The Man from U.N.C.L.E.

The 60's Spy series The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is now a sly, spy film. Unlike the outrageous Spy, U.N.C.L.E. has a smooth sense of humor. That sense of humor is very much appreciated.

In 1963, CIA agent Napoleon Solo is sent to East Berlin to retrieve auto-mechanic Gaby Teller. KGB agent Illya Kuryakin doesn't want that to happen. So they have a chase across half the city. But Solo gives him the slip. Later, Solo finds himself paired up with Kuryakin; neither man likes it one bit.

Their mission is to stop the Vinciguerras, a Fascist couple, from getting their own private nukes. Gaby's father, a former Nazi scientist, is their own captive scientist. Gaby is sent with them to help find Mr. Teller. Meanwhile, Kuryakin and Solo's respective governments want Mr. Teller's nuke secrets. They tell each agent to kill the other if necessary...

I did my best to summarize the story, which is credited to four writers, which includes director Guy Ritchie. The premise is pretty straightforward, but some of the plot wasn't. The back-and-forth jumps during certain scenes threw me off quite a bit. Other scenes dragged on for too long. The action scenes were easier to follow. These 116 minutes were kind of uneven.

The film's smooth sense of humor helps it a lot. Its best moments are when its characters act casual in dangerous situations. It even plays a villain's death by electric chair, and our heroes' obliviousness to the incident, for laughs. They're straight men to the world around them. The audience is sure to laugh all the same.

It also helps that the artistic design is great. Production designer Oliver Scholl, Costume designer Joanna Johnston and cinematographer John Mathieson create a striking recreation of the 1960's. Daniel Pemberton's score sets the mood quite well. It goes to show that the film's style is not lacking.

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. is good for a late-summer spy thriller. It's sure to entertain even if you're not familiar with the TV series. It wasn't perfect, but it was worth the trip to the cineplex.

Mr Holmes

Since Sherlock Holmes is (somewhat in) the public domain, everyone has their own idea for a Sherlock adventure. And director Bill Condon is here to realize one such adventure on-screen. Mitch Cullin's 2005 novel, A Slight Trick of the Mind, is now Mr. Holmes.

It's 1947, and Sherlock (Ian McKellen) had his last case 30 years ago. He's now retired in Sussex, taken up beekeeping and cared for by housekeeper Mrs. Munro (Laura Linney) and her son Roger (Milo Parker). Sherlock dislikes Dr. Watson's fictionalizations (Doyle's novels) of his cases. So he decides to write the truth behind his last case ... before his trademark mind fades away.

Holme's last case was to investigate gentlewoman Ann Kelmot (Mattie Morahan), who seemingly went insane. That didn't end well. Meanwhile, Sherlock recalls a recent visit to a Japanese fan, Umezaki (Hiroyuki Sanada). These events help him come to terms with his life.

Jeffrey Hatcher's screenplay goes back and forth in time. The Kelmot case was the most intriguing. Each flashback visualizes Sherlock's writing and stops where it stops. At the end of each "roadblock," you're eagerly wondering where the story goes next. The conclusion was appropriately shocking. The rest of the movie is about Sherlock's retirement. And that's where McKellen's performance resonates.

McKellen shows that Dr. Watson got one thing right: his genius. Sherlock is a master of deduction but not a master of human interaction. That latter quality causes him grief. He initially views his print and screen adventures with disdain, but he later recognizes their worth. Throughout the movie, the audience both admires and sympathizes with him.

And also, props to the movie for making me think the Kelmot case was an actual Sherlock story. It was not. Sherlock sees the movie version of said case (where he's played by Nicholas Rowe, star of Young Sherlock Holmes). Goes to show how the movie keeps the audience invested in the story.

Mr. Holmes is a good character portrait of an aging genius. The star is great and so are his supporting players. Find it at your local arthouse theatre. It's worth the watch.

Straight Outta Compton

Let's get one thing straight. Straight Outta Compton does what any good music biopic should do: present a compelling portrait of its subject. Its subject is the pioneering gangsta rap group N.W.A. Even if you're not a fan of their lyrics, the film keeps you invested in their stories all the way through.

In 1986, aspiring rappers Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins), Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson, Jr., Cube's real-life son), DJ Yella (Neal Brown, Jr) and MC Ren (Aldis Hodge) come together to make music that "tell it like it is." Their group, N.W.A, attracts the attention of producer Jerry Heller (Paul Giamatti), who becomes their manager. Fame and fortune soon follow ... and also scorn from law enforcement who don't take kindly to their endorsement of uncivil disobedience. It all falls apart when the group members suspect Jerry isn't being fair to them.

Director F. Gary Gray (Friday, starring Ice Cube) keeps it moving for 147 minutes. It helps that editor Billy Fox knows how to stir the audience's emotions. One can't help but feel outraged at the group's unfair treatment from the police. Or feel fear when a gang member threatens one of their friends. It's so involving that any music biopic cliches aren't that noticeable. I was interested in knowing where their stories went.

It also helps that there's a great cast of actors. The main five make for a likable bunch. They're products of their environment, so it's natural that they write what they know. They maintain their audience sympathy even as they get in trouble with the law. Paul Giamatti portrays Heller as a sympathetic, yet-unfair manager, as opposed to the unsympathetic, un-fair manager he played in Love & Mercy. R. Marcus Wright makes a great impact as producer Suge Knight, who's most definitely not portrayed sympathetically.

The intense lyrics of Straight Outta Compton didn't bother me in the least. I just went with the flow. It makes many valuable points about society and the lives of musical artists. One can't help but agree with at least one of its points. Don't let your fears or tastes turn you away; this is a valuable film.

Fantastic Four

Marvel's pioneering Silver Age heroes, the Fantastic Four, have had an interesting run at the movies. Their first movie was made in 1994 just so a studio (New Horizon) could hold onto the rights a little longer and was never intended to be released. Their latest movie, Fantastic Four, was made just so a studio (20th Century Fox) could hold onto the rights a little longer and was intended to be released. That's why I'm reviewing it.

High-School prodigy Reed Richards (Miles Teller) has a home-made inter-dimensional transporter. That's good enough for Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey), director of the Baxter Foundation, a government think-tank of prodigies. Storm recruits Reed to help the foundation complete a larger scale transporter. Also on board are Storm's kids, Johnny (Michael B. Jordan) and Susan (Kate Mara) and Anti-Social genius Victor von Doom (Toby Kebbell).

The guys decide to become the first human inter-dimensional astronauts. So they, along with Reed's buddy Ben Grimm (Jamie Bell), commandeer the transporter for a trip to "Planet Zero". Like all great sci-fi experiments, the trip goes awry and they all get super-powers. (And so does Sue.)

So the Government recruits Johnny, Sue and Ben as living weapons while Reed turns fugitive. And Doom, who I neglected to mention was stranded on Planet Zero, becomes the bad guy when he's finally found.

And I just summarized practically the entire film...

The story is stretched out quite thin. It's around the half-way point of its 100 minutes when the fateful trip to Planet Zero gets underway. Not much happens before then or after. When Doom finally reappears, his reason for evil is that he got brought back to Earth and, reminded of how much he hates it, wants it destroyed. That's a little extreme, don't you think? That bit happens in the last half-hour.

I wouldn't be complaining much if the characters weren't dour. Our main heroes lacked much chemistry; except for Reed and Ben together, they acted like distant work colleagues. It's like they were keeping the audience away at arm's length. It was hard to stay invested in their world saving.

The film's best moments are when director Josh Trank turns the film into a sci-fi horror movie. Trank treats the Fantastic Four (and Doom) as victims of body horror ala The Fly. The revelation of their conditions, especially Reed's elasticity, is a stunning sight. The film's depiction of Doom has already made his comic book fans gag, but his laboratory rampage was a shocking sight. While the story and characters were a letdown, these scenes show that the crew weren't lacking in finesse.

But still, a sci-fi horror film wasn't the best approach for a film called the Fantastic Four. See it only if you want to see what the fuss is about. Or not at all. Either one's fine.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation

Tom Cruise and his spy alter-ego Ethan Hunt aren't done saving the world. Their fifth adventure, Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation, once again sets out to outdo its predecessor. And once again, the audience is rewarded with a genuine thrill-ride.

This time, Ethan is on the Hunt for The Syndicate, a criminal empire made of rogue spies. Ethan's superiors in Washington think it's a snipe hunt and have the Impossible Mission Force shut down. But Ethan won't retire until he stops The Syndicate and its leader Solomon Lane (Sean Harris). That's why CIA director Hunley (Alec Baldwin) pursues Ethan.

The Syndicate proves far too savvy for one Agent to go it alone. So for this Mission, Ethan assembles Benji Dunn (Simon Pegg), Luther Stickwell (Ving Rhames) and Will Brandt (Jeremy Renner). Joining them is Syndicate double-agent Ilsa Faust (Rebecca Ferguson). Dangerous obstacles and villains obstruct them at every turn. Our heroes will have to outsmart them all.

This sequel continues its proud tradition of a revolving director's chair. This time, it's writer Christopher McQuarrie (The Usual Suspects) who occupies the job. The screenplay introduces villains so intelligent that they hijack the film's traditional "this is your mission" scene. Ethan's way of outsmarting Lane was a satisfying series of events.

Ethan's highly-advertised airplane stunt is the first scene in the film. And yet, with editor Eddie Hamilton, the thrills keep on coming. The best sequence was Ethan thwarting assassins at the Opera. I don't think I've seen a recent action scene that built up suspense as masterfully as it did. You're just glued to the screen as the remaining runtime plays out.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation is a sequel that justifies its franchise's endurance. It's a well-plotted thriller which throws conventions into the air. Here's hoping that the next Mission is also a worthy experience.