The summer of endless streaming wraps up with a shower of goodies along with a sprinkling of duds — here’s a look.
“The One and Only Ivan”: Disney+’s CGI-heavy adaptation of Katherine Applegate’s award-winning novel is an absolute charmer — one of this summer’s best family films. It’s based on the true ordeal of the caged mall gorilla Ivan and this both entertains and delivers a worthwhile message via a talented vocal cast — Oscar winners Sam Rockwell (as Ivan), Helen Mirren and Angelina Jolie (who is also a co-producer). Bryan Cranston stars as beleaguered mall owner Mack who is in dire need of a big-top attraction to fill empty seats. This lovely tale reminds us that these animals need to be free. Details: 3½ stars, streams Aug. 21 on Disney+.
“Cut Throat City”: Musician-turned-filmmaker RZA and screenwriter Paul Cuschieri team up for a blistering takedown on post-Katrina FEMA relief work in New Orleans. Epic and ambitious, it’s an angry but not bleak saga about budding graphic novelist Blink (Shameik Moore) who gets rejected at every turn — from FEMA and potential employers. Cuschieri’s screenplay is nuanced and while the film is too long, the excellent supporting veteran cast — Wesley Snipes, Ethan Hawke, Terrence Howard and Isaiah Washington — mesh well with the strong performances by the younger actors. Details: 3½ stars; streams Aug. 21 at multiple platforms and select drive-ins.
“Tesla”: The prolific Hawke stars in rogue filmmaker Michael Almereyda’s wildly creative Nikola Tesla biopic, a Sundance favorite that defies conventions. The film illustrates how the Tesla was taken advantage of by a scheming Thomas Edison (a sly Kyle MacLachlan). It makes for a fascinating power trip that gets lit up by Almereyda’s outside-of-the-box directorial tics. Just wait till the Tears for Fears song “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” comes along. It makes for weird science, indeed. Details: 3½ stars; streams Aug. 21 on various platforms.
“Chemical Hearts”: What a pleasure to see a YA novel adaptation dig deep into issues of grief, guilt and desire sensitively and honestly. Henry, a sweet and bookish 17-year-old, shares high school newspaper editor duties with the smart but standoffish Grace, who’s been shattered by a past tragedy. Screenwriter/director Richard Tanne avoids making this cute or overly maudlin, and the result is a genuine YA drama about overcoming life’s harsh realities. “Riverdale’s” Lili Reinhart is good, but it’s Austin Abrams who stands out playing a likeable and real character. There are a few slips here and there, but this is solid. Details: 3 stars; streaming Aug. 21 on Amazon Prime.
“Train to Busan Presents Peninsula”: The sequel rides the same rails as the original but doesn’t manage to re-create the kicky nonstop action/tension that made “Busan” so enjoyable. Director/co-writer Sang-ho Yeon toes the zombie line for a passable effort in which refugees in Hong Kong head to a South Korea zombie hotspot to retrieve $20 million from an abandoned food truck. Overall, this feels like a paint-by-numbers horror film, particularly the fight between zombies and man. Details: 2 stars; streaming Aug. 21 on various platforms.
“Random Acts of Violence”: Far more ambitious than “Peninsula” is actor/screenwriter Jay Baruchel gory foray into horror. Jesse Williams smolders as as a reckless graphic novelist who road trips with his manager (Baruchel), neophyte publicist (Niamh Wilson) and smart girlfriend (Jordana Brewster) along a rural stretch of highway where the serial killer of his creation preys on the unsuspecting. It’s a sordid publicity stunt that leads to disaster and forces the creator — a la Frankenstein and “Misery” — to face his own monster. Details: 3 stars; debuts on Shudder Aug. 20.
“Unhinged”: In this intense star vehicle, Russell Crowe stars as a maniac stalking his next victim, a frustrated mom (Caren Pistorius) who cuts him off in traffic. Screenwriter Carl Ellsworth and director Derrick Borte leave you gasping in a brutal thriller with a cynical view of the rage festering in all of us. Crowe taps into his dark side with terrifying conviction. Details: 3 stars; released to some U.S. theaters and selected drive-ins Aug. 21.
“Project Power”: Netflix’s latest big-budget original is a turkey that could have been so much better had screenwriter Mattson Tomlin explored his premise intelligently and spent more time fleshing out the main characters. These include a vengeance seeker (Jamie Foxx), a New Orleans cop (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) and a sassy teen dealer (Dominique Fishback). The story, about an illicit drug that triggers a superpower gene in addicts’ DNA, should have been handled with more care and co-directors Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman should have paid more attention to the pacing and the so-so performances their leads — all good actors — were delivering. As it is, this is a bloated movie that starts decently and loses it within 20 minutes. Details: 1½ stars; available now on Netflix.
“An Easy Girl”: Those in need of a Nuno Lopes fix after his steamy turn on “White Lies,” here’s your chance. Here, Lopes plays Andres, a shady, sexy guy dripping with wealth and dubious intentions. Andres’ yacht docks at Cannes where he canoodles with sultry young Sofia (Zahia Dehar) whose 16-year-old, more reserved cousin Naima (Mina Farid) tags along and dips into the dark side. What seems merely a lascivious tale turns out to be a far more thoughtful meditation by director and co-screenwriter Rebecca Zlotowski on the dark side of wealth and freedom. Details: 3 stars; available now Netflix.
