NEGROMANCER: The Home of "Trash in My Eye"

Monday, July 8, 2024

Review: Netflix's "BEVERLY HILLS COP: AXEL F" is a Delightful Surprise

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 29 of 2024 (No. 1973) by Leroy Douresseaux

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024)

Running time: 118 minutes (1 hour, 58 minutes)

MPA – R for language throughout, violence and brief drug use

DIRECTOR: Mark Molloy

WRITERS: Will Beall and Tom Gormican & Kevin Etten; from a story by Will Beall (based on characters created by Daniel Petrie, Jr. and Danilo Bach)

PRODUCERS: Jerry Bruckheimer, Eddie Murphy, and Chad Oman

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Eduard Grau (D.o.P.)

EDITOR: Dan Lebental

COMPOSER: Lorne Balfe

COMEDY/ACTION/CRIME

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Taylour Paige, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Paul Reiser, Bronson Pinchot, Damien Diaz, Kyle S. More, Luiz Guzman, and Kevin Bacon

SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

--Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is probably the closest in spirit and tone to the 1984 original film. It is one of Eddie Murphy's better recent efforts.

--The members of the original cast that manage a return in this new film work quite well and don't seem to be hear for nostalgic purposes.

--The new characters are quite good and are worthy of returning

--Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is surprisingly really good and certainly worth a original fan's time and viewers new to franchise may end up wanting to go back and discover the original after this film.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is a 2024 American buddy-cop film and action-comedy directed by Mark Molloy and starring Eddie Murphy. It is the fourth entry in the Beverly Hills Cop film franchise, and it began streaming July 3, 2024 on Netflix as a “Netflix Original.” Axel F finds Axel Foley returning to Beverly Hills after his estranged daughter's life is threatened.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F opens in Detroit, Michigan. After more than four decades on the job, Detective Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy) of the Detroit Police Department is still wrecking cars and tearing up the city via his maniacal car chases in his bid to capture criminals. He has managed to remain on the job under the supervision of his friend, Deputy Chief Jeffrey Friedman (Paul Reiser). Axel's latest antics, however, leads to Jeffrey's retirement.

As Axel contemplates this situation, he gets a call from his old friend, Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold), former Beverly Hills Police Department detective turned private investigator. Axel has a daughter, Jane Saunders (Taylour Paige), from whom he is estranged. She has taken on the case of a young drug dealer, Samuel Enriquez (Damien Diaz), who has been accused of murdering an undercover cop. Billy informs Axel that Jane is in grave danger

Axel flies to Beverly Hills, but he quickly discovers that Jane doesn't want to have anything to do with him. He also learns that the young policeman, Detective Bobby Abbott (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), investigating the Enriquez case, also has a complicated relationship with Jane. Although Axel's other old BHPD buddy, former detective and now, Chief John Taggart (John Ashton), is happy to see him, Taggart is reluctant to take on the Enriquez case. He seems to have deferred most of it to Captain Cade Grant (Kevin Bacon), a well-dressed cop who acts mighty suspiciously. It will take a mix of old pals and new friends to help Axel Foley unravel a dangerous conspiracy, but will Axel do more harm than good?

This year (2024) is the 40th anniversary of the original theatrical release of Beverly Hills Cop (1984), which I recently watched for the first time in over thirty years. Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F succeeds where the other sequels came up short, but it successfully replicates the best moments from the original film. There are four spectacular car chases that hold the viewer's attention and don't at all seem contrived or desperate to capture the spirit of what came before it. Plus, the “Axel F” theme (composed by Harold Faltermeyer) dominates the film's soundtrack in so many different ways that I could not help but think of the original film, which usually makes me feel good.

Director Mark Molloy gets the best out of the supporting cast, even the old guys, who look really old forty years after their debut in the original film. Still, the script gives the classic characters much to do so that they don't seem extraneous. Kevin Bacon is Kevin Bacon, and that usually means something quite good, as it does here. The new characters – Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Bobby Abbott and Taylour Paige's Jane Saunders – are good enough to carry a fifth film – if that becomes a necessity.

Of course, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is about Axel Foley, and that means Eddie Murphy, who doesn't need a director to tell him how to be him. Still, I think Mark Molly helps. Eddie was Eddie in the Coming to America (1988) sequel, 2021's Coming 2 America (which originally streamed on Amazon Prime Video), and that time, Eddie being Eddie yielded tepid comedic results. So I'm giving credit to the director and the screenwriters, Will Beall, Tom Gormican, and Kevin Etten, for making Axel F something more than just another nostalgic sequel.

Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F is surprisingly entertaining and delightful. It is way better than I thought it would be, and I must say that I won't wait thirty years to watch it again. I have never attempted to watch Beverly Hills Cop III (1984), of which I've heard bad things, but Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F makes this third shot at a sequel a charm.

B+

7 of 10

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Sunday, July 7, 2024

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Saturday, July 6, 2024

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from July 1st to 6th, 2024 - UPDATE #12

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

ENTERTAINMENT AND CULTURE NEWS:

BOX OFFICE - From Variety: The winner of the July 4th box office is "Despicable Me 4" with an estimated take of 20.4 million dollars.

CELEBRITY - From EW: Famous actor Kevin Bacon disguised himself as a regular person for a day and discovered that, compared to fame, it sucks.

MOVIES - From THR: "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F" director Matt Molloy said he kept turning down offers from super-producer Jerry Bruckheimer until he said yes to the new "Beverly Hills Cop" film.

FILM FESTIVALS - From Deadline: Director Tim Burton's new film, "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," will open the 81st Venice Film Festival on Aug. 28th. The film is the sequel to his 1988 Oscar-winning hit, "Beetlejuice."

MOVIES - From WorldofReel: Sony teases that more information will come about Quentin Tarantino's 10th and alleged final film. Earlier this year, it was announced that Tarantino had scrapped his plans to make a movie called "The Movie Critic."

NETFLIX - From THR: Netflix has won the rights to "RIP," a thriller from Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's production company. Directed by Joe Carnahan, the film also stars Damon and Affleck.

JAMES BOND - From WorldofReel: Edward Berger ("All Quiet on the Western Front") is the latest name to pop up as a potential director to helm the next James Bond film franchise reboot.

MOVIES - From Deadline: Universal moves tentpole musical, "Wicked" to November 22nd where it will open against Paramount Pictures' "Gladiator II."

BOX OFFICE - From Deadline: Disney/Pixar's "Inside Out 2" has crossed the 1 billion dollar mark (1.014 billion dollars) at the global box office, which is the fastest ever for an animated film.

MOVIES - From Deadline: We are approaching the 50th anniversary of the legendary blockbuster film, Jaws (1975). There are two documentaries about the film, dueling for attention, "Jaws: Making a Splash in Hollywood" and "Jaws @ 50."

OBITS:

From Deadline: American film producer, Jon Landau, has died at the age of 63, Friday, July 5, 2024. Landau was best known for his association with writer-director James Cameron and was the COO of Cameron's Lightstorm Entertainment. Landau shared the "Best Picture" Oscar win with Cameron for the 1997 film, "Titanic." He also received "Best Picture" Oscar nominations for "Avatar" (2009) and "Avatar: The Way of Water" (2022).

From Deadline: American screenwriter and director, Robert Towne, has died at the age of 89, Monday, July 1, 2024. He was best known for his work on the 1975 film, Chinatown," for which he was the "Best Original Screenplay" Oscar. He was also nominated for Academy Awards for his work on "The Last Detail" (1974), "Shampoo" (1976), and "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan" (1984). He wrote and directed four films, including "Personal Best" (1982) and "Tequila Sunrise" (1988).

From Deadline: American film editor, producer, and director, Bud S. Smith, has died at the age of 88, Sunday, June 23, 2024. He edited or co-edited such films as "The Karate Kid" (1984), "To Live and Die in L.A. (1985), "Darkman" (1990), and "The Replacements" (2000). He shared two Oscar nominations for his editing work on "The Exorcist" (1973) and "Flashdance" (1983).

Thursday, July 4, 2024

Review: Original "BEVERLY HILLS COP" is Still Crazy and Cool

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 28 of 2024 (No. 1972) by Leroy Douresseaux

Beverly Hills Cop (1984)

Running time: 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes)

MPAA – R

DIRECTOR: Martin Brest

WRITERS: Daniel Petrie, Jr.; from a story by Daniel Petrie, Jr. and Danilo Bach

PRODUCERS: Jerry Bruckheimer and Don Simpson

CINEMATOGRAPHER: Bruce Surtees (ASC)

EDITORS: Arthur Coburn and Billy Weber

COMPOSER: Harold Faltermeyer

Academy Award nominee

COMEDY/ACTION/CRIME

Starring: Eddie Murphy, Judge Reinhold, John Ashton, Lisa Eilbacher, Ronny Cox, Steven Berkoff, Jonathan Banks, James Russo, Stephen Elliot, Gilbert R. Hill, Art Kimbro, Joel Bailey, Bronson Pinchot, Paul Reiser, Michael Champion, and Damon Wayans

Beverly Hills Cop is a 1984 American buddy-cop film and action-comedy directed by Martin Brest and starring Eddie Murphy. This year (2024) makes the 40th anniversary of Beverly Hills Cop original theatrical release (specifically December 1984). The film was the first entry in what would become the Beverly Hills Cop film franchise. Beverly Hills Cop focuses on a cocky young Detroit cop who pursues a murder investigation in Beverly Hills where he must deal with a very different culture and a very different police department.

Beverly Hills Cop opens in Detroit, Michigan. There, we meet Axel Foley (Eddie Murphy), a plainclothes police detective. As the story begins, his unauthorized sting operation goes sour resulting in a disastrous high-speed chase. Axel's reckless behavior earns him the ire of his superior, Inspector Todd (Gilbert R. Hill), who threatens to fire him unless he changes his ways.

Axel returns to his apartment to find his childhood friend, Michael “Mikey” Tandino (James Russo). After doing a stint in prison, Mikey got a job as a security guard in Beverly Hills, California via a childhood friend of both Axel and Mikey's, Jenny Summers (Lisa Eilbacher). However, Mikey has gotten into something dangerous, and it costs him his life.

In spite of threats from Inspector Todd, Axel travels to Beverly Hills and visits Jenny at her place of employment, the “Hollis Benton Art Gallery.” There, he discovers that the gallery's owner, Victor Maitland (Steven Berkoff), is involved in something very shady, and that he also likely had Mickey killed. Meanwhile, Axel runs afoul Lt. Bogomil (Ronny Cox) at the local precinct of the Beverly Hills PD. Bogomil has two of his detectives, Billy Rosewood (Judge Reinhold) and Sergeant John Taggart, trail Axel. Can the street-smart Axel convince Rosewood and Taggart to help him discover exactly what Victor Maitland is doing? Or will Axel end up sharing the same tragic fate as Mikey?

It has been well over 30 years since I had watched Beverly Hills Cop in its entirety. As far as I can remember, I definitely saw it in a movie theater sometime in December 1984, likely with some or all of my sisters. I may have watched it once or twice more before the 1980s came to an end. In anticipation of the just released sequel, Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (a “Netflix Original”), I decided to watch the first film again. Just for starters, the film's soundtrack is still perky, although a bit quaint. Harold Faltermeyer's score, especially the instrumental title tune/theme, “Axel F,” still seems pitch perfect for this movie, as if nearly four decades had not passed.

I wondered if I would like it as much as I did the first time I saw it, and I absolutely loved it back then. This film made Eddie Murphy, for a few years, the biggest star in Hollywood. Watching Beverly Hills Cop now, I feel as if I have fallen in love with it again. Beverly Hills Cop was originally meant to be a star vehicle for Sylvester Stallone and be a straight action film. Instead, it became an Eddie Murphy star vehicle, and a comic action film that has numerous funny moments, most of them executed by Eddie Murphy. Here, you can see what made Murphy a transcendent star; he has true movie star qualities and loads of charisma. Still, Judge Reinhold and John Ashton have their chances to be funny as Rosewood and Taggart, respectively. Of course, Bronson Pinchot as the museum employee, Serge, steals every scene in which he appears. He would go on to use this role to launch himself into television stardom.

As funny as Beverly Hills Cop is, it retains some of the edge that was probably in the early versions of its screenplay. The beginning of the film shamelessly displays the inner city ruins of Detroit. There are also multiple violent deaths, beginning with Mikey's, but I find that the excellent car chase scenes and gun battles are a bit of pop movie fun that balance out the poverty, deprivation, and violent firearm deaths that pepper this film.

Director Martin Brest, who made a career out of turning plain genre films into something just a bit more special, eagerly keeps his camera on his star. Brest records every last bit of Murphy's talent, star power, and comedy modus operandi on the way to making Beverly Hills Cop a cop movie like nothing audiences had seen before or have seen since. In spite of its sequels, Beverly Hills Cop remains one of a kind, and is surprisingly (at least to me) still crazy as heck and funny as hell.

8 of 10

★★★★ out of 4 stars

Thursday, July 4, 2024

NOTES:

1985 Academy Awards, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen” (Daniel Petrie Jr.-screenplay/story and Danilo Bach-story)

1985 Golden Globes, USA: 2 nominations: “Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical” and “Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical” (Eddie Murphy)

1986 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Score” (Harold Faltermeyer)

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Tuesday, July 2, 2024

Review: "DESPICABLE ME 2" Will Make Kids Happy, Happy, Happy...

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 27 of 2024 (No. 1971) by Leroy Douresseaux

Despicable Me 2 (2013)

Running time: 98 minutes (1 hour, 38 minutes)

MPAA – PG for rude humor and mild action

DIRECTORS: Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud

WRITERS: Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul

PRODUCERS: Janet Healy and Chris Meledandri

EDITOR: Gregory Perler

COMPOSERS: Heitor Pereira (score) and Pharrell Williams (songs)

Academy Award nominee

ANIMATION/FANTASY and ACTION/COMEDY/FAMILY

Starring: (voice) Steve Carell, Kristen Wiig, Miranda Cosgrove, Dana Gaier, Elsie Fisher Russell Brand, Benjamin Bratt, Moises Arias, Ken Jeong, Steve Coogan, Pierre Coffin, and Chris Renaud

Despicable Me 2 is a 2013 computer-animated action-fantasy and comedy film directed by Pierre Coffin and Chris Renaud. The film is produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. It is a direct sequel to the 2010 film, Despicable Me. Despicable Me 2 finds bad guy-tuned-dad guy, Gru, recruited by a secret organization to discover who stole a deadly chemical.

Despicable Me 2 finds Gru (Steve Carell), formerly the world’s number one super-villain, settled into his role as the adopted father of the three orphan girls: Margo (Miranda Cosgrove), Edith (Dana Gaier), and Agnes (Elsie Fisher). All is not well at home, however. Gru is trying to get his “jams and jellies” business to succeed, while one of his female neighbors tries to set him up on a blind date. Also, Gru's longtime gadget man, Dr. Nefario (Russell Brand), quits so that he can take a job that will allow him to be a bad guy again.

But Gru's old life comes calling when the Anti-Villain League (AVL) demands that he help them discover who stole the dangerous transmutation serum, “PX-41.” They appoint AVL agent, Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig), as his partner. The two set up in a fake business, a bakery named “Bake My Day,” in Paradise Mall, a shopping mall near Gru's home. As for the thief of the serum, Gru has a suspect in mind, a former super-villain who supposedly died in a volcano, but AVL doesn't believe him. Meanwhile, someone is stealing some of Gru's little helpers, the Minions.

I really liked the original Despicable Me, but when Despicable Me 2 arrived back in 2013, I decided not to see it because... well, because the first was enough. I'd gotten all the cuteness of Margo, Edith, and Agnes that I needed, and I had gotten the best of Gru's character arc and transformation from villain to father.

However, I was shocked to find that I really liked the first full-length trailer for the upcoming Despicable 4 (2024). So I decided to watch Despicable Me 2 for the first time, and I was right the first time. The first film was really enough for me. The girls are still cute, but there is less of them so that there can be more screen time for Gru's burgeoning relationship with Lucy Wilde. I'm only kinda interested in that. Gru's character arc in this film isn't as engaging as it was in the first film. Clearly, the Minions needed more screen time than they got here, although they do play a pivotal part in the villain's wacky plot. In fact, two years after the release of this film, the Minions got their own movie, 2015's Minions.

Despicable Me 2 isn't bad, but the film's storytellers play it safe rather than advance the elements that made the first film a surprise hit. It earned two Oscar nominations, one for Pharrell Williams' song, “Happy,” which was practically ubiquitous from July 2013 to well into 2014. I'm just not sure how invested I can be in this franchise, although the fourth film has sort of captured my interest. It is really in the last twenty minutes of the film before the end credits that Despicable Me 2 really comes to life. That's okay for me, but I'm sure family audiences will find it more than okay.

6 of 10

★★★ out of 4 stars

Tuesday, July 2, 2024

NOTES:

2014 Academy Awards, USA: 2 nominations: “Best Animated Feature Film of the Year” (Chris Renaud, Pierre Coffin, Christopher Meledandri) and “Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song” (Pharrell Williams-music and lyrics for the song, “Happy”)

2013 BAFTA Children's Awards: 1 win: “BAFTA Kids Vote – Feature Film”

2014 BAFTA Awards: 1 nomination: “Best Animated Film” (Chris Renaud and Pierre Coffin)

2013 Golden Globes, USA: 1 nomination: “Best Animated Feature Film”

2014 Black Reel Awards: 1 nomination: “Outstanding Song” (Pharrell Williams-Performer & Writer for the song “Happy”)

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