The Many Saints of Newark - Movie Review

Starring Alessandro Nivola, Leslie Odom Jr., Jon Bernthal, Vera Farmiga, Ray Liotta, Michael Gandolfini, Corey Stoll, Michela De Rossi, Billy Magnussen and John Magaro.

Written by David Chase & Lawrence Konner.

Directed by Alan Taylor.

The Sopranos is one of TV's all -time great shows, and it feels like a gift that we get a movie prequel that sends us back into that world, albeit into 30 years before the show began. It's an unusual viewing experience, one where I really don't know how this would play for those who've somewhere between zero and a handful of episodes. It has the meandering sensibilities of most of the Sopranos middle seasons, yet also has a central story that it periodically remembers to rejoin after a few side scenes.

The main character here is Dickie Moltisanti (Alessandro Nivola), and by making this decision, the film can feel like what the Disney+ series like WandaVision and Loki mean to the MCU as a whole. The Sopranos universe has been expanded, and this movie could be seen as a two-hour pilot for a 1970's Sopranos series. Dickie is the father of Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli), who acts as narrator from beyond the grave. We know Dickie died when Christopher was young, so there's a decent chance Dickie doesn't make it to the end credits, which provides suspense as the movie progresses.

Dickie is dealing with his flamboyant crime-boss father Hollywood Dick (the instantly credible Ray Liotta) and his closeness with the Brothers Soprano, Junior (Corey Stoll) and Johnny Boy (Jon Bernthal). He takes a shine to Johnny's son Tony (Michael Imperioli, James' real-life son), who aspires to play college football but can't help get involved with illegal activities. Meanwhile one of his runners, Harold (Hamilton's Leslie Odom Jr.), decides he'd rather go into business for himself, and their friendship turns into a rivalry.

We also get younger versions of Tony's mother Liv (Vera Farmiga, channeling Nancy Marchand AND Edie Falco), Silvio Dante, Paulie Walnuts, Big Pussy, Artie Bucco, and so on. Names like "Jackie Aprile" and "Hesh" are dropped. There's also one scene that is a direct recreation of a flashback from the series, when Tony saw his father and uncle get arrested.

Plot-wise, there are so many gear-shifts, I couldn't tell where it was going. Which is a very David Chase thing. Young Tony really was just another supporting character; this is an ensemble film built around Dickie, and Nivola makes the most of it. So overall I enjoyed it, I was entertained by it. If you're a Sopranos fan, you'll want to see it. And if you weren't, well, I'd recommend watching a good chunk of the series before settling into this movie.

Side-Note: It didn't make enough to justify a sequel in theaters, but if HBO and Chase want to make more Soprano prequel movies for the network, I'll see those too.

Baby Driver - Movie Review

Starring Ansel Elgort, Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm, Jon Bernthal, Eiza Gonzalez, Flea and Lanny Joon.
Written & Directed by Edgar Wright.

★★★½

Edgar Wright has directed Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, The World's End, and now this. He's 5 for 5 in my book.

Ansel Elgort (The Fault in Our Stars) plays Baby, a guy who's one of the best drivers on Earth. He's deeply indebted to a criminal kingpin named Doc (Kevin Spacey), so to pay off what he owes, he drives getaway for different groups that Doc hires. Mostly bank robberies. Baby has tinnitis and listens to music at all times to drown out the ringing, but the music is the soundtrack for his life. Everything that happens in the movie is done to the beat of whatever Baby's listening to. It's a cinematic trick that works.

Wright's talent is to take familiar genres and add thrilling new twists to them, and he does for car chase heist movies here what he did for zombies in Shaun, for buddy-cops in Fuzz, teen romance in Scott Pilgrim, and alien invasions in World's End. I really enjoyed what he did with Foxx and Hamm as two smooth yet dangerous bankrobbers. Baby's deep down a good guy who shouldn't be among these criminals, but he has no choice.

I had a blast watching it.

The Accountant - Movie Review

Starring Ben Affleck, Anna Kendrick, JK Simmons, Jon Bernthal, John Lithgow, Cynthia Addai-Robinson, Jeffrey Tambor and Jean Smart.
Written by Bill Dubuque.
Directed by Gavin O'Connor.

★★★

My anticipation for this movie was dampened by its mixed reviews, and so I saw it under ideal circumstances. With low expectations, I wound up liking it.

Ben Affleck plays Christian Wolff, a genius with Aspergers who uses his accounting skills to help some of the most dangerous people in the world. The movie takes its time establishing him and setting up the plot, all of which I was fine with. I enjoyed watching Affleck in this role and had no problem with the pace, until I realized the movie was almost 2 1/2 hours long. Okay, so they could have trimmed a couple minutes here and there.

Eventually we get to a point where Christian is on the run with some assassins on his trail, and Anna Kendrick plays Dana, the woman who "knows too much" and they're trying to kill her too.

Meanwhile the Feds (JK Simmons, Cynthia Addai-Robinson) are trying to find him as well.

I like a movie that gives veteran actors some decent parts (not just Simmons, but Lithgow, Tambor and Smart all get something to do), and once it was all done, I realized I'd be on board for The Accountant 2. I will say a couple of the twists are telegraphed too early.