Tag: Tyler Bates

Movie Review – ‘Hobbs & Shaw’ – #FAMILY First

Directed by David Leitch
Written by Chris Morgan (story and screenplay) and Drew Pearce (screenplay), based on characters created by Gary Scott Thompson
Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba, Vanessa Kirby, Eiza González, Eddie Marsan, Helen Mirren, Cliff Curtis, Eliana Sua, Lori Pelenise Tuisano, Joe ‘Roman Reigns’ Anoa’i, Josh Mauga, John Tui
Soundtrack: Tyler Bates

So, the franchise of crazy big heist/street racing movies that began with a simple Point Break-with-cars premise that revolved around stealing DVD players is now getting spin-offs?

You know what? I’m fine with that.

After Furious 7, I really didn’t need another full-blown Fast & Furious movie, but we got Fast 8 anyway, which in the end was passable, but I’ll probably never watch it again.

Hobbs & Shaw, on the other hand, while it has some problems, never took me to a place where I said, “You know, I think I’m done with this.” I know that sounds like a back-handed compliment, but, after Fast 8, I really just needed something that was consistently fun, which Hobbs & Shaw delivers (sort of like Solo following the frustrations of Rogue One and The Last Jedi).

As you might glean from the title, this movie is essentially Tango & Cash on steroids, with a good bit of classic James Bond/modern Mission: Impossible mixed in for good measure (not too surprising given writer Drew Pearce worked on Rogue Nation).

Its only real downfall is twofold: some ham-fisted messaging about teamwork, and its length (which is ballooned by some cameos that are fine unto themselves, but questionable as to whether they needed to make the final cut). As much as I love Fast Five, it also set the precedent that these movies all need to be 130 minutes long, which they don’t, but Hobbs & Shaw leans into that anyway (in contrast, Tango & Cash clocks in at a comparatively lean 104 minutes).

Still, by and large, Hobbs & Shaw is reasonably well-executed and a lot of fun, no doubt because of the chases and explosions and punching (I mean, that’s why we’re here), but also thanks to the lead performances. The Rock and Jason Statham are everything we’ve come to expect from them (some of the quipping is a bit much, but forgivable), but the true savior of the film is Vanessa Kirby, who’s smart, charming, and properly humorous when necessary (like what I think Captain Marvel was going for, but failed), but also handles the action surprisingly well (a la Colin Firth in Kingsman).

Not a life-changing film by any stretch, but if you need an action fix that isn’t just all headshots all the time, it’ll do just fine.

Rating: ★★★½ (out of five)

Almost Summer Shandy – ‘Deadpool’ & ‘Deadpool 2’ – Up for Whatever

One of the beauties of the Deadpool films (although I can see how some might see it as an annoyance) is that anything can happen: gunfights, car chases, proper action, fourth wall breaking, super-meta humor, Neil Sedaka, whatever; anything is possible.

In a genre chock-full of cookie-cutter (and safe) movies (not that I don’t enjoy the MCU, but, let’s be real), I find this level of anarchy quite refreshing.

Not to say that these two films don’t have their own fair share of boiler plate material (one of my only real criticisms of the sequel is that the core plot is highly reminiscent of a certain 2012 sci-fi thriller), but, honestly, it’s just nice to have some villains with a goal other than ruling the world with a giant blue space laser.

You know what else is refreshing?  Each movie is a only a solid two hours in length (even less in the case of the first installment).  I can handle long run times perfectly fine, but not every movie has to have a story that (often needlessly) takes two-and-a-half hours to tell.  Sometimes I like to enjoy a nice, tightly-scripted movie that’s incredibly well-paced (especially true of the first; less so in the second, but still more than acceptable).

I suppose the most credit for these films even existing goes to Ryan Reynolds, who worked for an entire decade just to get the first one green-lit, but, second to that, I have to hand it to writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick (who first came together on Zombieland, which makes sense).  They seem to genuinely understand the character they’re working with and also how to balance some really effervescent comedic material with other much darker elements, all the while maintaining personal stakes along the way.

Speaking of the character though, Deadpool himself is crass, cynical, violent, sarcastic, and crass (did I say crass?), and the films (like Logan, but for different reasons) are appropriately R-rated.  Not every comic book adaptation needs to be, and some absolutely shouldn’t be, but in this case the 17-and-up rating is downright necessary.  Not that this is all entirely groundbreaking or anything (as Ryan Reynolds well knows, having starred in Blade: Trinity), but I’m nonetheless happy to be getting these at full strength as opposed to some watered-down versions.

Getting back to the movies themselves though, one aspect of the first film I particularly enjoy, and which helps to give it the top-notch pacing it has, is that it chops up the story-line in the first half so you don’t just get the standard origin story in the standard order.  Again, not groundbreaking, but nice that they did something to keep it relatively fresh.

Let’s not overlook the performances though.  Obviously Ryan Reynolds is playing the role he was born to play, but Morena Baccarin is special as well (and I love that their relationship is essentially an R-rated and upgraded version of Holly and Michael from The Office), T.J. Miller works as an ordinary human sideman, Ed Skrein is effectively villainous (even if he isn’t a supervillain), and who doesn’t love Gina Carano doing anything?

Part two brings more of the same in the way that most sequels do, but it does elevate in story and tone (even if the plot is derivative, as I mentioned before), but I think it’s just a half step off in terms of execution compared to its predecessor.

Still though, it’s highly entertaining and full of fun little surprises.  The core cast from the first movie is still firing, Josh Brolin makes a great Cable, Julian Dennison isn’t quite as enjoyable as he was in Hunt for the Wilderpeople but I’m not sure he’s really meant to be anyway, and Zazie Beetz pretty much steals any scene she’s in.

I’ve said this before about Guardians of the Galaxy and Kingsman, and it applies here as well: If you liked the first one, you’ll probably like the second one, too; if you didn’t like the first one, you probably won’t like the sequel, so don’t waste your time.

If you’ve never seen either though, and you’re not easily offended by gratuitous sex and violence (definitely more of the latter than the former), I say give them both a whirl.

And, of course, make sure you stick around til the very end of the first one, and I guess halfway through the credits of the second one.

Enjoy (or don’t)!

Ratings:
Deadpool: ★★★★½
Deadpool 2: ★★★★☆

Movie Review – ‘Atomic Blonde’ – “Sound and Fury…”

Directed by David Leitch
Written by Kurt Johnstad, based on the Oni Press graphic novel series “The Coldest City” written by Antony Johnston and illustrated by Sam Hart
Cast: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, Eddie Marsan, John Goodman, Toby Jones, James Faulkner, Roland Møller, Sofia Boutella, Bill Skarsgård, Sam Hargrave, Til Schweiger, Daniel Bernhardt
Soundtrack: Tyler Bates

When I first saw the trailer for Atomic Blonde, I wasn’t buying it, but, as time went on, it grew on me, and eventually I realized there was quite a lot to be excited for.

Behind the camera, you’ve got the uncredited co-director of the original (and still superior) John Wick, and, based on the trailer for this film, it looks like he had enough sense to pull the lens back far enough to effectively capture the action (avoiding a Jason Bourne-type situation).  You’ve got one of the screenwriters of 300, someone with an understanding of adapting stylized graphic novels to the big screen (also worth noting that Tyler Bates did the musical score for 300 and both John Wicks).  And, you’ve got a highly respected cast of actors dedicating themselves to what appears to be a genre piece.

So, does it work?

Well…not really, no.

I’d very much compare my experience seeing Atomic Blonde to my experience seeing Carnage Park, in that it lost me, eventually won me over, then lost me again.

I should have absolutely loved this movie: period piece, Cold War, Berlin Wall, East and West Germany, spies, Charlize Theron throwing it down, little nods here and there to other films, but, overall, it just didn’t click.

First of all, almost the entirety of the narrative is framed within a debriefing/interview/interrogation, which just feels tired (a bit film school-y at this point, honestly), but the biggest problem is that the plot is so convoluted (and needlessly so, especially for a film of this type) that by the end I didn’t even care what happened, I was just glad it was over.

Frankly, I don’t think the movie quite knows what it is.  At times it feels like it’s going for a John Wick-type vibe, but it’s not quite cool enough or emotional enough to make that work, and other times it feels like it wants to be a real-life clever spy movie, but it doesn’t have enough intelligence to make that work, so, ultimately it’s just stuck in the middle of the road.

As far as the performances go, I think everyone in the cast does okay with what they’re given; nobody strikes me as an albatross, but nobody really stands out either.  Even Wonder Woman had at least one character that stuck with me, even if I didn’t particularly enjoy the movie.

In terms of what works, there’s one sequence in particular in this film that people are already talking about, and it is fairly impressive in its own right, but I hesitate to call it truly groundbreaking.  Beyond that, I like a lot of the trappings (production design, costumes, period television clips, cool Eighties tunes), but there’s not much else for the film to hang its hat on.

In the end, I didn’t dislike Atomic Blonde enough to give it a failing grade, because there are some good bits, but not enough to justify a theatrical experience.

Ultimately, it feels like a rental (even matinee feels high).

I’m so sorry.

Rating: ★★½ (out of five)

P.S.
There’s no stinger, just in case you decide to not heed my advice.

Movie Review – ‘Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’ – But Wait, There’s More!

Written and Directed by James Gunn
Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Sylvester Stallone, Kurt Russell, Elizabeth Debicki, Chris Sullivan, Sean Gunn, Tommy Flanagan
Soundtrack: Tyler Bates

On a personal note, I suppose I should have titled this ‘The People Talking 200th Review 3-Year Anniversary Special’, because it’s been three years since I started this blog, and this is the 200th movie I’m discussing and giving a rating to, but that would be a bit long-winded.

It’s also fitting that Guardians of the Galaxy was my favorite movie of 2014, and still my favorite movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  It was a surprise hit (certainly a surprise to the studio, who, based on the marketing, clearly had no idea what they had or what to do with it) that benefited from strong word of mouth (similar to another 2014 movie which just had a sequel).  In all honesty, it wasn’t until The Force Awakens that any other movie gave me the same vibes as watching the original Star Wars trilogy when I was a kid; Guardians was that magical.

Enter Vol. 2.  This one can’t sneak up on people.  They know what it is, the studio knows what it is, and with proper hype comes the weight of expectations, unfair or not.

Basically, what I’m saying is that if you’re going into this one expecting it to be “as good” as the first one, you shouldn’t do that, as you’ll likely not have your expectations fulfilled, though all of this is not to say that Vol. 2 isn’t a very good movie in its own right, because it is.  I’d say just don’t expect it to be the exact same movie, because it isn’t.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 is eminently entertaining; filled with humor, action (though seemingly less so than other films of its ilk, which I’m okay with), emotional depth, and humor.  Did I say humor twice?  You bet I did.  It’s the funniest movie I’ve seen in a while (so funny that I have to see it again because we were laughing so much), though, again, that’s not to say everything is a joke; it tugs at your heartstrings plenty.

If I have one legitimate criticism in comparing it to the first movie, it’s that the pacing and structure feels a bit clunky at times, but there’s not much else I can complain about.  It still has tunes, the performances are still on point, the story is fine, it’s different and weird (which we know to be a good thing for Marvel), and it’s FUN (and it’s well-written enough that you can still understand it even if you’ve never seen a Marvel movie before, unlike another recent Disney product).  AND, it takes a page out of the Fast & Furious playbook with the whole #FAMILY thing (which is fine by me).

Vol. 2 is not a perfect film, and it doesn’t necessarily improve on anything, but it is very well crafted; top notch as far as sequels go.  It’s not likely to be my favorite movie of the year, given what’s come out already and what’s yet to be released, but it’s more than good enough to get a full theatrical recommendation.

Kudos to James Gunn for keeping the magic going.

Rating: ★★★★☆

P.S.
You won’t be leaving at all during the credits.

And thanks to Alamo and Mondo for the sweet glasses.