Photo © Amazon MGM Studios, Warner Bros. Pictures
The Accountant 2
Ben Affleck and Jon Bernthal in The Accountant 2 (2025)
The Accountant 2
(In Theaters April 25)
This sequel to 2016’s implausible but distractingly fun The Accountant brings back most of its major players. Reclusive, autistic CPA Christian Wolff (Ben Affleck) and his estranged brother, talented hit-man Braxton (Jon Bernthal), are drawn into a plot to revenge the death of an old friend (J.K. Simmons). The brothers want to reconnect, but largely flounder except while working as a team. Christian comically struggles to understand the art of conversation, making little progress. Action is served in large doses as the brothers turn around odds squarely stacked against them. Gavin O’Connor once again directs while Bill Dubuque reprises his screenwriting duties. Some bits are red herrings, others comedic, all tethered to absorbing action. Fans are further rewarded with a deeper dive into Christian’s psyche. (Lisa Miller)
American Beats: Polka
(Go USA TV)
Give Chander “Chunz” Kainth and Suniel Makh credit for a willingness to expand their musical horizons. The bhangra-adjacent EDM producer and rapper from Northern England have traveled the U.S. to assess the lay of the land musically for “American Beats,” a sub-series of Go USA TV, a provider of travelogue-styled video content.
Judging from their reactions to Milwaukee's polka culture, the Indo-English duo had a splendid time. That their visit was timed to coincide with last year's German Fest gives their adventure a Teutonic slant, but that's OK. It gives them opportunity to meet local button box accordion mainstay Peggy Mueller. Her intertwining of personal reminiscences and relating of her place in the city's polka firmament is wholly engaging.
“Beats” does explore some of Milwaukee’s polka diversity. That is offered most starkly by a visit with The November Criminals with the multicultural polka/hip-hop fusion trio filmed performing at the outdoor art gallery Black Cat Alley. During their Milwaukee visit, Kainth and Makh also find time to drink ornate bloody Mary's at Milwaukee Public Market, visit the Harley-Davison Museum, get dessert at Glorioso’s Italian Market, among other adventures. “Beats” polka expedition is by no means an exhaustive look at how 2/4 rhythms are being plied in the city. But as a brief documentary of two proverbial fish adapting well outside their customary musical waters, it's fun viewing. (Jamie Lee Rake)
Lead Belly: The Man Who Invented Rock & Roll
(MVD DVD)
Lead Belly was a legend in American music and as with any legend, there are known facts as well as lore that might not always be true—not even emotionally true. Director Curt Hahn’s 2022 documentary sifts fact from fancy, presenting the story of the Louisiana-born musician who electrified New York’s folk scene in the late 1930s.
“Invented Rock & Roll”? Well, he influenced the music’s direction from two avenues: the folk of Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and their cohort; and in the UK, the skiffle that inspired The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and countless other bands. The documentary includes the voice of Lead Belly narrating his memories over still photos, ‘30s newsreels (with their false representations) and interviews with family, biographers and musicians such as Pete Seeger who took from his example. Concert clips show Paul McCartney and John Fogarty performing Lead Belly’s “Rock Island Line.” (David Luhrssen)
Until Dawn
(In Theaters April 25)
The 2015 Sony PlayStation game is adapted to the screen with a new set of twists. A year after her sister Melanie disappeared in a remote area, Clover and her friends travel to an abandoned visitor center to search for answers. Instead, they are targeted by a masked killer who murders them one-by-one. The following evening, all six friends awaken, shocked to be alive. They are unable to leave. That night, a different killer appears and once again, all are murdered only to all reawaken the following night. Stuck in a time loop, the friends learn that the only way to escape is to survive until dawn. Following a horror-trend in which more is more, David F. Sandberg directs this gory, R-rated kill fest. It packs more movie deaths, into 100 minutes, than I’d hoped to see in a lifetime. (Lisa Miller)
