Up & Coming Weekly

June 07, 2016

Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.

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JUNE 8-14, 2016 UCW 23 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM In his time Shane Black has written lots of great action movies — including Lethal Weapon. And just like in Lethal Weapon, The Nice Guys (116 minutes) opens with a naked dead girl and a car. It also takes place in L.os Angeles, California, around Christmas time, a well to which Shane Black repeatedly returns. The Nice Guys is more than a little bit like writer-director Shane Black's Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, which is a far superior film. No surprise there, since anecdotes from the same Marine/ Private Investigator made it into both movies. Of course, I'd pay money to see Robert Downey, Jr. mumble before I'd watch Ryan Gosling for free. What a shame the mystery is stupid, and all the Shane Black dialogue magic is missing. This mystery-action film takes place in the '70s, against the backdrop of the wild and crazy world of pornography. All things considered, I prefer the Boogie Nights lens on '70s porn, though the Shane Black version did include an interesting party scene with vacuous porn actors dressed like mermaids, tables and Pinocchio. It was the only scene in the movie that I found even slightly amusing, and it went on far too long. The plot is overly complex. There is an alcoholic private investigator named Holland March (Ryan Gosling) who specializes in vulnerable clients, usually with dementia, whom he can string along. His daughter, Holly (Angourie Rice), plays a parentified child in desperate need of an Alateen Support Group. March is working on the case of a dead porn star when he crosses paths with Jackson Healy (Russell Crowe, awkwardly making the same transition that Marlon Brando made between Godfather and The Island of Dr. Moreau). Healy was hired by a girl named Amelia (Margaret Qualley) to beat up one of the men following her, for some reason. It only gets more complicated from there, as most of the other characters seem to have very confusing motivations and act randomly to accomplish vague purposes. For example, Keith David shows up, weaving in and out of the plot, but I can't figure out which villain he is really working for. He has a sidekick, credited as Blueface (Beau Knapp), whose sole purpose seems to be screwing up so Healy can bounce one-liners off him. And the one-liners aren't that funny. Maybe that's where the film lost me. I have a hard time enjoying movies when I don't understand the character's choices, which leaves me with no one to root for. Anyway, March and Healy team up to fumble their way through a mystery, more by luck than any special skills. There are fights and kidnappings, team- ups and double-crosses, not to mention lots and lots of people who end up dead. Suddenly, Kim Basinger shows up. Remember the last time Crowe and Basinger were in a film together? It was L.A. Confidential, before they both became caricatures of themselves. To be fair, my husband really seemed to like this. I usually enjoy Shane Black both as a writer and director, but this just didn't do it for me. I thought the mystery driving the plot was forced and had a subpar resolution. I found the inclusion of Basinger puzzling as well as distracting — her facial muscles appear frozen, giving her the appearance of a living plastic doll in her scenes. The manly banter didn't sound pleasingly retro, it sounded stale. I kept noticing little touches of misogyny. The subplot with March's daughter was too cutesy, and the alcoholism subplot came off as a little bit beside the point. In other words, I was thoroughly and completely bored. Now playing at Patriot 14 + IMAX. Isn't That How Lethal Weapon Started? The Nice Guys(Rated R) by HEATHER GRIFFITHS Doors open at 6:30 pm 1 st show & 9:30 pm 2 nd show Featuring a Meet & Greet with Norman Connors Advance tickets $60 per person - $65 at the door Advance tickets are available on Eventbrite.com & www.michellesjazzcomedyent.com For tickets or more information call (910) 302-8809 Ticket includes one-drink & complimentary appetizers T h e 1 00 % Outr ag e ou s Clean Comedy Show Clean Comedy Show Tickets $35 - $195 for VIP Tickets $35 - $195 for VIP Embassy Suites Hotel Ballroom Fayetteville, NC Doors open @ 6:30PM Show starts @ 7PM Embassy Suites Hotel Ballroom Fayetteville, NC Doors open @ 6:30PM Show starts @ 7PM special guest willie bradley HEATHER GRIFFITHS, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910.484.6200. All Seats All Shows All Day $1.50 "Except Holidays & 3D Movies" $1.50 Drink $1.50 Popcorn BUY ONE MOVIE TICKET GET ONE FREE! Expries 7/8/16 MOVIE MONDAYS everyday special Please visit our website for movies and show times

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