What to Watch This Weekend: Dune, Ron's Gone Wrong, French Dispatch, Protege, Old, Hell House, Zola, Freaky

For A Spicy Sci Fi Drama: Dune (Theaters and HBO Max)
Dune is a stunning visualization of Frank Herbert's world, with a great cast, fantastic special effects, and an epic and otherworldly soundtrack that will suck you in quicker than a great sand worm. For more information, check out the review!

For An Animated Adventure: Ron's Gone Wrong (Theaters)

The film gets high marks for its animation and humor, and the ultimate story of friendship is an endearing one.  

For A Quirky Stylish Comedy: The French Dispatch (Theaters)

The French Dispatch is mangifique, with an all star cast, crisp and witty writing, and a format that allows these two to meld perfectly for a thoroughly enjoyable and unique experience.  For more information, check out the review! 

For An Enjoyable Cat And Mouse Assassin Film: The Protege (Redbox)
The Protege's great cast, fun chemistry between the lead characters, and understated but brutal action make this one assassin film that is on target.  For more information, check out the review!

For A Twisted Aging Story: Old (Redbox)

Old has a mysterious story, some very nice performances and small touches, and a trademark M. Night Shyamalan twist ending, but the quirks and odd dialogue might cast some shadows on this beach vacation.  For more information, check out the review!

For A Bizarre, Hilarious Odyssey: Zola (Showtime)

Zola is something that has to be experienced to truly understand, and the combination of bizarre characters, amazing style, and some intense performances make this film something to like and retweet.  For more information, check out the review!

For The Spooky Season: Hell House LLC (Amazon Prime)

Hell House LLC is a surprisingly good found footage horror entry with a slow build up and plenty of scares to get your Halloween screaming!

For The Spooky Season 2: Freaky (HBO Max)

Freaky is a mash up of slasher, humor, and teen drama, with enjoyable performances from Vaughn and Newton in this stylish, entertaining horror take on the body swap film.   For more information, check out our review!

The Protege Assassinating Your Wallet With Digital on September 21 and Physical on October 19

Michael Keaton, Maggie Q, and Samuel L. Jackson Star in Pulse-Pounding Thriller Arriving on Digital September 21 And 4K Ultra HD™ Combo Pack, Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, and DVD October 19 from Lionsgate®

SANTA MONICA, CA (September 14, 2021) – A deadly assassin is out for vengeance in the “bold, brilliant and relentlessly bad-ass” (Mark S. Allen, ABC-TV) action thriller The Protégé, taking aim on Digital September 21, and 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, DVD, and On Demand October 19 from Lionsgate. Headlined by OscarⓇ nominee Michael Keaton (2014, Actor in a Leading Role, Birdman; Spiderman: Homecoming,), Maggie Q (“Nikita,” Divergent) and OscarⓇ nominee Samuel L. Jackson (1994, Actor in a Supporting Role, Pulp Fiction; Avengers: Endgame), alongside Robert Patrick (Terminator 2: Judgment Day), the “sharp and surprisingly intelligent” (Michael O’Sullivan, The Washington Post) film was written by Richard Wenk (The Equalizer franchise and The Expendables) and directed by Martin Campbell (Casino Royale and GoldenEye). 

Rescued as a child and raised by legendary assassin Moody (Jackson), Anna (Maggie Q) was trained to become the world’s most skilled contract killer. When Anna learns that Moody has been brutally killed, she vows revenge. On the murderer’s trail, Anna is entangled with an enigmatic hit man (Keaton) and, as their confrontation turns deadly, the loose ends of a life spent killing weave themselves ever tighter in this adrenaline-fueled action-thriller from the director of Casino Royale.

 The Protégé 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack, Blu-ray Combo Pack, and DVD will be available for the suggested retail prices of $42.99, $39.99, and $29.96, respectively. Additionally, the Digital release will be available for the suggested retail price of $14.99.

4K UHD / BLU-RAY / DVD / DIGITAL SPECIAL FEATURES

“Scars of the Past: Making The Protégé” Featurette

“Anna vs Rembrandt” Featurette

Deleted Scene

Theatrical Trailer

What to Watch This Weekend: The Night House, The Protege, Paw Patrol, Infinitum, Jakob's Wife, Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard, John Q, Nine Perfect Strangers

For A Tense Atmospheric Horror Experience: The Night House (Theaters)

The Night House's unsettling setting and great performance by Rebecca Hall will have you jumping at every creek or reflection, and sleeping with the lights on.  For more information, check out the review!

For An Enjoyable Cat And Mouse Assassin Film: The Protege (Theaters)
The Protege's great cast, fun chemistry between the lead characters, and understated but brutal action make this one assassin film that is on target.  For more information, check out the review!

For A Microbudget Indie With Big Ideas: Infinitum: Subject Unknown (Digital)

Infinitum: Subject Unknown is an impressive indie feat that tackles some big ideas on a micro budget with beautiful cinematography and a time-looping story.  For more information, check out the review!

For The Kids: Paw Patrol: The Movie (Theaters and Paramount+)

Paw Patrol: The Movie has the puppies, rescues, and animation that makes the show so fun, with big city effects but a not big city run time. ` For more information, check out the review! 

For A Dramatic Retreat: Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu)

Nine Perfect Strangers has a fantastic cast, who play a variety of broken characters, and an idyllic setting for this guru-inspired mind opening and altering experience.  For more information, check out the review!

For An Utterly Ridiculous And Hilarious Sequel: The Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard (Redbox)
Hitman's Wife's Bodyguard's wonderful cast, random and ridiculous comedy, and amazing soundtrack make for the kind of laugh-out-loud movie we need right now.  For more information, check out the review!

For A Better Medical Family Drama: John Q (Showtime)

Sweet Girl came out on Netflix this week, but John Q is an overall better film that rails against the cost of the medical system without the ridiculous story and thriller aspects that Sweet Girl tried to introduce.  

For The Return Of A Horror Icon: Jakob's Wife (Shudder)
Jakob's Wife has an old school feel, strong characters, a great balance of dark comedy and horror, and a well-paced story that has plenty to sink your teeth into.  For more information, check out the review!

The Protege Review: An Unexpectedly Enjoyable Cat And Mouse Assassination Game

Release date: August 20, 2021
Running time: 109 minutes
Directed by: Martin Campbell
Screenplay by: Richard Wenk
Cast: Maggie Q, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Robert Patrick

Rescued as a child by the legendary assassin Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) and trained in the family business, Anna (Maggie Q) is the world’s most skilled contract killer. But when Moody – the man who was like a father to her and taught her everything she needs to know about trust and survival – is brutally killed, Anna vows revenge. As she becomes entangled with an enigmatic killer (Michael Keaton) whose attraction to her goes way beyond cat and mouse, their confrontation turns deadly, and the loose ends of a life spent killing will weave themselves ever tighter.

I expected The Protege to be a cash grab from some older actors, but the film is a pleasant surprise.  From the start I liked the setup in this film.  And that will depend a lot on how much you like the three main characters.  Samuel L. Jackson is fun as Moody.  It is a very Samuel L. Jackson role, and you will know what to expect from his other films.  And Maggie Q as Anna was also a pleasant surprise; she is confident and capable, but able to appear less so when needed.  And wow was it great to see Michael Keaton back on the big screen as their rival.  

But what the Protege does best is know its limits and not try to do too much.  The action itself is not overdone, with generally quick and efficient deaths and action sequences that both fit in with the assassin style and also don't make it seem too ridiculous.  The movie also moves the story along nicely, although there is a bit too much mystery at the start for my taste.  This leaves it open for the viewer to discover more later, but it still felt like some aspects were intentionally obfuscated at the start.  

The story itself is enjoyable, with a trickle feed of information as you learn more about Moody and Anna's past, as well as the backgrounds of some of the more mysterious characters in this film.  And overall, the interplay between them all is a lot of fun.  You get plenty of sarcasm, machismo, and a healthy amount of chauvinism towards Anna throughout, and she continuously proves to be far more dangerous than the male assassins and thugs in the film anticipate.  However, the film isn't perfect and suffers from a let down of an ending and an overall lack of female characters.  It was strange for a movie that has such a strong female lead to not include some other prominent females, but maybe it was trying to showcase Anna trying to overcome obstacles in a man's world.  But overall, The Protege was an unexpected surprise.

The Protege's great cast, fun chemistry between the lead characters, and understated but brutal action make this one assassin film that is on target. 

Watch it.

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The Protege is in theaters on August 20, 2021.  For showtimes, click here.

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Screening: See Maggie Q, Samuel L. Jackson, and Michael Keaton in the Protege Early and Free

We have partnered with Lionsgate for an early screening of the Protégé, a film with a surprising all star cast!  The film is coming to theaters on August 20, 2021, but you can check it out early and free!  Details and entry form are below!

The Protégé

Director:
Martin Campbell

Writer:
Richard Wenk

Starring:
Maggie Q, Samuel L. Jackson, Michael Keaton, Robert Patrick

Synopsis:
Rescued as a child by the legendary assassin Moody (Samuel L. Jackson) and trained in the family business, Anna (Maggie Q) is the world’s most skilled contract killer. But when Moody – the man who was like a father to her and taught her everything she needs to know about trust and survival – is brutally killed, Anna vows revenge. As she becomes entangled with an enigmatic killer (Michael Keaton) whose attraction to her goes way beyond cat and mouse, their confrontation turns deadly, and the loose ends of a life spent killing will weave themselves ever tighter.

Rating:
R

 Screening Info:

The Protégé

Tuesday, August 17th, 2021

7:00pm

AMC Tysons Corner

Screening Link!