Better Late Than Never Vol. 6

The Public (C+)

 The fifth in Emilio's Estevez's directing career, and second to have him star in a library. When arctic temperatures hit Cincinnati and the local shelters are filled to the brim, a homeless mob orchestrate a peaceful occupation at a public library. Caught in the middle is Stuart Goodson (Estevez) a librarian who is friends with the leader (Micheal K. Williams). The police arrive lead by Detective Bill Ramstead (Alec Baldwin) with Josh Davis (Christian Slater) a district attorney who is on Goodson's bad side witnessing the event unfold. Emilio Estevez has shown to be a capable filmmaker. His last film The Way is proof of that. A quiet and gentle film executed with subtle sincerity. The Public contain some sincerity but its execution feels more staged and shaky. It doesn't help when your lead's last name is Goodson. The movie wants to say so much from the importance of libraries, hospitality, charity, the mentally ill, addicts, fake news, criminal records, and second chances that its all a blur before we can fully process it. Many of these topics remain personal to Estevez who channels a bit of his brother Charlie Sheen. It's one of the few scenes that felt genuine and could have been the main focus to be further explored amidst its occupation operation. I'll give it points on it's random climax but I doubt it will resolve anything and might make their case even worse.

Hellboy (D)

Like Sony's The Amazing Spider-Man, we have another comic-book superhero with an established and well-known movie catalog given the reset button only to fizzle on its second attempt. This new iteration goes the Resident Evil route, (going as far as adding Milla Jovovich to the cast) that some might enjoy; others will yearn for Guillermo Del Toro's third Hellboy movie that sadly got the short end of the devil's pitchfork. With editing that matches Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, it doesn't capture what made the comics or Del Toro's films captivating from the characters, mythology, and the creatures that inhabited its world. Instead, it settles for Priest and Legion level of entertainment and sequel-baiting for a franchise that is looking less-likely to happen. If there is one element I liked better than in the Del Toro's version, is Hellboy being known to the public, and despite the awful script, David Harbour gives a good performance as Hellboy himself along with Daniel Dae Kim as a paranormal agent and Thomas Haden Church who has an awesome cameo that I wish lasted longer.

The Missing Link (B)

Bigfoot and his cousin the Yeti are dominating the animation field. Last year we had Smallfoot from Warner Bros., The Son of Bigfoot from overseas and later this year DreamWorks is giving it a go with Abominable. With Missing Link from Laika, the stop-motion studio that made Coraline and Kubo & the Two Strings, is an adventure reminiscent of Around the World in Eighty Days. Being mocked on not finding an extraordinary creature, Sir Lionel Frost (Hugh Jackman) sets his sights on Sasquatch only to discover that he is quite the intellectual talker. Going by the name Mr. Link (Zach Galinfianakas), he asks's for Sir Frost's help on journeying to the Himalayan in hopes of finding more of his kind. An offer that Sir Frost agrees to but not after making a quick stop with an old acquaintance Adelina Fortnite (Zoe Zaldana) who joins in on the quest. Missing Link may not be the best from the Laika or grab the attention of little kids but its detail on how it creates its stop-motion world continues to amaze me on an Aardman level, and that goes to the jokes as well. A simple movie that like Smallfoot has alot underneath, even for a children's movie.

Little (D)

The second movie this year to be inspired by the Tom Hanks comedy Big. Where Shazam was Big meets Superman, Little goes the 17 Again route with Regina Hall as the bossy executive who is thirteen again, played by Marsai Martin. Issa Rae is her assistant who witnesses this strange phenomena as she attempts to cover for her boss while Miss Bossy Britches faces the horror of going back to school. Hilarity ensues but alas all the best parts were shown in the trailer. The movie never takes advantage of the comedic possibilities and resorts to sitcom material and a formulaic script. Characters you think will play a part in the story like the attractive teacher, nosy neighbor, the principal, and child service worker are gone after one scene. Young Marsai Martin fully commits in the role, which is more than I can say for the rest of the cast who are over-the-top caricatures, that by the middle, I lost what little interest of care.