#Middlebury #DVD
Movies reviewed in this week’s column have recently been released on streaming video and DVD.
“The Rhythm Section” (R) – Stephanie (Blake Lively) lost her family in a plane crash. She’s not dealing with it well – mired in a haze of drug abuse, prostitution and general self-destructive behavior – when a journalist comes along to tell her that the plane crash was the work of terrorists. She cleans up, connects with ex-MI6 agent Boyd (Jude Law) and begins tracking down the terrorist organization responsible for her family’s deaths, along the way assuming the identity of a murdered spy. The deal is that this was supposed to be the start of a series, based on the Stephanie Patrick books by Mark Burrell. Unfortunately, it shows because I kept getting the feeling that it is a set up. Too bad, because I really like Blake Lively, especially in a role where she’s not just glamorously beautiful all the time.
Daniel Radcliffe in “Guns Akimbo” (Madman Films photo)
“Guns Akimbo” (R) – Deep in an internet culture that’s devoid of humanity and compassion lie the fans of a live-streamed, real-life, to-the-death war game called Skizm. Maybe not so deep after all, since everyone is watching, including Miles (Daniel Radcliffe), a game developer with a Skizm-trolling pastime. But then Miles is drugged and dropped into the game, pitted against actual bad guys and girls. His hands have guns literally bolted to them and in order to right this mess he’ll have to battle to the bloody end against professional cold-blooded killers, chief among them an extraordinarily successful player named Nix (Samara Weaving). It’s a mix of hyper action and dark comedic moments that will appeal to those with short attention spans. It’s brash and rude, and I thought it was quite fun.
“The Assistant” (R) – Junior assistant to a movie mogul, Jane (Julia Garner) is the invisible nonperson who does the jobs nobody wants to do: making coffee, scheduling flights, filing, cleaning stains on the casting couch in her predatory boss’s office. It’s a day in the life, if you can call it a life, and it’s a slow and tortuous recounting of the moments we look away in order to not rock the boat. The me-too message is obvious, as is the character reference to Harvey Weinstein in the boss we never see but who makes our skin crawl nonetheless.
“Swift” (NR) – An animated kids’ movie featuring an orphaned swift named Manou, who is raised by seagulls and must prove himself in time to travel south for the winter. He meets a handful of swifts who help him find his own unique strengths – a bird in two worlds. The big-name voices are Kate Winslet and Willem Dafoe, who play Manou’s seagull parents. It’s full CGI and features swooping flight sequences, but it lacks laughs and, sadly, true heart.
New TV Releases
“Arrow” Final Season
“WWE: Super Showdown 2020”
“Touched by an Angel” The Complete First Season
“Underdog: The Complete Series”
© 2020 King Features Synd., Inc.
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