Nosferatu [2024] plus Short Takes on other cinematic topics

Want Some Dinner?  Just a Bite!

Reviews and Comments by Ken Burke

I invite you to join me on a regular basis to see how my responses to current cinematic offerings compare to the critical establishment, which I’ll refer to as either the CCAL (Collective Critics at Large) if they’re supportive or the OCCU (Often Cranky Critics Universe) when they go negative.  However, due to COVID concerns I’m mostly addressing streaming options with limited visits to theaters, where I don’t think I’ve missed much anyway, but better options are on the horizon.  (Note: Anything in bold blue below [some may look near purple] is a link to something more in the review.)

My reviews’ premise: “You can’t please everyone, so you got to please yourself.”

(from "Garden Party" by Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band, 1972 album of the song’s name)

If you can abide plot spoilers read on, but this blog’s intended for those who’ve seen the film or want to save some $ (as well as recognizing those readers like me who just aren’t that tech-savvy).  To help any of you who want to learn more details yet avoid these all-important plot-reveals I’ll identify any give-away sentences/sentence-clusters with colors plus arrows: 

⇒The first and last words will be noted with arrows and red.⇐ OK, now continue on if you prefer.

Nosferatu  (Robert Eggers, 2024)  rated R  132 min.

Here’s the trailer:

      (Use the full screen button in the image’s lower right to enlarge its size; 

      activate the same button or use “esc” keyboard key to return to normal.)

WHAT HAPPENS: In the early 1800s a young woman, Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp), makes a private plea for some supernatural being to cure her loneliness; unbeknownst to her, this seems to awaken a deadly monster, the vampire Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård), whose voice comes to Ellen in dreams and visions, telling her she will be with him eternally.  In 1838 Ellen finds herself married to Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) in a German port town, Wisberg; he’s a young man trying to make a career in real estate.  His employer, Herr Knock (Simon McBurney), gives him a chance to finalize a big deal, selling the local abandoned Grünewald Manor to Romanian Count Orlok (no one in Germany, including Ellen, knows who he is, but we’ll find out later Knock is his servant, apparently a bit of a vampire-apprentice because he’s obviously been bitten by Orlok, yet as vampire lore goes, the monster can temper his attack on a victim so the person becomes an obedient slave or another vampire or dies).  Against Ellen’s protests (she’s had a disturbing dream where she willingly meets Death), Thomas is off to the Carpathian Mountains in Romania’s province of Transylvania where both the gypsies and locals pull away from him when they learn he’s there for business with Orlok.  

 

 When he arrives (via mysterious means) at Orlok’s castle the necessary papers are signed, including a cryptic one Ellen later learns duped Thomas into ending his marriage.  Thomas stays the night, awakens the next day to find bite marks on his chest, then discovers the Count asleep in a coffin but fails to kill him with a stake.  He escapes, is nursed back to health by local nuns, finally is able to return home.  Meanwhile, Orlok has set sail for Wisburg, bringing plague-infested rats; he kills the crew along the way, the ship finally crashing into the city’s harbor with the rats creating havoc on the population.  By this time, Ellen’s having seizures which Dr. Wilhelm Sievers (Ralph Ineson) can’t cure so he brings in his mentor, Albin Eberhart von Franz (Willem Dafoe), an expert in the occult but ostracized by the medical community because of that, yet he understands Ellen’s under the spell of the horrid vampire, called the Nosferatu.  ⇒So is Knock, institutionalized for killing and eating sheep raw.  Knock escapes his confinement, leads Orlok to his new home.  The vampire visits Ellen, tells her she must commit to him within 3 nights or he will kill Thomas, allow the rats to kill everyone else (they’ve already ravaged her friend Anna [Emma Corrin] and her children).  Von Franz conspires with Ellen to sacrifice herself to Orlok allowing him to feast on her blood until he's startled by the rising sun, killing him with her dying just afterward, grieving Thomas by her side.⇐

SO WHAT? Since at least when Bram Stoker published his novel of Dracula (1897) tales of destructive undead-human-vampires have moved from folklore to popular media, including movies from Universal Studios in the 1930s-‘40s and Hammer Studios in the 1950s-‘70s with Bela Lugosi and John Carradine starring in the former, Christopher Lee in the latter.  However, there’s also been a minor side-development of this story of a Romanian blood-sucker beginning with famed German Expressionist director F.W. Marnau’s silent classic Nosferatu: Sympathy of Horror (1922)—starring Max Schreck as the evil creature—which generally followed Stoker’s story but, as it was produced without copyright permission, he changed the names of the characters and reset the ancient vampire’s transport to new hunting grounds from England to Germany (“Nosferatu” is the name given to the hideous creature Count Orlok has become in his pact with the Devil).  This version of the narrative was much-later remade by Werner Herzog as Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) as part of the later 20^th century German New Wave movement, this time starring terrifying Klaus Kinski (but now the character names come from Stoker, plus there’s a chilling, surprising addition at the film's end).  

 

 This current Nosferatu is a remake of these earlier versions, adding its own elements to the original (just as the most near-faithful version of Stoker’s book I’m aware of—Francis Ford Coppola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula [1992]–followed the long-ago novel very closely, yet added religious elements to the beginning and end that ultimately change the tone of the story, shifting its final message from execution to redemption).  This new version certainly looks like the Gothic horror tale it’s intended to be, although earlier versions of the Dracula story contain more direct religious connections such as the vampire being repelled by a crucifix or holy water, as well as other missing elements of vampire lore such as no reflection in a mirror, aversion to garlic, and the beast being able to turn into a bat or a wolf (in the Coppola version Dracula even turns into a swarm of rats at one point, possibly an allusion to those earlier Nosferatus); further, like the previous German films, this vampire is so hideously ugly, not like the more suave appearances of Lugosi, Carradine, or Lee.  There’s a consistently (effective) gruesome atmosphere throughout this production, with no romanticism of the horrid vampire nor any sense of hope for Ellen and Thomas as if fate has determined their misery.

BOTTOM LINE FINAL COMMENTS: The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has embraced this new Nosferatu with 4 Oscar nominations in what are considered technical categories: Best Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair (plus a lot of other pending noms from other organizations)—all of which I agree with, but I think its best chance to win is in the first one as it’s up against Wicked (John M. Chu, 2024; review in our February 1, 2025 posting) for all of the others.  The CCAL’s quite supportive as well with the Rotten Tomatoes positive reviews at 85% while the Metacritic average score is at 78% (a decent level of support from these misers).  If you haven’t seen it yet and are interested you might be able to find it in a domestic (U.S-Canada [depending on how the threatened tariff situation sits from day-to-day]) theater as it’s still in 983 of them (opened on December 25, 2024 in 2,992 venues, having grossed to date $94.8 million, $172.3 million globally) or, probably considerably more conveniently, you can turn to streaming where it’s available to rent for $19.99 from Apple TV+.  If the graphic sight of blood being ripped from the neck or chest of a vampire’s victim is hard for you to watch, I’ll advise some caution in seeing this spooky, well-crafted movie (such scenes aren't too frequent, though), but if you can bear such imagery, I think you’d soon find this presentation of the Dracula/Orlok story to be fascinating, even if you’re quite aware of this character due to his many earlier screen incarnations.  

 

 As you might know from previous exposure to this blog (yet, if not, do come back again) I finish off each review with a device I call a Musical Metaphor; however, I had a hell (so to speak) of a time coming up with one that’s truly appropriate to this film, so I finally settled on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising” (their 1969 Green River album) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkqfPuQhW9I (a 1970 concert at London’s Albert Hall); yeah, I know, this song would be more directly appropriate to pair with dangerous weather disasters or even a story about lycanthropes (as was done successfully in An American Werewolf in London [John Landis, 1981; also well worth your time to watch which you can do for a $3.99 rental at Apple TV+ and Amazon Prime Video or for free at a couple of other platforms I know nothing about]), but stretch your embrace of a metaphor and accept a similar warning about vampires: “Don’t go around tonight / Well, it’s bound to take your life / There’s a bad moon on the rise […] I hear the voice of rage and ruin.”  It’s a shame Ellen was born so very long before this song came out, because she might have benefitted greatly from hearing it.

         

SHORT TAKES

               

Related Links Which You Might Find Interesting:

 

Some options: (1) What's new on Netflix in February 2025; (2) What's new on Amazon Prime Video in February 2025; (3) What's new on Hulu in February 2025; (4) What's new on Disney+ in February 2025; (5) What's new on Max in February 2025; (6) Nosferatu's huge Christmas debut; (7) Nosferatu director Robert Eggers discusses aspects of his film; and (in regard to Emilia Pérez [review in our February 1, 2025 posting]) (8) Netflix distances itself from the Karla Sofia Gascón controversy; (9) 6 films with the best chance to win Oscar's 2025 Best Picture.

 

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Short Takes on Emilia Pérez, Wicked: Part I, A Real Pain, Back In Action, and some other cinematic topics

Two Guys Reviews Back From the Dead

Reviews and Comments by Ken Burke

2/1/2025—I had originally intended to post all of these comments a couple of days ago but various events came up during this week, including visiting a friend who’s now fading away in hospice; next week should be back to standard late Wednesday night/early Thursday morning postings (hopefully).

I invite you to join me on a regular basis to see how my responses to current cinematic offerings compare to the critical establishment, which I’ll refer to as either the CCAL (Collective Critics at Large) if they’re supportive or the OCCU (Often Cranky Critics Universe) when they go negative.  However, due to COVID concerns I’m mostly addressing streaming options with limited visits to theaters, where I don’t think I’ve missed much anyway, but better options are on the horizon.  (Note: Anything in bold blue below [some may look near purple] is a link to something more in the review.)

My reviews’ premise: “You can’t please everyone, so you got to please yourself.”

(from "Garden Party" by Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band, 1972 album of the song’s name)

 As you might know, Film Reviews from Two Guys in the Dark has literally been in the dark for the last couple of weeks due to my computer finally giving up the ghost (2011 iMac desktop, bought used in 2020 but even in our short time together had to have a couple of major repairs done, so it was always a bit tentative); I’ve now got a new one (well, used again, but from 2019, much improved in operation, hope to interact with it for some years; here I am learning to use it while typing up this posting, trying to match its colorful background with my own long-ago attire).  Of course, I’m still turning to streaming for cinematic encounters (which brought up another problem with my Apple password, but I’ll spare you the details) with my reactions here, the reviews being done in Short Takes fashion to keep this posting as sane as possible for both you and me (I’ve also got quite a lot in the Related Links section far below; sorry to be so late with the “What’s New on …” listings for January 2025, but they’ll likely still be there in February).   Before diving into all of this, though, here are a couple of brief thoughts about major events in my world that have occurred during this hiatus.

 While I live in the San Francisco area (moved here in 1984 from Texas [also had 2 years in NYC, which were quite enough in the early 1970s]), I have great sympathy for the thousands who’ve died, been displaced, lost most or all of what they had, etc. in the horrible fires in the greater Los Angeles area, which sadly enough are still burning despite recent rainfall in the area, which could bring more disasters from landslides/mudslides due to the now-barren terrain.  I encourage you, even if you live far from L.A., to consider sending some relief to the area through any means you prefer.  I’ve donated to the Red Cross, but there are many other options available so please help these disaster-hit-folks if you can (or, if you’d rather, there are also plenty of people in the Southeastern U.S. and Gaza in the Middle East dealing with their own disasters, so just help where you can, as you can).

 But, speaking of disasters, I’ll get political for a moment (can’t do that too often now or ICE may put me on a military plane, deport me back to Texas) and note that this half-mast-flag photo isn’t—for me, today at least—about the late U.S. President Jimmy Carter, but instead reflects my fears about what’s to come during the next 4 years under current President Agent Orange given all the atrocities he’s presented us with now in just under 2 weeks.  Another thing I’ve watched recently (rewatched, actually) is the documentary No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (Martin Scorsese, 2005  [available to rent: Apple TV+ $4.99, Amazon Prime Video $5.99; also on PBS Passport for subscribers—$5 monthly]) where I was reminded he says his song “A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall” (1963 album The Freewheellin’ Bob Dylan) wasn’t directly about the threat of nuclear war due to the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis but about increasing social crises in general at the time.  I think it’s just as relevant today, so give a listen please then move on the reviews where I’ll try to “know my song well before I start singin’. “  Maybe with the new computer I’ll be able to do that.  Shelter would be useful as well.

SHORT TAKES

If you can abide plot spoilers read on, but this blog’s intended for those who’ve seen the film or want to save some $ (as well as recognizing those readers like me who just aren’t that tech-savvy).  To help any of you who want to learn more details yet avoid these all-important plot-reveals I’ll identify any give-away sentences/sentence-clusters with colors plus arrows: 

⇒The first and last words will be noted with arrows and red.⇐ OK, now continue on if you prefer.

                       Emilia Pérez (Jacques Audiard, 2024)

                                           rated R   132 min.

Here’s the trailer:

        (Use the full screen button in the image’s lower right to enlarge its size; 

        activate the same button or use “esc” keyboard key to return to normal.)

 I’ll begin with this one as it’s earned 13 Oscar nominations, the most of any 2025 contender—including Best Picture (also nomded by the Producers Guild of America), International Feature, Director (also nomded by the Directors Guild of America), Actress, Supporting Actress (both women, Karla Sofia Gascón and Zoe Saldaña, also nomded by the Screen Actors Guild), Adapted Screenplay (also nomded by the Screenwriters Guild of America), Cinematography (also nomded by the American Society of Cinematographers*) and International Feature—plus it won at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival for Best Actress (all 3 female leads, the 2 mentioned plus Selena Gomez) and Soundtrack, along with Golden Globes for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language, Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture (Saldaña), Best Original Song (“El Mal”), along with many more awards, pending possibilities, and nominations.  Briefly, it’s about a Mexico City defense attorney, Rita Mora Castro (Saldaña), who’s disgusted with her colleagues’ trial maneuvers, then is recruited by drug cartel kingpin Juan “Manitas” Del Monte (Gascón, as a man) to help him fulfill a lifelong desire, for gender surgery to become a trans-woman.

 Once this is in place he arranges for his wife, Jessi (Gomez), and children to be sent to Switzerland, allowing him to fake his death, emerge as Emilia Pérez (also Gascón), a supposed cousin of Manitas.  4 years later in London, Emilia encounters Rita who arranges for the family to return to Mexico so Emilia (shades in a way of Mrs. Doubtfire [Chris Columbus, 1993]) can be close to her kids; Jessi initially objects (although she doesn’t recognize Emilia [!]) but agrees so she can be with former-lover Gustavo Brun (Édgar Ramírez).  Emilia then has regrets about her criminal past, sets up a nonprofit to identify bodies of cartel victims, with a widow, Epifania Flores (Adriana Paz) getting into a relationship with Emilia.  However, she becomes angry over the affair of Jessi and Gustavo, cuts off ex-wife’s allowance resulting in the vengeful lovers kidnapping Emilia, demanding a ransom.

*See the aforementioned Related Links section below for links to PGA, WGA, ASC, SAG, and DGA sites for info on all of their other nominees; there's also a link for that full slate of 2025 Oscar noms.

⇒A gun battle occurs at the ransom payout, many are killed, with Emilia finally confessing the truth to Jessi.  Gustavo tosses Emilia into his car trunk, drives off with Jessi as a passenger; however, she pulls a gun on him, they struggle over it, the car crashes killing them all.  The story ends with Rita offering to be guardian of the children followed by a large street march, including Epifania, praising Emilia.⇐  As if this film hasn’t been novel enough already, it’s structured as a musical (!), a bit different from others in this genre as the songs generally aren’t stand-alone tunes that reflect what else goes on in the plot and dialogue but seem (to me, at least) to be additional dialogue simply set to music, my only qualm about this narrative, although the CCAL must have some similar concerns as it’s gotten only 74% positive reviews at Rotten Tomatoes, a 71% average score at Metacritic, but you can see for yourself at some domestic (U.S.-Canada) theaters or through streaming on Netflix (starts at $7.99 monthly, if you’re not yet a subscriber) which I’d strongly encourage you to see, if for no other reason than to celebrate Gascón as the first openly-trans actor to get an Oscar nom.  I’ll finish with my usual device of a Musical Metaphor, this time taking the easy route of using the film’s climatic song, "Las Damas que Pasan" (“The Ladies Who Pass,” written by Antoine Poi and Georges Brassens, although if, like me, you don’t speak much Spanish [Did I forget to tell you that you’ll need to read subtitles?  But for now you can get a translation of the lyrics to English at this useful site]).  I think you’ll find what has impressed all of that award consideration in lyrics such as these: “I dedicate this poem to the one who was so loved […] To the one who placed by our side, beside the damned / The flag of truth / To that brave figure, with her wonderful grace / Filled us with happiness.”  This is a most unusual film, which needs to be seen, not just read about, to be fully appreciated.  Full disclosure, though, I’ve just come across some offensive tweets Gascón posted in the recent past, for which she's now apologized, but still has drawn disappointed criticism from co-star Saldaña, so take all that into account in your consideration of exploring this film, which, ironically, focuses on inclusion of marginalized people, defiant challenges to their exclusion.

Wicked: Part I (Jon M. Chu, 2024) rated PG 160 min.

Here’s the trailer:

 Similar to Emilia Pérez, Wicked: Part I has scored a lot of Oscar noms—10 in this case—including for Best Picture (also PGA), Actress (Cynthia Eviro), Supporting Actress (Ariana Grande; also SAG for both women).  Unlike … Pérez, however, it comes from an extensive adaptations heritage beginning with L. Frank Baum’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900); the 1939 MGM movie The Wizard of Oz (Victor Fleming [starring Judy Garland]); another novel, Gregory Maguire’s Wicked: the Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (1995); and, of course, the play Wicked (music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz, book by Winnie Holzman), which began in SF in 2003, then became a smash hit on Broadway that year (the play’s much more gentle than the book [which I’d swear I read but can’t prove], with this new movie essentially the same as Act 1 of the stage version).  It begins with celebrations in Oz’s Munchkinland over the death of the Wicked Witch of the West as Glinda the Good (Witch of the North, Ariana Grande) recalls how she and the West Witch, Elphaba Thropp (Cynthia Eviro), were roommates at Shiz University where Galinda Upland (as she was called then) was rich, felt entitled while Elphaba, with green skin and magical powers, was shunned by all except for her younger, wheelchair-bound sister, Nessarose (Marissa Bode; they’re daughters of the governor of their region).  Eventually, Galinda and Elphaba are sent by Dean of Sorcery Studies Madame Morrible (Michele Yeoh) to visit the Wizard (Jeff Goldblum) who wants to recruit Elphaba for his campaign to strip talking animals of speech, turning them back into dumb beasts deprived of their rights (along the way, Galinda sends her Munchkin would-be suitor, Boq Woodsman [Ethan Slater], to Nessarose instead, while Fiyero Tigelaar [Jonathan Bailey] is attracted to Galinda, much to Elphaba’s disappointment).  At the Emerald City Elphaba discovers the Wizard’s just an ordinary man using technology to fool everyone; he’s also behind the animal-persecution. Angry, she casts a spell causing the Wizard’s guardian monkeys to suddenly, frantically grow wings.

 ⇒These 2 younger women attempt to leave in the Wizard’s balloon, but it’s damaged so Elphaba casts another spell to provide a flying broom for her escape.  (Glinda [she’s changed her name in honor of her former professor, a goat, Dr. Dillamond [voice of Peter Dinklage] who mispronounced it that way] stays behind; Governor Thropp [Andy Nyman] dies from a heart attack leaving Nessarose in charge of Munchkinland even as Morrible calls Elphaba a “wicked witch,” leaving us to wait until November 21, 2025 for Part 2, Wicked: For Good).⇐  The production clearly shows its $150 million budget, the female leads do a marvelous job, the scenes are active and colorful, the commentary about prejudice and social engineering is as relevant today as when the play first arrived, but why did it need to be so lengthy in delivering only half the story?  (In looking over summaries of the play and this movie I see only one added song, so what pumped it up to nearly 3 hours with so much more still to come?)  The CCAL’s supportive with RT at 88%, MC at 73%, so if you’re among the few who haven’t seen it yet it’s still in 2,131 domestic theaters (since Thanksgiving it’s made $469 million domestically [#3 for 2024], $717.7 million globally [#5 worldwide]) or find it on streaming where it rents for $19.99 from Apple TV+, Fandango at Home (maybe easier on your bladder), well worth a viewing despite the running time.  My official Musical Metaphor is the final song, "Defying Gravity" (from 2024, Wicked: The Soundtrack)  as Elphaba triumphantly flies away (“As someone told me lately / ‘Everyone deserves the chance to fly’ / And if I’m flying solo / At least I’m flying free”), yet I can’t help adding another one because of what Dorothy Gale will add to Part 2 so indulge me if you will with Judy Garland’s iconic "Over the Rainbow."  Now it’s back to Earth for our next reviews.

             

A Real Pain (Jesse Eisenberg, 2024) rated R 90 min.

Here’s the trailer:

 Jewish cousins David (Eisenberg) and Benji Kaplan (Kieran Culkin)—former lives in NYC with wife and child, latter lives upstate—were close but now often at odds due to Benji’s behaviors, including a recent suicide attempt via sleeping pills, go to Poland, join a small Holocaust tour of the Majdanek concentration camp near Lublin; they‘ll also visit where their late grandmother lived before immigrating to the U.S.  Other group members are mostly OK with Benji’s unpredictable actions (he even criticizes British tour guide James [Will Sharpe] as too academic rather than showing more emotion, a criticism he accepts as honest/useful).  Tensions often rise between the cousins but can be soothed on their hotel roof sharing a joint (Benji had pot mailed to him at the hotel before they left home).  One night at a group dinner, though, Benji pushes the envelope, gets some blowback, leaves so emotional David (usually keeps it together despite problems) tells of love/hate toward his cousin because he can’t understand how someone with so much passion for life could try to kill himself.  ⇒The cousins leave the tour to find Grandma’s old home in Krasnystaw where Benji tells David she was the only person willing/able to keep him in line so that’s why he’s so despondent at times, as he misses her so much.  Back at NYC’s JFK airport David invites Benji to visit, but he declines, prefers to stay at the airport to watch people there before finally catching his train home.⇐

 Compared to the 2 reviewed above this one’s light on Oscar noms, with only Culkin for Best Supporting Actor (also SAG; may have the inside track after winning the same award at the Golden Globes), Eisenberg for Original Screenplay (WGA too), but that doesn’t diminish this film’s worth.  I highly recommend it (still in 180 theaters; domestic gross $8.3 million, $16.4 million globally, also streaming on Apple TV+, Amazon Prime Video $19.99 buy, free on Hulu [$9.99 monthly subscription]), CCAL too—RT a hefty 96%, MC a high (for them) 86%.  I can’t fully be like Jewish descendants of Holocaust survivors visiting a Nazi death site (but Culkin’s not Jewish either, an early, then discarded, concern for Eisenberg), but I have seen firsthand the ghost-infused horrors of Auschwitz and Birkenau camps as well as the huge sculpture in Warsaw commemorating the 1944 Uprising against the Nazis there, shown in this film as the tour group poses with it.  I’ll leave you with my Musical Metaphor of Paul Simon’s “American Tune” (1973 There Goes Rhymin’ Simon album) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gvSuzPLmGdU (1981 concert at NYC's Central Park, reunion with Art Garfunkel) where lyrics like "I'm just weary to my bones / Still, you don’t expect to be bright and bon vivant / So far away from home […] I’m trying to get some rest” speak to me in subtle ways of various insights to be found in this quiet (except for Benji at times) and engaging film.

             

                                    Back in Action (Seth Gordon)

                                            rated PG-13   114 min.

Here’s the trailer:

 So, after all this Oscar-bait, how about an entertaining distraction with no significance at all except for getting Cameron Diaz back on screen for the first time since 2014.  There’s little substance here, except for a lot of well-choreographed fight scenes, but the star presence of Diaz and Jamie Foxx is always a pleasure to watch even in what’s easily seen as a mindless diversion from the day’s real-world troubles (as proof of that, here’s an account of how it drew 46.8 million streaming viewers in a mere 3 days).  The premise is CIA undercover operatives Matt (Foxx) and Emily (Diaz) are sent to Europe to retrieve a priceless device that can control any electronic system, which they do, but on the flight home the corrupted crew attacks them, leading to a bare escape from the plane crash, after which they go off the grid, marry, raise 2 kids in suburban Atlanta until years later their cover’s blown, forcing them “back in action.”  Turns out Matt hid the device in his mother-in-law’s, Ginny Curtis (Glenn Close), manor forcing Emily to confront Mom—herself a former MI6 agent—never a pleasant visit, as the parents take their kids along to England for safety, still not revealing their bold spy pasts.

 If you want more plot details you can visit this site, so I’ll just briefly note our hand-combat-expert couple—ultimately with help from Ginny—must defend themselves from both mercenaries and MI6 operatives, all of whom want the precious device, which at one point does fall into the wrong hands ⇒until all is put right again after more death and destruction (the kids finally learn their parents’ truth, even help in the finale, which presents some loose ends, implying a possible sequel, which is unlikely if critical response is worth much.)⇐  This movie’s earned an OCCU response of RT 25%, MC surprisingly higher at 46%, but I don’t think it’s that bad, just nothing to get excited above.  It streams on Netflix for free, but if you’re not yet a subscriber it’s as little as $7.99 monthly which will get you not only Back in Action but also everything else in their extensive library, such as Emilia Pérez and The Piano Lesson  (Malcolm Washington, 2024; 4-stars review in our December 11, 2024 posting) based on a famous August Wilson play.  I’m a bit tired at this point (justifiably so) so I’ll take the easy way out for a Musical Metaphor, using Johnny Rivers’ “Secret Agent Man” (on his 1966 …And I Know You Wanna Dance album) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RBHcW vqXUQI because it’s fun to listen to even if you’re not interested in this movie.  That’s all for now (except for all of the Related Links just below); I'll see you again next week in a more-normal mode.

                 

Related Links Which You Might Find Interesting:

Options: (1) What's new on Netflix in January 2025; (2) What's new on Amazon Prime Video in January 2025; (3) What's new on Max in January 2025; (4) What's new on Disney+ in January 2025; (5) What's new on Hulu in January 2025; (6) Complete list of 2025 Oscar nominations; (7) Oscar noms, snubs, surprises; (8) Film production needs to return to L.A.; (9) Producers Guild of America 2025 awards nominees; (10) Writers Guild of America 2025 awards nominees; (11) American Society of Cinematographers 2025 awards nominees; (12) Screen Actors Guild 2025 awards nominees; (13) Directors Guild of America 2025 awards nominees.

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Finally, for the data-oriented among you, Google stats say over the past month the total unique hits at this site were 4,983—a huge drop-off from the marvelous 40-50K of some recent months; never overestimate yourself! (As always, we thank all of you for your ongoing support with our hopes you’ll continue to be regular readers.)  Below is a snapshot of where those responses have come from within the previous week (with appreciation for the unspecified “Others” also visiting Two Guys’ site):