Sebastian Stan – People Talking

Movie Review – ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ – The Gang’s All Here

Directed by Anthony Russo & Joe Russo

Written by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (screenplay), based on the comic book story by Jim Starlin, George Pérez, & Ron Lim, based on characters created by Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Joe Simon, and Jim Starlin

Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Peter Dinklage, Benedict Wong, Pom Klementieff, Karen Gillan, Dave Bautista, Zoe Saldana, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Gwyneth Paltrow, Benicio del Toro, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt, Danai Gurira, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Jacob Batalon, Isabella Amara, Florence Kasumba, William Hurt, Terry Notary, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Carrie Coon, Michael James Shaw

Soundtrack: Alan Silvestri

It all comes down to this.

(Until Ant-Man and the Wasp comes out in ten weeks, which I’m actually more hyped for, but whatever.)

Eighteen movies in ten years have all been building up to the conflict to end all conflicts (until the next one).

The Infinity War.

So, what do we got?

Well…that kind of depends on the question.

As far as its purpose, which is the joining together of multiple sub-franchises to form, more or less, a single, cohesive story, I think this film does an admirable job of hammering the puzzle pieces together, but it’s not seamless enough to transcend the limitations of adapting one medium to another.

To put it another way, there’s very little about Infinity War that’s bad on its own; pretty much every scene unto itself works just fine, but I don’t think it cuts together well. Frankly, I found the whole thing rather overwhelming (perhaps a second look would be worthwhile, but I’m not sure).

One big problem is that the audience is expected to carry too much into the movie (metaphorically speaking). I’ve seen every MCU film, I assume most people who are going opening weekend have as well, but most of the emotional payoffs in Infinity War rely on you to remember why they’re important, and, as good a memory as I have, I just don’t have that kind of RAM for this, and as such a lot of the emotion of the movie fell flat for me (not to mention there haven’t been many real consequences in the MCU to this point, so…yeah, I’ll just leave it there).

Second, and I know I’ll be in the minority here because it’s the point of all of this for a lot of people, but there’s too much mind-numbing action, which I don’t normally find myself saying about these films. I like action fine, I can even enjoy nonstop action when it’s done right, but let me ask you this:

If two CG characters are fighting each other, why does the camera need to shake so much?

One positive I will mention, because I didn’t hate this movie and want to end on a good note, I actually liked Thanos as a character. Sure, he’s a villain who must be stopped, but at least he has an ethos and isn’t just another bitter revenge dude.

Other than that, hardcore fans will probably eat this one up, but I’m not convinced it has that much staying power for general audiences. Check it out if you want, especially if you’re pot committed to the MCU, but don’t feel bad about seeing it at a discount.

Rating: ★★★☆☆

P.S.
Shoutout to Alamo/Mondo for the swag.

Movie Review – ‘I, Tonya’ – Stranger Than Fiction

I apologize. This is another one I should have had up weeks ago.

Directed by Craig Gillespie
Written by Steven Rogers
Cast: Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, Allison Janney, Julianne Nicholson, Paul Walter Hauser, Bobby Cannavale, Caitlin Carver, Mckenna Grace, Jason Davis, Anthony Reynolds, Ricky Russert, Jan Harrelson, Luray Cooper
Soundtrack: Peter Nashel

I’m inclined to say that this is a movie that came out of nowhere, but that’s not entirely true, at least for me. I knew it had gotten some buzz at various festivals, but I didn’t truly believe the hype until I actually saw it.

And boy am I a believer.

Perhaps what is most satisfying about I, Tonya is that it got me to root for someone I never thought I would. Not that I ever had a grudge against Tonya Harding, per se. I’m old enough to remember “the incident”, but not quite old enough to remember the full breadth of the circus surrounding it. As they say though, perception often becomes reality, and my opinion of her was essentially a photocopy of a photocopy of a Hard Copy.

Not that I, Tonya even purports to tell “the truth”, as the film concedes right up front that it’s a compilation of personal and often wildly contradictory accounts from the people who lived it, which I found to be admirably honest (perhaps somewhat ironically).

What is also tremendously satisfying about I, Tonya is that it gave me so much from people I had been really eager to see more from, namely Margot Robbie and Sebastian Stan. Both established actors, to be sure, but the show they put on here is truly a tour de force. Their commitment to their roles and the range of emotions they go through (not to mention the span of time within the world of the film) helps elevate the movie beyond its occasionally noticeable budget limitations.

Of course I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention Allison Janney as Tonya’s mom, who pretty much steals the show anytime she’s on screen. Her performance in particular is actually rather emblematic of the film itself: brash, coarse, sardonic, yet at times humorous and even heartfelt…in her own way.

Kudos to director Craig Gillespie and writer Steven Rogers for making the decision to do this story as a dark comedy. I suppose it could have worked another way, but I can’t imagine it would have been as effective, engaging, or artful. Also, as period pieces go, this one dives in headfirst, and I love the movie even more for it.

In the end, much like Tonya Harding herself, I, Tonya may not be entirely flawless, but it’s definitely something special. One of the best of 2017, hands down.

And wherever she is, I hope she’s doing great.

Rating: ★★★★½ (out of five)

Movie Review – ‘Logan Lucky’ – All The Fun of The Fair

Directed by Steven Soderbergh
Written by Rebecca Blunt
Cast: Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Seth MacFarlane, Riley Keough, Katie Holmes, Katherine Waterston, Dwight Yoakam, Sebastian Stan, Brian Gleeson, Jack Quaid, Hilary Swank, Daniel Craig, David Denman, Jim O’Heir, Macon Blair, Farrah Mackenzie, Rebecca Koon, Charles Halford, Jon Eyez, William Mark McCullough
Soundtrack: David Holmes

Boy oh boy is it good to have Steven Soderbergh back.

Not that he’d left us entirely, but he hasn’t done a theatrical feature since 2013’s Side Effects (which is GREAT, by the way; I’m sure I’ve mentioned it before), and I don’t really have time for television (what with all the movies I see), so, as far as I was concerned, he was out of sight. Logan Lucky is not only a welcome cinematic return for him, but, at the tail end of one of the best movie summers I can ever remember, it’s at least a contender for Top Movie of the Season.

Soderbergh’s obviously no stranger to the ol’ heist movie, nor is he a stranger to films with a comedic tone, but Logan Lucky is a special blend of the two that is so enjoyable and light-hearted (without being total fluff) that I would have happily spent more time in my seat just to hang out with the characters a little longer.

This is not to say it’s a perfect film. The most glaring weakness is Seth MacFarlane. I think I understand what his character is supposed to be, but it’s rather muddled, and his fake British accent is simply not good enough for a live-action movie (might work for a cartoon, but not here); unless, of course, it was supposed to be fake, but I never got any indication of that. In a similar vein, I felt like we should have gotten a little more from Sebastian Stan’s character. I don’t really have an issue with his performance, per se, and perhaps at some point there was a longer cut of the movie where he was featured more, but ultimately he just feels wasted.

But hey, why focus on the bad when there’s so much good?

First and foremost, Channing Tatum as Jimmy Logan is utterly charming. You can’t help but root for him. For an actor I didn’t really have an opinion on until the past few years, he has come on strong with roles in Foxcatcher, The Hateful Eight, and Hail, Cesar!, and this film is no exception (I think I might actually be looking forward to Gambit at this point).

On top of that, you’ve got a bunch of fantastic supporting performances, namely from Adam Driver and Riley Keough as the fellow Logan siblings, not to mention the James Bond-sized elephant in the room: Daniel Craig.

Prior to Logan Lucky, I don’t think I’d ever seen a Daniel Craig role that wasn’t dark and brooding in some way, so his performance here is a downright revelation (not to mention his reciprocal accent is head and shoulders above MacFarlane’s). He’s an absolute scene-stealer.

Also, they don’t get a whole lot of screen time, but Katherine Waterston and Dwight Yoakum do very well with what little they’re given (insert seasoning/food metaphor here).

Quite simply, Logan Lucky is some slick Country-fried fun with likable characters and a classic heist plot in an interesting location. It might not always be perfectly paced, but it made me laugh quite a bit (which is the end goal of any comedy), and at times it was even a little heartwarming.

And, with a PG-13 rating, it’s good for date nights and family nights alike (as long as your kids are old enough to appreciate it).

Rating: ★★★★½ (out of five)

P.S.
No stinger scene, but the credits are pretty short (relatively speaking), and there’s a funny disclaimer at the end.

Movie Review – ‘Captain America: Civil War’ – Counting the Cost

Directed by Anthony Russo & Joe Russo
Written by Christopher Markus & Stephen McFeely (screenplay), based on the comic book by Mark Millar & Steven McNiven, based on characters created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby
Cast: Chris Evans, Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Sebastian Stan, Anthony Mackie, Don Cheadle, Jeremy Renner, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettany, Elizabeth Olsen, Florence Kasumba
Soundtrack: Henry Jackman

I’m not going to spend too much time on this because the reality is you’ve most likely made your mind up already, and that’s fine.

Captain America: Civil War is the latest offering in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which is now up to 13 movies (and counting) since Iron Man first hit the screen in 2008. It’s basically another Avengers movie because almost everyone is assembled except for Thor, Hulk, and Nick Fury, though the plot does mostly focus on the eponymous Captain. Marvel also wisely brought back the Russo Brothers to direct the film, after their successful turn with Captain America: The Winter Soldier (which I highly rate in terms of the MCU).

I do have some issues with the movie. For one, it’s overly long. I’m not even saying it drags, though many may have that opinion, but I do have a problem that all the big Marvel movies are becoming 2.5 hours long. It’s not like the Nolan Batman series where it’s a closed trilogy and you need to pack in as much as you can, Marvel has these planned out til Infinity [Wars]; maybe they could find a way to be a little more economical with the storytelling? ‘Winter Soldier’ wasn’t that long.

Also, and this is likely related to the previous point, there are some scenes that I suppose are in the movie to connect it to future movies, but in the movie at hand they feel like superfluous vestiges (like your appendix, you can live just fine without it). Dare I say, we may be seeing the first real signs of fatigue from the MCU, but then Dr. Strange might revitalize things a la Guardians of the Galaxy, so I don’t know.

Overall, Civil War holds a good balance of fun, action, and more serious themes of power, friendship, and the intersection of the two. It has a great cast giving solid performances (though some appearances are little more than cameos), and I actually found myself invested in the story outside of the action set pieces. Most importantly, there are no giant blue lasers shooting into space.

If you’re already into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, you’ll probably like it quite a bit. If you’re coming in fresh, I don’t really know what to tell you, but I’m sure you’ll get something out of it.

Rating: ★★★½

P.S.
These pint glasses from Alamo Drafthouse are incredible.

P.P.S.
In terms of new characters, I was underwhelmed by Black Panther, but I loved Spider-Man.