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Hello, Yahoo readers! My name is Brett Arnold<\/a>, film critic and longtime Yahoo editor, and I\u2019m back with another edition of Trust Me, I Watch Everything<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n Two very different movies hit theaters this weekend, and I think both are worth seeing on the big screen: the latest work from prolific filmmaker Spike Lee, Highest 2 Lowest, <\/em>starring frequent collaborator Denzel Washington, and Bob Odenkirk\u2019s better-than-the-first-one action-comedy sequel, Nobody 2.<\/em><\/p>\n At home, Superman <\/em>soars from the cineplex to your couch, where you can sit comfortably and rent or buy it. You can also check out Eddington, <\/em>the polarizing COVID-era satire-slash-thriller that defies genre definition.<\/p>\n On streaming services that you\u2019re already shelling out your hard-earned cash for each month, Sharp Corner <\/em>and Night Always Comes<\/em> make my shortlist of recommendations.\u00a0<\/em>But wait, there\u2019s more!<\/p>\n Read on, because there\u2019s something here for everyone!<\/p>\n Why you should watch it:<\/strong> The fifth collaboration between Spike Lee and Denzel Washington is a remake, or rather, more of a reimagining, of Japanese auteur Akira Kurosawa\u2019s 1963 classic High and Low. <\/em>It\u2019s also a love letter to New York City, as Lee is wont to do, opening with an asynchronous yet beautiful rendition of \u201cOh, What a Beautiful Mornin\u2019\u201d from Oklahoma! <\/em>blaring over swooping images of skyscrapers and landmarks.<\/p>\n If you\u2019re familiar with the original work, it unfolds similarly until it doesn\u2019t, at which point it flourishes into an electric and singular Spike Lee joint that is so exciting and so undeniably his own, it\u2019s nearly impossible for fans to keep from grinning as they watch.<\/p>\n Washington plays David King, a best-in-his-field record company executive who is targeted in a kidnapping plot when a mysterious individual takes who he thinks is King\u2019s son and demands $17.5 million for his safe return. As in the Kurosawa masterpiece, the kidnappers accidentally take the wrong boy, nabbing the son of King\u2019s chauffeur and confidant, Paul (Jeffrey Wright). The moral dilemma over whether King should pay the ransom for somebody else\u2019s kid, decimating his entire business and life in the process, is as compelling as ever. In case you haven\u2019t seen the original, I won\u2019t say any more here, as discovering this story in real time is a treat.<\/p>\n An even greater delight is watching Lee upend the story in the back half as the film becomes more of an exhilarating revenge thriller. There\u2019s a crackerjack centerpiece sequence late in the film, an elaborate chase through an active NYC subway train on the way to Yankee Stadium on the same day as the Puerto Rican Day Parade, that is as tightly constructed and rousing as anything Lee\u2019s ever done. Rapper A$AP Rocky also holds his own performing against the imposing and totemic Washington, and their scenes together are among the best in the movie.<\/p>\n Highest 2 Lowest <\/em>is an exemplary \u201clate style\u201d work \u2014 that is, a film made late in a director\u2019s career that often feels like it\u2019s commenting on the filmmaker\u2019s past art and legacy. It\u2019s clear that Lee sees King as a stand-in for himself, made evident via dialogue about how much King cares about supporting young Black artists. It\u2019s a movie about an industry titan asking himself, \u201cAm I losing my edge <\/a>in the modern world?\u201d By the end of the movie, it\u2019s clear the answer is a definitive brushing off of the idea entirely, as Lee shows off in the finale, suggesting, \u201cNah, I\u2019m the king, and I\u2019ve still got soul.\u201d<\/p>\n What other critics are saying:<\/strong> Everybody loves it! Stephanie Zacharek of Time <\/a>says that it \u201cfulfills every expectation you might want from a modern Spike Lee movie.\u201d The Associated Press\u2019s Lindsey Bahr <\/a>writes that it \u201cmay not reach the heights of some of Lee\u2019s best films, but it\u2019s the kind film that makes you hope Lee and Washington have more to make together.\u201d<\/p>\n How to watch: <\/strong>Highest 2 Lowest <\/em>is now playing in select theaters<\/a> ahead of its Apple TV+<\/a> debut on Sept. 5.<\/p>\n Find tickets<\/a><\/p>\n Why you should watch it:<\/strong> It\u2019s rare that a sequel improves upon its original, but in the case of Nobody 2, <\/em>everything is kicked up a notch in all the right ways.<\/p>\n Beloved character actor Bob Odenkirk returns in the action-comedy sequel that sees his character, Hutch, attempting to vacation with his family only to get caught up in a series of increasingly satisfying and violent set pieces. The plot is as barely there, but in a commendable way: It gets in, gets out and doesn\u2019t waste any of our time. We get an upgrade in the big bad department here with Sharon Stone hamming it up as a menacing villain. The rest of the cast returns, including RZA and Christopher Lloyd, who is cashing the easiest check he ever made here, as he\u2019s barely in the thing.<\/p>\n The biggest improvement comes behind the camera, as Indonesian filmmaker Timo Tjahjanto steps in, stamping this American studio film with his uniquely stylized ultraviolent bloody carnage that fans of the action genre will recognize from The Night Comes for Us <\/em>or The Shadow Strays. <\/em>The action and violence is often shockingly and grotesquely over-the-top, no surprise for fans of the director but a bit much for general audiences.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a lot of fun, if you\u2019re into this sort of thing. John Wick <\/em>clones like this live or die by the action within, and thankfully, Nobody 2 <\/em>delivers in that department. Having the wonderful Odenkirk as your lead is basically a cheat code; he gets some great laughs mid-fight, as his reluctance to participate shines through. You can\u2019t ask for much more out of a brisk, 80-ish minute action flick.<\/p>\n What other critics are saying:<\/strong> It\u2019s a hit! TheWrap\u2019s William Bibbiani<\/a> really gets it, writing, \u201cIt\u2019s like a National Lampoon movie where Chevy Chase is a mass murderer. That\u2019s a great pitch, dang it, and Timo Tjahjanto throws it at 105 miles per hour.\u201d Owen Gleiberman from Variety <\/a>says, \u201cIt\u2019s even more maximally heightened, ridiculous, and diverting\u201d than its predecessor, and he means that as a compliment.<\/p>\n How to watch: <\/strong>Nobody 2 <\/em>is now playing in theaters<\/a> nationwide.<\/p>\n Find tickets<\/a><\/p>\n But that’s not all…<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n\ud83c\udfa5 What to watch in theaters<\/strong><\/h2>\n
My recommendation<\/strong>: Highest 2 Lowest<\/em><\/span><\/h3>\n
Bonus recommendation<\/strong>: Nobody 2<\/em><\/h3>\n