The Film Fix: Reviews of Top Films in Theaters, Streaming in August
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
Deadpool & Wolverine (now playing) – Fix Rating 6/10 – Don’t call it a movie. “Deadpool & Wolverine” is a goofy attraction at a profane, perverted, and sporadically entertaining amusement park.
What the production lacks in coherent storytelling, it makes up for with a constant barrage of bloody comedic IP cameos accompanied by snappy comebacks, nearly wearing out its welcome around the halfway point. All that’s missing is a laugh track!
With a special helping of religious zeal, “Deadpool” completists will apologize for the project’s (don’t call it a film) utter disregard for anything approximating an engaging narrative. Some may even suggest that I missed the point. But at best, the comedy stylings of star Ryan Reynolds and director Shawn Levy should be considered a parody of superhero movies, which should help audiences understand where it sits in the struggling Marvel Cinematic Universe.
The desperation on display with this third blood-drenched Deadpool outing is telling. And since nothing is meant to be taken seriously, Reynolds’ likable, wise guy routine as the “merc with a mouth” Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool, helps to blunt elitist analysis from critics (like me) who hope for a transcendent viewing experience.
“Deadpool & Wolverine” is more a series of skits and fourth-wall-breaking self-aware standup comedy than a comprehensible film. How entertaining you find it will be reflective of your immersion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The pity is that the first two films had more heart and emotional gravity than this theme park extravaganza.
Blink Twice (August 23) – Zoë Kravitz jumps from actress to director in this mystery thriller with horror undertones. The all-star cast led by Channing Tatum does their best with the derivative material that seems a little dated once the secret is revealed. The movie is handsomely shot, and the lead performance by Naomi Ackie (who made a solid Whitney Houston in 2022’s biopic) is engaging, even when the story fails her.
Tatum plays a bad-boy tech billionaire who invites his friends and new acquaintances to his private island for a little elicit debauchery. Ackie plays the naïve Frida, a catering employee who manages to get an island invite along with her friend Jess (“Search Party” star Alia Shawkat). As the partying rages, Frida begins to notice that something sinister may be going on. The ensemble cast features Simon Rex, Christian Slater, and “Hit Man” star Adria Arjona.
Streaming Selects
NETFLIX
Godzilla Minus One/Minus Color (now playing) – The theatrical color version was a transcendent prequel to the first “Godzilla” that was re-edited to include Raymond Burr in 1956. I found “Godzilla Minus One” to be one of 2023’s best films, and delivering it in black and white makes perfect sense, as the 1954 original was also minus color. The “Minus One” story follows a disgraced kamikaze pilot in post-war Japan who has a chance to redeem himself by taking on the killer lizard that terrorizes his city. The film won the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.
Joe Rogan: Burn the Boats (now playing) – The controversial, popular podcaster and comedian brings his first standup comedy special in six years to Netflix.
Umbrella Academy (season 4, now playing) – The world is ending one last time, and it is up to the unusual family of heroes to reunite and save it. This underrated series based on the Dark Horse comic has been consistently entertaining with its offbeat approach to the superhero genre. Let’s hope they go out with a big bang and many tears.
AMAZON PRIME
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (season 2, August 29) – We learn from the second season trailer that “every soul in Middle Earth is in peril.” Amazon’s big-budgeted but small- screen extension of the J.R.R. Tolkien universe may struggle to find its footing in the wake of HBO’s successful second season of “House of the Dragon.” If nothing else, “The Rings of Power” should offer a more family-friendly fantasy adventure given the adult nature of “Dragon.”
HULU
Only Murders in the Building (season 4, August 27) – The three amateur detectives take on a new case while also negotiating a big Hollywood deal for a movie adaptation of their popular podcast. This Emmy-winning show stars Steven Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez, who this season are joined by an all-star ensemble cast including Meryl Streep, Eva Longoria, Eugene Levy, Zach Galifianakis, and Melissa McCarthy.
APPLE TV+
Bad Monkey (now playing) – Vince Vaughn stars in this adaptation of the Carl Hiaasen novel about a Miami police detective who is demoted to a restaurant inspector in the Florida Keys. Of course, he stumbles onto a new case that might help restore his position. Vaughn looks terrific and is right at home in the role of the disgraced detective, who appears to have no filter.
MAX
City of God: The Fight Rages On (August 25) — I’m not sure how I feel about this series sequel to “City of God,” the fantastic 2002 Oscar-nominated epic that’s one of the best crime/gangster films ever made. Co-director Fernando Meirelles returns along with star Alexandre Rodrigues, who plays a photographer chronicling the struggle to survive in crime-ridden communities of Rio. The trailer teases a crime saga, but one that looks much slicker and more familiar than the gritty and almost documentary approach of the film that came before it.
Theatrical Teasers
Trap (now playing) — M. Night Shyamalan returns with another twisty story that takes place at a pop concert where an army of police is pursuing a serial killer. Word is that this one won’t be screened for critics. Is it because Shyamalan wants to protect the film’s secrets, or is it to guard against the possibility of negative reviews?
Borderlands (now playing) — This Gearbox video game series adaptation has been in the can for several years. The movie, directed by Eli Roth, sports an impressive cast led by Oscar-winner Cate Blanchett and Kevin Hart. The story has an outlaw named Lilith (Blanchett) returning to her home and gathering up an eclectic gang to battle monsters, protect a powerful youngster, and, of course, save the universe.
Alien: Romulus (August 16) — This seventh outing in the “Alien” franchise is what’s been dubbed an “interquel.” The story takes place between “Alien” and “Aliens.” Based on the trailers, it looks a bit like a retread of the 1979 original but this time featuring space colonists who find the dangerous xenomorphs on an abandoned space station.
The Crow (August 23) — This fifth “Crow” film is a reboot. Bill Skarsgård (see “It” and “John Wick: Chapter 4”) takes on the role of Eric Draven, the musician who comes back from the dead to become the title avenging anti-hero. The well-regarded 1994 original film starred Brandon Lee, who was tragically killed in a freak accident on set.
Reagan (August 30) — Dennis Quaid plays late President Ronald Reagan in this biopic from director Sean McNamara (see “Soul Surfer”). Penelope Ann Miller takes on the role of First Lady Nancy Reagan, with Mena Suvari as President Reagan’s first wife, Jane Wyman. Can this be the definitive Reagan movie when other films about one of the most influential leaders of the modern age failed to capture the man’s greatness?
Jonathan W. Hickman is an entertainment attorney, filmmaker, college professor, and novelist. More about Jonathan can be found by visiting: filmproductionlaw.com.
