China's Box Office Bluff, Oscars' Righteous Stunt and Sofia Carson's Netflix Stardom
Plus reviews of 'Drop' and 'The Amateur,' as 'Minecraft' tops $200 million.
In tonight’s “I just felt like doing a newsletter tonight, dammit!” newsletter…
Review—Just because we miss movies like The Amateur (20th Century Studios’ adult-skewing, $60 million spy thriller) doesn’t mean we must grade it on a curve.
Review—Drop is charming and engrossing, albeit slight and often a mere imitation of similar high-concept, single-location thrillers.
The Academy has, better late than never, announced a “Best Stunts” Oscar.
A Minecraft Movie tops $200 million domestically as it enters weekend two.
Threats from China to bar Hollywood films should be mostly ignored by an industry that is already weaning itself off Middle Kingdom revenue.
Sofia Carson is one of Netflix’s very biggest “butts-in-couch” movie stars.
Since my return from Las Vegas, life has gotten in the way (in a non-perilous fashion), so mea culpa for not penning full reviews of The Amateur or Drop.
The Amateur (2025)
123 minutes/PG-13 for “some strong violence and language”
Directed by James Hawes
Produced by Hutch Parker, Dan Wilson, Rami Malek and Joel B. Michaels
Written by Ken Nolan and Gary Spinelli
Based on Robert Littell’s The Amateur
Starring - Rami Malek, Rachel Brosnahan, Caitríona Balfe, Michael Stuhlbarg, Laurence Fishburne, Julianne Nicholson and Jon Bernthal
A Hutch Parker Entertainment Production
Opening the week of April 11 courtesy of 20th Century Studios
The Rami Malek-starring espionage thriller is a distinctly old-school “formally Fox” type movie from 20th Century Studios. As such, its relative success is of paramount importance for David Greenbaum as he tries to reposition “formally Fox” as more than just a Hulu content mill and a periodic IP-specific theatrical treasure chest. It’s also, quite frankly, not particularly good save for a compelling lead performance and a strong set-up.
Malek is terrific as a meek but determined tech nerd who blackmails his CIA bosses into being allowed into the field to avenge the murder of his wife, and the first act provides plenty of juice to this not-entirely-by-the-book set-up. However, once Charles Heller finds his footing and begins doing things his way (instead of trying to become a Jason Bourne/James Bond-type action hero), the picture falls into a slow-burn rut as we watch him dispatch a few bad guys in uncreative ways. I enjoy the “person goes out for revenge but is terrible at it” sub-genre, but The Rhythm Section and Monkey Man did it better.
To be fair, it’s a remake of a 1981 film that was based on Robert Littell’s 1981 novel. However, that didn’t prevent Doug Liman and friends from taking Robert Ludlum’s The Bourne Identity and crafting a crackling-of-the-moment theatrical adaptation. And sure, I can only give so much grief for offering up Rachel Brosnahan as “dead wife” in this kind of film. That said, the almost comical attempts to keep her around end up resembling any number of online spoofs of the “dead wife in a Chris Nolan movie” stereotype.
Anyway, just because we all miss the days when these kinds of films were a regular option at the multiplex buffet doesn’t mean we have to grade this underwhelming example on a curve. It peaks in the first forty minutes and does little to differentiate itself from the countless films that have arrived in theaters and on streaming since the novel’s then-novel hook. Strong production values and some solid performances notwithstanding, The Amateur lives up to its title, and not in the way we might have hoped.
Drop (2025)
97 minutes/PG-13 “strong violent content, suicide, strong language, sexual references”
Directed by Christopher Landon
Written by Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach
Produced by Michael Bay, Jason Blum, Brad Fuller, Cameron Fuller and Sam Lerner
Starring Meghann Fahy, Brandon Sklenar, Violett Beane, Gabrielle, Ryan Spring, Jeffery Self, Ed Weeks, Travis Nelson, and Jeffery Self
A Blumhouse and Platinum Dunes production
Opening the week of April 11 courtesy of Universal
Blumhouse’s Drop is a more modern, of-the-moment thriller, even if its core hook and construction make it play like “But we have Red Eye at home.” Christopher Landon is having fun with his high concept, namely a single mother on a first date who gets scary text messages demanding that she murder her companion lest her son and sister perish. The film has its share of peril and menace, even if the comparatively upbeat tone feels understandable when you view it as Landon’s “Fuck this shit, I want to make something fun!” reaction to the Scream VII mess.
Not that sending death threats to filmmakers and/or their family is ever “thing good,” but the sheer ignorance necessary to think that a work-for-hire filmmaker coming aboard a successfully revamped franchise could fire the two leading ladies, no matter the reason, is almost impressive. Toxic fandom and treating the consumption of mass-market entertainment as political activism make for a grim stew. Anyway, Drop, penned by Jillian Jacobs and Chris Roach, gets the job done in terms of small-scale thrills and relatable chills. Meghann Fahy is compelling enough as the headliner, while Brandon Sklenar again flirts with becoming today’s definitive “Manic Pixie Dream Guy.”
The biggest issue is what Siskel and Ebert used to call “the Law of Inexplicably High Billing.” Think Kiss the Girls, where a mostly MIA Cary Elwes gets third billing after Morgan Freeman and Ashley Judd. Still, I was happy to see (“Miranda Richardson in Sleepy Hollow”) get a showcase, and that poor poker face only relates to just one piece of the film’s puzzle. Even if I also take “issue” with (no spoilers) the implausibility of the film’s relatively happy ending, it’s mostly compelling and quite a bit of pulpy “just a good movie” fun. More of these from Blumhouse (and Platinum Dunes), please.