Wes Anderson’s latest movie, The Phoenician Scheme is a crime/drama/comedy about a family and a family business.
Scarlett Johansson, Bryan Cranston, Tom Hanks, Benedict Cumberbatch and Benicio Del Toro are among the key cast.
I love the cast and I’m certainly not averse to Anderson’s visually pleasing and highly stylised aesthetic.
May the story be just as pleasing.
Richard Ayoade, Rupert Friend, Michael Cera, Jeffrey Wright, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Hope Davis, Mathieu Amalric, Antonia Desplat, Max Mauff, Milo James, Mia Threapleton, Jason Watkins and Riz Ahmed also star.
New Legal thriller Your Honor stars Bryan Cranston as a respected judge whose son is involved in a hit-and-run accident that leads to a high-stakes game of lies, deceit and impossible choices.
Hope Davis, Sofia Black-D’Elia and Isiah Whitlock Jr. are among the key cast.
I wonder if I’ll enjoy this more than I did Breaking Bad. One other relatively new crime/thriller that Your Honor brings to mind is the very highly rated and good Ozark.
Tony Curran, Hunter Doohan, Lilli Kay, Michael Stuhlbarg, Brittney Tamberg, Jock McKissic, David Maldonado, Keith Machekanyanga and Garrett Kruithof also star.
Right away, I want to confirm that The Intouchables (2011), the French film on which The Upsideis based, is absolutely better than this remake starring Kevin Hart, Bryan Cranston and Nicole Kidman.
Centred around the friendship that emerges between a wealthy paraplegic and an unemployed man with a criminal record. One who’s hired to help him, The Upside isn’t an exact copy of The Intouchables. Though some scenes are the same. There are a few more characters that were added, mainly the one played very well by Aja Naomi King.
I found that the best parts in director Neil Burger’s movie are the moments that weren’t too close to exact copies of scenes from the original. When compared, the original scenes always came out on top.
As for the performances, King was great in her role. Cranston, his super comic timing and Kidman are also undoubtedly very talented actors. Yet, even with all this seasoned talent, there’s no saving this movie from itself. It’s missing that special spark, all-round chemistry and flow that the original has.
I enjoyed some of the comic moments between Cranston and Hart’s characters (especially during the birthday party), but since The Upside is Hart’s first dramatic role, there’s definitely room for him to grow – and I look forward to seeing that progression in future performances.
On summary, watch The Upside if you really want to see for yourself how different it is from The Intouchables. Otherwise, it’s probably better to watch other great works by the talented cast.
The Upside is a remake of French film The Intouchables (2011), the story of the relationship between a wealthy paraplegic and an unemployed man with a criminal record who’s hired to help him.
Bryan Cranston, Kevin Hart and Nicole Kidman star while Neil Burger directs.
There’s no denying it, The Intouchables is a great movie and could have done without a remake.
At the same time, though, I think I may actually have fun seeing how different this remake is from the original. I could also be wrong about that last statement, but I don’t mind finding out. Furthermore, I want to see what comedian Kevin Hart can do in a more dramatic role.
Julianna Margulies, Golshifteh Farahani, Tate Donovan and Aja Naomi King also star.
Directed by Wes Anderson (The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), starring Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Scarlett Johansson and Liev Schreiber, Isle of Dogs is set in Japan, and tells the story of a 12-year-old boy’s odyssey in search of his dog.
I know it’s a Wes Anderson movie, which means it’s going to be noteworthy. Nevertheless, I’m not yet especially excited. Perhaps it’s something to do with the overall seemingly sleepy tone.
What are your thoughts?
Tilda Swinton, Greta Gerwig, Jeff Goldblum, Frances McDormand, Harvey Keitel, Ken Watanabe and Bill Murray also star.
The Movie My Life 