March movie reviews

In theaters:

CREED 3

Am I nuts or are the 1st 3 Creed movies better than the 1st 3 Rockys? I loved Creed 1 and 2, and 3 is possibly the best of the bunch. Michael B. Jordan directed this, which could have gone poorly, but MBJ proves to be a natural. These films would seem to be running out of hooks, but Creed 3 finds a really gripping one with Creed's adversary this time, a childhood friend played by the magnetic Jonathan Majors. We know the two will end up fighting, but the journey to get there is really absorbing, and Majors's unusual energy makes his character really interesting. And when they do fight it is just awesome. Loved the part where the crowd disappears. And the way it is resolved is really satisfying. Yes this is a Stallone-free film, but this story honestly didn't need a handful of shoehorned-in Rocky scenes. That's the best news yet for this franchise, that it can keep going and thrive even without its original star. 

OPERATION FORTUNE

This Guy Ritchie movie has been on the shelf a long time (his next film is already out next month). It's not as good as a couple of his other recent efforts, but it's entertaining. The movie gets an enormous boost from having Aubrey Plaza's unmatched energy. 

65

Adam Driver is a space pilot who crash lands on prehistoric earth, and just before the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs. Some luck. The trailers gave away that part of the story, which was a blunder cause it would have made for a neat twist. Still, it's a solid genre flick, and hell, it makes better use of dinosaurs than the last 2 Jurassic World movies. 

SHAZAM: FURY OF THE GODS

I don't really understand why this sequel became a major bomb, other than maybe the DCEU being about to hit the reset button, thus rendering this a lame duck. It has a lot of the same likable charm that the first Shazam did. The cast is again very good, with a solid pair of villains and the addition of the preposterously gorgeous Rachel Zegler. Maybe gets a little too wrapped up in giant spectacle that feels derivative, and it does one of those fake deaths that drive me nuts. But I liked this one and I'm sad this is it for the franchise.

INSIDE

Willem Dafoe is an art thief who gets trapped inside this fancy apartment, which has almost no food or water and no way out. It starts out strong and Dafoe fully commits, but it became very tedious as it reached its ambiguous ending. And did we really need that long close-up of his literal shit? 

JOHN WICK CHAPTER 4

I think some people are going over the top in their praise for this one, but JW4 absolutely delivers 3 or 4 of the best action set pieces in years. The Osaka hotel siege, the staircase scene, the overhead longshot...these are magnificent things to witness. The fight choreography here is the best there is. We also get a couple excellent new characters (Donnie Yen, Horoyuki Sanada, and the I want to see her in all things now Rina Sawayama). I still think it's pretty much an equal to the other sequels. Wick is invincible to a cartoonish degree here, and I was more into the world building of previous entries. But I want the series to keep going. Just don't go back on how this one ends. 

A GOOD PERSON

Florence Pugh is spectacular. I don't know why Zach Braff let her get away, but at least before then he got her to star in his latest film, as a grieving woman dealing with addiction. Garden State this is not, although it does have a few quirky comedic moments. It has a few formulaic steps in it but overall I thought this film was quite excellent. Obviously Pugh is firing on a level right now that can lift any film up a few notches. And this film gives Morgan Freeman his best, richest role in many years. I will rewatch this film a lot, I know it. 

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: HONOR AMONG THIEVES

Not the least bit interested in D&D. Never played it. Hated the failed 2000 film. But this new film looked like great fun from the trailers (which jfc I saw at EVERY movie for months) and indeed is. When you see a fantasy adventure with a genuine spirit and sense of comedic fun, you wonder why so many films in this genre feel like a chore. The thing is cast extremely well, with everybody striking the right notes. Chris Pine can do this about as well as anybody. Michelle Rodriguez hasn't been given this much to do in a long time. Really dug Sophia Lillis's deadpan, and Hugh Grant is a delightfully hammy villain. I could see this becoming a franchise very easily. 

Everything else:

DISTORTED

Christina Ricci is paranoid that she is being watched in this fairly dull thriller. John Cusack pops up as a conspiracy theorist. It's short at least. 

TÁR

One of 2022's most acclaimed films, I just didn't get that into this. The one big reason to watch it is a showy, sometimes dazzling performance by Cate Blanchett. But beyond her, this is a classic movie made for snooty critics (who ate it up) to get to feel superior. 

PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISH

I'm so un-invested in the Shrek universe movies that I didn't even realize this was only the 2nd Puss In Boots movie. Don't recall a thing about the first one, but it doesn't matter. This is a fun, zippy little adventure, with just enough substance to bump it up a notch. 

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT

Never would have watched this had it not been a surprise Best Picture nominee, but turns out this is one of the better nominees this year. Never underestimate a good war film. This is a WW1 movie made by German filmmakers, so it's an interesting perspective. The storyline we follow is familiar but effective, and the film has fantastic cinematography and some riveting battle sequences. 

THE RITUAL KILLER 

A very generic thriller that for some reason has Morgan Freeman in it, though it is mostly Cole Hauser's movie. Bizarrely the killer is played by ex-football player Vernon Davis. It's a boring flick but it does have a memorably disgusting final shot. 

HANNAH AND HER SISTERS

Yeah I'm still going to check out Woody Allen movies from time to time. Sue me. This one from the 80s is long considered one of his very best, and I would agree. It is tremendously well written and acted. Michael Caine and Dianne Wiest won Oscars. 

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT IN SUBURBIA

Took a flyer on this movie from 2000. Not sure how I missed this one, frankly, since it stars super cute Monica Keena from Dawson's Creek. It's one of those dark side of the suburbs movies that were popular in that era. It wasn't bad. 

Series review: WOLF PACK

Hey Sarah Michelle Gellar is back doing genre TV! Well, yes and no. She is not the star of this, rather a mysterious supporting character in this series about some high school kids who become werewolves. The show started strong, with an intriguing premise, and good gore. But it got very tedious very quickly and it felt like a chore to finish all 8 episodes. I will pass on season 2.