It’s been an absolutely stacked April for fans of all things on-screen; whether that be psychadelic trips through a ghost-ridden Tokyo, a return to the lens-flare, explosion filled world of Michael Bay or a celebration of one of the greatest (and craziest) actors of his generation. This month truly had something for everyone and we’ve done our best to recap some of the bigger hits that we didn’t get a chance to review individually. So strap in and prepare to add a whole bunch to that watch-list.
Severance – Season 1
The next great “must-watch” show is here with Apple TV+’s Severance, a constantly engrossing, ever evolving mystery that follows Mark (Adam Scott), an employee of the shadowy Lumon organisation who undergoes the Severance procedure; splitting his work memories from those of the rest of his mind in a bid to escape a past trauma for a few hours a day. Dan Erickson’s show is a slow-burn, but a masterfully paced one that steadily introduces increasingly strange elements, answering some questions whilst creating entirely new ones, on the way to one of the most edge-of-your-seat arresting season finales since Breaking Bad and the heyday of Game of Thrones.
Adam Scott is the perfect everyman for this deconstruction of the workplace and skewering of the increasingly popular “work-life balance” terminology, set against the backdrop of a large, multi-tiered organisation with so many secrets and obvious parallels to real companies. It’s not all corporate espionage though, as newcomer Helly’s (Britt Lower) arrival creates a ripple affect throughout Mark’s team; with John Turturro’s Irving facing a crisis of conscience as his zealot-like loyalty to Lumon is seriously tested and Zach Cherry’s Dylan’s discovery of the life he leads outside of the organisation prompting a revolt. When all these pieces come together, Severance becomes a truly unique, wholly engrossing piece of television, with an office-load of potential going forward. Catch up now.
Ghostwire Tokyo
The latest from Tango Gameworks – the folks behind the seriously underrated Evil Within franchise – is a drastic change for the studio, shedding its third person survival-horror antics in favour of a first person adventure across the streets of a Shibuya ravaged by a mysterious entity. On a story level, Ghostwire is far more reserved than its predecessors, as the player assumes the role of Akito, a civilian strangely unaffected by a deadly fog that rolls through the Shibuya prefecture, turning regular people into dangerous Yokai hell-bent on extracting his soul. After fusing with the soul of former policer officer KK, Akito gains the power to wield the elements as the pair strive to uncover the mystery at the centre of the fog, learning to share the same body as they go.
Combat is fun and frenetic, if never particularly challenging, as you switch between a basic wind shot, a wide-arc water blast and grenade-like fire explosions. Enemy variety is fine in the moment-to-moment gameplay but it is the eerie world of an empty Shibuya that really keeps you going as you uncover its secrets, with a myriad of monsters and other collectables to find along the way. Akito and KK’s relationship kicks things off in a rather clichéd way, but as the story progresses, the constant banter between the pair slowly but surely wins you over. It isn’t a masterpiece by any stretch, and for completionists it can truly become a nightmare, but for anyone with even the faintest interest in Japan, Ghostwire Tokyo is an easy recommendation.
Ambulance
Michael Bay is back, with what may be his best film since his Bad Boys heydays in Ambulance, an explosively tense chase movie across Los Angeles anchored by terrific performances from Jake Gyllenhaal, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Eiza González. When former veteran Will (Abdul-Mateen II) is denied healthcare for a life-saving operation for his wife, he turns to his criminal brother Danny (Gyllenhaal) who agrees to include him in a run-of-the-mill bank heist to secure the money for his wife. When the job inevitably goes awry and Will accidentally shoots a police officer, the pair of brothers are forced to hijack an ambulance and EMT Cam (González) to escape police and ensure their police hostage survives as leverage. With the stakes becoming increasingly dire and the damage to LA bordering on the ridiculous, hard choices must be made if the trio hope to survive the violent ordeal.
While it won’t convert any Bay-haters – with all the trademark lens flares and over-the-top explosions present and accounted for, alongside a new obsession with drone shots – there’s enough emotional heft here to give the audience a genuine reason to care about the characters through all the Bayhem. Gyllenhaal is running wild here as a man unhinged, fearing for his life as he constantly tries to stay ten steps ahead of the increasing police presence pursuing the group, and his manic energy carries the film. Abdul-Mateen II and González bring the weight when they have to, as Cam attempts to outwit her kidnappers by appealing to Will’s better nature, but this is first and foremost a Michael Bay picture, and that means action on a huge scale. Ambulance more than delivers on that.
Metal Lords
Metal Lords hails from writer D.B. Weiss, one half of the creative duo behind Game of Thrones, and it tells the story of Kevin (Jaeden Martell), a socially awkward teenager who is manipulated into joining a metal band by fellow outcast Hunter (Adrian Greensmith). It’s School of Rock with none of the charm and a whole lot of unnecessary edge. As a character, Kevin brings absolutely nothing to the table; a lifeless, harmless enough guy who is too weak to stand up to Hunter and is pushed around when he attempts to expand his circle to include the similarly awkward Emily (Isis Hainsworth). His arc plays out exactly as you would expect, with the film hitting all the expected beats along the way to School of Rock’s exact conclusion: a Battle of the Bands showdown.
While that is all harmless enough, it’s the character of Hunter that makes Metal Lords a truly painful experience. There are simply no redeeming qualities to this manipulative, insufferable kid who constantly berates and intimidates his so-called “best friend”. There’s an attempt to disguise all the bullying as the product of a poor home life or some anxiety-related issues but the film never does enough to justify either machination; leaving things in a weird flux state where you wonder why Kevin even hangs out with Hunter other than a misguided sense of pity. After 90 minutes of watching Hunter be an asshole and one unearned Hallmark ending; Metal Lords simply fades out instead of ending with a rousing solo. Skip this track.
Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off
Chances are if you’ve lived on this earth long enough you’ve heard the name Tony Hawk, whether that be through his skating, movie cameos or your video-game obsessed cousin. Sam Jones’ documentary doesn’t offer much in the way of new information for the Hawk fanatic, but he does give a fascinating insight into one of the great trailblazers of skate culture, and the obsessive mentality that sent him soaring to greatness. Everything from the struggles of his upbringing and the role his father played to hitting the infamous 900 at the X-games is told in meticulous detail, leading to what might be the definitive history of the pro-skater.
Inclusions of other skating legends, from Lance Mountain to a guru-like Rodney Mullen help inform the dissection of Hawk’s mindset and the power that skating has over these people, often to the detriment of their body. This is about as dark as it gets for those looking for a more unfiltered look into Hawk’s life however, with a lot of those more unsavoury moments glossed over in favour of celebrating the icon of the sport that Tony Hawk is. Whether you’re a lifelong fan or just a casual player of the games, Until the Wheels Fall Off is a fascinating insight into a man that revolutionised a sport and culture.
The Lost City
Do you miss the old days of the romantic adventure? Films like Romancing the Stone or hell, even the 1999 masterpiece that is The Mummy? Well Sandra Bullock and Channing are here to fill that void in the charmingly inoffensive The Lost City. When adventure novelist and newly widowed Loretta Sage (Bullock) is kidnapped by the wealthy Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe) and forced to continue her husband’s research into the “Crown of Fire” – a treasure long believed to be lost – her book’s cover model Alan (Tatum) takes it upon himself to rescue her. There’s just one catch: Alan has no idea what he is doing.
It’s a perfectly enjoyable film while you’re in it, and instantly forgettable once you’re out, but The Lost City occupies that rare mid-tier studio film we rarely see today, and for that it should be commended. The story is nothing to write home about, but Bullock and Tatum fully commit to their respective quirks, and you buy into their slowly budding attraction as they learn more about each other. The jokes are surprisingly effective for the most part, with both Bullock and Tatum veterans of the comedy world at this point, but it is Patti Harrison’s clueless assistant that steals the show, with some delightfully off-kilter zingers. Speaking of stealing the show, did we mention Brad Pitt is in this? The mega-star pops in for what amounts to a glorified cameo but makes the most of every second of it, making for one of the most enjoyably ridiculous characters he has ever played.
The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent
What was billed as the most Nic Cagey Nic Cage film of all time isn’t exactly that, but the perfectly named The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is a great time when it turns its focus onto celebrating its central character. After being denied a career comeback in a coveted role, Nicolas Cage is forced to accept a million dollar offer to attend a rich celebrity’s – Pedro Pascal’s extravagant playboy and superfan Javi – birthday celebrations at his private compound in Majorca in order to pay the bills. When he is approached by the CIA (Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz) to investigate Javi’s secret arms dealing enterprise, Cage is forced to call upon all his thespian training to get the job done and re-launch his waning celebrity.
What begins as a fascinating, hilarious deconstruction of Cage’s inimitable Hollywood persona soon devolves into a fairly rote buddy comedy-action movie hybrid. That isn’t to say that it isn’t a hell of a lot of fun – Pascal and Cage’s chemistry is endearingly zany – but for a film positioned as Nic Cage’s return to glory it doesn’t further the resurgence launched by films like Mandy and Pig, relying on tried and tested tropes of the genres rather than Cage’s raw talent. Still, as a celebration of all things Cage, it does work, with some laugh-out-loud references to all the classic performances – Face/Off, Con-Air, The Rock, you name it. It’s just a shame that its all weighed down by Cage’s unnecessary fake family and a script that doesn’t know what to do with all that massive talent.