Reviews – Matthew Liedke on Film

REVIEW: As ‘Forgotten Island’ flails around, its emotional core gets lost

Interestingly enough, “Forgotten Island” regularly had me remembering “The Wild Robot” because it was a much better viewing experience from DreamWorks Animation.

The latest film from the studio is set in the Philippines during the 1990s and centers on a pair of young women who’ve been friends since childhood. Raissa (Liza Soberano) is the more serious and studious one, while her bestie Jo (Gabriella “H.E.R.” Sarmiento Wilson) is often rebellious.

The two remain closely tied together, but that appears to be ending as Raissa is looking to move to the United States to study at the California Institute of Technology. Before she can take off, though, Jo brings Raissa out for one last party, and during the event, the two are transported to a world they’d wanted to go to since hearing about it in legends.

REVIEW: Iñárritu’s ‘Digger’ has layers of delicious satire and drama

It’s always a treat when you’re already enjoying a movie for what it is, and then it takes a turn that brings it up to an even higher level.

Such is the case with “Digger,” the latest starring vehicle for Tom Cruise who plays the titular character, an oil tycoon looking to extract Texas Tea from any place on Earth. As the movie gets underway, his latest operation ends up causing a disaster, with a large iceberg breaking from Greenland and heading toward Europe.

As the situation turns dire, Digger has to convene with the U.S. President (John Goodman) on what to do about the situation, with input from his environmental safety director Nirav (Riz Ahmed). As the film goes on, though, more is revealed about Cruise’s character, which flips the whole situation into even more dramatic territory.

REVIEW: While exeuction is mixed, ‘Primetime’ is overall a positive

Another exhibit in the “Frontline” is better than network news magazine shows folder.

“Primetime” is a film centering on “To Catch a Predator,” a series part of NBC’s news magazine show “Dateline,” which boasted massive ratings for the Peacock channel in the mid 2000s. The film picks up with the series having established success and being bumped to a primetime slot to compete for the highest view share.

Driving a lot of success is host Chris Hansen (Robert Pattinson), who’s become consumed the ratings success, and the thrill of the hunt, so to speak, in exposing the men looking to meet minors. As the show gets bigger, it hires a young actor, Dan (Skyler Gisondo), to play a decoy. While he’s initially excited about the job, Dan begins to question the tactics of Hansen and the TCAP crew.

REVIEW: ‘Resident Evil’ adaptation strong on style, weak elsewhere

I was a bit mixed on both of Zach Cregger’s projects so far in the 2020s, and that trend continues with his latest work.

This time, the writer and director helmed an adaptation of a video game. While it shares the “Resident Evil title, though, what’s shown on screen is a completely independent side story taking place outside of the saga that rolls out in the game series.

The movie stars Austin Abrams as Brian, a medical courier who takes on one more delivery late at night because of a good payout, requiring him to drive to another city in snowy conditions. On the way, he encounters a woman who’s out of sorts because of an illness. He soon learns that this illness causes terrifying mutations and has spread to the city he’s going to with the medical package.

REVIEW: ‘Uprising’ is an intense, but largely forgettable dramatization

Is this a Robin Hood origin story? I’m not really sure. I don’t think the filmmakers were sure, either.

The main focus of this picture, written and directed by Paul Greengrass, is a peasant revolt in the late 1300s where a group of farmers and townsfolk descended on London to demand changes from King Richard II. At the time, the king, still a teenager, had a council making many of the decisions, including the levy of higher taxes.

Helping spark the revolt is a farmer who goes by Ploughman (Andrew Garfield), who kills a soldier to protect fellow citizens. The rest of his town and nearby communities rally behind him, as well as former soldier Wat Tyler (Cosmo Jarvis) and priest John Ball (Jamie Bell), with a coalition forming to march on London and ask for relief.

REVIEW: ‘By Any Means’ isn’t deep, but it does entertain

I’m somewhat convinced the creative team watched 2018’s “Green Book” and thought, ‘yeah, but what if we made this into a pseudo-buddy police procedural?’

“By Any Means” is set in 1966 in Mississippi, a few years after the murders of activists James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner. As the movie gets underway, another murder of a Civil Rights activist takes place, and the FBI once again has a case on their hands.

Special agent Wayne Strider (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who knew the victim, is tasked with investigating the killing. To complete the case, the FBI decides to go outside the law, bringing in mafia enforcer Gregory Scarpa (Mark Wahlberg) to assist Strider in the effort. Together, reluctantly, they have to go through rural Mississippi and uncover who was behind the murder.

REVIEW: ‘Mutiny’ is an OK, but unremarkable action flick at sea

Jason Statham was the Transporter. Then, he was the Beekeeper. Now, he is, the Sailor? The Seaman? Let’s just call this one “Mutiny.”

In the latest flick to feature the action star, Statham once again plays a tough but humble badass. In “Mutiny,” he portrays Cole Reed, a former special operations soldier and decorated police officer who now works as a bodyguard for the head of a major corporation. Unfortunately, in an ambush, his employer, and friend, is murdered.

On top of that, Reed is then framed as the one who killed his own boss. To clear his name, and get back at those who killed his friend, Reed boards a ship connected to one of the assassins. There, he uncovers a trafficking operation, which he sets out to stop during his quest for vengeance.

REVIEW: ‘Oak Street’ struggles in establishing right tone

It’s not a good sign when a film leaves a person asking “who is this movie for?” That’s unfortunately, a common occurrence in this dinosaur-filled movie, though.

The picture, written and directed by David Robert Mitchell, stars Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor as suburban married couple, Denise and Greg. All is not happy in their home, though, as their marriage is on the rocks, with Denise particularly tired of the way the relationship is going.

They’re forced to put their marital issues aside, though, to protect their two children when a strange event happens. One morning, they wake up to find their entire neighborhood has been transported back in time to a dangerous age of dinosaurs. Now, the family has to band together to survive and find a way back to their own time.

REVIEW: While acting is strong, Bourdain biopic ‘Tony’ is too safe

Another film this summer where Leo Woodall plays a character working under a mentor who’s portrayed by a noteworthy actor.

Unlike “Tuner,” though, where Woodall played opposite Dustin Hoffman, “Tony” has him acting as a cook working under the direction of a chef (Antonio Banderas) at a New England seafood restaurant. Woodall is also in a side role this time, whereas main character duties are with Dominic Sessa, who’s portraying the titular character.

Before he went by Anthony Bourdain while running restaurants and traveling the world as a documentarian, the late chef went simply by Tony, and was a bit lost in life. However, he found some direction when in a summer job at the seafood spot, where he works and learns the trade, while at the same time pursuing a relationship.

REVIEW: ‘I Want Your Sex’ is a stellar erotic dramedy

Talk about an attention-grabbing title. Good news, though, director Gregg Araki’s new film has more intrigue than just a notable name.

The film stars Cooper Hoffman as Elliot, a recent college graduate who’s landed himself a job working for a successful, provocative artist. That artist is Erika (Olivia Wilde), a confident, forward and blunt woman who’s demanding of her staff. That especially becomes true when she enlists Elliot as her submissive sexual partner.

The two begin a relationship with a clear power dynamic at play. However, while Erika sees it as a loose relationship serving a purpose, Elliot, who’s more naïve, wants to believe something more exists. As they continue their relationship, Elliot’s life begins unraveling until the entire situation becomes chaotic.