twocents2

I was puzzled that this film was still in a theater in July 2025, ten months after its TIFF debut. It did win what seems to be an Oscar precursor there, but it got zero traction in theaters. Thirteen at my matinee, and I don't count. It won't hit $10M. I didn't think that I would want to know anything about Chuck Krantz, a nondescript accountant. But I'm glad I invested the time.

It's told in reverse order by a huge ensemble cast and feels very much like Stephen King. Writer/director Mike Flanagan adapted his story. The East and West coasts are crumbling and burning. The world in general is undergoing an apocalypse. You know because nobody has cell phone service. TVs show the crisis worldwide, then they go in emergency signal mode or you just see Chuck ads. Stoic divorced schoolteacher Marty (Chewitel Ejiofor) eats pizza and drinks whiskey to numb the pain. His ex, nurse Felicia (Karen Gillan) calls him and they platonically reconnect because misery loves company. On his way over, he meets a kind mortician (Sam Yarborough). In the second act, we finally meet Chuck. He's in town, which looks like a studio set, for a business conference. On his way to the hotel, he meets a Juilliard dropout drummer busking, starts dancing, and ropes in a redhead bookstore worker (Annalise Basso) who just got dumped by text. They have a charming three minute or so dance on the street, which fills the busker's hat. The third act has a young boy Chuck (Benjamin Pajak). His grandmother (Mia Sara) taught him a bunch of dances. He joins a dance and twirlers club at school with a pretty older girl. The teacher, Miss Rohrbacher (Samantha Sloyan) was fun. They dance wonderfully at a school dance. The horror element involves grandfather Albie (Mark Hamill). There was something to enjoy in each act, though the film's quality kept diminishing. It was about five or ten minutes too long, but I loved the existential tone. The dance sequences were so gratifying to watch after the first act's disasters. Tom Hiddleston anchored the film well enough, even though this is not a traditional lead role.

This was an excellent summer blockbuster choice to get out of the elements and enjoy an action film in a multiplex. I'm glad I decided to sneak in. Unfortunately, the crowd was 70% male so it was your typical sausage party. A pharmaceutical villain, Martin Krebs (Rupert Friend) recruits Zora Bennett (Scarlett Johannson) and paleontologist Henry Loomis (Jonathan Bailey) to get three blood samples in a globally forbidden area near the equator: Mosasaurus in water, Titanosaurus on land and Quetzalcoatlus in the air. She would get $10M for her trouble. She in turn enlists Duncan Kincaid (Mahershala Ali), a Suriname-based old pal crazy enough to steer his ship and crew there. Of course two of his flunkies get eaten up en route. Pass the salt.

To further clutter the film, they meet a family that barely escaped a Mosasaurus encounter - father Reuben (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo) and daughters Isabella (Audrina Miranda), 11, and college-bound Teresa (Luna Blaise), along with her fearless boyfriend Xavier (David Iacono). I didn't care much for these people. They just got in the way. But I did love it when Isabella adopts a baby Aquilops creature she dubs Dolores. That is a cute critter. The film is basically a cash cow vehicle. The acting is fine. I was very jaded going in knowing that ScarJo would make $20M and was a producer. Don't expect any major characters to die, though one actually does! The ending is a bit farfetched as to how to deploy the valuable samples. But this whole film is far fetched. Ali is a two time Oscar winner making major bank. Bailey is earning a pile while waiting to further explode in Wicked 2. JWR does its job, entertaining us on a weekend for $20. Entertainment is fun, so forget about the money and enjoy. It will soon get lost in the F1 and Superman frenzy anyway.

I had a hell of a time. It's pure Jerry Bruckheimer entertainment. Do not wait for streaming. You will regret not paying the $20 to $30. It's a packed house party at the multiplex. Avoid the first seven rows. I was in the eighth. F1 fans ripped it a new one, as expected. It's not a documentary. It's giving Ted Lasso vibes and is more of a long F1 commercial, but I can live with that. Product placement aplenty. The pre F1 Daytona scene at the start was gold, with that Led Zepellin rock music and high adrenaline. He took the $5,000 and declined the trophy, hat and watch spoils of victory. I wish I could just wake up, plunge my face in an ice bath, get coffee from a crew guy and perform. It set a high bar. Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes won't be nominated for any awards, but he capably put the film on his back, which the camera often lingered on. After almost two hours, it is revealed just how serious the underlying condition is that the scar actually signifies. That stunning crash was made possible for us via documentary footage of the aftermath of Martin Donnelly's 1990 crash! I'm sure the family appreciates the shout out.

His old teammate Ruben Cervantes (Javier Bardem), now owner of the APXGP Formula One team, tracks him down in Orlando. He's on the verge of bankruptcy, $350M in the red and persuades Sonny to come to London and be the Savior. Josh Pierce (Damson Idris) is their brash rookie. His role is underwritten, but the exposure will relaunch his career at 220 miles per hour. Kate McKenna (Kerry Condon) is the technical director, the first female to do so in F1. Tobias Menzes from The Crown is a cookie cutter villain on the team board cooking up a deal to sell for a big profit if they can finish out the season winless and block a three year extension for Ruben. He also has a scar, on his face, which should be a red flag right from the start.

We're pretty sure what will happen, just not how. It's a very DEI cast. A young blonde woman is even in the pit crew. She screws up, but stands up for herself at the end in yet another cliché this film dishes out by the minute. Condon was great. I loved her dress in Las Vegas and her sexy accent. The Oscar nominee doesn't need more exposure, but will get tons of it via F1. The Menzes machinations were actually a surprise, since we're focused on what happens on the track and not behind the scenes. The Hans Zimmer score is his typical top notch work. I loved the movie. Only serious impactful films get the highest grade. But as for unabashed Hollywood Entertainment, this rates merely a notch below.