Tim joined Paul Douglas to review the original movies “The Prom” (Netflix) and crime thriller “I’m Your Woman” (Amazon Prime Video) on the “Paul and Jordana” show on WCCO-AM. Click to listen below. The segment is brought to you by Michael Bryant and Bradshaw & Bryant.
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, “Let’s Talk Movies with Tim Lammers” with Tim Matthews on KRWC-AM, “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”.
Ten years after the hit movie based on the blockbuster stage musical, a questionable sequel to the ABBA-inspired “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” has finally arrived with mixed results. Loaded with a new set of lesser-known ABBA tunes and the return of some of the original film’s hit favorites, “Here We Go Again” has its share of highs and lows for the first two-thirds of the film until it recaptures the full glory of the 2008 film in a strong third act.
“Here We Go Again” begins with Sophie (Amanda Seyfried), who apparently after her honeymoon with Sky (Dominic Cooper) decided to settle in Greece (And why not? The setting is gorgeous) and is struggling to open her mom Donna’s (Meryl Streep) original abode as a premiere hotel destination.
AUDIO: Hear Tim’s reviews of “The Equalizer 2” and “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again” with Tom Barnard on “The KQ Morning Show.”
There’s trouble in paradise, though, as Sky has found his dream in the hotel business a half-world away in New York City; and complicating matters is that she discovers she is pregnant with their first child. Effectively, Sophie’s dilemmas mirror that of her free-spirited mom in her younger years (Lily James), and the scenes of which are juxtaposed throughout the film in a series of flashbacks.
Part sequel and part prequel, “Here We Go Again” works best when the original cast appears, including Christine Baranski and Julie Walters as Tanya and Rosie – Donna’s best friends/Donna and the Dynamos back-up singers – as well as Sophie’s three dads: Sam, Harry and Bill, played again by Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard, respectively.
Naturally, Donna’s back story includes the younger versions of Tanya and Rosie (Jessica Keenan Wynn and Alexa Davies), and chronicles her brief romances with Sam (Jeremy Irvine), Harry (Hugh Skinner) and Bill (Josh Dylan), leading to her pregnancy with Sophie – which, of course, drove the story line of who the dad was in the original “Mamma Mia!”
While the younger cast members are admirable additions to the large ensemble, they just can’t live up to the memorable performances put in by the veteran stars of the original. Sure, they’re at the heart of the musical numbers that are mostly, but not always, delightful, but the minute the narrative gets back to the storytelling in-between, it feels like all the air has been sucked out of the movie.
VIDEO: See Tim’s reviews of “Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again” and “The Equalizer 2” with Adrienne Broaddus of KARE-TV.
There are a couple new additions to the “Mamma Mia” sequel that are particularly noteworthy: Andy Garcia as the handsome caretaker of Sophie’s new hotel, and Cher as Donna’s/Sophie’s estranged entertainer mother/grandmother who turns up uninvited to the grand opening of the new business. Cher’s appearance in the film, while brief, is naturally one of the big highlights of “Here We Go Again,” merely because her powerhouse voice reminds you just how less-musically inclined her co-stars are. Cher also has a statuesque presence, which makes up for almost the complete lack of Streep in the film, save for one emotionally powerful scene at the end.
Whether a follow-up chapter was even necessary is something fans of the original will surely debate after seeing the sequel, including a crucial plot point involving the main character, Donna (Meryl Streep), that dampens the mood almost from the get-go. A daring, if not welcome move from a storytelling standpoint? Probably, but it also casts a dark cloud over the sunny disposition that made the original production – both on stage and film – such a joy.
Luckily, “Here We Go Again” ends on a high note, as writer-director Ol Parker assembles the entire cast for an entertaining curtain call number that rivals the end credit tunes of the original “Mamma Mia!” True, the second go-round of the story of Donna and the Dynamos won’t knock you off your feet, but thanks to some lovable tunes, it will surely want to make you get up, dance and naturally, sing.
Lammometer: 6.5 (out of 10)
“The Equalizer 2” (R)
Denzel Washington is back as Robert McCall – and this is a pretty big deal for Washington – since this is his first sequel in his career. McCall is a retired CIA Agent who still has knack for kicking the bad guys’ asses when they’re preying on the defenseless. Despite that, he’s still trying to lead a low-profile existence by being a driver for a ride-sharing service – but he’s pulled back into the spy game full-time when his colleagues are being assassinated – and he’s on the list.
Washington is great as usual, even when the story gets predictable with the reveal of who is behind the killings. The final showdown gets out of hand, too, when McCall takes on the bad guy as a hurricane begins to bear down on East Coast. Fans of revenge thrillers won’t care, though, especially when it Washington is the guy pulling the trigger.
Lammometer: 7 (out of 10)
AUDIO: Hear Tim’s reviews of “Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again” and more with Paul Douglas and Jordana Green on WCCO Radio (segment begins 9:30 in)
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.
“Fantastic Four” (PG-13) 1 1/2 stars (out of four)
An origins story tailored to attract the teen demographic, the Fox-produced Marvel superhero reboot of “Fantastic Four,” unlike the Disney-owned Marvel properties “The Avengers” and most recently, “Ant-Man,” takes itself way too seriously. As a result, “Fantastic Four” comes off as a clunky, overwrought melodrama that could very well be the worst superhero movie in years.
“Fantastic Four” picks up with boy genius Reed Richards in middle school, where he befriends a young Ben Grimm, who helps supply the budding scientist with the parts he needs for his teleporting experinment from his family’s scrap yard. Fast forward to their teen years, Reed (Miles Teller) is recruited to join the Baxter Institute by Dr. Franklin Storm (Reg. E. Cathey) and Sue Storm (Kate Mara) to help implement his ideas into a machine that will teleport objects into alternate universe. This so-called fourth dimension apparently holds the promise of energy and the key to the survival of Earth in the future.
In the company of Victor Von Doom (Tobey Kebbell), Sue’s brother, Johnny Storm (Michael B. Jordan), and Ben (Jamie Bell), Reed takes a test run to the alternate dimension, where the experiment goes horribly awry and alters their physical makeup. Reed suddenly has the ability to stretch his limbs, while Johnny can quickly burst into a ball of flames, and Ben takes the form of rocks. Sue, who manages to get the crew back to safety, is contaminated by the teleporting craft upon its disastrous return to Earth, giving her the ability to turn invisible and create force fields. Despite detesting their new abilities, the team will need them to fight off Doom, who harnessed the greatest powers of all of them by absorbing electricity.
While fanboys groused about the 2005 version of “Fantastic Four” and its sequel, “Rise of the Silver Surfer” in 2007, at least the films – which starred Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, Michael Chiklis and Ioan Gruffudd as the “First Family of Superheroes – were entertaining. The tone was lighter and there was a real playfulness to the films, unlike this new reboot, which completely lacks a sense of humor.
On top of that, there’s just no real chemistry between the actors, and the special effects come off as something you’d see in a Roger Corman film from the 1970s. Add in some bad acting and the same old, lame-o storyline where the team fights Dr. Doom yet again, “Fantastic Four” is really lacking in inspiration. There has to be reason co-creator Stan Lee suspiciously doesn’t turn up in a cameo for this. He’s probably embarrassed.
“Ricki and the Flash” (PG-13) 3 stars (out of four)
Meryl Streep wields a might axe in “Ricki and the Flash,” a tale of redemption about an aging musician who tries to reconnect with her adult children years after she abandoned her family to pursue her rock ‘n’ roll dreams. Scripted by Diablo Cody and directed by Jonathan Demme, “Ricki and the Flash” has a surprisingly weak narrative, yet what it lacks in story it makes up with some stellar performances.
Streep stars as Ricki, a California-based musician by night and grocery cashier by day struggling to get by. Her life is completely turned upside down, though, when she gets a call from her ex-husband, Pete (Kevin Kline), who wants her to return home to Indiana because the couple’s only daughter (Mamie Gummer) was jilted by her new husband and is going through a crisis. Also reuniting with her two estranged adult sons (Sebastian Stan and Nick Westrate), Ricki seeks forgiveness from her family for her past misgivings, even though their wounds run deep.
Streep proves once again that she can virtually nail any role with “Ricki and the Flash,” and from the get-go she comes off like a seasoned rock guitar player and singer. Of course, she has the benefit of being backed by some expert studio musicians like Joe Vitale, as well as Rick Springfield, who is impressive both as Ricki’s sideman on-stage and boyfriend off.
If there’s any problem with Streep’s performance, she comes off as so damn likable that you feel guilty rooting for her, especially considering that Ricki selfishly left her family for her own benefit. Audra McDonald, thankfully, crashes the feel-good party as Pete’s longtime wife and step-mom who raised the kids, reminding the audience just how much of a lout Ricki really is.
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“Shaun the Sheep Movie” (PG) 4 stars (out of four)
Aardman Animations has molded a new classic with “Shaun the Sheep,” a bleating brilliant stop-motion adventure comedy that easily ranks among the best films of the summer if not the year. Making his big screen debut after a number of years as a hit BBC series, “Shaun” follows the title character and his fellow flock members on a big city adventure to rescue their owner, Farmer, who is suffering from a bout of amnesia.
Like the TV series, “Shaun the Sheep Movie” doesn’t have any dialogue, yet it. Smart, funny and even a bit poignant, “Shaun” is a shoo-in for a Best Animated Feature Oscar nomination come awards season.
“Dark Places” (R) 2 1/2 stars (out of four)
The page has unfortunately turned in the wrong direction for “Gone Girl” author Gillian Flynn with “Dark Places,” a murder mystery thriller that starts out with a load of potential, but unravels in the film’s third act. Charlize Theron stars as Libby Day, a woman who is forced to confront her past 25 years after the brutal murders of her mother and two sisters in a Kansas farmhouse. Theron feels one note as the ice-cold Libby, who because of her dwindling finances is forced to take part in the morbid investigation of the murders, which were pinned on her older brother (Tye Sheridan as a teen, Corey Stoll as an adult) but likely committed by someone else.
Like “Gone Girl,” Flynn has crafted a twisty narrative with “Dark Places,” but the film falls apart in the hands of director Gilles Paquet-Brenner, who also adapted the screenplay. By the time “Dark Places” conveniently wraps up, you can’t help but think how much better it would have been under the direction of somebody like “Gone Girl” director David Fincher. Despite a talented cast (which also includes Christina Hendricks and Chloe Grace Moretz), the film is a real disappointment.
Click image to ORDER the 12-inch (1:6 scale) figure of Gamora from “Guardians of the Galaxy” from Hot Toys/Sideshow Collectibles.
Tim reviews the true-life WWII epic “Unbroken” and musical “Into the Woods” on KARE-TV in Minneapolis with Diana Pierce below. Also, you can read Tim’s review on BringMeTheNews.com and hear Tim review the films on The Tom Barnard Podcast and KQRS-FM.
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Original Interviews, Reviews & More By Tim Lammers
