“King Arthur”- Legend of The Sword”… Charlie Hunnam of “Sons of Anarchy” fame passed up the “50 Shades Of Gray” franchise because he didn’t’ want to be known for soft porn. So instead his big debut as a movie star has him basically playing his “SOA” character in medieval times. At times, he’s as so Jax-like, I half-expected him to say “I got this”, before he off’d another bad dude. This movie is loud- overbloated with special effects and seems aimed at tween & teenage boys who love video games.
Pretty soccer boy David Beckham makes a cameo all uglied down on at least one side of his face- he’s in the scene where Arthur pulls the sword out of the rock. Just in case you don’t want to miss him, Director Guy Ritchie is seen in a flash, not to be confused with flashing.
Seeing this opens Mothers Day weekend and so many women LOVE Jax from “Sons Of Anarchy”, you’d think Charlie Hunnam would have been shirtless more- at least as much as he was in SOA. I mean one shirtless scene???!!! More proof that Guy Ritchie is a guy’s director. You’d think he would have learned a few things from ex-wife Madonna. The one positive: the clothes and hair were awesome. Jim might be happy to see his fellow Vikings playing such a big role. And to think there are 5 more of these movies on the way.
1 star
“Snatched”…a mother-daughter kidnap caper for your Mothers Day weekend. The good news is Goldie Hawn is back for the first time in 15 years! The bad news is this isn’t a great film. Not even good. It’s screwball comedy at best.
Amy Schumer returns for the first time since the instant classic “Trainwreck” as another boozy , loser who is dumped by her boyfriend on the eve of their dream vacation to Ecuador. After everyone else turns her down, she convinces mom to be her plus-one. Wanda Sykes and a mute Joan Cusack are fun as the couple they meet along the way. “Law & Order’s” Christopher Meloni stars as a crazy dude.
There are a few trademark Schumer moments..just not enough. And a silly silly premise. Maybe if you treat mom to a few drinks first…..Then again, maybe if you just make mom brunch and watch some old Goldie Hawn films on Netflix….
2 stars
“Paris Can Wait”…Eleanor Coppola (yes- Francis Ford’s wife and the Cope’s aunt) at 81 makes history as the oldest woman to make her fiction directorial debut on a loosely biographical PERFECT Mothers’ Day movie for the empty nester mom. Diane Lane stars as the wife of a busy director, who instead of joining her hubby on a flight, takes a road trip from the South of France to Paris with her hubby’s partner. It’s a travelogue and foodie paradise as you wonder will she or won’t she have an affair. It’s Diane Lane’s meatiest role since “Unfaithful” 15 years ago. No pun intended. Alec Baldwin stars as her hubby. It was supposed to be Nicholas Cage but he dropped out 10 days before the shoot began!! This was made pre-Alec-Trump. You can catch my interview with the Cope’s Aunt Ellie on “Sonstein Sessions” on the Iheartradio app.
2-and-a-half stars
“Lowriders”..Charlie Hunnam isn’t the only “SOA” star with a film opening this weekend. He competes with fellow SOA member Juicy, Theo Rossi , in “Lowriders”. This is a triple-a version of “The Fast & Furious” , focusing on a Hispanic family in East L.A.’s car culture. The dad is old school. His youngest is a talented graffiti artist and the oldest , Theo Rossi, was just sprung from prison. A very de-glammed Eva Longoria is the loving step-mom. Like “The Fast & Furious”, it’s all about the cars and family without the glitz and stunting. Low budget “Fast & The Furious”, with no humor but lots o heart.
2 stars