Yes, I’ve let Film Fight slide extremely late this year, but I’m aiming to get caught up soon. May has six films in the fight…
First up, Captain America: Civil War is a middle-tier Marvel movie: it’s well-paced, funny, entertaining, dumb action. The set pieces work reasonably well, the writing is snappy, and the new additions show promise. Tom Holland, as Spider-Man, is especially fun to watch. There’s nothing groundbreaking here, but that’s not really the point. Worth seeing. (See my Captain America: Civil War Twitter review)
After the surprisingly decent original, Bad Neighbours 2 is a fairly unnecessary sequel. It doesn’t retread too much and does have something to say, but it takes a long time to get going. Go in expecting a passable comedy, and you might enjoy it but it is not exactly a classic. (See my Bad Neighbours 2 Twitter review)
Jeremy Saulnier set a high bar with his previous film, Blue Ruin, so it’s fantastic to see him out do it with the suspenseful Green Room. Punk kids get caught in a bad situation, as they engage in a battle of wits with a neo-nazi leader, played impeccably against type by Patrick Stewart. The writing is measured, clear, and exciting, but this film is not for the feint of heart. Expect to see a fair bit of gore. Excellent. (See my Green Room Twitter review)
Everybody Wants Some sees Richard Linklater return to Dazed & Confused territory, with a light-hearted but not light-weight, coming of age piece. Our protagonist joins a new university on a baseball scholarship, and we see how he tries to fit into a group of big personalities, realising he’s no longer the biggest fish in the pond. Fun, but not silly, with a rare tone. Very good. (See my Everybody Wants Some Twitter review)
Money Monster sees George Clooney cast as a TV financial pundit who gets taken hostage, live on air, after some bad advice. After that we get a fairly shallow but entertaining look at the financial crisis. It’s heavy-handed and obvious, but with enough fun moments to make the time pass. Okay. (See my Money Monster Twitter review)
Finally, Special Correspondents sees Ricky Gervais and Eric Bana as a reporting team sending back sensational reports from a warzone, the problem being that they never actually made it there. It’s a decent premise, but the execution is flat and dull, despite an excellent cast. It feels cheap and amateurish on all levels, from the editing, to the music, and even the look. There are a handful of laughs, but not nearly enough for the 90+ minute runtime. Bad. (See my Special Correspondents Twitter review)
The winner for May is Green Room for it’s excellent writing, style, acting, and tension.