Twisters, My Spy the Eternal City – 464

Double the sequels this week with the action blockbuster Twisters and the action “comedy” My Spy the Eternal City.

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More about Twisters

“Twisters” storms into theaters this week and is a quintessential summer blockbuster. A loose sequel to the 1996 film “Twister” the new version stars Glen Powell and Daisy Edgar-Jones. Edgar-Jones plays Kate Carter, a former storm chaser who is tormented by a tornado from her past. When someone from her previous life, Javi (played by Anthony Ramos) pops up she gets sucked back into the world of front line climatology. 

In the plains of Oklahoma she encounters Glen Powell’s brash cyclone cowboy, Tyler Owens. Powell just appears to be playing a version of the same character he’s inhabited the last few roles, though this time with a bit of a twang. What ensues is a competition between a bunch of nerds to see who can throw themselves into the face of danger in increasingly reckless ways (but in the name of science, so it’s okay?)

When you think of directors to helm a sequel to one of perhaps the most recognizable disaster movies of all time, Lee Isaac Chung might not be the most obvious pick. Yet the Oscar® nominated writer-director of “Minari” ends up being a brilliant choice for this. “Minari” was set on a family farm in Arkansas, and Chung is able to scale the reverence and sensitivity he brought to that film to some of the better moments in “Twisters”. 

By no means is this an art house flick, it’s full of explosions, car chases, and flying farm animals. There’s clearly too much investment from the financial powers that be to let this go full indie. However the beauty with which he shoots the landscapes of Oklahoma and the micro moments given to some of the background denizens help ground the film. 

One does not need to have seen the original film for this to make sense. There are a few nods here and there but for the most part it twirls on its own. The visual effects are relatively seamless. The plot is very straightforward and requires little investment. One must simply be willing to suspend disbelief at the daredevil behavior of pretty much everyone in the film. Also to generously buy in that any of the characters understand 1/10th of the scientific jargon that pads the dialogue.

Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Sasha Lane, Harry Hadden-Paton, David Cornswet, Katy O’Brian, Kiernan Shipka, Daryl McCormack, and Paul Scheer all turn in supporting performances in “Twisters”. None are given a considerable amount to do, but they fulfill their roles admirably for what they’re given.

More about My Spy the Eternal City

The eagerly awaited follow-up to 2020’s action comedy, My Spy The Eternal City reunites a beloved cast led by Dave Bautista and Chloe Coleman in a feel-good family adventure set in some of Europe’s most storied destinations. When Sophie’s (Coleman) high school choir is selected for an Italian tour culminating in a performance for the Pope in Vatican City, JJ (Bautista) sees this as an opportunity to bond with his new stepdaughter, so he volunteers to help chaperone the group through the Venetian canals, across Florence’s renowned bridges and into Rome’s most historic sites. Instead he finds that he and Sophie have become unwitting pawns in a terrorist plot that could end the world as we know it.

Returning stars Ken Jeong and Kristen Schaal are joined by Anna Faris, Craig Robinson and Flula Borg in this all-new international action comedy from director Pete Segal (Get Smart, 50 First Dates).