Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.
Last weekend, I sat at the press screening for "DC League of Super-Pets" with some hardcore DC fans and families with kids — what I figured would be the obvious target market for this film. Yet I may have had as much fun as they did.
This movie got me because I'm a proud and happy pet owner of a fluffy black mixed-breed dog that sometimes looks like a little fox, a little like a wolf, an otter or a bear.
Ana De Armas is reunited with her ‘Blade Runner 2049’ co-star Ryan Gosling and her ‘Knives Out’ co-star Chris Evans in ‘The Gray Man.’ PHOTO COURTESY OF NETFLIX
So from the time Krypto wrests and wiggles himself free from Jor-el's arms to jump straight into the Kryptonian pod that sends little Kal-el to Earth, I knew this film was going to pull all the strings and push all the buttons to exploit all the sweet things one feels from a pet and human bond.
The script actually got me invested. Will super dog Krypto be able to save his human, Superman and his Justice League teammates, who have all been knocked out and kidnapped? Does his new team of scrappy shelter animal friends led by Ace (Kevin Hart) actually have what it takes to pull this off?
Kate McKinnon is perfect as Lulu the villainous guinea pig from Lex Luthor's lab. Kate is such a treasure, and she's totally relishing this role. And just when we thought Black Adam would be The Rock's debut role for DC, we have him here as the totally earnest and eager Krypto.
The voice talent list is impressive and worked really well, but I have to say my personal favorite was the raspy-voiced Natasha Lyonne ("Russian Doll") as Merton the Turtle, who teams up with Flash. Keanu Reeves is also a fun pick as Batman.
DC League of Super-Pets is recommended if you want to take the kids out this weekend or if you want to de-stress.
Netflix's very expensive blockbuster "The Gray Man" was released last Friday. It cost $200 million to make. You're looking at P11 billion in our currency, a generous portion of which likely went to an international marketing campaign.
Krypto and Ace are voiced by Dwayne Johnson and Kevin Hart. FACEBOOK PHOTO
I have to commend the Netflix Ph Team for putting together a safe screening for the press — we got antigen tests pre-show, and a member of the IATF was on hand. On top of that, they gave us souvenir secret agent passports with aliases, "The Gray Man" backpacks with a USB port, little notebooks that looked like international passports and a box of fake mustaches and pins. They also gave out Shake Shack burgers — which still tasted pretty good after I took them home.
At the screening, they had two stunt guys run after each other and brawl, and I couldn't help but shout "more!" when their performance ended.
The Gray Man is headlined by Ryan Gosling ("Drive," "Blade Runner 2049") and Chris Evans ("Captain America") — prompting one writer to use the phrase "guy vs. guy" to describe this whole caper. They look so much alike. In this case, Ryan is our "hero" aka Six, and Chris is our villain aka Lloyd Hansen.
As the directors, the Russo Brothers put it, "we turned Chris Evans from America's Ass to America's asshole." There's also this well-picked action movie supporting cast, including Billy Bob Thornton, Regé-Jean Page, Alfre Woodward, Wagner Moura, Ana de Armas, Jessica Henwick and Julia Butters. They shot in France, the Czech Republic, Thailand, Croatia, Austria, Azerbaijan and the US. They hired expert fight choreographers and paid for expensive set pieces — but ultimately, it's a formulaic, paint by numbers action romp.
In other Russo Brothers news, while the pair directed the hugely successful "Avengers: Infinity War" and "Avengers: Endgame," they will not be at the helm of the fourth and fifth Avengers movies. However, their hands are full with a ton of upcoming projects, including a spy thriller series called "The Citadel" for Amazon Prime with Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Richard Madden.
"DC League of Super Pets" was released in cinemas on July 27, and "The Gray Man" rolled out last Friday, July 22, on Netflix (with a Filipino dub).