Big stars, big action

Summer is upon us once again. With it comes the expectation of long sunny days and starry nights. Time will have to be filled with all the fun and frivolity this year has to offer. And there’s only just so much running after the ice cream truck one can do. This means going back to theaters for the blockbuster season. Although now films are coming out at the multiplex, we can still enjoy them as a similar event at home. So pop that popcorn and pull up that comfy recliner as if you were in the auditorium. Let’s dig into these!

What we are in need of now is a good beach read in cinematic form. No thriller writer that falls in this category is better than Tom Clancy. Unfortunately, Amazon Prime has failed us. “Without Remorse” is the first story centering John Clark, first seen on film in “Clear and Present Danger” played by Willem Defoe. Here we see his origin story as a former Navy SEAL who loses his wife and sets out to take revenge after the last of his attackers gets away. This is all your typical traits you would suspect. The problem isn’t the tropes but how they are employed. This is such a morose slog. The lack of charisma seemed to extend to Michael B. Jordan as Clark. Gone is the charm that informed “Creed” and tv series “Friday Night Lights.” Even his villain Killmonger from “Black Panther” has a cheeky sneer over this blank slate of a character. And that is not to say this story is outdated; “John Wick” has proven that. Maybe the director was a wrong fit or the script needed another pass.

Speaking of scripts, this one was helmed by Taylor Sheridan, writer/director/creator of such works as “Sicario” and “Wind River” (my personal favorite) and tv shows like “Sons of Anarchy” and “Yellowstone.” This comes as a sad turn of events that he is connected to “Remorse. However, he redeems himself over on HBO Max with “Those Who Wish Me Dead.” Based on the novel by Michael Koryta, this suspenseful movie stars Angelina Jolie as Hannah Faber, a smokejumper who drops in to put out forest fires. She is grappling with guilt, having failed to save three of her fellow firefighters, while she takes a job in a lookout tower. While out there, she sees a young boy running when she confronts him and finds him hunted by hitmen who took out his father. You couldn’t ask for a better setup and Sheridan delivers. Jolie gives her all, both the physical and emotional strength to carry this performance along. And if it was only her, that would be enough. But we are anchored by newcomer Finn Little as the young boy. Plus, you have rather nuanced roles from Aiden Gillan and Nicholas Hoult as the hitmen, filled with subtle touches. Check it out streaming until June 14 but also in theaters; I want to see again on the big screen now. Highly recommended!

Another Zach Snyder film? Why, you ask? Didn’t we get “Justice League”? You are correct, but “Army of the Dead” is only half as good. The basic plot is as follows: Dave Bautista leads a cast of thieves recruited to steal $200 million dollars for a casino owner in Las Vegas. The catch is that a zombie outbreak has been quarantined (trigger word) to the city and the government plans to nuke it. So it is a race against time for the team; sounds fun, right? Well like I said, half fun. A lot of the action set pieces are great and the actors involved bring their A-game. But Snyder gets too bogged down in serious storytelling and really needed to cut it down to make it snappier. His first film the remake “Dawn of the Dead” was a burst of life. This is the work of a director spinning his wheels a bit. Still fun nevertheless over on Netflix, happy viewing readers!

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