Michelle Rodriguez – People Talking

Movie Review – ‘Alita: Battle Angel’ – I Can See For Miles

Directed by Robert Rodriguez
Written by James Cameron, Laeta Kalogridis, and
Robert Rodriguez, based on the manga series “Gunnm” created by Yukito Kishiro
Cast: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, Keean Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Eiza González, Lana Condor, Jorge Lendeborg Jr., Idara Victor, Marko Zaror, Elle LaMont, Leonard Wu, Jeff Fahey, Rick Yune, Casper Van Dien
Soundtrack: Junkie XL

Like so many people over the age of thirty, I have something of a complicated relationship with James Cameron (“Jim” to his friends).

Terminator? Aliens? True Lies? All very good to great films (I’m afraid I can’t comment on The Abyss, as I’ve never seen it, but it has a good reputation).

Titanic? Avatar? Well, that’s precisely where things get complicated, but there’s no need for a dissertation on that, as it’s ground well-covered.

Point is, I had concerns going into Alita, and I know I’m not alone. A lot of what was portrayed in the trailers was off-putting and weird, and now that I’ve seen the movie I understand why, because it’s not the kind of film that’s easily put into a box and sold (I feel like we’ve been discussing that a lot lately), but I can also tell you that it doesn’t deserve to be another $200 million flop like John Carter (which I actually liked, but would not have greenlit at that cost).

It has discernible flaws, to be sure, but, on the whole, Alita is entertaining, heartfelt, and interesting; certainly more accessible to general audiences than John Carter (especially given the source material), but nowhere near the realm of dumb that your average Transformers sequel resides in (though I will take this opportunity to recommend BumbleBee).

In fact, one of the more compelling aspects of the film is that the main characters all have their own issues and ethical questions to deal with, which is not to say that the movie tries to espouse some morally gray philosophic nonsense (*COUGH*TheLastJedi*COUGH*), but it’s admirable that it attempts to maintain a level of complexity that could have easily been jettisoned for a more black and white (aka more bland) story.

Speaking of choices though (and black and white), I’d be remiss if I didn’t give credit to the film’s director, Robert Rodriguez. As much as Alita is James Cameron’s baby, to the point that Rodriguez is on record as wanting to make it as close to Cameron’s style as possible, I think there were certain choices made by Rodriguez that Cameron might not have gone with, and for the better. Most notably, as much CGI as there is in the film, there’s also a whole lot shot on real [big] sets with real props, which helps give the movie at least some grounding in reality. In fact, there were a few moments that gave me some Matrix-y vibes, which makes some sense given that cinematographer Bill Pope shot all of those movies in addition to Alita.

As I mentioned before though, it’s not entirely perfect. As much as I admire the film for sticking true to its manga roots, certain things just don’t quite translate to live-action performance, and certain elements just feel downright silly, and, well, I won’t say anything more as it would get into spoilers.

All-in-all though, I have to hand it to Cameron, Rodriguez, and lead actress Rosa Salazar for trying to break new ground (a la the Jaffa/Silver Planet of the Apes trilogy). Even if it’s not always 100% successful, for me, the flaws are small enough to look past and give the movie a strong recommendation. As I said before, it doesn’t deserve to be another $200 million bomb, and I hope (admittedly selfishly) enough people discover that for themselves.

And, you know what? It might actually be worth seeing in 3-D (which I rarely ever say).

Rating: ★★★★☆

P.S.

Since we’re here talking about James Cameron hand-off projects, allow me to also recommend 1995’s Strange Days, written by Cameron and directed by Kathryn Bigelow. Despite the fact that it takes place in the far distant future of December 1999, it somehow is extraordinarily prescient on the endorphin releases we all find ourselves chasing on social media, among other things.

Check it out.

Movie Review – ‘Widows’ – Windy City Heat

Directed by Steve McQueen
Written by Gillian Flynn & Steve McQueen, based on the television series created by Lynda La Plante
Cast: Viola Davis, Michelle Rodriguez, Elizabeth Debicki, Cynthia Erivo, Colin Farrell, Brian Tyree Henry, Daniel Kaluuya, Jacki Weaver, Carrie Coon, Robert Duvall, Liam Neeson, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Jon Bernthal, Garret Dillahunt, Michael Harney, Lukas Haas, Matt Walsh, Adepero Oduye, Ann Mitchell, Kevin J. O’Connor
Soundtrack: Hans Zimmer

Dear Lord, is anyone (other than Kevin J. O’Connor) in this movie actually from Chicago?

It’s a very specific accent. It’s not like New York where anybody can just throw it on and be passable, you pretty much need to grab real Chicagoans to do it. I mean, if the movie took place in Chicago and everybody just had a neutral accent, I’d be fine with it, but the fact that some people do and some people (none of whom are portrayed by Americans) have incredibly hackneyed (borderline comedic, to be honest) Chi-Town accents (like why does Robert Duvall sound like Robert Duvall but his son played by Colin Farrell sounds like a cartoon villain?), and then Garret Dillahunt is doing his West Texas thing, what are we doing?

So, that’s one problem I have.

Shocking as it may be, I did not see 12 Years a Slave, or any other of his films, so I’m unfamiliar with Steve McQueen (the director, not the actor), but I did see Gone Girl (one of the best films of 2014), so I am familiar with the screenwriter Gillian Flynn. Suffice it to say, Widows is no Gone Girl (although it is better than The Girl on The Train, which is something), which is fine, but it falls in the long line of movies based on BBC miniseries that feel like truncated versions of miniseries (e.g. Edge of Darkness and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy).

Make no mistake, I’m not saying Widows is a “bad movie”. There’s a lot to like (Daniel Kaluuya in particular steals every scene he’s in and I’m a little upset he’s not in the movie more), but there’s also a lot that feels lazy or not quite entirely thought out. Perhaps most emblematic of this (other than the questionable accents) is the music. I like Hans Zimmer fine, but much of the score for Widows just feels like B-sides from The Dark Knight and Dunkirk. Also, there’s an effort to make some political and social commentary, some of which works in a matter-of-fact way, but most of it just feels clunky.

In the end, it’s entertainment, and it’s okay, but it’s nothing life-changing. You can wait til it’s at the Redbox or on Netflix.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

Movie Review – ‘The Fate of the Furious’ – Stylistically Designed To Be That Way

Directed by F. Gary Gray
Written by Chris Morgan based on characters created by Gary Scott Thompson
Cast: Vin Diesel, Jason Statham, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Charlize Theron, Kurt Russell, Nathalie Emmanuel, Luke Evans, Elsa Pataky, Kristofer Hivju, Scott Eastwood, Patrick St. Esprit, Olek Krupa, Tego Calderon, Don Omar, Helen Mirren
Soundtrack: Brian Tyler

I can’t imagine all the way back in 2001 when Rob Cohen was directing The Fast and The Furious that he had any idea his little “Point Break with street racing” movie would eventually evolve into a series of roided-out Italian Jobs (fun fact: the 2003 remake was also directed by F. Gary Gray), let alone whatever The Fate of the Furious is (not to mention F&F is the most successful franchise in Universal’s history). At this point we’ve gone past full-circle and have left orbit on an entirely new trajectory, one that, frankly, I’m not entirely comfortable with.

Again, “Most movies have problems unless you’re Ghost Busters or The Rocketeer,” but The Fate of The Furious has some deep issues.

First of all, I said in my review of Furious 7 that I hope the series doesn’t continue on without Paul Walker, and I now feel completely justified. His absence is painfully obvious, and a reference to him by the characters is only salt in the wound. It’s a tough spot to be in, but, I can’t help thinking it should’ve been handled better.

Secondly, this movie finally manages to go too far in a few places (in a bad way), namely shakycam, magical hacking, and scenes that just make you wonder, “How did we arrive here with this franchise?” I mean, I’ve looked the other way on certain square pegs being hammered into round holes to make these movies fit together, but there’s a limit, and F8 reached it. I don’t mind hand-to-hand combat and gunplay in my action movies, but there was an inappropriate amount of it for this crew.

Worst of all though, this movie got too dark for me (sometimes literally), at least in terms of what the franchise is. For sure, serious things have happened before in the F&F universe (characters have been killed, family members threatened, etc.), but, again, this one went too far. I’m a little tired of the dark, gritty Nolan-ization of Hollywood in general (not that I don’t love Christopher Nolan, but not everything has the be The Dark Knight), but I never expected Fast & Furious to go that hard in the paint. At a certain point, I actually said to myself while watching F8, “I’m not having fun anymore. Remember when these movies were fun?”

All that said…

Just when I thought I was out, THEY PULL ME BACK IN.

Despite all of its flaws (including a lackluster performance from Charlize Theron, though I don’t necessarily blame her), I think I did enjoy this movie overall. I certainly didn’t feel ripped off in the end. It’s obviously flawed, and it’s on the bottom end of Fast & Furious movies, but there’s enough total entertainment value (aka things that are over the top in a good way) for me to give it more than a non-recommendation, provided you know what you’re getting into going in.

Catch it on a matinee if you want to be safe, but I won’t talk you out of seeing it.

Rating: ★★★½ (out of five)