Beverly Hills Ninja (1997) * * 1/2

 

Directed by:  Dennis Dugan

Starring:  Chris Farley, Nicolette Sheridan, Chris Rock, Robin Shou, Nathaniel Parker, Soon-Tek Oh

I just finished a two-and-a-half star review of Absence of Malice (1981), which was earned because I expected more and was disappointed.    Now we have Beverly Hills Ninja, which is the other side of the two-and-a-half star review coin.   I did not expect much, and I was surprised by the movie's sweetness and Chris Farley, whose comedic style was that of the Pamplona bulls invading an antique store.  Farley leaned on physical slapstick and lots of yelling.   It didn't serve him well in previous films, but in Beverly Hills Ninja, we like the big lug.   He has a heart, takes a licking, and keeps on ticking.   

Farley plays Haru, a Caucasian who washed up as a baby on an island populated by ninjas and is raised to be one.   The opening credits establish all you need to know about Haru's non-existent skills.  He tries hard, but he just can't get it right.   His half-brother Gobei (Shou) is a superior ninja who is exasperated by his half-brother's ineptitude.   I expected Gobei to be a malicious sort who wants Haru gone, but Gobei actually loves the big guy while shaking his head at the things he does.   

The plot thickens years later when Haru is left behind while the rest of the ninja clan performs a mission, and the beautiful blonde Allison (Sheridan) wanders into the dojo looking to hire a ninja.  How did she find out about the supposedly secret ninja organization?   Don't ask.   Even though Haru nearly obliterates the dojo trying to show Allison he has mad skills, Allison hires him to spy on her boyfriend Martin Hanley (Parker), who she suspects is into crooked activities.   Haru witnesses a murder and is soon suspected of it, and flees to Beverly Hills in order to help Allison, who is a bit shady herself.  

Haru is shadowed by Gobei on orders of Gobei's father.   He assists Haru while trying not to be discovered, and winds up being accidentally struck by objects.   Haru is involved in a pratfall, slip, trip, errant use of weapons, etc. about once a minute.   Most of these are done with energy but grow tiresome.   When Haru speaks, he manages to sound intelligent and stupid at the same time.   A Beverly Hills hotel valet (Rock) is floored to be in contact with a real ninja and agrees to be Haru's student.   It's like the blind leading the blind.

Like Inspector Clouseau, Haru is convinced of his own genius, and stumbles and bumbles his way into success while trying to help Allison stop Martin's nefarious counterfeiting scheme.   The plot is immaterial; it's just something to hang gags on.   However, Beverly Hills Ninja nearly rises above expectations and provides a couple laughs as well as Chris Farley's softer side which peeks out in between Farley's slapstick.   It's not a great comedy, but it's worth ninety minutes and I have some affection for it.     

Absence of Malice (1981) * * 1/2

 

Directed by:  Sydney Pollack

Starring:  Paul Newman, Sally Field, Josef Sommer, Melinda Dillon, Wilford Brimley, Bob Balaban, Don Hood

Those who believe the media is shady and fake would love Absence of Malice.   The movie gives anti-media people plenty of ammunition.   If the movie stuck it out as a story about journalism ethics and the damage that occurs when such ethics are violated, then Absence of Malice would've been better.   It instead bogs down in an illogical and unconvincing romantic relationship between its leads.   Wilford Brimley injects life into the final thirty minutes as a no-nonsense federal investigator, but by then the movie is too sunk to be rescued.  

The pity is: The setup is compelling.  A desperate federal agent (Balaban) investigating the disappearance of a Miami union leader opens an investigation into Michael Gallagher (Newman), the son of a mafioso who runs a legitimate liquor distributorship.  There is no earthly reason for the agent to investigate Michael, and no reason to leak the matter to reporter Megan Carter (Field), but he does both and a shitstorm ensues.  

Megan has no corroboration that Michael is crooked, but the paper runs the story anyway (back in the day when newspapers were printed on paper and not online).   Michael shows up at the reporter's desk asking where the story came from.  Megan spills her coffee and the two begin an awkward and frankly unnecessary journey to romance, all while the investigation goes further down a rabbit hole no one anticipated. 

Michael isn't the type of guy to take this sort of thing lying down, especially when the story causes harm to his lifelong best friend Teresa (Dillon) who knows Michael is innocent.   For the most part, Michael is a legitimate businessman who has distanced himself from his mafia family, but that doesn't mean he is above calling on his family for favors when he hatches his plan for revenge.   It's a simple, but effective plan.     

Absence of Malice flies off the rails when it expects us to believe Michael and Megan would fall for each other, even after what happens to the troubled Teresa when a follow-up news story is printed.  There is little chemistry between the otherwise likable Michael and Megan.  I can believe Michael is a liquor distributor falling on hard times.  I can't believe Megan is a hard-nosed, aggressive reporter who would eschew her responsibilities so easily.   Field is comes across as too nice to be playing such a role.  She's a child in a grownups' game.  Newman, with his grizzled mannerisms and intelligence, is right at home.   

As mentioned, Wilford Brimley shows up in the final act as a fed trying to figure out who did what to whom.   He lays down the law in the authentic, no-bullshit way which made Brimley such a reliable actor.   But even after everything is settled, we are left underwhelmed because it took the wrong turn at the fork in the road.    A promising beginning led to a muddled end.  

  

Sound of Metal (2020) * * *

 

Directed by:  Darius Marder

Starring:  Riz Ahmed, Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Mathieu Almaric

Ruben (Ahmed) is a drummer in a two-person band with his longtime girlfriend Lou (Cooke) who one day suffers massive, almost immediate hearing loss.   It just happened.   He can no longer play the drums because he can no longer hear the music.   This is devastating for Ruben, who has made a living touring and playing drums.   Living in an RV with Lou and touring from town to town, Ruben must now find another purpose in life.   We learn Ruben is also four years clean from heroin addiction, but the hearing loss may trigger a relapse.   He and Lou find a rehab of sorts run by Joe (Raci), a Vietnam veteran who lost his hearing in the war.    Joe has his doubts as to whether his facility which assists other hearing impaired people can truly help Ruben.   

Thanks to Ahmed's quiet, empathy-inspiring performance, we learn more about Ruben as the onion layers are peeled back on his life.   He is unable to be at peace.   He is forever in forward motion, not because he is goal-oriented, but because he doesn't know how to be still.   As Joe puts it, he doesn't reach the "silence" which can be so beneficial to a soul at rest.   To Ruben, being still means he is forced to confront demons instead of running from them.   

Sound of Metal has its share of moments of emotional clarity even in the morass of sound and fury.  Ruben sells his RV and Lou goes home to Paris so Ruben can stay with Joe and pay for a procedure to help restore some of his hearing.   This is not a smooth process.  There are times Ruben can hear clearly, other times he is assaulted by waves of sound especially in the hustle of life.   Most of what Ruben hears is muddled and unclear, almost like Charlie Brown's parents.   I would not be surprised if the sound department of Sound of Metal is not rewarded with an Oscar win or two as a practical co-star in the film.

Paul Raci also deserves an Oscar nomination as Joe, who truly wants the best for Ruben, but knows Ruben better than Ruben knows himself.   Joe has seen too many addicts like Ruben come and go.  Raci delivers the most powerful moment in the movie when he tells Ruben he can no longer allow him to stay.   It breaks Joe's heart and ours.   

Some may find Sound of Metal too quiet or perhaps having too many moments without forward dramatic motion.   It won't be for everyone, but I found I cared for Ruben.   I didn't want to see him relapse and I wanted him to find purpose...and at least some peace.   Sound of Metal finds a way to get there.  

Playing for Keeps (2012) * *

 

Directed by: Gabriele Muccino 

Starring:  Gerard Butler, Jessica Biel, Dennis Quaid, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Judy Greer, Uma Thurman, Noah Lomax, James Tupper

What about Playing for Keeps attracted such A-list talent?    It's a standard romantic/sports comedy in every fiber of its being.   The movie is pleasant, disposable, and forgotten about shortly after watching it.  It has its momentary charms, but nothing special.   The cast does its best to make the most of thin characters, but not much happens that one couldn't predict coming a mile down the road.

Playing for Keeps begins with highlights of the stellar career of soccer start George Dryer (Butler), whose career was cut short by an ankle injury.   Cut to the present day: George has fallen on hard times.  He is now divorced from Staci (Biel), who is now engaged.   He has a strained relationship with his six-year-old son Lewis (Lomax), he lives in the guest house of a wealthy man but has trouble paying rent because he has no job, etc.   One day while watching his son's hapless team at soccer practice, he takes over for the disinterested coach and shows the kids a few things.   George is soon the soccer coach, the team starts winning, and the soccer moms are soon hitting on George.

The moms are a newly divorced woman (Greer), a former sportscaster (Zeta-Jones) who thinks she can use her contacts to land George a coveted job with ESPN, and the unhappy wife (Thurman) of a millionaire who throws his weight around and cheats on her.    Watching these women throw themselves at George gives us painful would-be seduction attempts which George mostly rejects because he is Still In Love with Staci and is trying to Grow Up.   Dennis Quaid as the jerk millionaire Carl King injects some life when he's on screen with his patented licentious grin and the back slap that could kill.  

The seduction attempts are PG.  The closest anyone comes to nudity is Uma Thurman stripping to her bra and panties.   George is a nice enough guy and still manages to keep lean and muscular despite not going to a gym or doing any exercise.   The women come at him like they've never seen a man before.  Staci stands by waiting for George to take responsibility for himself and her son so she can dump her fiance (Tupper), a nice guy who only exists to be dumped.   It is amazing the fiance doesn't catch on sooner, but these folks generally are too busy being saints. 

Playing for Keeps is generic right down to its title.  Not only will we have forgotten we saw it, but it's likely the cast has forgotten they appeared in it.   

Mad About You (2019) * * * (Series revival streaming on Amazon Prime)

 

Starring:  Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt, Richard Kind, John Pankow, Kecia Lewis, Abby Quinn, Anne Ramsay, Antoinette LaVecchia, Mo Gaffney

Mad About You is a revival of the 1990's sitcom starring Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt as Paul and Jamie Buchman, a married couple living in New York.   The charm of the original series was the chemistry and byplay between Reiser and Hunt.   After the first couple seasons, the show jumped the shark when Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner made guest appearances and Reiser and Hunt stood around watching them with their mouths dropped in awe.   Brooks and Reiner do not appear in the revival, but there are impressive cameos from Cloris Leachman as a lonely widow for whom Jamie provides psychotherapy, Jason Alexander as himself, David Harbour as himself, and Carol Burnett as Jamie's mother.  

The revival contains some of the same cute back and forth between Paul and Jamie, but there are serious undertones involving their daughter Mabel (Quinn) leaving the nest to attend NYU five blocks away.  (They could save serious cash by allowing her to stay at home and commute).  With Mabel gone and causing her own problems, Paul and Jamie are empty nesters, and long held resentments bubble to the surface.   Paul and Jamie seek marriage counseling with Dr. Sheila Kleinman (Gaffney), who approaches her job with absolute cynicism and the pessimistic belief that Paul and Jamie will soon divorce.  

For those who recall, the finale of the original series indicated that Paul and Jamie split when Mabel approached her mid-twenties.   The revival makes no mention of that.   They are still together as the show opens, and living in a roomy New York apartment.   Paul must make great scratch still as a documentary filmmaker to afford that kind of place with Jamie not working during the first few episodes.   Jamie eventually goes back to work as a therapist in her friend Tonya's office (Lewis).  Tonya is married to the Buchmans' best friend Mark (Kind), who divorced Jamie's best friend in the previous incarnation.   The Tonya character is forever exasperated by Jamie and Paul.   She doesn't strike me as someone who has much patience with her clients, the Buchmans, or the world in general.    

Paul's cousin Ira (Pankow) has opened a successful Italian restaurant with his girlfriend (LaVecchia) who he adores but not enough to marry.   Why mess up a good thing?  Ira remains a funny character who thinks he must be Italian and not Jewish because he has taken to the restaurant and cooking thing so well.    Mad About You works because it doesn't recycle the old formula (okay, maybe a little) and we find we still care about Paul and Jamie.   Reiser and Hunt haven't missed a beat and some of the territory this revival delves into is a bit dark.   Perhaps all of the one-liners and zingers mask hidden insecurities and fears.   Paul and Jamie know each other well, love each other, and are each is more aware of the other's issues more so than even they realize.   With that being said, a twelve-episode reboot is just right.   Everything is resolved and there is no need for another season.   Why mess up a good thing?  

The Dig (2021) * * (Streaming on Netflix)

 

Directed by:  Simon Stone

Starring:  Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James, Archie Barnes, Ben Chaplin, Johnny Flynn, Eamon Farren

It's 1939; the eve of World War II in Great Britain, and Edith Pretty (Mulligan) doesn't have war on her mind.   There are mounds on her property which she suspects may hold ancient artifacts.  She contacts excavator Basil Brown (Fiennes) and he surveys the area.   Maybe there's something there, maybe there isn't.   Digging will be costly to the sickly Edith, who ails from a heart condition in her young age.  She presses on, and soon Basil uncovers a find for the ages: remains of an Anglo-Saxon ship from a thousand years ago and, more of interest to local museums, a vast sum of treasure, gold, and artifacts.   Suddenly, the London Museum and the more local Ipswich Museum are sending their own archaeologists to verify the findings.   Both museums want the artifacts as exhibits, but with war looming and word of German air raids, how long would it take for the find to be reduced to rubble?

The Dig is expertly acted, with the working-class Brown forming a touching friendship with Edith and her young son (Barnes), who is fascinated by archaeology.   Maybe it's a question of timing because World War II is so close that matters of excavation of mounds of dirt in the middle of the English countryside seem trivial.   How can we get worked up over who lays claim to the artifacts when thousands of British soldiers are being deployed for imminent war?   We can't, and The Dig introduces romantic subplots involving a young archaeologist (James), her stuffy husband (Chaplin), and Edith's handsome cousin (Flynn) who are all employed mostly to spice things up. 

There simply isn't a lot of drama here.   Edith's health worsens while Basil battles with the museums over who will get credit for the find and where the artifacts should go.   Ho-hum.   The movie itself never pushes the emotions too high.   It doesn't want to appear unmannerly.   In the epilogue, we discover the artifacts were safely hidden underground during the war so they remained intact.   Basil was never mentioned in any way until years later when he was given his posthumous credit.   What we have with The Dig is superb performances standing around waiting for a story equal to them.   It doesn't happen. 

The Next Three Days (2010) * *

 

Directed by:  Paul Haggis

Starring:  Russell Crowe, Elizabeth Banks, Brian Dennehy, Liam Neeson, Olivia Wilde, Ty Simpkins

Things go awry fast for John and Lara Brennan.   One night they are having dinner with friends and all is well, although Lara seems a bit hostile, and the next morning the police bang down the door during breakfast and arrest Lara for murder.   John absolutely refuses to believe she is guilty, even though the evidence against her is damning.   Fast forward to three years later, Lara is still in prison after her latest appeal is rejected.   She is resigned to spending the rest of her days in prison, but not if John can help it.

The Next Three Days is about John's plan to bust Lara out of prison and be a family unit again with their six-year-old son Luke (Simpkins), who resents his mother being away.   John (Crowe) is a local college professor who isn't at home trekking around for fake ID's and guns, but he'll need those and lots of money if he wants to pull this off.    A former convict who escaped from prison seven times and wrote a book about it (Neeson) gives John advice about how to plot an escape.   Lara (Banks) is so hardened and cynical now she all but begs John to leave her be and move on with his life.   Another woman (Wilde) appears on the scene, and we think it will lead to a romantic subplot for John, but no...he is determined to spring his wife.   A lecture he holds about Don Quixote reveals his mindset.

A great deal of The Next Three Days is devoted to John's plotting.   He takes up an entire wall in his living room with photos, articles, checklists, and a map of the Pittsburgh area.   He's a smart cookie, but does he have the stones to follow this potentially deadly heist to the end?    Thankfully, he doesn't have many visitors to question why he has all of the junk on his wall.   Elizabeth Banks, normally a solid comic actress, gives us a portrait of a woman who may be innocent, but also has the temperament to possibly commit murder.   The time in prison changes Lara, and Banks is up to the task of portraying her varying states of mind.

Crowe plays a steady Eddie who, like many characters like John, figures out a way to fire guns and evade police without any previous experience doing so.   It's as if John watched a lot of movies and learned the behavior.    It's hard to fault the performances here, just the movie they are in service of.  The Next Three Days is over two hours long and never finds its rhythm.   It stops and starts, trading off some poignant scenes involving John's father George (Dennehy), who suspects something is going on with his son with others which make you scratch your head.   With the Pittsburgh police bearing down on them, do Lara and John really have time to pull over after a near accident and sit beside the car to ponder things?   Why does Lara always seem like she's about to say something and then holds back?  Are we ever truly convinced that John loves Lara enough to do this?   Or that Lara loves John enough to let him risk his own life for her?

We have over two hours to find out the answers to these questions and we never discover them.   There are parts of a solid thriller at work in The Next Three Days, but it's too long, too dragged out, never gathers serious momentum, and in the end simply silly.