This Week in Cinema, I Learned…Feb 18-24 2024
Written by Cameron Geiser
Welcome to This Week in Cinema, a yearlong film criticism project wherein I will be watching a new film that I haven't seen every single day.
After the high scoring intensity of last week's films, I designed this week's lineup around the idea of taking it easy. These are all laid back films about entertainment first, there are a few likely surprises for some, yes, I really had not seen these films until this week. I know. How it came to be, I'll never fully know, but now I've seen them. Scores aside, my favorite film of the week was They Cloned Tyrone- a delightful sci-fi infused mystery-comedy. All of this week's films are recommendable though, enjoy!
February 18th
Trouble Man (1972)
3/5
With this quick return to the Blaxploitation sphere, Trouble Man serves as a perfectly acceptable lazy afternoon crime-mystery film. Robert Hooks stars as Mr. T, which, in retrospect is hilarious considering I was getting Rocky III and 1980s commercial flashbacks every time that name was mentioned. Mr. T is the neighborhood fixer, a sort of local detective that everyone in the community brings their troubles to. There are some fun Pool Hall hustling scenes and thoroughly good shootouts as Mr. T’s investigation takes a violent turn. It's all in the name of good narrative fun but with a very predictable story structure. It's worth a watch.
February 19th
The Equalizer 2 (2018)
4/5
As this sequel begins we find Denzel's Robert McCall on a train in Turkey for an international opening action scene that is thrilling- but also at once concerning. Would this new film take things to a grander scale and threaten the small community world-building that made the first film stand out? No, it was just a great idea for an opening scene. That's what this film is all about. Expand on what worked in the first film while authentically evolving Robert McCall, sharpening his already deadly accurate skills of precision and deep affection for the good he sees in others. The Equalizer 2 wisely expands the cast of characters we knew in the first film and ramps up the cruelty and brutality of the new villains in exciting new ways. This sequel has me anxiously awaiting the third Equalizer film, what will they do with Robert McCall next?
February 20th
Don't Play Us Cheap (1972)
3.5/5
Melvin Van Peebles’ follow-up to the explosive Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song is an adaptation of his Broadway play, Don't Play Us Cheap. As I was reading up on Van Peebles I was surprised to find that while he certainly had and maintained a presence in the film community, most of his work to receive the highest praise comes from the stage. As many consider this film to be the first movie musical of the modern era written and directed by a Black artist, I figured that this alone should qualify it for viewing this month. I found Don't Play Us Cheap to be a joyous discovery full of heart, humor, and an almost overwhelming aura of kindness and optimism. It's a very simple plot, but a highly entertaining one. During a Saturday Night party in Harlem, Two imps, Trinity (Joe Keyes Jr.) and Brother David (Avon Long), have gifted their souls to the Devil and deem this party a good way to earn Evil’s trust by being nasty and ruining the party for everyone. To their dismay, the hosts are far too gracious and generous with their hospitality to have their night ruined by such base, cartoonishly evil, desires. It's a welcome reminder that most people are good and don't have the time or willingness to let evil mess up a good party.
February 21st
Beverly Hills Cop (1984)
3.5/5
This is one of those movies that is so often referenced in popular culture that I mostly knew what I was getting into when I hit the play button for Beverly Hills Cop. One thing that kept creeping into my head during this watch was that this film, but also the year 1984 in particular, truly is the genesis of when Hollywood crossed the Rubicon of Modern protagonists and looser plots overall. You can see the character quips and jokey nature of Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) that eventually made their way into (a billion other movie lookalikes and ripoffs) Robert Downey Jr's Tony Stark for example. I found the film to be pretty damn entertaining overall, Eddie Murphy is obviously charming and often hilarious, though not every aspect of the film has aged gracefully. The cat-and-mouse antics with the LAPD cops were fun enough, but you know what's gonna happen at every turn of the script’s page. Other than being very predictable, Beverly Hills Cop was solid; boy do they use that theme every single chance they get, though.
February 22nd
Coming to America (1988)
3.5/5
Coming to America was overall a slightly more engaging and interesting film than Beverly Hills Cop, but the ending kept it from receiving a higher score. If you weren't aware, the plot here is that Akeem (Eddie Murphy) the prince of fictional African Nation of Zamunda, is to be wedded by an arranged marriage. Akeem does not want to marry a woman who is only subservient to him; however, he wants an intellectually stimulating partner he can talk with and who will love him for who he is and not for his financial wealth or royal status. Thus he heads to America with his royal servant Semmi (Arsenio Hall) to find a bride while he pretends to be a common man. However, the ending does the film a disservice to the audience by creating either A) a false drama to fill out time, or B) a lack of skill or interest in using that drama to further the story. It just felt lazy to have Lisa (Shari Headley) reject Akeem in America only to have her arrive in surprise at the wedding in Zamunda. Honestly, just pick one. Either have the happy ending or do the work for the richer narrative if that's what you want to do. Despite this, I did enjoy the film.
February 23rd
They Cloned Tyrone (2023)
3.5/5
Admittedly I chose this film purely based on the title and poster. Take note Marketers! They Cloned Tyrone is a breezy mystery comedy with unsettling underpinnings where the plot is concerned. Initially, I thought the film was set in the 1980s or 1990s based purely on the setting and fashion choices of the characters- that is until one character mentioned how Blockchain is the future. The trio of unlikely mystery solvers squad begins with Fontaine (John Boyega) and Slick Charles (Jaime Foxx) on the outs with each other over money owed, but they quickly resolve their differences when Slick Charles witnesses Fontaine’s assassination and loses his cool when the once dead drug dealer returns the next evening, forgetting that he had already stopped by for the exact same reason the previous night. When Fontaine doesn't believe the pimp, they confide in Yo-yo (Teyonah Parris), one of Slick Charles' girls who did see him right before he was shot to death. This puts them “on the case” as they investigate other strange ongoings in the neighborhood. While the lighting choices were abysmal in my opinion, you should be able to see what's happening on screen especially in a pitch-black room as I was, Jaime Foxx is the MVP of the film. One of the only notes I had for this film when looking back on the article was that “Jaime Foxx is a National Treasure”, and I stand by that.
February 24th
Friday (1995)
3/5
Friday is one of those films that's more interested in the vibe than anything else, and that's okay. It's a hangout movie, a slacker stoner flick for the homies, and sometimes that's all you need. In my youth, these types of films were always in my rotation. Pineapple Express, any of the Cheech and Chong movies, but there's only one title that felt spiritually connected to this film more than anything else. That film is Kevin Smith's Clerks. Both films are “a day in the life of” story structures with two principal characters, one is the aloof romantic who struggles and vibes with the other, a skinny stoner friend who can't stop talking smack. Granted Clerks has two sets of this dynamic duo setup, and Friday has more inherent danger in the story, but the two films feel linked in 1990s indie filmmaking spirit. Even though the plot doesn't kick in until halfway through the movie, I still dig it.
Cameron Geiser is an avid consumer of films and books about filmmakers. He'll watch any film at least once, and can usually be spotted at the annual Traverse City Film Festival in Northern Michigan. He also writes about film over at www.spacecortezwrites.com.