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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junglebook2016

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.

This Is a Movie Review: Deadpool

April 3, 2016

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Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) reacts to Colossus’ (voiced by Stefan Kapicic) threats.

I appreciate irreverence, but irreverence for irreverence’s sake can be thin and tiresome. It needs a good story to anchor it. Deadpool does not have an especially good story. However! – that is not necessarily a problem, considering that the narrative is meant to be bare-bones and take the piss out of the expected story structure. So as long as the jokes are well-crafted, we are good to go. Thus, it is so weird that this movie spends so much time on the superhero origin backstory, which is rather unremarkable and not especially fun. As for the real raison d’être, Deadpool is surprisingly light on the fourth-wall breaking, although perhaps my expectation that every line of Ryan Reynolds’ dialogue would be cheekily meta was a bit unfounded. Regardless, the real issue is that almost every quip is the most obvious one, save for the scenes with T.J. Miller, who rattles off as many punchlines he can think of off the top of his head. It is nice to see a superhero movie that is not so slavish to its source material or so controlled by the decrees of a shared universe, but what Deadpool is attempting still requires discipline, and he does not quite show enough of it.

I give Deadpool 3 Avocados out of 5 TJ Miller’s and 4 Giv It To Ya’s Out of 7 X’s.

This Is a (Quickie) Movie Review: Creative Control

March 20, 2016

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Creative Control

David has a bit of a problem. However, it could be a positive if he were to just change his perspective a bit. The ad agency he works at is promoting Augmenta, the latest in augmented reality glasses. He falls into being one of the most skilled test users, effortlessly creating a facsimile of his best friend’s girlfriend with whom he carries on an affair. Naturally, this plays havoc with his more tactile relationships. But the potential of Augmenta makes it clear that this could be just be a great deal of fun. If everyone were to just get weird with it like Reggie Watts (stopping by as himself to be the star of the Augmenta campaign) does, they would not succumb to all the overwrought yuppie malaise. Healthy or dangerous, the tripping in Creative Control is out of sight.

This Is a (Quickie) Movie Review: 10 Cloverfield Lane

March 20, 2016

jmunney Cinema, Movie Reviews , 1 Comment

10-cloverfield-lane

There are multiple premises baked into the DNA of 10 Cloverfield Lane, and they are all significant enough to stand on their own. So the success of this film could be due to at least one of the films within it working so well or due to the confluence of all of them making for just the right formula. To best determine that answer, there ought to be an experiment breaking up this clever sequel into its constituent parts, with a control movie serving as the most bare-bones version. Perhaps there could be one sub-version of each with John Goodman, and one without, though that is unnecessary because he is clearly a national treasure.

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