Ryan Gosling – People Talking

Movie Review – ‘First Man’ – “Bang, zoom!”

Directed by Damien Chazelle
Written by Josh Singer, based on the book by James R. Hansen
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Corey Stoll, Pablo Schreiber, Jason Clarke, Kyle Chandler, Christopher Abbott, Patrick Fugit, Lukas Haas, Shea Whigham, Brian d’Arcy James, Cory Michael Smith, J. D. Evermore, John David Whalen, Ethan Embry, Skyler Bible, Ben Owen, Olivia Hamilton, Kris Swanberg, Ciarán Hinds, Shawn Eric Jones, William Gregory Lee, Steven Coulter
Soundtrack: Justin Hurwitz

To borrow a phrase from our friends in the District, I get “butt cised” for movies about manned spaceflight (and Pablo Schreiber).

Whether it’s The Right Stuff, Apollo 13, Interstellar, The Martian, heck, give me Moonraker, I’m on board,

Which is why it’s so painful for me to say First Man is a real mixed bag.

Overall, I give it a lukewarm recommendation based largely on the technical achievements (especially given a budget significantly under $100 million), in particular there’s some top-notch miniature work and some wonderful production design, but I absolutely hated the way much of the movie is shot (the camera is often way too close, and there are long stretches, especially in the Mission Control scenes, that are shot like an episode of The Office, and it’s awful), the story and what is and isn’t selected to be told feels very hodgepodge, there are a lot of characters to keep track of with zero help, and, in the end, I’m just not entirely sure what the goal of the movie was.

If the point was to demonstrate how insane it was to try to go the Moon with 1960s technology, mission accomplished, because that definitely comes across (and there’s another personal thread that gets paid off). Beyond that though, First Man feels more like a bigger-budgeted mumblecore movie that happens to be about Neil Armstrong than anything else.

I mean, I get it, it’s hard to do movies based on real-life people and events, but even at the end of this film there’s a disclaimer that things have been generalized, so, just go out and make a movie; it’s okay if it feels like a movie. I guess there was some thought of not doing things in typical Hollywood fashion, but it was hard not to think about this film in the hands of someone else to illicit more of an emotional response.

So, yeah, worth seeing once, I guess; maybe it’s worth doing in IMAX for the visuals, but I don’t think I’ll ever watch it again.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

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.

Movie Review – ‘The Nice Guys’ – Hitsville U.S.A.

Directed by Shane Black
Written by Shane Black & Anthony Bagarozzi
Cast: Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Angourie Rice, Kim Basinger, Margaret Qualley, Yaya DaCosta, Keith David, Beau Knapp, Matt Bomer, Daisy Tahan, Ty Simpkins, Hannibal Buress
Soundtrack: David Buckley and John Ottman

Even if you don’t know him by name, if you’re an action movie fan, you probably already love yourself some Shane Black.

From being one of the guys in Predator, to being the screenwriter of Lethal Weapon 1, 2, 3, and 4, to other odd jobs like directing Iron Man 3, Shane Black has always had a knack for blending action and humor.

Nowhere is this gift more apparent than in, dare I say, his magnum opus, The Nice Guys, which is, if you couldn’t tell already, a 1970s Los Angeles pulp detective story with more than a dash of comedy.

I expected this movie to have laughs. I was not necessarily expecting it to be funnier than, say, Deadpool. In fact, The Nice Guys is probably funnier than any marketed comedy you’ll see this year, but, don’t get it twisted, it’s still a killer detective story at heart that’s got fangs when needed.

The key to the whole thing, save for Black’s screenplay, is the chemistry between Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. Both have comedic chops on their own, particularly Gosling, but together they’re absolute dyn-o-mite. Throw in a brilliant young actress named Angourie Rice and you have a film that’s solid gold. We don’t get too many private eye stories anymore (pretty much the whole reason why Shane Black wrote this), and I’m sure glad we now have this one, but I’m willing to bet this movie could have been about anything, and as long as you had that combo of Black, Crowe, and Gosling, it’d be a smash (having Keith David show up certainly doesn’t hurt either, because that guy rules).

Other than that I don’t feel the need to say too much more. I anticipate The Nice Guys will be a Top 5 movie in 2016, and you definitely don’t want to miss out.

Go see it at your earliest convenience at your local moviehouse.

Rating: ★★★★½