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February 14, 2021
There was a time, not very long ago, when a few of the biggest movies of the year would release during Valentine’s Day weekend. In 2018, “Black Panther” made over $202M domestically during the lover’s holiday, and in 2015, “Fifty Shades of Grey” had an $85M domestic opening in theaters. Now, over half of the theaters across the country are still closed, and social-distancing measures remain in place to keep the public safe while vaccinations are being administered. The box office schedule will remain mostly empty through the winter and spring, but a few films are opting for a hybrid release with digital platforms over the next few months. Until then, former hits like “The Croods 2” and “Wonder Woman: 1984” will remain on the Top 5.
(
ThyBlackMan.com) A young blonde woman drives down a deserted California highway at night, alone. A mysterious car drives alongside her, passing, then stopping in the middle of the road. She freaks. She’s scared. The big car and her sedan play cat and mouse. Terrified, she drives to a closed motel looking for help. No one is there. No one hears her cries for help. She runs. A man hunts her, weapon in hand. Could he be the serial killer that’s paralyzing Los Angeles and confounding the LAPD?
That’s the dire setup for this 2h 7 min
crime/drama/thriller, a film that doesn’t break new ground and fails to invent an innovative, distinguishable or memorable murder spree. Yet within the confines of the genre, it nails basic elements enough to keep crime fans engaged until its reveal-after-reveal-after-reveal ending. Theatergoers may get restless, but HBO Max streaming viewers will be content.
Rahul Chettiyar | Published on 07 Feb 2021
Written and directed by John Lee Hancock, The Little Things marks the first of many WB films to hit HBO Max this year, as part of their newly-formed joint venture. And we must say right away, for an early impression of what’s to come, it does set itself up for quite the disappointment. The main culprit here is the screenplay. Not so much for the content itself, but because it was written back in the 1990s. So basically, it just ends up picking on every pre-existing, worn-out clichés in existence.
Set in the vibrant city of Los Angeles, our manhunt story opens up with a rather interesting chain of events, as we are thrown into the midst of a late-night car chase sequence. A sinister scene, tightly resembling Fincher’s Zodiac, sees our menacing killer calmly stalking a young lady into the deepest levels of fear. Throughout this well-played out segment, his face is kept hidden, adding to the alluring sense of mystery and deceit, going f
Andy Bockelman / For Craig Press
Joe Deke Deacon (Denzel Washington) stays in the background observing colleagues at an LA crime scene in The Little Things. The movie is about a former detective drawn back into the job as a series of murders appear to be tied to an old case. “The Little Things,” rated R
2 out of 4 stars
127 minutes
Starring: Denzel Washington, Rami Malek, Natalie Morales, and Jared Leto
Any time you can say you’ve got three Oscar winners attached to a crime drama, it’s all but assumed it will be a riveting watch. But, as the lead character of “The Little Things” likes to remind everybody, it pays to look closer than the obvious.