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Metropolis Japan
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metropolis Japan
Novocaine
By Don Morton A painless viewing experience When the new love (Amber Midthunder) of a mild-mannered bank assistant manager (Jack Quaid) is kidnapped, he brushes off his 'superpower' and leaps to the rescue. You see, he suffers from something called congenital analgesia (a real thing), preventing him from feeling any sort of pain. I had fun with this slapstick romantic actioner, but it's far from perfect. You can't say the directors, Dan Berk & Robert Olsen, haven't explored every possible aspect of an unfeeling action hero, and the earlier, rom-com scenes are above average and charming. (Fun fact: If Jack's goofy grin and infectious cheerfulness seem familiar, it's because he's the son of none other than Dennis Quaid and Meg Ryan.) On the whole, it's surprisingly relatable and deeper than you may think. But the latter, admittedly inventive action and fight scenes get unnecessarily violent and gory. The directing duo's previous work (Significant Other, Villains, Body) are all in the cheapo horror genre. The third act drags on forever, and the villains are not all that threatening. I wouldn't mind if this turned out to be an origin story. I'd watch a sequel before most big-budget Marvel flicks. But the directors need to leave the gore behind and grow up a bit. (110 min)
Metropolis Japan
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Metropolis Japan
Megalopolis
By Don Morton He did it his way A lot of self-appointed cinema experts have commented on what a financial flop this movie is, noting that Francis Ford Coppola spent $100 million of his own money on it and is unlikely to ever see a profit. But what they don't know is that Coppola is admired, not for making moneymakers, but for making the films he wants to make. He made movies like The Godfathe r (I&II) and Apocalypse Now so he could fund The Conversation, One From the Heart and Rumble Fish. Francis has never shied away from risk, and maybe today's film industry needs more of that. So, what's it about? Reader, I have no friggin' idea. The production notes call it 'An epic Roman fable set in an imagined modern America.' Here's some of the critical buzz: 'Dazzling and audacious, uncompromising, satirical yet sincere, magical, meandering and maddening, windy, overstuffed, baffling, too talky, an idea-bloated monstrosity, a garish wonder to behold, a nakedly personal statement.' See what I mean? The massive, often baffled but uniformly committed cast includes Adam Driver, Giancarlo Esposito, Nathalie Emmanuel, Aubrey Plaza, Laurence Fishburne, Jon Voight, Dustin Hoffman, and dozens more. The whole thing eventually buckles under its own weight, but it's a thrilling demolition to behold. In sum, it's precisely the movie Coppola wanted to make. Whether it's a movie you want to watch depends on who you are, and I can't help you there. It's one of those you have to see to believe. Then we'll talk. (138 min)
