Venom 3 + Red One

 

   

Red One

Score:  B+

Directed by

Starring Dwayne Johnson, Chris Evans, J.K. Simmons, Lucy Liu, Kiernan Shipka

Running time: 123 minutes

Rated PG-13

Following in a recent trend of Christmas action-comedy movies, Red One brings some serious star power and does so in a surprisingly effective and entertaining way.  The movie's world is clever, putting Santa and the North Pole in the midst of a human world-myth world security and intelligence network.  A silly concept, of course, but the movie takes just the right balance of tone between tongue in cheek with enough seriousness to be compelling and even tense at times.  The cast is also very well chosen: Dwayne Johnson is perfect as the head of Santa's security; it's basically his usual schtick, but it fits naturally here.  Chris Evans is also great as more of a cunning, sly ne'er-do-well, which also makes for a great holiday-style redemption arc.  The dialogue is snappy and funny throughout, with neat nods and tie-ins to its various components (Christmas, The Rock's movies, etc.); not surprising, as Red One was directed by Kasdan who made the impressive Jumanji reboot and several TV comedies.  The action is fun, too, but it's the inventive world, committed and well-suited star performances, and even some holiday cheer that make this a great trip to the theater.

Venom: The Last Dance

Score:  C

Directed by Kelly Marcel

Starring Tom Hardy, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Juno Temple

Running time: 109 minutes

Rated PG-13

Venom: The Last Dance is, apparently, the last in the superhero trilogy of anti-superhero Venom, a combination of human Eddie Brock (Hardy) and a symbiotic shape-shifting alien.  While the series has had entertaining moments and its main character is a nice change of pace in the genre, I'm not sad to see it end, particularly on this "blah" note.  The Eddie-Venom dynamic is the most interesting part of the series, but this movie strangely only has a few moments that focus on them.  Instead, much of the screen time is devoted to a whole new (dull) villain that is chasing after the main duo.  Worse than this unimaginative setup is the final, incomprehensible sequence when the internal "rules" of the world go out the window (Symbiotes can be eaten but... survive? Each character seems to get "killed" multiple times), ruining any suspense.  Venom still provides some chuckles from his untamed, predatory yet not-quite villainous persona, and some of the action is fine.  But mostly, it's a mess with little pay off.

***

It's been a pretty slow fall for movies so far, and I wasn't even going to write a review for Venom 3 at first.  But I thought it served as a nice contrast with Red One: while Venom seems a cash grab using its star and genre but serving audiences poor to mediocre results, Red One rises well above its seeming cash grab origins to provide a very solid, entertaining, and distinctive experience.  Fortunately, Red One just came out so you should still have a chance to catch it in theaters.  There are a few other movies coming out in the last month or so of the year - notably Gladiator 2, which I will see and review soon.  Hopefully the year will end on a high note at the theater!

* By SocialNewsXYZ, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77071925

* By Dwayne Johnson's Instagram post, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77219523

Saturday Night

 

Score:  A

Directed by Jason Reitman

Starring Gabriel LaBelle, Rachel Sennott, Corey Michael Smith, Matt Wood, Lamorne Morris, et al

Running time: 109 minutes

Rated R

Long Story Short:  Saturday Night is a well-conceived origin story for the storied NBC comedy show, putting audiences right in the thick of the chaos of the first episode.  The cast of mostly unknowns does great work - it's the characters themselves that we all know, and everyone from leader Lorne Michaels to volcanic Belushi to an overwhelmed aide are compelling to watch.  Combine this with a great script, direction, music, and more, and you have both an entertaining and Oscar-worthy trip to the theater.  Highly recommended.

October 11, 1975: it's 10:00 PM in New York City, and Lorne Michaels (LaBelle) has just arrived at 30 Rockefeller Plaza to launch a strange new late-night comedy show.  The problem is, well, everything.  Michaels finds out that NBC affiliates from around the country have come to see the show's debut in person, led by legendary NBC executive David Tebet (Dafoe).  The show's cast is mostly in place, although Belushi (Wood) still refuses to sign his contract, some wonder what the hell is going on, and others fret that their sketches will be cut.  Plenty more obstacles must be overcome in order to launch their live show at 11:30 PM, mostly having to do with the unique, not quite definable nature of the show.  But there is a lot of talent and willpower on set as well, and the various forces collide all the way up to the last minute.

Saturday Night is a wildly entertaining, very well-made, and highly appropriate origin story movie for the legendary SNL (now celebrating its 50th season!).  The structure is its main strength: it all takes place in the 90 minutes leading up to the first broadcast (mirroring the show's is 90 minutes run time).  This gives the movie urgency and, yes, a feeling of being live and in the moment.  We get just enough backstory/exposition to understand what's going on but the movie is mostly about the nuts-and-bolts chaos of actually putting this crazy thing on air.  The events portrayed are also a very nice mix: the movie mostly follows Lorne Michaels, who created SNL, though it focuses on others, too.  The primary lens shows Michaels dealing with his cast members and crew both on stage and behind the scenes.  We get just enough of the "bigwigs" to portray the stakes involved: how slim SNL's chances were of success and how ready the execs were to pull the plug.  There's also a perfect amount of re-enactment of SNL sketches being rehearsed, sprinkled throughout the movie: they are brilliantly and hilariously shot, from Weekend Update to Billy Preston to the construction workers sketch and more.

The cast and the vibe of the film are perfectly suited as well, drawing audience in closely to the events.  LaBelle is great as Michaels; he's certainly nowhere near as charismatic as the cast, rather he is a combination of audience surrogate as well as a distinct character with sheer grit and determination as well as the kind of cool under pressure leader the show required.  The actors playing cast members are fantastic, from Belushi to Chase to Akroyd to Radner, Curtin and Morris.  They all show both comedic chops on stage but also are believable as "real" people off stage.  There are plenty of great non-cast member roles, too: Sennott as Shuster, Michaels's wife (in a rocky time) and a writer/co-leader of show who appears just as visionary as him; a put-upon Dick Ebersol; fiercely funny and passionate head writer Michael O'Donoghue, Dafoe, Simmons, etc. etc.  It's amazing that the movie could fit in all these characters so well (plus a few intriguing "cameos").  The script is excellent, both for comedy (few direct jokes - mostly just natural humor) and for the inner workings of a TV production.  The overriding vibes of the movie are fun and excitement; it's easy to root for Michaels and Co. to succeed, and feel drama even when knowing the final outcome.

***

Saturday Night is the first drama of the season I've seen, and it was a great way to start!  I've been a fan of SNL for years, which perhaps biases my opinion.  But I feel the movie really captured the essence of the show well.  Does SNL always work and is hilarious? No - it's often just OK, or even bombs at times.  But there's a constant feeling of upbeat, fun, positive energy from the show, and it keep me hooked - and that comes through in the movie Saturday Night, too.  Now, beware that, just like the show, the movie gets a bit raunchy at times - and there's a fair bit of cursing.  This is just a really fun ride, though, with all the elements clicking together so well.  It might be too late to see it in a theater, but catch it on streaming if you can!

* By Columbia Pictures - https://x.com/DiscussingFilm/status/1821568411362795671, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=77575339