Reel Talk: John Cena and Idris Elba save the day (and the film) in Heads Of State
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West Australian
2 days ago
- West Australian
Reel Talk: John Cena and Idris Elba save the day (and the film) in Heads Of State
Reel Talk: John Cena and Idris Elba save the day (and the film) in Heads Of State
The Advertiser
3 days ago
- The Advertiser
Soundtrack shines but background plot is missing in action
Action comedies are a dime a dozen, and Heads of State is no exception. The new Prime offering sees Idris Elba occupying Downing Street as the British PM of six years, while John Cena is the freshly elected, former-movie-star president of the United States. The pair are far from chummy, with Cena's Will Derringer harbouring a grudge against Elba's Sam Clarke for having a fish and chip lunch with his opponent during the election. Derringer is all about image and being liked, while Clarke is well past those days, and is only interested in taking the job seriously and avoiding silly matters of face and reputation. The world leaders are headed to a summit in Italy aboard Air Force One when the plane is compromised and they must leap to their safety over the forests of Belarus. Stranded in not-so-friendly territory with the world believing they are dead, the unlikely duo have to work together to get to safety and stop whatever plot is threatening global safety. The comedy is fairly broad in Heads of State, with easy one-liners and obvious jokes only slightly working because of the charm of the two leads. Cena seemingly has no requirement to come out looking cool (unlike, say, his Fast and Furious co-stars Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson or Vin Diesel) and so a lot of the comedy is played off of his character's inability to function despite a background in action movies. Elba gets to be the more capable of the two, and is also handed the more understated lines to deliver with perfect Britishness. Heads of State is directed by Ilya Naishuller, known for the violent and stylish Hardcore Henry and Nobody. This film is certainly tamer than those two, and has less of a distinct or memorable filmmaking voice. There are, however, a couple of sequences that have some real spark about them and go a ways to stopping this film from being a dud. Firstly, there's the whole sequence with Jack Quaid's character. Quaid is having a good year, starring in robot thriller Companion and hilarious actioner Novocaine No Pain (which is still the worst title ever, why couldn't we just have called it Novocaine like the rest of the world?), along with a resume that includes The Boys, Oppenheimer, The Hunger Games and the Scream reboot. He's popular and successful for a reason, and when his character - a CIA operative manning a safe house in Prague - is introduced to the film, it is the turbo boost Heads of State really needs to get back on track. His character is quirky and odd, and obsessed with Derringer, and the scene plays out with some of the most enjoyable action in the whole film. It is also soundtracked by the always blood-pumping Beastie Boys classic Sabotage. The music selection makes a huge difference to the enjoyment of the film, and this continues later with Motley Crue's Kickstart My Heart getting its moment to shine. Priyanka Chopra (Quantico) plays a supporting role as a pun-obsessed secret agent who has a romance with Clarke in her past, but the script doesn't really know what to do with her for most of the time. This brings us to our second sparky sequence, a Wes Anderson-esque montage of her character's activities off screen. It's short and sweet but a delightful addition to the film. The background plot is extremely colour-by-numbers and forgettable, involving a weapons dealer (Paddy Considine delivering a boring performance that is more than likely the result of a thinly written character) hiring a team to help him hack into secret surveillance technology and stay one step ahead of the world's security forces at all times. The film also stars Carla Gugino and Stephen Root. Action comedies are a dime a dozen, and Heads of State is no exception. The new Prime offering sees Idris Elba occupying Downing Street as the British PM of six years, while John Cena is the freshly elected, former-movie-star president of the United States. The pair are far from chummy, with Cena's Will Derringer harbouring a grudge against Elba's Sam Clarke for having a fish and chip lunch with his opponent during the election. Derringer is all about image and being liked, while Clarke is well past those days, and is only interested in taking the job seriously and avoiding silly matters of face and reputation. The world leaders are headed to a summit in Italy aboard Air Force One when the plane is compromised and they must leap to their safety over the forests of Belarus. Stranded in not-so-friendly territory with the world believing they are dead, the unlikely duo have to work together to get to safety and stop whatever plot is threatening global safety. The comedy is fairly broad in Heads of State, with easy one-liners and obvious jokes only slightly working because of the charm of the two leads. Cena seemingly has no requirement to come out looking cool (unlike, say, his Fast and Furious co-stars Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson or Vin Diesel) and so a lot of the comedy is played off of his character's inability to function despite a background in action movies. Elba gets to be the more capable of the two, and is also handed the more understated lines to deliver with perfect Britishness. Heads of State is directed by Ilya Naishuller, known for the violent and stylish Hardcore Henry and Nobody. This film is certainly tamer than those two, and has less of a distinct or memorable filmmaking voice. There are, however, a couple of sequences that have some real spark about them and go a ways to stopping this film from being a dud. Firstly, there's the whole sequence with Jack Quaid's character. Quaid is having a good year, starring in robot thriller Companion and hilarious actioner Novocaine No Pain (which is still the worst title ever, why couldn't we just have called it Novocaine like the rest of the world?), along with a resume that includes The Boys, Oppenheimer, The Hunger Games and the Scream reboot. He's popular and successful for a reason, and when his character - a CIA operative manning a safe house in Prague - is introduced to the film, it is the turbo boost Heads of State really needs to get back on track. His character is quirky and odd, and obsessed with Derringer, and the scene plays out with some of the most enjoyable action in the whole film. It is also soundtracked by the always blood-pumping Beastie Boys classic Sabotage. The music selection makes a huge difference to the enjoyment of the film, and this continues later with Motley Crue's Kickstart My Heart getting its moment to shine. Priyanka Chopra (Quantico) plays a supporting role as a pun-obsessed secret agent who has a romance with Clarke in her past, but the script doesn't really know what to do with her for most of the time. This brings us to our second sparky sequence, a Wes Anderson-esque montage of her character's activities off screen. It's short and sweet but a delightful addition to the film. The background plot is extremely colour-by-numbers and forgettable, involving a weapons dealer (Paddy Considine delivering a boring performance that is more than likely the result of a thinly written character) hiring a team to help him hack into secret surveillance technology and stay one step ahead of the world's security forces at all times. The film also stars Carla Gugino and Stephen Root. Action comedies are a dime a dozen, and Heads of State is no exception. The new Prime offering sees Idris Elba occupying Downing Street as the British PM of six years, while John Cena is the freshly elected, former-movie-star president of the United States. The pair are far from chummy, with Cena's Will Derringer harbouring a grudge against Elba's Sam Clarke for having a fish and chip lunch with his opponent during the election. Derringer is all about image and being liked, while Clarke is well past those days, and is only interested in taking the job seriously and avoiding silly matters of face and reputation. The world leaders are headed to a summit in Italy aboard Air Force One when the plane is compromised and they must leap to their safety over the forests of Belarus. Stranded in not-so-friendly territory with the world believing they are dead, the unlikely duo have to work together to get to safety and stop whatever plot is threatening global safety. The comedy is fairly broad in Heads of State, with easy one-liners and obvious jokes only slightly working because of the charm of the two leads. Cena seemingly has no requirement to come out looking cool (unlike, say, his Fast and Furious co-stars Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson or Vin Diesel) and so a lot of the comedy is played off of his character's inability to function despite a background in action movies. Elba gets to be the more capable of the two, and is also handed the more understated lines to deliver with perfect Britishness. Heads of State is directed by Ilya Naishuller, known for the violent and stylish Hardcore Henry and Nobody. This film is certainly tamer than those two, and has less of a distinct or memorable filmmaking voice. There are, however, a couple of sequences that have some real spark about them and go a ways to stopping this film from being a dud. Firstly, there's the whole sequence with Jack Quaid's character. Quaid is having a good year, starring in robot thriller Companion and hilarious actioner Novocaine No Pain (which is still the worst title ever, why couldn't we just have called it Novocaine like the rest of the world?), along with a resume that includes The Boys, Oppenheimer, The Hunger Games and the Scream reboot. He's popular and successful for a reason, and when his character - a CIA operative manning a safe house in Prague - is introduced to the film, it is the turbo boost Heads of State really needs to get back on track. His character is quirky and odd, and obsessed with Derringer, and the scene plays out with some of the most enjoyable action in the whole film. It is also soundtracked by the always blood-pumping Beastie Boys classic Sabotage. The music selection makes a huge difference to the enjoyment of the film, and this continues later with Motley Crue's Kickstart My Heart getting its moment to shine. Priyanka Chopra (Quantico) plays a supporting role as a pun-obsessed secret agent who has a romance with Clarke in her past, but the script doesn't really know what to do with her for most of the time. This brings us to our second sparky sequence, a Wes Anderson-esque montage of her character's activities off screen. It's short and sweet but a delightful addition to the film. The background plot is extremely colour-by-numbers and forgettable, involving a weapons dealer (Paddy Considine delivering a boring performance that is more than likely the result of a thinly written character) hiring a team to help him hack into secret surveillance technology and stay one step ahead of the world's security forces at all times. The film also stars Carla Gugino and Stephen Root. Action comedies are a dime a dozen, and Heads of State is no exception. The new Prime offering sees Idris Elba occupying Downing Street as the British PM of six years, while John Cena is the freshly elected, former-movie-star president of the United States. The pair are far from chummy, with Cena's Will Derringer harbouring a grudge against Elba's Sam Clarke for having a fish and chip lunch with his opponent during the election. Derringer is all about image and being liked, while Clarke is well past those days, and is only interested in taking the job seriously and avoiding silly matters of face and reputation. The world leaders are headed to a summit in Italy aboard Air Force One when the plane is compromised and they must leap to their safety over the forests of Belarus. Stranded in not-so-friendly territory with the world believing they are dead, the unlikely duo have to work together to get to safety and stop whatever plot is threatening global safety. The comedy is fairly broad in Heads of State, with easy one-liners and obvious jokes only slightly working because of the charm of the two leads. Cena seemingly has no requirement to come out looking cool (unlike, say, his Fast and Furious co-stars Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson or Vin Diesel) and so a lot of the comedy is played off of his character's inability to function despite a background in action movies. Elba gets to be the more capable of the two, and is also handed the more understated lines to deliver with perfect Britishness. Heads of State is directed by Ilya Naishuller, known for the violent and stylish Hardcore Henry and Nobody. This film is certainly tamer than those two, and has less of a distinct or memorable filmmaking voice. There are, however, a couple of sequences that have some real spark about them and go a ways to stopping this film from being a dud. Firstly, there's the whole sequence with Jack Quaid's character. Quaid is having a good year, starring in robot thriller Companion and hilarious actioner Novocaine No Pain (which is still the worst title ever, why couldn't we just have called it Novocaine like the rest of the world?), along with a resume that includes The Boys, Oppenheimer, The Hunger Games and the Scream reboot. He's popular and successful for a reason, and when his character - a CIA operative manning a safe house in Prague - is introduced to the film, it is the turbo boost Heads of State really needs to get back on track. His character is quirky and odd, and obsessed with Derringer, and the scene plays out with some of the most enjoyable action in the whole film. It is also soundtracked by the always blood-pumping Beastie Boys classic Sabotage. The music selection makes a huge difference to the enjoyment of the film, and this continues later with Motley Crue's Kickstart My Heart getting its moment to shine. Priyanka Chopra (Quantico) plays a supporting role as a pun-obsessed secret agent who has a romance with Clarke in her past, but the script doesn't really know what to do with her for most of the time. This brings us to our second sparky sequence, a Wes Anderson-esque montage of her character's activities off screen. It's short and sweet but a delightful addition to the film. The background plot is extremely colour-by-numbers and forgettable, involving a weapons dealer (Paddy Considine delivering a boring performance that is more than likely the result of a thinly written character) hiring a team to help him hack into secret surveillance technology and stay one step ahead of the world's security forces at all times. The film also stars Carla Gugino and Stephen Root.
Perth Now
03-07-2025
- Perth Now
Global celebrities everywhere in iconic Wimbledon photo
Olivia Rodrigo. John Cena. Dave Grohl. Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas. There was as much star power — or maybe even more? — in the Royal Box at Wimbledon as there was down below on the Centre Court grass on Wednesday. And that was on an afternoon that featured two-time defending men's champion Carlos Alcaraz, No. 1-ranked woman Aryna Sabalenka, and 2021 US Open champion Emma Raducanu of Britain all winning matches at the grass-court grand slam tournament's main stadium to reach the third round. 'It's so special in the Royal Box to have those kind of people in there. It definitely adds a bit of pressure, I guess, if you look up and you kind of recognise (them),' Raducanu said. 'That's why I try and stay with my eyes on the court as much as possible. Only after, you kind of look up and take it all in, if they're still there.' The seats in the Royal Box behind one of the baselines are by invitation only, and there was quite a list of celebrities on hand for Day 3 of competition. 'I was trying not to look today,' Sabalenka said about the collection of boldfaced names, explaining that she might be distracted while competing. 'I was just trying to focus on my game. Later on, I'm going to open the social media (and ask), 'OK, who was there?'' Well, Aryna, here's a rundown: Rodrigo, fresh off headlining at music festival Glastonbury while on tour for her GUTS album, sat next to Cena, the professional wrestler and movie star. Olivia Rodrigo, Tom Daley and John Cena all in one photo. Credit: AAP Rodrigo chatted at one point with former England soccer coach Roy Hodgson, while the current person in that job, Thomas Tuchel, also was in attendance. Grohl, a member of the rock bands Foo Fighters and Nirvana, made an appearance, too, as did the married couple Chopra and Jonas. Priyanka Chopra and husband Nick Jonas Credit: AAP Dave Grohl and wife Jordyn enjoying the action. Credit: AAP Hollywood's Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann, who also are married, were on the Royal Box list, along with actor Dominic Cooper. Others taking in a day of tennis at the most famous court in the world included British athletes from other sports, such as Olympic gold medalists Sophie Bray (field hockey) and Tom Daley (diving), and Paralympic gold medalist William Ellard (swimming). Oh, and there was actual British royalty there Wednesday: Princess Michael of Kent.
