This Is a Movie Review: The Nice Guys

June 12, 2016

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For a movie that is presumably less about its plot and more an opportunity to mess around with the rules of a genre, The Nice Guys puts a lot of effort into making its plot substantial. Sure, the main attractions are Ryan Gosling adorably bungling around, Russell Crowe wittily roughing folks up, and Angourie Rice providing the competence while still remaining a believable teenager. But the quagmire they get mixed up in sure offers plenty of food for thought. The strain of killings they stumble into investigating turn out to all be related to an experimental film with elements of porn (or is it the other way around?) meant to expose the auto industry’s part in strangling the world with pollution. The whole messy story opens up a can of ethical quandary worms that The Nice Guys pointedly in its gumshoe nihilism does not answer. How could it, when the conspiracy runs this deep?

I give The Nice Guys 20 Gun Gags out of 25 Disco Soundtrack Selections.

This Is a Movie Review: Keanu

June 10, 2016

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keanu-movie

Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele have continually peeled away at the outrageousness of modern machismo on their eponymous Comedy Central show. A sketch may be the ideal format for doing so, as their characters in that context can be as caricaturish as they need them to be. But in a film, typically the main characters have to track as real people. In Keanu, Clarence (Key) and Rell (Peele) come off as genuine as they trek through the drug-dealing black market to retrieve the titular cat. And as they pass themselves off as gangsters, they in fact do target machismo just as progressively as K&P usually do. But because they exist in a world that is supposed to be realer than the exaggerated worlds this duo usually plays around IN, there are a lot of hairy implications that are never fully dealt with. Their energy is as righteous as ever, making for some hearty laughs, but they leave an aftertaste of, “But how CAN this be fully resolved?” and “This is where you leave us?!”

I give Keanu 5.5 Oh My God!’s out of 9 Did That Really Just Happens?!’s.

This Is a Movie Review: X-Men: Apocalypse

May 30, 2016

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , 6 Comments

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X-Men: Apocalypse is liable to thrill and offend audiences in equally extreme measure. I mean, come on, just consider the plot: the oldest mutant arises from his millennia-long sleep after being betrayed in ancient Egypt, and then he works to enact his plan to conquer humankind and establish mutants in their rightful place atop the new world order. The acting, direction, production design, makeup, and cinematography all match the grandiosity of this vision. To make it all work, Bryan Singer and team take a mix-and-match approach to the plotting, mining elements from the comics and the earlier X-Men films and recycling or rejecting them as they see fit. The result is unmistakably audacious and constantly thrilling. This is a movie in which a Holocaust survivor razes Auschwitz, and in many respects that is not even the most shocking moment.

This bombast asks a lot of the actors, but most of them acquit themselves well, or at least as well as they possibly can. As the titular baddie, Oscar Isaac weaves gold despite being caked under a mountain of purple makeup. This could easily be a ridiculous role, and it actually is, but it is also frightening, kind of hilarious, and deeply felt. Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy (Fassbender especially) benefit from drawing upon their earlier performances (and those of their predecessors). As Jean Grey, Sophie Turner must simultaneously be a novice and one of the most powerful beings in the world – she manages to pull off the appropriate dread and uncertainty. While not every character shines (an inevitability with a cast this big), Apocalypse is another example of an X-Men movie understanding its fundamental strength of a rainbow of unique powers. More than any other entry in the series, this is a film in which it truly feels like anything can happen.

I give X-Men: Apocalypse 8 Grand Speeches out of 10 Risers From the Ashes.

P.S.: Quicksilver’s signature scene tops the “Time in a Bottle” sequence from Days of Future Past, but even more jaw-dropping is the scene right before, in which Apocalypse legitimately destroys the status quo.

This Is a Movie Review: The Lobster

May 30, 2016

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The Lobster

The Lobster weaves a tale of an alternate reality in which single people check into a hotel where they are given 45 days to couple up or turn into an animal of their choosing should they fail. This is not “how things are” so much as it is “how things are enforced.” There are strict rules in place to move courtship along. There are little performances explaining these regulations to demonstrate the value of togetherness over singledom. In promoting stereotypical roles, the horror of this fable is somewhat rooted in sexism, but there is genuine concern that everyone ends up happy. The greater problem is the excess literalness of the prescriptions. The world of The Lobster recognizes the importance of compatibility, but it doesn’t understand it. Even the rebel element is just as adherent to its own severe code. The scary lesson is that no matter what path you choose for yourself, it will be a landmine to navigate society at large with your chosen identity.

I give The Lobster 9 Nosebleeds out of 10 Toasters, but I must take away 1 point for one too many eye pokes.

This Is a Movie Review: Captain America: Civil War

May 16, 2016

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CACivilWarIronMan

One could argue that the sides the heroes choose in Civil War are arbitrary, especially with a few Avenger novices being given little choice in the matter and even less information. On top of that, Cap and Iron Man, the driving forces of the two opposing sides, choose roles that are against type. But maybe that arbitrariness is not a bug, but a feature. This is a story about grappling with what it means to be a superhero, not just in terms of responsibility but identity. In a world that is constantly besieged by world-ending threats, how can any soul bear the day-to-day grind of that? There are a variety of answers to that question, and the differences in that variety lead to conflict – the sort in which the fighters know that they have something to fight for, but they are not entirely what it is.

There is a close-up shot late in the film of Tony Stark slipping out of his jet on his quest to track down Cap. The expression on Robert Downey, Jr.’s face carries the weight of this man’s heroic burden. This moment represents the humanity that is so profoundly present when Marvel is at its best. There is a lot of chaos and confusion to Civil War, just as there are for the individuals who populate this universe, and so the meaning is in the mess.

I give Captain America: Civil War 8 Ka-Pow’s out of 9 Splash Pages and 6 Too Many Cooks in 10 Kitchens.

This Is a Movie Review: Green Room

May 16, 2016

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Green Room

One of the most striking things about Green Room – probably not THE most striking, but perhaps the most unusually striking – is the way in which people have weird reactions to dangerous situations. The premise of this film (penniless punk band is held captive after witnessing a murder at a neo-Nazi bar) would seem to lend itself to outright, unending terror. And while there is a lot of that – and it could very well be perfectly great if it went whole hog in that direction – it pushes into surprising territory by allowing for a few moments to breathe.

People remain people no matter who they are. The adrenaline that spikes in a crisis may promote certain behavior, but the basic stew of chemicals and emotions remain. So Green Room distinguishes itself by not relying thoroughly on the screams. Instead, there is a whole array of chuckles, blank stares, and even a few shoulder shrugs. The lesson seems to be that when facing a guy as in control as Darcy Banker (Patrick Stewart, as indelible as you’ve heard), it is best for everyone to remember that they are still who they are, and that they all have their own unique set of qualities. They might just help you survive (emphasis on might).

I give Green Room 9 Machetes out of 10 Lockdowns and 19 Shotgun Pellets out of 20 Attack Dogs.

This Is a Movie Review: The Jungle Book (2016)

April 30, 2016

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The live action (or really, differently animated) version of The Jungle Book is most notable for its technical accomplishments. All of the animals might be CGI creations, but they feel like living, breathing (albeit anthropomorphized) beings. Even their mouth movements appear natural. It may be a little uncanny valley-ish when the wolves are talking, but it is mostly cute.

The story is the same as what you already know, so what this iteration offers (besides the visuals) is a mighty fine cast. In that vein, Idris Elba’s menacing turn as Sheera Khan is almost unbearably intense. It is unsettling how much he is just a villain for the sake of being a villain. Sure, he has it out for Mowgli because the boy’s father burned his face, but Khan had been the aggressor in the first place. Perhaps his motivations can be explained by a thirst for power, but no matter how you slice it, this is not an antagonist handled with kid gloves.

I did not see it in 3D. There are a few moments during the end credits when animals are bouncing around, and it is clear that they are supposed to popping out of the screen. It would be nice to have the full effect there. Besides that, there is nothing during the actual body of the movie that looks like it is similarly attempting to be extra-dimensional. There might be more depth to the 3D version, but the spectacle works without it.

So, in conclusion, I’ve got a fever, and the only prescription is hearing Christopher Walken sing “Oobie doo” over and over.

I give The Jungle Book 7 Human Tricks out of 10 Bear Necessities.

This Is a Movie Review: Zootopia

April 17, 2016

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Zootopia

With its allegorical approach to stereotype-fueled tension, Zootopia is a lot heavier thematically than audiences might expect an animated family movie to be. But this is nothing new for the genre. Inside Out incorporates cutting-edge neurological research, Happy Feet shines an environmental light, the Toy Story series meditates upon loss, and plenty of others have death – so much death. So perhaps family films should be taken to task if they do not cut deep.

Zootopia sticks out in this field by taking on a topic that is especially charged. Good luck remaining neutral once this cat is out of the bag. Confidence is essential here to achieve success, and that is embodied in our leporine hero Judy Hopps. Her character design – all thumping feet, widening pupils, and perky ears – is all about necessary urgency and perseverance. Ginnifer Goodwin provides the vocal equivalent of all those physical attributes. Jason Bateman as her redeemable fox partner usefully counterpoints with opportunism, while his sympathetic background points to hopefulness.

I give Zootopia 1800 Thumps out of 2000 Sloth Gags.

This Is a Movie Review: Hardcore Henry

April 17, 2016

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Hardcore-Henry

The entirety of Hardcore Henry is from the first-person perspective of its titular hero. For a nonstop actioner, this gimmick is understandable but frequently impractical. With all the jumping and crashing, camera focus is a challenge. As difficult as this film may be to watch, it is an undeniably impressive technical accomplishment. As far as having a point, though, the gimmick is aesthetically resonant, but it does not really matter all that much to the plot, which is actually surprisingly complex (though a little half-baked). There is an evil-accented, telekinetic albino baddie chasing Henry, signaling that this movie might actually be more interested in crafting a strange sci-fi head trip than pulling off its POV stunt. That sci-fi bent is welcome, as it provides a surprising degree of movie magic heft and offers an explanation for why Sharlto Copley keeps popping up everywhere to help Henry out. Anything that allows Copley to be his unpredictable self justifies its own existence.

I give Hardcore Henry 70 Sharlto Copley’s out of 100 Avatars.

This Is a (Quickie) Movie Review: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice

April 3, 2016

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BatmanvSuperman

The score of Batman v Superman has a tendency to continue the same musical phrase from one scene to the next, making it feel as if there is no clear demarcation between the various pieces of this absolute mess of a movie. This was probably unintentional, but it is appropriate. No idea is given room to make much (or any) sense. The plot holes and ridiculous character motivations pile up to an astounding degree. Perhaps, though, they are not plot holes at all, and this film is operating on its own sort of dream logic. Or maybe that is just the illusion created by sitting through 2 and a half hours of this stunner.

I give Batman v Superman 200 Craters out of 500 Property Damage Points.

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