Benedict Wong – People Talking

Movie Review – ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ – The Gang’s All Here

Directed by Anthony Russo & Joe Russo

Written by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (screenplay), based on the comic book story by Jim Starlin, George Pérez, & Ron Lim, based on characters created by Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, and Jim Starlin

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Peter Dinklage, Benedict Wong, Pom Klementieff, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Jacob Batalon, Isabella Amara, Florence Kasumba, William Hurt, Terry Notary, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Carrie Coon, Michael James Shaw

Soundtrack: Alan Silvestri

It all comes down to this.

(Until Ant-Man and the Wasp comes out in ten weeks, which I’m actually more hyped for, but whatever.)

Eighteen movies in ten years have all been building up to the conflict to end all conflicts (until the next one).

The Infinity War.

So, what do we got?

Well…that kind of depends on the question.

As far as its purpose, which is the joining together of multiple sub-franchises to form, more or less, a single, cohesive story, I think this film does an admirable job of hammering the puzzle pieces together, but it’s not seamless enough to transcend the limitations of adapting one medium to another.

To put it another way, there’s very little about Infinity War that’s bad on its own; pretty much every scene unto itself works just fine, but I don’t think it cuts together well. Frankly, I found the whole thing rather overwhelming (perhaps a second look would be worthwhile, but I’m not sure).

One big problem is that the audience is expected to carry too much into the movie (metaphorically speaking). I’ve seen every MCU film, I assume most people who are going opening weekend have as well, but most of the emotional payoffs in Infinity War rely on you to remember why they’re important, and, as good a memory as I have, I just don’t have that kind of RAM for this, and as such a lot of the emotion of the movie fell flat for me (not to mention there haven’t been many real consequences in the MCU to this point, so…yeah, I’ll just leave it there).

Second, and I know I’ll be in the minority here because it’s the point of all of this for a lot of people, but there’s too much mind-numbing action, which I don’t normally find myself saying about these films. I like action fine, I can even enjoy nonstop action when it’s done right, but let me ask you this:

If two CG characters are fighting each other, why does the camera need to shake so much?

One positive I will mention, because I didn’t hate this movie and want to end on a good note, I actually liked Thanos as a character. Sure, he’s a villain who must be stopped, but at least he has an ethos and isn’t just another bitter revenge dude.

Other than that, hardcore fans will probably eat this one up, but I’m not convinced it has that much staying power for general audiences. Check it out if you want, especially if you’re pot committed to the MCU, but don’t feel bad about seeing it at a discount.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

P.S.
Shoutout to Alamo/Mondo for the swag.

Movie Review – ‘Annihilation’ – Into The Mystic

Written and Directed by Alex Garland, based on the novel by Jeff VanderMeer
Cast: Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tessa Thompson, Tuva Novotny, Oscar Isaac, Benedict Wong, Sonoya Mizuno, David Gyasi
Soundtrack: Geoff Barrow & Ben Salisbury

Before I even get into the movie, I think it would be helpful to contextualize it, because I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit confused going in.

Alex Garland’s Annihilation is based on the novel of the same name by Jeff VanderMeer, the first book in the so-called Southern Reach Trilogy. At the time Garland wrote his screenplay, only the first novel had been published; he knew that others were to follow, but his movie is based purely on the first book, and as such, as far as I can tell, the movie is a standalone story. It’s not intended to set anything else up; it’s just one movie and one movie only. Hopefully knowing this will help to properly calibrate your expectations should you choose to go see the film.

I was rooting for Annihilation, I really was. A smart, mid-budget, hard sci-fi thriller that nobody picked up international theatrical rights for because it was “too intellectual” seemed like something I could get behind, and for much of the running time I was totally on board, but, like so many “could have been great” movies, it kind of falls apart in the third act, but we’ll come back to that.

In addition to its roots as a novel, Annihilation is also a movie that, intentionally or not, appears to wear its influences on its sleeve. I may not be a sci-fi expert, but I know Tarkovsky, Kubrick, and even a little Carpenter when I see it. This is not to say that paying homage is inherently bad, but when it’s not on the same level of what it’s trying to be (or what other people are purporting it to be), that’s a bit of a letdown.

This is not to say that the movie is without merit (or that it’s a mere ripoff). The performances are fairly solid, there are some well-executed and interesting visuals (one in particular that’s virtually impossible to describe), and it does a good job at maintaining a particular mood.

That is, until the end.

It’s hard to pin down exactly what the third act problem is with Annihilation, but I think it mostly comes down to what gets paid off (and/or how much) and what doesn’t. I can’t say too much more than that without getting into spoilers, but basically there were certain moments where I wish I had gotten a little more and other moments where less would have been fine.

On the whole, it’s a solid effort, worth seeing once, but not necessarily a must-see in theaters, which is a shame. Maybe I just don’t jibe with Alex Garland that well (like I don’t jibe with Ben Wheatley), and maybe it got over-hyped for me, but, even still, I expected a little more.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Movie Review – ‘Doctor Strange’ – Escher’s World

You didn’t think People Talking was dead because there hasn’t been a post in three weeks, did you? I certainly hope not. Vacation is a wonderful thing, but, it’s time to get back to the movies.

Directed by Scott Derrickson
Written by Jon Spaihts & Scott Derrickson & C. Robert Cargill, based on the character created by Steve Ditko
Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong, Mads Mikkelsen, Tilda Swinton, Michael Stuhlbarg, Benjamin Bratt, Scott Adkins, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith
Soundtrack: Michael Giacchino

So, what happens when a Marvel movie about a Buddha is helmed by a Christian guy who makes horror films?

Well, apparently you get one of the better movies of the year.

I had no idea what to expect from ‘Doctor Strange’ going into it. I knew absolutely nothing about the character or the comics, and all I could glean from the trailers is that it looked like the lovechild of ‘Inception’, ‘The Matrix‘, and maybe some ‘Harry Potter’ (which, from a cinematic perspective, is true, and I’m more than okay with that).

I get nervous sometimes when I see that a movie is receiving overwhelmingly positive reaction, but, in retrospect, I should have believed the hype, because recent history has shown that the Marvel Cinematic Universe does well when it’s not afraid to get a little weird (e.g. ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ and ‘Ant-Man’), and, well, this one has “Strange” right in the title.

I’m not going to talk about the plot (it’s an origin story), because you either know what it is already, or it’ll be there for you to discover, but, the movie, as they say, is a trip, and not the bad kind. It may not boast the same level of visceral realism as, say, ‘Interstellar’, but I’d be lying if I said the visuals weren’t impressive and clever in their own right, which is important in a film as ambitious as this one (at least relative to other superhero movies).

Also important are the performances, and I can honestly say I didn’t spot a poor one in the bunch. Rachel McAdams is a stand-out despite minimal screen time, Mads Mikkelsen is a proper villain without being a scenery-chewer, and, controversial casting choice aside, I think Tilda Swinton knocks it out of the park as The Ancient One.

However, if you’re wondering where my praise for Benedict Cumberbatch is, I think he’s more than serviceable, it’s just that in my opinion he doesn’t establish himself as indispensable in the titular role. Part of this is not his fault, because he’s following in the footsteps of Hugh Laurie, but, because he’s a British actor playing an American doctor, it’s difficult not to imagine him merely doing a “House, M.D.” impression, and thus I can’t help but wonder how someone else (perhaps, I don’t know, an American actor?) might have played the role.

Similarly, Michael Giacchino delivers a fine score, but the melody of the main theme sounds suspiciously similar to his recent work on the Star Trek films. Whether this is a case of temp track fever, self-plagiarism, or something else, I don’t know, but it definitely gnawed on me throughout the movie.

Realistically though, these are minor criticisms compared to the movie as a whole.

In the end, ‘Doctor Strange’ is an enjoyable adventure that’s balanced out with the right amount of fun and serious stakes. Certainly one of the better movies of 2016, and one of the better Marvel movies ever made. Kudos to writer/director Scott Derrickson and everyone else involved.

Rating: ★★★★½

P.S.
As usual, thanks to Alamo Drafthouse [Yonkers] and Mondo for the swag and for getting into the spirit of the thing.