Henry Cavill – People Talking

Quick Thoughts – July Mega-Post – ‘Mission: Impossible – Fallout’ ‘Sorry to Bother You’ ‘Skyscraper’ ‘The Equalizer 2’

My affinity for these movies is fairly well-documented, from the first one to the last one.

And why not? After all, when the consensus “worst film” in your franchise is a John Woo guns-motorcycles-doves-knives spectacular, you know you’re doing something right.

A lot of that credit belongs to J.J. Abrams for resurrecting things in 2006 (and staying on as a producer ever since), which was perfect timing, because when the James Bond franchise zigged to more gritty and grounded, Mission: Impossible zagged to what classic Bond always was: a globetrotting, fun, high action, insane stunt-filled series. The key difference is that where the Bond actors would step aside for a stuntman (or stunt driver, or stunt pilot), Tom Cruise, more often than not, gets in there and does these amazing feats himself, and Fallout is no different; so much so in fact that to me the movie played more like a Bond Greatest Hits album than a Mission: Impossible film, which is fine by me.

Hate him all you want for whatever reason you want, I choose to respect Tom Cruise for this: he was an action star at 27, and is still an action star at 57, and while this may be the last Mission: Impossible movie with him in the lead, it looks like he’ll be an action star for at least a few more years.

All that said, and it’s hard to put my finger on exactly why, the script for Fallout feels like a step back compared to the last two films (not to mention my boy Jeremy Renner feels conspicuously absent). However, I will still give it four stars because the action and stunts are more than big-screen worthy, and because the movie does reward long-time fans (making reference all the way back to the first, and yes, second one).

Rating: ★★★★☆

Sorry to Bother You

Often times, when I find myself having to sit through a movie’s trailer dozens upon dozens of times (*COUGH*EighthGrade*COUGH*), I become resentful and refuse to see it on the principle of how annoyed I am, but in the case of Sorry to Bother You, I was always looking forward to it, just because it looked so refreshingly original, which it most definitely is.

In fact, not only is it an original script from writer/director Boots Riley, he also contributed a number of songs to the film’s soundtrack with his band, The Coup, so the whole project has a real homegrown vibe to it (but in a good way, not a crappy student film way).

Fair warning, the third act goes off the rails, which will divide people, but in terms of comedies with social commentary and satire, it’s the best I’ve seen since Ingrid Goes West (though the style of much of the satire is akin to the original Robocop, which, again, is a good thing).

It’s definitely not a movie for kids, and I’m sure it’ll piss some people off, but I enjoyed it and would absolutely recommend it to adults with brains.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Skyscraper

I know I’m not making a revelatory statement when I say that this movie is like if Die Hard and The Towering Inferno had a baby in Hong Kong.

In fact, it’s safe to say that not only do most people going to see this already know that, but the movie knows that they know that, and therefore delivers exactly that.

What I’m trying to say here is that the movie knows what it is: a fairly mindless yet relatively satisfying piece of popcorn entertainment. Is it dumb? Yes. Is it as dumb as it could be? No, and I appreciate that.

It’s nothing special, and you’re either on board or you’re not, but if you are, you’ll have a good time (and I even noticed and liked some of the music, which feels so rare these days).

Rating: ★★★½

The Equalizer 2

Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m starting to get the sense that Antoine Fuqua is not a great action director, because though I think these movies are okay (largely because Denzel is Denzel), I have issues with both that hold me back from enjoying them as much as I theoretically think I should.

My major problem with the first one was I felt the “badassness” was way overwrought, and I thought the movie would have been better served by underplaying it a bit; but I guess be careful what I wish for, because the sequel swings the pendulum hard the other way, but overall I didn’t find the story as interesting as its predecessor, so, I don’t know.

There are some satisfying moments and plotlines, and I really can’t hate on the slower pace (and the James Bond-esque cold open was kind of nice), but, I can’t say I’ll be all that disappointed if they never announce an Equalizer 3.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Movie Review – ‘Justice League’ – Avert Your Eyes

Directed by Zack Snyder
Written by Chris Terrio (story and screenplay), Joss Whedon (screenplay), and Zack Snyder (story)
Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, Diane Lane, Connie Nielsen, J.K. Simmons, Ciarán Hinds (voice), Amber Heard, Joe Morton, Lisa Loven Kongsli, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Doutzen Kroes, Brooke Ence, Ann Ogbomo, Samantha Jo, Holt McCallany, Marc McClure
Soundtrack: Danny Elfman

Alternate title for this piece (or the movie): Why Can’t We Be [Super]friends?

I really shouldn’t even dignify this movie with anything resembling a full-length review, so I’ll try not to.

At no point in time did I ever have high hopes for this film, and in its wake I definitely don’t have high hopes for the DCEU as a whole.

Justice League is as big of a mess as Rogue One (if not more so). The only difference for me personally is that I don’t have nearly as much emotional attachment to the property, so I’m not nearly as angry or disappointed, but I still have to call a turd a turd.

The biggest problem with Justice League is that it is approximately 4,657 movies in one (hyperbole intended).

It’s almost as if these characters should have starred in their own films before appearing all together.

You know? Maybe build it up a little bit?

Why DC didn’t bite the bullet on this and instead attempted to microwave everything in order to “catch up” to Marvel is entirely beyond me. I mean, despite being pilloried by the critics at nearly every turn, these movies are still somehow doing good business, couldn’t they have put in the effort to make them good, too?

Back to the subject at hand (though this is a franchise-wide issue), Justice League, in addition to having a myriad of elements (especially tones) that don’t quite fit together, has so many visuals that are just plain ugly to look at that I could hardly believe my eyes. I may not be a film-making expert, but I do know that this was a two-hour movie that cost $300 million. It should not look as bad as it does, and yet it does.

Now, I’ll admit, there were a few tiny bits and pieces here and there that I did find enjoyable about Justice League, but mostly I was either bored, or trying not to be sick. Even if you’re somehow a DCEU completionist, this movie still isn’t worth your money to see theatrically.

It’s a mess. An ugly, boring mess.

What more do I need to say?

Rating: ★★☆☆☆

P.S.
There are multiple stingers, because D.C. is now in full Marvel mode (they wish).

P.P.S.
Naturally, and as usual, thanks to Alamo Drafthouse for the cool glassware (which is better than the movie).

Movie Review – ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ – Who’s in charge here?

Directed by Zack Snyder
Written by Chris Terrio & David S. Goyer, based on characters created by Bob Kane & Bill Finger (Batman) and Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster (Superman)
Cast: Ben Affleck, Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Jesse Eisenberg, Diane Lane, Laurence Fishburne, Jeremy Irons, Holly Hunter, Gal Gadot, Scoot McNairy
Soundtrack: Junkie XL and Hans Zimmer

Look, I get it. Comic book movies are a tough business.

You have to adapt an infinite medium into a finite medium; you have to make a movie that will stand on its own even if people haven’t read the source material while also making something that fans of the source material will appreciate; and, on top of all that, you need to make a movie that will make enough money to triple the tremendous costs so that it’s not considered a failure, but you don’t want to make it too simple-minded so that it’s also considered a failure.

Whoa.

All that said, I’ve feared, especially when compared to its Marvel counterpart, that the DC Extended Universe has been doomed from the start, having been largely placed in the hands of Zack Snyder. That’s not to say ol’ Zack is incapable of making good movies; 300 and Watchmen stand as evidence in his favor. Man of Steel, however, is good for about 70 minutes of its runtime, while the other hour is just too much for my senses.

Dawn of Justice is, in many ways, more of the same, except it’s not a tale of two halves like Man of Steel (or Captain America: The First Avenger, for that matter). Here, the schizophrenia has a bit of a ping pong feel, bouncing back and forth between questionable decisions and sequences that actually work pretty well. From a plot standpoint, the movie takes a while to get where it’s really going, but once it gets there, it’s pretty good, so, overall, it balances out to some solid entertainment.

Per my guiding principles, I’ll do my best not to spoil anything (although the trailers have basically given everything away at this point) while getting into what worked and what didn’t.

Remember when everybody freaked out over Ben Affleck playing Batman, and how he was going to ruin the movie? I maintained from Day One that he’d be fine, and if the movie had problems, he wouldn’t be one.

And I was right.

I have to hand it to him, given what he was asked to do, I thought he handled the essentially dual roles of Bruce Wayne and Batman with aplomb. He might not go down as the best of either, but given the history of the character on screen, he acquitted himself well.

Regrettably, I was also right about the most grating aspect of the movie: Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor.

Now, do I have a certain bias against Jesse Eisenberg? Yes. He generally gets on my nerves, but that doesn’t mean I hate everything he’s ever done, Surely some of my agita has to do with the way the Luthor character was written, but, man, him in that role was a tough pill to swallow, and I do mean to the bitter end.

What else did I hate? For one thing, there’s this thread of Bruce Wayne having crazy dreams that is baffling to watch and doesn’t really add anything. There are references to the future that I felt were way too explicit; a little subtlety would have been nice in that regard. And, did we really need to see Thomas and Martha Wayne get gunned down again? (Mercifully, this happens during the opening credits, so at least they get it out of the way as quickly as possible.)

What else worked? I’m not entirely sure, but I think there was a creative decision to make Gotham and Metropolis very geographically close, almost like Manhattan and Jersey City; I think I’m on board with that. Also, Jeremy Irons as Alfred was great; the character had a certain sassiness that I really enjoyed.

Ultimately, the movie is an excuse for one particular centerpiece, and that centerpiece is satisfying, even if the reason for it is a bit hackneyed.

Unfortunately, I’m not so sure the movie works entirely as a movie, which every movie should, no matter the source material, or if it’s the third sequel; every movie should work as its own experience. I’m afraid that if people don’t know much about Batman or Superman, they’ll be a bit lost watching Dawn of Justice, and they’ll have the same experience I had when I saw X-Men: Days of Future Past (tl;dr, I didn’t give a crap). Perhaps it coalesces just enough to avoid this problem, but I don’t know; I’ve always been kind of a DC Comics guy, so it’s hard for me to tell.

As I said before though, Dawn of Justice averages out to some solid entertainment, and it did throw in some surprises I wasn’t expecting, which is more that I can say about some other movies.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

P.S.
Naturally, and as usual, Alamo outdid themselves with the specials. Between my friend and I, we sampled everything but the pizza.

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: ★★★★☆