First Man

After two musical tales, Damien Chazelle goes to the moon and back for First Man. The screenplay by Josh Singer visualizes James R. Hansen's biography of Neil Armstrong. It's an epic that deserves the big screen. It's a drama that needs an audience. I should know, for I was the audience in my screening. The only man for First Man.

Anyway...

In 1961, Armstrong (Ryan Gosling) is a test pilot for NASA. He loses his daughter, Karen, to cancer, and throws himself into his work. He joins the Gemini program in Houston. There, he undertakes a few missions to help win the Space Race. Eventually, the Gemini program gives way to the Apollo program. His friends, Ed White (Jason Clarke) and Elliot See (Patrick Fugit), perish in separate accidents. Naturally, this gives his wife, Janet (Claire Foy), reason to worry. Armstrong is eventually recruited for Apollo 11. And of course, he makes that first step for man...

We know that the Apollo 11 mission worked. The film's 138 minutes keep us invested in Armstrong's journey. We get to know him perfectly as dedicated and reserved. His mind's on the mission instead of the glory. He's affected by the tragedies in his life. A good motivator, as he says, "to fail down here so we don't fail up there." He's not exactly interpersonal but he's a good family man. We're in awe as he is when he takes that first step.

The film's sound design has the right stuff. You hear all the intricate creaking sounds as the astronauts wait to blast off. You're blasted with fearsome roars when missions go wrong. And when it's appropriate, nothing. While some movies make space travel eerie, this movie makes the anticipation of going to space terrifying. Justin Hurwitz's score perfectly emphasizes the wonder and danger of space.

And let's talk about the visuals. The visual effects department, editor Tom Cross, production designer Nathan Crawley and cinematographer Linus Sandgren deserve equal praise..Moments like Neil's troubled X-15 flight and the Gemini 8 mission keep us on edge when they go awry. The model work for the space craft is extraordinary. The highlight, of course, is the moon itself. The view is spectacular and you can't tell it was filmed in a quarry in Atlanta.

First Man is a great biopic of an American icon. Neil Armstrong might've thought it was another day in the office. But the ending emphasizes the importance of his mission to history perfectly well. In the end, we get to know the man behind the story as much as the story. The journey was worth it. Give it a chance.

The Sisters Brothers

It's a name that I've seen for years in my local used bookstore. But I didn't think much of it. There's much to think about Patrick deWitt's The Sisters Brothers as it goes from page to screen. It's not like most westerns you've seen.

Eli (John C. Reilly) and Charlie (Joaquin Phoenix) Sisters are Brothers. More precisely, they're master assassins in The Old West. They take orders from an enigmatic Commodore. This time, the Commodore orders them after Hermann Kermit Warm (Riz Ahmed). Warm invented a formula which lights up all the gold in riverbeds. Naturally, the Brothers' job is to get Warm, the Formula and Warm, again.

But Eli feels dissatisfied with the hired gun life. And he's worried about Charlie's obnoxious drunkenness and violence. The Gold Formula might give them a way out. Another hired gun, Mr. Morris (Jake Gyllenhaal), was supposed to lead the Sisters to their targets. But he decides to join Warm on his prospecting. The Sisters soon follow. They're soon targeted by more hired guns. It's complicated.

Director Jacques Audiard (A Prophet) and his co-writer, Thomas Bidegain, start things with a dark opening sequence. Cinematographer Benoit Debie shows the Sisters at work in a pitch black plain. The only light is their gun flashes. And then a barn fire with panicking horses. What an introduction. Later scenes, including an eerie nightmare, emphasize the dark in dark comedy. You might ask what's so funny about it all.

The film works best as an introspective character study. Reilly and Phoenix are believable as brothers. They're both bummed out with the world, but they have their own coping methods. Eli's "think of the future" clashes with Charlie's "think of now." Meanwhile, Ahmed's Warm is an idealist whose worldview makes Morris reconsider his life choices. The backstories we gradually learn makes their worldviews understandable. They're likable enough that the audience is on their side. The price of the formula is tragic.

The film editing (by Jonathan Amos, Paul Machliss and Juliette Welfing) keeps the movie going good for two hours. There's some pacing issues when Morris first appears, but they got better down the line. The best of the technicals, other than the cinematography, were the makeup designs and Milena Canonero's costumes. The makeup, in particular, gives us the disturbing side effects of Warm's formula.

Don't let the odd title dissuade you. The Sisters Brothers is odd but interesting. It's like Unforgiven done by the Coen Brothers. The characters and their world are memorable. Their story is unforgettable. The moral issues are gripping. It's not playing anywhere close to everywhere now. So see it if you're theater is lucky. You'll have much to think about if you do.

Venom

Venom debuted in 1988 and he instantly became an iconic member of Spider-Man's Rogues Gallery. His portrayal in Spider-Man 3 by Topher Grace was perhaps the most criticized part of the film. But it's OK. Venom has his own movie now. Which sees him without Spider-Man. That's the least of its problems.

Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) is an investigative reporter engaged to lawyer Anne Weying (Michelle Williams). Anne's lawfirm represents the shady Life Foundation. One day, Eddie interviews Carlton Drake (Riz Ahmed), the CEO of the Life Foundation. Eddie confronts Drake over the Foundation's dealings, which he skimmed from Anne's files, and Eddie and Anne both lose their jobs.

Six months later...

Eddie is an ex-reporter with no fiancee. Scientist Dora Skirth (Jenny Slate) lets Eddie know that the Life Foundation is up to no good. They have three alien "symbiotes" that need to fuse with an organic host. Eddie sneaks into the Foundation's headquarters and becomes host to a symbiote, Venom.

Venom (also Hardy) and Eddie bicker over who gets the latter's body. This sometimes involves Eddie morphing into a fanged monster, also called Venom. Anyway, they mutually take on evil people like the Life Foundation's goons. And a fourth symbiote, Riot, who takes on Drake as its host. Eddie and Venom have to stop Drake from bringing more symbiotes to Earth.

Director Ruben Fleischer works from a script by Jeff Pinkner, Scott Rosenberg and Kelly Marcel. It does a good job keeping Venom independent of Spider-Man. It's a good premise that needs better pacing. It takes about 45 minutes before Eddie first suits up as Venom. Still, those 45 minutes weren't boring. But then we jump from plot point to plot point for the remaining 67 minutes. The resolution came out of nowhere and the denouement felt like it could've been set earlier.

But I still had fun with it. Hardy as Eddie/Venom makes the film worthwhile. It was good to see Eddie learn from his mistakes by the end. It's even better when Venom comes in. Eddie acting under Venom's influence is hilarious, though I'm convinced some of it's unintentional. Eddie bickering with Venom was definitely intentionally hilarious. It's creepily endearing to see the symbiote support Eddie and Anne's relationship.

The visual effects for Venom and Riot make the most of $100 million. Their monster forms are wonderfully realistic CGI creatures and their transformation effects are outstanding. The sound designers deserve praise for distorting Hardy and Ahmed's voices as their symbiote selves. Cinematographer Matthew Libatique's has some great nighttime views of San Francisco. And sometimes, its other filming location of Atlanta. 

Venom is a flawed, yet goofy superhero adventure. There's some bright spots that make its disjointed narrative enjoyable. The brightest spot of all is Tom Hardy's delightful overacting. Here's hoping Sony has a better grip on the concept next time around. Its prerequisite mid-credit scene introduces us Cletus Kassidy (A Surprise Cameo), better known as Venom's chief symbiote enemy, Carnage.

A Star is Born

... again.

One of the most remade Oscar Bait movies is born again. A Star is Born rose in 1937, 1954 and 1976. Now, it rises again with Bradley Cooper directing and starring with Lady Gaga. Let's say this story hasn't shown its age yet.

Jackson Maine (Cooper) is a boozing, pill-popping rock star. Ally (Lady Gaga) is an aspiring singer-songwriter who works a dead-end waitress job. They meet when he stops at a bar where she's performing. They are instantly attracted to each other. He recognizes her talent and helps her pursue a professional music career. He gets her to perform with him at a concert. And thus, A Star is Born.

But it's not happy ever after. Ally finds the star life overwhelming. Meanwhile, Jackson's addictions cause trouble for them. Ally still loves him despite his flaws. Jackson's flaws are killing his career. This won't end well.

Cooper co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth and Will Fetters. The remake's template is similar to the originals. Moments like Jackson's drunken disruption of the Grammys are present and accounted for. But it was never routine. Its story told a fascinating tale of two people and their struggles with fame. There were times I actually thought the film's traditional tragic ending wouldn't happen. But it did.

Amongst the supporting cast, Sam Elliott and Andrew Dice Clay standout as Sam's much, much older brother Bobby and Ally's father, Lorenzo, respectively.

Its leads make the film work. Their chemistry is believable and their romance is endearing. Their struggles are compelling. Cooper's Jackson Maine is likable and pitiable. His drunken disruption of the Grammys is funny until he passes out. That and his drunken argument with Ally are a tragic result of his alcoholism. His efforts to change are believable. His final outcome is inevitable and sad. Gaga as Ally is believable as a rising star. Her nervousness and fears earn the audience's sympathy.  Her rise to fame makes for great viewing.

Gaga and numerous collaborators created the film's memorable soundtrack. Ally's breakout song, Shallow and the finale, I'll Never Love Again, are the standouts of the playlist. The sound mixing makes each song loud and clear. The musical sequences are rousing scenes thanks to cinematographer Matthew Libatique and editor Jay Cassidy.

A Star is Born shines alongside its past incarnations. Its tragic love story is as compelling as it was in 1937. Its melodrama works because of its great leads. Its 135 minutes go by pretty quickly. You'll eagerly await Bradley Cooper's next directorial effort after it's done. It deserves to be seen on the big screen. It's that good of a musical drama remake.

The Wife

Today was supposed to have seen the announcement of this year's Nobel Prize in Literature. That's not happening due to ugly circumstances. The award plays a part in director Bjorn Runge's first English-language film, The Wife.

Joan Castleman (Glenn Close) is the wife of Joe (Jonathan Pryce), an acclaimed author and now, Nobel Laureate. They immediately fly to Stockholm for the ceremonies. Their son, David (Max Irons), and aspiring biographer Nathaniel Boone (Christian Slater), tag along.

Meanwhile, we see Joan and Joe begin their relationship. He (Harry Lloyd) was her (Annie Starke, Close's daughter) literary professor. He left his first wife for her. Joan was a literary genius and he was ... a quack. She pretty much ghostwrote his acclaimed literature. Naturally, this marriage isn't easy. It all reaches a breaking point in Stockholm.

Meg Wolitzer's 2004 novel was visualized in Jane Anderson's screenplay. It's a comprehensible character study. It doesn't shift time periods rapidly. It also takes a while before it first shifts to the past. But you'll get the picture of Joan and Joe's tense marriage. It would've been nice to hear samples of the Castlemans' acclaimed literature. But that's me.

Close as Joan is the obvious highlight of the film. We first see her and Joe enjoying their life. She tries to stay strong in Joe's shadow. But we feel her resentment build in every argument with Joe. In fact, they argue a lot and usually make up rather quickly. She has the right to be angry, though. You'll know so when the film reveals her struggles. Her emotions are perfectly accentuated by Jocelyn Pook's melancholic score.

Don't take your spouse for granted. That's one takeaway from The Wife. It's a fascinating study of a long-lived marriage and its free-falls. There's a lot of conflicting emotions involved. But I hardly think it's a comedy as some have described it. But it's good for a quiet movie experience.

Smallfoot

Yeti Tracks, an unpublished book by Sergio Pablos, creator of the Despicable Me movies, is the basis for the mythbusting Smallfoot. It's a decent early fall kids movie. It's not perfect but it'll get you by for a matinee.

Migo the Yeti lives with his fellow Yetis in their mountain village. Everything they need to know is written in stones held by the Stonekeeper. Migo lives and obeys the stones. His dad, Dorgle, is the human cannonball who rings the gong which wakes the sun each day. As far as he knows. But anyway, Migo is ready to follow in his dad's footsteps. He overshoots his first test ring and he meets a human - the mythical "Smallfoot" according to the stones.

Nobody believes Migo. The Stonekeeper even throws him out of the village. Meechee, the Stonekeeper's daughter, and her friends, believe Migo. They help him go below the clouds. Down there, Migo finds a washed-up TV personality named Percy Petterson. They get over their misunderstandings and become pals. Migo and friends bring back their Smallfoot. But while the village enjoys Percy, The Stonekeeper decides to tell Migo the awful truth.

Director Karey Kirkpatrick and his brother Wayne wrote the film's musical numbers. It's a great playlist which my showing hampered with poorly-balanced sound. The music was often louder than the lyrics; that wasn't fun. Despite that, Meechee's song Wonderful Life and her father's song Let it Lie were fun. Heitor Pereira's delightful score stands tall among the musical numbers.

The technical achievements are Yeti-good. The character designs are appealing and unique. The Yeti's mountain village was an artistic winter wonderland. The sound designers' best trick was its depiction of the Yeti/Human sound barrier. The high-pitched mumbles of "human speech" are never not amusing.

What about the story? A lot of the gags, like Migo's protracted descent to Earth, were in trailers for months. But the film had surprises, like an encounter with an angry bear which takes an unexpected twist. Migo and Percy's bonding was nice. The sun-waking ceremony had some funny satire to it. There's some meaningful discussion about blind faith vs logic and the downside of fear. The climactic encounter between Yeti and Human societies resonates among the pratfalls.

Smallfoot's setup gets points for creativity. It bends fear and superstition like a pretzel with its perspective flip. It's a film aimed mainly for kids. But there's quite a bit to think about for the adults. Its 96 minutes are well spent.