Inane Moonfall a true disaster
Look, I don't mind sitting through a big, dumb popcorn movie every once in a while, but I draw the line when they're outright bad and stupid. What's the difference, you may ask? Well, Armageddon and Con Air fall in the former category – yes, we know the premise of each is ridiculous, but there's a sense of fun about them letting us know those who made the movies are in on the joke too.
Such is not the case with Roland Emmerich's Moonfall. A truly inane movie, it sacrifices fun in its vain attempt to provide something profound a la 2001: A Space Odyssey. It posits that the moon is actually a hollow structure created by an alien race who were in fact our ancestors. Heady stuff...except it isn't in Emmerich's hands, who's always been far more interested in blowing things up, which he does with a regularity you can set your watch by. Halle Berry and Patrick Wilson are lost as the astronauts trying to push the moon back into orbit, it taking a wobbly turn the source of all the destruction. Without question, Moonfall's a disaster, but not in the way Emmerich intended. In theaters.
Back a passable rom com
Valentine's Day is approaching, which means rom coms are all about. Amazon's I Want You Back follows the genre formula to a T, but manages to be saved by its solid cast. Jenny Slate and Charlie Day are Emma and Peter, the couple that must face a myriad of difficulties before finally realizing they belong together. They've been dumped by their significant others – Noah (Scott Eastwood) and Anne (Gina Rodriguez) respectively - who have each moved on with new partners. Emma and Peter decide to sabotage these relationships by becoming friends with their rivals and convincing them they'd be better off with their exes.
The premise isn't as ridiculous as it sounds, while Day and Slate's ability to make the jilted pair likable helps immensely. The script by Isaac Aptaker and Elizabeth Berger is wise enough not to paint Noah or Anne in a negative light, as their reasons for wanting to move on are sound. Surprisingly, Eastwood proves quite adept with this lighthearted material. The movie slightly overstays its welcome but not to the point of tedium, which is a huge plus in this age of bloated entertainment. Streaming on Amazon Plus.
Jackass delivers
One thing you can say about the Jackass movies - you know exactly what you're going to get. There's little in the way of surprises in the latest entry, Jackass Forever, as Johnny Knoxville and company continue to hurl themselves through the air, voluntarily get bitten by animals or have their genitals covered with a swarm of bees (I have to admit – that was unexpected). No, for the most part, it's more of the same as these poster children for Peter Pan syndrome risk life and limb to entertain, as well as thumb their nose at convention.
There's no defending this movie, but the bottom line is I laughed a lot...big, roaring belly laughs that negate any snobbery those who fail to give themselves over to this lunacy can appreciate. And there's a certain poignancy in seeing Knoxville and his brethren knocking on the door of middle age. Collectively, over the years their stunts have been a cumulative middle finger hoisted at their own frailty; a defiant gesture aimed at their own mortality. In the end, the Jackassers prove triumphant - they are the last men standing, having embraced the chaos that surrounded them and survived, albeit a bit hobbled and scarred, with their heads held high. In theaters.
