The Film Fix: Reviews of Top Films in Theaters, Streaming in July
By JONATHAN W. HICKMAN, Special to The Paper
Below are reviews and capsules of various films this month in theaters and/or streaming.
Review rating … A “Fix” is recommended with a rating between 6 and 10. A “No Fix” is not recommended with a rating between 1 to 5.
In Theaters
A Quiet Place: Day One (now playing) – Fix Rating 6/10 – The third installment in the blockbuster “A Quiet Place” franchise focuses less on the entertaining monster movie aspects and more on the potentially compelling human element than the previous two entries.
“Day One” is set in New York City in the hours before the invasion from outer space. Oscar- winner Lupita Nyong’o is Samira, a cancer patient living her last days at a hospice. When the monster chaos ensues, Samira, a poet whose father was a jazz pianist, is determined to return to a club in Harlem where her father performed. Along the way, she picks up shellshocked English law student Eric (“Stranger Things” alum Joseph Quinn).
By casting the film’s protagonist as a terminally ill character, director Michael Sarnoski (see 2021’s excellent “Pig”), working from a script he wrote with John Krasinski and Bryan Woods, keeps his camera intimately focused on Samira’s sometimes poignant and frustratingly counterintuitive fatalistic journey. It’s an artful decision that won’t sit well with some viewers looking for a more traditionally harrowing and exciting monster movie.
Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot (now playing) – Fix Rating 7/10 – Angel Studios “Sound” brand that launched to blockbuster results last year with “Sound of Freedom” continues their “pay it forward” effort with “The Story of Possum Trot.”
The movie is the narrative telling of the true story of a small community in East Texas that came together to adopt 77 children trapped in the foster system. It’s a compelling film without question, as co-writer/director Joshua Weigel delivers a quality production with excellent leading performances.
Unlike the action-driven thriller that marked “Sound of Freedom,” “Hope” is a straight drama that concentrates on smaller stories of hope, forgiveness, and sacrifice. Nika King stars as Donna Martin, the driven preacher’s wife who becomes interested in adoption even as money woes reign down on her already-established family. When her minister husband, Reverend WC Martin (Demetrius Grosse), hears a small voice inside him, he inspires his financially strapped tiny congregation to adopt children that seemingly no one wants.
Elizabeth Mitchell stars as a foster system employee who is agnostic but moved by the deeply religious motivations of Martin’s congregants. This true story will bring viewers to tears, especially as the end title credits show actual footage of the families featured in the film.
Streaming Selects
NETFLIX
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (July 3) – The first “Beverly Hills Cop” film hit theaters in 1984, when Eddie Murphy was just 23 years old. It was the third hit in a row for the Saturday Night Live star, and its success led to two sequels in 1987 and 1994. “Axel F” brings Murphy’s Axel Foley back to Beverly Hills and reunites him with John Taggart (John Ashton) and Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), along with a relatively younger detective played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. While I hope the still-in-great-shape 63-year-old Murphy can rekindle the old “Cop” magic, the trailers tease a loud, bombastic, and familiar-looking crime actioner.
Cobra Kai (season 6, part 1 premieres on July 18) – The final season of Netflix’s popular “Karate Kid” inspired series delivers part 1 this month with five episodes with parts 2 and 3 on the way. The story continues the unlikely pairing of former adversaries Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio), who must combat bad influences from their past that may adversely affect the minds of young karate students.
AMAZON PRIME
Space Cadet (July 4) – Emma Roberts stars as Rex, a party girl who cons her way into a NASA astronaut program. This fantasy comedy follows the “Legally Blonde” playbook, as Rex uses her unique, unscientific talents to save the day. The trailers look wacky and ridiculous, but it might be good for a few laughs.
DISNEY PLUS
SharkFest (starts July 1) – A series of shark-related programming began at the end of last month, sure to strike fear in the bones of former President Donald Trump, who at his rallies has expressed trepidation concerning the fast-swimming, toothy beasts. In all, there will be 26 hours of programming across various platforms, including National Geographic, Hulu, Disney+, and ESPN2. I’m interested in checking out the show that covers the Earth’s biggest tiger sharks, which dominate the shores off the coast of Australia.
APPLE TV+
Fly Me to the Moon (July 12 in theaters followed by a release on Apple TV+ later in the month) Fix Rating: 6/10 – Like “Space Cadet,” “Fly Me to the Moon” is another NASA-focused romantic comedic fantasy. The film stars Scarlett Johansson as a fictional advertising expert named Kelly Jones. When Jones is recruited by a shadowy Nixon operative to “sell the moon,” she butts heads with mission director Cole Davis (Channing Tatum) in the months leading up to the iconic 1969 moonshot.
While the film is undeniably charming and cute, it might be off-putting for NASA fans, who will fear that the fictional characters played by movie stars Tatum and Johansson will distract from the historical truths. It’s best to think that this story exists in a parallel universe. But even then, despite the casting of Johansson as a strong female character, the movie wrestles with reconciling the sexism of the time.
There were significant and impactful women working at NASA during the time of the moonshot, as chronicled in the terrific 2016 movie “Hidden Figures.” “Fly Me to the Moon” may have been more successful had it embraced an inspiring true story and let the fictitious elements go. Still, supporting performances are fun, especially Jim Rash as a flamboyant film director.
MAX
Love Lies Bleeding (July 19) Fix Rating: 6/10 — This steamy and provocative crime thriller features two excellent performances from Kristen Stewart and Katy O’Brian. The story has Stewart as Lou, the daughter of a local crime boss played by Ed Harris (looking like “Tales from the Crypt’s” CryptKeeper).
When a body-building drifter named Jackie (O’Brian) visits the gym Lou runs, the two strike up a sexy romance. However, Jackie’s erratic behavior conflicts violently with Lou’s father’s criminal empire, leading to a major clash. The brave Stewart, who has thoroughly burst her “Twilight” typecasting, has a natural chemistry with talented newcomer Katy O’Brian. But I wished the story took them somewhere instead of meandering off into vexing ambiguity.
Theatrical Teasers
Despicable Me 4 (July 3) — Steve Carell returns to voice Gru, as his family and minions are forced to go on the run from a new adversary named Maxime Le Mal (voiced by Will Ferrell).
MaXXXine (July 5) — The third film in director Ti West’s “X” trilogy stars Mia Goth as 1980s adult film star Maxine Minx trying to cross into mainstream cinema as she encounters a mysterious slasher killer stalking Hollywood starlets.
Longlegs (July 12) — Nicolas Cage plays a serial killer doggedly pursued by an FBI agent in director Oz Perkins’s (see “The Blackcoat’s Daughter”) creepy-looking horror thriller.
Twisters (July 5) — Glen Powell (see Netflix’s “Hit Man”) stars in the long-awaited sequel to the 1996 blockbuster about storm chasers risking it all to study dangerous tornados.
Deadpool & Wolverine (July 5) — This Marvel entry is the big one of the Summer, if not the year. Ryan Reynolds is back in the red suit playing unkillable mercenary Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, who becomes unstuck in time and calls upon Logan, aka Wolverine (Hugh Jackman), to come out of retirement to save the day. This R-rated MCU adjacent movie looks to include a host of former Marvel actors reprising their comic book characters. Let’s hope it’s even more entertaining than 2018’s fun but uneven “Deadpool 2.”
Jonathan W. Hickman is an entertainment attorney, filmmaker, college professor, and novelist. More about Jonathan can be found by visiting: filmproductionlaw.com.
