[NoHo Arts District, CA] – This month’s movie and TV reviews of Renfield and Ghosted.
Having enjoyed the coming attractions for Renfield, the new comic riff on the “enduring relationship” between the hapless Renfield and his master, Count Dracula, I was a little uncertain as to whether the entertainment value of the three-minute trailer would sustain itself over ninety (or so) minutes. So I have to, I was pleasantly surprised when the resulting movie turned out to be quite entertaining. I chucked, I laughed…and it wasn’t owing entirely to Nicolas Cage’s flamboyant (and quite vindictive) Count Dracula.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Dracula story (writer Ryan Ridley and director Chris Mckay take that into account), there’s a short prologue (that incorporates Cage and Nicholas Hoult’s Renfield—as well as some 1941 cast members) that serves to initiate the uninitiated (or remind folks why they’ve paid for their ticket). Here, we’ve seen the Dracula/Renfield tale go on for about a century. It’s a classic master/enabling servant tale, and quite frankly, Renfield has had enough. He and Dracula (who’s been recuperating from a previous “scrap”) are in New Orleans; Renfield has been seeking solace from a self-help group; at the same time there’s the truly evil Lobo crime family, who seem to have the entire New Orleans police force at their beck and call. When Renfield intervenes in the attempted killing of the only uncorrupted police officer (Awkwafina) in the city, he becomes the number one enemy of the Lobos. (Side bar: Renfield does immediately acquire superpowers if he eats a few bugs—you should know that) Of course Renfield’s quest to liberate himself from Dracula (Cage’s Dracula is adept at exuding malice, spite, neediness, and mordant humor) overlaps with Officer Awqwafina’s attempt to bring down the Lobos, as well as Master Dracula’s quest to humiliate and then destroy the straying Renfield by latching onto the Lobos.
There’s a lot of fun to be had here. In addition to Cage’s quirky, malevolent Dracula, Hoult is both sympathetic and droll as Renfield, while Awqwafina makes for a good moral center (though not one devoid of an edge or humor). Evil is also well-represented by Ben Schwartz’s Teddy Lobo, (who realizes he’s the yang to Renfield’s yin) and Shoreh Aghdashloo as the matriarch of the Lobos. The only thing that might bother viewers is …well, it’s a little bit bloody, this Renfield we have (apologies to Elton), but the blood is on display with such brio that—depending on your sensibilities—it either fits in and enhances the tale—or it could be a turn-off. In any case, it worked for me, and it might just work for you. Give Renfield a shot—you might wind up smiling and rooting for that eternal underdog.
I’ve read so many negative reviews of Ghosted, the new Apple+ film, starring Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, that I was finally intrigued enough to tune in and see what all the vitriol was about. And you know what: If you’re looking for light, escapist fare in which you check your brains at the door and let some decent actors run with the (admittedly flimsy) material—well, it’s not a bad way to spend a weeknight. (You’ll notice I did not say weekend night.) Evans is a single farmer who sometimes misreads the “signals” (when it comes to women—he also has other issues but this is a light, frothy flick) and “meets cute” with Ana de Armas’ art curator. After a good first date, Evans is hooked and follows up with multiple texts—eventually he tracks her to London, where he discovers (after being abducted and threatened with a painful death) that Ms. De Armas is indeed a spy (and a first-rate one too—equipped with powers regularly designated for superheroes—but I digress). Evans gets over some initial outrage (as does de Armas) and the two find ways of working together in order to save the world from the diabolical villains (Adrien Brody and Stephen Park) who seek to utilize a recently acquired nuclear weapon—if only they had those pesky passcodes.If you’re a fan of these romantic, light-hearted action-adventures, then Ghosted (directed by Dexter Fletcher from a script by many hands) does check off many of the boxes: Some of the banter is amusing, there is chemistry between the leads (de Armas and Evans have worked together before, most notably in Knives Out), there is energetic villainy from Adrien Brody, and some of the action scenes (notably a car chase on a winding mountain) have some flair. However, there are a few needless cameos, some cast members (like Amy Sedaris) are woefully underused, and a few action sequences—notably the climax–overstay their welcome (which is a pitfall of any Marvel move I’ve seen—“Captain America” should have said something). So…if you’ve got a few hours to kill…you can do worse than Ghosted—and you might even be slightly entertained, so long as you don’t expect too much.