Alicia Vikander – People Talking

Movie Review – ‘Jason Bourne’ – Enough is Enough

Directed by Paul Greengrass
Written by Paul Greengrass & Christopher Rouse, based characters created by Robert Ludlum
Cast: Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander, Vincent Cassel, Julia Stiles, Riz Ahmed, Ato Essandoh, Scott Shepherd, Gregg Henry
Soundtrack: David Buckley and John Powell

More like Jason Bore…

I had originally intended to start this review by talking about all of the many stars who have appeared in these movies (the list is long and distinguished), and maybe give something of a retrospective on the series as a whole, but, it doesn’t matter; none of this matters.

It may not presently occur to you, because it’s not as actively corporate on the surface, but Jason Bourne might be just as much of a cynical cash-grab as Ghostbusters. Despite bringing back series lynchpins Matt Damon and Julia Stiles, and Paul Greengrass to direct (although people seem to forget that Doug Liman directed the original, and still the best), Jason Bourne is little more than an extremely predictable (aka Boring) rehash of things you’ve already seen before done better.

Not only that, but everything is less interesting and less intelligent. The heroes, the villains, the other side characters, the plot; everything feels like it was just cobbled together as an excuse to make another Bourne movie, as opposed to a smart story that needed to be told (or at least someone really wanted to tell). In all honesty, it’s worse than The Bourne Legacy, because say what you want about that movie, at least they tried to do something different, if only moderately.

And, do I even need to go into the Shakycam at this point?

Seriously, Paul Greengrass and Christopher Rouse, please stop. Please stop shooting and editing action sequences that are not meant for human consumption. Your impact in this regard has been indelible in the worst way, perhaps the most infamous example being Quantum of Solace (co-edited by your former colleague, Richard Pearson). I mean, have any of you ever heard of the Steadicam? It’s a wonderful invention.

You see, I could have found this movie at least mildly entertaining if the action scenes had been enjoyable, but they’re not; they’re a chore. I understand that the Bourne franchise has always been more serious than Bond or Mission: Impossible, so I wasn’t expecting out and out “fun” along those lines, but, I also wasn’t expecting Jason Bourne to be entirely joyless, which it is. Boring and joyless; a lethal combination, to be sure.

I hate to say it, especially because I didn’t think I’d be in this position, but stay far away from this one, my friends.

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

P.S.
I’m not mad, I’m just really disappointed, and that is worse.

Quick Thoughts – Summer Round-Up, Part 1

I’ve seen so many movies this past summer, new and [mostly] classic alike, that I’m a bit overwhelmed. Consider this my first effort in clearing out the old backlog.

‘Rumble In The Bronx’ (1995)

After seeing this one, I determined that people who don’t respect Jackie Chan have no place in my life. Whether or not his movies appeal to you, you have to recognize the commitment he has to his craft. There’s a shot in this film (left in the final cut) in which the result for ol’ Jackie was, as the NHL would call it, a pretty severe “lower body injury”. What I’m saying here is that he basically made the movie on one leg, and you’d never know. Does all of the Eastern humor and melodrama translate for Western audiences? I’d have to say no. Does that really matter? Again, I’d have to say no (just like it doesn’t matter that Vancouver stood in for NYC). When it comes to Chan, you want incredible stunts and captivating fight scenes, and this one delivers. Honestly, it may not be “lethal”, but the fight with the gang (anyone else miss the inexplicably multi-racial celluloid gangs of the late 20th century?) near the end of the film is actually beautiful in its rhythm. Heck, even the man’s warm-ups are impressive. It might not be his best, but ‘Rumble in the Bronx’ finally made Jackie Chan a star in America, and rightfully so.

Rating: ★★★½

‘The French Connection’ (1971)

Not too much I can say about this one. Five Oscars (Picture, Director, Actor, Adapted Screenplay, and Editing) and an amazing car chase with quite a story. Growing up in a post-70s world, with all the action movies that followed in the genre, it’s honestly hard for me to grasp that a police movie (at least an American one) could be recognized as serious art, but this is a serious movie nonetheless. It might not be the most purely entertaining film, but it’s definitely worth seeing more than once (if only for that car chase).

Rating: ★★★★½

‘Ex Machina’ (2015)

Walking out of the theater, I had a much higher opinion of this movie than I do now. It’s pretty good; it’s well photographed, and it has a very small cast of good actors giving good performances (including my boy Oscar Isaac), but the more time has passed, the more empty I feel about it, and I don’t feel all that motivated to revisit it. There are certain genres right now, namely horror, sci-fi, and thriller (of which this movie has elements of all three), that are so down overall that moviegoers keep looking for that “messiah movie” to rescue the genre, and they’ll latch on to anything with potential. ‘The Gift‘ got exactly this kind of treatment, and, like ‘The Gift’, this is a solid directorial debut for Alex Garland, but, also like ‘The Gift’, this movie is no messiah. It might not be a waste of your time, but I don’t think it’ll stand the test of time.

Rating: ★★½

‘The Connection’ aka ‘La French’ (2014)

I know what you’re thinking, “Another ‘French Connection’ movie?”

Well, there was the totally fictional yet very solid ‘French Connection II‘, but we’re not talking about that. We’re talking about a incredibly intense, gripping, and refreshing crime drama that almost feels like it was made in the period it presents (aka no CGI, just the real stuff). Yes, it’s a foreign film, and there are subtitles, but this movie transcends language barriers like few I’ve ever seen. More than a mere police procedural, this film deals with all the personal sacrifices real-life heroes must make for the sake of the greater good. It makes a great companion piece to William Friedkin’s masterpiece, but works perfectly on its own as well. I highly recommend it.

And you’ll certainly never look at Corsicans the same way again, if you even looked at them before.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Continued in Part 2…

Twofer Movie Review: ‘Cop Car’ and ‘The Man from U.N.C.L.E.’ – Watch Your Back

Whereas last week I was doing all I could to help a movie fail, this week I am here to sing the praises of two movies that could use some assistance; one small, and one big. Being negative might sell better, but I still like to be as positive as I can, and these films deserve my support (and yours).

Cop Car

Directed by Jon Watts
Written by Jon Watts and Christopher Ford
Cast: Kevin Bacon, James Freedson-Jackson, Hays Wellford, Shea Whigham, Camryn Manheim
Soundtrack: Phil Mossman

It took me a little while to warm up to Cop Car.

Mostly because I’m not usually a fan of kids in movies, and the first scene in this movie is two kids walking across a field listing every bad word they can think of, but, much like adjusting to the temperature of a cool body of water, in due time, I had a very worthwhile experience.

Cop Car is the story of two young boys (James Freedson-Jackson and Hays Wellford) who run away from broken homes and find a a seemingly abandoned cop car. Being the innocents they are, they decide to claim it and take it for a joyride. Unfortunately, the vehicle belongs to one Sheriff Kretzer (Kevin Bacon), who is, shall we say, quite tainted, meaning the boys get into far more trouble than they could have imagined.

That’s it. That’s pretty much the whole movie right there.

Fortunately, for the audience, the film’s runtime is a crisp 86 minutes, which means that Cop Car does not overstay its welcome. With respect to Alamo Drafthouse head man Tim League, I would not call Cop Car a “perfect movie”, but the filmmakers definitely got a lot of bang for their buck (nobody seems to know or be willing to say what the budget was, but I’m guessing five figures isn’t out of the question).

What’s most appealing about Cop Car is that, outside of the Sheriff’s flip phone (which actually is pretty central to the plot), the movie has a very timeless quality about it. In many ways it feels like a throwback to the 80s (Stand By Me et al.). The boys display a level of innocence that doesn’t really make sense in 2015, but within the context of the film it works just fine.

Another positive point is that despite being made on the cheap, the cinematography is gorgeous, and takes full advantage of the natural beauty of El Paso County, Colorado, where the movie was shot entirely.

Other than that, Kevin Bacon is his usual wonderful self as the clever villain, and does some great work without actually speaking.

The one negative most people will probably have to say about Cop Car is in regards to the ending, and I didn’t have a great reaction to it myself, but as Kevin Bacon said in a Q&A, this isn’t a exactly a story you can button up nicely, so I’m ultimately accepting of it.

Again, I wouldn’t call it a perfect movie, but Cop Car is definitely worth a watch.

If it’s not playing at a theater near you, check your VOD service, as it might be there.

Rating: ★★★½

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Directed by Guy Ritchie
Written by Guy Ritchie (story and screenplay), Lionel Wigram, (story and screenplay, Jeff Kleeman (story), and David C. Wilson (story), based on the television series by Sam Rolfe
Cast: Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, Alicia Vikander, Elizabeth Debicki, Hugh Grant, Jared Harris, Sylvester Groth, Christian Berkel
Soundtrack: Daniel Pemberton

It’s been a great year for action-espionage movies.

So far, we’ve had Kingsman, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, this movie, and in November we get more James Bond. Awesome!

Apparently a lot of critics are saying that The Man From U.N.C.L.E. lacks substance, and, you know what? I don’t necessarily disagree, but I’ll also say that it doesn’t really matter.

This may sound like an insult to some, but I say it with pure love, The Man From U.N.C.L.E. might be the closest we ever get to a live-action Archer movie. Not that The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is that crass, but it is chock-full of one-liners, 60s chic, and good old-fashioned Cold War hijinks. In fact, you could argue that in this case, the heavy application of style more than makes up for any lack of substance.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is partially written and fully directed by Guy Ritchie, who I’m guessing was a big enough fan of the TV show to want to make this his baby. Anyone who’s seen his recent Sherlock Holmes movies will find some familiar elements, but, story-wise, it’s not nearly as intricate as his first works (Lock, Stock… and Snatch), and I’m okay with that, because I find those a bit overwhelming, to be honest.

In terms of performances, Henry Cavill is smooth and unflappable, Armie Hammer is big and burly, Alicia Vikander is equal parts meek and tough, and Hugh Grant is charming Hugh Grant (I really, really love him in this movie).

I have four criticisms:

1. This is a period piece obviously shot digitally; I hate that.
2. It gets a little confusing during a sequence towards the end in terms of what the stakes are specifically in the moment (and also shakycam; I hate that).
3. There’s some use of Holocaust-related imagery which is a little uncomfortable in a movie with this kind of tone (then again, X-Men: First Class opens in a concentration camp, and I was fine with that).
4. Jared Harris’s American accent is a little wonky, and a bit of the dialogue in general is hard to make out at times.

Other than that, I really have nothing bad to say about The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

It’s fun, it’s sleak, it’s charming, and did I mention it’s a whole lot of fun? One of the best summer movies of the summer, hands down.

Too bad there isn’t enough American star power to draw people in, because I really want to see a sequel.

Go see The Man From U.N.C.L.E. at your local moviehouse!

Rating: ★★★★☆