Displaying items by tag: Liam Neeson

COLD STORAGE

US, 2026, 99 minutes, Colour.

Joe Keery, Georgina Campbell, Liam Neeson, Lesley Manville, Sosie Bacon, Gavin Spokes, Vanessa Redgrave, Ellora Torchia, Rob Collins, Richard Brake.

Directed by Jonny Campbell.

This film opens, surprisingly, in Western Australia. An indigenous man, Rob Collins, is placing a desperate phone call to a scientist in Rome. In his outback town, all the inhabitants have climbed desperately on to their roofs and their bodies have exploded. An explanation is suggested that when Skylab crashed into the ocean, bits of debris landed in the Australian desert. And, one of the pieces of debris was a container with a scientific experiment to be tested in outer space – and, now, it is beginning to wreak havoc in Western Australia.

This is very serious. And, in its way, it is. Liam Neeson and the scientist arrive in Australia with an associate, the mysterious fungus has escaped, destructive. Liam Neeson’s task is to collect the remnants, transport them to the US, bury them deep down below ground and there they will be contained forever. But, as science fiction and fantasy, not likely!

For those who enjoy a very serious science-fiction, mysterious and expanding, death-gripping fungi with the living dead, they will have to adjust their expectations. Liam Neeson, with so many action shows behind him, has moved into comedy with the reworking of The Naked Gun. Cold Storage is more in that vein, oddball characters, dangerous situations, farcical turn of events, some dialogue accordingly.

And, part of the surprise is to look at some of the supporting cast. Serious British actress, Lesley Manville, is in deadpan mode as Neeson’s assistant. And, suddenly, there is Vanessa Redgrave, a widow who is checking out the storage room containing her husband’s memories, getting caught up in the gunfire and all the strange action – because the US authorities thought the fungi threat was long closed, signed off the deep storage area for commercial purposes, not much really going on there and supervised by a former prisoner on nightshift.

The fungus is loose.

So, no spoilers except to say that the night guard, played by Stranger Things’  Joe Keery, a chatterbox klutz hero, is matched with a rather intrepid Georgina Campbell as a security guard – and they are caught up in all kinds of dangers, threats, escaping fungi on the loose, exploding bodies and a final solution to the crisis. Or is it?

1. Science-fiction? Space exploration, consequences? But, signs-fiction parody? Satire? The blend of the serious and the comic?
2. The title, the background with Skylab, experiments, the breakup, the desert town, Western Australia, the experiment, the fungus, the escape, the destruction, physical and human? The scientist – and her destruction? The officials, the capture of the sample, Kansas and the deep storage? Time passing, the visuals dying, authorities not taking notice? The sale of the plant, the storage centre?
3. The plausibility of the central themes, Skylab, the experiments, the debris and the dangers? Containing the experiment, its getting loose?
4. The opening, the indigenous man, the phone call, Western Australia, the scientist in Rome, his desperation, her arrival, with Robert and Trini?
5. 18 years later, the storage plant, in the desert? Teacake and his job, from prison, his personality, chatterbox, klutz? Griffin and his dominance? Naomi, her job, supervision, reaction to Griffin, her husband and daughter, security, reaction to Teacake and his chatter?
6. The signals, the decision to search, Teacake and his job, the reason for his nickname, Naomi and her daring, the picture, breaking the wall, going down, the discovery of the signals, the bridge?
7. The transition to the information base, and, the phone call, discussions with Robert, the scepticism of the supervising officer and his dismissal of the theories from the past? Robert, waking, assessing the situation, going to visit Trini, the continued contacts with Abigail, the plan, the travel, the plane, with Trini and her son and the domestic conversation, the car, arriving at the plant?
8. Play on zombie themes, the discussions, the humans exploding, the exploded courses? The clues and infection?
9. The information, the discussions with Naomi, irritation with Teacake, their decisions, hiking, her husband’s arrival, the contamination, his threats? Griffin coming back, the team, stealing the television sets, and the infected deer? The gradual infection, the husband exploding? Griffin and the gun, the confrontations with Teacake?
10. The plan, Robert, the bomb, setting the to do to install it, his disabling all the vehicles, Trini and her arrival, the confrontation with Griffin?
11. Teacake rising to the situation, Naomi sensible, the timing, coming up the steps, the vehicles, the timing of the explosion, in the car, driving to safety?
12. And, the horror at the end with the infected deer?

THE NAKED GUN

US, 2025, 85 minutes, Colour.

Liam Neeson, Pamela Anderson, Danny Huston, Paul Walter Hauser, CCH Pounder, Kevin Durand, Eddie Yu..

Directed by Akiva Schaffer.

Many of us enjoyed the three Naked Gun spoofs decades ago as well as the television series, Police Squad. Here is an entertaining opportunity to revive memories as well as enjoy this present comedy.

Were audiences expecting Liam Neeson to be the new Leslie Nielson? The screenwriters were wary and came on the solution that Liam Neeson should be Frank Dreben all Jr, like his father, but not exactly like his father, paying homage to his father (as well as having his father intervene in the final confrontation in the form of an owl!!).

But the thing is that Leslie Nielson (and there is an amusing assonance with Liam Neeson almost looking/sounding like Leslie Nielson?) Leslie Nielson played everything not only straight-faced but almost granite-faced, not aware of his double takes on situations, probably not even aware that he took a first take. But, Liam Neeson is a more dramatic character, much more expressive with his face, and while he does play everything somewhat straightfaced with a touch of dumb and dumber, he is also sending up his so many tough guy performances in thrillers for the last almost 20 years.

Needless to say, the film is absurd, but that is what we want. A megalomaniac trying to control the world, a device to send humans back to their animal state, corral them, tame them and send them back to re-create the world. Danny Huston definitely fits the bill as the villain, as if in a James Bond film, except of course his willing participation in his final humiliations.

And, here is Pamela Anderson, offering a performance as she did in The Last Showgirl, able to play along with the comedy and, at moments, sending up her glamorous Baywatch image of the past. And her screeching jazz delaying tactic! Paul Walter Hauser plays the son of George Kennedy’s original performance – and there is a sly joke at the expense of O. J. Simpson.

As with the originals, a lot of the jokes are basic puns and misunderstandings but, in the context they get more of a laugh and they would in real life! E.g. “take a chair…”; Response “no, I’ve got enough at home”. And then she does take the chair!

So word humour, situation and absurdity humour, sexual innuendo (and a bit beyond) humour, and mostly coming one joke quickly after the other which means we can laugh out loud or just perhaps a continuous giggle or have, mostly, a smile on our face full-time

And, of course, if we enjoy this one, there may be a 2 ½, just like the original series.

RETRIBUTION

US, 2023, 91 minutes, Colour.

Liam Neeson, Jack Champion, Lilly Aspell, Matthew Modine, Noma Dumezweni, Embeth Davidtz. Directed by Nimrod Antal.

Since 2008, Liam Neeson’s career has embraced action thrillers, at least one every year for 15 years (and more to come). His fans enjoy these thrillers, not necessarily the greatest thrillers, but Liam Neeson does have a strong screen presence and his writers and directors provide a variety of action situations. As does Hungarian-American director, Nimrod Antal, with Retribution.

This is a reasonable contribution to Liam Neeson’s action repertoire, plenty of tension.

However, in checking out reviews and bloggers, it would seem that many anti-Neeson bloggers are masochists. They are prone to dislike the film. Off they go. They sit all through it, allegedly suffering because of how bad it is, then indulge themselves by often virulent online responses. this sledging phenomenon would be worth some serious study as to how of these non-fans tick.

But, back to Retribution. It is set in Berlin, with some fine vistas and locations in the city. It opens with some tension, Matt (Liam Neeson) preparing to go to work, some edge with his wife (Embeth Davidtz), a lively an agreeable young daughter (Lilly Aspell) and a surly teenage son (Jack Champion). He is very busy with business, banking, but is forced to drive them to school. And, on the television, we have seen a car exploding at the Tiergarten.

The screenplay is written as if it all takes place in real time which also builds tension. Even though it is a Liam Neeson action show, he spends practically the whole of the film sitting at the wheel of a car. And, well he might, because he receives a mysterious call from a disguised voice, threatening that there is a bomb under the car seats, ordering no one to leave the car, drive to various destinations (and another explosion killing a work colleague), a phone call to his wife, to retrieve a box from the bank, anxiety on the part of the children, his wife, and concern for the international police. He then faces an even greater crisis when the mysterious voice urges him to kill his partner at the bank, played by Matthew Modine.

There are quite a number of vivid car chases around Berlin, the police closing in, his daughter seriously injured in her leg by flying shrapnel from the explosion.

However, this is a Liam Neeson film and so finally he goes into action bribing wheel, to discover and confront the mysterious voice threatening him. Which he does – and very dramatically.

So, for those who enjoy these basic action thrillers and are prepared to spend 90 minutes, Liam Neeson, experiencing the tension in the drama, why not Retribution?

1. Liam Neeson action thriller? So many in the latter part of his career? Audience expectations?
2. The title, crime, endangering the lives, retribution?
3. The German setting, the city of Berlin, the landmarks, the streets, buildings, police, Europol?
4. The opening, Matt and his exercise, shower, meal, everything in order? Relationship with his wife? His daughter, Zach and the clashes with his father? The mother wanting Matt to take the children to school, the touch of tantrums? Establishing tension, pace?
5. The action taking place with the impression of action in real time? Contributing to tension?
6. Emily, her age, the phone, bonds with her father? Zach, sullen, forced to getting the car, his phone, girlfriend?
7. The phone call, the disguised voice, the threats, the bomb under the seat, the background of Matt watching television and the explosion of the car at Tiergarten? Told to drive, the threats to the children, the phone call to his wife, her not answering, her friend, indication of the divorce, the wife ringing back, the task to go to the bank, retrieve the box, deliver it to the man in blue – and the irony of the police swooping on him and taking him?
8. The mystery for Matt, his banking background, the phone call from Anders, their friendship? The phone call from Sylvain, the threats, his girlfriend upset, not to get out of the car, the police coming, her getting out, the explosion? The rendezvous, the meeting with Anders, his being told to shoot him, Matt and his dilemma, unable to shoot, the train going past? The explosion?
9. The issue of the money, the voice telling him to sign away the money in Dubai, the millions of euros? The effect on Matt, the growing tension, the phones, the interactions with his children, their change, supporting him? Emily and the injury from the explosion?
10. Driving, the dangerous chase throughout the city, the police?
11. The revelation concerning Anders, betrayal, greed, the plan, even covering his death?
12. The police closing in on Matt, tensions, the inspector, her suspicions, Matt pleading, Emily taken to the hospital, talking with his wife, a possible reconciliation and forgiveness, Zach free?
13. Matt, the drive, the encounter with Anders, the wrecked car with the doors missing, the protest procession, the man in the mask, getting into the car, the revelation? The explanations? Matt deciding to drive, to crash the car, Matt getting free and going into the River? Anders reaching for his phone, the explosion?
14. And the final information being given through the final credits?