Review Hub - DC Extended Universe

In 2011, DC Comics and Warner Bros. attempted to start their own Cinematic Universe to compete with Marvel, using Green Lantern as a springboard. Reception was less than impressive, and so this movie can be considered more of a false start. In 2013, Man of Steel was released, which was intended to launch a trilogy of Dark Knight Trilogy-esque Superman films. However, following the movie's success, it was instead decided that Man of Steel would be used as a starting point for what was later coined the DC Extended Universe, nixing the two Superman sequels in favor of a crossover with Batman. Though Man of Steel and Batman v Superman were released 3 years apart, things seem to have finally picked up steam after the release of the latter.

Below is a link to every review for each movie set within the DC Extended Universe including its false start, listed in order of release (links to Second Opinions and alternate cuts are listed next to the main review in parentheses). For the sake of brevity, the logos for each movie are displayed in lieu of posters to allow for future expansion. As we continue to follow this universe, review links will be added over time once we (re)view any future films.

Update (6/2/2017): Added Wonder Woman

Update (12/12/2017): Added Justice League

Update (12/16/2018): Added Aquaman

Update (4/6/2019): Added Shazam!

Update (12/28/2020): Added Wonder Woman 1984

Update (4/4/2021): Added Zack Snyder's Justice League

Update (8/8/2021): Added The Suicide Squad

Update (3/19/2023): Added Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Update (6/18/2023): Added The Flash

False Start

Green Lantern

DC Extended Universe

  

  

  

Man of Steel (Second Opinion)

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

Suicide Squad

Wonder Woman

Justice League (Snyder Cut)

Aquaman

Shazam!

Wonder Woman 1984

The Suicide Squad

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

The Flash

Second Look - The Transformers: The Movie (1986)

Note: The following review contains spoilers for The Transformers: The Movie (1986).

In 1986, the popularity of the Transformers brand was at a peak (or so I gather), and so a movie had been in the works in order to not only capitalize on this popularity, but also to introduce new characters into the mix. Despite its initial reception, the movie has since gone on to be not only an icon to this property and its fanbase, but also to the '80s as a whole. In honor of its 30^th Anniversary, we present another look at what came to be known as The Transformers: The Movie.

In the year 2005, a planet-sized being known as Unicron (Orson Welles) threatens the universe, swallowing any and every planet in its path. Meanwhile, on Cybertron, a group of Autobots prepare a shuttle to head back to Earth to restock on Energon, where Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) awaits. Unfortunately, the Decepticon Laserbeak (Frank Welker) has been spying on them and reports back to Soundwave (Frank Welker). Megatron (Frank Welker), upon seeing Laserbeak’s recording, prepares a sneak attack on the Autobot shuttle, with the intent of a surprise attack on Autobot City on Earth.

The looming threat of Unicron (Orson Welles).

Over the years, the story has become a classic amongst the Transformers fandom, and on its own is enjoyable and has some funny moments, however there does notably exist a major continuity error when taking the first 2 Seasons of the 1984 Transformers cartoon into account. Namely, Unicron as a major threat was never hinted at in the show, and the Matrix of Leadership did not previously exist as a concept (it has been noted that the Season 2 episode “A Prime Problem” features an x-ray view of Optimus Prime, but the chest cavity that houses the Matrix in the movie is empty). Apparently, the Season 2 episode “Cosmic Rust” was originally going to hint at the existence of the Matrix, but conflicts within the episode’s own continuity resulted in the reference being removed. The concepts of Unicron and the Matrix would be expanded upon in the following Season 3, but if you just roll with these concepts the first time they appear, you will have an easier viewing experience.

Aside from the infamous death of Optimus Prime, there’s also a lot of deaths of characters from the first two Seasons, some of which literally become new characters, which was done at the time to introduce new toys to the shelves, which can be at the least disheartening for those that grew attached to those characters. Fortunately, Optimus Prime would be literally resurrected in the Season 3 episode “Dark Awakening,” however he was essentially a zombie; the later two-part arc “The Return of Optimus Prime” from that same Season brings him back for real, though. The Decepticon Starscream is also killed off in spectacular fashion, though he would later return as a literal ghost in the Season 3 episodes “Starscream’s Ghost” and “Ghost in the Machine.” The promotional line “Conceived in the epic tradition of Star Wars…” isn’t exactly a lie, since one familiar with the original Star Wars can spot some similarities between it and The Transformers: The Movie, though fortunately the latter is not a carbon copy of Star Wars by any means.

As a movie by itself, it can be watched on its own, but without context from the 1986 cartoon, Optimus Prime’s death, not to mention the deaths of other characters, doesn’t have as much of an impact, which I had felt when seeing it for the first time on home video as a kid, my only true exposure to Transformers at that point being the 2001 Robots in Disguise cartoon. There are still some funny moments in it, as mentioned above, such as Starscream’s coronation ceremony and a number of scenes featuring the Dinobots. A particular character named Wheelie shows up to aid the Dinobots in one scene, but he otherwise doesn’t have much use in the plot other than to sell his toy and can otherwise come off as annoying to some because of his voice (though I’m personally more apathetic to the character). The soundtrack and animation can arguably still be enjoyed by fans of '80s music and animation, though it may not be enough for those who find fault in the story, since it features a plethora of characters at the beginning that a non-fan is expected to suddenly care about.

One thing’s for sure, the animation is very good, especially for a product of the '80s. Some animation errors are still present, however, and upon multiple viewings one can discover even more, though these errors are not enough to bog down the rest of the visuals. This being a movie, it has the best-looking animation among anything to come out of the original cartoon, however the quality is only seconded by the Season 3 episodes “Call of the Primitives” and, arguably, "The Dweller in the Depths." Particular highlights in the animation include the transformation sequences of Unicron and Autobot City, with the animations of Unicron’s insides and planet-munching a bonus.

Unicron's (Orson Welles) attack on Cybertron
is also well-animated.

Characters from the first 2 Seasons of the original cartoon that appear in this movie keep their voice actors, though it is Peter Cullen and Frank Welker that get the most screen time, followed closely by Chris Latta as Starscream. Peter Cullen playing Optimus Prime is always nice to hear, and even with only two years of experience with the character at the time, you can tell he’s giving it his all with whatever screen time the character has; he also voices Ironhide in the movie, though that character doesn’t get much time to shine. Frank Welker voices a good portion of the cast from the cartoon, most of whom manage to survive, but his performance as Megatron alone is amazing, with praise similar to Peter Cullen’s Optimus Prime.

Of the new cast, it has probably been said before that it’s simply amazing who they managed to get to voice some of the characters, most of whom would be recast later for Season 3 of the original cartoon. Such names include Leonard Nimoy as Galvatron, Eric Idle as Wreck-Gar, Judd Nelson as Hot Rod/Rodimus Prime, Robert Stack as Ultra Magnus and, of course, Orson Welles as Unicron. These actors put their skills to good use in this movie, though it’s interesting how Eric Idle was cast for a character whose dialogue consists largely of TV commercial quotes. John Moschitta, known for commercials for Micro Machines toys among other things, puts his talents as the world’s fastest-talking man to great use as the character Blurr, whom he would continue to voice in the original cartoon; he, along with Judd Nelson, would eventually return to the Transformers franchise to reprise their respective characters in the 2008 Transformers Animated cartoon.

Rodimus Prime (Judd Nelson) isn't in Transformers Animated for very long,
but it's interesting to hear nonetheless.

This movie being Orson Welles’ last has been very well-documented, however, Leonard Nimoy has since passed away recently. He would return to Transformers once again as the voice of Sentinel Prime in the 2011 movie, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, though his better-known legacy as Mr. Spock on Star Trek was given a proper tribute in the recently-released Star Trek Beyond.

The soundtrack is very definitely '80s, especially “The Transformers (Theme)” by Lion, which is not a knock against it since the music fits with the action on-screen. Stan Bush’s “The Touch” is most likely what he’s best known for, especially amongst Transformers fans, but its usage in the movie works for it (apparently it was originally meant for the Sylvester Stallone movie Cobra, also from 1986, which would have been very different indeed). This song has also seen use in other Transformers products in the form of remixes, and even made an appearance in the game Saints Row IV, which should serve as a testament to its popularity. The score by Vince DiCola is great to listen to, even on its own, which is likely one reason he was brought back to do the music for the Angry Birds Transformers app game; his track for Optimus Prime’s death scene alone is enough to get to me, after having seen the original cartoon, which should say something about his music’s listenability out of context. In relation to the other songs by N.R.G. and Spectre General (aka Kick Axe), “Weird Al” Yankovic’s Devo parody “Dare To Be Stupid” can seem a little out-of-place, however its usage works for the scenes in which it was used.

One thing that cannot be denied is that this movie has had an enduring legacy within the Transformers fandom and the franchise as a whole. Within a number of subsequent media, the movie has been quoted to hell and back, and a handful of adaptations exist, not to forget the number of scenes that have also been directly lifted from it to varying degrees. Interestingly, in one issue of the Transformers Collectors’ Club Magazine from Fun Publications, as part of a lead-in to a comic story, a deleted scene was adapted for a flashback sequence (by essentially finishing storyboard frames for that scene); in addition, a special one-shot comic from IDW Publishing was released recently that explores a possible alternate timeline in which the iconic death of Optimus Prime in the movie never happened.

A notable homage to the movie is an episode of the Transformers Animated cartoon from 2008 (Season 2’s “Garbage In, Garbage Out”), which introduced the character Wreck-Gar to that continuity; though he wasn’t voiced by Eric Idle, he was instead voiced by “Weird Al” Yankovic, in homage to his song “Dare To Be Stupid” being used during scenes on the Planet of Junk, and at one point in the episode, Wreck-Gar says “I dare to be stupid”.

On an official level, as of this writing, efforts have been made to celebrate the movie’s legacy this year. In the Transformers: Generations toyline, which leans more towards the use of '80s characters, the line has recently begun the Titans Return branding, which properly re-introduces the Headmaster gimmick as the Titan Master gimmick (though a new name, the gimmick is functionally the same as its '80s counterpart). Since the timing of Titans Return coincides with the 30^th anniversary of this movie, the toyline is set to feature a number of characters introduced in the film. Shout! Factory also has plans to release the movie later this year on Blu-ray for the first time, with new cover art by Transformers artist Livio Ramondelli, an experience I look forward to witnessing.

The cover art to the upcoming Blu-ray.

The Transformers: The Movie, while not exactly a masterpiece of cinema, is definitely a must-see for Transformers fans. Despite flaws in the storytelling and some animation errors (some of which are more noticeable than others), there’s something about the movie that has allowed it to stand the test of time within the fandom, which might have to do with the number of concepts introduced in it that continue to be pivotal to the franchise to this day. A non-fan is less likely to find full enjoyment in the movie, though it does serve as a good time capsule of the '80s in its animation and music and is good for fans of the '80s and '80s memorabilia. Someone getting into Transformers for the first time should look into seeing this movie, as it is the origin of many aspects of the franchise and subject to countless references in Transformers fiction, though other points to consider would be the Transformers Animated cartoon and the combined Transformers: Prime and Robots in Disguise (2015) cartoons. In any case, though it underperformed at the box office when it first released 30 years ago, there’s a reason this movie continues to be celebrated, and I hope it continues in the years to come.

'Til all are one.

Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad (2016) Starring Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Viola Davis, Jai Courtney, Jay Hernandez, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Scott Eastwood,  Cara Delevingne. Directed by David Ayer, Screenplay by David Ayer. Based on Characters from DC Comics. Produced by Charles Roven and Richard Suckle. Color. USA Run Time: 123 minutes. Fantasy, Adventure, Action

In their effort to create a Marvel-style Cinematic Universe, Warner Bros has been slowly, though not as successfully, making a series of films based on their DC properties. So far the films have been overly dark, long and humorless: Man of Steel (2013) and its follow up, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, which debuted earlier this year. Now, the pace quickens with a second release, Suicide Squad.

To no one's surprise, Suicide Squad is dark and long but here's the surprise, it does have some humor. And it has what will count as an all-star cast, led by Will Smith (Deadshot), Jared Leto (The Joker), Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Viola Davis (Amanda Waller), Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang) and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje (Killer Croc) with an appearance by both The Flash (Ezra Miller) and Batman/Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck). It's really too bad that all this acting talent isn't enough.

In a post-Superman world (remember he died in Batman v Superman), the U.S. government does not turn to other superheroes for protection. Instead, it allows a group of ultra-criminals and metahumans to be assembled to protect the country against what will no doubt be the next near-apocalyptic attack. Think Dirty Dozen (1967) with a few bad eggs missing. How convenient is it that soon after this group of misfits is formed the need arises. Never has the government been so prepared for an emergency.

Of course, some of our heroes are less super-powered and more really good at shooting (Deadshot), robbing (Captain Boomerang), climbing (Slipknot: Adam Beach) and overall mayhem (all the others). The only one who might be described as true metahuman would be El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), who has the devil's gift for fire.

Leading this "army" is Rick Flag (Joel Kinnaman), a Special-Ops Army Ranger-type who reports to Amanda Waller, the organizer for this squad. She keeps them in line with a small explosive implanted in their necks that she can remotely detonate should any of her charges get out of line, run or harm Flag. Flag has a stake in the game as well, since his lover, Dr. June Moone (Cara Delevingne), is inhabited by the spirit of the Enchantress, a witch who wants to take over the world and kill all those humans who don't worship her. Waller has, until now, been keeping her in line by controlling the witch's heart, but the Enchantress figures out a loophole around that, by summoning her long-dead brother, Incubus (Alain Chanoine).

If that's not enough characters to keep track of, there is one more, Katana (Karen Fukuhara), a martial arts expert within whom's swords the souls of those she's killed reside. She's a late addition to the Squad and one of Flag's protectors and there to keep the Suicide Squad in line.

Jai Courtney (Boomerang), Karen Fukuhara (Katana), Jay Hernandez (El Diablo),
Will Smith (Deadshot), Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flag) and Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn)
are less than half of the cast and characters in Suicide Squad.

But wait, put away your checkbook because we have even more cast and characters. The Joker also plays a minor, but fly-in-the-ointment-type of a role in the proceedings. I would like to report that Leto is good in the role, but I would be lying. His Joker pales by comparison to Heath Ledger's or Cesar Romero's or Mark Hamil's renditions. I would put him just ahead of Jack Nicholson's chew-the-scenery take on the role. No doubt his second billing is due to reputation and has little to do with this performance.

Jared Leto doesn't really shine as Joker.

Character overload doesn't really allow for much character development, though we are given some background on the main three or four and sketches of the rest. Not enough to make us really care about them too much and almost enough to humanize them.

The two real leads, Smith and Robbie, get the majority of screen time and deservedly so, as they are the two most interesting characters on screen. Davis shows there's even more to her than we've seen before on film as she seems to be playing against expectations. But the acting accolades sort of stop there. The others, either through script or character, are limited to fairly minor roles and the odd line here and there.

Smith as Deadshot and Robbie as Harley Quinn are the
 most interesting of the many characters in Suicide Squad.

Like its two predecessors, Suicide Squad suffers from a protracted second act and is too long at two-plus hours. The story sort of sags in the middle when it should be ramping up for the big climax that's to come. More than that and I might give away too much of the plot for anyone who hasn't yet seen it and judging by its opening weekend numbers there might be a handful who haven't seen it.

The big question is whether or not Suicide Squad will save the DC movie universe. I'm not really sure it needs saving at this point. While the overall numbers for the first two installments might not have reached the rarified heights the studio had wanted, they seem game to let this run its course for now. Whether or not future installments will crash it or not remain to be seen. The one constant with DC films is that they will be rebooted at some time in the future. So far the most successful incarnation, Chris Nolan's Batman Trilogy, ran its course rather quickly and has no relationship to the current run.

As a film, Suicide Squad is not as bad as the critics would have led you to believe, nor is it as good as the opening weekend would suggest. Flawed, to say the least, the film is sometimes hard to follow, but still watchable. Not as much fun as an installment of the MCU, but an improvement for the DCEU. Hopefully, it will only get better from here. Hopefully.

Stubs - Hard to Handle (1933)

Hard to Handle (1933) Starring James Cagney, Mary Brian, Ruth Donnelly, Allen Jenkins, Claire Dodd, Gavin Gordon. Directed by Mervyn LeRoy. Screenplay by Wilson Mizner, Robert Lord. Based on a story by Houston Branch. Produced by Robert Lord. Black and White, U.S. Comedy

By the middle of 1932, James Cagney was feeling like a star at Warner Bros., his home studio. In the two and half years since he’d come to Hollywood to star in Sinner’s Holiday (1930), he’d already made a name for himself and had become a star thanks to The Public Enemy (1931). But there was one thing that Cagney didn’t have and that was a star’s paycheck.

When he asked for a pay raise, studio head Jack Warner said no and put him on contract suspension for asking. Cagney wasn’t the kind to do nothing so he tried to get out of the contract all together, offering to do three films for free. Warner might be a lot of things, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew he had a star on his hands and refused.

This wasn’t the first time that Cagney had asked for a raise. After the success of The Public Enemy, Cagney had begun to compare his pay with his peers and found his lacking. He felt that his contract allowed for adjustments based on the success of his pictures. Warners disagreed, so Cagney walked.

His brother, Harry, acting on Cagney’s behalf, was able to get a raise for his brother to $1000 a week. Cagney came back, but it wasn’t too long before he wanted more, asking for $4000 a week, the same salary as Edward G. Robinson, Douglas Fairbanks Jr. and Kay Francis, with a raise to $4500 a week by 1935.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences asked Frank Capra to arbitrate and in the end Cagney got $3000 a week, but demanded that he only have to make four films a year and receive top-billing in all of them. By September 1932, the new deal was signed.

Prior to the contract dispute, Cagney had been scheduled to star in 20,000 Years in Sing-Sing (1933), but that film had already gone into production with Spencer Tracy in the lead opposite Bette Davis. For a new vehicle, Warners decided on Hard to Handle, an adaptation of a story by Houston Branch.

The production had already gone through various name changes including A Bad Boy, The Inside and Hard to Hold. The writer of the screenplay was Wilson Mizner, known around town as having a great wit, but considered by Jack Warner to be a lovable con man. While Mizner was always able to ad-lib for big laughs at writers conferences, he never seemed to produce much else. It should come as no surprise that Cagney was apparently very fond of the writer who was on the outs with the studio head.

Mizner’s story went into production in late October, 1932. In it, Cagney plays Myron C. “Lefty” Merrill, a California promoter. When the film opens, it is a marathon dance contest. There are only two couples left on the dance floor, including Ruth Walters (Mary Brian), with whom Lefty is in love.

Lefty (James Cagney) secretly encourages Ruth Walters (Mary Brian) during a marathon dance he's co-sponsoring.

We’re told this by a radio announcer at the dance (Allen Jenkins), who seems to delight in telling everyone what should have probably best been left private.

Allen Jenkins plays the announcer at the dance contest.

Ruth and her partner win when the other couple, Andy Heaney (Sterling Holloway) and his partner (Mary Doran), falls to the floor. But when Lefty goes back to the office to retrieve the $1000 prize money, he discovers that his partner Ed 'Mac' McGrath (John Sheehan) has absconded with all the money they’d made, leaving Lefty holding the bag, so to speak. Not only are the winners mad, but so is Ruth’s mother, Lil (Ruth Donnelly), and she manages to agitate the workers, who realize they won’t get paid either. Lefty manages to escape with his life.

Lil Walters (Ruth Donnelly), Ruth's mother, manages to
agitate the workers, much to Lefty's chagrin.

Meanwhile, Ruth has grown tired from the empty promises of California and longs to move away. No man they’ve found in Los Angeles is good enough for Lil’s daughter, especially the low down Lefty, who shows up unexpectedly looking for a place to stay and a friendly face. Thanks to Lil, he finds neither.

Determined to pay Ruth her share of the winnings (forget her dance partner), Lefty promotes a treasure hunt at a pier. But the owner, Col. H.D.X. Wells (Berton Churchill), has other plans. While he agrees to pay Lefty five hundred dollars for the scheme to bring hundreds to his pier, the prize money he hides is only $10. But the crowd, thinking there could be much more, tears the pier apart, causing much more damage. Lefty manages to escape before the mob gets out of control.

Lefty's get quick scheme goes awry as treasure seekers destroy the pier.

He shows up at the Walters’ apartment with the $500, but finds Lil sold the furniture to a second-hand furniture salesman, Abe Goldstein (Harry Strang) and used the money to move back to New York. The problem is that Lil didn’t own the furniture and once again Lefty has to hurry away before everyone tries to get the money from him.

Lefty follows the Walters to New York, where he discovers that Ruth is working as a model as well as dating the photographer John Hayden (Gavin Gordon). Lefty talks up a good game, but no matter how fast he talks, he knows he needs to make a quick score of money to win her back.

Lefty follows Ruth  and her mother to New York, but finds Ruth in a
 relationship with her photographer, John Hayden (Gavin Gordon), when he arrives.

His next get rich quick comes to him while he watches Ruth struggle with a thick and sticky face cream. The idea is to sell the cream as a reducing cream, since her efforts to spread it were surely burning calories. With the endorsement of Mrs. O.H.P. Weston-Parks (Louise Mackintosh), a socialite, he is extremely successful.

Lefty takes charge of the advertising campaign for his reducing cream.

Money makes him a good catch according to Lil, but Ruth wants to see how being rich affects him. 

Now Lefty is a promotional man in demand. When Bedford College comes to him to promote their school, the campaign is so successful that he is awarded an honorary doctorate.

Lefty receives an honorary doctorate after helping the school raise money.

He also draws the attention of pretty student Marlene Reeves (Claire Dodd) and her father, Charles (Robert McWade). Charles hires Lefty to promote his development in Florida, Grapefruit Acres. Lefty asks Ruth to accompany him down to Florida and to marry him there, but she insists on waiting until he gets back.

While Ruth doesn’t go, Marlene does and she makes a play for Lefty. But Ruth changes her mind and she and Lil decide to go to Florida to surprise Lefty. But the surprise is on them, when they enter Marlene’s hotel room and find the two of them having breakfast in their robes. (Ah, pre-code Hollywood.)

Marlene Reeves (Claire Dodd) follows Lefty to Florida.

Not only does he lose Ruth, but his campaign for Grapefruit Acres gets him in trouble. (Grapefruit is a call back to The Public Enemy with its infamous breakfast scene.) The promotions promise that the first harvest of grapefruits will more than pay for the house. But with the price of grapefruits at an all-time low, Lefty is thrown in jail for false advertising.

In jail, Lefty is reunited with Mac, his former partner in the marathon dance contest. He manages to get a little revenge by punching Mac, but he also learns that Mac had lost weight on a grapefruit diet.

In jail, Lefty is reunited with Mac (John Sheehan), from whom he takes out his revenge.

With that idea, Lefty invents the 18-day grapefruit diet. So successful is this promotion that the price of grapefruit spikes and suddenly his original claims are legitimate. The charges are dropped.

Lefty wants Ruth back, but Lil tells him that her daughter is going to marry Hayden. Not to be outdone, Lefty tricks Ruth into admitting that she still loves him.

Like most Cagney films from that era, this one was generally well-received by critics of the day. From the reviews I’ve read, Mordaunt Hall’s in The New York Times seems typical: “James Cagney's shadow burst into Warner's Strand [Theatre] last night as the dynamic publicity man in Hard to Handle, an adaptation of a story by Houston Branch. It is a violent, down-to-the-pavement, slangy affair which has many a mirthful moment...Mr. Cagney as Lefty Merrill leaps from the frying pan into the fire, from the fire into the frying pan and lastly from the pan to the kitchen floor...The episodes fly by like the wind, or as fast as Lefty Merrill runs in several of the episodes...And like virtually all Mr. Cagney's pictures, there is no time for pausing. The picture must go on, and on it goes." Variety commented “While his material isn’t up to average, Cagney’s playing is as usual and as effective in its way as always.”

Everything they said in those reviews back then is still true today. Hard to Handle seems to fit in well with Cagney’s early films at Warner Bros. The stories in these early films are usually very fast paced. And Lefty seems like a slightly more sophisticated cousin to Harry Delano, the penny arcade barker with bigger ambitions he played in his first film, Sinners’ Holiday (1930).

The supporting cast includes Mary Brian as Ruth, a role that would seem to have been a good fit for Joan Blondell. However, it was first offered to Carole Lombard, who was under contract to Paramount and turned it down. Mary Brian, also under contract to Paramount, was hired for the role. Brian, whom I don’t think I had seen before, does a good job in the part, but I still think Blondell would have been ideal for the role.

Mary Brian plays Ruth in Hard to Handle, a role for which Joan Blondell was a good fit.

Ruth Donnelly is a very good comedienne, but her character here is a little one note. A mother only wants what’s best for her child, so what’s the harm if some of that fortune rubs off on her or ends up in her pocket? She is good, though perhaps underused.

No matter who is in support, Hard to Handle belongs to Cagney and the enjoyment is in watching him. Don’t get me wrong, this is not a great film, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun to watch.

Star Trek Beyond (2016)

Star Trek Beyond (2016) Starring Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban, Zoe Saldana, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Idris Elba, Sofia Boutella. Directed by Justin Lin. Screenplay by Simon Pegg and Doug Jung. Based on Star Trek TV Series created by Gene Roddenberry. Produced by J. J. Abrams, Roberto Orci, Lindsey Weber Justin Lin, Color. Runtime 122 minuted. USA. Science Fiction, Action, Adventure, Fantasy

If it seems like it was just three years since the release of Star Trek Into Darkness, you'd be right. And if that feels like a little long between sequels, you'd be right there, too. One of the problems with this reboot of the franchise is the pacing of the releases. It's been seven years since the first film and we're only up to number three. In the meantime, we've lost two actors important to the series, the go-to cameo services of Leonard Nimoy and one of the main cast members, Anton Yelchin. That is the problem with dragging these films out, other things happen. Not sure what supposedly happened to Dr. Carol Marcus (Alice Eve), who was introduced three years ago as a new crew member, but apparently she fell off the ship somewhere in the intervening time and space.

Another thing that happened to the franchise is that J.J. Abrams, who still has his finger on the content, as a producer, has left the director's chair. While the FX guy responsible for lens flare might be upset, the franchise is finally getting somewhere in his absence. For the first time in this franchise, I don't get the feeling that I'm watching a revised original Star Trek (TV and films) storyline. Pardon me, but Star Trek the reboot is finally going where Gene Roddenberry hadn't taken it.

The story seemed fresh, perhaps thanks to having Simon Pegg, the man behind the Three Flavours Cornetto Trilogy: Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, and The World's End, moving from in front of the camera to behind the laptop as one of the writers on the screenplay. The story no longer feels constricted by Roddenberry's vision, with dialogue being more frank and realistic and even funny at times.

The downside of that is that Pegg and Doug Jung, his co-writer, have also chosen to emphasize things that were not in the original story. I don't think I'm telling tales out of school that Pegg was behind making Sulu (John Cho) gay in honor of the original actor, George Takei's sexual preference. Even when Takei asked that they not do this to Roddenberry's story, Pegg felt compelled to keep the reference in. Frankly, it seems to be a lot about nothing as the reference was so subtle that if you didn't know what you were supposed to be looking for, you might miss it. Sulu's sexual relations have nothing to do with the franchise or this story, so one wonders, why make the change in the first place?

While certainly not earth-shattering, I don't like the recent trend in movies and comics to make male characters female or straight characters gay or white characters minority. Diversity is a great idea, but why not create and market new and interesting characters rather than taking the relatively lazy creative step of changing well-established characters to fit the fickle tastes of the moment. I'm guessing we'll once again have this sort of debate when casting takes place for the next James Bond film.

But I digress.

Star Trek Beyond's main cast seem to be immensely comfortable with their roles and relationships, though I suspect there is a bit of riding on the backs of the original series for some of this. As an example, Spock (Zachary Quinto) and Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban) have not had enough screen time together for us to see them have an adversarial relationship which was established so solidly in the weekly series back in the 1960s. They talk more about it than show us.

The strength of the film is the cast, Dr. McCoy (Karl Urban), Mr. Spock
(Zachary Quinto) and Nyota Uhura (Zoe Saldana) among them.

The film fits into the overall arc so far created. Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) is still in charge with Mr. Spock and Dr. McCoy as his two right-hand men. Spock and Uhura (Zoe Saldana) are still an item, though Earth girls are harder to figure out than the Vulcan was prepared for.

The story is a little convoluted, but still very good as the crew of the Enterprise are captured by an evil villain, Krall (Idris Elba), bent on destroying the world (aren't they all). They are assisted in their fight by a new ally, Jaylah (Sofia Boutella). The situation is harrowing and somewhat scary, though, in the end, the crew, led by Captain Kirk (Chris Pine), triumphs and saves the day.

Captain Kirk (Chris Pine) leads his crew through a harrowing situation.

Pegg has given his Scotty character much more to do here than he had in previous films. A gifted engineer in previous films, his skills are ratcheted up here to perhaps less believable levels as he is an immediate master of any system he sees. While always a second-tier main character, Scotty is bumping here to make the trio into a quartet. Likewise, Uhura has a seemingly expanded role as well, one which Saldana is more than capable of handling.

The new addition of Jaylah is interesting, but I wouldn't count on seeing her again, remember Dr. Marcus. Idris Elba seems to show up more and more in films, especially fantasy films, but that is to be expected. He is a good actor and rarely, if ever, disappoints.

Jaylah (Sofia Boutella) saves Scotty (Simon Pegg), the latter of whom has a larger role in this installment.

The film relies on the usual bit of science mumbo jumbo when they have to explain things, but you sort of have to go with it. I am not a fantasy or sci-fi aficionado, so while I might disagree with some of the choices, I am an outsider to these worlds and will keep my opinions to myself.

Perhaps fitting the choice of directors, this time out there is a lot more action and fight scenes. I have never watched The Fast and the Furious 3 through 6 or other films Justin Lin might have directed, but I would assume that action over story is a hallmark of his films. My only complaint here is that some of the action is sometimes hard to follow, but that is my complaint with many films in this genre.

While I have my complaints, I was for the most part happy with the film and would definitely recommend it, especially to anyone who has invested their time in the first two films or in Star Trek lore in general. Now, I'd like to see Paramount and it's many co-production companies on this film (of which there are many) get their act together and put out another one, sooner rather than later. They're getting better, but three years, while better than four, is still too long between installments for this franchise to live up to its potential. Now that we've gotten Beyond, let's keep it going.

Stubs - Big Night

Big Night (1996) Starring: Minnie Driver, Ian Holm, Isabella Rossellini, Tony Shalhoub and Stanley Tucci. Directed by Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci. Screenplay by Joseph Tropiano and Stanley Tucci. Produced by David Kirkpatrick and Jonathan Filley Runtime 107 minutes. US. Color. Drama

Independent movies, like their studio counterparts, can be very hit and miss. Oftentimes, though, the goal is to make a good movie and not necessarily a lot of money. [My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) is an exception to the rule. Made on a budget of $5 million, that Canadian-American romantic comedy would go on to earn nearly $370 million at the box office.] While no one would turn down a wheelbarrow full of cash, it really is the quality of the work that will live on long after the money is spent. That’s why we celebrate classic Hollywood cinema, not because of the box office the film might have earned, but because when the work is good, we want to see it over and over again.

Such is the case with Big Night, a film co-written and co-directed by Stanley Tucci. Made on what had to be a, pardon the pun, spaghetti thin budget of $4.1 million, Big Night really seems to capture the mood of the time. Set on the New Jersey Shore in the 1950s, Big Night tells the story of two recent Italian immigrant brothers, Primo (Tony Shalhoub) and his younger brother, Secondo (Tucci). Together, they run a small Italian restaurant, Paradise. Primo is the chef and closely follows traditional cooking he learned back in Abruzzo. Primo openly dislikes American ideas of what makes an Italian dinner. We see him get enraged when a female customer wants a side dish of spaghetti and meatballs to go along with her order of seafood risotto. He can’t understand why she would want a starch to go with a starch. He wonders if he should make her mashed potatoes as well.

Secondo manages Paradise and he is concerned about the restaurant’s future. Unlike his brother, whose whole life seems to revolve around food, Secondo is interested in the possibilities and promise of their new home, America.

Primo is not sold on staying, contemplating an offer from their uncle to return to Rome and work in his restaurant. Secondo, no matter what, has no intentions of ever going back.

Despite the quality of the food, Paradise is failing. Their lone employee is a busboy named Cristiano (Marc Anthony). The restaurant is in direct competition with Pascal’s (Ian Holm) self-named much more successful one which is just across the street. There they serve Americanized Italian cuisine and have a full house every night because of it.

Secondo (Stanley Tucci) has trouble committing to his girlfriend, Phyllis (Minnie Driver).

Because he is struggling to keep his business going, the bank refuses to give the brothers more time to pay back their business loan, Secondo has trouble committing to his girlfriend, Phyllis (Minnie Driver). Further, she wants to remain chaste until they tie the knot. To that end, Secondo is sleeping with Pascal’s younger wife, Gabriella (Isabella Rossellini).

Rival Pascal (Ian Holm) offers to help Secondo and Primo (Tony Shalhoub), but he doesn't.

Secondo goes to Pascal looking for a loan, but while Pascal says he likes the brothers and wants them to come work with him, he can’t come up with the money they need. But instead of money, Pascal offers to persuade popular Italian-American singer Louis Prima to dine at Paradise when he is in town. The assumption is having a big name dine there will help revitalize the boy’s business. Primo hasn’t heard of Louis Prima, but Secondo knows what a potential publicity event this would be. He finally confesses to Primo the financial precipice the restaurant is teetering on and Primo steps up preparing a timpano for the occasion. (If you haven’t seen the film, a timpano is a complicated baked pasta dish, which you will definitely want after the movie.)

Secondo and Cristiano (Mark Anthony) admire Primo's Timpano.

The brothers spend nearly all of their life savings on the big night and Secondo invites anyone and everyone, including the produce deliveryman, Bob (Campbell Scott), a car dealer who tempted Secondo with a Cadillac and a newspaper reporter, not to mention Pascal, Gabriella, Phyllis and Ann (Allison Janney), a widow who runs the florist, on whom the shy Primo has an unexpressed crush.

Primo has a crush on Ann (Allison Janney), who also gets invited to the Big Night.

As they wait for Prima to arrive, the guests indulge in Primo’s exquisitely made dishes and a celebration starts. Eventually, it becomes apparent that Prima is not coming. Phyllis catches Secondo and Gabriella kissing and runs off to the beach. At Gabriella's insistence, Pascal finally admits that he never called Louis Prima, thus ending the party.

All the party is missing is the guest of honor Louis Prima.

Secondo follows Phyllis to the beach where they have a final quarrel. Primo and Secondo also argue, hashing out their differences. Pascal admits to Secondo that he had set up the brothers for failure; but not as revenge for Secondo's affair with Gabriella. He wanted to force the brothers to either return to Italy or come work for him. Secondo tells Pascal that the brothers will never work for him.

As dawn breaks, the brothers return to Paradise, where Secondo silently cooks an omelet. When done, he divides it among three plates, one for Cristiano, one for himself and one for Primo. The two brothers eat without speaking and lay their arms across one another's shoulders in a sign of family solidarity.

At the end of the Big Night, Secondo and Primo share breakfast and their future.

While their future looks bleak, it is clear that the two brothers will face it together. A lot is left unsettled, but that’s partly the point of the movie. We’re peeking into a day in the life of two brothers, both chasing unattainable dreams. Primo wants to be the best cook and change American expectations for Italian cuisine, while Secondo wants to live the good life of the American dream: beautiful women and luxury cars.

In many ways, this is a small film with small ambitions, just like Primo and Secondo. But unlike the Paradise, the film succeeds at all levels. The story stays true to itself. These are all flawed people in some ways. Secondo can’t commit to Phyllis, but has no qualms about sleeping with the wife of another man whom he turns to for help. Primo doesn’t have the right temperament to be a successful chef, he is unwilling to adapt to attract more clientele. And Pascal is perhaps the most flawed, ruining the livelihood of two men he pretends to like. He has already won the competition between the restaurants, but he is not happy until he has vanquished his rivals.

A labor of love for Scott and Tucci, who had been friends since high school, the film was a breakthrough of sorts for both actors. The film captures the right mood and look of the era in which it takes place. Big Night makes you long for homemade Italian food and for more films like this.

Tucci was still on TV in his role as Richard Cross on Murder One (1995-96) when this film opened theatrically. After this film, it is sad that Tucci has not done more directing. This was the first of only four films he helmed, including The Impostors (1998), Joe Gould’s Secret (2000) and Blind Date (2007), none of which has resonated the way Big Night has. Instead, he has concentrated on acting, appearing in mostly supporting roles in films like Deconstructing Harry (1997), Road to Perdition (2002), Maid in Manhattan (2002), The Devil Wears Prada (2006) and Julie & Julia (2009). A very versatile actor, it is sad in a way that modern audiences know him best as Caesar Flickerman, the over-the-top TV host in The Hunger Games (2012), The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013) and The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 (2014) and Part 2 (2015).

Tucci and Scott co-directed Big Night.

Campbell Scott, the son of George C. Scott and Colleen Dewhurst has not been quite as busy as Tucci. While they both earned their equity cards by appearing in a Broadway play Dewhurst was co-starring in, their careers have taken divergent paths. Scott’s breakthrough performance came opposite Julia Roberts in Dying Young (1991). He had also appeared in Singles (1992) and as Peter Benchley in Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994). Since Big Night, he has worked in both TV and film, most recently narrating the History Channel series The Men Who Built America (2012). He has also appeared in The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and its sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014). His role in Big Night is rather small, but his contribution to the overall film was in a more important role as co-director.

One other actor to comment on from this film is Tony Shalhoub. His first major role was in the TV series Wings (1991-97) in which he played mechanic Antonio Scarpacci. He would later find success as Monk in a series by the same name which ran on the USA network from 2002-2009. A very versatile actor, Shalhoub has appeared in such films as Barton Fink (1991), Honeymoon in Vegas (1992), IQ (1994), Men in Black (1997), Galaxy Quest (1999), Spy Kids (2001), Men in Black II (2002) and Cars (2006). His performance as Primo is one of the highlights of Big Night.

I could go on and on, but everyone deserves some mention for their acting prowess and the gravitas they bring to their roles in this film.

Instead, I would rather recommend Big Night to anyone who wants to see a good movie and who loves Italian food. Because afterward, you’ll want to see the movie again while eating a slice of timpano.