DC League of Super-Pets (In Theaters July 29)
Superman (voice of John Krasinski), and his super-Labrador Krypto (Dwayne Johnson), are virtually inseparable until the Justice League is kidnapped by Lex Luthor (Marc Maron) and evil guinea pig Lulu (voice of Kate McKinnon). Krypto plans a rescue mission, but he needs help. Ignorant of animal social etiquette, the Labrador’s enthusiasm prompts him to recruit boxer dog Ace (Kevin Hart), PB the potbellied pig (Vanessa Bayer), Merton the turtle and Chip (Diego Luna) the squirrel. Before long, each animal acquires a unique super-power that adds bounce to their collective pounce. Clean and round animation is a Saturday morning throwback, but the production pushes the boundaries of its PG-rating. Written by director Jared Stern, the voice cast includes Keanu Reeves as Batman. Parental wallets are emptier thanks to the new video game, adapted from the film. (Lisa Miller)
“Giallo Essentials: Black Edition” (Arrow Video Blu-ray)
Image via Arrow Films
Giallo Essentials: Black Edition
In The Weapon, The Hour, The Motive (1972), a guilt-ridden Catholic priest breaks off affairs with two women and both vow that he will pay. He’s found murdered in the chapel. A motorcycle riding police detective is assigned the case, which has multiple suspects beside the women, including cuckolded husbands and an ex-con caretaker. The orphan boy who lives inside the church compound may have witnessed the murder. Will he talk or will he die, too?
The Weapon, The Hour, The Motive is the best of the films collected in the handsomely produced limited edition “Giallo Essentials.” The collection features restored prints and erudite booklets for three lesser-known titles from the Italian giallo genre. Produced at a sub-art house, not for Cannes level, these films—with gratuitous sex and full-on female nudity—were Italy’s down-market productions, sometimes exported to drive-ins overseas. “Forbidden things are always fascinating,” says one of The Weapon’s suspects. And yet, giallo directors and cinematographers were often aces, taking their cues from Hollywood thrillers and—sometimes—Euro art house cinema. Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho was their touchstone.
Like the genre’s best filmmakers, The Weapon’s little-remembered director (Francesco Mazzei) expertly composed his scenario and delighted in disconcerting imagery. Given the topic, he found a ready source in the Roman Catholic Church’s rich storeroom of costumes and iconography.
Second best among the collection’s three titles is Giuseppe Bennati’s The Killer Reserved Nine Seats (1974). With Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None as inspiration, the gothic story concerns a group of wealthy partygoers who find themselves trapped in an old theater and murdered one by one. One of their number may be the killer—or is someone (something?) lurking in the shadows of the building’s endless M.C. Escher corridors? “There must be a logical explanation,” one of them sputters. But perhaps the mysterious stranger in their party is closer to the truth when he opines, “Nothing happens by chance. Everything is already decided.”
Much of what was decided will remind cineastes of those ‘80s slasher flicks whose victims don’t have the sense to not get killed. But at moments, the theater’s setting suggests a performing arts version of the Overlook Hotel. Could Stanley Kubrick have seen this film? (David Luhrssen)
“The Last Movie Stars” (HBO Max)
As far back as the ‘70s, Gore Vidal foresaw that television would grow more ambitious and displace feature films to the margins. With that in mind, he proclaimed Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward as “the last movie stars.” Enter Ethan Hawke (who appeared with Vidal in the 1997 film Gattaca), who borrowed the phrase for his six-part documentary on Newman and Woodward.
“The Last Movie Stars” is based on transcripts from hundreds of hours of interviews taped by Stewart Stern for a biography that Newman eventually scrapped. Quotes taken from those transcripts are read by Hawke’s coterie of actor friends, including George Clooney (reading Newman’s words) and Laura Linney (Woodward’s). The collaboration was done in part via Zoom, with all the imperfections inherent to that medium. Archival footage and clips from films anchor the production visually.
The result is interesting but slightly decentered, jumping from thing to thing, much like our attention-deficit contemporary culture. Editing the documentary (no slight accomplishment) was accomplished by Milwaukee’s Barry Polterman. Propelling the project is Hawke’s evident respect for Newman and Woodward as a loving couple, accomplished actors and ethical citizens. (David Luhrssen)
Paradise Highway (Limited Theatrical Release & Streaming on VUDU, July 29)
Norway won the most Medals at the 2022 Winter Olympics and has its first PGA champion in Victor Hovland. Norway can add Anna Gutto’s name to its bragging list. She’s an up-and-coming filmmaker unafraid to tackle difficult subjects. In Paradise Highway, the writer-director’s protagonist is big-rig-driving Sally (Juliette Binoche). While Sally’s brother Dennis (Frank Grillo) does hard time, his life depends upon Sally smuggling illicit cargo across the U.S. She is shaken when her cargo is human, namely young Leila (Hala Finley). With no clue an FBI operative (Morgan Freeman) is tracking the girl, Sally decides to protect Leila whatever the cost. This R-Rated crime drama could be a Liam Neeson actioner, but Gutto takes a different path in casting an ordinary woman as the unexpected hero. (Lisa Miller)
