moviesfilmsreviewsinc

"Riff Raff" is a film that combines crime and comedy, with every performer in the ensemble haphazardly presenting their previous personas. The film's ensemble includes Jennifer Coolidge as a tentative and horny Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Harris as a generic tough dad, Bill Murray as a reliably blasé baddie, and Pete Davidson as slightly unhinged Pete Davidson. However, there seems to be no single original bone in the film, which gives way to half-baked comedic scenes braided with a trite thriller and family mystery.

The film starts with the lovable DJ (Miles J. Harvey) holding his stepfather Vincent (Harris) at gunpoint. DJ explains that none of what we see was in the cards for him, but he would only make sense if he went back to the beginning to tell the whole story. John Pollono's chaotic screenplay takes its time to intensify, whisking us back in time and proving DJ's words: family is something you don't worry about when things are good. In a flashback, we meet DJ's step-brother Rocco and his pregnant Italian girlfriend Marina (Lewis Pullman and Emanuela Postaccihini), who are mixed up in a brutal crime and are being targeted by Davidson's Lonny and Murray's Leftie, two quirky, bantering gangsters. We root for Marina, written as a generically earthy, sensual Italian woman, and a frantic Rocco when they reach Maine where DJ, his dad Vincent, and his mother Sandy (Gabrielle Union) live. Despite the holiday season setting, Montiel takes advantage of the holiday season to provide a nice juxtaposition to the crime-comedy he's steering. However, there are well-parsed flashbacks that enrich the present-day story, providing glimpses into the sweet beginnings of Rocco and Marina's relationship, the relatable geekiness of DJ, and Sandy introducing Vincent to her wealthy and disapproving parents suspicious of Vincent's suitability for their daughter. "Riff Raff" is a film that combines a mix of idiosyncratic comedy and serious thriller. The mysterious entanglement of the characters eventually makes sense, but the clarity and answers arrive too late, leading to a violent finale that feels unearned and out of place. The abrupt switch in tone between the two genres leaves the audience hungry for a better dark comedy with teeth and a sharper, more notorious crime flick. The film's director, Montiel and Pollono, navigates the story's shifts, but they get neither. "Riff Raff" is a family crime comedy directed by Dito Montiel, which takes its time to get going and uses none of its story swerves to build on its dramatic themes or one-note humor. The film begins with a fleeting prologue where meek teenager DJ (Miles J. Harvey) holds an older, bloodied man, Vincent (Ed Harris), at gunpoint. They get along exceptionally well, but the film's established ideas of love and family don't come into play until they are deployed. The film's fun family dynamic is interrupted by the sudden arrival of Vincent's estranged son Rocco (Lewis Pullman), his pregnant Italian girlfriend Marina (Emanuela Postacchini), and his passed-out mother Ruth (Jennifer Coolidge), i.e., Vincent's foul-mouthed, filter-less ex). They claim to have shown up to celebrate the new year with family, but Vincent is immediately suspicious that Rocco is in some kind of trouble. An older, violent mafioso, Leftie (Bill Murray), and his young, well-dressed associate Lonnie (Pete Davidson), embark on a road trip in search of a target. The two halves of Vincent's family life come crashing together, resulting in interactions that are initially amusing, since they all come from a place of broad caricature buoyed by insecurity. Pullman takes on the role of a leather jacket-wearing "bad boy" with a temper and daddy issues, making him a treat to watch. Newcomer Harvey is equally intriguing as a minuscule boy with a big heart and big dreams, on the verge of leaving for college. He also happens to be dealing with romantic heartbreak in strange, perhaps overly logistical ways, given his scientific inclinations. Postacchini's Marina gets to throw a few life and love lessons DJ's way, but these don't come in handy at any point in the story. Union's Sandy seems only as a "straight man" foil to some of the other, more chaotic characters, but she has little ethos of her own. While Harris' Vincent is verbose enough to command attention, his character only has the appearance of layers. These details help set up potential drama, but Montiel never takes advantage of this, spilling Vincent's secrets to his family only once it's time for things to wrap up. Despite establishing potentially fun and explosive dynamics, "Riff Raff" takes a long, drawn-out approach to its story, with a fair few detours along the way that seldom amount to anything. Michael Covino is perhaps the movie's most alluring presence, as he ties the movie's various threads together. Unfortunately, it isn't worth the wait, given how quickly the movie's energy plateaus and never recovers.

The second installment in the Angry Birds series, inspired by an iPhone app, is much funnier and flappier than its predecessor. In 2016, Red (Jason Sudeikis) became Bird Island's unlikely hero, rescuing the eggs of its flightless birds from predatory green pigs from Piggy Island. However, when icy cannonballs from Eagle Island hit both communities, pig king Leonard (Bill Hader) insists on a truce and a plan of action. Red agrees, assembling a crew of sidekicks including Josh Gad's speed demon Chuck and his smarty-pants sister, Silver (Rachel Bloom). In this film, the angriest bird is a female: a pampered purple ice queen named Zeta, voiced by Leslie Jones. A Dawson's Creek-themed flashback reveals that Zeta's frostiness is the result of heartbreak, leading her to drown her sorrows with cocktails in self-imposed exile. Cameos from Awkwafina, Nicki Minaj, and Pete Davidson are amusing diversions, but Jones's dynamic voice work is the highlight. Tiffany Haddish as Zeta's minion, Debbie, whose expressive delivery and quicksilver timing have landed her parts in The Lego Movie 2, The Secret Life of Pets 2 and Netflix's Tuca & Bertie, is an honorary mention. The new creative team Thurop Van Orman and John Rice's film is a more enjoyable affair, still lacking the storytelling craft of a Pixar or a Laika but delivering gaudy, hit-and-miss fun. The film starts with a frenetic pre-credits sequence that throws a lot of gags at the screen and sees what sticks. After a simple set-up, the film begins to explore the relationship between the two islands and the threat posed by Eagle Island. However, the film is heavy weather stuff, with Red and his friends Bomb (McBride) and Chuck (Gad) not being the most winning protagonists. The set-pieces, like a speed dating sequence, fall flat, and a battle of wills between Red and Sparky super-smart science geek Silver (Bloom) is predictable. The Angry Birds Movie transforms into a Birds-And-Pigs-On-A-Mission movie, as a crew tries to infiltrate Zeta's island and disable the super-weapon. The movie features an assemble-the-team sequence, mission briefing, opera singing in a submarine, Garry the gadget guru, and Ethan Hunt-styled dangling. A sub strand involving three hatchlings, baby angry birds voiced by Nicole Kidman, Viola Davis, and Gal Gadot, has to recapture three eggs that have floated out to sea. The film also includes a huge whale, a journey to the stars, and a fearsome snake. The movie has the quality of a good self-contained short, taking absurd ideas and having fun with them. The movie also includes pop-culture raiding, such as The Great Escape, Dawson's Creek, David Bowie's 'Space Oddity', and Harold Faltermeyer's 'Axel F'. The best moments include a giant puppet eagle-cum-Trojan horse used by the gang to enter Zeta's HQ, and a set-piece of toilet humor. The second film stays on safer ground, deconstructing gung-ho macho heroics and persuasively arguing that things are always better when we work together.

The Angry Birds Movie, directed by animation veterans Clay Kaytis and Fergal Reilly, is a fun, offbeat, and vibrant animated comedy adaptation of the popular mobile game. The movie tells the story of how the flightless, multicolored birds slingshot themselves into pigs' fortresses to retrieve their stolen eggs. The film begins on a tropical island populated by happy bird-creatures, with Red, a short-tempered hero, sent to anger management. He meets a speed-demon fowl named Chuck and a volatile bomb called Bomb. When a boatload of green pigs arrive and drop anchor on Red's home, he and his friends take it upon themselves to figure out what these mysterious porkers are up to. The movie pairs the characters with their voice counterparts, with Jason Sudeikis as Red's sarcastic one-liners and Jason Sudeikis as Chuck. Danny McBride plays Bomb, along with comedians like Maya Rudolph, Keegan-Michael Key, Bill Hader, Kate McKinnon, and Sean Penn as Terrance. However, the story is a little sluggish at 95 minutes, taking about two thirds of the movie to reach a notable turning point when the pigs finally steal the eggs from the birds. The film also makes clever use of Mighty Eagle, voiced by Peter Dinklage, but the first hour or so feels padded out and takes the Family Guy approach to bits, only aimed at kids. One of the most grating examples is when the pigs start singing and dancing to Blake Shelton. The showstopper and highlight of Angry Birds is the final act, which is basically a revved-up version of the mobile game. The birds hurl themselves at the pigs' fortresses, causing them to collapse. The filmmakers spent most of their time and effort on this part, but it pays off well, with every bird getting their moment to shine, including more obscure ones like Hal and Bubbles. The Angry Birds Movie is a lighthearted and entertaining film that conveys the message that it's okay to be angry, especially when used effectively. Although it doesn't reach the level of emotional depth of DreamWorks or Pixar, it has a heart, particularly in relation to Red. The pacing is off, and most jokes are for children, but overall, it's a fun ride. Despite some issues, the voice cast is spot-on, and the animation and design work are beautifully adapted from the tropical color palette of the games. The finale is impressive, with a grandiose slingshot sequence and character-driven twist. However, there's a lack of more of the final act, which functions like a big-budget short film.