Movie Review: Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (PG13 – 126 minutes)

 

For a bonus treat - check out the LAMBCast on this movie, where opinions were mixed! https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/lambcast/episodes/2022-05-09T15_54_46-07_00 

Those who live inside the MCU continue to deal with the fallout from Thanos’s snap, the resulting blip, and the reappearance of all those who were blipped.  In addition, they now have to deal with the sudden and brief exposure to the multiverse in Spider-Man: No Way Home.  It feels like we have had multiple Doctor Strange movie, but in reality, this is just his second stand-alone movie.

This story picks up after Dr. Stephen Strange has helped the world (including himself) forget that Peter Parker is Spider-Man.  He wakes up from what he assumes is a nightmare where a different version of himself was helping a young girl evade a monster by trying to reach a fancy book.  As he heads off to attend the wedding of Dr. Christine Palmer, his ex, the reception is interrupted by a big one-eyed tentacle monster (with great facial expressions despite having only one eye) chasing that same young girl.  After he and the Sorcerer Supreme, Wong, defeat said monster and rescue the girl, she informs him that was no nightmare, but a glimpse into one of his variants in the multiverse.  She is America Chavez and has the unique power of being able to travel the multiverse, but without the ability to control that power.  The monster was sent by some sort of demon who wants that power for itself.  Wong takes the girl to protect her, and Strange heads off to speak with Wanda Maximoff to get her opinion on the runes used on the monster.

From this point on – spoiler alert!

Wanda is at first shocked by this turn of events and offers some opinions on the runes, the multiverse, and her life at the moment. She then slips up and requests that Stephen bring America to her, so that she can protect her.  Of course, since he has not told her America’s name, he realizes she is the demon that has been sending the monsters. She’s still obsessed with finding her ‘children’ that she manifested and then lost in WandaVision.  Stephen must then try to protect America while falling through the multiverse.

I was not sure what to expect with this one, I enjoyed the first Doctor Strange stand-alone, and knowing Sam Raimi was stepping in, this one had the potential to go a little dark. And it certainly does. It has the expected Raimi touches from the Danny Elfman score to the Bruce Campbell cameo.  It has some genuinely terrifying moments and truly scary scenes. It seems to me that bringing Raimi back into these movies with this particular story was a great choice.  With any huge franchise, especially one like this, the actors can suffer some fatigue from playing the same character over and over in multiple movies. The way to avoid that is to keep the characters fresh, growing, and evolving.  I felt like everyone involved in this movie was having a great time.

Benedict Cumberbatch continues to have tons of fun as Doctor Strange. Despite this being his second Doctor Strange movie, he was also in Thor 3, Infinity War, Endgame, and No Way Home, so it can feel like this is his sixth movie.  Strange is still crazy arrogant and confident, but that is tempered a bit here by realizing that Christine is moving on and he never really has, despite having amazing adventures. I really appreciated how this movie seems to end with him putting his past away (literally and figuratively) so that he can finally move forward with his life. Being able to play multiple Strange variants seems to have made him very happy and he looks like he is having an absolute blast – especially as the zombie Strange.

Benedict Wong has stepped up his game as Wong and again, seems thrilled to be the Sorcerer Supreme. Wong has just about everything handled until Strange throws all kinds of mess around.  Their partnership feels real and genuine and I look forward to their continuing adventures.

It was fun to see Chiwetel Ejiofor back as Baron Karl Mordo.  I could not get enough of the scene between he and Cumberbatch where they attempt to out-thespian each other at the highest level and then have to have a hand to hand combat sequence. Fantastic.

Xochitl Gomez brings a freshness of spunky confusion to America with an amazing power that she is confused by and struggles to control. She is going to be great in additional MCU projects. And, while it might be a little cheesy – I love her star-shaped power – very fun!

Rachel McAdams as various Christine Palmers all get to keep Stephen grounded, focused, and reminded that he is not the be-all-end-all of existence. It’s a tempered and layered performance that I enjoyed.

I feel like Elizabeth Olsen steals the movie. Continuing her excellent work from WandaVision, where her grief was the big bad – here she is corrupted by dark magic using that grief to manipulate her into becoming a true villain and a fully realized Scarlet Witch.  She dives headlong into very Raimi-esque horror sequences and thrashes her way through anything and anyone that tries to stand against her as she struggles to reach her kids.

Overall, the movie was scary, yes, twisted, sure, but so much more fun than I expected and mainly because the cast seemed to be having such a good time.  In a franchise this deep, creating new flavors and layers is a great way to keep new entries fresh while still feeling familiar.  Side note – I did get to see this in 3D and I loved it. 

9 out of 10

Super spoiler-y statement here, but I loved the Illuminati as they appeared. Who knew this would be the movie that justified my watching the Inhumans TV show, or that that Professor X version we would get would be the one from the 90s show, or that watching the animated What If show pays off in a brilliant Captain Carter turn by Haley Atwell, or that Lashana Lynch is an exceptional Captain Marvel variant, or that the fan-casting a lot of us have been hoping for would be fully realized in John Krasinski.  Now I cannot wait for that Fantastic Four movie.

Movie Review: Ambulance (R – 136 minutes)

 

There are several things I expect from a Michael Bay movie:  intense action and chase sequences, sweaty lead actors, sweeping and circular camera movements, and ‘splosions.  You know, general Bay-hem.  AmbuLAnce delivers exactly what is expected of it. 

Set in L.A., to the point that the city functions as a character, veteran Will is struggling to get the money he needs for his wife’s medical treatments. He is not getting the benefits he should as a soldier returned home, and they have just had a baby. He is frustrated and desperate, and all of that is conveyed swiftly as the movie opens while we watch him make several phone calls.  He heads out to meet up with his brother, Danny, promising his wife he will get it solved.  Danny offers him a position in a bank heist he is putting together, promising it will be quick, easy and no one will get hurt.  Will, feeling like he has no other option, agrees.

The bank heist goes wrong in several ways, mainly due to a cop showing up to flirt with a teller and the feds being outside, having known about the heist and waiting to catch the crew when they exit the bank.  Everything goes sideways, ending with Danny and Will taking the young cop and Cam, an EMT hostage in an ambulance as they attempt to make a run for it.  Over the course of several hours, they attempt to avoid cops, feds, gangsters, and Los Angeles traffic. 

If you like Michael Bay movies, I think you’ll enjoy this one. It’s nothing new, but it doesn’t need to be.  As with all Bay movies – it looks amazing. He makes the absolute best-looking action movies.  What I found interesting is that it seems to be very pandemic-safe.  It is a remake of a French movie and lends itself to keeping the cast socially distanced as much of the movie takes place in separate moving vehicles communicating over phone or radio. Even the sequences with several cast members together were sparsely populated. It is a clever way to make it safely and I really appreciated that aspect. 

It also seems that Bay has either discovered or rediscovered drones for this movie. There are so many rapidly sweeping drone camera shots which really help drive home the space between the separate vehicles and where they are in the city.  The cast is less of a factor in this movie as the real stars is the city and the car chases.

Jake Gyllenhaal and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Danny and Will are great and believable as brothers.  They throw in enough ‘my-family-took-you-in’ and flashes of the two of them playing together as children to cement the relationship. Will knows that Danny is a loose cannon, but he is his brother and he will do what he can to keep them both safe. 

What I appreciated even more over the course of the movie is the slow reveal that Eiza Gonzalez as Cam was the true ‘hero’ and lead of the movie.  Because the opening and marketing of the movie made it feel like Danny and Will are the heroes, it was interesting to see that slow shift over the course of the story.  She was great, and a good Bay star, trying to keep a cool head and do her job to keep everyone alive in an insane ambulance chase across the city.

Garret Dillahunt plays Captain Monroe, who comes in to coordinate the police response and brought his dog (Played by Bay’s dog).  He doesn’t have much to do but has a good time holding together various different sequences.

Keir O’Donnell plays Agent Clark who steps in midway because he went to school with Danny and has some insight as to how he thinks and acts.  I’m not sure why Dillahunt’s character could not have also covered this aspect.  I could have used more back and forth between the two of them. They seem to represent two different mindsets in chasing down the duo.

A Martinez shows up to play Papi, a crime kingpin that Danny goes to for assistance partway through the chase. It does not go as well as he planned.

Overall, the movie is predictable and delivers as expected.  Fantastic looking with some great action sequences. It is perfect for kicking back, turning off your brain, and enjoying your popcorn.

6 out of 10

Movie Review: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (R – 107 minutes)

 

To listen to myself and two other amazing LAMB members discuss this movie in detail, check out the LAMBCast: https://www.podomatic.com/podcasts/lambcast/episodes/2022-04-26T14_11_33-07_00

Nicolas Cage is one of those actors who has occasionally had his work overshadowed by his personal life.  From naming his son Kal-El to perhaps buying a mummy, there have been rumors about wild living and excessive spending on top of some truly eccentric behavior for years.  However, he still managed to have enough of a sense of humor about himself to star as a fictionalized version of Nick Cage in this charming flick.

The movie starts with Nick Cage being desperate to get a new role that he believes will put him ‘back on top’. He’s recovering from a divorce and living in a hotel, racking up massive debt.  Out of the blue, his agent informs him that he has an offer from a mysterious businessman to receive one million dollars to come to the businessman’s birthday party.  Despite being very skeptical, he needs the money, and sets out to the villa.

Javi, the businessman, is a huge Nick Cage superfan and has written a screenplay he wants Nick to star in.  While there, Nick is collected by the CIA and told that Javi is suspected to be an international gun-runner and now Nick will need to help them collect intel. From there, hijinks ensue as Nick tries to get right with himself, his family, Javi, and life in general.

The movie is written and directed by Tom Gormican and is exactly as silly and fun as you expect. I am not sure there are any other actors that would have been able to pull off this level of nonsense.  The movie at no point makes fun of Nick Cage and manages to let him come off as genuine and excited about his work ethic and career – embracing some of his more questionable choices in the past. 

Nicholas Cage has been very clear that this is a fictionalized version of himself, and he does get to place both current Nick Cage and his imaginary friend, a younger version of himself going by Nicky who seems to fuel his more unbridled behavior.  He seems to be having a great time, and this is definitely a treat to watch him delicately walk between introspection and slapstick comedy. In particular, the scene where he accidentally tranquilizes himself while attempting to plant a bug in Javi’s security office is fantastic.

While the movie is absolutely all about Nick Cage, Pedro Pascal still manages to steal several scenes. He is sweet and charming, professing his fandom to Nick while attempting not to ‘spook’ him by being too creepy.  I am not sure any other actor could have provided this perfect counterpoint to the whirlwind that is Nick Cage.

Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholz play the CIA agents and both of them seem to be just over cameo roles. They are there just to move the story along and are certainly entertaining enough for the brief moments.

Sharon Horgan plays Nick’s ex-wife Olivia and Lily Sheen (Michael Sheen and Kate Beckinsdale’s daughter) plays his daughter Addy.  They manage to get swept up into the action as Nick has to solve the mess that the CIA creates.

Overall, the movie is quick and fun with some hilarious comedy and some surprising good action sequences. It is definitely worth checking out!

8 out of 10

I think maybe Tom Cruise is the only other actor who I would like to see in something like this. After all, his role in Tropic Thunder shows he can have fun about himself from time to time.

 

Movie Review: Everything Everywhere All At Once (R – 139 minutes)

There was a Jet Li movie released in 2001 called The One where a Jet Li from one universe realized he could travel to other universes in the multiverse and kill other Jet Lis.  As he killed each one, he become stronger, seeking to eventually become The One Jet Li, with the most power. During the course of the movie he encountered multiple Carla Guginos as his wife as Delroy Lindo and Jason Statham chased him throughout verses.  It is a fun little action movie and worth a view if you haven’t seen it.

I bring it up because Everything Everywhere All At Once made me think of it. It is similar and  different.  Here, Evelyn Wang is a woman overwhelmed. She is overwhelmed by her husband, her daughter, her aging father, her business, and her taxes. She is pushing the ends of her limits and struggling to keep things together when suddenly a version of her husband from a different verse jumps into her husband and tells her only she can help save the multiverse from an encroaching evil.  

At first completely unwilling and unbelieving, she attempts to shrug off his warning. He eventually teachers her how to use something uncomfortable (with increasing levels of uncomfortableness) to tap into the skills and abilities from an Evelyn somewhere else in the multiverse which she can then use in this verse to combat the henchpeople of the big bad. 

Despite what sounds like a complicated premise, the movie manages to be a simple and beautiful story about the everyday struggles we all face against the constant feeling of daily pressures. Written and directed by Daniels (Kwan and Scheinert), the movie is exquisitely centered by the goddess Michelle Yeoh and I do not know that anyone else is capable of pulling off something this simple and outrageous.  Yeoh can shift from everyday to supernaturally glamorous to insanely weird quickly and expertly. The action sequences are brilliant, the fight scenes are fantastic, the comedic sequences are fun and nonsensical, and the dramatic moments are lovely and touching. 

Ke Huy Quan has mostly been working behind the scenes since his debut in Temple of Doom and Goonies.  He steps back in front of the camera here as various versions of Evelyn’s husband Waymond.  He has to shift from the everyday Waymond hesitantly pushing for divorce to the warrior from another verse looking for help.  Stephanie Hsu plays their daughter Joy and she gets to play even more versions of herself – each more outlandish and entertaining.

James Hong plays various versions of Evelyn’s father, shifting from old and doddering to resistance leader. Jamie Lee Curtis plays Deirdre, the tax lady and she is absolutely wonderful as varying levels of smarmy rule-following. 

 Overall, while the movie is fun and different, it is the cast that truly takes this movie over the top.  We’ve seen some multiverse fun stuff lately – No Where Home was exceptional – but this story manages to make the overwhelming idea of the multiverse a little more personal and really hammer home that it is the connections between all of us that matter the most, even throughout layers and layers of universes.  Also - there's a surprise Harry Shum Jr. appearance that I really cannot even begin to explain because it makes no sense but was really entertaining.

9 out of 10.  Go see it in the theater, get popcorn, not bagels.

Movie Review: Morbius (PG13 – 104 minutes)

 

It is never good when a movie gets delayed for years at a time, even if that was due to a pandemic. Unfortunately for Morbius, a lot of folks had cemented opinions prior to it being released.  And while it is not a great movie, it certainly isn’t the worst I have seen.

Morbius begins with introducing us to Dr. Michael Morbius, a doctor with a rare blood disorder. He is going to great lengths to try to cure himself and others who suffer from the disease, including studying vampire bats.  Well, sure enough, his experiments go wrong – or very right? – and he ends up with bat-like superpowers, but also the hunger for blood.  This is not the huge drawback it might be for another person as Dr. Morbius is already world-recognized for inventing artificial blood. We even get to see him turn down the Nobel prize for that invention. He may have a cure for his disease, but he feels the side effects are too great to bear. That doesn’t stop his friend and wealthy benefactor (who shares his disease) from stealing a dose of the cure, without the moral hangups of Morbius.

This movie benefits if you go in with either zero or below zero expectations.  I went in assuming it would be absolute trash and was pleasantly surprised. It is not great, and there are multiple issues but I found plenty of things to enjoy.  Director Daniel Espinosa kept it short and sweet with a couple of nonsense fight scenes that work pretty well.  The story is lackluster, and as much as I hate a ticking clock or rushed timeline troupe, this really needed some stakes that had to be done by a certain time. As it is – the story is simply two dudes fighting.  The one other person we see Dr. Morbius treating they put into a coma and seem to be fine waiting to determine if further testing will solve the issue.  I would have liked there to be some sort of ‘we need a cure by midnight tonight or we will lose all 30 of these patients’ while the ‘villain’ hounds Morbius for his own personal reasons.  Or even if the villain wanted the cure not only for himself, but for monetary reasons…as it is, there really isn’t any reason involved.  Even the two cops on the case are not that interested in pursuing much of anything.  The vampire effects and fights are campy fun, as well as Morbius’s overall look. Leto actually pushed to use CGI for the face instead of prosthetics – an unusual move for him – and I think that was the right call.  He and Matt Smith seem to be having a great time, and the rest of the cast is certainly game enough.

This may be the most Jared Leto character I have seen Jared Leto play – he feels like a rock star vampire and Leto is perfect at that. Instead of Depping into prosthetics, makeup, and costumes, Leto takes this opportunity to slink around and embrace the strangeness and sudden superhuman skills of Morbius. I enjoyed him discovering his powers, but that montage could have been a little more unified and tighter. 

Matt Smith also has fun as ‘Milo’, which is not his name but a nickname Morbius gives him when they are children. He has the same disease but is also super wealthy, so he funds Morbius’s research, getting very testy after seeing the positive effects on Michael and getting refused the same treatment.  Of course, he steals it and where Morbius sees the vampire side effects as a curse, Milo revels in them.  Like I said, I wanted more from the reasons he keeps chasing after him, but I guess ‘general bad guy reasons’ suffices for this movie.

Adria Arjona plays Dr. Martine Bancroft, who helps Morbius with his research, development, and shady international-waters human experimentation. Their relationship starts off as business and grows into flirty-ness just fast enough for her to get captured by the bad guy so Morbius has to rescue her.

Jared Harris plays Dr. Nicholas, who raised both Morbius and Milo in the orphanage for sick kids that he seems to run.  He keeps tabs on both of them as they get older, helping with research and treatments and really just hanging around so that Milo can kill him later to prove to Morbius he is beyond saving.

Tyrese Gibson plays Agent Stroud and Al Madrigal plays Agent Rodriguez and they seem to think they are in two different movies. Madrigal got it more right. He plays the camp and humor, bringing holy water to an interrogation of Morbius (I could have used a little more vampire-based snark and humor). Tyrese plays it far too straight for a movie this silly.

This movie also suffers from being released after No Way Home when it was probably originally intended to be released before.  It wants to shoehorn the cracked multiverse and sinister six tie-ins and really none of that is necessary. It would have been better served to function as a stand-alone origin story.  That way you can bring Morbius into other stories later on.  Also – please keep in mind that while Morbius is a Marvel character, this is not an MCU movie. This is a Sony movie set in the Venom-verse. Which means that any other character cross-over cameos should have been Venom and no one else, especially if you are trying to sell Morbius as a hero/anti-hero. 

Overall, the movie struggles on story, but is has some fun effects and performances.  It’s not great, and it’s not terrible. Honestly, I do want another one, because I really do want to see this Morbius encounter Tom Hardy’s Venom. And separate side-note – if Mahershala Ali is Blade in the MCU, why not let Wesley Snipes step back into Blade for this Sony verse?  Because obviously any living vampire is going to need to come up against Blade at some point.

5 out of 10

Movie Review: The Lost City (PG13 – 112 minutes)

 Romancing the Stone was released in 1984 and told the story of romance novelist Joan Wilder as she got caught up in a treasure hunt/rescue mission to save her sister, Elaine with the help of Jack Colton – a scoundrel. The movie is charming and fun with adventure layers on top of the standard romcom.  The Lost City feels built in the same mold with some shifts here and there.

Hugely successful romance novelist Loretta Sage has run into some writer’s block after the death of her husband, who had been an archaeologist and the inspiration for many of her plots.  Her publicist has her set up to push the release of her latest novel doing interviews and panels with her cover model, Alan, who has repeatedly portrayed her hero, Dash McMahon.  Because Loretta used a lot of her husband’s studies and research to inspire her books, wealthy treasure seeker Abigail Fairfax ‘requests’ her presence to help her find the Crown of Fire.  He believes she has the information necessary to solve the location of the burial chamber of a queen, who possessed the crown of jewels given to her by the king. Once Loretta is kidnapped, Alan sets off to rescue her despite have near zero qualifications to do so. Hijinks ensue.

This movie is straightforward and simple. It never pretends to be more than it is and I appreciate that. Directed by Aaron and Adam Nee, the comedy is charming, the characters are great, and the action is fun.  The jungle sequences look lovely due to being shot mostly in the Dominican Republic. The movie has the perfect run time for something in this vein and functions perfectly as a fun and dumb popcorn flick.  The cast is perfect and plays well together.

Sandra Bullock is always the perfect lead in a romcom (Rewatch Love Potion number 9 from 1992 if you have forgotten it). She manages to balance Loretta’s reaction to the absurdity of her situation with a genuine sadness while struggling to manage her grief over the loss of her husband.  Channing Tatum is a great pairing for her. Having not seen him in a while, I had forgotten how good he is.  Alan may seem like a dumb jock but he wants to be more and prove that he has more to offer. Tatum brings that across beautifully in a very touching way. 

Special mention to the hot pink sequin jumpsuit which really is nearly a character on its own. It is loud and bright and the worst possible thing to wear while kidnapped and having to escape into the jungle.

Daniel Radcliffe should clearly be playing villains more often and easily settles into the role of a guy so rich he is used to getting what he wants all the time.  Da’Vine Joy Randolph is wonderful as Beth, the publicist who will stop at nothing to motivate and save her friend/client.

I really wish the trailers had not spoiled the Brad Pitt cameo. Imagine how fun it would have been if you did not know he was in this and he shows up briefly as the type of hero that Alan is striving to be?  Oh well, he’s still great in this – any time he gets to mock himself, he does that well.

Overall, the movie is short and fun, requires nearly no brainpower, and leaves you feeling good.  What more can you ask?

8 out of 10

Also - special super bonus points to you if you caught (as I did) the Stephen Lang cameo.  The only reason I mention it is to once again reference this Fillion/Lang Uncharted fan film.

 

Movie Review: Fresh (R – 114 Minutes)

 

From time to time you stumble across a movie you have heard very little about. This is very rare, as most trailers today show nearly the entire movie.  Fresh was something I was glad I knew next to nothing about.

Fresh begins by following Noa, a young woman who is struggling with modern dating. We see her using an app and going out with a guy who reminds her three times the restaurant they are going to only takes cash.  While on the date, he comments about her appearance multiple times and then is a jerk when she tells him no, thanks to a second date.  After venting to her best friend, she randomly meets a guy while grocery shopping. He seems really nice, is a doctor, and looks just like the Winter Soldier, so she gives him her number.

They head out for dinner, have a lovely time, and after a few dates, she decides to be adventurous and go away for the weekend with him.  Mollie, the aforementioned best friend, cautions against this idea and does some surface digital stalking, but learns very little about this Steve.  Steve takes Noa to his gorgeous home with the promise of heading out on the next day and things take a turn from there. 

Some Spoilers from this point on – seriously – it is worth watching this horror-thriller-dark comedy as cold as possible.  You can stream it on Hulu.

Written by Lauryn Kahn and directed by Mimi Cave, this movie was surprising, funny, and deeply dark and twisted.  It takes the horrors of modern dating to a new level, and definitely made me tell my best friends we needed a code phrase so that if someone else takes my phone and is texting from it, they would know it wasn’t me and would immediately send help!  The movie is short and quick with a dark and moody look and the cast all help elevate the story.

Daisy Edgar-Jones plays Noa with a relatability that was key for the role. Noa feels like everybody’s friend, either you or someone you know.  You begin the movie feeling for her as she struggles through terrible dates and end the movie cheering for her as she takes control of her situation – and maybe decides that being single is the very best thing ever.

Sebastian Stan continues to be weird and excellent in everything he does. Steve comes off as so charming and trustworthy at first, but if you pay attention, he is throwing little red flags in there all over the place. “Who have you told about me?”  Come on Noa – read between the lines!

As with any dark comedy, the best friend does get the scene-stealing moments and Jojo Gibbs as Mollie certainly steals some here. She figures out very quickly that Steve is not what he appears to be and is the one who discovers his plans, but then also falls prey to them, allowing Noa to be the hero of the story.

Dayo Okeniyi plays Paul, Mollie’s former hook-up who is a bartender at one of the places Steve and Noa had a date.  I really appreciated how the movie set up the potential for him to be the hero to save the day, but really it was the women who rescued themselves at the end.

Andrea Bang from Kim’s Convenience (watch all of that on Netflix if you have not already) plays Penny, who helps Noa figure out what is going on and how to deal with it. 

Charlotte le Bon plays Ann, who is Brendan’s wife and accomplice.  She does such a good job that you almost want to know a little more about her character - but it works just fine knowing almost nothing. 

Overall, I highly recommend checking this out, it is weird and funny and upsetting and dark.  Definitely a hard R, with a few really gross moments, but a great ending.  It is always good to see the bad guys get what is coming to them! 

8 out of 10

And not to worry - if Steve creeps you out too much in this, you can always re-watch Falcon & Winter Soldier on Disney+ for some Bucky palate cleansing.