Two big names come back around to exciting form on the big screen this weekend. Get amped for the upcoming Halloween week with a broody, stylish action-revenge film, or get sentimental and have a few warm laughs with a light-hearted ensemble comedy.
Keanu Reeves returns to a leading role with John Wick, a full-blown genre picture about an ex-hitman who sets forth on a rampage of revenge against the cronies who have done him wrong. You can expect probably at least five scenes where Reeves fights off an exceptionally large gang of villains (i.e, this.) Critics so far have welcomed this full-throttle dose of pure action escapism, and have lauded the film for its dedication to the genre, and for not crowding the plot with anything useless or convoluted. John Wick seems like a surefire way to take down a lot of popcorn really quickly while you go into a trance of fist-flying fun.
The indie-comedy St. Vincent gets wide release today after a fairly successful run in both festivals and limited release over the last week. The film stars Bill Murray, in an applauded return to curmudgeon-y humor, as Vincent, the neighbor of Melissa McCarthy’s Maggie, who is forced to leave her son with the neighbor while she works long days. As per usual in these Murray roles of classic and of relatively recent film history, the film appears to follow the growth of Vincent as he spends time with this fresh-faced outlook on the world. Critics welcome Murray in this role, but caution against the sentimentality the film may ride too close with. But hey, that might just be your thing.
