Film Fight 2021: April

#FF21 Concrete Cowboy makes a decent job of well-worn material (troubled teen sent to live in fish out of water place).

There are some threads that are very underdeveloped that should've been excised, but the main thrust is fine.

An okay film.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) April 4, 2021

#FF21 Chaos Walking is a bit of a mess. There really isn't any character development, the action is boring, and the main theme doesn't work particularly well.

There are moments where it looks like they'll do something interesting with the Noise conceit, but nope.

Skip.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) April 4, 2021

#FF21 News Of The World is... fine. Hanks is as reliable as always, and the Helena Zengel puts in an excellent performance.

It looks decent enough, it's got some moments, but is entirely predictable. There's absolutely nothing new being offered here.

Okay.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) April 11, 2021

#FF21 The Map Of Tiny Perfect Things is a fun teen romance about two kids caught in a time loop in their small town.

The leads are charming, the loops work well, and it all builds up to a schmaltzy, predictable, but pleasant ending.

Solid.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) April 11, 2021

#FF21 Run is an okay, if silly and cliched horror.

It's got moments of tension, despite the predictability, and both leads turn in good performances.

Nothing special but not bad. Pretty average.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) April 18, 2021

#FF21 Promising Young Woman is excellent; snapping between revenge horror and sweet romance.

The music and visuals are great together; sharp, saturated, tightly edited.

But it's the lead performance that sells it.

The very end is too neat, but it doesn't matter. Must see.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) April 18, 2021

#FF21 Nobody is an okay, cut-rate John Wick knock-off.

Odenkirk is good, but doesn't get enough to work with. Most of the action isn't on-par with what it's trying to copy, but the pacing keeps thinks moving forward anyway.

Fine but forgettable.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) April 18, 2021

#FF21 Proxima is a slow, deliberate take on motherhood, from the perspective of an astronaut preparing for a year away.

Eva Green handles the mixture of physical and emotional challenge with the evenness expected of her exceptionally well.

A little thin in places, but worth it.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) April 18, 2021

#FF21 Thunder Force is dull almost from start to finish, which ain't great for a comedy.

It wastes Octavia Spencer throughout, with McCarthy going through twice reheated schtick. Scenes with Bateman as a crab-man are the only ones with laughs.

Avoid.

— Gary Fleming (@garyfleming) April 18, 2021