Tag: Laura Harrier

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 – ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ – What Could Go Wrong?

Directed by Jon Watts

Written by Jonathan Goldstein & John Francis Daley (story and screenplay), Jon Watts & Christopher Ford (screenplay), and Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers, based on the comic book by Stan Lee & Steve Ditko

Cast: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr., Marisa Tomei, Jon Favreau. Gwyneth Paltrow, Zendaya, Donald Glover, Jacob Batalon, Laura Harrier, Tony Revolori, Bokeem Woodbine, Tyne Daly, Abraham Attah, Hannibal Buress, Kenneth Choi, Selenis Leyva, Angourie Rice, Isabella Amara, Martin Starr, Garcelle Beauvais, Michael Chernus, Michael Mando, Logan Marshall-Green, Jennifer Connelly (voice), Christopher Berry, Tunde Adebimpe, Tiffany Espensen, Chris Evans, Kerry Condon (voice), Andy Powers

Soundtrack: Michael Giacchino

Generally speaking, I like the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), and, based on a limited sample size, I think Jon Watts is a quality filmmaker.

From that alone, you’d think I’d have nothing but excitement for Spider-Man: Homecoming, but it’s unfortunately more complicated than that.  The fact that there are six credited screenwriters (more than any other MCU film) is a bit unnerving, but much bigger than that is the fifteen years of baggage.

Spider-Man as a cinematic property has a rather checkered history (to say the least) since the “original” Sam Raimi film in 2002 (which, frankly, is the only other Spider-Man movie I’d recommend outright).  That trilogy ended in disaster with the notoriously awful Spider-Man 3, and an attempt to reboot the character with another trilogy barely five years later was prematurely terminated with the equally disastrous Amazing Spider-Man 2 in 2014.

What has happened in the meantime is somewhat mysterious, but, for whatever reason, Sony finally cried uncle and began leasing out its star IP to Marvel Studios for inclusion into the MCU, starting with 2016’s Civil War, and continuing at least through 2019.

This was cause for celebration among fans worldwide, but I’m slightly more cynical, because the fact that Sony still has [what I assume to be] a sizable stake in it makes me nervous.

However, much like with Baby Driver, my fears were quickly allayed once the actual movie started.

To say that Spider-Man: Homecoming is the best Spider-Man film ever made is like saying Jaws is the best killer shark movie.  It’s just that obvious (and, at first blush, I think it easily makes my top five MCU movies, if not top three).  This is not to say it’s entirely perfect, but, it does have have an actual plot, and characters, and action that’s in accordance with the story.  These things may seem trivial to point out, but given how many movies these days feature bare-bones frameworks to hang action upon (and then, on top of that, aren’t even fun), I do not take these elements lightly.

Also, boy oh boy is it refreshing to see a [non-sequel] superhero movie that isn’t an origin story, particularly for a character that’s had theirs told multiple times already (why D.C. feels it necessary to take us down Crime Alley incessantly, I’ll never know).

As far as the cast goes, it’s pleasantly jarring to see young actors in a high school movie who look like they really could be (if not actually are) in high school, Tom Holland naturally being the head of the class; he’s terrific in this (although I did rather enjoy Zendaya’s performance, even if she’s not in the movie nearly as much as expected).  In addition, you’ve got Michael Keaton and Robert Downey Jr. putting in quality shifts, as well as a colorful group of supporting characters (I’d say something about Marisa Tomei, but she just doesn’t get a lot of screen time, so there’s not much for me to comment on).

Most importantly though, the movie is simply a joy to watch.  It blends action and humor like few of its contemporaries, while still maintaining a genuine sense of weight.  Some of the high school stuff and some of the end action is a bit much for me, but, on the whole, I really have to hand it to Marvel.  Just when I think I’m about to begin tiring of them, they find another way to keep it fresh, in this case being able to successfully craft a smaller, more intimate story in an undoubtedly larger universe.

Spider-Man: Homecoming, for a comic book/superhero movie, is very much down to earth in the way that For Your Eyes Only is down to earth relative to other James Bond movies.  There’s a climactic ending, to be sure, but there are no blue lasers shooting up into the sky, and no vast terror plot to destroy humanity.

Truly, Homecoming is about our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

Rating: ★★★★½ (out of five)

P.S.
It’s an MCU movie, so of course you’re not leaving during the credits (it’s totally worth it).

Shout out to Mondo for the sweet glassware once again.