“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” (Action/Adventure/Science-Fiction: 2 hours, 30 minutes)

Starring: Chris Pratt, Bradley Cooper and Chukwudi Iwuji

Director: James Gunn

Rated: PG-13 (Intense sequences of violence and action, strong language, suggestive/drug references and thematic elements)

Movie Review: This is the third installment for a franchise that began with “Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014). Written by James Gunn, who directed the previous two movies of this trilogy, “Vol. 3” appears as a series end for this motley crew. It is a fitting end, despite an overload of too much of everything offered.

Peter Quill (Pratt), a.k.a. Star-Lord, is still depressed from the breakup with Gamora (Zoe Saldaña), who has returned to the world of the living. Gamora no longer remembers her romantic fling with Quill and this troubles a man still in love. While Quill is lovesick, one of his ragtag crew, Rocket Raccoon (voice by Bradley), is facing a past he thought he had left behind. The High Evolutionary, played masterfully by Chukwudi Iwuji, considers Rocket the property of the Orgocorp, an intergalactic bioengineering corporation. Quill rallies his team to save Rocket.

James Gunn makes this movie an adventure. It has all of the ingredients of a good action-hero movie. The action sequences are plentiful. The characters are noteworthy. The story has an emotive element while maintaining humorous moments.

Like some of Marvel’s other screenplays, “Vol. 3” is almost an overload of too much. Too many visual effects, too many characters from previous movies and more, and numerous story arcs. Yet, none of these elements distract but they do make this movie longer than needed.

Audiences get plenty of entertainment. “Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” is fun and its major story concerning Rocket is a neat historical narrative for the character. Rocket is the highlight of this movie. Bradley Cooper voices him with devotion. He and the rest of the cast provide a good final showing for this crew of space explorers for hire.

Grade: B (The galactic team delivers multitudes of entertainment.)

 

“Love Again” (Romance: 1 hour, 44 minutes)

Starring: Sam C. Heughan, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Céline Dion

Director: Jim Strouse

Rated: PG-13 (Sexual material and strong language)

Movie Review: Moviemakers produce romance movies with a formula in mind. This tiresome trope is present here. This romance is about two adults who approach their coupling like two children on a playground.

Mira Ray (Jonas) watches her fiancé die tragically just feet away from her. Two years later, she is still mourning his death. She begins texting his old mobile number unaware that the number now belongs to Rob Burns (Heughan). Based on her poetic words, Rob falls for Mira. It is not soon before they begin an awkward coupling. Both trying to move past their reluctance to find love again.

First, these people are attractive but they are as bright as a blown candle. Rob constantly complains that he wants to meet Mira when he could just text her and tell her that he has been reading Mira’s words to her deceased fiancé.

Enter Céline Dion. She adds some levity to tribal romance. She is the adult in this movie. The others are all people well past 20, all behave like middle schoolers discovering love for the first time. Dion adds a seasoned touch about love but her lines appear repetitive. However, she provides some effort for her debut movie performance.

If you want to take your significant other to a romantic movie, this is not the one. These characters are immature as they are annoying. Plus, the plot is a formulaic one that is clueless as its leading characters.

Grade: C- (A lackluster love — again.)

“Book Club: The Next Chapter” (Comedy/Romance: 1 hour, 47 minutes)

Starring: Diane Keaton, Jane Fonda, Candice Bergen and Mary Steenburgen

Director: Bill Holderman

Rated: PG-13 (Strong language, suggestive material and sexual innuendo)

Movie Review: Following up the 2018 movie, “Book Club: The Next Chapter” is a lackluster comedy. Since television’s “Golden Girls,” numerous movies and television shows have tried to create the chemistry and humor of the characters on that show. The characters in “The Next Chapter” have an agreeable chemistry but their timing for jokes falls flat much like this story.

Vivian (Fonda) is getting married, so she, Diane, Sharon and Carol decide to tour Italy. The trip is something they wanted to do decades earlier. Now, they feel it is time. The trip offers them all new perspectives on life, despite a few mishaps that bring them closer.

The views of Italy are beautiful. The views inspire one to take a vacation. Such would be ideal compared to observing this comedy with poorly timed quips. The comedy sparks a few moments that spark laughter. Instead, the delivery or lines are low-energy performances, a development of Bill Holderman’s poor screenplay.

Holderman relies on exhausting comical quips. The jokes appear forced moments, inserted bits that are ill-placed. His writing makes this another easy-to-sit-through and easier-to-forget comedy.

Grade: C- (You can judge this book by its cover.)

“Rally Road Racers” (Animation/Family: 1 hour, 33 minutes)

Starring: Jimmy O. Yang, J.K. Simmons, Chloe Bennet, Lisa Lu and John Cleese

Director: Ross Venokur

Rated: PG (Violence, and rude humor)

Movie Review: “Rally Road Racers” is exactly what its name suggests. The plot is about racecar driving. It delivers fun moments by creating a cute furry protagonist Zhi, a rookie race car driver voiced by comedian Jimmy O. Yang (“Crazy Rich Asians,” 2018).

To save his and his grandmother’s home, Zhi obtains the opportunity to compete against Archie Vainglorious (Cleese) the reigning champion of the rally car circuit. Zhi gains the help of driver turned mechanic, Gnash (Simmons) to make his debut on the big stage. The pair’s success depends on their ability to survive a course with numerous obstacles that include inhospitable terrain and treacherous rival racers.

The best part of this animated feature is its cast. Several talented actors voice the characters. Yang, Simmons and Cleese are the notables. Yang is good as Zhi with a persuasive youthful voice. Simmons is keen as a wise teacher. Last but always impressive, the legendary John Cleese voices the antagonist nicely.

Director-writer Ross Venokur (television series “Game Over”) has made a big improvement since “A.C.O.R.N.S.: Operation Crackdown” (2015). “Rally Road Racers” is a fun movie for those who like racecars and characters made for toys. It offers a nice message about perseverance for audiences of various ages, despite dramatic moments that may bore younger members of the family.

Grade: B- (Race – within the speed limit — to see it.)

“Fool’s Paradise” (Comedy: 1 hour, 37 minutes)

Starring: Charlie Day, Ken Jeong, Kate Beckinsale, Adrien Brody and Ray Liotta

Director: Charlie Day

Rated: R (Language, drug use sexual content)

Movie Review: “Fool’s Paradise” showcases the pretentiousness of Hollywood’s go-getters and those considered failures in the movie industry while being an aimless satirical comedy. Charlie Day’s script would work if his character, a seemingly Charlie Chaplin/Harpo Marx spoof, was in a silent film during the 1900s. Modern audiences should not be as forgiving of this comedy.

Publicist Lenny (Ken Jeong) suffers from numerous setbacks. Serendipitously, matters become better when he discovers Latte Pronto (Day), a recently released mental health patient. A nonverbal Pronto is a perfect look-a-like for a detestable movie star Sir Tom Bingsley (also Day). Pronto becomes a big star after filling in for Bingsley and Lenny moves up the ladder with Pronto. The two soon realize going up a hill is easier than falling down it.

This movie contains tremendous talent, but it is a shame this is one of Ray Liotta’s last films before his death. This screenplay by “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’s” Charlie Day is all over the place. The plot has potential for about five minutes. Day poorly helms the story’s execution as writer and director, and weird characters take eccentric to the next level.

Think of this as a cheaper, less profane version of Director Damien Chazelle’s “Babylon” (2022) meets a Woody Allen script. Of course, that insults “Babylon” as its approach is artful and Woody Allen’s characters make more sense juxtaposed to Day’s excessive characterizations.

“Fool’s Paradise” is just awkward moments and eccentric characters. Both are far from convincing.

Grade: F+ (Foolish describes those who pay for this.)

“Hypnotic” (Science-Fiction/Action: 1 hour, 32 minutes)

Starring: Ben Affleck, Alice Braga and William Fichtner

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Rated: R (Violence)

Movie Review: Despite its title, this science-fiction adventure will not captivate long. “Hypnotic’s” previews showed a screenplay with potential. The movie itself is a letdown. Its premise is good until characters reveal what is actually happening.

Detective Danny Rourke (Affleck) investigates a mystery involving his missing daughter, Minnie. His investigation leads him to psychic Diana Cruz (Braga), a secret government program and Dellrayne (Fichtner), a powerful hypnotic who can control people with a few words.

“Hypnotic” is a bad title. The characters are not hypnotizing. They are telepaths, people with psionic abilities. That aside, this movie plays like something out of the 1980s. The problem is it tries to do something surprising for audiences that does not work effectively.

Robert Rodriguez directs movies where characters find something about themselves that changes them to meet the challenges awaiting. As the characters find out the information they seek, it often involves some major organization or major government corruption. Examples are “The Faculty” (1998), “Once Upon a Time in Mexico” (2003) and “Alita: Battle Angel” (2019). “Hypnotic” follows similarly.

Writers Robert Rodriguez and Max Borenstein craft an engaging story on the surface but they muddle their narrative by attempting to explain it midpoint and pivoting to a second narrative that negates the first. Thus, the reality they create is an illusion, one that irritates. Then, they show another that is worse than the first.

Grade: D+ (It will not put you in a trance.)

Adann-Kennn Alexxandar has been reviewing movies in the South Georgia region for more than 25 years.