Weekend Watch: Bob Marley: One Love, House Of Ninjas
Bob gets a biopic and Shinobi warriors reluctantly stalk back into action
Image Credit: Paramount Pictures
Welcome to the latest edition of Weekend Watch, where I recommend (or occasionally warn against) movies or TV shows I’ve been checking out. This week, the biopic spinning wheel stops on Bob Marley, and a ninja clan balances family time with missions. Follow James on Twitter: @jamwhite and Threads/Instagram: @jammerwhite
Musical biopics can be tricky to get right, though even when only some elements work, they can deliver rich rewards (I’m still irked, though, that Bohemian Rhapsody led to Oscar glory when Rocketman saw no awards love).
Bob Marley was always going to get the biopic treatment given his icon status; the only surprise is how long it has taken. In this case, director Reinaldo Marcus Green, who just went the based-on-truth route with King Richard (for which Will Smith won an Oscar playing the father of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams), has seemingly cracked it.
Working closely with Marley’s surviving family (not to mention a gaggle of screenwriters), he’s dialed down on a particular period of the singer/ songwriter/activist’s life, the better to avoid the cradle-to-grave cliché. Green is clearly a fan himself, pouring a lot of love into the project.
Here’s the issue –– all of that passion doesn’t always spill over into the finished movie itself. There are times when One Love falls into the old trap of simply documenting events plenty of people (especially fans) will already know about, without adding much in the way of context or insight.
And while it does indeed sidestep trying to cover all of Bob’s life, there are some ill-judged, overly arty flashbacks to his youth that add little to the film and our understanding of Marley, and could have been jettisoned altogether.
In the positive column are the two main performances. Kingsley Ben-Adir clearly understood that even someone with his talent couldn’t play a carbon copy of Bob, so instead he chooses to embody his spirit and style, and is largely successful.
Beyond him, though is Lashana Lynch. I’ve raved about her work in the past, and here, even though she’s in the supporting role as Bob’s wife Rita, she lights up the screen every time she appears, and the film becomes better for her presence. Whether singing backup, spitting fire at his latest wrong-headed decision or showing support as a wife, she once again proves she deserves to be a huge star.
The film around the main two is entertaining enough, and of course Marley’s music is impressive. I just came away feeling that I still didn’t know much more of him besides the publicly available footage and many, many posters.
Bob Marley: One Love is in UK and US cinemas now.
Image Credit: Netflix
From someone who tries spread love, to a family who are trying to embrace it over their (necessarily) violent past. House Of Ninjas is one of those series that Netflix has mostly just dumped onto its servers with little fanfare (beyond one trailer). It’s a shame, as though it doesn’t always manage to juggle some conflicting tones, this mostly succeeds.
It’s the story of the Tawara family, the latest iteration of a shinobi clan who for generations have put their ninjitsu skills to use in the service of good. The current brood are (mostly) retired from that life after tragic death of eldest child Gaku (Kengo Kôra).
Dad Soichi (Yosuke Eguchi) is a teetotaller running the family brewery. Mum Yoko (Tae Kimura) itches to return to climbing roofs and throwing stars, but satisfies herself by shoplifting and caring for the family. Current eldest son Haru (Kento Kaku, who also devised the idea for the show) works restocking vending machines, but still sometimes uses his abilities, while sister Nagi (Aju Makita), balances student life with ninja missions herself. Youngest child Riku (Tenta Banka), meanwhile, is kept in the dark by the rest of the family, but is starting to have his suspicions.
A new threat (including a boatload of poisoned cruise ship passengers) from a mysterious cult and some dodgy politicians, draws them back into action, even as Haru makes a connection with reporter Karen (Riho Yoshioka), but even that could cause problems for their family.
Developed from Kaku’s idea by Dave Boyle (who has shot several films in the Bay Area with largely Asian casts), was filmed in Japan in Japanese, the show works on two levels –– you have the family dramedy (at times getting a little too goofy with the comedy side) –– and the action set pieces, which are largely swift and effective. The overarching villain plot is less inventive, and occasionally detracts from the value of the family’s storyline. The biggest comparison for me (and this is a compliment) is that the bureau controlling shinobi action put me in mind of The Incredibles. Like a ninja stalking along the edge of a roof, House Of Ninjas manages to usually walk that tricky tightrope.
House Of Ninjas is on Netflix now.