“Fight or Flight” 

(Action: 1 hour, 43 minutes) 

Starring: Josh Hartnett, Charithra Chandran and Katee Sackhoff

Director: James Madigan

Rated: R (Strong bloody violence, language throughout and some drug material.)

Movie Review:

The instinctive response to perceived threats or danger causes an individual to confront danger or attempt to escape. The phrase fight or flight describes this. Plenty of fighting happens in this action crime feature, and flight is unnecessary. “Fight or Flight’s” action scenes are entertaining enough that remaining in place to observe the ending is paramount.

Hartnett plays Lucas Reyes, a former Secret Service agent. He has been out of commission for years when Katherine Brunt (Sackhoff) calls him, offering him a chance to redeem himself. To do so, his task is to track down a high-priority asset onboard a plane and return the person safely. Reyes must protect the person from many, many assassins on the flight from Bangkok to San Francisco.

Think of Samuel L. Jackson’s “Snakes on a Plane” (2006), except the aircraft in “Fight or Flight” contains mainly killers. Basil Iwanyk, who also produced the John Wick films, and Madigan as director, engineer a movie that makes the most of a confined space, an airplane. On board, many action scenes happen. Even more, they have interesting characters.

Hartnett has a very serious appearance as an actor, yet he plays action and comedic roles well. Here, he is a fighting machine. His moments with an engaging Chandran are keen. They feed off each other to create interesting people. They exist in a wayward story during scenes, but it is fun.    

Grade: B- (Now boarding . . .)

 

“Shadow Force”

(Action: 1 hour, 44 minutes) 

Starring: Kerry Washington, Omar Sy and Mark Strong

Director: Joe Carnahan

Rated: R (Violence and strong language throughout.)

Movie Review:

“Shadow Force” is an asinine plot on multiple levels. While the characters may be mildly appealing, they are unconvincing. Action scenes also are lackluster. Often, the fight sequences are not enjoyable because they move too quickly or involve bad cinematography.

Kyrah Owens (Washington) and Issac Sarr (Sy) were once leaders of a world black ops group known as Shadow Force. Jack Cinder (Strong), former CIA chief and now Secretary-General of some G-7 group, is also the leader of the elite team of mercenaries and assassins. When Cinder realizes Owens and Sarr now have a young son, Ky Sarr (Jahleel Kamara), he plans to use the young boy as a lure to annihilate the traitorous parent for leaving his organization about five years prior.

First, you have an American leading a global entity similar to the United Nations or the European Union. Both institutions having an American executive are very unlikely, considering these institutions have rules for who can get elected. But messy politics exhibited in this screenplay aside, this movie lacks the conventionality to make itself persuasive.

Kerrey Washington is an enjoyable actress to watch. She has the attitude of an action star but seeing her in this role feels odd. Sy plays her estranged husband, and the father of their son. He is more plausible as an action star, but it appears they have him speaking French, mostly as a form of us being a showoff. However, the kid who plays their son, Jahleel Kamara, is the highlight of this show. He is believable and funny as a child actor and often steals scenes from the adults surrounding him.

Others in the movie are just there for one-liners or action scenes. Their talents are useless here as the plot proves inadequate.

Grade: D+ (Pointless, like fighting your shadow)

 

“Clown in a Cornfield”

(Slasher Horror: 1 hour, 36 minutes) 

Starring: Katie Douglas, Aaron Abrams, Carson MacCormac  

Director: Eli Craig

Rated: R (Bloody horror violence, strong language and teen drinking and sensuality)

Movie Review:

“Clown in a Cornfield” is an adaptation of Adam Cesare’s novel. The film contains plentiful horror tropes to the point that it is a commonplace slasher film, yet it offers bits of originality that offset those stale themes. The producers of this movie probably should’ve gone for a more comical take because some of the things are funny, but it does not seem they were intended to be that way.

This horror starts with two young people being killed in 1991’s Kettle Springs, Missouri, as they prepared to be intimate. Their killer is the clown Frendo, the town’s porkpie hat-wearing mascot for the town’s main source of jobs, a factory called Baypen Corn Syrup Factory. Jump to the present day, the factory is no longer in operation after a fire, yet teenagers are still running from the murderous clown. Enter Quinn (Douglas) and her father Dr. Glenn Maybrook (Abrams). They move to the small town at the wrong time. Frendo begins a killing spree again, targeting Quinn and her new friends.

This movie has the conventional scares of modern horror movies. It is amusing mainly because of characters’ actions — these people are comical personas. The slasher elements entertain until ruined when the clown mask comes off, and a killer explains the reasoning for hunting young people. Even more, the ending is left open-ended as this movie does not explain what happened to several secondary characters.

Grade: C+ (Frendo is no Pennywise the Dancing Clown, but he manages some frights.)

 

“Juliet & Romeo”

(Romance/Musical: 2 hours, 01 minutes) 

Starring: Clara Rugaard, Jamie Ward and Derek Jacobi

Rated: PG-13 (Some violence, bloody images and suggestive material.)

Movie Review:

“Juliet & Romeo” is another adaptation of the Shakespearean romantic tale “Romeo and Juliet.” This one has a beautiful setting and characters played by seasoned actors. However, musical sequences, even when affable, appear out of place.

In 1301 in Verona, Italy, Romeo Montague (Ward) and Juliet Capulet (Rugaard) are lovers with one major disadvantage. Their feuding families would never allow their union. The young lovers decide to formally marry as the rivalry between their families intensifies. Power shifts in Italy may upend the power of the Capulets and the Montagues, a plague on both their houses. 

Some interesting dramatic add-ons are interrupted by characters bursting into song and dance numbers. Producers and a multiracial cast, some of whom appear out of place, try to deliver something new to William Shakespeare’s tragedy. This romantic tale remains good enough that nothing extra is necessary.  

Grade: C- (Changing which name gets top billing does not make this ageless tale better cinema.)