Tag: Adam Driver

Twofer Movie Review – ‘Summer of 84’ and ‘BlacKkKlansman’ – Kickin’ it Old School

Directed by François Simard, Anouk Whissell, & Yoann-Karl Whissell (aka RKSS)
Written by Matt Leslie & Stephen J. Smith
Cast: Graham Verchere, Judah Lewis, Caleb Emery, Cory Gruter-Andrew, Tiera Skovbye, Rich Sommer, Jason Gray-Stanford, Shauna Johannesen, J. Alex Brinson, Harrison Houde, Mark Brandon, Susie Castillo, William MacDonald
Soundtrack: Jean-Philippe Bernier & Jean-Nicolas Leupi (aka Le Matos)

I’m not exactly sure what got the ball rolling on this whole Eighties pop culture revival (maybe Super 8?), Stranger Things being the most prominent example, but the film-making trio of RKSS had one of the first loud shots across the bow with 2015’s Turbo Kid, and three years later they’re making noise again with Summer of 84.

I was cautiously optimistic heading into this one, excited for what it could be but also prepared for a possible let down; but then the movie started, and I loved it, and I loved it, and I loved it.  I actually thought to myself, “I’m going to give this five stars; it’s that amazing,” not to mention it combines elements of two of my favorite Eighties light horror pieces, Silver Bullet and The ‘burbs.

Then, the last ten minutes happened.

I won’t reveal anything specific, but I will say that it was enough to knock a full star rating off of what could have been a nearly perfect film.

The crux of the problem is that I’m fine with many different kinds of endings, be they happy, sad, bittersweet, ambiguous, or a complete tonal shift, but, no matter what, they need to feel earned.  For example, as much as I enjoy Near Dark as one of the best vampire movies out there, it has a happy ending that I don’t really buy, because it’s inconsistent with the rest of the film in terms of what’s been set up and the overall journey we’ve already been on.

In the case of Summer of 84, I’m not sure who to blame.  Perhaps the writers for writing it or the directors for not executing it in a way that feels right, or perhaps it’s just a “lost in translation” thing, I don’t know, but I think they could have gotten their point across in a way that’s not a complete betrayal for the audience (at least in my opinion; others will no doubt feel differently).

Still though, I don’t want to totally sandbag a movie I very much enjoyed and appreciated.  All-in-all it’s a tight script, the kids have a surprising amount of individual ability and collective chemistry, and there aren’t many moments where it betrays that fact that it’s a Canadian production.  And, it’s got a killer synth soundtrack.

If you can find it at a local theater, I highly recommend giving it a whirl.  If not, it’ll be on-demand soon enough, but, either way, it’s worthy of your support.

Rating: ★★★★☆

 

Directed by Spike Lee
Written by Charlie Wachtel & David Rabinowitz, Kevin Willmott & Spike Lee, based on the book by Ron Stallworth
Cast: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, Topher Grace, Corey Hawkins, Jasper Pääkkönen, Paul Walter Hauser, Ryan Eggold, Ashlie Atkinson, Robert John Burke, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Alec Baldwin, Harry Belafonte, Craig muMs Grant, Arthur J. Nascarella, Ken Garito, Frederick Weller, Michael Buscemi, Nicholas Turturro
Soundtrack: Terence Blanchard

Truth be told, I haven’t seen very much of Spike Lee’s work, and what little I have seen I’ve found mostly to be frustrating and tedious (dear Lord, save me from Clockers), but I’m almost always willing to set the past aside if something looks promising enough, which brings us to BlacKkKlansman.

Based on an extraordinary true life tale, BlacKkKlansman is the story of Ron Stallworth, the first Black officer and detective in the Colorado Springs Police Department, who, despite his skin color, managed to infiltrate the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan.

I have not read the book, so I can’t confirm or deny the authenticity of the film (it seems movied-up, just a bit; though for all I know it could be a case of reality being crazier than fiction, a la Hacksaw Ridge), but nevertheless the story is its main strength, along the with the performances, particularly from John David Washington and Adam Driver.  Even Topher Grace showed me a nice little range I didn’t know he had in him (I still can’t figure out why Nic Turturro is in the movie though, and if you see it you’ll know what I mean).

Because of this, I will go as far as to say that the movie works in spite of Spike Lee’s direction, not because of it.  I understand he wants to be directly confrontational to make his message clear, but in my opinion the way it’s structured is to the detriment of the overall film (I mean, come on, Dear White People handled its business better, and that was from a first time writer/director).

Still, there’s a lot to appreciate, just not enough for me to give it a full theatrical recommendation.

Rating: ★★★½ (out of five)

P.S.
Even though I don’t know why he was in the film (other than being a friend of Spike Lee), it did make me happy to see Nic Turturro and Frederick Weller in the same movie, as twenty-five years ago they played Al Capone and Eliot Ness in Young Indiana Jones and the Mystery of the Blues.  Nobody cares about this but me, I know.  Deal with it.

Movie Review – ‘Logan Lucky’ – All The Fun of The Fair

Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Written by Rebecca Blunt
Cast: Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Seth MacFarlane, Riley Keough, Katie Holmes, Katherine Waterston, Dwight Yoakam, Sebastian Stan, Brian Gleeson, Jack Quaid, Hilary Swank, Daniel Craig, David Denman, Jim O’Heir, Macon Blair, Farrah Mackenzie, Rebecca Koon, Charles Halford, Jon Eyez, William Mark McCullough
Soundtrack: David Holmes

Boy oh boy is it good to have Steven Soderbergh back.

Not that he’d left us entirely, but he hasn’t done a theatrical feature since 2013’s Side Effects (which is GREAT, by the way; I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before), and I don’t really have time for television (what with all the movies I see), so, as far as I was concerned, he was out of sight.  Logan Lucky is not only a welcome cinematic return for him, but, at the tail end of one of the best movie summers I can ever remember, it’s at least a contender for Top Movie of the Season.

Soderbergh’s obviously no stranger to the ol’ heist movie, nor is he a stranger to films with a comedic tone, but Logan Lucky is a special blend of the two that is so enjoyable and light-hearted (without being total fluff) that I would have happily spent more time in my seat just to hang out with the characters a little longer.

This is not to say it’s a perfect film.  The most glaring weakness is Seth MacFarlane.  I think I understand what his character is supposed to be, but it’s rather muddled, and his fake British accent is simply not good enough for a live-action movie (might work for a cartoon, but not here); unless, of course, it was supposed to be fake, but I never got any indication of that.  In a similar vein, I felt like we should have gotten a little more from Sebastian Stan’s character.  I don’t really have an issue with his performance, per se, and perhaps at some point there was a longer cut of the movie where he was featured more, but ultimately he just feels wasted.

But hey, why focus on the bad when there’s so much good?

First and foremost, Channing Tatum as Jimmy Logan is utterly charming.  You can’t help but root for him.  For an actor I didn’t really have an opinion on until the past few years, he has come on strong with roles in Foxcatcher, The Hateful Eight, and Hail, Cesar!, and this film is no exception (I think I might actually be looking forward to Gambit at this point).

On top of that, you’ve got a bunch of fantastic supporting performances, namely from Adam Driver and Riley Keough as the fellow Logan siblings, not to mention the James Bond-sized elephant in the room: Daniel Craig.

Prior to Logan Lucky, I don’t think I’d ever seen a Daniel Craig role that wasn’t dark and brooding in some way, so his performance here is a downright revelation (not to mention his reciprocal accent is head and shoulders above MacFarlane’s).  He’s an absolute scene-stealer.

Also, they don’t get a whole lot of screen time, but Katherine Waterston and Dwight Yoakum do very well with what little they’re given (insert seasoning/food metaphor here).

Quite simply, Logan Lucky is some slick Country-fried fun with likable characters and a classic heist plot in an interesting location.  It might not always be perfectly paced, but it made me laugh quite a bit (which is the end goal of any comedy), and at times it was even a little heartwarming.

And, with a PG-13 rating, it’s good for date nights and family nights alike (as long as your kids are old enough to appreciate it).

Rating: ★★★★½ (out of five)

P.S.
No stinger scene, but the credits are pretty short (relatively speaking), and there’s a funny disclaimer at the end.