“Trip to Greece” (2020)
The most unlikely film franchise this side of Richard Linklater’s ‘Before’ trilogy, the ‘Trip’ series began as a feature film re-edit from the six-part BBC2 television series, starring the British comic actor Starring Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon. A road trip reviewing restaurants in the North of England. As subsequent installments spread across the continent, so did the ambition. Essentially, what began as a foodie tourist show has become a meditation on celebrity, aging, and friendship. But this time around, it’s not all about beautiful scenery and funny imitations.
“Moonwalker” (2016)
Rupert Grint has kept a pretty low profile since the Harry Potter series wrapped up, but his starring role in this ’60s-set comedy thriller is a strong second act. showing his ability. As a small-time rock promoter embroiled in a plot to fake the moon landing by hiring Stanley Kubrick, Grint conveys a playful, sweaty desperation and positive spirit, while Ron Perlman delivers his hard-nosed A perfect match for the CIA. A man coordinating operations.
Question for good liberals: What would you do if you were invited to your employer’s dinner table and, by sheer coincidence, sat across from Donald Trump? It’s a provocative hypothetical in this manners comedy written by Mike White that follows up this feature with equally poignant questions. Salma Hayek plays the main character, a massage therapist, and when she’s invited to a last-minute dinner with a regular, she approaches a Trump-esque real estate developer (John Lithgow) and becomes enraptured by his amiable insults. Running the trim for 82 minutes, this is a compact hypothetical, and its plot twists really raise eyebrows.
“Official Tournament” (2022)
Movies about filmmakers, especially in recent years, tend to lean towards self-praise. It’s a blurred Valentine to the magic of filmmaking, and to the noble, albeit flawed, soul who strives to bring his art to the screen. Funny and sarcastic, this satire by Argentinian duo Gaston Duprato and Mariano Cohn is a welcome antidote to it all. Penelope Cruz (perhaps her loosest and looneiest performance yet) is an eccentric filmmaker hired by a billionaire to helm a film adaptation of his favorite book. Her uncompromising artistic integrity proves to be reasonably priced and flexible. She uses that financial clout to bring in Spain’s biggest movie stars (Antonio Banderas, of course) and the most admired actors (Oscar her Martinez) in a fierce battle of celebrity and talent. All three actors are clearly chewing and eating balls in their hands, and their enjoyment is contagious.
Starring, writing, and co-directing (with David Palmer) character actor Dax Shepard, this sassy, silly, and undeniably funny throwback to the car-chase comedy of his youth. (Who would have thought that a blockbuster would be so disastrous that one day we would crave the pleasures of “Smokie and the Bandit?”) Shepard is a one-time criminal whose witness protection duties abruptly end. It’s all charm. , sent him aiming for the hills with his current girlfriend (Kristen Bell) in tow. Shepard chases and crashes alongside Elan, supporting his cast of colorful characters, creating genuine stakes and chemistry with Belle.
“Last Stand” (2013)
Stream on Netflix again Hulu.
Arnold Schwarzenegger has done some of the most challenging and surprising work to date, so the (relatively) indifference to Arnold Schwarzenegger at the box office over the past decade or so is a real shame. was. Schwarzenegger stars as an aging sheriff in this energetic and entertaining barnburner from director Kim Jee-woon (“Good Guys, Bad Guys, Weirdos”). Luis Guzman, Johnny Knoxville, Peter Stormare, and Forest Whitaker all play supporting roles. Kim blends his style of “Rio Bravo” style New Western tales with his vintage Schwarzenegger action his pyrotechnics and Kim’s batty and comical post-modern influenced flavors. Makes a rich stew.
“Coriolanus” (2011)
Starring Ralph Fiennes, the (first) brawny interpretation of one of Shakespeare’s lesser-known tragedies, adapted with wit and grace by screenwriter John Logan. Fiennes reunited with his Hurt Locker cinematographer, Barry Ackroyd, and the choice made sense. Fiennes and Logan update Shakespeare’s narrative to modern military drama, ignoring the parallels between a bloody tale of civil war and endless war (filmed in Serbia and Montenegro) and US actions in Afghanistan and Iraq. you can’t. Fiennes is ferocious in the title role, marshalling memorable supporting characters including Gerard Butler, Jessica Chastain, Vanessa Redgrave, and pre-“Succession” Brian Cox, all of the rich monologues. I will prepare a meal.
“Drag Across Concrete” (2019)
Writer-director S. Craig Zahler brings old-school exploit filmmaking to life with relentlessly ruthless and bloody riffs in westerns (“Bourne Tomahawk”) and prison footage (“Brawl in Cell Block 99”). I am carving out a niche field as a person. Vince Vaughn and Mel Gibson star as the detective partners of a suspended police force in a high-profile brutality scandal, and are forced into the law because they need income. Step on the other side. Intense Set His Zahler’s skill at staging his pieces is undeniable, showing a welcome and nuanced interest in the hazy gray line that separates good from evil.
