Movie/TV Reviews

Susan Granger’s review of “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” (20^th Century Studios/Disney)

 

Opening with a brief funereal prologue, mourning the death of the peaceful prophet known as Caesar (Andy Serkis), this sci-fi fantasy skips ahead to “many generations later” – as primates rose to power after a virus deprived humans of their intellect and ability to speak.

Deep in the jungle, Noa (Owen Teague) is coming of age. His chimpanzee clan breeds eagles and is renowned for their falconry expertise. One day – as he and his friends are climbing steep cliffs, searching for coveted eagle eggs – his peaceful village is invaded by armored ape horsemen who capture his family and friends.

Determined to find and free them, daring Noa ventures into forbidden coastal territory where he’s befriended by wise old orangutan Raka (Peter Macon), a faithful follower of now-mythic Caesar with his “ape not kill ape” legacy, and Mae (Freya Allan), a mysteriously mercurial human female on a mission.

Their nemesis is Proximus Caesar (Kevin Durand), the dominating bonobo King who is determined to break down the huge iron door of an ancient seaside fortress to retrieve hidden treasure locked inside

Chanting “Apes together strong,” he’s counseled by treacherous, opportunistic Trevathan (William H. Macy), a scholarly human scavenger.

Cleverly scripted by Josh Friedman (“Avatar: The Way of Water”) with ape-verse producers Rick Jaffa & Amanda Silver, it’s adroitly directed by Wes Ball (“The Maze Runner”), utilizing Peter Jackson’s Weta FX Company’s now-perfected performance-capture technology to ‘humanize’ simian characters as the thought-provoking, suspenseful plot progresses.

Kudos also to cinematographer Gyula Pados, special consultant Andy Serkis and Daniel T. Dorrance’s imaginatively crafted production design, filled with evocative, emotional details referencing previous productions, harking back to Charlton Heston’s launch of the franchise back in 1968.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” is an epic, adventurous 8, playing in theaters.

Susan Granger’s review of “A Gentleman in Moscow” (Showtime/Paramount +)

 

“It is the business of times to change and gentlemen to change with them,” explains Count Alexander Ilyich Rostov (Ewan McGregor) in this eight-episode mini-series adaptation of Amor Towles’ acclaimed 2016 novel about love and loss.

Count Rostov’s saga begins in 1921, after he’s caught in the Russian Revolution which designated former nobility as enemies of the state. A Bolshevik tribunal sentences him to spend the rest of his life within the confines of Moscow’s Hotel Metropol – not in the elegant suite he’d previously occupied but in a drafty attic, formerly used as servants’ quarters. Should he ever leave, he will be shot on sight.

Haunted by memories of his bucolic past and taunted by Osip (Johnny Harris) from the Russian Secret Police, Count Rostov is soon befriended by precocious nine year-old Nina Kulikova  (Alexa Goodall), who has explored every nook and cranny of the hotel, showing  him secret passageways and locked rooms filled with confiscated treasures.

In turn, given his extravagant nature and impeccable manners, childless Count Rostov enthralls inquisitive Nina with stories about his glamorous aristocratic past, instructing her on precise and proper etiquette.

Watching her grow into womanhood, their bond grows deeper, aided and abetted by their makeshift family: other long-term hotel residents as well as the waiters, bartenders, cooks, seamstress, barber, and musicians.

Nina’s fate becomes even more intertwined with his after she marries. Determined to follow her Soviet soldier husband to Siberia, yet unable to travel with a child, she leaves her five year-old daughter Sofia (Billie Gadsdon) in his care.

As years go by, Count Rostov becomes increasingly romantically involved with ambitious actress Anna Urbanova (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) and more embroiled in the sociopolitical ramifications (terror, famine, mass murder) of the Communist State.

Adapted by Ben Vanstone and directed by Sam Miller, the plot is filled with dramatic twists and turns, set in and around the iconic hotel, as Ewan McGregor delivers one of his most compelling performances, bringing depth and humanity to irrepressible Count Rostov.

FYI: In real life Ewan McGregor and Mary Elizabeth Winstead are married; they met playing lovers in “Fargo.”

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “A Gentleman in Moscow” is an intoxicating 7, streaming on Showtime/Paramount +.

Susan Granger’s review of “Franklin” (Apple TV+)

 

“A long life has taught me that diplomacy must never be a siege – but a seduction,” observes renowned 70 year-old statesman Benjamin Franklin (Michael Douglas) in Apple TV+’s original docudrama, simply titled “Franklin.”

Set in 1776, when the American Colonies were losing more battles than they won in their armed rebellion, this eight-part series chronicles how Franklin, as one of the new nation’s Founding Fathers, traveled to France to try to secure that country’s support and financial aid in their fight for Independence from England.

Embarking on a secret Gallic mission that lasted almost nine years, Franklin traveled with his confidant, Dr. Edward Bancroft (Daniel Mays), and his 16 year-old grandson Temple (Noah Jupe).

Franklin assumed Temple’s custody when his (illegitimate) son, William Franklin, the Governor of New Jersey, was imprisoned as a Royalist.

Determined to engage the attention of France’s Foreign Minister, the Comte de Vergennes (Thibalt de Montalmbert), Franklin and his entourage move into the sprawling chateau of savvy international businessman Chaumont (Olivier Claveries) in Passy, west of Paris.

But conspiracies abound as spies and scoundrels are determined to undermine Franklin’s mission. A widower of three years, Franklin flirts openly and outrageously with the wives (Ludivine Sagnier, Jeanne Balibar) of French aristocrats, who were fascinated by his wry wit and philosophical wisdom.

Unfortunately, too much time is wasted in subplots involving impulsive teenage Temple, dawdling in privileged parlors, along with the pomp of King Louis XVI’s court, so it’s a distinct relief when outspoken John Adams (Eddie Marsan) shows up, along with sneering John Jay (Ed Stoppard).

While his tactics were unconventional, charismatic Franklin was eventually able to forge the Franco-American alliance of 1778, which led to a peace treaty with England in 1778 and Independence.

Based on the 2005 book “A Great Improvisation: Franklin, France and the Birth of America” by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff, it was adapted by Kirk Ellis & Howard Korder, directed by Tim Van Patten, and filmed in France.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Franklin” is a visually stunning 7, streaming on Apple TV+ with a new episode each Friday until its finale on May 17.

 

Susan Granger’s review of “The Fall Guy” (Universal Pictures)

 

After appearing on many TV talk shows, it’s obvious that Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt are playful co-stars and had great fun filming their new action comedy “The Fall Guy.”  So it’s too bad that the film kind of fizzles.

Loosely based on a similarly titled TV series, it revolves around the trials and tribulations of movie stuntman Colt Seavers (Gosling), who has been working for years doubling for Hollywood superstar Tom Ryder, (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), who claims he does all his own death-defying stunts.

(Despite disclaimers, it’s obvious whom Tom is meant to satirize.)

Colt is madly in love with camera operator Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt), who yearns to be a director. But after Colt breaks his back during a precarious jump from atop a building, he becomes a bitter recluse, ignoring Jody and other friends.

18 months later, Colt gets a call from Tom’s producer, Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham from “Ted Lasso”), offering him a job in Australia on ”Metalstorm,” a new sci-fi action picture directed by Jody, who is finally getting her big break.

Hoping to re-ignite their romance, Colt arrives on the set only to discover that Jody is still furious at him for alienating himself from her during his recovery.

Meanwhile, Gail tasks Colt with locating Tom, who has disappeared. If the studio discovers he’s missing, they’ll pull the plug on the film which is already over-budget, The plot twists even more when Colt discovers a dead body in Tom’s bathtub and becomes a murder suspect in a sinister conspiracy.

Scripted by Drew Pearce as a screwball romance, it’s directed by David Leitch (“Bullet Train”), who has stunt doubled for Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and Jean-Claude Van Damme, among others. So the over-the-top action sequences work well, particularly a spectacular boat chase around Sydney harbor.

The timing is right – since the Academy is considering adding a new Oscar category for stunt work, and Ryan Gosling had four (4) stunt doubles (Ben Jenkins, Justin Eaton, Logan Holladay, Troy Brown) creating his daredevil antics.

FYI: The CBS-TV series (1981-86) starred Lee Majors, who does a bit with Heather Thomas during the closing credits. Plus there are other ‘surprise’ cameos.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Fall Guy” is a slick, superficial, nonsensical 6, playing in local theaters.

Susan Granger’s review of “Suffs” (Music Box Theater)

 

Feisty, funny and heartfelt, “Suffs” is this season’s best Broadway musical surprise as it chronicles how women battled for the basic right to vote.  Calling themselves ‘suffragists,’ or ‘suffs,’ not ‘suffragettes,’ the original activists were not only opposed by gender and generations but also by racial rigidities.

Opening with Carrie Chapman Catt (Jenn Colella) and the chorus warbling the rousing “Let Mother Vote,” reminding men: “We raised you after all/won’t you thank the lady you have loved since you were small…We reared you/cheered you/raised you when you fell/with your blessing, we could help America as well.”

Then there’s young, outspoken radical Alice Paul (Shaina Taub) of the National Women’s Party, trying to find common ground with non-confrontational rival Catt as well as workers’ rights spokeswoman Ruza Wenclawska (Kim Blanck) and Black historical icons like investigative journalist Ida B. Wells (Nikki M. James) and Mary Church Terrell (Anastacia McClosky), who refuse to be left behind.

Let’s not forget flamboyant labor lawyer Inez Milholland (Hannah Cruz) and their generous benefactor Alva Belmont (Emily Skinner)…plus Grace McLean, hamming it up as President Woodrow Wilson, with Tsilala Brock as his dutiful assistant Dudley Malone, who eventually sides with the women.

The book, music and lyrics by Shaina Taub combine as a total statement that depends for its potency more on the sum of its parts than on the strength of any one component, especially the raucous, hilarious, show-stopping “G.A.B.”

Sadly, humor totally vanishes in the second act when earnest, assertive Alice Paul is arrested and thrown in jail where she goes on an extended hunger strike and additional setbacks arise.

After years in development and a 2022 Off-Broadway run at the Public Theater, “Suffs” has obviously evolved, becoming less didactic and adding former Presidential contender/Secretary-of-State Hillary Clinton and Nobel Prize-winner Malala Yousafzai as co-producers.

The creative team includes director Leigh Silverman, choreographer Mayte Natalio, music supervisor/director Andres Grody, costumer Paul Tazewell, scenic designer Riccardo Hernandez and lighting expert Lap Chi Chu. Plus, the pit orchestra is entirely comprised of women musicians.

The timing is right for provocative “Suffs”…as those of us who can – go marching on.

Susan Granger’s review of “Civil War” (A24)

 

Deliberately pushing all your ‘fear’ buttons, Alex Garland’s “Civil War” is obviously intended to be a cautionary tale but it falls short in so many ways.

The dystopian story begins sometime in the near-immediate future in war-torn New York City, where water is rationed and residents are battling the police.

Several military-embedded journalists are preparing to undertake the precarious drive to Washington, D.C. hoping to interview the divisive President, who has disbanded the FBI and ordered air strikes on civilians.

What was once the United States has been divided by regional factionalism. Hostility abounds between federal government-backed Loyalist forces under an authoritarian third-term President (Nick Offerman) and secessionists known as The Western Front, comprising California and Texas.

There’s also a Florida Alliance as well as a New People’s Army holding territory in the Northwest.  Each of these groups demands fidelity and no one trusts anyone else’s intentions.

Much to the annoyance of veteran Reuters photojournalist Lee Smith (Kirsten Dunst), she – along with her colleague Joel (Wagner Moura) and New York Times reporter Sammy (Stephen McKinley Henderson) – will be joined in their PRESS    van by a young, free-lance documentarian, Jessie Cullen (Callee Spaeny), who admires and wants to emulate Lee. (The foreshadowing is abundantly obvious.)

Their tense, episodic, 800-mile road trip will take them through ‘enemy’ encampments, military checkpoints and improvised refugee camps. The most horrifying scene finds the journalists being held hostage by a ruthless, relentless soldier (Jesse Plemons) who demands to know: “What kind of American are you?”

British writer/director Alex Garland (“Ex Machina”), whose father was a political cartoonist, and cinematographer Rob Hardy opt for abrasive ambiguity, chronicling the senseless, bloody brutality yet never taking a partisan stance.

Instead of embracing any specific ideology, they’ve seemingly used their film as a speculative catalyst for conversation, presenting unbiased reporters as heroes, determined to hold polarization in check.

While it’s reassuring that a free, independent press still exists in Garland’s grim future, what’s missing are revelatory backstories for traumatized Lee and terrified Jessie that would have ignited more emotional resonance.

FYI: “Civil War” opened in theaters on April 12, 2024. The real American Civil War began exactly 163 years before that.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Civil War” is a fraught, frenzied, fragmented 5, playing in theaters.

 

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

 

The idiom “Everything old is new again…” can be applied to writer/director Steven Zaillian’s sensational new noir Netflix series “Ripley,” based on Patricia Highsmith’s pulpy, best-selling novels.

Sociopathic antihero Tom Ripley (Andrew Scott) is a down-on-his-luck grifter in 1961 New York who is hired by wealthy shipping magnate to travel to Italy to try to convince his prodigal son Dickie Greenleaf (Johnny Flynn) to return home.

Tom’s acceptance of this lucrative job opens the door to a labyrinthine life of crime. As soon as he arrives in the picturesque coastal village of Atrani, he begins to ingratiate himself with entitled Dickie, much to the annoyance of his resentful girl-friend Marge Sherwood (Dakota Fanning), who is suspicious from the getgo.

“I’m not someone who takes advantage of people,” Tom claims when, in fact, that’s exactly who he is.

At Dickie’s villa, Tom learns about art, culture and beauty, particularly the distinctive use of light and shadow by Italian painter Caravaggio. He resents the intrusion of Dickie’s snobbish pal Freddie Miles (Eliot Sumner) and cleverly matches wits with Police Inspector Pietro Ravini (Maurizio Lombardi).

Traveling along the Amalfi coast to Rome, San Remo, Palermo and Venice, quick-witted Tom is a consummate con-man, a conniving cheat capable of committing brazen art theft, mail fraud, forgery and brutally murdering multiple people.

Graham Greene aptly described author Patricia Highsmith as a “poet of apprehension.”  By having Oscar-winning cinematographer Robert Elswit (“There Will Be Blood”) film in austere black-and-white, Oscar-winner Steven Zaillian (“Schindler’s List,” “The Irishman”) gives an artistically stunning, noir essence to her murky, malevolent story.

Prior to this Netflix series, there have been five films about Tom Ripley; perhaps the most memorable is Anthony Minghella’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (1999), starring Matt Damon, Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow. Others include “Purple Noon” (1960), “An American Friend” (1977), “Ripley’s Game” (2002) and “Ripley Under Ground” (2005).

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Ripley” is a tantalizing, tension-filled 10 – with all eight episodes now streaming on Netflix.

Susan Granger’s Worst Movie Sequels study:

 

If you feel that movie theaters are being inundated with reboots and sequels, you’re right. They’re everywhere – with more on the way!

Casino.ca recently did a Worst Movie Sequel Study, searching through more than 100,000 reviews for nine different negative keywords – including ”boring,” waste” and “trash” – to decide which of the highest-grossing movie sequels are the all-tome worst.

Here are the results:

• Michael Bay’s “Transformers: Age of Extinction”
• George Lucas’ “Star Wars Episode VII: The Last Jedi”
• James Bond’s “Skyfall”
• “Avengers” appeared three times, making it the worst-reviewed franchise

The primary reason reboots and sequels are made is simple: money. Filmmakers just take what worked in the original, sprinkle in some new twists with beloved characters and familiar settings – and you’ve got another installment.

Conversely, research has shown that when there’s a new film that no one knows anything about, something that doesn’t emanate from a popular novel, a completely new story, audiences may be reluctant to line up at the box-office.

So remakes are – generally – a safe bet. Since “Kung Fu Panda 4,” “Dune: Part Two,” “Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire,” and “Gorilla vs. Kong: The New Empire” have already opened at local theaters, popcorn partisans are eagerly awaiting “Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes” and “Bad Boys 4.”

Love ‘em or loathe ‘em, 2024 also beckons “Deadpool 3,” “Venom 3,” “Sonic the Hedgehog 3”, “Despicable Me 4,” “Beetlejuice 2,” “Inside Out 2,” “Twisters,” and “Gladiator 2.”

Don’t say you weren’t warned.

Susan Granger’s review of “Monkey Man” (Universal Pictures)

Remember Dev Patel, that appealing young Indian actor in “Slumdog Millionaire” and “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” and its sequel?

Now he’s made his writing/directing/producing debut with “Monkey Man,” a grim action-packed revenge thriller set in the squalid (fictional) city of Yatana in India.

Patel plays an unnamed Kid who grew up in the forest with Neela (Adithi Kalkunte), his hard-working single mom who kept him enthralled with Hindu stories from the Ramayama revolving around about the mythological monkey deity known as Lord Hanuman.

When a greedy land developer, disguised as a spiritual guru, with the help of a populist rightwing politician, destroyed their village, his mother was brutally killed by Rana (Sikander Kher), the corrupt local police chief.

As years pass, the skinny Kid with badly scarred hands develops into a formidable, monkey-masked fighter, but he’s often defeated at the bloody, bare-knuckle bouts staged by sleazy Tiger (Sharlo Copley), a ruthless Master of Ceremonies.

Determined to wreak revenge for his mother’s death, he steals enough rupees to enable him to go undercover as ‘Bobby,’ a dishwasher-then-waiter at an elite nightclub/brothel run by Queenie (Ashwini Kalsekar) under the ‘protection’ of villainous Rana.

Awkwardly scripted as an underdog story by Patel, Paul Angunawela, and John Collee with nods to the obvious influence of the Bruce Lee/John Wick genres, it’s filled with so many graphic close-ups that narrative/political coherence is often discarded, despite energetic cinematographer Sharone Meir and rapid-fire editors David Janesso & Tim Murrell.

Intriguing supporting characters, like the compassionate trans-woman Alpha (Vipin Sharma) – who identifies as hijira, a Hindu term for the third gender – and the prostitute Sita (Sobbhita Dhulipala), appear and inexplicably disappear.

Raised in London by Gujarati parents from Nairobi, Kenya, Dev Patel has obviously been deeply influenced by his Indian heritage, particularly the caste system, and he feels strongly about its socio/political context. Plus, he’s trained in Taekwondo since he was 10 years old.

Originally set to debut on Netflix, the film was boosted to a theatrical run when filmmaker Jordan Peele convinced Universal Pictures of its commercial viability.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Monkey Man” is a grisly, gruesome, gory 5, having opened in local theaters last Friday.

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

“Scoop,” Netflix’s drama about the downfall of Prince Andrew, drives home the old proverb – “If you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas” – a warning to be mindful of who we surround ourselves with and what behavior we condone.

The plot of “Scoop” revolves around how – back in 2019 – the BBC secured an exclusive interview with the Duke of York about his friendship with convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein.  The broadcast ultimately triggered Andrew’s disgrace, confiscating his HRH title, patronages and removing him from Royal life.

It all began with Sam McAlister (Billie Piper), a flamboyant junior producer at the BBC’s ‘Newsnight’ whose primary job is booking guests. Worried about the current wave of downsizing, she decides to track down rumors about Prince Andrew’s friendship with Jeffrey Epstein, who was still alive at that point.

Using the guise of promoting Pitch Palace, the Prince’s entrepreneurial ‘initiative,’ Sam contacts the Prince’s aide Amanda Thirsk (Keely Hawes). But when news breaks about Epstein’s suicide, including claims that the Prince had sex with a 17 year-old girl trafficked into Epstein’s sex ring, inevitably the focus changes.

After consulting “Mommy” (the Queen) who told him to use his best judgment, the Prince (Rufus Sewell) agrees to the opportunity to put the record straight and, hopefully, repair his tarnished public image.

But his interview with journalist Emily Maitlis (Gillian Anderson) causes even more acute embarrassment for the Palace since the Prince comes across like a bumbling oaf, admitting he doesn’t regret his friendship with Epstein because the “opportunities” he gained from it were “actually very useful.” Explaining why he continued be Epstein’s houseguest, he says, “It was a convenient place to stay.”

Reminiscent of Harvey Weinstein’s predations and the child abuse tolerated by Boston’s Roman Catholic Archdiocese, it’s based on Sam McAlister’s book “Scoops: Behind the Scenes of the BBC’s Most Shocking Interviews.”

Adroitly directed by Philip Martin, there’s a significant moment in the conclusion when exhausted Sam takes the bus home, gazing at some giggling, carefree teenage girls, obviously thinking about Epstein’s victims and how the rich and powerful can so easily prey on the weak.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Scoop” is a sensationalistic 6, streaming on Netflix.