Movie Review: Set It Up (2018)

Genre: Romantic Comedy  

Director: Claire Scanlon  

Starring: Zoey Deutch, Glen Powell, Lucy Liu, Taye Diggs  

Running Time: 105 minutes  

Synopsis: In New York City, Harper (Zoey Deutch) and Charlie (Glen Powell) are two overworked assistants. Harper's boss is celebrity sports journalist Kirsten (Lucy Liu), while Charlie serves venture capitalist Rick (Taye Diggs). Realizing they will not have a life unless their bosses are distracted by romance, Harper and Charlie concoct a plan to have Kirsten and Rick meet and fall in love. 

What Works Well: The writing is occasionally witty, and Zoey Deutch brings quirky self-aware energy to Harper's frazzled life. 

What Does Not Work As Well: As predictable as rom coms get, this one is beset by the protagonists meekly surrendering to obnoxious boss behaviour, and for dubious reasons. Harper is hoping to become a writer having never written anything, and Charlie at age 28 is still at the bottom rung of his career ladder (but somehow hanging on to a glamorous model as a girlfriend). Maybe Harper and Charlie deserve each other, but they don't earn central roles in any romance. The Cupid contrivances to match Rick with Kirsten (including engineering an elevator mis-hap and a kiss-cam moment at Yankee Stadium) are exceptionally far fetched.

Key Quote:

Harper: Hard-to-get makes no sense. It's evolutionarily unsound. Why would a caveman want a cave woman who was like 'Go get me food, and when you come back maybe there will be a cave for you, maybe there won't be'.

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.

Movie Review: Shell (2024)

Genre: Horror  

Director: Max Minghella  

Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Kate Hudson  

Running Time: 101 minutes  

Synopsis: In the near future, Samantha (Elisabeth Moss) is a frumpy 40-something actress, single and finding roles increasingly hard to come by. She is encouraged to undergo skin rejuvenation treatment at Shell, a company founded by Zoe Shannon (Kate Hudson) and using leading edge anti-aging technology. Samantha's skin psoriasis clears up, her career receives a boost, she finds a boyfriend, and becomes good friends with Zoe. But then Chloe (Kaia Gerber), another Shell client, mysteriously disappears, and Samantha starts experiencing disturbing side effects. 

What Works Well: Elisabeth Moss and Kate Hudson have fun in their roles, fueled by a buzzy current of mean humour (watch out for those self-driving taxis) and satire. The commentary on society's eternal body image obsession is familiar but on-target and delivered with conviction. Director Max Minghella keeps the pacing brisk with efficient character and setting introductions, saluting B-movie conventions. 

What Does Not Work As Well: The plot abruptly transitions from suspense and body horror to crazed monster-on-the-loose, shortchanging both sub-genres. Some key plot points, including Zoe cozying up to Samantha, the detectives poking around Chloe's disappearance, and the monster's storage and release timing details, serve the script rather than any logic.

Key Quote:

Samantha (line reading at an audition, but also describing herself): I wanted to be noticed...just have another person look at me and think I was funny...or pretty. I guess I just wanted you to look at me and see someone else.

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.

Movie Review: Bad Lieutenant (1992)

Genre: Drama  

Director: Abel Ferrara  

Starring: Harvey Keitel  

Running Time: 96 minutes  

Synopsis: The Lieutenant (Harvey Keitel) is a police detective in New York City, addicted to drugs and sports betting, currently placing large bets he cannot afford on the unfolding Mets/Dodgers baseball playoff series. The city is beset by violent crimes, but the Lieutenant exists in a haze, interested only in the baseball score and securing drugs for his next hit. When a nun is shockingly raped in a church, the Lieutenant almost finds a cause to believe in, but salvation will not be easily attained.

What Works Well: This intense character study zooms into the soul of a deeply damaged man as he spirals into the abyss. Harvey Keitel is in every scene, and delivers a performance spiked with painful intensity. No other characters matter, because nothing matters to the jaded Lieutenant except drugs and bets. The sight of crime victims with their heads blown off is an opportunity to illegally seize drugs for his own use. Some scenes have kids in his orbit, but they may as well be strangers, and while the rape of a nun could be a wake up call, the path to redemption is treacherous.

What Does Not Work As Well: This is an emotionally exhausting and grimy experience. The journey to hell retraces some repetitive routes, and scenes exposing the darkest corners of the Lieutenant's soul are quite disturbing.

Key Quote:

The Lieutenant: No one can kill me. I'm blessed. I'm a Catholic.

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.

Movie Review: Seven Days In Utopia (2011)

Genre: Faith-Based Sports Drama  

Director: Matt Russell  

Starring: Robert Duvall, Lucas Black, Melissa Leo, Deborah Ann Woll  

Running Time: 98 minutes  

Synopsis: In Texas, amateur golfer Luke Chisholm (Lucas Black) has a meltdown in a qualifying tournament, damaging his professional prospects. Distressed and distracted, he crashes his car near the tiny community of Utopia. There he meets grizzled rancher and retired golfer Johnny Crawford (Robert Duvall), as well as local girl Sarah (Deborah Ann Woll). As they wait for the car to be repaired, Johnny works with Luke for seven days to improve his golf game. 

What Works Well: Robert Duvall is almost able to save a few scenes through his effortless presence.

What Does Not Work As Well: This is an adult version of The Karate Kid as filtered through the Bible. Lucas Black at 28-years-old is unconvincing as a fresh-faced aspiring pro golfer, and Melissa Leo is wasted in a nothing role. The faith-saves-all hokey plot points include Luke improving his mental game by spending one day painting, one day fly fishing, one day playing a version of horseshoes, and one night avoiding a charging bull while hanging on to a folding chair. It's as as bad as it sounds, and all before the villain of the piece (Luke's father) undergoes a remarkable transformation and helps his son in the corniest of tournament showdown endings.

Key Quote:

Johnny: You don't choose the game, it chooses you.

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.

Movie Review: Two Lovers (2008)

Genre: Romantic Drama  

Director: James Gray  

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Gwyneth Paltrow, Vinessa Shaw, Isabella Rossellini, Elias Koteas  

Running Time: 110 minutes  

Synopsis: In Brooklyn, Leonard (Joaquin Phoenix) is bi-polar, suicidal, and living with his parents Ruth and Reuben (Isabella Rossellini and Moni Moshonov). They arrange for him to meet Sandra (Vinessa Shaw), the daughter of Reuben's business partner. She is willing to try a relationship, but Leonard is distracted by Michelle (Gwyneth Paltrow), the more glamorous upstairs neighbour. Michelle is a troubled party girl and having an affair with a married lawyer (Elias Koteas), but Leonard nevertheless grows increasingly attached to her.

What Works Well: This is a refreshingly organic romance featuring imperfect people flailing within messy lives. Leonard has failed to launch and is close to imploding, director and co-writer James Gray introducing his protagonist with a jump-off-a-low-bridge half-hearted suicide attempt. Sandra may be a saviour but Michelle is compelling, her maelstrom of clubs, ecstasy, and infidelity shrouding her ability to pursue any rational future. Bypassing romantic movie cliches, the drama seeks next-best options when ideal resolutions are far out of reach. 

What Does Not Work As Well: The commitment to stripped emotions exposes gaps in realism, judgement, and avoided conversations. After the introduction, Leonard's mental health is relegated to an afterthought, and the script conveniently ignores the future prospects of a relationship with the equally fragile Michelle. The stable Sandra is aware of what she may be getting herself into, suggesting a misdirected mothering instinct rather than true passion. The final act reaches for a superficially satisfactory ending riding on a brittle foundation.

Key Quote:

Sandra (to Leonard): I wanna take care of you. I feel like I understand you.

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.

Movie Review: 2 Hearts (2020)

Genre: Romantic Drama  

Director: Lance Hool  

Starring: Jacob Elordi, Radha Mitchell, Adan Canto, Tiera Skovbye  

Running Time: 100 minutes  

Synopsis: Two initially separate stories unfold in different time periods. In the present, Chris (Jacob Elordi) starts college and meets fellow student Sam (Tiera Skovbye). They both volunteer for a campus security program, and eventually their relationship becomes serious. In the 1950s, Jorge Bolivar (Adan Canto) is the scion for a family-run rum business. He suffers from a serious lung condition and defies the odds to live into his thirties. While helping to relocate the business from Cuba to Miami, he meets and falls in love with airline stewardess Grace (Radha Mitchell). Eventually, the stories of Chris and Jorge merge. 

What Works Well: Based on actual events, this is a heartwarming and uplifting double romance, sensitively handled by director and co-writer Lance Hool. The two stories are never groundbreaking but aways engaging, and the drama glides seamlessly between the two timelines, cleverly concealing the connection until the third act. Chris and Jorge are refreshingly real, their journeys bumping against typical family issues including parental expectations and medical challenges. Both romances feel organic and credible for their eras.

What Does Not Work As Well: The writing and acting is always earnest but sometimes confined to  television levels of blandness, with both Sam and Grace presented as perfectly wholesome partners for their men. The third act is effortlessly tear-inducing, and drifts towards sustained emotional melodrama. 

Key Quote:

Chris (narrating): The truth is we're all just one connection away from something incredible.

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.

Movie Review: Trap (2024)

Genre: Thriller  

Director: M. Night Shyamalan  

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Ariel Donoghue, Hayley Mills, Alison Pill  

Running Time: 105 minutes  

Synopsis: In Philadelphia, firefighter Cooper (Josh Hartnett) accompanies his teen daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to a concert featuring pop superstar Lady Raven (Saleka Night Shyamalan). While Riley is having the time of her life enjoying the show, Cooper notices an unusually high law enforcement presence at the arena. He soon learns that the authorities have cordoned the venue to capture a serial killer known as The Butcher, who is believed to be attending the concert.

What Works Well: The initial twist is a good re-orientation of character intentions, and Josh Hartnett delivers a layered performance, full of dad-trying-to-fit-in traits and more edgy quirks. In the early scenes Ariel Donoghue adds bouncy energy as a teenager anticipating and enjoying a spectacular night.

What Does Not Work As Well: Way too much time is invested in Saleka's concert performance, unfortunately fanning suspicions that the project is mostly a nepotistic exercise to promote her music career. All the early investment in Riley is sidelined as Lady Raven then Cooper's wife Rachel (Alison Pill) take turns in the spotlight. The law enforcement efforts are an exercise in quantity (seemingly every Philadelphia police and SWAT officer is at the venue) over quality (they are all remarkably ineffective). Once the action moves away from the concert arena, the plot defaults to an endless series of false endings and silly escapes enabled by idiotic behaviour.

Key Quote:

Lady Raven: Monsters aren't real!

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.

Movie Review: The Roommate (2011)

Genre: Psychological Suspense  

Director: Christian E. Christiansen  

Starring: Leighton Meester, Minka Kelly, Cam Gigandet, Frances Fisher, Billy Zane  

Running Time: 94 minutes  

Synopsis: Attending her first year at college, fashion design student Sara (Minka Kelly) befriends her roommate Rebecca (Leighton Meester) and party lover Tracy (Aly Michalka). Sara also finds a boyfriend in band drummer Stephen (Cam Gigandet), reconnects with her friend Irene (Danneel Harris), and attempts to impress her professor (Billy Zane). But Rebecca is unhinged and develops an unhealthy attachment to Sara, to the detriment of anyone who gets in the way of her obsession.

What Works Well: The early scenes capture the excited spirit of the first days of college.

What Does Not Work As Well: This miserable and derivative attempt at suspense fails at every level. Never remotely scary or engaging, the plastic writing collides with wooden acting, monotonal line delivery, and superficial characters to suck all energy out of the unimaginative plot. The 94 minutes feel twice as long and drag towards a listless conclusion that also manages to demonize mental illness without even a cursory demonstration of empathy.

Key Quote:

Tracy: Hey, Sara! Listen, something is up with your roommate.

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.

Movie Review: Hold The Dark (2018)

Genre: Drama Thriller  

Director: Jeremy Saulnier  

Starring: Jeffrey Wright, Alexander Skarsgard, James Badge Dale, Riley Keough  

Running Time: 125 minutes  

Synopsis: In the remote village of Keelut, Alaska, Medora Slone (Riley Keough) summons published author and wolf hunter Russell Core (Jeffrey Wright) to track down and kill the wolf who devoured her young son. The terrain is treacherous, the locals suspicious, the daylight hours short, and the wolves a constant threat. But then Russell stumbles upon a shocking discovery, prompting the return of Melora's husband Vernon (Alexander Skarsgard) from the Iraq War. Vernon's friend Cheeon (Julian Black Antelope) and police Chief Donald Marium (James Badge Dale) also get involved as violence erupts.

What Works Well: The adaptation of the William Giraldi book allows a foreboding mood of dark isolation to hang heavy in the air. Keelut may just as well be located in the middle ages, and this is a place where outsiders are unwelcome, the sun only dares to appear for a few hours each day, and humans need animal instincts to match the unforgiving environment.

What Does Not Work As Well: Beyond the setting and ambience, not much else connects. The trudging narrative lacks a central focus, the primary perspective meandering from Medora to Russell then onto Donald and Vernon, with Cheeon also grabbing a bloody moment in the spotlight. Russell is the most constant presence, but he is just a reactive observer. The theme of locals being as one with nature (and specifically wolves) as a survival imperative, setting them far from civilized behaviour, emerges with crusty layers of soulless opaqueness.

Key Quote:

Cheeon: When we're killed, the past is killed. When kids are killed... that's different. When kids are killed, the future dies. There's no life without a future.

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.

Movie Review: Midway (1976)

Genre: Historical World War Two Action  

Director: Jack Smight  

Starring: Charlton Heston, Henry Fonda, Glenn Ford, Robert Mitchum, James Coburn, Hal Holbrook, Toshiro Mifune, Cliff Robertson, Robert Wagner, Edward Albert  

Running Time: 131 minutes  

Synopsis: It's 1942, and the United States Navy is weakened and reeling after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Admiral Yamamoto (Toshiro Mifune) wants to press Japan's advantage and plots an attack on the Midway Atoll in the Pacific. A cryptographic unit led by Commander Rochefort (Hal Holbrook) breaks enough of the Japanese code to allow Admiral Nimitz (Henry Fonda) to plan a high-risk ambush, committing all of the Navy's aircraft carriers. The trusted Captain Matthew Garth (Charlton Heston) is assigned to the USS Yorktown, along with his son Lieutenant Thomas Garth (Edward Albert). With both countries holding nothing back, tense surveillance maneuvers precede an epic battle, with the fate of the Pacific War at stake.

What Works Well: This is a grim-faced and square-jawed recreation of the seminal World War Two naval battle, filled with star presence and impressive hardware. The storytelling represents both sides and seeks the small details that shape history, including a broken radio preventing a crucial transmission, malfunctioning electronics resulting in lost torpedo bombs, and crucial battlefield decisions made within the fog of war and riding on gut instinct. Director Jack Smight admirably translates unfolding battle tactics into comprehensible plot points.

What Does Not Work As Well: A wedged-in romance between Lieutenant Garth and his interned Japanese-American lover is a clunky distraction. Equally clumsy is a hodgepodge of ineloquently inserted historical footage borrowed from other Hollywood productions and unrelated battles. Some stars like Robert Mitchum and particularly James Coburn lend their presence to just a few scenes before cashing their cheques.

Key Quote:

Admiral Nimitz (to Captain Garth): We can't trade them carrier for carrier, Matt.

All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.