The Matrix Resurrections (2021)
Directed by Lana Wachowski
I was never a big fan of the Matrix movies (the first one was alright, the next two I actively disliked), which naturally made me reluctant about, and indifferent towards, any sort of revival. Needless to say, I didn’t have very high hopes for Resurrections, and perhaps predictably, director Lana Wachowski delivered on those lowered standards rather impeccably. It’s not all bad, though. If you can get past the incessant techno-babble and lengthy exposition, I will admit there’s fun to be had, especially if you’re someone who longs for late-’90s nostalgia (I, most assuredly, am not one of those people). And as nice as it might be to see Keanu Reeves and Carrie-Anne Moss together again, I can’t help but be equally disappointed by the exclusion of Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving. All told, Resurrections is easily the second best film in the series, but its reliance on rehashing old material and meta-referencing previous films makes for a rather predictable and uneventful ride.
Coming 2 America (2021)
Directed by Craig Brewer
How many 30-year-old jokes can be rehashed in two hours? According to director Craig Brewer and his writers – all of them. Essentially a bland cash grab, Coming 2 America unfortunately brings nothing to the table that isn’t readily available and better executed in its 1988 predecessor. This haphazard sequel looks and feels more like something you’d spend a lazy hungover Saturday afternoon watching on Comedy Central than any semblance of a real Hollywood movie. All the cameos in the world can’t fix unfunny material, no matter how hard you try. From my perspective, the only saving grace Coming 2 America can even come close to mustering (if such a thing is possible) is that at the end of the film, its real star finally makes his grand appearance. Long live Randy Watson.
Belfast (2021)
Directed by Kenneth Branagh
Essentially the story of director Kenneth Branagh’s upbringing during Ireland’s “Troubles” of the late-1960s, Belfast is a sweetly romanticized and fondly nostalgic reminiscence of childhood during times of political uprising. I must admit, I’m a sucker for this kind of thing, especially when told from a purely working class perspective. Similar to how a child might process memory, Belfast often seems fragmented in its storytelling (something that may turn some viewers off), but once recognized, this approach proves a success by not focusing entirely on the political ramifications of the historic upheaval that make up its backbone, but rather on Branagh’s family and how they cope with what’s going on around them in spite of it. To this end, Belfast is a story about life, not the violence that would tear it apart.
James is a writer, record collector, wrestling nerd, and tabletop gamer living with his family in Asheville, North Carolina. He is a member of the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the North Carolina Film Critics Association, and contributes to The Daily Orca, Razorcake Magazine, Mountain Xpress, and Asheville Movies.