Movie review: Hounds of Love

 

 Australian couple John and Evelyn White are actually a pair of serial killers targeting young girls when they kidnap Vicki who quickly realizes her only means of escape may be pitting the couple against one another.

Emma Booth (Evelyn), Ashleigh Cummings (Vicki), Stephen Curry (John), Susie Porter (Maggie), Damian de Montemas (Trevor), Harrison Gilbertson (Jason), Fletcher Humphrys (Gary), Steve Turner (Troy).

Hounds of Love launches nicely giving us an idea of what John and Evelyn are about, as well as a hint at their problems. Vicki is quickly kidnapped by the couple with the obvious intent to torture and murder her, and of course she quickly starts looking for a way to escape. It is also about this point the film can't decide if it should be horror or a character study and slows almost to a crawl.


Acting was reasonably good with Booth delivering a nicely disturbing performance. Cummings was solid and did well with her role. Curry was pretty good though he felt like a physical mismatch in a few scenes. Porter, de Montamas, Gilbertson and the remainder of the supporting cast were decent.

Camera work was good throughout. Sets and backgrounds appeared realistic and fitting for the film. Dialogue was okay but could have added a bit more depth. Action scenes were almost disturbingly realistic at times. Sound and soundtrack are bland.

This one is most definitely not for children. Nudity, torture, forced restraint, kidnapping, violence and adult situations mean this one should be saved for the oldest teens and above.

Released: 2016
Reviewed: 1.2.20
Star rating: 2 out of 5
Genre: Crime, Thrillers, Crime Thriller, Drama

copyright ©2020 Dave Riedel

Movie review: The Spy Who Dumped Me

 

 Best friends Audrey and Morgan find themselves running for their lives after Audrey learns the boyfriend who dumped her was a spy.

Justin Theroux (Drew), Mila Kunis (Audrey), Kate McKinnon (Morgan), Sam Heughan (Sebastian), Mirjam Novak (Verne), Lolly Adefope (Tess), Dustin Demri-Burns (Viktor), Hasan Minhaj (Duffer).

The Spy Who Dumped Me joins Audrey just after being dumped, via text, by her boyfriend Drew. Of course, her best friend Morgan offers comfort and the two decide to burn Drew's left behind belongings. This is when international spies looking for something Drew left behind come into the picture. The rest of the film is an action and comedy adventure as the two bumble through an international conspiracy.

Acting was pretty good. Kunis delivered well and continues to be enjoyable, particularly in comedies. McKinnon delivers with plenty of energy and only infrequently feels out of place, but seemed to work well with Kunis and others. Theroux was pretty good in his role, as was Heughan. The remainder of the supporting cast was enjoyable.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are solid and nicely done as we would expect from big screen action comedy. Physical stunts and effects were fitting and technically well done. Dialogue was good with a nice mix of drama, intensity, and comedy. Sound and soundtrack are managed well.

While enjoyable to watch, The Spy Who Dumped Me really does feel like a remake of a worn out spy story. It may not add much to the genre, but there are still some good laughs, acting, and technical work. Those who enjoy a solid action comedy should enjoy this one.

With some graphic nudity, violence, gore, and foul language, save this one for the oldest teens and above.

Released: 2018
Reviewed: 1.1.20
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Action, Comedy, Adventure, Action Comedy, Spy Movies

copyright ©2020 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Shelby American

 

 Documentary biography of Carrol Shelby's life and achievements from chicken farmer, racer and automobile designer, to entrepreneur with vintage footage and interviews.

Charlie Agapiou, Chris Amon, Mario Andretti, Richard Attwood, A.J. Baime, Bob Bondurant, Peter Brock, Gordon Chance, Piero Ferrari, Edsel B. Ford II.

Carrol Shelby is a name probably known to anyone with more than a mild interest in cars. And in reality, he likely touched the lives of most anyone who has ever driven a car. With dreams of cars and racing from an early age, Carrol's life revolved around racing. Breaking into the industry, he made a name for himself early on but that wasn't enough to interest Enzo Ferrari, one of his heroes, driving Carrol to dedicate himself to beating Ferrari's on the track. The evolution of that desire, and the consequences for the automotive world are an amazing piece of history.

There were a lot of interviews here but little actual acting. The interviews however were very good and added nice depth to the film. There are plenty of scenes of different Shelby cars in both racing and street dress. Dialogue was good and provided a nice journey through the life of Carrol Shelby. Sound and soundtrack are handled well.

Overall this was a nicely done biography. If you know the name Shelby, or are at all interesting in racing history, check this one out.

Nothing here to limit audience age.

Released: 2019
Reviewed: 12.30.19
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Documentary, Biography

copyright ©2020 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Ronny Chieng: Asian Comedian Destroys America!

 

In this stand-up special Ronny Chieng pokes fun at American's, the U.S. Government, and excesses considered absurd by the rest of the world.

Ronny takes aim at American's and their fondness for excess from the perspective of an outsider. Subways, children, work ethics, nothing is off-limits. Changing direction, he then tells us about arranging his 3 weddings.

Ronny's delivery is pretty good with nice use of his accent to add to the jokes. He explores a wide variety of topics and doesn't seem afraid to make fun of himself. While there are some good laughs, they are only good not great. It might have helped if Ronny looked at all happy or smiled at all during his monologue.

Camera work, stage setting and background, are good. Sound and soundtrack are okay.

Overall Ronny Chieng: Asian Comedian Destroys America! almost feels like the low-calorie comedy version with some chuckles but very few belly laughs. Delivery is good, as is technical work. Those who enjoy mild comedy with less controversial topics should enjoy this one.

With only some mild foul language, this should be fine for teens and above.

Released: 2019
Reviewed: 12.30.19
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Stand-up Comedy, Comedy

copyright ©2020 Dave Riedel

Movie review: The Irishman

 

 Now in retirement, mob hit man Frank Sheeran muses on his past exploits as a member of the Bufalino crime family and his possible involvement in the murder of Jimmy Hoffa.

Robert De Niro (Frank), Al Pacino (Jimmy), Joe Pesci (Russell), Harvey Keitel (Angelo), Ray Romano (Bill), Bobby Cannavale (Skinny), Anna Paquin (older Peggy), Stephen Graham (Tony Pro), Paul Herman (Whispers).

Martin Scorsese can't seem to stay away from directing mob films and The Irishman shows us why. Quite simply, retired mob hit man Frank takes a trip down memory lane discussing his time with the Bufalino crime family and possible involvement in Jimmy Hoffa's murder. The result is an enjoyable 3 1/2 hours of organized crime stories that are bundled together resulting in the disappearance of Hoffa and retirement of Frank.

Acting was wonderful with a cast from which we would expect no less. De Niro delivered as usual and fit his role well. Pacino was solid with a lot of energy. Pesci was impressively ominous while Keitel, Romano, and the remainder of the supporting cast were enjoyable throughout.

Camera work, sets, and backgrounds are very well done with a big screen big budget feel. Physical effects were fitting and well done. Dialogue had nice depth and moved the story along at a good pace. Sound and soundtrack are solid.

Overall if you enjoy mob films, you should enjoy The Irishman. Scorsese, with the help of a top-notch cast, once again do a great job of bringing syndicated crime to the screen.

With a fair amount of violence, gore, and foul language, this should be fine for older teens and above.

Released: 2019
Reviewed: 12.16.19
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Crime, Drama, Biography, Mobsters, Dramas Based on the Book

copyright ©2019 Dave Riedel

Movie review: Mike Birbiglia: The New One

 

 He may have seven reasons why he never wanted to be a dad, but parenthood is not going to wait.

Once again, though I enjoy Mike's storytelling approach, I really don't find his humor that funny. That said, in this special Mike has 7 reasons why he doesn't want to become a father which he rolls into a long story starting with his couch. Along the way we learn a lot about his health, wife, and views on children.

Visually Mike is a decent storyteller using physical motion and expressions fairly well.

Camera work, lighting, and sound are good.

Those who enjoy comedy presented in storytelling mode should enjoy Mike Birbiglia and his style of comedy. This one feels like it will offend less than some of his other specials.

I don't recall much foul language but definitely some adult concepts not appropriate for younger viewers. Teens and above should be fine.

Released: 2019
Reviewed: 12.16.19
Star rating: 3 out of 5
Genre: Stand-up Comedy, Comedy, Dark Comedy

copyright ©2019 Dave Riedel