“The Odyssey” is still the talk of Hollywood, but if you already saw it or you’re still looking for something different this weekend, Richard Roeper has his take on some other new releases.
Here’s a look at what to watch or stream this week:
“Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (in theaters)
The darkest and most existential entry in the 21st century canon of “Spider-Man” movies is also one of the finest. “Brand New Day” finds Tom Hollander’s Peter Parker/Spidey balancing two realities—but no multiverses, thank the movie gods and the screenwriters. He alternates between lowering New York City’s crime rate on a daily basis and coping with the harsh reality that nobody, including his beloved M.J. (Zendaya) and his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon), can remember him.
Making matters more complicated: a certain iconic character from the extended MCU has surfaced, and might be more than a match for not only Spider-Man, but Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) and The Punisher (a scene-stealing Jon Bernthal). We get the expected, entertaining, CGI-infused action sequences and a welcome amount of comedic relief—but “Brand New Day” at its heart is about a man who is in mourning, who can see the love of his life and even interact with her, but is powerless to make her remember. It’s heartbreaking, and Holland and his real-life partner (and “The Odyssey” co-star) Zendaya further elevate the strong material with their beautifully calibrated performances. These are authentic, grounded characters in a tragic love story that just happens to be taking place in a superhero movie.
With cinematic influences ranging from the first “Iron Man” movie to the underrated Denzel Washington supernatural thriller “Fallen,” a couple of terrific surprise cameos and brilliant work from the leads, this is an encouraging sign that the wobbling Marvel Cinematic Universe is regaining its footing.
3.5 stars
“I Want Your Sex” (in theaters)
A few weeks after we squirmed through and yet admired Olivia Wilde’s sexually charged set piece “The Invite,” Wilde is a jarringly effective and provocative force as a toxic boss who apparently has received NONE of the modern-day memos about appropriate behavior in the workplace. I mean, Wilde’s contemporary artist Erika Tracy is such a manipulative, grotesque and predatory force that she makes the execs from “Mad Men” look pioneers in the field of sensitivity training. We don’t know whether to laugh or cringe at her antics. Usually it’s a bit of both.
Director Gregg Araki (the “Teenage Apocalypse” trilogy) is no stranger to pushing the envelope, and he tears it to shreds here with a dark, absurdist comedy/drama filled with stylistic flourishes and brightly colored set pieces. Cooper Hoffman (son of the late Philip Seymour Hoffman) is just 23 but is already establishing himself as a blazing talent to watch—a character actor capable of leading man roles. Hoffman is a bundle of exposed nerves and naked emotions as Elliot, who is hired by the famous and intimidating Erika and soon becomes her plaything, setting off a chain of events that winds up with Erika missing and possibly dead. This is an edgy, weird and provocative satire of art and HR dynamics, a hit-and-miss act of performance art that sometimes comes across as too self-indulgent but is undeniably original.
There are times when you might want to look away, but you just can’t.
3.0 stars
“The Gentleman Thief” (in theaters and VOD)
This is the latest example of a dubious trend that has seen aging A-list stars such as Bruce Willis, Mel Gibson and Sylvester Stallone cast in low-budget B-movies that try to cash in on the marquee value of these legends. In “The Gentleman Thief,” it’s sad to see the great John Travolta hiding behind dark sunglasses and sleepwalking through his role as Mason Goddard, a legendary art thief who has retired from the game and is living out his days on the golf course he purchased for himself—until his reckless idiot brother (Shawn) Lukas Haas ropes Mason into the obligatory One Last Heist.
Director Randall Emmett, a pioneer of this lucrative and bloodless genre (hardly something to boast about), relies on splashy Miami locations and quick-cut, irritating drone camerawork to distract us from the clunky dialogue and the ho-hum plot about Mason and his gang of thieves stealing a painting worth $100 million from a yacht owned by a garden-variety villain named Salazar (Danny Pardo). It’s a treat to see Travolta’s fellow 1980s icon Rebecca DeMornay show up as a former thief turned art dealer who once had a thing with Mason, but DeMornay is saddled with playing a paper-thin and utterly implausible character. “The Gentleman Thief” tries to borrow the sleight-of-hand machinations of a “Now You See Me” movie, but now that I’ve seen it, now you don’t want to waste your time.
1.5 stars
Richard Roeper has reviewed films and TV series for more than 25 years, most notably with the Chicago Sun-Times and on the nationally syndicated “Ebert & Roeper.” Roeper is an entertainment and culture contributor to NBC 5 Chicago. He is the host of the globally popular “The Movie of Your Life” podcast, and he writes reviews for RogerEbert.com.
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