DALLAS — There's no need to look up every movie individually anymore, we break down what's debuting on streaming platforms and in theaters this weekend.
GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE
The Monsterverse is having a year! The "Monarch" series premiered on Apple TV+. Japanese-made "Godzilla Minus One" won an Oscar for visual effects. Now "Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire" hits the big screen.
And I kid you not, just a short time lapses before Kong has a toothache and a swashbuckling veterinarian played by Dan Stevens swoops in to perform an implant. That's just one example of how director Adam Wingard has taken his sequel into the direction of the Sillyverse.
The core cast returns: Rebecca Hall as the scientist, the indigenous girl she adopted, and Brian Tyree Henry, a podcaster. Kong is settled now in Hollow Earth. The human crew follows him down, and the journey opens a whole new can of worms, and monsters. We're introduced to a cute little ape with a vicious streak, as well as a ferocious one, 'Skar King.' He has a frozen lizard creature on the leash. Then there's Godzilla, who's terrorizing Europe, but enjoys nice naps in the Roman Colosseum! Of course, as the title suggests, Kong and Godzilla become allies in battle. But it comes to a head against a backdrop of half-baked effects that look like pink icicles. Then there's a sidebar about the indigenous child stumbling upon her roots, peeling back one too many layers of mythology.
The 2021 Wingard movie I remember to be decent, the monsters even terrifying. This one is a weak follow-up which makes me wonder where we go from here.
(Warner Bros. Rated PG-13. Running Time 1 hr. 55 mins. In Theaters Only)
ASPHALT CITY
Anyone who thinks New York City is one incredibly dark, seedy Big Apple, certainly won't change their opinion based on "Asphalt City."
A crusty Sean Penn stars as 'Rut,' a Brooklyn paramedic who takes rookie Tye Sheridan's 'Ollie' under his wing. Not a comfortable place to be as they work the night shift in the gritty city. Penn is a career EMT. Sheridan took the job for experience as he tried to get into medical school. When 'Rut' makes what his partner describes as a 'mistake' involving a drug addict's baby, he comes undone.
"Asphalt City" is by French director Jean-Stephane Sauvaire. There's nothing subtle about this movie. It’s heavy on violence and gore (you’ll look away more than once) and loud on the volume, including classical music by Wagner. There are only slight diversions to a string of emergency calls: the occasional ride-along joke, Rut visiting his young daughter, and lots of sex for Ollie. Let's call this one intense, perhaps more than it needs to be.
(Roadside Attractions. Rated R. Running Time 2 hrs. In Theaters Only)
STREAMING:
Apple TV+ premieres Season 2 of Jim Henson's legacy Muppet series: "Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock."
Kristen Wiig is also on Apple TV+ as a former small-town beauty queen desperately trying to infiltrate Palm Beach society in “Palm Royale.” (The all-star cast also includes Carol Burnett, Allison Janney, Lesley Bibb, Laura Dern, Ricky Martin, and Josh Lucas.)
"Steve! (Martin): A Documentary in 2 Pieces" is the story behind that wild and crazy guy - premiering on Apple TV+ as well.
A coming-of-age story about a teen and homing pigeons called “Little Wing” is on Prime Video. “Succession’s” Brian Cox and “Yellowstone’s” Kelly Reilly co-star.
Also on Prime Video, Roma Downey, Jr. in her first series since “Touched by an Angel.” It’s a family drama called “The Baxters.”
