“Riff Raff”

(Comedy/Crime: 1 hour, 43 minutes)

Starring: Jennifer Coolidge, Ed Harris, Bill Murray, Gabrielle Union and Pete Davidson

Director: Dito Montiel

Rated: R (Strong violence, pervasive language, sexual content/nudity and drug use.)

Movie Review:

For a movie where characters talk about family values, “Riff Raff” is very violent, and family members constantly curse and belittle each other. Their actions fit. The family involved have connections to mobsters. “Riff Raff” entertains, even as its conclusion is irrational.

Vincent (Harris) is a former criminal, a mob enforcer. He now lives a luxurious family life with Sandy (Union) and their son DJ (Miles J. Harvey). Their lives are peaceful until Vincent’s older son Rocco (Lewis Pullman) arrives with his pregnant girlfriend Marina (Emanuela Postacchini) and his drunkard, foul-mouthed mother Ruth (Coolidge), Vincent’s ex-wife. Their reunion is not a happy occasion. Trouble follows Rocco. A malevolent Leftie (Murray) and his henchman, Lonnie (Davidson) have other plans for the family when they arrive unannounced.

“Riff Raff” has a “Pulp Fiction” (Director Quentin Tarantino, 1994) impression. It contains an interesting large cast. Each contributes to the thrills of this crime comedy.

Told in sequences of flashbacks by several characters, this tale leads to a finale with everyone in a spacious room. Each asynchronous recounting of the past adds to the story. The reason everyone ultimately hates at least two others in the room is understandable. These people’s secrets and their actions make this movie entertaining.

The script by Dito Montiel (“Man Down,” 2015) remains true to this movie tagline: ‘Crime is a family affair.’ The asynchronous storytelling appears like bad editing at moments, but the story works until the wishy-washy last scene.

Grade: B- (Better than riffraff.)

“My Dead Friend Zoe”

(Drama/Comedy: 1 hour, 38 minutes)

Starring: Sonequa Martin-Green, Natalie Morales, Ed Harris and Morgan Freeman

Director: Kyle Hausmann-Stokes

Rated: R (Strong language and thematic elements)

Movie Review:

This drama concerns itself with United States’ military veterans.

Based on the short film “Merit x Zoe” (2022), “My Dead Friend Zoe” marks the full-length film directorial debut of Kyle Hausmann-Stokes, a combat veteran of Iraq and recipient of the Bronze Star. The director and his co-writers use comedy in an otherwise serious subject. The movie is mainly a drama with inserted humor. The humor is not always timely, but it helps one better understand the title character.

People process grief differently. This is very true for Merit (“Star Trek: Discovery’s” Sonequa Martin-Green). She is an Army Afghanistan veteran. Her departed best friend Zoe (Natalie Morales) remains a major presence in Merit’s life. VA Counselor Dr. Cole (the famed actor and Air Force veteran Morgan Freeman) and others try to help Merit alleviate her pain, but Merit remains self-isolated mentally. This changes when Merit goes to take care of her disgruntled grandfather Dale (Ed Harris), a retired Army lieutenant colonel suffering from dementia.

A buddy comedy and a sound drama are mixed to create a movie with nice tension between its main characters and their audience. This is because Kyle Hausmann-Stokes and co-writers’ story has a sense of mystery. They let their audience wonder how Zoe died. They allow flashbacks to show the evolving friendship between Merit and Zoe while slowly creating an atmosphere that leads to the inevitable.

The movie is surprising because Zoe’s death is not evident until near the conclusion. At this point, Merit’s pain is realized, and one understands why she carries tremendous self-guilt. The cast, especially Martin-Green, Harris and Morales, aids in portraying their characters well enough that pain and joy are equally eminent.

Grade: B (Even in death, best friends remain.)

“Last Breath”

(Drama/Thriller: 1 hour, 33 minutes)

Starring: Woody Harrelson, Simu Liu and Finn Cole

Director: Alex Parkinson

Rated: PG-13 (Strong language)

Movie Review:

A 2012 true story is the basis for “Last Breath,” an engaging retelling of what happened hundreds of feet below sea level. Duncan Allock (Harrelson), Dave Yuasa (Liu) and Chris Lemons (Cole) are three seasoned deep-sea divers. After turbulent waters cause the men to abort their mission, unforeseen circumstances trap Lemons below the surface. He struggles to survive as his team of divers and the ship’s bridge crew work to retrieve the diver.

A talented cast does a good job. Harrelson is more tame than usual. Liu has the quiet leading man, hero appeal. Cole’s youthful appearance gives him an every-man appeal. Together, they help tell a remarkable story about Chris Lemmons’ survival after a lack of oxygen for approximately 29 minutes.

The television documentary “Last Breath” (2019) debuted. Its directors were Alex Parkinson, mainly a teleplay and documentary director, and Richard da Costa. Parkinson remakes the documentary into a dramatic thriller, although it still has a documentary feel. “Last Breath” does not feel like a big Hollywood production.

Grade: B- (Breathe; it is interesting.)

“A Sloth Story”

(Animation/Adventure: 1 hour, 30 minutes)

Starring: Teo Vergara, Leslie Jones and Olivia Vásquez

Directors: Tania Vincent, Ricard Cussó

Rated: PG (Thematic material, violence, scary moments and language).

Movie Review:

Fast-moving sloths inhabit this movie. This is an oxymoronic facet of this animated movie from the start. Thus, the story already suffers from one negative for this family film, which is a nominal story.

After a terrifying storm destroys their home, The Romero-Flores, a family of sloths, move to the metropolis Sanctuary City in their rusted old food truck for business. Laura (Vergara) has other ideas. The preteen does not want to be a part of her family’s mobile food restaurant. After a shady corporate restaurant run by Dotty Paste (Jones) begins to lose customers, Paste steals the source of the Romero-Flores’ good food, a family cookbook well-guarded by Laura’s mother, Gabriella (Vasquez). Laura and her family venture to retrieve their family’s treasure from Paste.

“A Sloth Story” promotes good values concerning family and ethical actions. It also has a likable family. They take audiences on adventure.

Still, it is a scattered Australian screenplay about a Latino family. The plot, albeit adventurous, is spicy but simmers on low.

Grade: C (Sloth-style cuisine, slow cooked.)