Captain America: Brave New World

Grade: B

Sam Wilson (played by AnthonyMackie), the new Captain America, investigates an assassination attempt on new president Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross (Harrison Ford taking over for the late William Hurt).

The general backbones of this are rather good, but the execution isn't perfect. The general story, villainous plot, and characters work well. This is a solid political thriller and feels more like the spy thriller we wanted than with Black Widow.

No complaints about Sam's ascension to the lead. He shares Steve Rogers' optimism, though he is more realistic about the obstacles the world throws at you. The movie also rolls with the fact that this Captain America doesn't have super strength, and he has to make the effort to deal with stronger threats. (Of course, he has years of military training and a cool flying suit; so that helps.)

Ross has been a semi-consistent face in the franchise since the second film, but always a supporting character. Him being the focus feels well earned and culminates his story. He's been a morally grey character, and this movie addresses this as he deals with actions from his past.

Also, Captain America works really well alongside his new sidekick (introduced in The Falcon and the Winter Soldier limited series) Joaquin Torres, the new Falcon (Danny Ramirez). Whereas Steve and Sam work together, because they were two similar guys, Sam and Danny work, because they are opposites (Sam is more grounded, while Danny is more jokey), and they work well off each other.

However, the plotting  and dialogue aren't 100%. The movie doesn't feel as "realized" or as natural as the last 3 Captain America movies, not to mention a lot of other MCU films. Brave New World is directed by Julius Onah, who directed The Cloverfield Paradox, which a lot of people had a problem with structurally. (Honestly, I didn't hate it.) There were reportedly a lot of reshoots, and there are moments where characters were clearly green screened into scenes.

There is one moment in particular which partially states what we already know and feels odd. The main villain, who is played by a good actor, feels not used to their full potential. Also, Ross is trying to improve and Captain America is trying to see that in him, but it feels a little unbelievable when CA still tries to believe in Ross when he makes objectionable decisions.

No arguments with the casting. Mackie has all his scenes locked down. Though it’s hard to buy Breaking Bad’s Giancarlo Esposito, who is in his 60’s, playing evil mercenary Sidewinder, as a legitimate physical threat, Esposito does come across as a clever and effective baddie, even though he’s doing the sort of character he often does. (Given how popular he's been after BB, I'm surprised it took so long for him to make the jump from television and get a prominent movie role.)

A little of this movie is set up by the F&tWS, so you might want to see that first.

It is really too bad that Hurt passed before he got his big chance to shine. I think he would've done a great job with the role. Not only does Ford look really different from Hurt (and how Ross has looked in the comics and the first Hulk movie), but he also has a different energy: more grumpy and emotional. However, Ford does an excellent job and is not coasting. He makes one both hate and sympathize with Ross.

Yes the general look and action scenes don't match the first 3 films, but the movie still has its moments. There are two really standout, traditional over-the-top MCU fight scenes. I also like how this manages to be a political thriller, but also manages to use a brighter color scheme without sabotaging the mood.

Lightly recommended. It is the weakest CA movie, and maybe not one of the strongest MCU movies in general, but I still found this to ultimately be a fun time, and something that looks good on the big screen. I'd have no issue rewatching this any time.

The Cleaner

Grade: B

In this British take on the Die Hard formula, window cleaner and former soldier Joey Locke (Daisy Ridley from the most recent Star Wars trilogy) is stuck on the outside of a skyscraper when ecoterrorists take over the building.

Though there can be significant gaps behind fights, the action in this is good. (The director is Martin Campbell, the man behind The Mask of Zorro, Goldeneye, and Casino Royale. Yeah, he might no be longer at the height of his skill, but he still knows how to provide some decent action.) The Cleaner sets itself apart from other movies in the genre with the whole stuck on the side of the building gimmick. Joey's there for an unexpectedly long time, and her surviving out there as things get worse makes for some good and new spectacle.

I gotta say that ecoterrorism made for a watchable motivation for the villains. More stuff happens with them than you'd expect.

However, the build-up to the hostage situation is a slow burn. The beginning also shows Joey's relationship with her brother. I know it's to show her character and build her journey, but it's a LOT of them just being upset with each other. Tonally, the movie does feel a little confused and doesn't know how light or dark it wants to go.  

The Clean has a pretty good cast and characters. Ridley makes for a solid lead, though honestly, it's the group of villains that are the best performances and the most entertaining parts. (The villains are hidden a bit, so I won't spoil for them for you if you haven't seen the trailer yet.)

This isn't a movie you need to see in the theater, but it makes for a decent watch.

The Simpsons: The Past and the Furious

Grade: B+

This is an "exclusive" Simpsons episode on Disney+. Yeah, it's another basic episode that they arbitrarily decided to put on streaming, but at least they're honest here and not calling this a special. In this "what if" Simpsons story that has gotten more common in recent years, Mr. Burns (voiced by Harry Shearer) has destroyed all wildlife with his industrial complex. A stressed-out Lisa's new therapy equipment ends up sending her back in time, where she meets Burns as a young man. Lisa (Yeardley Smith) decides to stop Burns from descending into evil and an anti-environmentalist mindset.

This wasn't a half bad choice for an exclusive. I'm not saying this is prime Simpsons, but it is well done and another example of the show being stronger recently. The plot is more novel and thought-out than expected. They're able to unload a decent amount of story in a natural manner within the constraints of twenty-some minutes.

Jokes work as well. The funniest part isn't the main story, but Homer and Marge's reactions to Lisa claiming she can time travel.

Recommended. 

Dog Man

Grade: A-

In this movie adaptation of the popular graphic novels by Dav Pilkey, who co-writes this as well, a cop and his dog are both mortally wounded in an explosion caused by the villainous cat Petey (voiced by SNL's Pete Davidson). The doctor ends up sewing the dog's head onto the cop's body creating the super cop Dog Man (animal noises provided by director and co-writer Peter Hastings). Now, it's Dog Man's mission to stop Pete.

Though it has a few changes from the comic, the movie is pretty faithful to the tone of the graphic novels. The whole thing's very cartoonish and silly with some solid humor. (Some say that the subplot that is in addition to Dog Man/Petey's stories is too much, but I love how completely ridiculous it all is ). However, those new to Dog Man will be surprised at how much heart and emotion is in this. Both Dog Man and Petey, who is as much a main character as Dog Man, go through some sad stuff in their lives, possibly sadder than parents would expect for a goofy kids' movie but not heavy enough that it's too much for kids. The movie provides messages about trying to see the good in life.

I know many other critics are already saying it, but I can't not mention and repeat that the movie is very cluttered. Rather than try to adapt the first volume or a couple of them, this smashes multiple plot points and characters from multiple books in order to squeeze all the major parts of Petey's pivotal moments. The first act moves really quickly, and the final act has a few points where you think it's going to end, but it keeps on going. Also, the second half switches from the Dog Man movie to really being the Petey movie. Given that Dog Man can't speak and Pilkey liking other characters and/or wanting to keep things fresh, some of the latter books take the focus away from its lead, but that happens more naturally in separate installments. Here, it's a little jarring since it all happens in one sitting. That all having been said, I personally think this wasn't a deal breaker as the movie was still very entertaining and touching.

Dog Man makes for a great lead. He's cute, a good boy, and makes for some great physical humor. Petey, who is basically the personification of misanthropy, also works for a solid lead with more layers than you'd expect. I would not have thought of Pete Davidson as the voice of the villainous feline, but he is perfectly cast. Davidson might be giving one of the best vocal performances of the year. Pete’s more of a straight man, but Davidson really manages to wring out the humor with his delivery, and man oh man does Davidson put in the right emotional effort for the more human aspects (you know what I mean) of the character.

The movie also has a great supporting cast of weird, silly characters. (There is a character in this you may love as much as Dog Man and Petey. However, advertising has been light on them, so I won’t spoil anything.) Comedian Lil Rel Howery is pretty funny as the easily worked up police chief. (It’s too bad he doesn’t have enough screen time in the second half.) Now you See me/The Wedding Crashers’ Isla Fisher gets to use her regular accent for a change instead of the usual American one as reporter Sarah Hatoff. She brings a sort of confident and honest earnestness to her role.

Hats off to the animators. The 3D animation looks great. It really feels like the comics' crayon-styled drawings come to life. There is such a vibrant, colorful look to it all.

Highly recommended. Despite squeezing in a lot of material, this is a really funny work that is surprisingly one of the emotionally deeper films DreamWorks has ever made.

Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion

Grade: A

Well, it only took 7 years, but this movie has finally been commercially released in the US. (If you have any interest in seeing this, you may want to do so quickly. Some Asterix movies last on streaming for a while, but some disappear quickly.) In Asterix: The Secret of the Magic Potion (original title: Asterix: La Secret de la Potion Magique), based on the long-running French comics series, Getafix, the druid who makes the magic potion Asterix and the other Gauls in his village (the French version of Vikings) use to make themselves stronger and protect themselves from the Roman Empire, realizes he isn't getting any younger and decides to go in search of a successor. 

This is a worthy follow-up to the previous computer animated movie Mansion of the Gods. The script flows nicely and everything works well together. The story is slightly more complex than you think it might be and makes you invested in what will transpire. Comedy is good, able to please kids and adults and to bridge the gap to non-French audiences (more so than that recent live-action movie on Netflix if you've seen it.)

Secret Potion makes good use of distinct characters both old and new. Though Getafix is a main fixture of the comics, he often isn't center stage. His movie is a bit of a showcase on his wise and amiable values and nature. The movie introduces Pectin, a young schoolgirl in the village and budding inventor who looks up to Getafix. She's an earnest character and she and Getafix make a good team. 

If there are any complaints, I feel that Asterix is a little too quick to anger. Yeah, it's not like he's never gotten annoyed before, but he's one of the more level-headed characters, and it feels like he is losing his temper due to plot reasons.

One of the best parts is the new villain Demonix, a banished Druid and Getafix's former friend. With the exception of Julius Caesar, most of the Asterix villains are one-dimensional cartoon characters. You get a few cleverer ones, but even their personas are kept simple. Demonix has a little more personality too him and steals all his scenes. His desire to obtain the magic Potion is a selfish one, but there are moments where you say, "He does have a point." He's also a clever one. It takes a while to figure out his plan but when you do it all makes sense.

Animation is colorful and manages to keep the essence of the original 2D-illustrations intact. Unfortunately, they keep the original "larger lips" for the black crew member of the pirate crew Asterix and pals keep running into. They really should know better by now.

Highly recommended. This is honestly one of the best Asterix movies and even if you're unfamiliar with the character, it's easy to jump into the story.

Love Hurts

Grade: C

Hitman-turned-successful real estate agent Marvin Gable (played by Ke Huy Quan) has his past come back to haunt him when former love interest Rose Carlisle (The West Side Story remake's Ariana DeBose) returns from hiding.

LH has a story that looked like it could work in a Wikipedia synopsis, but doesn't work in execution. There are fun moments (including a couple-laugh-out-loud parts), but a lot of stuff doesn't pan out, and the filmmakers' can't understand how light or dark they want to make this. A lot of people say narration in a movie can be a crutch, but I don't usually have a problem. Here, it really does feel forced.

The action is good, I'll give you that. The movie has some impressive choreography. There's a blade-throwing villain in this, and he has some of the most entertaining blade-throwing combat I've seen.

Quan is the best part. Like in Everything, Everywhere, all at Once, the actor is really good at switching between generally nice guy and a person of violence. Unfortunately, only him and Sean Astin as Marvin's boss are able to make the poor dialogue work. Rose's character isn't really that likable and her actions come across as selfish rather than courageous, and you're not really rooting for Marvin and her to get together. DeBose tries to use the enthusiastic energy she used in WWS, but it feels disingenuous here. Football-player-turned-actor Marshawn Lynch has been demonstrating that he is a real comic talent. (Ever seen the Netflix show Murderville where celebrities are put in improv situations? Lynch blew everyone else away.) Here he just isn't shining as brightly as he has, because he doesn't have much to go with.

Not recommended. I mean LH can work as background noise or Quan fans may want to see his performance, but overall this isn't something you NEED to see.

Heart Eyes

Grade: A

The notorious Heart Eyes Killer (or HEK for short), who targets couples on Valentine's Day, mistakes co-workers Ally McCabe (Kickin' it/Cloak and Dagger's Olivia Holt) and Jay Simmonds (Scream 5+ 6/Love, Victor's Mason Gooding) as lovers and makes them their new quarry.

The trailers made this look like more of a traditional slasher film, but this is a horror comedy. (It's co-written by Happy Death Day's Christopher Langdon who might be the most prolific director/writer of horror comedy there is and directed by College Humor alumni Josh Ruben who directed the rather entertaining Werewolves Within). 

Heart Eyes is basically a romcom if it had a serial killer in it. The budding relationship between Ally and Jay is surprisingly well done, and the dialogue really has that traditional romcom vibe to it. Doesn't hurt that Holt and Gooding have great chemistry together and are both super likable. The lighting also feels more like that for a romcom than a horror movie. The jokes themselves fly fast and loose and work really well. The whole thing feels like a pastiche of romcoms but not a full on parody.

However, when the killer pops up, the movie takes the kills seriously. This isn't one of those horror comedies that are light on kills and are aiming for a PG-13 rating. The deaths are creative and can be really bloody. There is also one of the most effective jump scares I've seen in a while in this.

Besides the leads, the cast is pretty good. The Fast and the Furious' Jordana Brewster is given the chance to show that she has a sillier side as an eccentric cop.

I can't say I'm loving the look of the killer's mask. The heart-shaped eyes are an interesting idea, but I'm not loving the flesh-colored look of the thing. The mask feels a little too busy. On the plus side, the killer always does look intimidating. 

There are moments where the director/writers are a little inconsistent on how broad or understated they want the comedy to be. This has this typical horror movie habit of having plot holes. Also, it isn't too hard to guess who the killer is. But, I wouldn't consider any of these issues to be a deal breaker.

Highly recommended. This is such an astoundingly unique and funny film that manages to balance genres.