After 10 years in development “Bohemian Rhapsody” is finally here … the biopic about Queen which mostly concentrates on the late, great Freddie Mercury and chronicles the band’s rise from 1970 through their landmark Live Aid performance in 1985.
While we get a fair amount of Brian May, Roger Taylor and John Deacon, the film is really a warts-and-all look at Freddie’s personal life and what made him tick all the while seeing how songs like Bohemian Rhapsody and We Will Rock You were created.
AUDIO: Tim reviews “Bohemian Rhapsody” with Tom Barnard on “The KQ Morning Show” (segment begins 2 minutes 30 seconds in)
The movie messes with the band’s true-life timeline, but it’s really a nitpick when you consider the raw emotional power of the film thanks to Rami Malek’s stellar performance as Freddie. If you’re a Queen fan you will love this movie, and if you’re not a Queen fan, you just may become one. Get ready to be inspired, because “Bohemian Rhapsody” is easily one of the best films of the year.
8.5 (out of 10) on the Lammometer
Tim Lammers reviews movies weekly for The KQ92 Morning Show,” “KARE 11 News at 11” (NBC), WCCO Radio, WJON-AM, KLZZ-FM, “The Tom Barnard Podcast” and “The BS Show” with Bob Sansevere.
Jamie Lee Curtis is back and as badass as ever as Laurie Strode in “Halloween,” a direct sequel set 40 years after the original “Halloween” that finds Laurie confronting the slasher killer Michael Myers once again. Unfortunately, while Laurie has evolved as a character, her murderous counterpart is up to the same old tricks, leaving this ambitious reboot a mixed-bag.
“Halloween” 2018 pretends that its seven sequels – as well as director Rob Zombie’s remake and its sequel – didn’t take place. Instead, we find out that Michael Myers (played in the first half of the film by the original Myers actor Nick Castle), has been locked down in a maximum-security institution for the past 40 years, and has never once spoken a word.
AUDIO: Tim reviews “Halloween” with Tom Barnard on “The KQ Morning Show”
Meanwhile, Laurie has remained traumatized by the events she suffered as a babysitter 40 years earlier, and after failed attempts at relationships and having her daughter taken from her by authorities at age 12, has become a survivalist. Living in a gated encampment in the woods outside of Haddonfield, Illinois, where Michael murdered five people in 1978, Laurie has been preparing the apocalypse with a cache of weapons, a safe room and a stockpile of food for when the time comes.
However, the apocalypse for Laurie isn’t nuclear annihilation, but rather the escape of Michael during a prison transfer where he murders the guard and escapes, reclaiming his identity as “The Shape,” mask, blue overalls and all butcher knife, where he slashes his way through Haddonfield once again, looking for not only Laurie, but her now-adult daughter, Karen (Judy Greer) and granddaughter Allyson (Andi Matichak).
The first half of “Halloween” is spectacular, as Curtis slips comfortably back into the role of Laurie, and expertly shows the wear and tear the terror took on her decades before. She lives a life in paranoia fearing his escape yet welcomes it, so she can finally confront Michael and put an end to her nightmare once and for all.
Directed by “East Bound and Down” helmer David Gordon Green and co-written by comedic actor Danny McBride, “Halloween” suffers, though, by basically delivering the same premise we’ve seen in the previous movies, where Michael goes on a cold and calculated murderous rampage where the end game seems all the same. Granted, the character is limiting, but there are really no new twists, save Michael’s psychologist (Haluk Bilginer), or as Laurie likes to call him, “The new Loomis,” referring to Donald Pleasance’s psychologist character in the original films. That twist, while welcome, doesn’t pan out, though, squashing for any hopes for creativity in the second half of the film.
There’s no question the fans of the original film will embrace the new “Halloween,” which has plenty of nods to director John Carpenter’s 1978 classic. Carpenter is back in a sense, too, as the composer of the film’s chilling score, recalling a theme that became an instant classic 40 years ago. All told, “Halloween” is a mixture of old and new with a shortage of the latter that would have made it rise above the expectations the film set for the audience when the reboot was announced. “Halloween” isn’t a bad film, by any means, just average. Hopefully the inevitable sequel will come up with some new tricks to treat its audience with.
Lammometer: 5 (out of 10)
Tim Lammers reviews movies weekly for The KQ92 Morning Show,” “KARE 11 News at 11” (NBC), WCCO Radio, WJON-AM, KLZZ-FM, “The Tom Barnard Podcast” and “The BS Show” with Bob Sansevere.
Ryan Gosling plays legendary astronaut Neil Armstrong in “First Man,” a detailed chronicle of not only the first man to set foot on the moon, but a look at the highs and lows of the NASA space program and the tragedies Armstrong endured during the space race with the Soviets in the 1960s.
Appropriately timed with the 60th birthday of NASA Oct. 1, “First Man” gives a fascinating look at the early years of NASA leading up to the Apollo 11 moon mission, including the tragedies to befall many of his colleagues as the organization worked toward its goal of beating the Russians to the moon.
Technically, “First Man” is incredible as is recreates pivotal moments in the NASA’s history, yet, the acting feels a bit flat at times, especially by Gosling. It could be Gosling was playing it low-key because that’s the way Armstrong was in real-life (he was largely known as a “reluctant hero”), and certainly the personal tragedy that haunted him throughout his career at NASA no doubt drove him even deeper into his shell. At the same time, it’s that family tragedy that gave him the resolve to stay on course and go through the dangerous training missions and the eventual mission to the moon, so, it’s hard to criticize an Gosling’s portrayal of Armstrong, even when you expect something more out of the actor.
On the flip side, Corey Stoll gives a lively performance as Buzz Aldrin, while Claire Foy delivers as expected as Armstrong’s wife, Janet, who grapples the best she can with the astronaut’s stoic demeanor. Jason Clarke — one of the most underrated actors in the business — is great as usual as Ed White, one of the pivotal figures in NASA along with Gus Grissom (Shea Whigham) and Roger Caffee (Cory Michael Smith) who are involved in a tragic accident as the agency tries to get its bearings. All told, “First Man” is a brutally realistic look at an agency that has endured massive setbacks on its way to exploring the space above us.
Lammometer: 7 (out of 10)
Tim Lammers reviews movies weekly for The KQ92 Morning Show,” “KARE 11 News at 11” (NBC), WCCO Radio, WJON-AM, KLZZ-FM, “The Tom Barnard Podcast” and “The BS Show” with Bob Sansevere.
VIDEO: Watch Tim review “A Star is Born” and “Venom” with Ellery McCardle on KARE 11.
“Venom” (PG-13)
Tom Hardy takes his career to dizzying new heights with “Venom,” his second comic book movie role after playing the ominous Bane in Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Rises.” In “Venom” he plays Eddie Brock, an investigative reporter who gets a bit too close to the story of a corrupt scientist (Riz Ahmed) and encounters an alien substance that bonds with him and creates this monstrous alter-ego.
Directed by Reuben Fleischer (“Zombieland”), “Venom” marks the second time we’ve encountered the Marvel Comics creation on the big screen, 11 years after critics and fans blasted Topher Grace’s version in “Spider-Man 3.” Here, though, there’s no Spider-Man to be found and instead of being a villain, Venom is more of an anti-hero that audiences can get behind, mainly because the bad guy is battling an even-worse guy.
There’s no question that “Venom” is trying to capitalize on the irreverent tone of Ryan Reynolds’ “Deadpool” movies with its humor, and for the most part it works thanks to the brilliance of Hardy, who delivers yet another strikingly original performance opposite the always great Michelle Williams.
And while the film isn’t nearly as polished as his eccentric Marvel cousin and plays it safe with a PG-13 rating, “Venom” is still very entertaining and leaves the door open for more, as teased by the film’s end credits scene.
Lammometer: 7 (out of 10)
Tim Lammers reviews movies weekly for The KQ92 Morning Show,” “KARE 11 News at 11” (NBC), WCCO Radio, WJON-AM, KLZZ-FM, “The Tom Barnard Podcast” and “The BS Show” with Bob Sansevere.
