Destroyer, The Upside, Girl in the Spider's Web and More in This Week's MPAA Ratings Bulletin

By Chris Kavan - 10/31/18 at 10:54 AM CT

Another solid slate arrives this week as the MPAA Ratings Board gives us a lot of drama this time around. We have Destroyer, featuring another award-caliber performance from Nicole Kidman, The Girl in the Spider's Web attempts to revive an anti-heroine for our modern age and The Upside is a remake of a well-received French drama. That's a well-rounded update, and one I am more than happy to convey my humble opinion on the films at hand.

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I haven't always been a fan of Nicole Kidman - but I will admit she has really grown on me as an actress, far removed from the days of Tom Cruise. That is why I am so interested in her turn in Destroyer. Nearly unrecognizable in the trailer, Kidman plays a former police detective who is still trying to reconcile the demons from her past. This involves a mission to go deep undercover with a gang of bank robbers, where she forms an unhealthy attachment to the gang's leader, only to have everything fall apart - destroying not only her career, but her life itself. Now in the present, she is on a mission of vengeance when she learns the former gang is once again in action. I mean, if you haven't seen the trailer yet, by all means track it down (our site has it - take a look!). It is gritty, it is raw and Kidman has never looked better (I mean, she has looked better, but you know what I'm getting at). I have a feeling this is going to lead to some definite nominations, because, wow, what a transformation. This is getting a hard R (for language throughout, violence, some sexual content and brief drug use.) but I think such a performance will lead to big things.

I was always a fan of Stieg Larsson's Dragon Trilogy of novels - and was also pretty happy about the film adaptations starring Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist. Yet somehow the U.S. remake, directed by David Fincher and starring Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara, wound up a disappointment and never got past the first film. That is until now. The Girl in the Spider's Web is actually not based on Larsson's series, but written by David Lagercrantz and continuing the story with the same characters. Likewise, the movie adaptation does the same. This time Claire Foy takes on the role of the hacker Lisbeth Salander with Sverrir Gudnason playing journalist Mikael Blomkvist. Sylvia Hoeks, Lakeith Stanfield, Stephen Merchant and Vicky Krieps are also along for this ride which features lots of intrigue, backstabbing and action. I would be surprised if this did any better than the original film, but if it means we might get more of this story, I'm on board. I haven't read the newer novels, so I'm not exactly sure what I would be getting into, but based on the trailer it looks every bit as dark and twisted as I expected. Rated R for violence, language and some sexual content/nudity.

Remakes are always a tricky business, but it's sometimes easier when you remake a foreign film. The Upside is the home version of the well-received 2011 French film, The Intouchables and the story looks to be the same: Bryan Cranston plays a wealthy man who is involved in an accident that leaves him a quadriplegic. Seeking a caregiver, Kevin Hart plays Dell, a one-time criminal is simply looking to get signed off on a job application - instead finds himself hired for the job itself. It's a clash of cultures, of wealth class and of race - it worked for one language, why not another? Both Cranston and Hart have a devoted following - and it doesn't hurt that the film also features Nicole Kidman, Julianna Margulies and Tate Donovan. Director Neil Burger has a diverse lineup to his name, from teen-friendly Divergent to the sci-fi Limitless to the more dramatic The Illusionist. Let's see if all that practice pays off in this more feel-good, uplifting style of film. Rated PG-13 for suggestive content and drug use.

Those are the big three earning their ratings due, but be sure to check out the full MPAA Ratings Bulletin below:

BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY

Rated PG-13 for brief language.


THE CLOVERFIELD PARADOX

Rated PG-13 for sci-fi action, violence, disturbing images and brief strong language.


DESTROYER

Rated R for language throughout, violence, some sexual content and brief drug use.


DOVLATOV

Rated PG-13 for thematic content, some bloody images and smoking throughout.


EDERLEZI RISING

Rated R for strong sexual content, graphic nudity, and language.


THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEB

Rated R for violence, language and some sexual content/nudity.


GRAND-DADDY DAY CARE

Rated PG-13 for some drug material.


HEAD FULL OF HONEY

Rated PG-13 for language, some suggestive material and thematic elements.


THE LAST WHISTLE

Rated PG for thematic elements and language.


LEPRECHAUN RETURNS

Rated R for horror violence/gore and some sexual references.


REVIVAL!

Rated PG for thematic elements and related images, brief language and smoking.


SEE YOU SOON

Rated R for some sexual content.


THE UPSIDE

Rated PG-13 for suggestive content and drug use.

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