Even more “Down the Road” movies. The Bad News: None of these reviews are for the five new Christmas releases that came out today. The Good News: There’s been 15 reviews on the site today, and some of these movies are on Netflix so you don’t even have to leave your house to watch them.
In a World…What It’s About: The first movie I’ve ever seen about the work of voice-over actors, especially the people who narrate movie trailers. When they want to bring back the cheesy “In a world where…” voiceovers for a big new movie, Lake Bell’s female voiceover pro has to compete with her own father, who doesn’t believe female voices are on the same caliber. Review: You have to give a movie credit for exploring new ground, and this is certainly an appealingly light release. But writer/star Lake Bell’s attempts to make the need for more female voiceover work in trailers feel like the next battle for gender equality feels very inside-ball to the movie industry. Its big theme struggles to seem like it would affect more than five people, and the entertainment quotient on its own is a little light on laughs. Grade: B-
Frozen Ground…What It’s About: A crappy Nicolas Cage serial-killer thriller that’s actually not all that bad. It’s based on the true story of an Alaskan serial killer (played by John Cusack, once again going against type) and the one prostitute (Vanessa Hudgins, actually believable) who got away. Review: Sure, it won’t win any awards, and doesn’t deserve to, but the mere fact that a Nic Cage programmer isn’t terrible is a mild victory in and of itself. The details of this real-life killer’s exact methods (driving his captives out to the Alaskan wilds in a small airplane, then hunting them through the wilderness) are certainly different, and the Alaskan setting is gorgeous. Grade: B-
Epic…What It’s About: A family film about tiny people living in the forest both good (Colin Farrel’s tiny warrior guards the forest goddess voiced by Beyonce) and bad (Christoph Waltz voices a guy who likes killing things). Review: It’s pleasant but uninspired, and the animation is nothing to write home about. Aziz Ansari steals the show as a feisty slug, but the movie needed more of that spark. It was sad when Beyonce’s goddess died so early in the movie and predictable that it was after an established flirtation between her and Farrell. Grade: C
A Good Day to Die Hard…What It’s About: Some shit blows up in Moscow while Bruce Willis gets a paycheck. Review: It could have been inspired to send Willis’ John McClane (the ultimate 80’s cold warrior) to Moscow to kick some newly capitalist ass, but the movie never has enough fun with it. Instead, the movie is supposed to be about Willis bonding with his son (a completely bland character who looks nothing like Willis), and that doesn’t fascinate at all, nor do the on-the-cheap action sequences. A franchise film that feels designed solely to squeeze the cash register. Grade: D
21 & Over…What It’s About: Two estranged high school friends try to get their Asian best friend out for a night of partying when he turns 21 (he has a stereotypical stern father who only cares about pushing his son into medical school) the night before he has a big interview. Needless to say, shenanigans ensue. Review: For a movie about guys going wild, it’s all actually pretty tame stuff. The movie didn’t connect with audiences last Spring, and I can definitely see why. It’s a nice twist the “Asian super-student” is actually a partier who’s not doing well in school, but nothing else is all that surprising. If you want to see Miles Teller in a lot better teen movie, watch The Spectacular Now. Grade: C-
Great review!