Movie Roundup Part 1: The Old Guard, Palm Springs, The King of Staten Island

With the continued shutdown of movie theaters, there have been a LOT of movies popping up on demand or on various streaming services and I have been making my way through them all. As such, I have a three-part installment of movie reviews to share this week. I am still surprised when people tell me they have run out of things to watch, because I am constantly finding new shows or movies I need to see. So my goal is to provide you with a slew of recommendations that run the gamut across genres and plots, and hopefully something will catch your eye to liven up your lockdown. Onwards!

The Old Guard: Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and starring Charlize Theron, this is an adaptation of Greg Rucka's comic book about a group of immortal mercenaries who have served in various conflicts through the millennia. I’ll be honest, I didn’t think this would be my jam. But I forgot how much I love watching Charlize Theron be a badass. Large swathes of this movie feel like watching Mad Max: Fury Road, and the fantasy element and questions about the ramifications of immortality on these weary soldiers allow for a great deal of philosophical debate. After all, when you cannot die, what drives your morality? What do you take a stand for? It’s all fascinating, but this is also a massively violent movie. The amount of killing and blood spraying across the screen is not for the faint of heart, but the stunt choreography is stunning, almost balletic in spots, and I could forever watch Charlize charging across screen with a sword in one hand and a gun in another, making full use of centuries of battle training. The rest of the cast is a veritable who’s who of excellence as well, including such stalwarts as Matthias Schoenaerts, KiKi Layne, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. There’s never a dull moment, and if what you seek is a fun, smart, and extreme action movie, this is for you.

Palm Springs: If you would like a movie with a fantasy element but less gore, Palm Springs might be what you seek. I should start like all the reviews that led me to this movie, which is to say, just go watch it! Don’t know too much about the plot beforehand! It stars Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti and is a charming romcom. But if you insist on knowing more, here is the more spoiler-filled plot description. Nyles and Sarah meet at her sister’s wedding, and the twist is that Nyles is stuck in an infinite time loop where he has been reliving this day, Groundhog Day-style, for eons. He has been stuck in this loop alone, but when Sarah accidentally gets sucked into it too, what follows is a sweet romance (to be clear, it does have its raunchy moments, so don't watch with kids or prudes) as well as a rumination on how to find meaning in your life. For those of us who have been in lockdown for months and feel like we are living the same day over and over again, there’s much to reflect on here, and there’s also an interesting take on the different approaches these two characters take to deal with their circumstances. There’s the despair, the weary resignation, and then the fight to do something about it all. JK Simmons also has an incredible supporting turn in the film that I will not spoil, except to say that he is fabulous. All in all, this is a lovely palate cleanser of a film that has some surprises and a lot of heart.

The King of Staten Island: A classic Judd Apatow movie starring Pete Davidson, you might already know what you’re getting with this film. Davidson plays Scott, a high-school dropout who lives with his mom (the wonderful Marisa Tomei) and sister on Staten Island and harbors dreams of opening up a tattoo restaurant. This is a restaurant where you could get a tattoo while you get your meal. Yeah, most people who hear this idea also react with befuddlement. This movie is...fine. As with any Apatow movie, I thought it was too long, and was ultimately too invested in a central man-boy character that I was less interested in than the supporting characters in his periphery. Tomei gets to branch out in this movie and have a lovely romance and come into her own as a widow who is finally ready to get on with her life. Bel Powley has a truly fascinating turn as Scott’s on-again off-again girlfriend who harbors genuine ambition beyond this relationship and doesn’t let this weirdo define her identity (sidenote: she is British, yet has the most amazing Staten Island swagger and accent you can imagine). I didn’t find the film particularly incisive or memorable, but it certainly is one way to kill a few hours and get some jokes and some family drama. If you’re generally a fan of Apatow’s work or have been fascinated by Davidson’s shenanigans on Saturday Night Live, this could be worth your time.