Tag: Wass Stevens

Movie Review – ‘The Book of Henry’ – Maybe I’m Crazy

Directed by Colin Trevorrow
Written by Gregg Hurwitz
Cast: Naomi Watts, Jaeden Lieberher, Jacob Tremblay, Sarah Silverman, Lee Pace, Maddie Ziegler, Dean Norris, Bobby Moynihan, Geraldine Hughes, Wass Stevens, Donnetta Lavinia Grays
Soundtrack: Michael Giacchino

Sometimes the world throws interesting parallels your way.

Just on a bare surface level, you could compare The Book of Henry to Gifted, in that they both center around highly intelligent children (albeit ENTIRELY different plots and tones), but the comparisons don’t end there.  You’ve also got directors returning to more independent roots after not-so-great uber-mainstream projects (Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2 for Marc Webb, Jurassic World for Colin Trevorrow), and two comediennes I don’t particularly care for in supporting roles (Jenny Slate and Sarah Silverman, respectively).

But hey, enough about me.  The real question is whether or not The Book of Henry actually works (aka “Should we have any hope for Star Wars: Episode IX?”).

Well, apparently to the contrary of every published critic out there, I really dug this movie.

Is it perfect?  No.
Is it “believable”?  No.
Do I care?  Obviously not.

I found the movie entertaining based on the performances, the story, the moral dilemmas, the beautiful Westchester setting, and the fact that it was unafraid to make bold narrative decisions (huge spoilers, can’t talk about it; have to see for yourself).

I’m usually the first to say “No” to a movie that so prominently features children, but Jaeden Lieberher is a wonderful young actor, as his turns in St. Vincent and Midnight Special will confirm, and he’s joined here by the critically-acclaimed Jacob Tremblay and even reality TV alumnus Maddie Ziegler as kid actors putting in good shifts.

Even before all that though, the movie won me over right away simply for having a main title sequence, which I was just thinking this week about how much I miss those (*cough*), but, again, enough about me.

I don’t know what else to say to convince people this is worth seeing, maybe I shouldn’t even try, but what I do know is that I found the movie heartwarming, funny, and intense, which is an odd combo, it’s a different combo, but, as I said before, I give Henry credit for taking risks, and for trying to do something at least somewhat original in these dark days of IP overload.

Maybe that’s not worth anything to you, but I appreciate it.

Rating: ★★★★☆

Valentine’s Day Shandy – ‘John Wick’ & ‘John Wick: Chapter 2’ – Back and Backer

Why see just one when you can see both?

Hollywood’s always trying to figure out how to maximize box office returns, including figuring out what movie to release when.  For example, James Cameron’s Titanic was originally slated for a summer release, but got pushed back to the weekend before Christmas, thus making wintertime the new summertime for big budget blockbusters (the Star Wars franchise has been dominating this slot for the past two Decembers and likely will continue to do so indefinitely).

On a much smaller scale from a money standpoint, but equally as revelatory, 20th Century Fox discovered a couple years ago that there’s a market for fresh, fun, violent, R-rated action on Valentine’s Day weekend with a little movie called Kingsman (which itself was originally slated for October, as is its coming sequel).  A year later they followed that up with the even more successful Deadpool.  Frankly, how Logan is NOT in the same slot this year is utterly baffling.  Maybe Lionsgate/Summit just beat Fox to the punch this time around, but, in any case, this year’s contestant in the R-rated Valentine’s Day massacre is the somewhat anticipated John Wick: Chapter 2.

I feel a little guilty that I was as excited for John Wick 2 as I was, because the studio was obviously pandering to my generation with the promised on-screen reunion of Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne (in reference to some other movie), but, what can I say?  The marketing got me in the door.

Of course, the natural question is, “Is John Wick: Chapter 2 better than the first one?”

Swarms upon swarms of people are answering, “YAS!” because it has “MOAR ACTION!” but I don’t agree.  Chapter 2 might have more (and more stylized) action, but the 2014 original is the superior film because of story and characters.

The first time I saw John Wick was in a real IMAX theater, completely alone.  Seriously, I was literally the only person in the theater (I don’t think there were even any staff), so it was LOUD.  At the time, I thought it was an okay action movie, but I realized after seeing it again ahead of Chapter 2 that I was missing something: an audience.

I have a rule that I don’t write any reviews here unless I’ve seen a movie theatrically, because movies are meant to be seen theatrically, but there’s something else you don’t get while watching a movie on your couch, and that’s the collective experience of other people in the theater; the oohs and aahs, the audible laughter, the heightened sense of awareness that adds to the enjoyment of the film.  I missed that the first time I saw John Wick, and seeing it again under more proper circumstances made me realize I had been underrating it.

Action movies in general aren’t quite what they used to be, largely because of bad CGI, but John Wick is very good for its time, and its biggest strength is its clarity.  We know what’s happening, we know why, we connect with why, and John Wick himself is uncomplicated in his quest.  Throw in some more-than-competent action, a dash of good humor here and there, and a nice gallery of supporting characters (good and bad), and you’ve got a real crowd-pleaser of a film.

On the other hand, where John Wick is clear, Chapter 2 is muddled.  His motivation is less interesting (the first one he did it because he wanted to; now he’s doing it out of obligation), the villains aren’t as strong, there are no supporting characters who can compete with Willem Dafoe from the first one, the plot is more convoluted, and there’s some backtracking with John Wick’s character (trying to soften his edge) that I did not appreciate.  Not to mention the third act is a disappointment from a story perspective.

This is not to say that Chapter 2 is utterly useless.  I enjoyed how it expanded the secret hitman universe established in the first movie, and the build-up is a lot of fun, but, on the whole, it’s more than a full step down from John Wick.  There’s just too much we don’t know or care about, and too much sequelitis (aka “Remember this!?).

They make a fine pairing back-to-back, but the difference is clear.

(Also, as someone familiar with public transportation in and around New York City, I was annoyed with the “geography” of the PATH train in Chapter 2.  Like, either use real locations or don’t.  I know this is a bit of a nitpick on my part, but it just got to me.)

Ratings:
John Wick: ★★★★☆
Chapter 2: ★★½

P.S.
Shout out to Alamo Drafthouse (as usual) for their John Wick-themed specials this month.  The “Carbonara Pizza: Chapter 2” and “Hotel Continental Special” are worth killing for.