PITTSBURGH (Newsradio KDKA) - John Mowod, Mowod On Movies, talks it up with Larry and Kevin of the KDKA Radio Morning Show. Tune into 100.1 FM or AM 1020 KDKA at 7:05 for more in-depth movie news, reviews and trivia. This week we look at:
Free Guy (PG-13)
Starring: Ryan Reynolds and Jodi Comer
Free Guy is this summer's feel-good popcorn flick. The story of Guy (Ryan Reynolds) living each day almost exactly the same. Guy gleefully pops out of bed, dresses for work and takes his place behind the teller window of a bank every day. Every day! What Guy doesn't know is that he's an NPC, a non-player character, in an elaborate free world video game. In Truman Show-style guy discovers the reality of his not real world.
Reynolds plays Guy like a clean-cut Deadpool, with all the rapid-fire delivery and unbridled energy. Guy unexpectantly crushes on character Millie played by Killing Eve star Jodie Comer. Together they fight to save their world and, in the process, give us one of the funniest movies of the summer.
Respect (PG-13)
Starring: Jennifer Hudson and Forest Whitaker
Respect is the life story of R & B singer Aretha Franklin. Gamely played by Jennifer Hudson, Respect chronicles Franklin's career rise from childhood to the 1972 live recording of "Amazing Grace." Handpicked by Aretha herself, Hudson does her best to portrait the depth of character of the iconic singer by beautifully hitting every note. Unfortunately, the film plays like a made for TV biopic with uneven acting and a tiresome habit of over explanation.
Don't Breathe 2 (R)
Starring: Stephen Lang
The good news is Don't Breathe 2 is the sequel to 2016 hit horror/thriller flick Don't Breathe. The bad news is Don't Breathe 2 hasn't been screened for review which can sometimes be a sign that the producers and distributors aren't confident in this film and would rather rely on the original source material to get people into the theater. What we do know is that Stephen Lang is back as Norman Nordstrom but in this installment, Norman goes from villain to hero.
Movie News
Last week the box-office gave us one wide release. The Suicide Squad showed us that climbing out of this pandemic plagued box office will not be easy. In a year that feels like what's up is down and what's down is up, the critically praised reboot stumbled out of the gate with a relatively paltry $26.5 million opening weekend while the critically panned 2016 Suicide Squad roared with an opening weekend take of $133.7 million. This week gives us a variety of genres to sample including a horror/thriller, a biography/drama and a sci-fi/action comedy.