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Tim Lammers reviews the Seth Rogen and Kristen Wiig R-rated comedy “Sausage Party,” and the Jeff Bridges, Chris Pine and Ben Foster crime thriller “Hell or High Water” on “The KQ Morning Show” with Tom Barnard and the crew. Hear the segment starting 14 minutes in.
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“Suicide Squad” (PG-13) 2 stars (out of four)
Blah is the operative word for “Suicide Squad,” an anti-hero film in the superhero genre that was meant to pull DC Comics out of its cinematic doldrums following the tepid response to “Batman v Superman.”
Not so much bad as it is disappointing, “Suicide Squad” – which assembles DC’s baddest of its stable of villains – starts off with a bang as it creatively introduces each member of the squad that the U.S. government recruits to keep the country safe from meta humans that want to do them harm. From there, the film sadly devolves into the formulaic stuff we’ve seen in countless times in the genre.
Writer-director David Ayer has good intentions as he clearly tries to go with the R-rated vibe that made Marvel bad boy “Deadpool” a massive hit earlier this year.
The difference is, the subversive anti-hero was given free rein to trounce the landscape with his F-bomb-laced dialogue and ultra violence, while “Suicide Squad” remains confined to the limiting PG-13 rating.
As a result, the Suicide Squad, including Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Deadshot (Will Smith) and their band of maniacal misfits are left to operate in a familiar environment against one of the weakest supervillians in superhero movie memory.
The person who plays the villain — who will remain unnamed to avoid any spoilers — simply does not have the acting chops or presence to make the ultimate throwdown memorable enough. In fact, the performance is so silly at times that it may qualify the person for a Razzie nomination come year’s end.
Lost in shuffle is The Joker (Jared Leto), whose turn as the Clown Prince of Gotham is supporting at best. Spending most of the movie trying to spring his girlfriend and partner-in-crime Harley Quinn loose, The Joker’s time would have been much better served as the supervillain the Suicide Squad ran up against instead of a thorn in their side.
Leto gives it his best with a combo Heath Ledger-Jack Nicholson read of the iconic character (with more of an emphasis on Nicholson), but in the end falls far short on both accounts. He’s good, but doesn’t nearly live up to the hype of the months-long publicity of his take on the iconic character leading up to the release of the film.
Thankfully, Viola Davis, who plays the head of the secret government organization who assembles the Suicide Squad, and Robbie, who is clearly having a blast playing Harley Quinn, pick up the slack to combat some of the weaknesses. Still, it’s just not enough to save the movie.
All told, “Suicide Squad” will go down as one of the biggest letdowns of 2016.
Hear Tim’s review of “Suicide Squad” with Tom Barnard and the “KQ92 Morning Show,” beginning at 10 minutes in.
“Jason Bourne” (PG-13) 2 stars (out of four)
Fourteen years after his introduction in “The Bourne Identity” — and a brief respite from the films series when Jeremy Renner took up the mantle in 2012 — Matt Damon is Bourne again, but with mixed results. Sure, the movie ties up loose ends and answers lingering questions for amnesiac ex-CIA operative Jason Bourne, but forces though moviegoer to sit through director Paul Greengrass’ chaotic shaky-cam technique for most of the film for the payoff.
It’s really a shame because the five-film series got off to an amazing start in 2002 under the steady direction of Doug Liman. Greengrass, on the other hand, is once more concerned with making an “edgy” artistic statement – and making “Bourne” fans nauseous in the process.
“Bad Moms” (R) 2 1/2 stars (out of four)
Of course a title like “Bad Moms” conjures up cinematic nightmares like “Bad Santa” and “Bad Teacher,” but truth be told, “Bad,” in this case is pretty good. Mila Kunis stars as a self-proclaimed “good mom” who goes the extra mile to keep her kids’ life in order, but after a family crisis, has a meltdown and goes off the deep end and becomes a “bad mom” who decides to examine the decadent things life has to offer.
Co-written and co-directed by the filmmakers who wrote “The Hangover,” “Bad Moms,” not surprisingly has its fair share of F-bombs and bawdy, gross-out humor, and most of it works. The movie will resonate mostly with parents — and especially moms — because it’s so relatable.
Kathryn Hahn is hilarious as Kunis’ new, irresponsible party mate; while Kristen Bell nails her role as a wallflower mom with four kids and an uninvolved husband who finally learns to let loose when she teams up with her fellow “bad moms.” While not nearly as funny, “Bad Moms” will somewhat remind you of “Bridesmaids,” with the exception of the preachy tone it takes occasionally in its second half.
Reviews of “Jason Bourne” and “Bad Moms” on KQRS-FM starting at 12 minute mark.
“Star Trek Beyond” (PG-13) 3 stars (out of 4)
Following the underwhelming response to the Khan narrative in “Star Trek Into Darkness,” the Starship Enterprise is back on course with “Star Trek Beyond,” the third chapter in the reboot of the classic film and television franchise.
Once again starring Chris Pine at the helm as Captain Kirk, this ‘Trek’ finally finds the Enterprise on its five-year mission into deep space. Answering a distress call to a distant planet, the ship is destroyed by the vindictive villain Krall (Idris Elba), who takes most of the crew members hostage as he prepares to execute a deadly plan of revenge on the Federation.
Interview: Simon Pegg talks ‘Star Trek Beyond’
While the “destroy the Federation” narrative feels familiar, “Star Trek Beyond” has all the elements you’d want in a “Star Trek” film: smart dialogue, exciting action, spectacular visual effects and moments of poignancy, all while maintaining a sense of humor about itself. Most importantly, it maintains the tone of the franchise, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.
You can’t help but be saddened throughout the film every time Anton Yelchin pops up on screen as Chekov, showing once again the brilliance that was cut short by his tragic death last month.
“Ice Age: Collision Course” (PG) 3 stars (out of 4)
The fifth film in the “Ice Age” film series is probably more of a screwball comedy than any of its four predecessors, yet it has the most dire of circumstances: an asteroid is hurtling toward the planet and threatening extinction, and the woolly mammoth Manny (voice of Ray Romano) and his pre-historic friends, including the one-eyed weasel Buck (Simon Pegg), must find a way to deflect it off its collision course.
Despite the end-of-the-world storyline, “Ice Age: Collision Course” is hardly a film that will have younger viewers fretting. In fact, the film is very kid-friendly, especially when it comes to the subplot involving Scrat the sabre tooth squirrel.
Continuing his quest to get that ever-elusive acorn, Scrat sets off the chain of events that puts his fellow creatures in peril. It’s easily his most entertaining adventure yet.
Reviews of “Star Trek Beyond” and “Ice Age: Collision Course” starting 10 minutes in on “The KQ Morning Show.”
