Movie/TV Reviews

Susan Granger’s review of “Air” (Amazon Studios/Prime Video)

Confession: I knew nothing about Michael Jordan and his signature Nike sneakers before watching “Air,” recounting how Sonny Vaccaro convinced the then-rookie to sign a unique endorsement deal that changed the retail sports-apparel industry.

Insightfully scripted by newcomer Alex Convery and astutely directed by Ben Affleck (“Argo”), it’s really a sports fable, centered on the 1984 corporate culture at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. Back then, Nike was known for its running shoes which had zero impact on fashion.

This underdog story begins as Nike’s basketball scout Sonny Vaccaro (Matt Damon) searches for the next player to promote the footwear brand – which, at that time, was far behind Adidas and Converse.

When he suddenly realizes that 18 year-old Michael Jordan, an NBA rookie from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has superstar potential, Sonny faces major hurdles.

He must not only to convince CEO Phil Knight (Ben Affleck), marketing VP Rob Strasser (Jason Bateman), executive Howard White (Chris Tucker), and Michael’s abrasive agent, David Falk (Chris Messina), but primarily Michael’s shrewdly savvy mother Deloris (Viola Davis).

 “He doesn’t just wear the shoe,” Sonny proclaims. “He is the shoe. The shoe is him.”

“A shoe is just a shoe,” Deloris counters, “until my son steps into it.”

Cue Nike’s creative director Peter Moore (Matthew Maher), who actually designed and, perhaps, named the iconic Swoosh-adorned Air Jordan. (Moore died in April, 2022, just three weeks before filming began.)

Noted as part of the closing credits is how Sonny played a pivotal role in taking on the N.C.A.A. to help college athletes get paid for commercial use of their likenesses in 2009’s  O’Bannon case.

It’s a fortuitous reunion for Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, whose debut feature
“Good Will Hunting” (1998) won them a screenwriting Oscar. Just last year, they formed Artists Equity, a production company with a profit-sharing model to create better deals for everyone employed in making movies.

FYI: Julius Tennon, who plays Michael Jordan’s father, is Viola Davis’ real-life husband.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Air” is a scrappy, sneaker-driven 7, streaming on Prime Video.

Susan Granger’s review of “The Diplomat” (Netflix)

If you enjoyed watching Keri Russell in FXs “The Americans,” follow her as she switches sides as an insecure American Ambassador in Netflix’ “The Diplomat.”

Smart ‘n’ savvy Kate Wyler (Keri Russell) is a longtime Foreign Service officer, specializing delicate negotiations in the Middle East. Just as she’s about the leave for a new post in Kabul, she’s abruptly dispatched as Ambassador to the United Kingdom – taking up residence in Winfield House, near London’s Regent’s Park.

In the past, U.S. Ambassadors to England have not been career diplomats; instead, they’ve been big donors to whatever political party is in power, rewarded by serving in a primarily ceremonial job, filled with protocol and procedure.

But, suddenly, there’s an international incident – an attack on a British aircraft carrier – that requires Wyler’s expertise as a facilitator and, unbeknownst to her, she’s also being vetted as a potential Vice-Presidential candidate.

Perhaps a toxic thorn-in-her-side is Kate’s swaggering, manipulative husband, Hal Wyler (Rufus Sewell), who has also served as an Ambassador. In the past, as a tandem couple, Kate has assisted him; now it’s his turn to assist her – if he wants to stop their volatile, co-dependent marriage from unraveling.

The U.S. President (Michael McKean), his Chief of Staff (Nana Mensah) and the Secretary of State (Miguel Sandoval) need Kate to work with British Prime Minister Trowbridge (Rory Kinnear) and U.K. Foreign Secretary Austin Dennison (David Gyasi) to avoid a rapidly escalating conflict with Russia or Iran.

Coordinating the complicated mission is Kate’s deputy Stuart Hayford (Ato Essandoh) and CIA station chief Eidra Park (Ali Ahn), plus other bureaucrats. But everyone seems to have his/her own agenda.

Kudos to Debora Cahn (“West Wing,” “Homeland,” “Grey’s Anatomy”) who created this compelling series, filling it with provocative, often cheeky dialogue and surprising plot twists and turns. It’s already been renewed for Season #2.

FYI: While the exterior shots are of Winfield House, the interiors were shot at Wrotham Park in Hertfordshire, an estate that’s perhaps familiar from “Bridgerton,” “Downton Abbey,” and “The Crown.”

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “The Diplomat” is an engaging, explosive 8 – with all eight, hour-long episodes streaming on Netflix.

Susan Granger’s review of “Guardians of the Galaxy – Vol. 3” (Marvel Studios/Disney)

If you’ve been an avid follower of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and writer/director James Gunn’s fun-loving band of intergalactic outcasts, you may be intrigued by Rocket Raccoon’s origin story.

Anthropomorphic Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper) was created by genetic manipulation by a mad scientist, The High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), as part of his aim to create a utopia called Counter-Earth, generating and then exterminating various experimental creatures.

“There is no God! That’s why I’m taking charge,” he yells.

Years ago – before the first “Guardians of the Galaxy” – Rocket escaped from the biotech company known as Orgocorp, but now The High Evolutionary wants the talking raccoon back to study his super-intelligence and mental prowess.

So he dispatches a dim-witted, golden-hued synthetic, Adam Warlock (Will Poulter), along with the squishy Orgoscope spaceship filled with repulsive animal-human hybrids.

Naturally, Rocket’s vagabond buddies – half-human Peter Quill – a.k.a. Star Lord (Chris Pratt), Drax the Destroyer (Dave Bautista), mind-manipulating Mantis (Pom Klementieff), acerbic Nebula (Karen Gillan) and Groot (voiced by Vin Diesel) – who have settled in Knowwhere  – want to help their critically-injured friend.

Plus there’s newly resurrected, younger Glamora (Zoe Saldana), former ravager Kraglin (Sean Gunn, the director’s brother) and a golden retriever Soviet space veteran known as Cosmo (voiced by Maria Bakalova).

In previous installments of the Guardians sci-fi action-comedy concept, there’s been good-natured, space-pirate humor but, here, they’re just babbling nonsense for a bloated two hours, 30 minutes.

The best sequences are poignant flashbacks showing how young Rocket gains sentience and bonds with other genetically-altered species, like an otter, rabbit and walrus. The worst sequences involve gross ‘n’ gruesome, heavy-handed destruction. And it’s curious that James Gunn seems to be connecting with the currently controversial ‘trans’ experience.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Guardians of the Galaxy – Vol. 3” is a heavy-handed, bizarrely grotesque 5, playing in theaters – with two end-credits scenes and a closing title card claiming: “The Legendary Star-Lord Will Return.”

Susan Granger’s review of “Queen Charlotte” (Netflix)

Royals rule this week…so Shonda Rhimes has created a new Netflix series you’re gonna want to binge. Spinning off “Bridgerton,” there’s “Queen Charlotte.”

Part of a political pact, 17 year-old Charlotte (India Amarteifio) is dispatched from Germany to England to marry King George III (Corey MyIchreest). Since Charlotte has no idea if he’s “a troll or a beast,” she’s understandably reluctant.

Conveniently, they ‘meet cute’ as she’s trying to climb a wall to escape, so the lavish nuptials go as planned. But instead of consummating their union on their wedding night, George departs for his observatory to watch the night sky.

Persistently followed by her aide Brimsley (Sam Clemmett) – who’s dawdling with the King’s aide Reynolds (Freddie Dennis) – bewildered young Queen Charlotte’s only confidante is conniving Lady Danbury (Arsema Thomas).

“I am born for the happiness or misery of a great nation, and consequently must often act contrary to my passions,” George fumes. (That evokes a contemporary connection to King Charles’ contrived marriage to naive Diana to produce an heir and a spare, while he canoodled with his long-time mistress Camilla.)

Interspersed are glimpses of the mature, Regency-era Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel), familiar from “Bridgerton,” coping with the King’s debilitating illness as she poignantly prods her 13 progeny to preserve the dynasty.

Narrated by gossiping Lady Whistledown (Julie Andrews), the romantic plot is filled with clever gamesmanship, as many of the characters are deliciously duplicitous. (Even my action-oriented husband was intrigued.)

Shonda Rhimes has perceptively dedicated this historical prequel “In Memory of Jacqueline Avant.” Mrs. Avant, mother of Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos’ wife Nicole, was shot and killed in a home invasion in 2021.

Renown as an activist/philanthropist in Los Angeles, Jacqueline was married to music executive Clarence Avant, called “the Godfather of Black music”…and she was fascinated by historical Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (1774-1818),

According to historian Mario de Valdes y Cocom on PBS Frontline, Queen Charlotte was directly descended from Margarita de Castro y Sousa, a Black branch of the Portuguese royal house. Even in varying accounts, her African roots are apparently verifiable, which brings us back to King Charles III coronation.

If Queen Charlotte had Black ancestry, that would affect the entire lineage of her granddaughter, Queen Victoria, whose offspring occupied many European thrones.

Another contemporary connection is the fanciful ‘Great Experiment’ in which titles and land were bestowed on people of color to equalize interracial marriages – evoking thoughts of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Queen Charlotte” is a tantalizing 10 – with all six episodes now streaming on Netflix.

 

Susan Granger’s review of “Inside” (Focus Features)

“Inside” features a high-end art thief who is trapped in an extravagant New York City penthouse …it’s a Master Class in acting but agony to watch.

When Nemo (Willem Dafoe) inadvertently sets off the alarm system as he’s searching for a particular painting, he’s imprisoned in the huge, high-tech apartment he was burglarizing. Without food or water, his desperation grows.

The apartment belongs to a Pritzker-prize-winning architect who is working in Kazakhstan on a project called the Tulip Tower. He never appears except in Nemo’s dreams and hallucinations.

According to press releases, after viewing the many Manhattan glass-clad high-rises, writer/director Vaslis Katsoupis was impressed with their height, which made him wonder what would happen if someone was stuck on the top floor.

So Katsoupis and writer Ben Hopkins developed the idea of an urban Robinson Crusoe, marooned high above the busy streets, unable to escape. He can see people below, but they can’t see him; he can scream, but no one can hear him.

Since the plumbing is turned off, he collects water from an automated plant irrigation system. While caviar, pate, foie gras and vodka are delicacies, they don’t supply the nourishment Nemo needs since the pantry is practically bare except for a few cans of dog food.

But Nemo is certainly resourceful in his isolation as the room temperature fluctuates between extreme heat and chilling air conditioning.

While desperately trying to devise an exit strategy, Nemo goes on his own creative drawing/painting binge since, as a child, his sketchbooks were his prize possession.

For wiry, wry Willem Dafoe, it’s obviously meditative performance art. But for the yawning viewer, not so much. Bottom line: as a psychological thriller, it’s really, really boring.

FYI: In Latin, Nemo is Nobody.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Inside” is an inconclusive 3, streaming on Prime Video, Apple TV and Vudu.

Susan Granger’s review of “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania”:

Just be thankful you didn’t squander your money at the box-office for “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania,” one of the most worthless entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Paul Rudd’s third Ant-Man escapade is basically a family vacation gone wrong. His ex-con alter-ego Scott Lang, who was once fired from Baskin Robbins, is living it up in San Francisco as a minor celebrity who now has a best-selling memoir “Look Out for the Little Guy!” about his Avengers adventure.

When Lang, a divorced dad, and his girl-friend Hope Van Dyne, known as the Wasp (Evangeline Lilly), are enjoying family time with his feisty teenage daughter Cassie Lang (Kathryn Newton) – a young radical who was arrested for civil disobedience – and Hope’s parents, Janet and Hank (Michelle Pfeiffer, Michael Douglas) – they are suddenly sucked down into a mutating Quantum Realm – located outside our space/time continuum.

Delving into MCU history, retired physicist Hank Pym was a former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, while Janet Van Dyne was the original Wasp. She was previously confined in that subatomic sphere for 30 years, so she reunites with old acquaintances, including smarmy Lord Krylar (Bill Murray) with whom she apparently had some kind of a romantic relationship.

Janet also has a history with scowling, manipulative Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors), whom she previously prevented from escaping from the Realm. But the real villain is Kang’s MODOK (Carey Stoll’s Darren Cross) – a.k.a.: Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing. It’s a huge malevolent Helmeted Head with Glowing Eyes of Doom and insect-like limbs.

The concept – devised by screenwriter Jeff Loveness and director Peyton Reed and loaded with far too many distracting, computer-generated characters – couldn’t be more confusing. It’s obvious that the filmmakers concentrated primarily on building the Quantum fantasy world using FX.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania” is an atrocious 3, streaming on Prime Video, Apple TV and Vudu – and, yes, there are mid-and-post-credits scenes, teasing “Avengers: The Kang Dynasty” (2025).

Susan Granger’s review of “Star Trek: Picard – Season Three” (Paramount+)

Confession: I have been an ardent “Star Trek” fan ever since Gene Roddenberry’s epic sci-fi  classic began in 1966, continuing through “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Deep Space Nine” and “Voyager.”

Each original episode began with: “Space: the final frontier. These are the voyages of the starship Enterprise….Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no man has gone before.”

Now – after two middling but gradually improving seasons – “Star Trek Picard” –  under showrunner Terry Matalas – is back with its third and farewell season, starring Sir Patrick Stewart as Admiral Jean-Luc Picard, who was trying to enjoy retirement on his French vineyard when he was called back into Starfleet action on the USS Titan-A.

This new season finds Picard joined by his old cohorts William Riker (Jonathan Frakes), empathic Deanna Troi (Marina Sirkis), Geordi  La Forge  (LeVar Burton),  Worf (Michael Dorn), and Seven-of-Nine (Jeri Ryan). Plus there’s Picard’s old flame Dr. Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden), the synthetic lifeform Lore (Brent Spiner,  (the android Data), and always-annoying Raffi (Michelle Hurd).

Causing concern, there’s creepy, revenge-obsessed Captain Vadic (Amanda Plummer) on the Shrike (FYI: Amanda’s father, Christopher Plummer, was the villain in “Star Trek IV: The Undiscovered Country”).

There’s great camaraderie as Picard and his team face a splinter faction of the Changelings, who have already launched an attack on Starfleet ‘s recruitment center.  Previously, benevolent Odo (Rene Auberjonois) was the only one of these Gamma Quadrant aliens who surfaced. Now these shapeshifters abound and they’ve taken possession of Dr. Crusher’s grown son Jack (Ed Speelers).

What’s particularly remarkable is how this season utilizes James Horner & Jerry Goldsmith’s previous “Star Trek” musical cues to once again evoke awe and wonder.

Since its inception, the “Star Trek” franchise has encompassed 11 television series, 13 feature films and numerous books, toys and games. It’s generally considered one of the most popular and influential television series of all time.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Star Trek Picard” is a nostalgic, satisfying 8, streaming on Paramount+.

 

Susan Granger’s review of “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” (Lionsgate)

It’s taken 53 years for trailblazing Judy Blume’s beloved, life-changing novel – “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” – to make it to the big screen but writer/director Kelly Fremon Craig’s delightful adaptation is well worth the wait.

Set in 1970, the story revolves around pre-teen Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Fortson) whose family moves from Manhattan to suburban New Jersey just as she’s navigating that tenuous time between childhood and adolescence.

Sweet, guileless Margaret is quickly befriended by bossy Nancy (Elle Graham), an outspoken neighbor, and her sixth-grade chums who are acutely aware of the coming physical changes in their bodies. They’re obsessed with their budding breasts and the onset of menstruation, along with their growing interest in boys.

Plus, Margaret has become curious about her cultural identity. While her father (Benny Safdie) and adored grandmother (Kathy Bates) are Jewish, her mother (Rachel McAdams) is a lapsed Christian whose devout Midwestern parents (Mia Dillon & Gary Houston) disowned her when she married out of their faith.

As a result, Margaret doesn’t identify with any religion, despite yearning to ‘belong’ somewhere. During her angst-filled struggles with spirituality, she holds her own private conversations with God. Eventually, her confusion results in a crisis, triggering an unexpected, wretchedly uncomfortable family reunion.

Superbly cast and saturated with whimsical warmth and poignant, lighthearted humor, it’s all about the timeless complexity of puberty, a relevant subject that still evokes conjecture as school districts around the country make new attempts at censorship.

Legendary, truth-telling author Judy Blume summed up my reaction, noting: “No one who likes the book will be disappointed. It’s so much more than the book.”

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret” is an endearing, empathetic 8, a coming-of-age classic that’s playing in theaters.

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

For many years, Nicolas Cage refused to play Dracula, turning down major studio films but – now – he’s the legendary, bloodthirsty Count in “Renfield.”

He doesn’t star in this thriller/horror comedy. Instead, the grisly story revolves around Robert Montague Renfield (Nicholas Hoult), Count Dracula’s long-suffering servant – a.k.a. “familiar” – whose job is to bring the infamous Transylvanian vampire fresh victims while he keeps up his super-strength by eating insects.

Renfield first appears at a church group therapy session in present-day New Orleans. Coaxed by the support group’s leader (Brandon Scott Jones), he confesses, “I am in a destructive relationship.”

That’s followed by clips of Ted Browning’s black-and-white, 1931 iconic “Dracula,” starring Dwight Frye and Bela Lugosi, with Hoult and Cage recreating their respective roles.

As he builds up confidence to break away from his dysfunctional co-dependence, mumbling Renfield falls in love with vengeance-seeking Police Officer Rebecca Quincy (Awkwafina), who is determined to bring down the matriarchal Lobo crime family, bossed by Bellafrancesca (Shohreh Aghdashloo), whose tattooed ‘enforcer’ son is dubbed ‘Tedward’ (Ben Schwartz).

Convolutedly scripted by Ryan Ridley from an original idea by Robert Kirkman (creator of “The Walking Dead”), it’s directed with a plethora of gruesome, graphic dismemberment by Chris McKay (“The Tomorrow War”).

Not surprisingly, since he produced and edited “Shadow of the Vampire” (2000) about Max Schreck who starred in Murnau’s classic 1922 “Nosferatu,” wild-eyed Cage delivers an over-the-top, campy performance.  But the R-rated result is abysmal.

FYI: In 1988’s low-budget “Vampire’s Kiss,” Cage was a New York literary agent who thought he was a vampire; this is the first time he’s played the real-deal.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Renfield” is an ultra-violent, frightful 4, playing in theaters.

Susan Granger’s review of “Ghosted” (Apple TV+/Skydance)

 

First, let’s define the term “Ghosted.” In social media terms, “ghosting’ is deliberately ignoring someone and “ghosted” is being ignored – meaning that whatever relationship you had – or think you had – is over.

So when Cole (Chris Evans) and Sadie (Ana de Armas) ‘meet cute’ at a suburban Washington D.C. Farmer’s Market, they decide to spend the day – and night – together, causing him to think they’ve clicked as a couple. But then – when she doesn’t respond to his fervent texts and emojis, his sister (Lizze Broadway) tells him he’s been ghosted.

Unwilling to accept that, Cole figures out that she’s in London, since he left his trackable asthma inhaler in her backpack. So he impulsively flies there in hot, romantic pursuit, only to discover she’s a ruthless CIA operative on the trail of an unscrupulous French arms dealer (Adrien Brody) about to sell a top-secret biomedical weapon known as Aztec.

Working from a bland ‘role reversal’ script by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick (“Deadpool”), Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers (“Spider-Man”), director Dexter Fletcher (“Rocketman”) tries to combines comedy with globe-hopping adventure as Sadie the Spy repeatedly rescues bumbling, bewildered Cole, the farmer/agricultural historian, whom his dad (Tate Donovan) calls “Slaw.”

A classic Hollywood screwball comedy features couples who squabble before they realize they really adore one another. But – here – much of the bickering & bantering falls flat, despite surprise cameos from Ryan Reynolds & Sebastian Stan.

There’s simply too little chemistry between Marvel’s hunky “Captain America” Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, who proved she can pack a punch in “No Time to Die” and “The Gray Man.” Even the climactic fight scene atop Atlanta’s rotating Polaris restaurant seems more confusing than compelling.

On the Granger Gauge of 1 to 10, “Ghosted” is a starry-eyed, spirited 6, streaming on Apple TV+.