Tag: Edward James Olmos

Movie Review – ‘Blade Runner 2049’ – The Special One

Directed by Denis Villeneuve
Written by Hampton Fancher (story and screenplay) and Michael Green (screenplay), based on characters from the novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Jared Leto, Robin Wright, Ana de Armas, Mackenzie Davis, Dave Bautista, Mark Arnold, Wood Harris, David Dastmalchian, Tómas Lemarquis, Lennie James, Carla Juri, Barkhad Abdi, Edward James Olmos
Soundtrack: Benjamin Wallfisch & Hans Zimmer

1982’s Blade Runner still stands as one of the great technical achievements in the history of film as a whole, let alone the science-fiction genre, though its original theatrical release was unfortunately sandbagged by poor creative decisions imposed by the studio, namely Harrison Ford’s intentionally awful narration.

If you’ve never seen Blade Runner before, and wish to get caught up in anticipation of the sequel (which is not absolutely necessary but definitely helpful), I recommend The Final Cut.  Not only is it widely regarded as the superior version, it will also be the most useful in preparing yourself to see the new film (setting the tone, if you will).

Personally, I wouldn’t say I love either film, but both Blade Runner 2049 and its predecessor are more-than-deserving of theatrical experiences, and if you can find the new film in IMAX, I’d say it’s worth it.

In terms of the sequel relative to the original, some may call me a blasphemer, but I have no problem saying I enjoy 2049 more.  Both feature relatively simple stories, but 2049 has a bit more going on (sometimes too much, which I’ll get to), and as such I was much more on the hook.  Regardless of my own feelings, however, I have little doubt that Blade Runner fans will consider this a worthy successor, because it is, and it’s highly refreshing to see this kind of quality amid the vast sea of pointless remakes, sequels, and prequels we all swim in nowadays.

Much of this, of course, rests on the shoulders of director Denis Villeneuve, who has proven to be both versatile and efficient since his Engligh-language debut of Prisoners in 2013; which was followed in rather rapid succession by Enemy in 2014, Sicario in 2015, and Arrival in 2016.  Spoiler alert: none of these have been bad, and they’re all different, though he does have a particular style (and, much like Blade Runner 2049, I don’t know that I love any of them, but they’re all definitely worth seeing).

The strength of Blade Runner 2049 lies largely in the atmosphere it creates though stark visuals, consistent tone, and the electronic score from Benjamin Wallfisch and Hans Zimmer.  This is not to say that the story doesn’t matter, the story is quite a journey unto itself, but in this case, much like the original film, the style makes the substance, rather than the other way around.

If I have one criticism, however, it’s that the movie takes one or two turns too many, consequently increasing the already inflated runtime with elements that don’t feel all that consequential in relation to everything we’ve already seen.

Beyond that though, I don’t really have too much to complain about.  As I said before, Blade Runner 2049 is more-than-worthy of a theatrical viewing on the biggest screen you can find.  It looks great, it sounds great, and it’s anchored by many quality performances (I particularly enjoyed Dave Bautista, for what little he has).

Not much else I can say without getting into spoilers.

If you’re not a fan of the original, maybe this one isn’t for you, but if you are, or if you’re just mildly curious, or just a fan of Denis Villeneuve, I do fully recommend it.

Just make sure you get nice and comfortable.

Rating: ★★★★☆

P.S.
No stingers, which is welcome after a nearly three hour runtime.

P.P.S.
Naturally, and as usual, thanks to Alamo Drafthouse for the incredible glassware.

 

 

Quick Thoughts – July Round-Up, Part 2 of 2

‘Kamikaze 89’ (1982)

I wish I could more effectively talk about this film, but it’s based on a book I’ve never read (“Murder on the Thirty-First Floor”) and produced in a language I don’t speak (German), so I’m somewhat limited in my understanding.  However, I can tell you it’s a futuristic dystopian crime story.

‘Kamikaze 89’ is about Inspector Jansen (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, in his final film role), who is given charge of solving the case of a bomb threat at “The Combine”, which controls all media in the land.  The biggest problem is that he only has a few days to pull it off, but, fortunately, the list of suspects turns out to be comparatively short.  However, the more suspects he meets, the more he learns that things may not all they seem at “The Combine”.

I wanted to like this movie, I really did, but ultimately I’m going to have to throw it in with ‘High-Rise‘ as another dystopian film that looks good and has a lot of cool retro-futuristic elements, but ultimately is missing something.  With ‘High-Rise’, I wasn’t really sure how to fix it, but with ‘Kamikaze 89’ it’s plain to see that it lacks energy.  I’m usually the last person to call a film “boring”, but ‘Kamikaze’ was definitely leading me down that road.

Some more money in the budget may have helped as well, either that or a director who could do more with less.  In the end though, I can’t give it a solid recommendation.

Rating: ★★½

 

‘Coming to America’ (1988)

It’s cliché, I know, but I honestly don’t know what to say about this movie that hasn’t been said already.

Everybody involved was firing on all cylinders: John Landis in the director’s chair; Eddie Murphy at his apex; Arsenio Hall threatens to steal the movie; Rick Baker with all the special make-up; Nile Rodgers with the musical score; all the supporting actors (too many to list).  Everything comes together to make this a classic (not to mention the New York stuff is great to see).

There are so many great bits and little moments, from “Soul Glo”, to the barbershop, to Reverend Brown.  It’s a wonderfully hilarious comedy, but, in addition, it has some real heart, in the form of Akeem and Lisa’s budding relationship.

I know I say this often, but if you’ve never seen it, get on it!

Rating: ★★★★½

 

‘Wolfen’ (1981)

ⅯⅭⅯⅬⅩⅩⅩⅠ – ANNO LVPVS

1981 – The Year of the Wolf

For those in my generation, the concept of “twin films” is quite familiar.  You know, when two high-profile movies come out in the same year and have major similarities (not to say that they are the same, however): ‘Dante’s Peak’ and ‘Volcano’; ‘Antz’ and ‘A Bug’s Life’; ‘Deep Impact’ and ‘Armageddon’; and so on.

1981 offers us perhaps the ultimate example of “triplet films”, as it gave us three horror movies involving wolf creatures: first, in April, came Joe Dante’s ‘The Howling‘; then came ‘Wolfen’ in July; and then August gave us the most famous of the three, ‘An American Werewolf in London‘, directed by John Landis.

Now, I must specify that ‘Wolfen’ is not about werewolves, but about…super wolves?  Honestly, the movie doesn’t do a great job of explaining exactly what they are, except that they are portrayed on screen by actual wolves, and somehow they tie into Native American history (in the movie; not in real life).

‘Wolfen’ is a movie I really wanted to love.  It has such a cool vibe, it was shot almost entirely in NYC, Albert Finney plays a classic laconic detective, and Gregory Hines absolutely shines in his first movie (technically, ‘History of the World: Part Ⅰ’ was his debut, but ‘Wolfen’ went into production beforehand).  And, of the three wolf films of ’81, I think it’s the scariest.  The problem is that the story just doesn’t quite gel, especially compared with its siblings.

That said, I think it’s definitely a film worth seeing, and I’d be happy to watch it again.  There’s more than enough good work to appreciate.

Rating: ★★★½