

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