This Is a Movie Review: Free Fire

April 19, 2017

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , , , , , , 1 Comment

This review was originally published on News Cult in April 2017.

Starring: Sharlto Copley, Armie Hammer, Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Jack Reynor

Director: Ben Wheatley

Running Time: 90 Minutes

Rating: R for Living Up to the Promise of Its Title

Release Date: April 21, 2017

Free Fire dresses up an illicit arms deal in fancy ’70s formalwear and then bloodies up the pretensions with unrelenting chaos. The trick to making all this pleasant – or at least attempting to do so – is an equally endless stream of witty rejoinders. This technique is strongest between the odd couple pairing of Sharlto Copley and Armie Hammer. The former is all high-wire, unpredictable energy. The latter is all suave unflappability. Both are thoroughly confident in their own skins. I would be happy to watch these two volley back-and-forth all day. But I gotta ask, is it necessary that their team-up occur amidst such a destructive hail of bullets?

The obvious antecedent, when it comes to a crime gone amok leading to ultraviolence and goons yammering on, is Quentin Tarantino’s breakout Reservoir Dogs. The difference is that QT’s characters have an inherent point of view, whereas Free Fire co-writer/director Ben Wheatley’s crew mostly just screeches hysterically (not always literally, but it feels like it). There can be humor found in the panic that sets in when a dangerous situation goes pear-shaped, but Free Fire too often confuses nastiness with lunacy. I don’t oppose on-screen graphic violence as a rule, but there ought to be a good reason for it. In this case, it feels like an excuse for a movie that hates all of its characters to just pick them off one-by-one.

Getting back to the folks populating this film, there are several more hooligans besides Copley and Hammer, among them Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, and Sing Street’s Jack Reynor (who often strikes me as Ireland’s less schlubby answer to Seth Rogen). The fun of these players is primarily geographical. Their dispersal around the warehouse after the shots start firing creates a sort of constantly shifting maze. The narrative thrust is basically sorting out this puzzle. Who makes it out alive? Who cares! What matters is the physical space and the treachery between these dots of human beings. But that’s small change. Let’s cut to the chase and get to work on the Copley-Hammer follow-up.

Free Fire is Recommended If You Like: Pulling the Heads Off Bugs

Grade: 2.5 out of 5 V Necks

This Is a Movie Review: Born in China

April 19, 2017

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This review was originally published on News Cult in April 2017.

Narrator: John Krasinski

Director: Lu Chuan

Running Time: 76 Minutes

Rating: G

Release Date: April 21, 2017

Born in China is the tenth Disneynature documentary (counting both theatrical and non-theatrical releases) but the first that I have seen in its entirety. Normally I do not highlight my moviegoing blind spots, not just because I do not want to appear like a novice but also because it is a generally uninteresting caveat. But in this case I bring it up to make a point.

As far as I can tell, Born in China is basically the same movie stylistically or thematically as Earth, African Cats, Monkey Kingdom, or your average Animal Planet doc. There is the environmentalist ethos, lovingly shot open vistas, and narration that is not shy about anthropomorphizing (this time courtesy of John Krasinski). This is akin to seeing a recurring Saturday Night Live sketch in its hundredth iteration but for the first time for the viewer. As an SNL devotee, I often wonder how casual fans’ experiences differ from my own. A recurring bit that is basically an exact recreation of the original rendition is inevitably a letdown, but someone who has not seen the original does not experience the frustration of repetition. But could there in fact be something lost for viewers both new and old when the novelty has departed? My experience with Disnyenature suggests there could.

While Born in China is hardly a revelation, it does have its charms. If you have the capacity to giggle over a panda falling down a hill (which I do somewhat), then you should have a smile on your face for a good portion of the running time. And if you like the idea of Jim Halpert making up cutesy dialogue for his furry and feathered subjects, then this is for you. This occasionally gives me chuckles, but it can quickly grow tiresome. While the problem with the cheeriness is that it feels all too manufactured, I am not asking for darkness, just a stronger point of view.

Born in China is Recommended If You Like: Spending All Day Watching Animal Planet

Grade: 2 out of 5 Lost Boys

 

 

Billboard Hot Rock Songs – Week of April 29, 2017

April 18, 2017

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Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart, and then I rearrange the top 25 based on my estimation of their quality. I used to rank all 25, now I just rank the cream of the crop.

Original Version
1. Imagine Dragons – “Believer”
2. twenty one pilots – “Heathens”
3. Linkin Park ft. Kiiara – “Heavy”
4. twenty one pilots – “Ride”
5. Rag’n’Bone Man – “Human”
6. Lord Huron – “The Night We Met”
7. Gorillaz ft. Mavis Staples and Pusha T – “Let Me Out”
8. Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, & Imagine Dragons with Logic, Ty Dolla $ign ft. X Ambassadors – “Sucker for Pain”
9. Kaleo – “Way Down We Go”
10. Gorillaz ft. Popcaan – “Saturnz Barz”
11. twenty one pilots – “Heavydirtysoul”
12. The Revivalists – “Wish I Knew You”
13. Portugal. The Man – “Feel It Still”
14. Gorillaz ft. D.R.A.M. – “Andromeda”
15. Ocean Park Standoff – “Good News”
16. Led Zeppelin – “Immigrant Song”
17. NEEDTOBREATHE – “Testify”
18. Lana Del Rey – “Love”
19. Cold War Kids – “Love is Mystical”
20. MISSIO – “Middle Fingers”
21. The J. Geils Band – “Centerfold”
22. Papa Roach – “Help”
23. Gorillaz ft. Vince Staples – “Ascension”
24. NEEDTOBREATHE – “Hard Love”
25. The Lumineers – “Angela”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Immigrant Song
2. Human
3. Way Down We Go
4. Let Me Out
5. Heavydirtysoul
6. Feel It Still
7. Saturnz Barz
8. Love is Mystical
9. Love
10. Andromeda
11. Hard Love

Billboard Hot 20 – Week of April 29, 2017

April 18, 2017

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Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot 100, and then I rearrange the top 20 based on my estimation of their quality. I used to rank all 20, now I just rank the cream of the crop.

Original Version
1. Ed Sheeran – “Shape of You”
2. Bruno Mars – “That’s What I Like”
3. Kendrick Lamar – “Humble.”
4. Harry Styles – “Sign of the Times”
5. The Chainsmokers and Coldplay – “Something Just Like This”
6. KYLE ft. Lil Yacthy – “iSpy”
7. Future – “Mask Off”
8. Lil Uzi Vert – “XO TOUR Llif3”
9. Sam Hunt – “Body Like a Back Road”
10. The Chainsmokers – “Paris”
11. Kygo x Selena Gomez – “It Ain’t Me”
12. Julia Michaels – “Issues”
13. Clean Bandit ft. Sean Paul and Anne-Marie – “Rockabye”
14. Zedd and Alessia Cara – “Stay”
15. Kodak Black – “Tunnel Vision”
16. James Arthur – “Say You Won’t Let Go”
17. The Weeknd – “I Feel It Coming”
18. Migos ft. Lil Uzi Vert – “Bad and Boujee”
19. Post Malone ft. Quavo – “Congratulations”
20. Khalid – “Location”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Stay
2. Tunnel Vision
3. I Feel It Coming
4. Sign of the Times
5. Humble.
6. Location
7. Rockabye
8. Bad and Boujee

SNL Review April 15, 2017: Jimmy Fallon/Harry Styles

April 16, 2017

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This review was originally posted on News Cult in April 2017.

Love It

Turtle Shirt – Like Bad Idea Jeans, Three-Legged Jeans, and Mom Jeans before it, SNL has debuted a new piece of attire we never knew we needed. This time, it isn’t just a fashion statement, it’s also supremely functional! The Turtle Shirt is perfect for those moments when you need to warp reality.

Jimmy Fallon says “Take Me Back” to Cecily Strong, and the reason why she won’t is a perfectly timely and disturbing twist…While Michael and Colin’s political chops have matured, I think they’re at their best when they’re at their goofiest, so it’s a bonus when their focus on the government is as fierce as it is here…Bruce Chandling does not remember “what it feels like it to be kissed,” but thanks to him, now we know not to kiss the wrong type of chocolate…The Basketball Film Shoot is simply a fantastic example of background physical comedy.

More

What Won TV? – April 9-April 15, 2017

April 16, 2017

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In this feature, I look back at each day of the past week and determine what shows “won TV” for the night. That is, I consider every episode of television I watched that aired on a particular day and declare which was the best.

Sunday – Last Week Tonight with John Oliver
Monday – Better Call Saul
Tuesday – The Mick
Wednesday – Archer
Thursday – Riverdale
Friday – Mystery Science Theater 3000 (Yes, I contributed.)
Saturday – SNL turns down for Turtle Shirts

This Is a Movie Review: The Fate of the Furious

April 16, 2017

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The last three entries in the Fast & Furious series brought me fully on board the “quarter mile at a time” lifestyle, thanks to their brazenly unrealistic stunts leaving me totally breathless. (The cornball repartee and preternaturally earnest family ethos were nice bonuses.) The Fate of the Furious certainly does not hold back on the go-for-broke extremes, but nothing really reaches any gobsmacking heights. There are too many explosions – fire gets in the way of the awe of flying through the air. At least Ludacris and Tyrese are still on point with whatever they’re nattering on about. They’re practically speaking a new dialect at this point.

I give The Fate of the Furious 6.5 Approvals From the Baby out of 10 Redirected Explosions.

This Is a Movie Review Review: Beauty and the Beast (2017)

April 15, 2017

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What up with Disney ransacking its vault to remake its own animated hits into (mostly[-ish]) live-action versions? This is not an inherently bad idea. These are stories that have been told over and over (often in fairy tale form) and will continue to be told over and over, so why not spruce them up with some 21st Century Pizzazz?

What does new-flavor Beauty and the Beast offer over the 1991 toon? Belle’s an inventor, but that does not factor in too much. There is an “exclusively gay moment” for Le Fou, but it is so inconsequential that you might need a study guide to locate it (I certainly did). So ultimately, this is about some legends of acting and singing giving it a whirl. Nothing earth-shattering, but we’re in good hands.

I give Beauty and the Beast 3 Rose Petals out of 5 Snowy Days in June.

This Is a Movie Review: The Lost City of Z

April 11, 2017

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This review was originally published on News Cult in April 2017.

Starring: Charlie Hunnam, Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland

Director: James Gray

Running Time: 140 Minutes

Rating: PG-13 for Bow and Arrow Violence, and Occasional Gunfire

Release Date: April 14, 2017 (Limited)

The Lost City of Z tells the story of a liberal-minded man’s dilemma. During Percival Fawcett’s (Charlie Hunnam) early 20th century explorations to South America, he becomes convinced of the existence of a mythical city deep within the jungles of the Amazon. His patrons back in England scoff at the idea, both because it is unrealistic but also because they are European white men who believe that their way of doing civilization is the only right way. Fawcett positions himself as an open-minded paragon who recognizes that the native peoples are not savages but in fact have plenty of value to offer the rest of the world. This is not posture. He genuinely believes all that he says – and Hunnam imbues every declaration with the urgency of the end of days – but idealizing a foreign culture introduces its own problems.

Fawcett does not fetishize the Amazonian peoples, but his single-mindedness can be blinding. The film’s structure is partly like that of a Möbius strip, with the end of each South American expedition only serving as a prologue to the next one. Supplies are depleted and conflicts break out within his crew, and then re-stocking and reconciling takes years. And you feel that passage of time, but Fawcett simply must get back. The strain is borne most acutely by his family, especially his wife Nina (Sienna Miller), who pleads to join one of the expeditions. The Fawcetts pride themselves on their equality, but here Percival marks a limit: they are intellectual, but not physical, equals.

Ultimately, this film is a detailed and heavy examination of the dangers of obsession. It turns out (spoiler alert) that Fawcett’s instincts are right, but that vindication is saved for an epilogue. The climax involves Fawcett and his eldest son (Tom Holland) entering the most nightmarish of the expeditions. For the most part, The Lost City of Z avoids mysticism in favor of realism. The cinematography generally focuses on weary faces instead of natural wonders. Thus, this journey is not transcendent until it starts becoming hellish.

The Lost City of Z is Recommended If You Like: Lawrence of Arabia, Apocalypse Now, Impassioned Speeches to Fusty Government Types

Grade: 3.5 out of 5 Men Overboard

Billboard Hot Rock Songs – Week of April 22, 2017

April 11, 2017

jmunney Billboard Charts, Billboard Hot Rock Songs, Music , , , Leave a comment

Each week, I check out the Billboard Hot Rock Songs chart, and then I rearrange the top 25 based on my estimation of their quality. I used to rank all 25, now I just rank the cream of the crop.

Original Version
1. Imagine Dragons – “Believer”
2. twenty one pilots – “Heathens”
3. Linkin Park ft. Kiiara – “Heavy”
4. twenty one pilots – “Ride”
5. Rag’n’Bone Man – “Human”
6. Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, & Imagine Dragons with Logic, Ty Dolla $ign ft. X Ambassadors – “Sucker for Pain”
7. Kaleo – “Way Down We Go”
8. twenty one pilots – “Heavydirtysoul”
9. The Revivalists – “Wish I Knew You”
10. Gorillaz ft. Popcaan – “Saturnz Barz”
11. Lord Huron – “The Night We Met”
12. Lana Del Rey – “Love”
13. Portugal. The Man – “Feel It Still”
14. Ocean Park Standoff – “Good News”
15. Gorillaz ft. D.R.A.M. – “Andromeda”
16. Bleachers – “Don’t Take the Money”
17. NEEDTOBREATHE – “Testify”
18. MISSIO – “Middle Fingers”
19. alt-J – “In Cold Blood”
20. Papa Roach – “Help”
21. Gorillaz ft. Vince Staples – “Ascension”
22. Cold War Kids – “Love is Mystical”
23. blink-182 – “Misery”
24. The Lumineers – “Angela”
25. Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness – “Fire Escape”

Jmunney’s Revision
1. Human
2. Way Down We Go
3. Heavydirtysoul
4. Feel It Still
5. In Cold Blood
6. Love is Mystical
7. Andromeda
8. Love
9. Saturnz Barz

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