The Stop Button

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024) D: Mark Molloy. S: Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, Kevin Bacon. Fun, straight-faced legacy-quel with everyone being way too old for this shit. Murphy’s back in 90210 to protect lawyer daughter Paige, who’s teamed up with Reinhold against dirty cops. The structure and, often, soundtrack play like franchise greatest hits. Except Paige keeps up with Murphy and they’re a delight. The end’s a little thin, but not too.

Hayseed Romance (1935) D: Charles Lamont. S: Buster Keaton, Dorothea Kent, Jane Jones. Outstanding physical work from Buster, but when he’s got to act it’s iffy. He’s answering a want ad–farmhouse handyman who also is in the running for husband–and thinks it’s from fetching young Kent. Turns out it’s her aunt, Jones, and the house is a disaster. Jones is great at the physical comedy too, which helps.

In Bruges (2008) D: Martin McDonagh. S: Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleeson, Ralph Fiennes, Clémence Poésy, Thekla Reuten, Jordan Prentice, Elizabeth Berrington. Moody, boozy, talky mobile play about hit men Farrell and Gleeson waiting for a call from the boss (Fiennes) for the next assignment. Strong first half falls apart in the second when writer-director McDonagh confuses himself with a better director. Fiennes’s writing forecasts McDonagh’s fumbles. Farrell and Gleeson are great, though. Nice Carter Burwell score too.

Late Night with the Devil (2024) D: Colin Cairnes. S: David Dastmalchian, Laura Gordon, Ian Bliss, Fayssal Bazzi, Ingrid Torelli, Rhys Auteri, Josh Quong Tart. Beautifully produced pseudo-pseudo-documentary about a seventies late-night talk show host’s missing episode, forgotten to history (unlikely) and just rediscovered. Deceptively mid performance from Dastmalchian; he’s dynamic until it matters. The supporting cast’s also iffy. Bliss’s fun, Gordon’s not, Torelli’s solid. Perfect costumes, gorgeous photography; shame it’s just about the final act twist(s).

One Run Elmer (1935) D: Charles Lamont. S: Buster Keaton, Lona Andre, Dewey Robinson, Harold Goodwin. Buster owns a gas station in the desert and competes with Goodwin’s station, first for business then for fetching Andre. Turns out she likes baseball and, wouldn’t you know it, both fellows play for rival teams. Some great stunt work from Buster and nice production values help things immensely. And Robinson’s fun as the umpire. Slight end, though.

Smart Blonde (1937) D: Frank McDonald. S: Glenda Farrell, Barton MacLane, Wini Shaw, Addison Richards, Robert Paige, Craig Reynolds, Charlotte Wynters. Fun little (doesn’t even break an hour) programmer about reporter Farrell solving crimes with her beau–police detective MacLane. The scoop? Richards is a straight-edge nightclub promoter who wants to get out without any funny business; he thinks he’s out, but they pull him back in. Great pace, and Farrell’s a delight. Practically no sexism (but… definite racism). Followed by FLY AWAY BABY.

Your Name. (2016) D: Makoto Shinkai. S: Ryunosuke Kamiki, Mone Kamishiraishi, Ryo Narita, Aoi Yuki, Nobunaga Shimazaki, Kaito Ishikawa, Kanon Tani. Lovely anime about two geographically distant high schoolers who, inexplicably, start switching bodies on irregular regular. It starts as a comedy with heart, then turns into something much more affecting. Great direction from Shinkai (who also scripted), even when the animation veers towards tepid. Kamiki and Kamishiraishi’s performances–along with Shinkai’s narrative impulses–more than cover for it.