Murder Mystery 2
If you have seen Murder Mystery then you know not to expect much with this idiotic sequel where director Jeremy Garelick and writer James Vanderbilt could care less about making an entertaining, funny movie for viewers. In all fairness, since Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston are back – maybe they were counting on pure star power to push us through their lighthearted yet lazy and godawful storytelling for 90 minutes. They were wrong.
Sandler and Aniston weren’t a great match to begin with, but it feels even worse this time around with Nick (Sandler) and Audrey (Aniston) all in on being full-time detectives, except their business is flailing and the pressure is starting to affect their marriage. A much-needed vacay comes their way as they’re invited to Maharaja’s (Adeel Akhtar) luxurious wedding. However, before too long, a murder has been committed and their friend is abducted. What happens next is the usual Sandler/Aniston schtick that’s quite laborious at this point. It’s a half-hearted attempt at best by them.
Likewise, watching Mélanie Laurent, Mark Strong, Jodie Turner-Smith, and others join in with such futile roles is mind-boggling. But through all of Sandler’s goofy outings, he’s always had that effect on people. Besides working with the comedy giant, my belief is they have to be really fun to make. Too bad it’s the exact opposite when watching them. Murder Mystery 2 is just another case in point.
The Magician’s Elephant
From the 2009 novel by Kate DiCamillo, this animated fantasy adventure is about Peter (Noah Jupe), an orphan boy in search of his long-lost sister. After being told he can find her by way of an elephant, he must complete three improbable tasks devised by a king (Aasif Mandvi) to use this majestic animal to possibly reunite with his sibling he thought was gone forever. Benedict Wong, Brian Tyree Henry, and Mandy Patinkin round out the voice cast in this telling of a very elementary story (assisted by vapid animation) that stunts any magic that could’ve flourished. Believing the impossible is possible and the hope that can provide a person and an entire town is a sweet message. But the fact still remains that this is an overall uninspiring effort from writer Martin Hynes and director Wendy Rogers.
MONEY SHOT: The Pornhub Story
Directed by Suzanne Hillinger (Totally Under Control), this fascinating though frustrating documentary explores MindGeek – a Canadian company that owns Pornhub (the king of online porn) – and the accusations mounting against them after a New York Times article bombshell is published. It revealed that non-consensual and child pornography content was being uploaded on their site and they did nothing about it because they were making a profit. Hillinger stays neutral throughout while defenders and detractors argue about what the porn industry stands for. Of course, all are in agreement when it comes to anything that’s underage and non-consensual. It’s disgusting. However, the effort in taking down a site such as Pornhub only hurts the performers making a legit living from it. There’s a difference between sex work and sex-trafficking and the workers are paying the ultimate price.
There’s also a debate as far as censorship goes, but the problem is hardly anything in this is questioned or refuted. Additionally, a lot of the information provided is sadly not that shocking as the story is a familiar one we’ve seen and heard before about profit and power while those who were actually affected being treated as nothing more than an afterthought. The porn industry has always been a hot-button topic in our society, so it’s disappointing that Hillinger takes a superficial approach and settles for talking heads that don’t have a whole lot to offer.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association and the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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