May movie reviews

In Theaters:

THE FALL GUY

The 2024 summer kickoff movie is one of those flicks that feels engineered to be a cable staple. Some action, a few laughs, but nothing truly memorable. Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt turn the charm up to 11, but they aren't given much to work with. Fittingly for a movie centered on a stuntman, the film has good action and stunts. 

KINGDOM OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

The perennially underrated rebooted Apes franchise returns with a 4th installment that jumps ahead "many generations" to a time when Caesar has become more of a legend than anything. And his teachings are being twisted by a radical new wannabe dictator, who has plans to enslave apes and wipe out remaining humans. So yeah, basically, Christian fundamentalists. It's a strong metaphor, and a cool idea to base a film on. The new ape characters are led by Noah, who has the hero's journey, which brings him into contact and maybe alliance with a human (cute Freya Allen). I probably place this film a slight notch down from the Caesar trilogy, since no character is his match. But I was into the story, the mo-cap work remains flawless, and the film delivers on the action when called for. And there's a dandy setup for future movies. 

FURIOSA 

I thought Mad Max: Fury Road was one of the last decade's most wildly overrated movies. It got nominated for best picture for christ's sake. I gave it a rewatch and still found it so devoid of story or character that even the good action didn't really matter. Furiosa is a prequel to that film, and I do think it's a little better cause it at least has the trace of an actual story.  Anya Taylor-Joy steps in for Charlize Theron...eventually. She isn't there for almost an hour, and she was my main draw here so that bugged me. Chris Hemsworth hams it up as the bad guy. The action has more CGI this time, but it's well-integrated, and one or two set pieces really pop. But again, it's that thin story that saps my interest. 

I SAW THE TV GLOW

This strange entry from A24 has a lot of visual style to spare, and has a couple unnerving moments. But the thing is such a strained metaphor that nothing story-wise can breathe. 

IF

I knew we were in some trouble early once that cloying score kicked in, the kind of one that is desperate to seem whimsical. It exists within 2 worlds, trying to be silly enough for kids while having enough gravitas for adults. And neither track really works, though I did enjoy some of the creatures and the celeb voices behind them. 

Everything else:

5-25-77

I heard about this one for years. Turns out it also took many years to make. The title refers to the date of the opening of the original Star Wars, which becomes an obsession for the lead character. This is one of the worst edited films I have ever seen. I have never seen anything like it. The film is a mess, but it does have some moments of genuine heart and charm. And it does get across pretty well how much anticipating a big film can feel like a huge life event. 

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA

Cult film from the 80s with Kurt Russell taking on mystical bad guys. The Golden Child did it better. Russell is fun, and Kim Cattral was hot, but I was bored. 

BRIAN'S SONG

Known as one of the all time male weepies, this is about the friendship between Bears star Gale Sayers and teammate Brian Piccolo, who dies of cancer. It was a TV movie, so it's kind of cheesy, but god damn is it an efficiently told story. And the performances by James Caan (pre-Godfather) and Billy Dee Williams (pre-Star Wars) are really excellent and get you to  care about their friendship. 

THE OUTSIDERS 

Francis Ford Coppola's early 80s drama with a cast of soon to be stars (including Tom Cruise, who is actually not in it much). I thought this was gonna be more like his American Graffiti, but it's actually more like Stand By Me. This film has Cruise, Patrick Swayze, super cute young Diane Lane, and Emilio Estevez. But the bulk of the story goes to the very 80s C. Thomas Howell, as well as Ralph Macchio and Matt Dillon. Macchio (pre-Karate Kid) in particular is a dramatic surprise. 

GOOD MORNING, VIETNAM

This film got Robin Williams an Oscar nomination back in the day, and it's deserved cause this film is ALL him and almost nothing else. You either enjoy his unleashed comedy here or you don't. I mostly did. I don't think the film aged well at all.