Old Ladies, Evil Dead & A Mermaid at the Movies

In between gobbling up episodes of the fantastic second season of “Schmigadoon!” – please, God, let there be a third season – I managed to see four new films, including the movie every young girl and gay man has been waiting for, “The Little Mermaid.” Read on for my reviews.

by Chris Narloch

The Little Mermaid

I am not always a fan of Disney’s live-action remakes of its animated feature films, but this time the studio got it right, delivering a movie that, while not as great as the original film, is nevertheless much better than the more recent stage musical. Kudos to Disney for casting a Black actress (Halle Bailey) as Ariel in the big-screen blockbuster. Besides being beautiful and having a gorgeous singing voice, Bailey projects an innocence that is perfect for the part. The underwater effects are also lovely, plus Melissa McCarthy and Javier Bardem hit home runs with terrific work as Ursula and King Triton, respectively. My only quibble would be that McCarthy is so villainous as the villainess that young kids may be frightened by her scenes. In wide theatrical release.

Book Club: The Next Chapter

There was no need for a sequel to the original “Book Club” movie from 2018, but as an excuse to get four of my favorite actresses back together again on the big screen, I’ll take it. Jane Fonda brings the sex appeal and Mary Steenburgen provides the sweetness, but it’s funny ladies Candace Bergen and Diane Keaton who steal the show this time out. The paper-thin plot, about a girls’ trip to Italy to drink wine and buy wedding dresses for the upcoming nuptials of Fonda’s character, often feels more like a travelogue than a fleshed-out script. Still, thanks mainly to the fantastic foursome at the center of the film, I had a smile on my face before, during and after “Book Club: The Next Chapter.” In wide theatrical release.

Evil Dead Rise

Hardcore horror fans will enjoy this latest installment in the long-running “Evil Dead” franchise, which began with two excellent scary movies directed by Sam Raimi (“The Evil Dead” and “Evil Dead II”). Raimi no longer directs these films, but Lee Cronin does an admirable job here, approximating Raimi’s swooping camerawork and sicko sense of humor. While not as darkly funny as Raimi’s “Evil Dead” films, this movie does deliver intense violence, rivers of blood, and a very warped plot about a tattoo artist who becomes possessed by a demon and attempts to kill her own kids. I admired the skill with which “Evil Dead Rise” was made, but I can’t really recommend it to anyone except diehard fans of the franchise. In wide theatrical release.

Carmen Hunky Paul Mescal (who was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar earlier this year for his captivating performance in “Aftersun”) is back, this time playing half of a hot-to-trot hetero couple on the run from the law. Sultry Melissa Barrera plays the female lead. Loosely based on a novella of the same name – which was also the inspiration for Bizet’s “Carmen” – and directed by French dancer and choreographer Benjamin Millepied, this “Carmen” is a mixed bag. Frequent dance sequences that are superb (and very sexy) can’t quite make up for the awkward dialogue and mostly flat performances in between. The movie is a must for fans of dance films and doomed romances – all others need not apply. “Carmen” opened at Sacramento’s Tower Theatre on May 19th.