Action Comedy – Matthew Liedke on Film

REVIEWS: Strong set pieces don’t resolve ‘He-Man’ adaptation issues

Was this supposed to be “Masters of the Marvel Universe?” No? Could have fooled me.

In this titular universe, the focus is primarily on the world of Eternia, where a great cosmic power has long been held in the form of a sword and safeguarded by a royal family. That world comes under attack by a warlock, Skeletor (Jared Leto), hellbent on taking the sword, and the associated power, for himself.

With defenses failing, the young prince of Eternia, Adam, is sent to Earth with the sword to keep it away from Skeletor. The film then picks up with Adam (Nicholas Galitzine) as an adult, who is seeking the sword after losing it in the wormhole to Earth. Once he does retrieve it, he has an opportunity to return to the world he left and stand against Skeletor’s evil.

REVIEW: ‘Normal’ goes big with action, humor with nominal impact

Bob Odenkirk has now starred in a trio of action flicks, but he still has a way to go before he matches the older grizzled action hero status Liam Neeson has.

In Odenkirk’s latest film, he portrays Ulysses Richardson, a law enforcement officer who’s taken the role of temporary Sheriff until the county of Normal can elect a new one. The county seat is also named Normal, and that’s where Ulysses finds himself trying his best to manage a smooth transition to a permanent replacement.

It’s the latest in a string of temporary jobs he’s taken since a traumatic experienced flipped his life and marriage upside down. But his latest stint starts to look less mundane than he first thought. As his law enforcement instincts kick in, he begins noticing suspicious things, and it leads to a thrilling ordeal he didn’t expect.

Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Normal’ goes big with action, humor with nominal impact”

REVIEW: ‘Novocaine’ is an action-comedy knockout

There’s no pain for the main character in this film and there’s no pain for the audience either, because this one is quite enjoyable..

Jack Quaid stars in “Novocaine” as assistant bank manager, Nathan Caine. On top of being rather mild mannered and introverted, he also lives with congenital insensitivity to pain, meaning he can get hurt, but not feel a thing. Internally, though, he does feel attraction to one of his co-workers, Sherry.

After finally going out on a date with her (Amber Midthunder), things seem to be looking up. That is until the bank he works at is robbed and Sherry is abducted. On a quest to get her back, Caine uses his inability to feel pain to fight back against those behind the heist.

Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Novocaine’ is an action-comedy knockout”

REVIEW: ‘Venom’ finale amuses but ultimately lacks substance

Some trilogies are made up of three films that have one overarching narrative while others feature standalone stories with ongoing character arcs. “Venom” fits the latter.

This time around, Eddie (Tom Hardy) and his alien symbiote Venom are fugitives because of events in the last film. Spending time in Mexico, the two are considering what to do next and decide on going to New York City where there’s an official who could help clear Eddie’s name.

Unfortunately, the duo are being hunted by another alien force seeking the pair out because they could play a role in releasing a powerful-but-imprisoned super being. The U.S. government, which wants to study the symbiotes on Earth, is also after the duo.

Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Venom’ finale amuses but ultimately lacks substance”

REVIEW: Despite star power, Netflix’s ‘Red Notice’ is a dud

Film is an interesting medium. Movies can be both an amazing piece of art and a product to make profit.

Sometimes, though, a movie feels too much like it’s just a product, and that’s how “Red Notice” comes across.

In this new Netflix movie, Dwayne Johnson stars as John Hartley, an FBI agent who’s working with Interpol to arrest one of the best art thieves in the world, Nolan Booth (Ryan Reynolds). Nolan’s latest target to steal is a rare Egyptian artifact, as only three of its kind exist in the world.

After a chase, both Nolan and John get set up by another art thief, who goes by The Bishop (Gal Gadot). Both are sent to prison, as John has been framed as an accomplice, and now must work together to take down Bishop and, potentially, get the Egyptian artifact in the process.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Despite star power, Netflix’s ‘Red Notice’ is a dud”

REVIEW: ‘Venom’ sequel offers below average action, humor

Eddie and Venom are back for another action film, or maybe a relationship-based sitcom. It gets kind of hard to tell.

“Let there be Carnage” is the sequel to the 2018 film “Venom,” which once again focuses on digital journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy), who is host of an alien parasite, Venom. Venom and Eddie try to get along, but the two begin getting on each others nerves and their symbiotic relationship starts becoming strained.

Meanwhile, serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), who Eddie has interviewed a few times, is set to get the death penalty. Before his death, though, Cletus does a last interview with Eddie and in the process, Cletus comes in contact with Venom. The contact mutates into a new symbiote named Carnage, which gives Cletus the power to break out of prison, with vengeance in mind against all who’ve wronged him.

Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Venom’ sequel offers below average action, humor”

REVIEW: ‘Free Guy’ entertains but has fleeting impact

Movies about video games or films where the reality has elements of video games can be hit or miss. Sometimes you can get a “Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World.” Other times you get a “Serenity” or “Pixels.”

Fortunately, “Free Guy” leans a bit more toward the former.

“Free Guy” takes place in two realms of existence, one digital and one real. In the latter, Jodie Comer plays Millie, a young woman who’s living on hard times after the video game developer Antwan (Taika Waititi) stole her idea. That idea for a game was created by her and her best friend Keys (Joe Keery), who now works for Antwan.

Meanwhile, Guy (Ryan Reynolds), is a non-playable character in the video game owned by Antwan. While Guy is mainly programmed to be a normal bank employee in a violent video game, one day he begins to evolve and becomes self aware of the world around him. With that new knowledge, he begins playing the game himself, getting the attention of Millie. Millie soon learns that Guy’s programming is the key to exposing Antwan.

Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Free Guy’ entertains but has fleeting impact”

REVIEW: Don’t bother with ‘Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard’

If you like yelling, and I mean a lot of yelling, then this is the movie for you.

Ryan Reynolds returns to the role of bodyguard Michael Bryce in this sequel. Because of his actions in the first film, though, he’s lost his status as a AAA bodyguard. To escape the stress of the situation, he decides to take his therapist’s advice and go on vacation.

Unfortunately it’s all quickly interrupted when Sonia (Salma Hayek), wife of hitman Darius Kincaid (Samuel L. Jackson) approaches him. Turns out, Darius was kidnapped and Sonia needs Michael’s assistance in the rescue. The whole situation gets the trio mixed up in an evil plot to devastate Europe, and they’re recruited by government agents to help stop it.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Don’t bother with ‘Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard’”

REVIEW: ‘Nobody’ is a total blast

Bob Odenkirk may not have the look of an action hero, especially at the start of this movie. But he sure does prove that he fits the role over this film.

Odenkirk plays Hutch in “Nobody,” a family man with a wife and two kids who works a typical 8-5 job. As the film opens, the audience finds Hutch in a dull routine of taking the bus to work, getting through a shift, coming home and having to deal with a marriage that’s faltering.

We find out early on, though, that before having a straightforward, middle class life, Hutch had ties to the government. It becomes apparent after a home invasion that Hutch didn’t just work for the government, he was actually an elite operative. Wanting to unleash some anger after the home break in, Hutch decides to go out one night and conduct some vigilante justice. However, in doing so, he just happens to piss off a Russian mob leader. Continue reading “REVIEW: ‘Nobody’ is a total blast”

REVIEW: New ‘Charlie’s Angels’ is well below average

After more than a decade away from the big screen, the Angels have returned. Sadly, their latest adventure isn’t too memorable.

“Charlie’s Angels” introduces audiences to new spies, including Sabina (Kristen Stewart) and Jane (Ella Balinska). The duo are given a mission regarding a new energy generating device that can also be used for nefarious purposes.

To help secure the device and keep it off the black market, Sabina and Jane are tasked with guarding and eventually working with Elena, a woman who discovered the device’s dangerous abilities and was turned away when she tried to warn superiors. Along the way, the trio are also helped by their Bosley superior, portrayed by Elizabeth Banks.

Continue reading “REVIEW: New ‘Charlie’s Angels’ is well below average”