The Film Fix: Reviews of May’s Top Films in Theaters, Streaming
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
Challengers (now playing) – Fix Rating 8/10 – The irresistibly sexy “Challengers” is the product of the powerful pairing of Zendaya with edgy Italian filmmaker Luca Guadagnino (see “Call Me by Your Name” and “Bones and All”). The story is a love triangle set in the world of professional tennis. And while the emphasis will be on the potential threesome teased in the film’s zippy trailers, “Challengers” is much more complex than exploitative eroticism.
Guadagnino works from a script by first-time feature screenwriter Justin Kuritzkes, who will be penning the upcoming “City on Fire,” an adaptation of Don Winslow’s Danny Ryan trilogy. Aside from the overt sexuality centering on three attractive athletes, Kuritzkes’ script winds a confident and intricately constructed narrative. By relying on creative flashback storytelling that reveals its players’ secrets, “Challengers” proves to be compelling stuff.
Zendaya, who also serves as one of the producers, plays a tennis star named Tashi Donaldson, whose career is hobbled by an injury in college. But off the court, Tashi’s romantic and athletic partnership with a potential Grand Slam winner, Art (Mike Faist), made them a dream team. As Art flirts with retirement, having lost his killer instincts, Tashi pushes him to mount a comeback by competing in a tournament, the final of which pits him against a once-promising, now-fading player named Patrick (Josh O’Connor).
The film smartly uses the penultimate match between Art and Patrick to tell the history of these three crossed souls, starting with their time in college. We learn that they not only shared a love for the game on the court but they were fatally attracted to one another. These revelations impact the Art/Patrick game and threaten to tear relationships asunder. It’s all very melodramatic but in the best possible way.
The tennis action is fast and furious and coupled with a pulsating score from Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the Oscar-winning duo behind the music in “The Social Network,” “Mank,” “Soul,” and others.
Boy Kills World (now playing) – Fix Rating 6/10 – Something is missing from this wildly over- the-top 8-bit video game-inspired actioner. Parts of it are bloody fantastic, but the mayhem will wear out its welcome for some viewers.
The exhausting story fuses familiar revenge elements with wild, video game-style martial arts action. A young man merely identified as Boy (played by “It” star Bill Skarsgård) is ripped from his family by a ruthless tyrant named Hilda Van Der Koy (Famke Janssen). He’s rescued by a mysterious Shaman (Yayan Ruhian), who puts Boy through years of brutal training. The object is to turn Boy into a one-man killing machine that will exact vengeance on the ruling Van Der Koy family.
Oddly, Boy’s singular goal in the dystopian world is to kill everyone. We never get the impression that his efforts will help the oppressed, and never does the film elevate above this one-dimensional objective. And since Boy can neither speak nor hear, he’s unable to articulate his mission to those around him. We do get the Boy’s rambling internal monologue through a droll voice-over narration from H. Jon Benjamin (see “Archer” and “Bob’s Burgers”), but there’s not a lot of substance behind the Boy’s flashing fists of carnage.
The action is constant if captured in a fevered frenzy of shaky handheld close-ups that might frustrate fans of balletic martial arts extravaganzas. At nearly 2 hours in length, the one-note joke of “Boy Kills World” loses much of its impact by the time the credits roll.
Streaming Selects
PARAMOUNT+
Evil (Final season premieres May 23) – At some point, I’ll binge this well-regarded series about a clinical psychologist (Katja Herbers), a priest (Mike Colter), and a technology expert (Aasif Mandvi) hired by the Catholic Church to investigate the paranormal. Their whimsical adventures bring them face-to-face with, well, evil incarnate. After this show’s jump from CBS network television to Paramount+ in 2021, “Evil” has gained something of a cult following.
PEACOCK
The Tattooist of Auschwitz (May 2) – Melanie Lynskey and Harvey Keitel star in this sweeping adaptation of the bestselling novel of the same name by Heather Morris. The series is a dramatic telling of the real-life story of Lale Sokolov (played young by Jonah Hauer-King and in later life by Keitel), who was forced to tattoo ID numbers on prisoners in the concentration camp in World War II.
NETFLIX
Unfrosted (May 3) – Jerry Seinfeld is back in front and behind the camera, starring and directing this film about the creation of the pop tart. The all-star cast is like a who’s who of Hollywood comedy, including Amy Schumer, Kyle Mooney, Jim Gaffigan, Patrick Warburton, Mikey Day, Melissa McCarthy, and others.
A Man in Full (May 2) – This six-episode series is based on the 1998 door-stopper novel by the late Tom Wolfe. The story is primarily set in Atlanta and follows a real estate developer named Charlie Croker (Jeff Daniels), who falls on hard times when his latest project nearly sinks him. As he battles with bank liquidators, other events in the city may offer him an unusual lifeline. Wolfe’s novel reads like a history of the old Southern city, and one wonders if those fascinating elements are preserved in this splashy-looking series.
AMAZON PRIME
The Idea of You (May 2) – Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway plays a 40-something single mother involved in a romance with a much younger, famous 24-year-old boy-band singer (played by “Red, White & Royal Blue” star Nicholas Galitzine) in this high-concept rom-com directed by Michael Showalter, see 2017’s “The Big Sick”).
Arthur the King (May 10) — No Fix Rating 5/10 – Mark Wahlberg plays an endurance racer in the twilight of his career who gets inspiration from an unlikely source, a stray dog he names Arthur. Intense sequences depicting the dangers of extreme sports can’t lift this otherwise soapy drama.
DISNEY PLUS
Doctor Who (May 10) – The fourteenth season of the British television series comes to the States via the Disney streaming platform. A new doctor (played by Ncuti Gatwa) and a new companion named Ruby Sunday (played by Millie Gibson) highlight this adventure of our favorite Time Lord.
APPLE TV+
Dark Matter (May 8) – Apple’s continuing commitment to science fiction continues with this adaptation of a novel by Blake Crouch. Joel Edgerton stars as a man who is abducted into a parallel universe and goes on a journey in an attempt to return to his family. Jennifer Connelly is also in the cast of this series.
MAX
The Iron Claw (May 10) — No Fix Rating 5/10 – This abridged telling of the cursed Von Erich professional wrestling family isn’t the transcendent take on the sport it could have been. Even though the film as a whole is lacking, Zac Efron is excellent as the heart of this weepy true story that will strike a chord with wrestling fans.
Theatrical Teasers
The Fall Guy (May 3) — Ryan Gosling steps into the role of Colt Seavers, which Lee Majors once held on the popular 1980s television series. In this film adaptation, Seavers, a Hollywood stuntman, has to cover up the murder of a movie star on a blockbuster film while investigating the homicide. Emily Blunt plays a producer and love interest.
Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (May 10) – The long-awaited fourth film in the rebooted “Apes” franchise looks to build on the magic of the previous installments. The story picks up years after the reign of Caesar, the hero of the first three movies. “Kingdom” is directed by Wes Ball, who shepherded the “Maze Runner” series.
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (May 24) – The fifth film in the “Mad Max” franchise is the origin story of Furiosa, who Charlize Theron played in 2015’s “Fury Road.” This time, actress Anya Taylor-Joy inhabits the role of the vicious, take-charge, hard-driving heroine. A barely recognizable Chris Hemsworth plays the villain Dr. Dementus in this high-octane adventure. “Furiosa” is easily one of the most highly anticipated films of the year.
Robot Dreams (May 31) — Fix Rating 9/10 – This is a highly recommended and wonderful movie that was nominated for the Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film. The story follows the adventures of a dog and a robot in New York City during the 1980s.
Jonathan W. Hickman is an entertainment attorney, filmmaker, college professor, and novelist. More about Jonathan can be found by visiting: filmproductionlaw.com.
