Chaos Walking (2021, Doug Liman) is a nifty B-movie with the cast and budget of a tentpole. Within its humdrum YA trappings lies an uproarious sci-fi story dealing with hostility between the sexes.
Some people land on a new planet and colonize. But there’s one catch: the unfiltered thoughts of men can be heard there. The men in town don’t like that the women can know what they’re thinking, but they can’t know what the women are thinking. So they carry out mass gendercide. That’s the backstory.
As a result of this misogynist, homicidal dystopia there’s this one guy who, after his wife was murdered, finds true love with another man. They live on a farm, raise a boy, and have a really cute dog. They have a perfect life. The boy’s name is TODD HEWITT.
One day a girl falls from out of the sky and lands in the town. And Todd finds her. All Todd thinks about is how pretty she is, her yellow hair, kissing her, and protecting her. All the men in Chaos Walking are shallow and easy to read; but the women are strong, powerful, targets of male aggression we root for to rid themselves of their oppressors.
The girl, VIOLA, also has this portable dirtbike that’s really cool. Anyways, the potent subtext of Chaos Walking sets it apart from most shallow, empty product Hollywood’s churning out. And it’s such an unexpected mix of camp fun and big ideas (both church and state are harmful to women) nestled in its showcase device that it’s got instant mod cult favorite cred.
3/9/2021 AMC Madison Yards 8
Atlanta, GA
DCP
Coming 2 America (2021, Craig Brewer) is Crazy Rich Asians in Africa, padded with pop-culture references substituted for humor. But it also spends most of its runtime with callbacks to the original, in a similarly unfunny, desperate, way.
Coming 2 America doesn’t so much feel like a movie as it does a charity benefit variety show remembering when Eddie Murphy was still funny. I can’t recall the last time a sequel showed as many clips from its predecessor. The gratuitous pandering with returning cast reprising their roles is a ploy to get idiots to feel in the know because they can identify them from the first movie. Same problem with all the 90s pop culture references, which is most inexplicable.
Coming 2 America doesn’t so much feel like a movie as it does a lame 30 year high school reunion. There’s a party, decorations, and an endless assortment of dance numbers. The clip show within the movie allows us to share our memories of how everyone looked 30 years ago. We get to laugh at how fun it is to hear songs we haven’t heard in 30 years.
The blooper reel at the end proves this movie is made by people who aren’t funny but sat down and all asked each other what’s funny.
3/7/2021 Landmark Midtown Art Cinema
Atlanta, GA
DCP
