EUyeshima

This 2025 farce definitely left a smile on my face since it showed great fidelity to the original "Naked Gun" trilogy, but I also have to admit it wasn't as laugh-out-loud funny as the professional critics led me to believe. Director/co-screenwriter Akiva Schaffer (along with Dan Gregor and Doug Mond) completely captures the frenetic pacing and sophomoric gags, but the hit rate on the latter just felt hit and miss at times. The rapid-fire dumb sight gags work like a charm like the flying windshield and the maniacal snowman, but some of the other bits like a "Double Indemnity" seduction riff and a "Buffy" recap meltdown didn't quite resonate. The plot focuses on Lt. Frank Drebin Jr. Who follows in his father's footsteps, even though his aggressive tactics constantly threaten to close Police Squad. This time he investigates the murder of a software engineer tied to a billionaire entrepreneur not coincidentally modeled after a certain presidential ex-adviser. As Drebin, Liam Neeson is game for the shenanigans and plays his deadpan role with brio. In what is turning into an impressive career reinvention, Pamela Anderson is pitch perfect as the murder victim's sister, a cross between a femme fatale and a screwball heroine expert at jazz scat singing. The rest of the cast perform in the right spirit, though honestly no one else stands out as much as the stars. There are nice cameos from Dave Bautista, Priscilla Presley (returning to her role as Drebin Sr.'s widow), and Busta Rhymes who is part of the movie's funniest exchange about manslaughter. Running a fleet 85 minutes, this comedy will please diehard fans of the spoof comedy sub-genre.

Maggie Cheung would have been the perfect Marnie or Eve Kendall in "North by Northwest" if she had an opportunity to work with Alfred Hitchcock in his prime. In a succession of gorgeous printed cheongsam dresses, she exudes the glamorous mystique that makes Tony Leung's character's inchoate attraction completely understandable. The irony is that she isn't playing a seductress but quite the opposite in director/screenwriter Wong Kai-Wai's acclaimed 2000 romantic drama, which is being re-released into arthouse theaters this month. Set in Hong Kong in 1962, the story focuses on a central couple, Su Li-zhen and Chow Mo-wan, with a straightforward narrative that exposes a multitude of emotional complexities. Both married but not to each other, they're unexpected neighbors who develop a codependency through their mutual loneliness and gradually discover their spouses are having an affair. Determined to remain chaste despite the constant temptation, their deepening friendship still can't prevent them from falling in love. With their movie star looks, Cheung and Leung convey their characters' inner turmoil with subtle conviction and quite often in sensually silent gazes. All the technical elements enhance the power of the film immeasurably - Christopher Doyle's evocative cinematography, Williams Chang's rich production design and striking costumes, even the repeated use of Osvaldo Farrés' "Quizás, Quizás, Quizás" on the soundtrack. While I can see how some people may get bored by it, the film's seductive pull is unmistakable.

Despite a multitude of plot contrivances, the 2025 reboot is ultimately a success thanks primarily to a pervasive sense of humor and an unapologetic return to the open-hearted earnestness of the Christopher Reeve years including John Williams' heroic theme music. Director, screenwriter and DC Studios co-head James Gunn has thrown out not only the darkness of Zach Snyder's last two Superman entries but also gratefully the more-than-familiar origin story. The plot instead picks up Superman three years after gaining prominence saving the world from disaster. Still maintaining his alter ego as bumbling intrepid reporter Clark Kent, he's in a burgeoning but prickly relationship with fellow Daily Planet reporter Lois Lane. This time, Superman is a more flawed being as he grapples between his alien and human identities, a point capitalized by arch-nemesis Lex Luthor, who while quite brilliant, is still psychotically jealous of the superhero. All of that is familiar ground, so there are new players introduced like the metahumans with superpowers equal to Superman's, the "Justice Gang" of fellow heroes each with unique powers, and not least of all, Krypto the Superdog. Add a third-world revolution, a meta-prison called a "pocket universe", and a not-so-subtle political consciousness that crosses over to current events, and you'll find enough material for three sequels. In response, the cast is terrific starting with David Corenswet who manages to add a credible naïveté and vulnerability to a heroic portrayal of Superman rife with expectations. He comes closest to replicating Reeve's humanistic approach. Rachel Brosnahan brings the right level of stubborn spunk to Lois, evoking classic smart women from an earlier era like Rosalind Russell (though I still missed Margot Kidder's quirkiness). As a baby-faced Luthor, Nicholas Hoult is believably malevolent even if his character is clearly modeled after Elon Musk. There are also standout turns from Edi Gathegi as the poker-faced Mr. Terrific and Nathan Fillion in an ugly bowl haircut as Guy Gardner. Fans of the Richard Donner/Richard Lester films should rejoice.