This is actually several weekends’ worth of movies lumped together in one review. I’ve been both lazy about writing and also seriously slacking on getting titles in!
The Accountant – As the official movie club pick of May, I definitely needed to re-watch this movie. That also had a lot to do with the fact that I hadn’t seen this since it came out in theaters in 2016! It’s really crazy to me how long it’s been. While I don’t know that I liked this film as much as I remember, it was still really entertaining. In my opinion, this was definitely part of a hot streak that Ben Affleck was on around that time. He plays Christian, an autistic CPA whose math skills are out of this world. While he does help your ordinary folks, he also happens to audit the books for many unsavory organizations and individuals. His most recent assignment seems pretty cut and dry when he’s asked to scrub everything for a tech health company before they end up going public, but it turns out there’s some dirty work there. Upon a re-watch, this is really Affleck’s shining moment with everyone else just barely supporting.
The Accountant 2 – The same cannot be said for the sequel! The fact that so many of the original cast members signed back on for this almost nine years after the fact is really impressive. This time around, the former treasury department director is murdered, so the current one really reluctantly enlists Christian’s help. In turn, Christian reaches out to his brother to lend a hand. The two hadn’t spoken since the first film came out, so there was some tension to work through in the beginning. Perhaps this film isn’t filled with as consistent performances, but I loved the comedic dynamic between Affleck and Jon Bernthal. The latter sold the heck out of his part and just proves why he’s so great. However, all of those lighter moments seemed a bit at odds with the really somber events that they were up against. Maybe I’ll rewatch this one in another nine years, too.
Spa Night – I am shook. Another 2016 film that had made its debut at Sundance was really stumping me. Our lead, David, looked so dang familiar to me, but it wasn’t until an internet search after the fact that I found out he had a recurring role in Cobra Kai. Wild! I have no clue how old this guy is. Anyway, he plays David, who, in order to help his financially struggling parents, takes up a job at a spa in Koreatown in LA. The things he witnesses there are rather explicit, but as a teenager, also makes him question many things about himself, including his sexuality and how to deal with that in his conservative community and family. This was a bit slow at times, but it was a unique story that I haven’t really seen before.
Thunderbolts* – This is perhaps the best Marvel film I’ve seen since Endgame, so that’s both sad and an achievement for Disney. In this film, a rag-tag gang of “losers” get accidently banded together to try and take down Valentina (who I didn’t really know anything about). But aside from taking down Valentina, they now also have to take down man-made superhero, Bob. Given his brutal past, his hero tendencies take a turn into the villain realm, but at his core he doesn’t want to do these bad things. Bob’s abilities make Yelena face all of her demons, but it doesn’t help just her to become more humanized. The script was sharp and fun, and I really liked that the biggest threat here was mental. I’m excited for more!
Fight or Flight – Think if Bullet Train met You’re Next. It’s takes the goofy, highly stylized action from the former and mixes it was some gnarly and rather creative deaths a la the latter. Lucas Reyes is a former secret service agent who’s been in hiding for several years after seeking justice against the wrong person. Now he’s been contacted to bring back a super genius to the FBI (I think). As Lucas attempts to find “the Ghost,” things get more complicated as a target is put on his back from a plane full of assassins out to make a nice chunk of change. Some of this is just violence for violence’s sake, but for the most part this was a fun film that did speak to higher moral values. It might not be one that sticks with me in the long run, but definitely will provide a fun time for those who tune in…and like chainsaws.
The Childe – After a brutal work week, I wanted to chill out with my favorite comfort movie. Sure, are chase and high action sequences really all that chill? Not necessarily, but this film does it for me. True love!