Movie/TV Reviews

“Spy Kids: Armageddon”

Susan Granger’s review of  “Spy Kids: Armageddon” (Netflix)

Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 – Oct. 15) celebrates Hispanic and Latino history and culture, so it’s the perfect time to introduce children to Robert Rodriguez’ beloved franchise’s newest entry “Spy Kids: Armageddon.”

Directed by Texas-based Rodriguez from a script he wrote with his now-grown son Racer Max – and another son, Rebel, composing the music – it begins with OSS (Organization of Super Spies) secret agents Nora Torrez (Gina Rodriguez) and Terrence Tango (Zachary Levi) whose precocious children – Patty (Everly Cargailla) and Tony (Connor Esterson) – have already tapped into their genetic sleuthing genes.

Sneaking around in their device-laden, sleekly contemporary glass-and-steel home to try to snag extra computer time, Tony is so obsessed with the popular video game Hyskor that he will even resort to cheating to win. On the other hand, his sister Patty insists on total honesty.

But when Tony accidentally helps unscrupulous game developer Rey “The King” Kingston (Billy Magnussen) unleash a potentially deadly computer virus that will allow him to control all technology around the globe, he and Patty must dive into the Hyskor video-game-world, battling robotic adversaries, to retrieve what’s been stolen from their parents.

Their PG-rated action-adventure includes some attention-catching visual challenges, like a super-tech car, loaded with gadgets, building blocks that emerge and disappear, giant fly swatters, along with the need to balance on wobbling platforms in order to reach an underwater safe house.  

Robert Rodriguez’s original “Spy Kids” was released in 2001, starring Carla Gugino & Antonio Bandaras with Daryl Sabara &Alexa PenaVega as their kids. Since then, there have been four additional “Spy Kids” installments, including this.

FYI: Hispanic and Latino are often interchangeable terms used to describe Americans with diverse Latin American and Caribbean ancestry. The month-long celebration honors their resilience and determination for independence.

On the Granger Movie Gauge of 1 to 10, “Spy Kids: Armageddon” is a fun, fantastical, family-centric 6, streaming on Netflix.

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“A Haunting in Venice”

Susan Granger’s review of “A Haunting in Venice”(20th Century Studios)

Released on September 15, Dame Agatha Christie’s 133rd birthday, Kenneth Branagh’s “A Haunting in Venice” is adapted from her novel “Halloween Party.”

In post-World War II Venice, ostensibly retired Belgian detective Hercule Poirot (Branagh) is urged to attend a séance by mystery writer Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), who has used him as a character in her crime-riddled novels.

It’s All Hallow’ Eve in 1947 when celebrated psychic Joyce Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh) plans to communicate with Alicia Drake (Rowan Robinson), the dead daughter of bereft opera singer Rowena Drake (Kelly Reilly).

Alicia apparently plunged off a balcony at the family’s gloomy, reportedly haunted palazzo that once housed an orphanage; the spirits of abused children are said to still wreak revenge upon the living, especially nurses and doctors.

Always skeptical Poirot views Reynolds as a treacherous opportunist who preys on the vulnerable until she, too, meets a ghastly demise.

Suspects include PTSD-afflicted field surgeon Leslie Ferrier (Jamie Dornan), his precocious son Leopold (Jude Hill), Alicia’s former fiancé Maxime Gerard (Kyle Allen), Rowena’s housekeeper Olga Seminoff  (Camille Cottin), and the late medium’s assistants, Desdemona and Nicholas Holland (Emma Laird, Ali Khan).

FYI: Back then, PTSD was called “shell-shock” and/or “battle fatigue.”

Taking considerable liberties with Agatha Christie’s original 1969 whodunit, screenwriter Michael Green (“Death on the Nile”) and actor/director Kenneth Branagh have transplanted the murder mystery to picturesque Venice, where gothic ghosts seemingly waft among the rain-shrouded canals.

Branagh’s inventive casting creates an intriguing ensemble, as comedienne Tina Fey exudes arrogant authenticity, along with sharp-tongued Oscar-winner Michelle Yeoh, while Kelly Reilly is barely recognizable as “Yellowstone’s” Beth Dutton. If young Jude Hill looks familiar, he previously starred with Jamie Dornan in Branagh’s “Belfast.”

And when the embittered Poirot’s verbose disillusionment with humanity becomes too tedious, Branagh relies on production designer John Paul Kelly and cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos to provide shadowy, sinister distractions, amplified by Hildur Gudnadottir’s nostalgic score.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “A Haunting in Venice” conjures a spooky, supernatural 7, currently playing in theaters.

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“My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3”

Susan Granger’s review of “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” (Focus Features/Universal)

Credit cinematographer Barry Peterson for making “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” one of the most enticing Aegean travelogues I’ve seen in years. But – as a feature film – it’s a bit of a disappointing addition to the popular franchise.

Set one year after “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2” (2016), the familiar, cliché-riddled story finds Toula – now married to Ian Miller (John Corbett) – mourning the death of her father Gus and determined to carry out his final request: giving his photo-filled journal to his childhood friends.

That involves the entire eccentric Portokalos clan flying from Chicago to Athens. then journeying to Gus’s tiny, rural hometown on Corfu, only to discover that few residents remain in that mountainous hamlet, turning the intended ancestral reunion into a logistical challenge as the family, literally, unearths its roots.

(FYI: veteran character actor Michael Constantine, who played Gus, died at age 94 in 2021, a year after Nia Vardalos’ own father passed.)

Light-hearted ethnic humor sustains colorful characters like Toula’ aging mother Maria (Lainie Kazan), her preening brother Nick (Louis Mandylor), and Aunt Voula (Andrea Martin) , who insists “I’m not a gossip. I’m a tattletale.”

Youthful romance surfaces between Toula’s hard-partying daughter Paris (Elena Kampouris) and her college suitor Aristotle (Elias Kacavas). Along with a few Syrian refugees, including lovely Quamar (Stephanie Nur), the quaint village even has a young, non-binary Mayor named Victory (Melina Kotselou).

The original “Big Fat Greek Wedding” (2002) introduced writer/director Nia Vardalos and – costing only $5 million – it quickly became the highest-grossing romantic comedy of all time, garnering an original screenplay Oscar nomination.

This time, Vardalos, who also directs, becomes mired down in myriad storylines and subplots. And those in charge of continuity should have noted that, as an Orthodox Greek Christian – if Gus were cremated (which is rare) – his ashes would need to be buried, not scattered.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “My Big Fat Greek Wedding 3” is a bittersweet 6.  Wait for this to stream.

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“Dark Winds”

Susan Granger’s review of “Dark Winds” (AMC)

Starting its second season, AMC’s Western series “Dark Winds” is a pulpy procedural drama set in New Mexico’s Navajo Nation during the early 1970s.

Based on two of Tony Hillerman’s best-selling novels – “Listening Woman” and “People of Darkness” – it revolves around laconic tribal police officer Joe Leaphorn, played by veteran character actor Zahn McClaron (“Reservation Dogs”), who is actually Lakota on his mother’s side.

Lt. Joe Leaphorn runs the only police station on the 27,000-square-mile Navajo reservation so he’s in charge when there’s a double homicide at a local motel. Racist FBI Agent Whitover (Noah Emmerich) suggests that the murders might draw more attention if Leaphorn would help with an off-reservation armored-car robbery, so it’s all about the power-dynamics of law enforcement.

Joe is assigned an ambitious new Deputy, Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), who is determined to expand his horizons as a private investigator. Chee’s first client turns out to be a mysterious blonde (Jeri Ryan) who wants him to retrieve a box of personal effects stolen from her home.

Joe’s empathetic wife Emma (Deanna Allison) is still grieving over the death of their young adult son in a mine explosion when she takes in a pregnant teen (Elva Guerra).  Meanwhile, Sergeant Bernadette ‘Bern’ Manuelito (Jessica Matten) may join the Border Patrol to expand her career opportunities.

Produced by Robert Redford, George R.R. Martin and series creator Graham Roland (“Jack Ryan”), it’s filmed in and around Monument Valley, having been adapted by and primarily directed by Native Americans, who have amplified the women’s roles and depicted the supernatural Navajo culture as a spiritual experience.

The Navajo refer to themselves as the Dine or Dineh, literally meaning “The People.” Tony Hillerman was named Special Friend of the Dineh by the Navajo Nation in 1987 – the only non-Native to receive that award.

FYI: Years ago, PBS made a trio of TV-movies adapted from Tony Hillerman’s books, starring Wes Studi as Joe Leaphorn and Adam Beach as Jim Chee; Fred Ward and Lou Diamond Phillips have also embodied the archetypal characters.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Dark Winds” is an authentically indigenous, engrossing 8, streaming on AMC.

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“The Idol”

Susan Granger’s review of “The Idol” (HBO)

 

HBO’s much heralded, salacious “The Idol” came and went so quickly that many missed this supposed big-budget backlash in the #MeToo era. The cringe-worthy, now-cancelled six-part series revolves around Jocelyn, a masochistic pop-star played by Lily-Rose Depp (Johnny’s 24 year-old daughter with Vanessa Paradis).

According to Rolling Stone, it was originally intended to be a satire of the music business; instead, it became what some have called “sexual torture porn,” causing director Amy Seimetz, to depart and be replaced by Sam Levinson (“Euphoria”), who co-created the series with its co-star R&B’s Abel Tesfaye – a.k.a.The Weeknd.

In the first episode, nearly naked Jocelyn poses for a comeback album-cover photo shoot on her knees with a hospital bracelet that presumably connects to her psychotic breakdown after her mother’s death from cancer.

When someone questions whether it’s right to romanticize mental illness, record executive Nikki (Jane Addams) chides “college-educated internet people” who rebuke “sex, drugs and hot girls.” Then the intimacy coordinator is locked in a bathroom when she tries to stop Jocelyn from baring her breasts.

Following Jocelyn to a dance club on the Sunset Strip, her assistant Leia (Rachel Sennot) describes the self-help guru/cult leader/club manager Tedros (Tesfaye) as “so rapey.” To which Jocelyn retorts, “Yeah, I kind of like that about him.” The episode concludes with Jocelyn being erotically asphyxiated with a silk robe.

In the subsequent four episodes, it only gets worse; only five were shown before the series was summarily cancelled much to the chagrin of Lily-Rose Depp, who defended her work in Australia’s Vogue as “provocative.”

“I was never interested in making something puritanical,” Depp goes on. “It’s OK if this show isn’t for everyone. I think all the best art is polarizing.”

Problem is: even with its obvious allusions to self-destructive Britney Spears, the plot is too plain, the narrative disjointed and the dialogue dreadful. It’s unclear why Jocelyn would be so obsessively attracted to creepy Tedros or why the rest of the cast would be seduced into his abusive cult. He exudes zero charisma.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Idol” is a tawdry 3, streaming on HBO.

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“The First”

Susan Granger’s review of “The First” (Hulu)

 

While the Writers’ and Actors’ strikes persist, streaming networks are reaching back into their archives to show various series that ran for one season and were – perhaps inexplicably – cancelled and/or not renewed for a second season.

Making his initial television-series venture, Sean Penn stars in “The First,” playing Capt. Tom Hagerty, a former Astronaut Mission Commander who is now training the first crew for a manned mission to Mars, circa 2030s.

But Hagerty’s personal life is in chaos. He lives in New Orleans and – a while ago – his troubled tattoo-artist wife, Diane (Melissa George), committed suicide, leaving him alienated from his depressed, drug-addicted teenage daughter, Denise (Anna Jacoby-Heron).

Meanwhile, pioneering Vista entrepreneur Laz Ingram (Natascha McElhone) is fighting for continued government funding after one of the initial launches blew up (similar to NASA’s Challenger disaster), placing her in political conflict with the President of the United States (Jeannie Berlin).

Plus, Hagerty’s African-American second-in-command (LisaGay Hamilton) is resentful and the younger astronauts are coping with strained marriages, ailing elderly parents and the realization that, if they do make it to Mars, they may not be able to return to Earth. Bottom line: survival odds are not in their favor.

Created by Beau Willimon (“House of Cards”), the turbulent emotional conflict centers on the various astronauts’ personal dramas, posing the pertinent question of whether the collective benefit is worth the personal cost.

Like “The Right Stuff” and “The Martian,” it utilizes the superficial sci-fi premise to delve into thoughtful character studies.

FYI: In “House of Cards,” Beau Willimon worked with Robin Wright, ex-wife of Sean Penn, and Natascha McElhone quit her co-starring role opposite Kiefer Sutherland in “Designated Survivor” (2016) in order to make this series.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The First” is a suspenseful 7 with all eight episodes streaming on Hulu. If you enjoyed it as much as I did, you can petition to bring it back at Change.org

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“Time Share”

Susan Granger’s review of “Time Share” (Netflix)

 

Who doesn’t love vacationing in luxurious resorts located in warm, exotic places? What if you could actually own a place in paradise, one that’s yours for a week each year? That’s the seductive premise of “Time Share,” writer/director Sebastian Hofmann’s bizarre Mexican thriller.

Shortly after Pedro (Luis Gerardo Mendaz), his wife Eva (Cassandra Ciangherotti) and their young son are dropped off at their spacious villa, they discover it’s been double-booked. Another family, headed by gregarious Abel (Andreas Almeida), appears to also have reservations for the same poolside bungalow.

It’s admittedly an administrative error on the part of management but, since Pedro booked at a highly discounted rate and no other rooms are available, he and Eva are not only forced to share their accommodations and but also to participate in a manipulative ‘time share’ sales presentation by Tom (RJ Mitte).

Meanwhile – deep in the recesses of the underground laundry – dazed, depressed Andres (Miguel Rodarte) does menial work while his ambitious wife Gloria (Monserrat Maranon) attends yet another sales ‘training’ program – since the tropical resort property has recently been acquired by Everfield, a ruthless American conglomerate.

As Pedro grows increasingly paranoid, Tom’s indoctrination, stressing that they’re all considered ‘family,’ persists – and there’s a creepy, yet confusing increasing sense of foreboding. But why so slow-moving and subtle? That sluggishness and lack of urgency is what makes the conclusion emotionally unsatisfying,

This film premiered at the World Cinema Dramatic Competition at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival and was subsequently released in Mexico. Now as Netflix expands its International offerings, it’s being heavily promoted.

In Spanish with English subtitles, “Time Share” is an insidious, satirical 6, streaming on Netflix.

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“Golda:

Susan Granger’s review of “Golda” (Bleecker Street/ShivHans Pictures)

 

Oscar-winner Helen Mirren (“The Queen”) embodies “Golda.” Her skillful performance as Israel’s steely Prime Minister Golda Meir is startling to behold and a sure Academy Award contender.

Israeli-American filmmaker Guy Nattiv’s docudrama focuses on the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War in 1973, when a coalition of Arab states, led by Egypt and Syria, surprise-attacked Israel on the most holy, contemplative day of the Jewish calendar.

Utilizing a script by Nicholas Martin, Nattiv tells a tension-filled tale – one that was unknown until about 10 years ago when Top Secret government documents were declassified and 75 year-old Golda Meir’s suppressed anguish, deciding on a plan of action during that pivotal moment in history, was revealed.

Accompanied by her personal assistant, Lou Kaddar (Camille Cottin), chain-smoking Meir was undergoing painful cobalt treatments for cancer while stoically conducting strategic meetings with Defense Minister Moshe Dayan (Rami Heuberger), Mossad leader Zvi Zamir (Rotem Keinan), Military Chief-of-Staff Dado Elazar (Lior Ashkenazi), Intelligence director Eli Zeira (Dvir Benedek) and Ariel Sharon (Ohad Kollner) as war was being waged on two fronts: the Sinai Peninsula and the Golan Heights.

Having spent 3½ hours in the make-up chair each day, Helen Mirren’s meticulous physical transformation is astounding, along with her voice. Born in Kiev, Ukraine, Golda grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and then moved to Denver, Colorado, before immigrating to the land then-known as Palestine, so her American accent is duly authentic.

Matching Mirren in resolute validity, Liev Schreiber is riveting as U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who dispatched jets as reinforcement when the harrowing 19-day conflict seemed lost and arrived in Tel Aviv to negotiate a fragile peace treaty with Meir over a bowl of borsht in her kitchen.

“I am first an American, second a Secretary-of-State and third a Jew,” guarded Kissinger notes diplomatically. “In this country, we read from right to left,” indomitable Meir counters, demonstrating her wryly defiant wit.

At its conclusion, there’s actual newsreel footage of the real Golda Meir engaging with Egypt’s Anwar Sadat and US President Jimmy Carter at the Peace Accord, accompanied by Leonard Cohen’s song “Who by Fire,” based on a Jewish High Holiday prayer.

In English with some Hebrew and Arabic with subtitles, on the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Golda” is an archival 8, playing in theaters.

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“Invasion: Season 1”

Susan Granger’s review of “Invasion: Season 1” (Apple TV+)

On the advice of my friend critic-turned-director Rod Lurie (“The Outpost”), I just caught up with the ominous sci-fi series “Invasion” that made its debut in 2021.

This 10-episode saga begins as strange objects descend from the sky. In Oklahoma, a mysterious circular crater in a cornfield attracts the attention of retiring small-town Sheriff John Bell Tyson (Sam Neill). who is searching for meaning in his career.

In a suburban Long Island neighborhood when an explosion destroys every home except theirs, Syrian immigrant Aneesha Malik (Golshifteh Farahani) is desperately trying to save her two children (Tara Moayedi, Azhy Robertson) when she discovers that her philandering husband Ahmed (Firas Nassar) has a mistress.

In Afghanistan, Trevante (Shameir Anderson), an American Navy SEAL, discovers he’s alone in the desert as his squadron eerily disappears. In London, young Monty (Paddy Holland) relentlessly bullies Caspar (Billy Barratt), an intuitive epileptic who then saves his schoolmates after a bizarre bus crash suddenly strands them in a quarry.

And in Tokyo, an aerospace engineer, Mitsuki Yamato (Shioli Kutsuna), is distraught and defiant when the Japanese shuttle flown by her astronaut lover, Hinata Murai (Rinko Kikuchi). apparently implodes en route to the International Space Station.

Everywhere, spiky, metallic, seemingly indestructible, spider-like creatures from outer space are wreaking havoc and destroying cities around the globe.

Co-created by Simon Kinberg (“The Martian”) and David Weil (Prime’s “Hunters,”  “Solos”), who consulted with experts from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the SETI Institute, which investigates life beyond Earth, it’s perfectly timed to coincide with recent government revelations about UFOs and extra-terrestrial visitations that indicate we are not alone.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Invasion: Season 1” is a slow-paced 6 – with Season 2 just starting to stream on Apple TV+ and it’s shaping up to be far better.

NOTE: If you subscribe to Apple TV+ for $7@month, you can watch BOTH seasons of “Invasion,” along with Emmy-winning “Ted Lasso” and “The Morning Show,” for free during Apple’s seven-day trial period.

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“Paradise”

Susan Granger’s review of “Paradise” (Netflix)

Admittedly at first, the German dystopian thriller – cryptically titled “Paradise” – has an intriguing premise but then absurdity takes over.

Set sometime in the not-too-distant future, the bio-tech conglomerate Aeon is marketing revolutionary medical equipment that enables people to transfer years of their lifespan from one to another. It’s a controversial system that’s obviously open to corruption and abuse.

Donation manager Max Toma (Kostja Ullmann) is one of their most successful ‘agents,’ convincing marginalized people – like immigrants and refugees – to trade a portion of their young lives for a windfall of money. Their years are then sold to wealthy clients who want to extend their longevity by undergoing the ‘youth transplant’ procedure.

Problem is: when the luxurious apartment belonging to Max and his physician wife Elena (Marlene Tanczik) burns down and their insurance is declared invalid because someone left a candle burning, they’re deeply in debt for the mortgage. It’s a desperate situation that forces Elena to ‘donate’ 40 years of her life.

Strapped in a chair, hapless Elena instantly becomes an older woman (Corinna Kirchhoff) as her years are transferred to Max’s DNA-compatible boss Sophie Theissen (Alina Levshin). But – wait – can this ever be reversed? If so, how?

Their bizarre situation arouses Max’s suspicions, impelling him to join the Adam Group, a terrorist organization that kidnaps and executes elite donation recipients – and one of their prisoners appears to be Sophie’s daughter, Marie Thiessen (Lisa-Marie Koroll).

Written by Simon Amberger, Peter Kocyla and director Boris Kunz and filmed in Lithuania, this sci-fi thriller – with far too many extraneous subplots – questions the morality of buying ‘time’ but soon becomes predictably generic, never delving deeply into the relatable concept of ageism and the philosophical ethics involved in pursuing youth.

In German and English, on the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Paradise” is a forgettable, formulaic 4, streaming on Netflix.

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