If you’re not feeling a night of binge watching Luke Cage on Netflix and want to have a nice movie night, here are a couple of films that came out this past Summer that are worth checking out.
MONEY MONSTER George Clooney and Julia Roberts star as Lee Gates and Patty Fenn, host and director of a live stock tip TV show called Money Monster. After a company recommended by Gates as a surefire investment loses $800 million seemingly due to a random computer glitch, a down on his luck New Yorker (Jack O’Connell) who had stock in the company, takes the show’s studio hostage demanding answers. Meanwhile, the company’s CEO (Dominic West) is nowhere to be found as the city’s Police Captain (Giancarlo Esposito) contemplates a rescue attempt.
The film probably wants to be as compelling as John Q, but the suspense never comes close to reaching those heights. The biggest issues come with the latter half of the film, which spends far too much of its time delving into a convoluted conspiracy that involves computer hackers and an African rebellion. Nevertheless, compelling performances from the lead actors, especially Jack O’ Connell’s Kyle Budwell, give the audience reason to care about all of the pieces involved despite the lack of viable twists or turns. FINAL GRADE: B-
NICE GUYS It doesn’t matter whether you’re plot is a plucky short guy trying to impress his brother-in-law, or two Private Investigators trying to solve a murder case in the 1970’s; you can’t have a good buddy cop movie without chemistry between your lead actors. Chemistry, along with the vibrant style of the 70’s, is what makes Nice Guys a must see.
Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe star as the aforementioned private investigators who are forced into a partnership in order to investigate the murder of a Pornstar. Gosling’s bumbling boyishness meshes perfectly with Crowe’s scruffy loner to form a movie that is wildly entertaining despite its murder mystery plot suffering from far too many conveniences. Newcomer Angourie Rice stars as Gosling’s daughter and her witty presence adds just enough endearment to make this movie one to enjoy at least once. FINAL GRADE: B+