On assignment for Looper.com, Tim talked with “Wendell & Wild” director/co-writer Henry Selick and star James Hong. Click below to read the interviews!
Tim Lammers reviews movies weekly for “The KQ92 Morning Show” with Tom Barnard on KQRS-FM, “Paul and Jordana” with Paul Douglas and Jordana Green on WCCO Radio, “It Matters with Kelly Cordes” on WJON-AM, KLZZ-FM, “The Tom Barnard Podcast” and “The BS Show” with Bob Sansevere, and reviews streaming programming on WCCO Radio’s “Paul and Jordana” as well. On TV, Tim has made hundreds of guest appearances on NBC affiliate KARE on the news program “KARE 11 News at 11”.
Arnold Schwarzenegger is not back in “The Predator” a sequel – even though it’s essentially a reboot – of the movie series that began with Schwarzenegger, continued with Danny Glover and then joined Alien for a couple movies before attempting a comeback in 2010. The big difference with this comeback is that Shane Black, who had a brief role in original but went on to a more successful career as a writer and director (“Kiss Kiss Bang Bang,” “Iron Man 3”), is in charge of the new film, and with a talent of writing comedic dialogue, makes “The Predator” very funny at times … an element the original film didn’t have much of.
“The Predator” stars Boyd Holbrook (“Narcos,” “Logan”) as Quinn McKenna, a military operative who witnesses the crash of a spaceship with a Predator amidst a drug smuggling operation, who quickly lays waste to everything in its way, including Quinn’s entire unit. Convinced the government won’t believe him, Quinn takes some of the Predator’s weaponized armor, which he ships to the home of his estranged wife (Yvonne Strahovski) and son (Jacob Tremblay).
AUDIO: Tim reviews “The Predator” and talks Jesse “I ain’t got time to bleed” Ventura with Tom Barnard on “The KQ Morning Show.” Click to listen!
Determined to keep the crash off the books by any means necessary, a top government agent (Sterling K. Brown) soon finds that he has a bigger problem when a second, since Quinn’s son activates a beacon that alerts the Predator’s location. As a result, a larger and even deadlier Predator arrives, and his actions reveal a much bigger plan for the alien creatures, and it’s up to Quinn and a band of fellow solider outcasts to stop it from happening.
While the setup is very familiar, Black’s addition of humor to the film (sometimes through dialogue, other times through over-the-top gore), along with some impressive special effects and a solid ensemble cast (including Keegan-Michael Key and Thomas Jane) more than make “The Predator” a worthwhile sequel. Plus, there’s no denying that the Predator after all these years is still a fantastic-looking creature that definitely commands all of the attention it attracts.
Naturally, fans of the original film will be disappointed at the lack of a Schwarzenegger cameo, even though he was reportedly offered one. That’s not to say he can’t appear in another “Predator” sequel, since Black has left the door wide open for another film. Until then, the new “Predator” is a nice welcome back to the franchise.
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.
Former Comedy Central sketch comedians Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele (who were unfortunately tasked with following the brilliant Dave Chappelle) make a weak transition to the big screen with “Keanu,” a painfully unfunny buddy comedy about a pair of suburban nerds who pose as fearsome drug dealers in order to get Peele’s stolen kitten back from a street gang.
The kitten – named Keanu – is no doubt cute, but the rest of the film is a flagrant barrage of F-bombs and N-words wrapped up in a juvenile premise that’s somehow supposed to be a parody of actor Keanu Reeves’ hit revenge thriller “John Wick.” Reeves, naturally, makes a cameo as the voice of the kitten when one of the characters slips into a drug-induced haze. Apart from an inspired cameo from actress Anna Faris (playing herself), “Keanu” is a total dud.
Reviews on KQRS-FM, beginning 12 minutes in.
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“Green Room” (R) 3 stars (out of four)
“Star Trek” and “X-Men” star Patrick Stewart takes a brilliant career detour to the dark side in “Green Room,” a brutal crime thriller about a down-and-out punk rock band whose members are forced to fend for their lives after they stumble onto a murder scene in the green room at a backwoods Oregon club.
Stewart plays Darcy, the club owner and neo-Nazi leader who orders the hit on the musicians, while Anton Yelchin stars as band’s leader who tries to devise an escape plan. “Green Room” isn’t perfect – the violence is too excessive and there are some silly bits of ill-timed comic relief – but overall, it’s a solid nail-biter.
Original Interviews, Reviews & More By Tim Lammers
