Shazam! Fury of the Gods

The junior league version of the DC universe gets another outing--and as with many a minor-leaguer, it follows up a great game with a few errors. The humor in this episode doesn’t come across quite as fresh or clever. The impact of a solid cast of characters, all back from the original, is diluted here, And the plot pulls some of its punches, enough to make the stakes less terrifying and more tepid. (Also, what gods? The trio of presumed Olympians is decidedly second-rate. I guess it would have required a Superman flick to get Zeus involved.) So is this one a bad movie? No, that’s a bit too harsh. You don’t have to feel ashamed if you spend a couple of hours with it. And, again, with minor-leaguers, most of the reason you  sign them up is for potential. There’s still some possibilities in this corner of the extended franchise--but the producers had better make sure the next entry is spot on, or audiences will be only too ready to designate this player for assignment to the cinematic version of retirement.

Shazam!

A real surprise. This flick appears at first glance to be a throwaway addition to Warner’s somewhat feeble attempts to build a DC cinematic universe. After all, it features what can best be described as a relatively minor character from the old pages--certainly so for those who are not comic heads from way back. But initial impressions can be deceiving. This movie actually stands as one of the better recent  efforts in the genre--even compared with that other studio’s output. The story here is presented with a lot of humor and charm, and--when you witness the interpersonal dynamics between Billy and his foster family--even a certain amount of beauty. The characters all around are well played and suit their roles in the story exceptionally well. You root for these people, and you care whether or not they triumph the end. Add all that in with some good action, good but not overwhelming special effects, and an excellent supporting role for my native town of Philadelphia, and it all comes together in an unexpectedly uplifting superhero film. Who’d have thunk it? The power word here is...PURR!

A Quiet Place Part II

The interesting—or, if you prefer, scary—subtext of this sequel: the government today is so screwed up that, if an invasion of alien monsters ever happens, we should expect no coordinated, effective response from authorities. We’ll all be on our own. Such is the story depicted here. That "Part 2" part of the title is legit; excepting a flashback prologue, this movie stands as a near direct continuation of the events of the first film. Though this flick comes with a few quibbles—mostly around the standard horror-film trope of people doing things they obviously shouldn’t do—for the most part this work succeeds in keeping the tale moving, the scenario interesting, and the frights coming at a just-right pace. Eventually, this storyline will burn itself out if it spawns too many sequels, but if they stop at a third ‘conclusion’ part of the story, that would be perfectly acceptable—not something worth shouting about, perhaps, but probably worthy of somewhat muted (but legitimate) enthusiasm.

The King's Man

Another happy-go-lucky display of ultraviolence and snark. Well...not quite. This outing in the series has a surprisingly tempered approach to the proceedings; this is a movie that has a lot of deep stuff on its mind. Its relatively poor performance upon first release was probably due to screwed up expectations--the marketing sold it as an action farce, when in fact there's a great deal more tragedy in the storyline than the commercials ever suggested. From this point of view, that's not a bad thing; seriousness can be entertaining, too. On top of all that, the writers even got a lot of the history correct. I'm seeing this as an underappreciated work that will probably get more love as time goes on. And, yes, the movie does still have a number of truly audacious action sequences. So there's that. Not everyone's cup of tea, but worth it in this viewer's opinion.

Captain Marvel

Talk about teaching to the test. This flick seems like it was generated specifically to be a Bechdel-proof exercise in superhero storytelling. That's not to say it's really all that different from other entries in the genre; there's a weird-origin setup, plenty of visual razzle-dazzle, the typical climax--heavy on spectacle while somewhat light on thoughtfulness--plus a sprinkling of oddly British aliens, along with multiple sequel setups. Some of this stuff comes out of chronological order, which comes across as less narrative creativity and more jumbled mess. On the other hand, there is some satisfying interplay between Alison Brie and Samuel Jackson, and Brie is perfectly easy on the eyes, which helps make watching this movie relatively effortless. I'm not sure this one was particularly necessary, other than to check off a diversity form box, but it's not especially burdensome either. You can kiss this girl, and you'll probably like it; I'm just not sure you'll fall in love.

Amistad

This movie features some tightrope walking: Spielberg is a director who has never let subtlety get in the way of the film he wants to make, and he lays it on thick in many scenes here. Yet, in addition to an impressive cast, this flick also features some terrific, inspiring moments about humans making connections, listening to their consciences, and the ideals by which--we hope--our nation lives. Even given its length, this film stays watchable, entertaining, and thought-provoking to the end. Good stuff.

Blood Diamond

Not a bad effort about an important subject, but...there's a spark lacking here, that little bit of something that lifts the ordinary out of the pack and into rarer heights. It's just never really present in this film. Can't blame the cast; they do good work with what they have. It's hard to place a finger on it, but something's missing nevertheless. Oh, yeah, and if you're looking for a movie to cure your elderly relative of his virulent racism...this ain't it.

Constantine

Round up the usual apocalypse. Another bit of cinematic hokum, one that delivers lots of action and a fine sense of visual style to go along with a keen eye for the dirty gray areas between good and evil. The comic book panache more than makes up for Keanu Reeves's "unique" screen presence, and the lack of particularly big plot holes is a welcome change from what you usually get from these kinds of movies. Mix it together and you get a flick that's well done and fun.