Film Clips: July 31, 2025

The Naked Gun reboreboot tracks the next generation of the infamous “police squad,” an outfit so incompetent that it requires the “luck of the Irish” to catch a bad guy.

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Film Clips

The Naked Gun

(In Theaters Aug 1)

This reboot tracks the next generation of the infamous “police squad,” an outfit so incompetent that it requires the “luck of the Irish” to catch a bad guy, let alone to solve a crime. This fourth movie from “The Naked Gun” franchise, owes much of its laugh-along success to original sight gags, but an equal debt is owed to Liam Neeson, since the actor’s dramatic line delivery works even better as comedy.

Per formula, the Naked Gun films spoof crime-drama staples such as “Law & Order” or detectives such as James Bond and pop culture phenoms such as O.J. Simpson. At 72, Neeson daringly puts it all out there; he trusts that his red-and-white polka-dot tighties will earn the laughs the writers intend. Pamela Anderson appears as a dense femme fatale who brings a mysterious case to Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. (Liam Neeson), that ignites an attraction between them, which can neither be denied, nor understood! With Drebin’s squad made up almost entirely of legacy detectives, several of the more notable cops’ sons are played by Paul Walter Hauser, Kevin Durand and Danny Huston.

While the plot to such a film could be treated as incidental, director Akiva Schaffer (who cowrites), carefully crafts credible criminal schemes and villains, along with surprising twists. The humor takes a scatological turn, then pushes the boundaries of a PG-13 rating, generally stopping short of going too far—except when dyeing Neeson’s salt-and-pepper hair and eyebrows a disturbing shade of brown. (Lisa Miller)

The Bad Guys 2

(In Theaters Aug 1)

With the original film sporting a 94% audience approval rating on RottenTomatoes.com, tension builds around whether Universal Studios can deliver that same quality and energy in a sequel. As before, Mr Wolf (voice of Sam Rockwell), Mr Shark (Craig Robinson), Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos) and Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina), are forced to pull off one last heist. However, having resolved to be upstanding citizens, the Bad Guy’s mission is to expose their blackmailers for the national security threat they pose. That gang is led by Kitty Cat, a snow leopard menacingly voiced by Danielle Brooks. The animated movie collects winsome one-liners and action sequences that include heart-stopping chases, bank robberies and jumping from a helicopter, mid-air, in order to get aboard a rocket hurtling toward outer space. At 104 minutes, the PG-rated effort to transform these wannabe heroes into loveable characters, works overtime. My favorite bit of silliness arises out of Robinson’s huge and rotund Mr Shark decked out in an ever-changing array of disguises. (Lisa Miller)

Don’t Look Back

(Oriental Theatre, July 31)

D.A. Pennebaker’s Don’t Look Back (1967) set a high bar seldom met for concert tour documentaries. Shooting grainy black-and-white footage from handheld 16mm cameras in natural light (and darkness), this feature follows Bob Dylan on his first UK tour (1965), playing solo but wearing a black leather jacket—incongruous attire in the minds of folk purists who dressed as if in Appalachia.

Dylan’s reception isn’t quite A Hard Day’s Night crazy, but there were crowds to hold back, inane press conferences to survive, popping flash bulbs, trains to catch and dewy adolescent girls craning their necks outside hotel rooms for a glimpse of the star. Pennebaker catches the clowning, the exhilaration as well as the fatigue accompanying a long tour. Dylan didn’t mind talking to fans and manager Albert Grossman loved to drive a bargain. Intimate scenes include Joan Baez singing in their hotel room as Dylan typed a new masterpiece. And yes, there is concert and backstage footage.

The opening scene was a prototype for music videos. With “Subterranean Homesick Blues” as the soundtrack, Dylan casually rifled through and tossed aside title cards with key words from the song. Allen Ginsberg is seen loitering in the background.

6:30 p.m. Thursday, July 31, Oriental Theatre, followed by a Q&A with WMSE’s Sonia. The event is a fundariser for WMSE's Digital Music Library.(David Luhrssen)