Liam Neeson, in perhaps his final appearance in an action film, portrays a gangster trying to make amends. We review that film, “Absolution” as well as a new animation film featuring the work of “Bloom County’s” Berkeley Breathed.
They’re all up against the new courtroom thriller from Clint Eastwood, starring Nicholas Hoult.
Here’s our roundup.
“Absolution”: Piles of tired cliches clutter up Hans Petter Moland’s morose, reflective crime-themed drama about a gangster with a deteriorating mind trying to make amends for past crimes and years of familial neglect. The beat-by-beat familiarness of it all obscures a committed performance from Liam Neeson, who sadly hasn’t been hitting homers lately with his string of action films, and has said he will retire from the genre in 2025. While Moland and his team and the supporting cast manage to extract the most from the recycled material — from the film’s gritty, somber visual look to the beaten-down, spit-out demeanor of its characters and rundown places they inhabit — there’s nothing all that new here. You can always sense what’s around the plot corner, and that obviousness is a killer, blunting the power of “Absolution’s” redeeming qualities. Details: 2 stars out of 4; in theaters Nov. 1.
“Hangdog”: Anxious and jobless, Walt (Desmin Borges) tags along with his girlfriend Wendy (Kelly O’Sullivan) to relocate to her quaint small Maine hometown where he runs into an assortment of of eccentric residents Not overly thrilled about the move from a big city, Walt doesn’t try to fit in at all until his girlfriend’s spoiled dog Tony (portrayed fetchingly by Mr. Tibbs) gets stolen while she’s attending a seminar in New York City. Between chugging beers with his salt-of-the-earth lesbian neighbor and embarking on some not-so-ace pet detective work himself, Walt — winningly portrayed by Borges, also a producer — finds comfort, even insight, from various oddballs and learns how to let go of what’s made him stuck. Written with compassionate perception by Jen Cordery and directed with a facile touch by Matt Cascella in his feature debut should find many in the audiences wagging their tails in approval. It’s a joy. Details: 3 stars; available to rent now.
“HitPig!”: Given that 2024 has produced boundary-pushing animated knockouts such as “The Wild Robot,” the more adult-themed “Memoir of a Snail” and “Inside Out 2,” this animated tale suited for the wee ones garners notice mostly for two reasons: That “Bloom County’s” Berkeley Breathed gets doubly credited (as character designer and for coming up with the story) and for its ensemble cast (Jason Sudeikis, Rainn Wilson, Hannah Gadsby, RuPaul and more). But this is a slight, bouncy tale (it barely clocks in at 80 minutes) about a bounty-hunting pig saving a sweet elephant (Lilly Singh) from the grasp of a Vegas great pretender (Wilson) that follows a pro-forma animated playbook. There are too many scenes amped up with anthem songs from the likes of Billy Idol, Gloria Estefan etc., and too many flatulence jokes. The animation is solid and the little ones will indeed relish the loud antics and the pratfalls while older ones in the crowd might well groan about the overuse of puns. Still, directors David Feiss and Cinzia Angelini do know how to give the kids what they want, a caffeinated sugar high in animation form. Details: 2½ stars; in theaters Nov. 1.
“Don’t Move”: Watchable but stridently preposterous, Netflix’s thriller is a toss-off from the streaming giant — another original film that’s constructed around a decent idea that demands further marination before getting slapped onto the grill. As is, directors Brian Netto and Adam Schindler’s serve up a minor-league guilty pleasure about dapper American psycho Richard (“American Horror Story’s” Finn Wittrock) tormenting the hell out of suicidal, grieving mom Iris (“Yellowstone’s” Kelsey Asbille) near Big Sur (not the Big Sur most of us know since much of this appears to be filmed in Bulgaria). Chatty charmer Richard jabs her with a needle full of a paralyzing agent and then carts her around to various locales and in various vehicles. Asbille gives it her all portraying a character with zero capacity to express herself — hence the title — while Wittrock goes off the deep end so much so you can’t help but laugh. Sam Raimi produced this fast-moving psycho thriller and, true to his form, things do get bloody. With so many good, even great horror films out, you might want to move on to something better. But if you want a taut guilty pleasure, this’ll do the trick. Details: 2½ stars; now available on Netflix.
“Time Cut”: Mashing up a time travel movie with a teen slasher flick isn’t exactly bold nor new (last year’s “It’s a Wonderful Knife” being one such example). And that’s the problem with director/co-screenwriter Hannah Macpherson’s passable Netflix thriller: It’s acting like it’s something new and bold. While it does have good moments, it’s not scary enough or distinctive enough with its back-to-the-future 2000 theme. It’s a good thing then that the characters and the cast are engaging, especially Madison Bailey as NASA-brainy teen Lucy Field. She stumbles upon a time machine that takes her back to a time when a serial killer murdered her sister Summer (Antonia Gentry) and other classmates. Lucy’s crash course with her sister’s past does lead to a revelation about why she feels so distanced from her parents in the present day, and while the screenplay does push the film into interesting directions, the time travel and slasher elements aren’t fleshed out enough. Too bad since “Time Cut” had the potential to be a cut above. Details: 2 stars; available on Netflix.
Contact Randy Myers at soitsrandy@gmail.com.