<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" > <channel> <title>On demand – Film Legacy </title> <atom:link href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/category/on-demand/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" /> <link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog</link> <description>Are movies better than ever?</description> <lastBuildDate>Tue, 20 Aug 2024 20:34:54 +0000</lastBuildDate> <language>en-US</language> <sy:updatePeriod> hourly </sy:updatePeriod> <sy:updateFrequency> 1 </sy:updateFrequency> <generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=6.6.2</generator> <image> <url>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/cropped-MH-logo-2021-copy.jpg-32x32.png</url> <title>On demand – Film Legacy </title> <link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog</link> <width>32</width> <height>32</height> </image> <item> <title>Crescent City review: Murder in Little Rock</title> <link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/08/20/crescent-city-review-murder-in-little-rock/</link> <comments>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/08/20/crescent-city-review-murder-in-little-rock/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 20 Aug 2024 20:34:54 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Action]]></category> <category><![CDATA[On demand]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=1172</guid> <description><![CDATA[Powerful casting helps compensate for weak writing in Crescent City, a mean-spirited film noir set in Little Rock, Arkansas. Familiar faces like Terence Howard, Esai Morales, and an effective Alec Baldwin have no trouble navigating the twists and turns in … <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/08/20/crescent-city-review-murder-in-little-rock/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p class="has-text-align-center"><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" width="600" height="400" class="wp-image-1174" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2MJ5882.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2MJ5882.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2MJ5882-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p> <p>Powerful casting helps compensate for weak writing in <em>Crescent City</em>, a mean-spirited film noir set in Little Rock, Arkansas. Familiar faces like Terence Howard, Esai Morales, and an effective Alec Baldwin have no trouble navigating the twists and turns in Rich Ronat’s script. If only they had better material to work with.</p> <p>Spoiler alert: I’m not sure director RJ Collins always shows a scene honestly, especially once flashbacks come into play. Alfred Hitchcock famously toyed with unreliable scenes in <em>Stage Fright</em>, but it’s a tough strategy to justify (and one he abandoned quickly).</p> <p>So stipulated, <em>Crescent City</em> opens with the drugging and murder of a cheating husband, whose decapitated corpse is discovered by cops Brian Sutter (Terrence Howard) and Luke Carson (Esai Morales). It’s the third murder in the area, suggesting a serial killer. As a result, their boss, Captain Howell (Alec Baldwin), assigns them a new partner, Jaclyn Waters (Nicky Whelan), a blonde originally from Australia.</p> <p>Waters is actually an Internal Affairs agent investigating a shooting in which a teenager was killed during a drug bust. Brian, clearly suffering from some form of PTSD, has debilitating fits about the incident. Luke is hiding his own secrets. In a bizarre scene, we watch him rape the hostess of a local bar in a bathroom.</p> <p>Brian’s wife is upset that he refuses to go to counseling. She’d been even angrier if she knew that Brian and Jackie are having an affair. They meet near the spot of one of the murders, and as the story unfolds Brian realizes he is being set up as a fall guy for the killer.</p> <p>The most interesting thing about Brian is that he isn’t very bright. (No one is in <em>Crescent City</em>, apart from Baldwin’s Howell, a profane but clever cop who figures out the plot before his cops do.) Brian presents himself as a father figure with strong religious ties, leading to emotional conflicts that affect his work.</p> <p>He’s also not a very good cop, missing glaring clues and giving inept interrogations. Howard adopts a thick accent that makes Brian seem even less intelligent.</p> <p class="has-text-align-center"><img decoding="async" width="600" height="400" class="wp-image-1175" style="width: 600px;" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2MJ4593.jpg" alt="" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2MJ4593.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/2MJ4593-300x200.jpg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /></p> <p>Give credit to the filmmakers for being willing to go darker than necessary. With its corrupt cops, sex clubs, and deserted alleys, <em>Crescent City</em> presents Little Rock as a sort of minor league New Orleans, minus the bayous, food, and music. The atmosphere is moody and decadent enough to satisfy noir fans, but the plot keeps veering into strange digressions.</p> <p>The filmmakers introduce a sex website with connections to Brian’s church, but fail to do anything with it. Or with an abuse victim who commits suicide. Or a murder victim from a Sex Anonymous group. Instead we get a couple of reasonably steamy sex scenes, a lot of bickering between Brian and Luke, and more red flags than viewers really need.</p> <p>Baldwin is quick and efficient, Morales adds welcome depravity to his character, and Whelan somehow manages to fit her Australian cop into a deep South milieu. And Maria Camila Giraldo shines in a thankless role as a cop who turns up at every Little Rock homicide. But <em>Crescent City</em> adds up to less than the sum of its parts.</p> <p><strong>Credits</strong></p> <p>Director: RJ Collins. Writer: Rich Ronat. Producers: Denise Loren, Eduard Osipov, Vince Jolivette, David Lipper, Robert A. Daly, Jr. Director of photography Alex Salahi. Edited by Eric Potter. Production designer: Julian Brown. <strong>Cast:</strong> Terrence Howard, Esai Morales, Nicky Whelan, Alec Baldwin, Michael Sirow, Weston Cage Coppola, Rose Lane Sanfilippo, Maria Camila Giraldo.</p> <p>In theaters, on digital and on demand. Photos courtesy Lionsgate. Top: Howard, Whelan. Bottom: Howard, Giraldo, Morales.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2024/08/20/crescent-city-review-murder-in-little-rock/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>The Vault: a bank heist in Madrid</title> <link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2021/03/26/the-vault-a-bank-heist-in-madrid/</link> <comments>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2021/03/26/the-vault-a-bank-heist-in-madrid/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Fri, 26 Mar 2021 15:20:16 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Action]]></category> <category><![CDATA[On demand]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Streaming]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=838</guid> <description><![CDATA[A professionally executed heist movie that still misses the mark, The Vault is smoothly entertaining but curiously low on suspense. The goal — break into the Bank of Spain’s impregnable basement vault — is intriguing, the plan just this side … <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2021/03/26/the-vault-a-bank-heist-in-madrid/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p>A professionally executed heist movie that still misses the mark, <em>The Vault</em> is smoothly entertaining but curiously low on suspense. The goal — break into the Bank of Spain’s impregnable basement vault — is intriguing, the plan just this side of preposterous, and the characters’ motives generally admirable. A good cast, superior production values, appealing genre: what could go wrong?</p> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" width="600" height="429" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/THE-VAULT-4-copy.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-839" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/THE-VAULT-4-copy.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/THE-VAULT-4-copy-300x215.jpg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/THE-VAULT-4-copy-210x150.jpg 210w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><figcaption> (Left to right) Freddie Highmore, Sam Riley, and Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey. All photos courtesy of Saban Films.</figcaption></figure> <p>Director Jaume Balagueró hits all the expected beats with aplomb, aided by Daniel Aranyó’s plush cinematography. The visuals pull viewers along, gliding through the kind of splendidly gigantic sets that exist only in the genre. Marble staircases, leaded glass ceilings, towering warehouses, air conditioning ducts that open into enormous chambers: it’s <em>Mission: Impossible</em> and <em>Ocean’s Eleven</em> and <em>Fast and Furious</em> and <em>The Italian Job</em>, only with a flavor of Madrid. Don’t forget massive banks of surveillance monitors, nerds who can overcome any computer firewalls, pickpockets who can crack any safe, and in this instance scuba divers who can work for minutes without oxygen. </p> <p>Since you’ve seen something very much like this before, it’s up to the characters to hold viewers’ attention. <em>The Vault</em> starts with Walter Moreland (Liam Cunningham), a driven entrepreneur determined to retrieve a fortune he believes was stolen by the Spanish government. Then there’s James (Sam Riley), a former Special Forces something-or-other who has vague ties with this and that. He’s just that underwritten, and with Riley playing him as an enigma, he is basically a blank.</p> <p>Top-billed Freddie Highmore is Thom, a genius college student entertaining job offers from Big Oil firms mad for his problem-solving skills. He’s lured by pickpocket Lorraine (Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey) into a high-stakes crime because, well, maybe he’s rebelling against his father, maybe he’s an adrenaline junkie, maybe it’s in his contract. Both performers do surprisingly well with their stereotypes. Highmore winks just enough to let viewers know he’s in on the joke, but is stalwart when called upon to leap over chasms or jump out of windows. Bergès-Frisbey uses her amazingly expressive face to deflate some of the massive amounts of testosterone on display.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="400" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/THE-VAULT-12-copy.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-840" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/THE-VAULT-12-copy.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/THE-VAULT-12-copy-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/THE-VAULT-12-copy-225x150.jpg 225w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><figcaption> Freddie Highmore and Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey.</figcaption></figure> <p>On the villainous side are the good guys: bank security head Gustavo (José Coronado) and his minions. Like Andy Garcia or Al Pacino in the <em>Oceans</em> franchise, Gustavo’s job is to discover schemes after the fact, then stew angrily when the orders he barks out don’t work. Sadly, his role has no bite.</p> <p><em>The Vault</em> opens with an eerie underwater shot of a ship bursting into flame. Its title credits run over a montage of security obstacles Walter’s team must overcome to break into the bank. Drones, helicopters, and steadicams give the editing an intoxicating forward momentum. The locations and crowds are extravagant, the pacing hums along comfortably. On many levels <em>The Vault</em> is extremely entertaining.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="400" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/THE-VAULT-1-copy.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-841" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/THE-VAULT-1-copy.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/THE-VAULT-1-copy-300x200.jpg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/THE-VAULT-1-copy-225x150.jpg 225w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><figcaption> Àstrid Bergès-Frisbey, frankly the best reason to watch The Vault.</figcaption></figure> <p>If only the script worked. The plot to <em>The Vault</em> is endless near misses, followed by anxious regrouping back at headquarters. Team members are almost caught in stairways, elevators, meetings, rooftops. Ladders almost collapse, tape loops almost run out, magnetometers almost fail. Walter is forever counting down seconds to deadlines that are always met.</p> <p>Viewers will realize early on that almost nothing is at stake in the storyline. What’s worse, the script doesn’t allow for car chases, fistfights, explosions, etc., so action — apart from nervous stares and baited breaths — is essentially nonexistent. So while <em>The Vault</em> is always pleasant to watch, it doesn’t quite reach the level of essential viewing.</p> <p><em>The Vault</em> is available in select theaters, on digital and On Demand March 26, 2021.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2021/03/26/the-vault-a-bank-heist-in-madrid/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> <item> <title>Foiling terrorists in SAS: Red Notice</title> <link>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2021/03/23/foiling-terrorists-in-sas-red-notice/</link> <comments>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2021/03/23/foiling-terrorists-in-sas-red-notice/#respond</comments> <dc:creator><![CDATA[admin]]></dc:creator> <pubDate>Tue, 23 Mar 2021 16:26:32 +0000</pubDate> <category><![CDATA[Action]]></category> <category><![CDATA[On demand]]></category> <category><![CDATA[Streaming]]></category> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/?p=832</guid> <description><![CDATA[In spy parlance, a “red notice” gives agents legal authority to find and arrest suspects. Adapted from a novel by former special forces operator Andy McNab, SAS: Red Notice takes that one step further, sending vacationing agent Tom Buckingham (Sam … <a href="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2021/03/23/foiling-terrorists-in-sas-red-notice/">Continue reading <span class="meta-nav">→</span></a>]]></description> <content:encoded><![CDATA[ <p>In spy parlance, a “red notice” gives agents legal authority to find and arrest suspects. Adapted from a novel by former special forces operator Andy McNab, <em>SAS: Red Notice</em> takes that one step further, sending vacationing agent Tom Buckingham (Sam Heughan) off on his own to defeat a terrorist attack on the Channel Tunnel.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="338" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Heughan-gun.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-833" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Heughan-gun.jpg 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Heughan-gun-300x169.jpg 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/Heughan-gun-250x141.jpg 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><figcaption>Sam Heughan as Tom Wilkinson in SAS: Red Notice</figcaption></figure> <p>Tom’s not technically alone, he’s taking his potential fiancée Sophie Hart (Hannah John-Kamen) to Paris to propose. She’s skeptical about his job, worried that his missions have erased his moral compass. The action genre being what it is, she will soon be rooting for Tom to kill as many villains as he can.</p> <p>A long prologue finds the Black Swans, an elite mercenary group, disrupting peaceful protests against a pipeline by massacring the residents of a rural village. Led by William Lewis (Tom Wilkinson), the Swans show no mercy, except for William’s disappointing son Oliver (Owain Yeoman), who would rather negotiate than kill.</p> <p>His more bloodthirsty sister Grace (Ruby Rose) fails to prevent a survivor from uploading a smartphone video of the incident to the internet. Result: a red notice against Black Swan leaders. The assault, a protracted battle in a country manor, is led by Tom and his buddy Declan Smith (Tom Hopper), overseen by shadowy military figure George Clements (Andy Serkis).</p> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="235" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SAS_Red_Notice_02.png" alt="" class="wp-image-835" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SAS_Red_Notice_02.png 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SAS_Red_Notice_02-300x118.png 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SAS_Red_Notice_02-250x98.png 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><figcaption>Black Swan Ruby Rose</figcaption></figure> <p>The siblings escape to plot their next move: hijacking a Eurostar passenger train after it enters the Channel Tunnel. So, yes, it’s a long lead in to <em>Die Hard in the Chunnel</em>.</p> <p>The Vertical Entertainment and Redbox Entertainment release, available on demand as of March 16, boasts an unusually high-profile cast. The always professional Wilkinson delivers a crisp performance, while Serkis finds ways to flesh out what could have been a stereotyped character. Ruby Rose continues her string of scowling, glowering anti-heroes. Her sensational presence is undimmed by a role that fails to live up to her potential.</p> <p>Even the supporting players are strong. Hannah John-Kamen could have been annoying and shrill, but she plays Sophie expertly, winning sympathy. Buffed-up Tom Hopper could easily have taken the lead here, but is relegated to the sidelines for much of the film.</p> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="600" height="289" src="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SAS_Red_Notice_01-1.png" alt="" class="wp-image-836" srcset="https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SAS_Red_Notice_01-1.png 600w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SAS_Red_Notice_01-1-300x145.png 300w, https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/SAS_Red_Notice_01-1-250x120.png 250w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px" /><figcaption>Ruby Rose, Hannah John-Kamen</figcaption></figure> <p>Sam Heughan, best-known as Jamie Fraser in <em>Outlander</em>, has the physique of an action hero but few of the physical skills. Perhaps undermined by the stunt team, Heughan seems stiff and awkward in his fights. Tom Buckingham may be the only special forces operative never to have seen <em>Die Hard</em>, because he sure can’t figure out the bad guys or their plots. He keeps stumbling into the same confrontations, unable to outwit villains who, let’s face it, aren’t the brightest foils.</p> <p>Director Magnus Martens, a veteran of TV series like <em>The Walking Dead</em>, handles the large-scale scenes well enough, although the action is more sound and fury than credible stunts. What sinks <em>SAS: Red Notice</em>, apart from its leaden star, is a plot that is far-fetched and predictable at the same time.</p> <p>Working in the movie’s favor: the professionalism of its cast and crew, and respect for viewers. <em>SAS: Red Notice</em> takes its mission to entertain seriously.</p> ]]></content:encoded> <wfw:commentRss>https://www.filmlegacy.net/blog/2021/03/23/foiling-terrorists-in-sas-red-notice/feed/</wfw:commentRss> <slash:comments>0</slash:comments> </item> </channel> </rss>