Black Bag And Novocaine Are Among The Best Movies Of The Year And Other Reviews
After what has felt like weeks of mediocre to flat out shitty movies, this past weekend was a nice reprieve. Both Black Bag and Novocaine are really good movies that deliver exactly what you want out of them and more.
Here are some mini-reviews of the movies I saw last weekend:
Black Bag is a perfect spy thriller that is expertly cast and shot. Between this and Presence, Steven Soderbergh (and writer David Kopek) have owned 2025 early on. It doesn't matter the genre, these two are both making really entertaining movies. Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender are a sleek, easy couple to root for. They match each other perfectly with intelligence and coldness yet you believe they do love each other.
The crisp 94 minute run time keeps the intrigue moving and you even get a fun Pierce Brosnan performance. There is no line wasted or useless character. Everything has a purpose. This is an easy movie to recommend and even better, it's a perfect date movie.
Black Bag: B+
Novocaine is one hell of an enjoyable movie. It hits all the right notes with Jack Quaid as the lead, making his condition of not feeling pain relatable but also entertaining and very funny at times. I also need to mention that every line Matt Walsh says is laugh out loud funny. Haven't seen a small part this funny since the coach in Teen Wolf.
The third act does go on for too long and this isn't going to (nor is it trying to) going to make you think about big life issues. But, so what? This is just a fun 110 minutes with characters that are really likable. I also have to give credit to the fight choreography as it's also well shot and lit. Quaid really sells each scene he is in.
Finally, Ray Nicholson (Jack's son) is a good villain. Hatable but also pretty damn compelling. The good performances and sharp script really elevate this movie. I definitely recommend Novocaine.
Novocaine: B
Movies are a manipulation. They manipulate what we see and hear but most importantly, how we feel. Or at least, they are supposed to. Manipulation is a heavy word but for a movie to work, we have to be manipulated. Opus fails to make us care about what we are watching.
This is a movie that is shot well and has a cast that is trying (especially Ayo Edebiri and John Malkovitch). This should work but there is a disconnect emotionally. It's a script without a motive. The notion of celebrity is not enough to propel a movie for 100 minutes.
The blame for this falls squarely on writer/director Mark Anthony Green. We are never going to care about the fame of a fictional pop star. The reason fame works for a long period of time is that you have lived life with that person creating things in the zeitgeist. That same passion can't be emulated in the first act of a movie.
Instead, what should come from the first act is caring about the people on the screen. Instead of focusing on celebrity focus on the actual people. That also might be a good life lesson.
Opus: C-
I enjoyed the first half of Looney Tunes: The Day The Earth Blew Up. The stakes were pretty low (get a job, fix the roof of their house) so the comedy could take center stage. It's when the plot of saving the world comes into play and the humor slips away that movie starts to lose it's footing.
If you are expecting the whole Looney Tunes cast of characters, you'll be disappointed. You're only getting Porky Pig, Daffy Duck and Petunia Pig in this one. But honestly, when the movie is focusing on comedy, that's enough. They are such great characters and so perfectly matched.
I can't recommend this movie but it's far from bad. It's pretty rare that I wish a kid's movie would try harder to be funny and not worry about the plot. But this is the rare one where the comedy hits that well.
Looney Tunes: The Day The Earth Blew Up: C
2025
1)Presence
2)BLACK BAG
3)NOVOCAINE
4)The Damned
5)One Of Them Days
6)Paddington 3
7)Valiant One
8)Rule Breakers
9)Heart Eyes
10)Mickey 17
11)Last Breath
12)Flight Risk
13)Den Of Thieves 2
14)Dogman
15)Companion
16)LOONEY TUNES: DAY THE EARTH BLEW UP
17)OPUS
18)Becoming Led Zeppelin
19)Captain America: Brave New World
20)Riff Raff
21)Inheritance
22)Night Of The Zoopocalypse
23)The Unbreakable Boy
24)Brave The Dark
25)Wolf Man
26)The Monkey
27)Love Hurts
28)In The Lost Lands