Photo © Lions Gate Entertainment
Sylvester Stallone in 'Expend4bles'
Sylvester Stallone in 'Expend4bles'
Barber
(Limited Theatrical Release and Streaming on VUDU, Sept. 22)
Aidan Gillen portrays an Irish ex-cop turned private eye. Barber’s bread and butter is investigating insurance fraud, so he’s surprised to be summoned by wealthy Lily Dunne (Deirdre Donnelly) who hires him to find her missing granddaughter Sara (Isabelle Connolly). The young woman has a not-so-nice step daddy and he has all the right friends, including a high-placed official (Liam Carney). Barber’s domestic life includes day-drinking, and ill-fated trysts. His daughter (Aisling Kearns) is recovering from a traumatic brain injury, so Barber must work with his ex-wife (Helen Behan) to care for the girl. These familial relationships receive more attention than typical of a thriller. When Barber learns that the missing young woman was drawn into a corruption scheme, he finds himself scaling a ladder occupied by the increasingly influential and powerful. Not one to back down, does Barber possess the skills to beat them at their own game? Made on a small budget and set during the Covid-19 pandemic, glossy cinematography and locations emphasize Barber’s isolation as he struggles to see what is hidden from view. (Lisa Miller)
Expend4bles
(In Theaters Sept. 22)
Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham return for their fourth bite at the “Expendables” apple. Now 77, Stallone takes a back seat to Statham’s (age 56) character. A group of retired special ops agents, the Expendables are considered the last-ditch option by officials. The plot establishes a strong connection between Statham’s Expendable member Lee Christmas, and special ops type Gina (Megan Fox, 37). Their relationship resembles that of Cato and Peter Sellers’ Inspector Clouseau, except that after she attacks him and they duke it out, Christmas and Gina settle whatever differences remain, in bed.
Afterwards, Stallone’s bereted Barney Ross arrives at Christmas’s home, with news of the latest Expendables’ mission. The crew, led by none other than Gina, is ordered to take down a Libyan arms dealer (Iko Uwais) and his private army. Other Expendables include a heavy weapons man (Dolph Lundgren), a demolitions expert (Randy Couture) and a martial arts legend (Tony Jaa), with membership rounded out by Jacob Scipio and Curtis Jackson. Andy Garcia appears as the team’s CIA contact. The explosions, gunfire, knife fights and martial arts whippings, are the R-Rated variety, extreme emphasis on blood and violence, along with over-editing that makes the action difficult to follow. The film fails to maximize its humorous potential while favoring nonsensical plot twists that make this fourth entry, 100% expendable. (Lisa Miller)
Seire
(Film Movement DVD/Digital)
Herbal tonics made from ancient recipes, packaged in plastic. That’s a visual metaphor for the milieu of Seire, the 2021 film by South Korean director Park Kang. The protagonists are a recently married professional couple in a big city with a newborn baby. Premodern ideas have ridden along with notions of “progress.” The wife observes all the old taboos on the first three weeks after a child’s birth, especially the one about not attending funerals. The husband is a forgetful dad (as well as a lazy rationalist). He forgets to buy baby formula—and goes to the funeral of a friend despite his wife’s protestations. Turns out the friend was once his girlfriend.
Like a ‘70s art house film, Seire moves at a glacial pace, focusing attention on every frame, forcing viewers to notice small details. Are the catastrophes that start to occur the result of the husband’s carelessness with taboos—or is the husband haunted by guilt about his ex’s suicide? He’s certainly being stalked by bad dreams, hallucinations and the poison of past events. (David Luhrssen)
