The Disaster Artist

Oh hi, The Disaster Artist. I've been waiting for you. Let's describe you, huh?

Tommy Wiseau's melodrama The Room became a cult classic of bad movies after its 2003 debut. Ten years later, Wiseau's co-star and real life friend Greg Sestero co-wrote a book about his experiences on the set, The Disaster Artist. We now have the film of the book, directed by and starring James Franco with his brother Dave.

It's 1998 and Greg Sestero (Dave) is an aspiring student in San Francisco. He lacks the confidence that the eccentric, uniquely-accented Tommy Wiseau (James) has. Greg and Tommy strike a friendship and move to Los Angeles to make it big. But only Greg has slightly more success than Tommy. Tommy decides to make his own movie, The Room.

The film stars Tommy as Johnny, a "wonderful person" who loves his fiancee future wife, Lisa (Juliette Danielle, played here by Ari Graynor), who finds him boring, so she seduces his "best friend" Mark (Greg). Greg agrees to the project, flawed as it may be, and they go to work.

Tommy's unique view of the film-making process causes problems. He wastes money on unnecessary equipment and sets and neglects necessary equipment. He forgets the lines that he, himself, wrote. He shows up late to the set a few times and treats the cast and crew poorly. He can't even explain the plot of the movie. The troubled production strains Greg and Tommy's friendship. It also leads Greg and others to question if The Room would ever be released.

Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber's screenplay builds a compelling narrative around the madness. It's a story of Hollywood dreams that made me think of a darker La La Land. Greg and Tommy's story shows how hard it is to break into filmmaking. It even shows how hard it is to run a cheap film set. But it still can be rewarding. Its recreation of The Room's most infamous moments ("I did not hit her. It's not true [...] Oh, hi Mark.") is a laugh riot. The end credits even begin with side-by-side recreations of the actual movie, including multiple takes of the same scenes.

James Franco as Tommy is great. He matches his real-life counterpart's eccentricities and accent perfectly. His unique worldview is a laugh riot. He hams up A Streetcar Named Desire in his first scene. But you'll feel it when Tommy's dark side appears. You won't laugh when Tommy's negligence causes Carolyn Minnott (Jacki Weaver), playing Lisa's mother, to pass out (she recovers quickly, though). It felt like Tommy was venting out his frustrations, some of which we know, on the crew. But that's not right. That subtext made him more like a character than an impersonation. The real Wiseau himself appears in a post-credit scene opposite his movie counterpart.

Dave Franco as Greg is also excellent. He's a strong protagonist whose aspirations are admirable. We can feel his frustrations as the production and his personal life go wrong. It's not easy, for sure. The supporting cast is made of notable actors. Co-Producer Seth Rogen plays Sandy Schklair, The Room's script supervisor and de-facto director, and a perfect sane man. Sharon Stone and Melanie Griffith have notable cameos as Greg's agent, Iris Burton and acting teacher, Jean Shelton, respectively. But the best supporting part has to be Zac Efron as Dan Janjigian, who plays a violent drug-dealer who factors in one of The Room's pointless subplots.

The production and costume designers perfectly recreate the now-iconic imagery of The Room. The characters within the movie-within-a-movie look like the original movie's characters. Cinematographer Brandon Tost gives us a good look at Los Angeles, especially at night. His recreations of the original film look straight out of 2003. It also helped that the film was edited nicely by Stacey Schroeder. Dave Porter's score makes for a memorable soundtrack.

The Disaster Artist is sure to please anyone who adores The Room. It might baffle a few others, though. There were a few things it left out, but the end result is still a capable story about Hollywood and friendship. This might be the closest I get to seeing The Room on the big screen. And I wasn't disappointed.

Ha ha. What a story, Jethro.
Yeah, you can say that again.
Huh?

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri

The Critics Choice Award nominations will be announced tomorrow. Unlike last year, they will not have a supremely truncated schedule, for they will be held on January 11th. A title that's sure to pop up somewhere a few times is the dark comedy Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri.

Mildred Hayes (Frances McDormand) isn't happy with the world right now. Her daughter, Angela (Kathryn Newton), was raped and murdered seven months ago. The police haven't found a culprit. She finds three abandoned billboards and rents them from Red Welby's (Caleb Landry Jones) ad agency. They ask, in sequence, "Raped while dying and still no arrests. How come Chief Willoughby?"  Chief Willoughby (Woody Harrelson) is regarded as a paragon of virtue in the community. So the townsfolks don't take kindly to the perceived attack on his competence. Even the townsfolks sympathetic to Mildred's plight see the billboards as a step too far.

Willoughby wants to help Mildred crack the case but he's sidelined by legal regulations and his terminal cancer. His deputy Jason Dixon (Sam Rockwell) wants Mildred to take down the billboards yesterday. Her ex-husband Charlie (John Hawkes) also wants the billboards down. Mildred's bitter with the world. It eventually escalates when Willoughby finally dies. But will the billboards yield any positive results?

Director Martin McDonagh's screenplay gets its audience laughing with its audaciously casual dialogue. You won't forget the things Mildred or the Cops have to say. One particularly funny scene has Dixon fail to notice Mildred setting his own station on fire until it's too late. It also has a few shocking unfunny moments like Dixon's assault on Red Welby. Penelope (Samara Weaving), Charlie's much-younger girlfriend, is the much-needed light comic relief. She even accidentally provides the theme of the movie.

Mildred is a compelling lead even if her anger makes her lash out in unsympathetic ways. When Willoughby tells her he has cancer, she says she knows and she's still bitter about the lack of progress on her case. Meanwhile, Dixon's bad cop attitude makes him out to be a bumbling, albeit violent idiot. His attack on Red Welby was so disturbing it made his getting fired by Abbercrombie (Clarke Peters), Willoughby's replacement, utterly satisfying. Both of them learn to be better people later on, and it's surprising that even Dixon is capable of redemption.

Ben Davis's cinematography sets the mood perfectly as it introduces the billboards in a foggy morning. We first hear the mournful The Last Rose of Summer, the film's main theme, here. Davis's night photography is also striking, as is his long take of Dixon's aforementioned attack on Red. Carter Burwell's score is also another memorable soundtrack. Jon Gregory's editing keeps the film nice, tense and funny for 115 minutes.

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri may amuse or depress you, but its story is resonant. It's a story of overcoming anger and why it's important to treat others, even disagreeable folks, nicely. It's also a story of people, like Willoughby, who are trying their best to do the right thing. Its themes stick thanks to its candor and characters. Its ending leaves us hanging but it leaves us to assume cooler heads will prevail. It's a truly dark comedy, so be prepared if you see it. You might not regret it if you do.

Lady Bird

Lady Bird is not about the former First Lady of the United States. A film about her husband, LBJ, came out at the same time to less than noticeable box office. No, this Lady Bird is the central character of Greta Gerwig's tale centered around her hometown, Sacramento. This isn't her directorial debut, having co-directed Nights and Weekends, but it's her first solo directed effort. And it's a memorable one.

Christine McPherson (Saoirse Ronan), aka Lady Bird, is on her senior year in Catholic High School in 2002. She wants to get far away from Sacramento, preferably New York, for College. Her parents, Marion (Laurie Metcalf) and Larry (Tracy Letts), try to deal with her stubborn personality. She gives the theater program a try. She attracts a few boyfriends, Danny (Lucas Hedges) and Kyle (Timothée Chalamet). She deals with her friendships with Julie (Beanie Feldstein) and Jenna (Odeya Rush). In the end, she learns that growing up isn't what she thought it is.

The film gets going with its dry sense of humor. The first scene goes from a typical teen/mother argument to Lady Bird jumping out of a moving car (she's fine). Lady Bird's attempt to show off a strict nun (Lois Smith) earn her the Sister's good humor instead. That Lady Bird lives "on the wrong side of the tracks" was amusing too. The jokes directed at Sacramento got a few chuckles from me and the Modesto audience I watched it with. It does know when to get serious and you'll feel for Lady Bird when things go wrong.

Ronan and the ensemble are a great assembly of actors. Lady Bird and her classmates act like High Schoolers instead of grownups playing teenagers. Their chemistry is perfect. Lady Bird herself is a strong protagonist. She makes mistakes and ruffles feathers but she tries to make amends. Her Mother's unwillingness to connect with her amends understandably gets her mad. The final scene is open-ended but it leaves Lady Bird on a positive note.

One of the best technical aspects is Nick Houy's editing. The editing can turn a sweet scene sour, like a few climactic scenes which expose some of Lady Bird's immature fibs. They're both total plot swerves. Sam Levy's cinematography also illuminates the city scenes in rich colors. Jon Brion's score was fine.

Lady Bird is a film you'll hear more about in the next few months. It goes by quick and clearly for 93 minutes. It's definitely worth the unanimous praise heaped upon it. Even if you don't live in the vicinity of Sacramento, you'll find plenty of humor and drama in this portrait of teenage confusion and life itself.

Coco

Coco is Pixar's latest guaranteed Oscar winner. Why? It's the most entertaining and emotional animated film this year. It's just as emotional as Inside Out. Let's see what it's about.

Miguel Rivera (Anthony Gonzalez) comes from a family of shoemakers in Santa Cecilia, Mexico. He wants to be a musician like his idol, singing sensation Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Bratt), who died in a mishap on stage. His great-great-great grandpa left the family to be a musician, so his family have shunned music ever since. The only photo of the man has his face mysteriously ripped off. His great grandma Coco (Ana Ofelia Murguía) is declining with age and wonders when her papa will come home.

On the Day of the Dead, Miguel finds out that he might actually be de la Cruz's grandson. He wants a guitar to participate in a concert that day. So he decides to take de la Cruz's. One strum and Miguel finds himself in the Land of the Dead. His ancestors recognize him and decide to help him return home. But that involves swearing off music forever. So he goes off and meets Hector (Gael García Bernal), a scoundrel ghost who wants to see his last living descendant before it's too late. Hector decides to help Miguel find de la Cruz so he can bless him back to the living world. They'll have to hurry because at sunrise, Miguel will be a permanent resident and Hector will be deader than dead.

The screen story was conceived by four writers, including director Lee Unkrich. It's the kind of animated story that ought to win an Oscar (but probably won't). Once Miguel figures out his connection to de la Cruz, the story seems all too easy to figure out. But it goes off in unexpected ways. His family's resistance to music seems unfair at first, but they have more sympathetic reasons for it. Hector turns out to be far more important than he appears. Dante, a dimwitted street dog, is great comic relief who also turns out to be more than he seems (kind of). It's an understandable story with an emotional resolution.

Miguel is a likable protagonist with a reasonable goal. We can feel how unfair his family's restrictions are for him. We're surprised when the mysteries surrounding him, his family, Hector and de la Cruz are revealed. We're also entertained by his adventures with Hector and Dante. And that ending...

Pixar's track record for technical excellence continues. Both the Lands of the Living and Dead are colorful locales. The ghosts are an eclectic cast of characters. The sound designers and editors get their jobs done. The music is headlined by another memorable Michael Giacchino score and Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez's ballad Remember Me.

Coco is another unforgettable Disney/Pixar film. Its story and characters will get to you long after you leave the theater. It deserves to be seen on the big screen, flatscreen or 3D, night or day. That's how great this is.

The fiesta begins, like it or not, with a 20 minute long short starring Olaf the Snowman. Olaf's Frozen Adventure has him go around and find holiday traditions for Anna and Elsa. It's a fun short but it's length was a bit too much for a feature starter. My theater had a disclaimer warning patrons it would play before the movie. But rest assured. Coco is worth the wait.

The Florida Project

The Florida Project. It took me a while to process my thoughts on this film. I'm still trying to figure them out as I type this review out. Let's see how I do.

This is a kind of movie I classify as a "stuff happens movie." There's not much plot, as far as I can tell, but it consists of scenes in an a life. In this case, it's the life of Moonee (Brooklynn Prince), a poor girl in Kissimmee, Florida. She lives in a motel, the Magic Castle, with her mother, Halley (Bria Vinaite), located near Disney World (the title being a codename for the resort). Moonee mainly hangs out with her friends, Scooty (Christopher Rivera) and Jancey (Valeria Coto) and gets into all sorts of adventures. They ask people for change, shut the motel's power for giggles and pull pranks on people. They even set a vacant house on fire!

Bobby Hicks (Willen Dafoe) is the manager of the Magic Castle. He lets impoverished guests stay as long as needed. But Halley's rancid attitude prompts him to put his foot down. He brings in the DCF when Halley's attitude goes too far. So Moonee has to act and...

That's the moment the movie ends!

The minimal plot and its vignettes might be too much at 115 minutes. The bleak tone is an even worse problem. Halley has a believable problem as a poor, single mother, but her attitude makes it hard to sympathize with her. Meanwhile, Moonee's own attitude led to some incidents. But it later becomes clear she doesn't know any better. She sees the world as special even as the adults don't. It makes one want to tell her "don't grow up to be your mother." But what kind of point did the abrupt ending have to make?

The MVP is Dafoe. He's warm, protective and funny as Bobby. In the best vignette, Bobby hushes away a trio of cranes who walked into the driveway of his motel. He also doesn't hesitate to chase a creepy old man away from the kids. He also tries his best to assure Moonee even when Halley's attitude grates on him.

Director/Editor/Co-Writer/Co-Producer Sean Baker, who shot his last film Tangerine on I-Phones, gives cinematography duties to Alexis Zabe. The images exemplify the pastel colors of Moonee's neighborhood motels and the nightlife in Kissimmee. The editing especially works during the vacant house incident. Scooty lights a pillow and sets it in the fireplace and it cuts to them running. We can tell it figuratively and literally went up in smoke. The last scene switches from 35mm film to digital which contributes to its weirdness.

The Florida Project is a film that's sure to throw you off on first viewing. That's what happened to me. But then again, Baker probably intended to challenge a few perceptions of poverty. You'll probably understand these intentions even if the bleakness overwhelms you. What am I to do?

Justice League

Marvel has had its heroes together on the big screen for years. It's now time for DC to get its Super Friends together. The Justice League is here to fight for truth and justice and redemption with moviegoers. The end result has some issues, but it's amazingly coherent given the turmoil it experienced this year.

The evil Steppenwolf (Ciaran Hinds) wants a pack of Macguffins called Mother Boxes. He had them years ago but a Last Alliance of Fantasy Characters thwarted him. Why does he want them? Because they can terraform planets to make it like his home planet, Apokolips, when they're assembled. He's going to Earth and get them back.

Meanwhile, Batman (Ben Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot) join forces to save the day. They bring together The Flash (Ezra Miller), Aquaman (Jason Momoa) and Cyborg (Ray Fisher) to their team. Flash is the only one who jumps at the call while the other two wait a while. And what of Superman (Henry Cavill), who perished at the end of Batman v. Superman? The Man of Steel comes back in eerie fashion late into the narrative.

Co-Writer Joss Whedon came aboard when director Zack Snyder, who has story credit, departed after a family tragedy this year. His screenplay with Chris Terrio is a serviceable spine of a film. The heroes have to stop a bad guy from doing stuff. That's understandable. Its plot points are solved reasonably, save for how Steppenwolf acquires the last Mother Box. But Steppenwolf comes across like a third-rate Sauron with a thin goal. Cyborg and Aquaman only join the League when Steppenwolf knocks on their front doors. The Flash is already an eager hero as we see he has a wrongly incarcerated dad (Billy Crudup). Aquaman's backstory is brought up once with no pay off. That's a lot to stretch for two hours.

The film's saving grace comes with Ezra Miller as The Flash. His eagerness and humor were aspects that Man of Steel and Batman v Superman needed a lot. He has a convincing character arc where he learns to be a capable hero. It also helps that his speed abilities were the visual highlight of the film. I very much want to see a movie with this character.

Wonder Woman was also great too. Her rescue of civilians from a terrorist attack was outstanding.

There's an acceptable league of technical professionals. The editors did all right with the action scenes but they overdid it sometimes. They also did their best to coalesce the scenes shot during this year's reshoots. A few others have thought ill about the end results (especially regarding Cavill's scenes), but I didn't notice. Danny Elfman has another memorable score which incorporates his theme from Batman and John Williams's Superman March. The production design was fine comic book scenery; Gotham City, in particular, looked straight out of Batman. Cinematographer Fabian Wagner's use of color on our heroes' suits is striking.

Justice League isn't the deepest film about superheroes but it gets the matinee job done. It avoids some of the most divisive mistakes of its predecessors and introduces some new ones. It's a hard film to think about even when the plot is so basic. I hope this inspires future franchise makers to know what they're doing before they sally forth. You don't want to spend $300 million per installment on snap decisions.

Murder on the Orient Express

Agatha Christie's iconic Belgian detective Hercule Poirot is all aboard for a cinematic makeover. One of his most famous cases, that of the Murder on the Orient Express, was most famously presented on the big screen in 1974. That version had Sidney Lumet directing Albert Finney as Poirot and an all-star cast of suspects. This new take has Kenneth Branagh direct himself as Poirot and an all-star cast of suspects. The end result is one enjoyable scenic mystery tour.

Poirot opens the film by solving a robbery in Jerusalem. Afterwards, he goes to Istanbul and books a return trip to London on the Orient Express. One of the passengers, a shady businessman named Mr. Ratchett (Johnny Depp), wants to hire Poirot as his bodyguard. Poirot refuses to take the job. Eventually, someone kills Ratchett in the dead of night, while the train derails after an avalanche.

Poirot gets to work when the deed is found. Because of the train's circumstances, he figures the murderer is still snowbound on the Orient Express. He interviews an eclectic cast of characters, which include Ratchett's assistant MacQueen (Josh Gad), rich widow Mrs. Hubbard (Michelle Pfieffer) and Dr. Arbuthnot (Leslie Odom Jr.). Poirot wants to punish the guilty party even if Ratchett wasn't exactly nice. But Poirot figures he might have to this time once he determines the motive of the case.

The screenplay by Michael Green breezes by capably for 114 minutes. Poirot's opening case made for a great display of his personality and skill. It also showcases his sense of humor, even a joke I sensed a mile away (is that good?). You'll have to pay attention to the investigation scenes or the summation might lose you a bit. The flashback scenes, especially those which elaborated on the motive, were striking. 

The murderer's row of actors was pretty good. Kenneth Branagh portrayed Poirot as a delightfully smug and competent detective with a distinct Daddy Walrus mustache. The case's solution certainly affected him. Josh Gad proved he could play a dramatic role (as far as I know) as MacQueen. Mrs. Hubbard made her most impact once she revealed her relevance to the case. The same was true for Dr. Arbuthnot. Count Andrenyi's (Sergei Polunin) sudden ballistic attack on a paparazzi belonged in a pure comedy, but it was still funny weird. Other highlights included Willem Dafoe as Dr. Hardman and Judi Dench as Princess Dragomiroff. 

There's also a fine technical crew aboard for this mystery. Jim Clay's production design visualizes the best looking train station since Hugo and a fine train to set the story. Hans Zambarloukos's cinematography pulls off several impressive long takes and scenery shots in 65mm. Alexandra Byrne's costume design and the makeup design give the characters great period looks. There's also a strong score by Patrick Doyle, which do their best work when the Express disembarks the station and in the Flashbacks.

Murder on the Orient Express is a good introduction to Hercule Poirot. It's an entertaining, involving and panoramic event movie that gets things going from the studio logo on. I'd be set for another Poirot movie in case they make one more. They already hint at the location of his next case, which was already filmed in the 70's.

Thor: Ragnarok

He sat out of the Civil War, but Thor has made it back to the big screen. Once again embodied by Chris Hemsworth, the Norse God of Thunder as envisioned by Marvel is here in Thor: Ragnarok. It's the best solo adventure from this electric Avenger.

Our hero opens the film by fighting his way out of the domain of Surtur (Clancy Brown), the fire demon prophesied to end Asgard in the titular Ragnarok. Thor puts down the demon and returns to Asgard. He promptly exposes Odin (Anthony Hopkins) as Loki (Tom Hiddleston) in disguise. The real All-Father is on Earth. After Thor and Loki reunite with him, Odin dies. As if on cue, they're greeted by Hela (Cate Blanchett), their sister and the queen of the underworld. She destroys Thor's hammer, Mjolnir, and banishes them to Sakaar, a junk planet owned by a petulant Grandmaster (Jeff Goldblum).

Loki sits pretty with the Grandmaster while Thor fights as a Gladiator. His opponent is The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo/Lou Ferrigno), who was last seen going AWOL in Age of Ultron. The Gladiator Games are fun but Thor has to get going to stop Hela from taking over the multiverse. Using his brains and brawns, he gets Hulk, Loki, and the Asgardian bounty hunter Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson) into his team, The Revengers, on a mission to escape Sakaar and fight Hela.

This sequel is directed by Taika Waititi, who also plays Surtur and a rock guy named Korg via motion capture and voices the latter. The end result is a lively cosmic adventure. Everything from the costume and production design on Sakaar to the chemistry of the stars is colorful. It knows how to balance humor and seriousness pretty well. The ending was a surprise.

Our heroes, Thor and Loki, are reliable Marvels as always. Valkyrie's entrance was hilarious and her personality was perfectly tough. Hulk and his alter-ego, Bruce Banner, were also welcome. The Grandmaster was likable at first until he sinks to petulance during the Gladiator Games. Korg is great comic relief. Meanwhile, Hela is a formidable, hammy villain while Skurge (Karl Urban), her Executioner, has a fine, yet somewhat rushed redemption arc. There's also a nice cameo from Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch), expanding upon the mid-credit scene from his movie last year.

I've already mentioned the colorful production and costume design. I can also elaborate on the point. There's a wide variety of amazing aliens and warriors to behold on Sakaar and Asgard. The visual effects and makeup departments do their parts well to visualize these characters. The CGI here has visualized the best version of the Hulk so far, Korg's rocky appearance and the scary Surtur himself. Hela's horned battle form also employs some great editing with some CGI. Mark Mothersbaugh's score suits the film's grand tone and it makes excellent use of The Immigrant Song twice.

Thor: Ragnarok is another Marvel from, well, Marvel. Its 130 minutes make it another meaningful trip throughout the cosmos. Thor loses friends and allies, including some absentees from this film, but he triumphs. It's a fine ending to Thor's story even though you know it's not the end. The end credits promise he'll return in Avengers: Infinity War, and the mid-credit scene apparently sets it up. The post credits scene is another amusing bit with the Grandmaster.

Only The Brave

I live downwind from the cluster of wildfires giving North California grief. I could smell the fires all the way here a few weeks ago. It's probably ill-timing for a major movie about wildfires even if it's based on a real one and the heroes who fought it. That's where Only the Brave comes in.

The firefighter crew eventually known as the "Granite Mountain Hotshots" directly confronted wildfires in and around Prescott, Arizona. Their chief, Eric Marsh (Josh Brolin), fought hard to make them a certified crew. They take on a new recruit, Brenden McDonough (Miles Teller), just as they start their official evaluation. Brenden is a loser who decides to shape up after getting promoted to papa. All but Marsh are reluctant to let him onto the team. But he warms up to them after the team is finally certified.

The team confronts numerous fires and their own personal issues. It all leads to the 2013 Yarnell Hill Fire, which leaves only Brenden alive. Their struggle was documented in GQ's article No Exit, which formed the basis for Eric Warren Singer and Ken Nolan's screenplay.

Brenden's story arc is a movie standard. He's the screw-up trying to turn his life around, doubted by his peers, but they warm up to him. But there's no big moment where he proves himself because of the historical outcome. It works because Teller makes him likable. He's a screw-up but he's honest and hard-working. He still gets some funny bits during the movie. This surely gets him the audience's favor all the way through.

The rest of the cast is filled with great actors big and small. There's Brolin as Marsh and Jennifer Connelly as his wife, Amanda, Jeff Bridges as Fire Chief Duane and Taylor Kitsch as Marsh's deputy Chris McKenzie. They're a good bunch of characters you get to know throughout most of the film's 133 minutes. Their likability makes the ending hard to sit through.

Director Joseph Kasinski proves he can work as much with a $38 million budget as he can with a $120 million one. The wildfires and their aftermath are eerily realistic disaster scenes. Cinematographer Claudio Miranda perfectly envisions these disasters as what Marsh describes them: the apocalypse. They're matched by a sound design consisting of vicious sound effects. Billy Fox's editing builds up the drama and even comedy of the hotshots' lives.

Only The Brave is a fine true life story. It's more about the people who fight the fires than the fires themselves. There are actually more drama scenes than there are disaster scenes. So it's not accidentally too-timely considering my state's recent calamities. Whether or not you choose to see it I'll leave it to you. It's still a glowing film that's sure to join a long list of distinguished titles down the line.

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women

Wonder Woman made her impact on the big screen last summer. We now have a biopic based on the man who created the superheroine … and the women in his life. There was a fleeting trailer for the movie before Wonder Woman last summer and now, Professor Marston and the Wonder Women is here.

In 1928, Dr. William Moulton Marston (Luke Evans) is a Harvard Professor married to Elizabeth (Rebecca Hall). The Marstons teach behavioral studies by day and develop the polygraph by night. A student, Olive Byrne (Bella Heathcoate), applies as their lab assistant. Marston is smitten with Olive and while Elizabeth isn't fond of the hypotenuse, sparks fly between them too. Their unusual lives cost the Marstons their jobs, Olive her engagement and them their normal lives. They'll have to move away from Harvard.

Marston hopes to make his theories more accessible to the public. A trip to a BDSM costume shop inadvertently gives him the inspiration for the Amazonian superheroine. A quick meeting with Max Gaines (Oliver Platt), publisher of All-American Publications later, and Wonder Woman is ready to go. Unfortunately, the Marston's neighbors have caught on to their kinks and ostracize them. The Moral Guardians have also caught on to Wonder Woman's admitted BDSM imagery and are ready to grill him. What's a scientist to do?

Director/Writer Angela Robinson's screenplay frames Marston's life with his meeting with one such moral guardian (Connie Britton). His backstory leads back to the framestory, leading up to his hospitilization for the skin cancer that killed him in 1947. We see how he laid the ground work for the DISC theory and how Elizabeth refined the polygraph. We see a lot of R-Rated material. What don't we see? How and why Marston decided to come up with a comic book superheroine. He sees Olive dressed in a dominatrix outfit and – bam! - Wonder Woman! We open the film with a comic book burning, but until she appears, we don't see a chronological mention of a comic book.

The three leads make the film great. Marston is a bold intellectual, Elizabeth his reserved equal and Olive finding her place between them (i.e., ID, superego and ego). Their first uses of the polygraph are tense as their lies are exposed by science. Their difficulties with each other are as tough as any “normal” family. They struggle to survive the scrutiny of their neighbors and moral guardians but ultimately pull through.

There are many technical wonders on the crew. The production and costume design are a good representation of the era. Bryce Fortner's cinematography really shines when Olive appears in her outfit, which is presented in a dreamy “Eureka” moment leading to Wonder Woman. Jeffrey M. Werner's editing makes the back-and-forth chronology comprehensible and the dramatic moments tense. Tom Howe's score is good, even if the period standards are more memorable.

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women isn't exactly an accurate representation of the early days of the greatest comic book heroine. It's still a good character study of three people in an atypical relationship. It's not perfect and thorough but it held my interest for its 108 minutes. It ends with an epilogue which ends the film on a fine note.

Speaking of comic books, it makes me wonder when someone will finally adapt The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay, a novel about two fictional comic creators. There's another great story waiting there!

Battle of the Sexes

Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Farris made their mark on independent cinema with their feature debut, Little Miss Sunshine. Their next feature, Ruby Sparks, was a quirky movie I wished I'd seen back in the day. This time, I made sure I caught their latest effort, Battle of the Sexes, their dramatization of the classic tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs.

In 1973, King (Emma Stone) is the champion of the Women's Tennis Circuit. She doesn't find it rewarding to get less than equal pay than the men. So she and several female tennis players start the Women's Tennis Association. Their victories make progress for the Women's Liberation Movement. Meanwhile, the married Billie's life gets complicated when she meets hairdresser Marilyn (Andrea Riseborough).

Meanwhile, Riggs (Steve Carrell) is a gambling-addicted office drone who used to be a tennis pro. He decides to get back on top by proving man as the superior tennis player. He decides to challenge the top ranked Woman Tennis Player to an exhibition match, the eponymous “battle of the sexes.” He plays up the chauvinist pig angle like a badge of honor. It's only a matter of time before Billie finally accepts the challenge.

Both Stone and Carrell serve up capable performances as King and Riggs. Billie is as great an athlete as she is a person. We feel for her as she struggles for equal pay and sorts through her personal life. The dramatic unravelings in her life sting not just for her but for the audience. She doesn't take Bobby's challenge seriously and only does when she sees the misogyny he upholds. Her victory ends the film on a fine note.

Meanwhile, Bobby's first scene shows him in his lonely office job. Even though we see he has a wife (Elizabeth Shue) and chums, we still feel he has no one but his glorious past. There were times I thought he was only acting the part of a chauvinist (or greatly exaggerating it) because of the absurd lengths he goes to. He's at least more sympathetic than the announcer (Bill Pullman), whose misogyny is much blunter.

Amongst the supporting cast, Jessica McNamee stands out as Billie's fellow WTA player and rival Margaret Court. Alan Cumming is also great as the Association's fashion designer, Ted Tinling, as is Eric Christen Olsen as Bobby's coach, Lornie. Riseborough as Marilyn is endearing and Austin Stowell as Billie's husband Larry is OK.

The most striking feature is Linus Sandgren's cinematography, whose grainy colors makes it look like a film from the 70's. Even the Fox Searchlight logo is stylized like the Fox logo of the era. There's also Pamela Martin's editing which makes the dramatic moments tense and the games exciting. Nicholas Britell's score is as memorably melancholy as his soundtrack for Moonlight. The makeup artists also deserve attention for making Stone and Carrell into the splitting images of their real-life characters.

Battle of the Sexes spends a lot of time building up to the inevitable showdown. But the engaging cast kept me interested for its 121 minutes. It's a strong personal story as it is a sports story. Don't let this film fall by the wayside; see it if you can find it. They need the box-office, stat.

Blade Runner 2049

Hello, whiplash. Now I go from pastel ponies to dreary, yet serene dystopias.

Ridley Scott's Blade Runner realized the most visually appealing sci-fi urban dystopia at the time. It floundered at the box office but it came back on home video and inspired other sci-fi works. It's been re-edited and re-released multiple times over the years. Now the story of sci-fi dystopia has finally continued on the big screen in Blade Runner 2049.

In the first movie, Blade Runners like Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) hunted down the biomechanical Replicants barred from Earth. In the titular year, Replicants like "K" (Ryan Gosling) are now welcome on Earth. That's because the blind mogul Niander Wallace (Jared Leto) made newer, more compliant Replicants. K is himself a Blade Runner who goes around "retiring" older models. K deals with one such Replicant (Dave Bautista) and finds a box of bones.

These bones were of a pregnant Replicant, which nobody thought was possible. This could give credence for Replicants to pursue their rights and thus, war. So K is ordered to find the Replicant offspring and retire it. K's investigation leads him to a conspiracy, a rebellion and eventually, Deckard himself. He also learns a lot more about himself along the way.

The film continues the technical standards set by Syd Mead, et al. in the first film. The production design and cinematography, by Dennis Gassner and Roger Deakins, visualizes Los Angeles as a dark metropolis that turns alluring at night. The LAPD building's so large it's like a domineering entity; what symbolism. It's amusing to see a future where Panam is still a thing. The costume and makeup designs are also elaborate displays. The sound design resonated with the pulsating sound effects and score. Hans Zimmer and Benjamin Wallfisch collaborated on the score and even incorporated bits of Vangelis's iconic score from the first movie.

A real deal-breaker is its extreme length of 164 minutes. If you came for an exciting action film, you'll have to wait a while. There is action but the main mystery plot moves along at a slow pace. Deckard himself shows up at about the 90 minute mark or so. The film goes on about the meaning of humanity and freedom as much as the first film. There was some logic I didn't understand at first but I got over time. Overall, its themes were better developed than Ghost in the Shell, whose manga source material was inspired by Blade Runner.

What about the characters? The actors were all capable in their roles. K's quest to find his personal identity made the length bearable. His hologram girlfriend, Joi (Ana de Armas), was a likable and endearing character. Wallace was weird and proved himself a scumbag. His Replicant assistant, Luv (Sylvia Hoeks), seemed warm at first before she proved violent. Robin Wright was also great as K's gruff-but-good superior Lt. Joshi as was Dave Bautista as the opening Replicant, Morton. Harrison Ford did well as the weary Deckard in his small role. There's also a few cameos from the first movie, one of which was accomplished with eerily effective visual effects.

Blade Runner 2049 is as much a visual masterpiece as its revered predecessor. And like its predecessor, it's going to take some time to get used to. Once you do, you'll find an effective mystery film with strong twists and turns. The ending leaves the film on a strong note. See it on the big screen. Its three hours are slow but they are worth it.

My Little Pony: The Movie

I didn't think I would review My Little Pony: The Movie. I've never started on the current TV series, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, but I heard good things about it. I'm not what the internet describes as a "brony" (a fan of this franchise). But after a slow summer and few Oscar contenders at this point, I decided to review something. This looked harmless enough.

And I regret nothing.

So Princess Twilight Sparkle (Tara Strong) of Equestria, the land of Ponies and Unicorns and other critters, is holding a big Friendship Festival. Her fellow ponies, Rainbow Dash and Applejack (both Ashleigh Ball), Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie (both Andrea Libman), and Rarity (Tabitha St. Germain), are here to help. Spike (Cathy Weseluck), Twilight's baby dragon personal assistant, is here too.

The bad mare Tempest Shadow (Emily Blunt) crashes the party on the orders of the evil Storm King (Liev Schreiber). Storm King wants the magical power of Equestria's four princesses for himself. Tempest petrifies the other three princesses but the "Mane 6" (and Spike) escape. Twilight and her friends have to find a few hippogriffs who might help them save the day. There's a colorful cast of characters along the way like Capper (Taye Diggs) the slick cat and Captain Celaeno (Zoe Saldana) and her sky pirates. How will our heroes' friendship survive this big screen adventure?

The movie hopes you're at least familiar with the TV show and its cast. Fortunately, the movie doesn't leave one drowning in a sea of continuity. The Mane 6 (and Spike) have personalities as colorful as their pastels. You'll get a sense of who they are and their relationship to each other when they appear. The other Equestrian Princesses require a lot more explanation but you can tell they're important. The voice cast perfectly define their characters and it's especially impressive for those who double-up characters.

The new characters are also well-defined by their celebrity voice actors. It's great to hear Liev Schreiber and Michael Pena (as Tempest's hedgehog lackey, Grubber), ham it up in their roles. Emily Blunt's Tempest Shadow is an outstanding villain with a believable sad backstory and heel-face turn. Kristen Chenoweth is also great as the hippogriff Princess Skystar.

The main selling point for me was the 2D animation. You don't see many of these on the big screen anymore unless you live in a big city. So that's one point in its favor. Its bright, vibrant, lively drawn characters in dynamically shot environments look outstanding on the big screen. Effects like Rainbow Dash's trademark "Sonic Rainboom" and Tempest's lightning attacks are visual highlights.

It also helped that it had a great soundtrack. Daniel Ingram and Michael Vogel, veterans of the TV show, composed the film's musical numbers. They're all addictive even if one's tired of hearing songs about friendship and stuff. Tempest's haunting villain song Open Up Your Eyes, is a sad anti-friendship song. The rousing number Time to be Awesome is my personal favorite of the tracklist. The singer Sia contributed a number sung by her character, a singing pony named Songbird Seranade, which concluded the film. 

So is My Little Pony: The Movie a yay or a neigh?  It's an obvious yay. It's a well-defined tale of good vs evil that doesn't solve things with fisticuffs. The characters are fun, the tone is affable and the ending is predictable but satisfying. It's a fun ride for ponies of all ages.

It opens with an animated short for Hasbro's newest girl-centric toyline, Hanazuki: Full of Treasures. I didn't really know who the characters were but the ending was pretty nice.

The Lego Ninjago Movie

Apparently, The Lego Batman Movie wasn't enough Lego silliness for one year. We now have The Lego Ninjago Movie to deal with. Lego Ninjago, if anyone wants to know, is Lego's Ninja Superhero brand best known for its Cartoon Network TV show, Lego Ninjago: Master of Spinjitzu. A movie was perhaps inevitable when The Lego Movie became a thing. It's not awesome but it's still cool.

The evil Lord Garmadon (Justin Theroux) wants to take over the city of Ninjago for some reason. The Secret Ninja Force, a team of color-coded ninjas with giant mechs, opposes him every single time. Lloyd (Dave Franco), the Green Ninja, is Garmadon's son. Everybody in town knows about Lloyd's relationship to Garmadon and hates him for it. At least not the highly-visible secret ninjas, their Master Wu (Jackie Chan), and Lloyd's mom (Olivia Munn).

One day, Garmadon finally overpowers the highly-visible secret ninjas and takes over Ninjago. Lloyd uses the forbidden "Ultimate Weapon" to stop him. All that does is summon a non-Lego cat named Meowthra whose destructive playfulness makes things worse. The ninjas are without their mechs and Garmadon's sitting pretty. Oh yeah, and Lloyd also reveals his true identity to Garmadon and rejects him.

So Wu and the ninjas go on a perilous journey to find an "Ultimate, Ultimate Weapon" to deal with Meowthra. Garmadon tags along too to provide some villainous assistance. And also to mend (somehow) his relationship with his son. It's just as weird as it sounds.

I can already see a lot of work went into this movie by the credits alone. There are three directors credited, a whopping ten people worked on the screen story and screenplay and five people were the editors. The Lego Batman Movie had one, five and three people in those positions. So how did all those cooks do in this kitchen?

There are plenty of funny bits in the movie. Garmadon's idea of firing employees is to shoot them out of his volcano fortress. The Ultimate Weapon that summons Meowthra is clearly a laser-pointer. The townsfolk's' ostracizing of Lloyd gets ridiculous with a cheerleader chant that goes Platinum. Master Wu himself is also a master of funny and awesome. Meanwhile, Lloyd's relationship with Garmadon is a strong dramedic parody of the same sort we saw in works like Star Wars. It was funny to see Lloyd's attempt to remind Garmadon it was his birthday end in failure multiple times. It was nice to see them bond when they escaped Garmadon's former minions (long story). Overall, the humor still works.

What about the weak spots? The other highly-visible ninjas, Kai, Cole, Nya, Zane and Jay, are just there. They have some personality quirks, such as Zane being an obvious robot, but are kind of flat compared to Lloyd. The only lesson they learn is to use their elemental powers more and not their mechs. On the other hand, it was awesome when they finally started using their elemental powers. The ultimate lesson about finding "a new point of view" or something felt sort of rushed. It was admirable but I've seen that sort done better.

There's much to admire on a visual scale. The Lego figures and their environments are still fun and colorful. The elemental powers were also nicely realized. The best visual effect was Meowthra herself, played by two real cats named Pearl and Ruby, who were green-screened into the Lego world. Meowthra was apparently played by a CGI cat in a few shots but I couldn't tell which ones. She looked seamless all the way through.

The Lego Ninjago Movie makes for a nice Fall family movie. It's not a surefire Oscar-contender but it's still an entertaining 101 minutes. Let's not imagine how this could be worse. It's a good matinee as you wait for some of the bigger films of the fall. I can name many of them now...

It

It's...

Either Monty Python's Flying Circus or one of the best horror movies ever. Or the set up of a silly joke.

Stephen King's iconic novel It already saw cinematic life in the form of a TV miniseries in 1990. It had Tim Curry as the most memorable monster clown since The Joker but some felt It could've been better. And now, with Bill Skarsgard in those demonic clown shoes, It has and will be done better. We'll discuss the "will" later after we float down to the summary.

It's 1988 in Derry, Maine. Bill (Jaeden Lieberher) makes a paper sailboat for his brother, Georgie (Jackson Robert Scott). Georgie enjoys it until it sails right into a storm drain. Pennywise the Dancing Clown (Skarsgard) leers out of the storm drain to give it back. But Pennywise is the It of the story who takes a bite out of Georgie and drags him into the sewers.

The next summer, Bill is downtrodden as summer approaches. Perhaps Georgie's alive? He wants to find out. He and his friends, Richie Tozier (Finn Wolfhard), Eddie Kaspbrak (Jack Dylan Grazer), and Stanley Uris (Wyatt Oleff) are harassed by psycho bully Henry Bowers (Nicholas Hamilton) and his gang. They're also harassed by Pennywise, who takes the form of one's deepest fears before devouring them. Our heroes are joined by Beverly Marsh (Sophia Lillis), Ben Hanscom (Jeremy Ray Taylor) and Mike Hanlon (Chosen Jacobs) to make The Losers' Club.

The Losers must band together to take out Pennywise before it does. Its easier said than done since Pennywise can appear before them anytime It wants. It knows how to push their panic buttons. It's time for the Losers to push Pennywise's panic buttons.

The original novel was over 1,000 pages and jumped back and forth in time. This movie only deals with the Losers' Club as kids, while the sequel will have them fight It as adults. The end result is a clear story as realized by director Andy Muschietti. It can easily stand on its own even as the film proclaims itself "Chapter One" by the end credits. It goes from terrifying to moving to hilarious and it still feels like the same movie.

The Losers' Club makes for a great bunch of characters. They're all likable and empathetic kids who have to face the horrors of their town by themselves. Richie the class clown gets the film's best lines and laughs. They all get awesome moments as they stand up to their fears. A few choice moments include the "apocalyptic rockfight" (as the book called it) where they stand up to Henry and his gang and their final takedown of Pennywise.

What about Pennywise the Dancing Clown? Skarsgard dances off with the show. He's darkly funny and legitimately threatening at once. He's a lot less verbose than past versions of Pennywise which only helps his creep factor. Strong makeup effects by Alec Gillis and Tom Woodruff Jr. create Pennywise and a few of his incarnations. Good CGI creates a few more incarnations and enhances some of the practical ones.

There's a great technical crew making the film float. The first balloon goes to composer Benjamin Wallfisch's unforgettably eerie score. Like the film itself, it can go from soft and comforting to loud and terrifying. The next balloons go together to cinematographer Chung-hoon Chung, editor Jason Ballantine and the sound designers. They know how to set the mood for any scene. They can set up the horror, execute it or do the same for a good joke. As mentioned before, the visual effects and makeup crew deserve their praise.

It deserves its planned sequel. The film is an engaging 135 minutes which balances its moods perfectly. Be warned that it's legitimately scary. The Losers' victories make it more than worth it. While it's obvious Pennywise isn't done yet, you'll anticipate the final showdown rather than feel obliged to come back. That "Chapter Two" is set to come in the next few years. I'm ready.

Logan Lucky

Steven Soderbergh decided to leave the feature film industry after the Liberace biopic Behind the Candelabra. But he decided to give screenwriter Rebecca Blunt her lucky break and produce her heist comedy, Logan Lucky. Yeah, more on her later.

Jimmy Logan (Channing Tatum) is a construction worker who gets laid off from his job at the Charlotte Motor Speedway due to his bum knee. His brother Clyde (Adam Driver) lost his lower arm in Iraq and now sports a prosthetic hand. There's supposedly a curse on the family that gives them bad luck. Jimmy's luck is about to get worse when his ex-wife (Katie Holmes) plans to move away with their daughter, Sadie (Farrah Mackenzie), and new husband (David Denman). Jimmy decides to do something about it by cooking up a scheme to rob the speedway's vault.

The Logans recruit convicted safecracker Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) for the scheme. Joe's brothers Sam and Fish (Brian Gleeson and Jack Quaid) and the Logans' sister Mellie (Riley Keough) join in. Their heist coincides with a big race on Memorial Day. A few of the participants have their doubts about the heist. So how will the brothers pull it off?

There is speculation that "Rebecca Blunt" is actually a pseudonym, presumably for Soderbergh's wife, Jules Asner. What is known is that Soderbergh edited and photographed the film under his own pseudonyms, Mary Ann Bernard and Peter Andrews. David Holmes, who is not a pseudonym for anybody, composed the fine soundtrack. Ain't that something?

The film gets going quickly in its 119 minutes. The heist is ready to go before the hour mark. There's plenty of entertaining gags which come out of the crew's relative inexperience. Meanwhile, a prison riot hinges on the last few A Game of Thrones novels, which have yet to be published. The film finds ways to keep things interesting after the heist. There's a strong moment when Sadie sings "Country Roads" at a Beauty Pageant when Jimmy arrives. There's a comically serious FBI agent (Hilary Swank) who investigates the crime; why wasn't she in the movie more?

The cast was great. They were likable Southern folks. Daniel Craig was especially awesome in an atypical role as the comically serious Joe Bang. The Logan brothers were a compelling duo. The supporting cast was populated by plenty of big names. There's Seth MacFarlane as a pompous British businessman, Dwight Yoakman as the overwhelmingly incompetent prison warden and Sebastian Stan as a harried NASCAR driver. They're all a memorable bunch of characters.

Logan Lucky is a nice film for the last days of summer. It's a good take on the heist movie that Soderbergh did so well with Ocean's 11. A few plot elements get abruptly driven off the road during the denouement but its amiable atmosphere speeds through. See it before it gets driven out of theaters.

The Dark Tower

The Man in Black fled across the desert and Jethro, lacking a map, got lost in the process of following him. But he didn't have it as bad as most critics who climbed The Dark Tower. This is the cinematic realization of Stephen King's epic fantasy novels. I think 95 minutes is too short a realization.

So what did Jethro learn from this? There's a Dark Tower in the land of Mid-World that holds up all the worlds of the multiverse together. Walter Padick (Matthew McConaughey), the evil Man in Black, wants to destroy the Tower so he and his fellow demons can destroy the universe. But he needs a child with immense psychic energy to bring down the Tower. Roland Deschain (Idris Elba) is the last of the knightly order of Gunslingers tasked with defending the Tower. Walter killed the other Gunslingers, including Roland's father. So Roland wants revenge.

Everybody got that?

Jake Chambers (Tom Taylor) sees this epic battle of good and evil in his dreams. Jake also has special psychic powers and Walter knows it. He sends some demons over to fetch him but he escapes. Jake finds his way to Mid-World and meets Roland. Roland has some misgivings but lets Jake tag along. He'll soon have to choose between vengeance and nobility when Walter closes in on Jake.

The three main characters are pretty well-defined in their roles. Roland is a heroic knight who lost his way, Walter is evil incarnate and delightfully smug and Jake is the kid at the center of it all. The screenplay makes them and their situations basically defined and comprehensible. I'm sure there was much more depth in the books but that's what we have here. (I mean, why does it have to be a psychic kid who has to bring down the Tower? The why is never explained.) There are a few funny moments from Roland's first encounters with Jake's Earth. That's a good thing.

The creature designs were pretty nifty when you can make them out. It's one of those movies that goes for dark cinematography and quick editing on action scenes. One cut to black was so abrupt I thought the projector stopped for a bit! The sound design was suitably creepy and the visual effects were adequate. The makeup work for Walter's minions was also good.

The Dark Tower is an acceptable dark fantasy film but it could've been better. An hour longer or several movies longer or a TV show like Game of Thrones. But 95 minutes is short not sweet. But at least it's not dreadfully incomprehensible or boring like Warcraft. Its greatest sin, if any, was that it was basic. Hopefully, someone does better the next time they set Roland and Walter and the others into motion.

Detroit

After two consecutive films about the Iraq War, director Kathryn Bigelow and writer Mark Boal go back in time to another historical event in American history. This is Detroit and where's Robocop when you need him?

The film opens with the police raid on the blind pig that sets off the 12th Street Riot. The National Guard and the Army are brought in when local government fails to keep the peace. One night, the Dramatics, an R&B group, sees their first stage performance cut short by the rioting. Their bus trip out of town is cut short by more rioting and they head off to the Algiers Motel. They meet a few new characters, including Carl (Jason Cooper), who has a starter pistol in hand. He prank shoots another guy then shoots at some troops he sees from a window.

The cops mistake the starting pistol for a legitimate sniper attack. They trace the gun fire to the Algiers and raid the place. A racist creep named Krauss (Will Poulter) is the officer in charge. He and his fellow officers won't rest until the gun is found. They'll use psychological and physical torture of all means to get their shooter. The incident leaves three of the Algiers guest dead and a bad spot in American history.

The raid on the Algiers is the film's most arduous experience. It kicks off at about the fifty minute mark and goes on for almost an eternity. The officers, among other aggravations, take a guest to a secluded room and pretend to shoot them. It gets taxing after the umpteenth time of this. I wondered aloud at one point "how much more of this?" There is next to no relief, which I'm sure is the point, and they really nailed it in. The torture scenes in Zero Dark Thirty were much shorter but you got the point.

Please note: The film admits to partaking in dramatic license because the actual facts are sketchy. I'm not making that up. I summed up their disclaimer. Anyway...

The only relief comes when a kindly national guardsman liberates one of the guests from the "death game." He's later found by another cop who takes him to the hospital. There is humanity.

Let's discuss the villain. Will Poulter as Krauss is unlikable from scene one to scene last. His only ounce of humanity comes when he reacts in horror to his partner botching the "death game" by killing a guest ... then he loops it around by planting evidence and shooting another guest in cold blood. I dislike this character.

The best I can say about the acting is that I saw them as characters. A few standouts include Mitchell, Algee Smith as Larry, lead singer of the Dramatics, John Boyega as Dismukes, a security guard who gets involved in the mess and Anthony Mackie as Greene, a Vietnam vet. You really feel for them as the injustices unfold. A few might question why none of the guests came clean about the starter pistol. But perhaps they know the cops won't believe them because they're them. I'm sure it's a persistent sentiment today.

The technical side deserves some credit. Editor William Goldenberg builds up the tension from the very beginning. Together with cinematographer Barry Ackroyd, his work really emphasizes the claustrophobia of the Algiers incident. Sound designer Paul NJ Ottosson does a great job in creating the urban chaos. James Newton Howard's score is strong and the old standards on the soundtrack are memorable.

Detroit is a film that may take time to invite a second viewing. It's technically proficient and deeply resonant, but its centerpiece segment is unendurable by design. It would've been better if the aftermath of the Algiers incident wasn't essentially breezed over in the last part. How did it impact the city other than one more Kangaroo Court? It feels much longer than 143 minutes.

Dunkirk

The evacuation of Allied soldiers in the harbor city of Dunkirk, France was an amazing feat of military strategy. It was a plot point in Atonement and it's the plot of Christopher Nolan's latest epic, Dunkirk.

Nolan's screenplay divides the story from three fronts. They unfold in a non-linear fashion and without the aid of extraneous dialogue. The plot is pretty comprehensible except for reasons I'll get to later on.

1. THE MOLE. Privates Tommy (Fionn Whitehead) and Alex (Harry Styles) are among the many British troops stranded in Dunkirk. Commander Bolton (Kenneth Branagh) is supervising the evacuation on the stone pier, the "mole" of the title. U-Boats and the German Air Force surround them. They need help.

2. THE SEA. Mr. Dawson (Mark Rylance) is here to help. He's one of many mariners who've set out to deliver the troops their salvation. His son, Peter (Tom Glynn-Carney), doesn't think they have a chance and teenage George (Barry Keoghan) is here for the ride. They save a shell-shocked soldier (Cilian Murphy), who's really desperate not to go back to Dunkirk.

3. THE AIR. British pilots Farrier (Tom Hardy) and Collins (Jack Lowden) are here to provide some air support. They'll have to do what it takes to make sure the evacuation succeeds.

The film runs at a surprisingly short 106 minutes considering its scale. But it makes every minute count. Its opening scene shows the eerie desolation of Dunkirk as photographed by Hoyte van Hoytema. The production design is also praiseworthy. The ocean scenes are also spectacularly filmed. Its sound team follows tense silence with piercing sound effects. It also helps that editor Lee Smith paces the action wonderfully. And finally, Hans Zimmer's score is another memorable soundtrack.

What gripes exist? There's one and that's the non-linear structure. It can really throw off viewers as they try to piece together the plot. You really don't know how the pieces go together until the end. I'll give you a hint: "The Air" storyline unfolds in an hour before the ships come in. You might end up drawing your own wild conclusions before the finale. I know I did. Fortunately, as with Nolan's other works, this is a problem that can be fixed with repeat viewings.

Which performances stood out in the shifting crowd? Rylance as Mr. Dawson was the best of the bunch. He has to convince his son and himself that going to Dunkirk is the right thing. Another highlight was Gibson (Aneurin Barnard), a British private with a secret. Both Hardy and Lowden were also great in their fronts. There's also a welcome cameo from Michael Caine as the radio communicator to Farrier and Collins.

Dunkirk is another movie that deserves to be seen on the big screen. You can see it regular, IMAX or on 70 MM film if you live close enough. Whatever format you choose will do the spectacle just right. It's both an outstanding war movie and an outstanding summer blockbuster. It truly feels like an event movie rather than an every week occurrence. But see it in on the big screen.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

This post was previously published on July 26th, 2017 at 12:40 am. It was inexplicably flagged for sensitive content on February, 12th, 2017. Why? I'm re-editing it to see if it will make it better.

One's a space cop and the other's a time-displaced peasant girl. Together, they fight cosmic crime. They're Valerian and Laureline, the eponymous stars of Jean-Claude Mézières and Pierre Christin's space opera comic book opus. Its trippy visual style has influenced other sci-fi works such as Star Wars and The Fifth Element, the latter of which had Mézières as a concept artist.

And now, the director of The Fifth Element, Luc Besson, brings the space-faring duo to the big screen for the first time in Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. It's a pity that it might be the only time given the way the box office is looking so far. A few story details are hard to follow, but its wackiness makes it a winner.

The film starts with the history of Alpha, the eponymous City of a Thousand Planets, as it grows from a humble Earth space station into a massive intergalactic colony. 400 years later, special agents Valerian (Dane DeHaan) and Laureline (Cara Delevingne) maintain peace in the universe for the Intergalactic Human Federation. Their latest mission is to go to an inter-dimensional mall called Big Market and confiscate a rare creature called a Mül Converter. These critters shed copies of what they eat.

After a narrow escape, the duo heads off to Alpha to deliver the Converter to Commander Filit (Clive Owen), who we find out too early isn't a nice man. He oversaw an earlier space battle which nuked Planet Mül, the Converter's home world, into oblivion. The survivors want their Converter back, so they crash a meeting and take the Commander captive. Our heroes, who don't know he's a creep yet, head into the heart of Alpha to rescue him. What starts off as a simple rescue mission ends with the revelation of a sinister conspiracy.

So, what about Besson's screenplay? It crams in a lot of intergalactic exposition that flies by pretty quickly. The worst offenders are the numerous aliens whose names you'll spend a while to learn. Our heroes' backstories are more comprehensible in comparison. The film also impedes its mystery plot by telegraphing its twists ahead of time. Its first scene is of Mül just before the end. Commander Filit spends an early scene torturing a Mül survivor. You can pretty much tell why they attacked the meeting. But their end game was a nice surprise.

Let's talk about the direction. The tone circles around from serious to cartoonish, though not in the same scene. The Mül apocalypse is tragic even without some initial context. Our heroes' escape from Big Market ends with their bestial pursuer falling back to earth like a Looney Toon. It at least knows what it wants to be when it wants to be. The silly scenes in particular were actually entertaining.

What about its characters, whether alien, human, digital or real? DeHaan is a capably smug Valerian, while Delevingne is a capably serious Laureline. Their chemistry isn't outstanding, but it gets the job done. The best character is the shapeshifting dancer alien Bubble (Rihanna), who is unfortunately taken out of the movie far too soon. Ethan Hawke and Alain Chabat provide one-scene comical wonders to the mix. Commander Filit makes for a brutal villain with almost sympathetic motivations.

The film's technical marvels are plentiful. The production, costume, makeup, and alien designs are just as elaborate as those in The Fifth Element. The CGI, cinematography by Thierry Arbogast and editing by Julien Rey complete the film's visual life. Alexandre Desplat's score and the sound design add the aural touch to the film's universe.

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets is a delightfully weird space odyssey which is mildly hampered by its clunky exposition. It's a trip that's unlike a lot of summer films out there these days. But this deserves to be seen on the big screen first. Its 137 minutes will go by quick if you're in the right mood.

War for the Planet of the Apes

It's time to go ape again. Fox's rebooted apes are back again for their trilogy-capper, War for the Planet of the Apes. It's a way to go for these darn, dirty apes.

Caesar (Andy Serkis) and his clan of intelligent apes are still fighting armies of angry humans. One army, Alpha-Omega, even has turncoat apes in its ranks. One night, Alpha-Omega pays an unwelcome visit to Caesar's home base and their leader, the Colonel (Woody Harrelson), kills Caesar's wife and eldest son. Caesar decides to get back at the Colonel while the apes trek to a safe haven in the desert. A few apes join Caesar on his quest.

The brain-boosting virus that enhanced Caesar and the apes now has the opposite effect for humans. One such victim is Nova (Amiah Miller), a human girl they adopt into their clan. An eccentric chimp hermit, Bad Ape (Steve Zahn), leads them to Alpha-Omega's base. The Apes are there, prisoners of the Colonel, who demands they build him a wall without food or water. Caesar has to stand up to the Colonel to get his Apes out of there before Alpha-Omega's human enemies do (long story). But he worries about succumbing to the dark side like Koba (Toby Kebbell), the vengeful ape who haunts his dreams.

The motion capture effects continue the visual standard of the series. The apes still don't look out of place interacting with real people and environments. Their textures are indistinguishable from real apes. Each individual ape stands out even in a crowd of 50 chimpanzees or gorillas.

While some may wonder if this will finally get a visual effects Oscar for the new, improved Apes series, my question is "will this get an Oscar nomination for something beyond visual effects?" There's much to admire in the technical department. The sound designers crafted a bunch of fierce Ape screams and shouts, explosions and other powerful sound effects. Michael Giacchino has another memorable score, one which starts off with an eerie rendition of the Fox fanfare. Michael Seresin's cinematography and William Hoy & Stan Salfas' editing also enforce the moods. The production design is also awards worthy.

The acting also works, again. The motion capture apes feel as alive as the humans who played them. It's especially so with Caesar, who struggles to do the right thing throughout the movie. Zahn as Bad Ape provides much needed comic relief with his odd quirks. So what about the human villain? Harrelson's Colonel does some vile things but his last moments leave him a pitiful wreck. That's quite an accomplishment.

War for the Planet of the Apes is advertised as the finale of this rejuvenated story. It ends on such a strong note that you'll wonder where they'll go from here. I'm kinda into seeing a redo of the original Planet of the Apes with the new trilogy's motion capture apes. But how will they work stuff like time-travel into this setting? I hope whatever they do has the same story quality as this trilogy did. That's what helped it earn its second cinematic life.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

So The Amazing Spider-Man wasn't amazing after all.

Sony's second attempt at a Spider-Man film series short-circuited after two movies. So they worked out a joint custody agreement with Marvel Studios for a new cinematic life. Their newest webhead appeared in the form of Tom Holland in a glorified cameo in Captain America: Civil War. He returns in his latest solo movie, Spider-Man: Homecoming.

The aforementioned Civil War had Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) recruit Peter Parker to help him bring in Captain America (Chris Evans) and his fellow rogue Avengers. Peter starts the film by vlogging about his adventure, which includes getting a new high-tech suit from Tony. He goes back to Queens after the ensuing battle physically roughs him up. He still wants to be an Avenger but Tony doesn't think he's ready. He'll have to be a local "Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man" for now.

Meanwhile, salvager Adrian Toomes (Michael Keaton) finds his business threatened by Tony's new Department of Damage Control. He decides to sell his souvenirs from superhero battles on the black market to pay the bills. He even fashions a winged suit from alien technology to become The Vulture. His workers accidentally draw Spider-Man's attention and he decides to deal with them before they cause trouble. Tony, meanwhile, tells Peter to stop before his recklessness causes trouble. After all, Peter's got a lot to deal with in Home and High School. What if the wrong people knew who he was?

Six writers, including director Jon Watts, worked on the screenplay. The end result is still a comprehensible teen superhero story. Peter's upcoming Homecoming dance is just as important as stopping the Vulture. We even see that these plot threads are closer than we realize at the end. There's even a few great gags ranging from a series of corny Captain America videos to Spidey's far-too effective suit. It's barely interested in setting up the next installment but its last scene is an hilarious game-changer.

This version of Spidey is still as delightfully enthusiastic as in Civil War. His wisecracks are as fun as always and his desire for respect is understandable. Then again, starting a fight in a populated ferry wasn't a wise choice. He still learns from his mistakes which earns the audience's respect. Jacob Batalon provides great comic relief and battle support as Peter's best bud, Ned Leeds. Michael Keaton makes for a formidable villain with understandable motives as The Vulture. Among the supporting cast, highlights include Tony Revolori as Peter's High School nemesis, Flash Thompson, Marisa Tomei as Aunt May, Jennifer Connelly as Peter's suit AI "Karen" and Jon Favreau as Happy Hogan.

The technical Marvels work their magic once again. Spidey's web-swinging is still cool after all these years. His youthful inexperience comes into play a few times as it adds to the tension. This is best exemplified in the rescue scene atop the Washington Monument. The Vulture's demonic suit adds to the character's ferocity. His gang's weaponry melds great CGI and sound design together. Michael Giacchino's score is a nice listen and its highlight is its rendition of the 1967 Spider-Man cartoon theme. Only the climactic fight with The Vulture was a bit hard to follow but the rest of the movie was nicely edited.

Spider-Man: Homecoming is a fresh start to a new Spidey cinematic life. It doesn't have the baggage of an oft-told origin story or a convoluted story wrapped in conspiracies and sub-plots. It gets things moving for a nicely paced 133 minutes. It's an exciting, funny, and meaningful superhero adventure that's sure to leave you excited for, not resigned to, Spidey's next adventure.

Its prerequisite mid-credit scene does hint of future villains for Spidey to face. The end credit scene is one more for the Captain America running gag.

Baby Driver

I'm sure a title like Baby Driver makes one imagine a few possibilities. Who'd ever imagine that the end result is an action thriller? Or one of the best original summer films from a major studio in years?

"Baby" (Ansel Elgort), as he's known, is the getaway driver employed by Atlanta crime boss Doc (Kevin Spacey). His parents were killed in a crash which left him with tinnitus, which he drowns out with music. But he can still evade the cops like the best drivers. Baby proved his worth by stealing from Doc, which is why he works for him. The debt is now paid and Baby can go straight.

Baby meets a waitress, Debora (Lily James), with whom he plans to head out west. Unfortunately, Doc abruptly renews Baby's contract for a Post Office job. His crew includes the psychotic Bats (Jamie Foxx) and married crooks Buddy (Jon Hamm) and Darling (Eiza Gonzalez). Baby looks for his exit from the underworld while Bats' attitude derails the operation.

Writer/Director Edgar Wright and his crew never slow down during the film's 113 minutes. The film's action is edited by Jonathan Amos and Paul Machliss in-tune with a collection of standards and Steven Price's original score. The car chases zoom with clarity and style. The dramatic revelations hit like an oncoming semi. Cinematographer Bill Pope gets points right off the bat for filming in Atlanta and in locales I recognize, like my Alma Matter, Georgia State University. The cinematography itself exemplifies the moods from dread, to action, to even the scale of the city spectacularly. The sound designers make Baby's tinnitus loud and clear; it especially affects him in the climax.

There's not a single miscast character here. Elgort is a great lead as Baby and James is fine as Debora. Spacey is threatening as Doc, but we see he legitimately cares about Baby. Foxx and Hamm are formidable villains, the latter even more so in the climax. Amongst the supporting cast, there's Brogan Hall as Doc's surprisingly polite nephew Samm, CJ Jones as Baby's deaf foster father Joseph and Paul Williams as an arms-dealer called The Butcher.

Baby Driver finds time for a few fun laughs in all the excitement. It's still a serious story with an off-beat title. It works because its lead is likable, his goals are understandable and the screenplay knows how to raise the stakes. The final resolution is sweet and satisfying. What's more to say. Apparently, a lot, since there's already talk of a sequel. Let's hope that a potential next one is just as memorable and stylish as this musical caper.

Despicable Me 3

Gru and his yellow Minions have returned for more animated mayhem in Despicable Me 3. This installment shows that this franchise hasn't lost its touch after seven years. 

Gru (Steve Carrell) and his wife, Lucy (Kristen Wiig), are agents of the Anti-Villain League. The biggest thorn on their side is Balthazer Bratt (Trey Parker), a former child actor who never outgrew his kid supervillain role from his 80's show, Evil Bratt. Gru and Lucy stop Bratt from stealing a large diamond, but he gets away again, which gets the two fired. All but two of the Minions walk out on Gru when he won't turn bad again. Bratt also makes off with the diamond in another heist. Gru also finds out he has a long-lost twin brother, Dru (also Carrell), who's a seemingly wealthy pig farmer in Freedonia.

Dru levels with Gru when they meet. Their late father was a legendary supervillain and Dru wants Gru to teach him the tricks of the trade. Gru decides to bring Dru along to steal back the diamond from Bratt. Gru wants to bring back the diamond to the Anti-Villain League and get his and Lucy's job back, but Dru doesn't know that. Bratt wants to use the diamond to bring one of his TV plots to life. The Minions get in their own adventures. What's a Gru to do?

Its story goes along nicely for 90 minutes. The writers find time for the characters to have their own adventures. Whether it's Lucy asserting herself as an adoptive mother, Gru and Dru bonding as brothers, or youngest daughter Agnes looking for a unicorn, the subplots are simple and to the point. There are some questions, like why the Minions walked out now instead of earlier, but they're minor.

Carrell has great chemistry with himself as Gru and Dru. They're both distinctive characters that have an actor between them. The Minions, who are still indistinguishable as usual, pull a catchy rendition of I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General at one point. Bratt is an entertaining villain who gets serious at the end. Of all the returning cast members, it was great to hear Julie Andrews as Gru and Dru's mother.

The visual design is still bright and colorful. Bratt's gadgets are a delightful array of weaponized 80's items, like a sonic keytar, a dye-pack rubix cube and an army of living dolls. My favorite bits are the scenes of Evil Bratt, complete with extensive special effects failures. Heitor Pereira and Pharrell Williams' score and the sound design is also appealing. 

Despicable Me 3 is still a nice summer matinee. It's fun, exciting and even meaningful. I just wonder what they'll do after the ending they pull. It's an unexpected twist except that it's not. But it's a way to go.

Transformers: The Last Knight

Everyone's favorite Robots in Disguise are back for another pyrotechnic display from Michael Bay. This is Transformers: The Last Knight, allegedly Bay's last film in this franchise. It's got more of the same from this franchise and director. It may or may not break the film as usual.

Autobot Leader Optimus Prime (Peter Cullen) left Earth at the end of the last film, Age of Extinction, to meet his makers. He meets one of them, the evil Quintessa (Gemma Chan), on the remains of the Transformers' world, Cybertron. She tells him he can help her restore Cybertron if he gets her staff. She can use her staff to drain Earth's energy. A bit of brainwashing later and "Nemesis Prime" is ready to help...

...with an hour or less remaining in the movie.

The rest of the movie deals with Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) as a fugitive savior of the fugitive Autobots. While scouring the remains of Chicago, devastated in Dark of the Moon, he finds a plucky survivor, Izabella (Isabella Moner) and a Transformer who gives him an unusual talisman. This gets the attention of the Transformer Cogman (Jim Carter), who summons Cade to meet his master, Sir Burton (Anthony Hopkins). The talisman is a relic from an order of Cybertronian Knights who served Camelot and Quintessa's staff was Merlin's staff. It also transpires that Earth is more than meets the eye. Only a descendant of Merlin can wield the staff and save the Earth from Quintessa.

The film mercifully scales back the franchise's escalating runtimes. It's 149 minutes, a minute shorter than the second movie, Revenge of the Fallen. Although it's shorter, the film's screenplay misses a few marks. I already mentioned how "Nemesis Prime" takes forever to show up oppose the Autobots and friends. It takes less than that for him to turn good. Izabella, meanwhile, is out of the picture for a good chunk of the movie despite being heavily featured in the trailers. She is a strong character in her fairly limited screentime, though. Let's not forget how Cade could've prevented a few conflicts if he showed the Cybertronian Knights his talisman.

The supporting cast gets some stuff right. Merlin, played here by Stanley Tucci, is portrayed as a drunk and a charlatan plagued by self-doubt who begs the Cybertronian Knights for help against overwhelming odds. His cameo was the best thing about the movie. Cogman and Burton were entertaining and endearing old folks, and never overstayed their welcome. The new Decepticon warriors were entertaining, even if most of them bit the dust after a scene or two. It's always something to see Barricade, the one Decepticon who won't die, prowling around.

The franchise continues its technical standards ten years on. The Transformers still look and move like real robots. They seamlessly transform into actual vehicles and other CGI-creations. Quintessa is an eerie CGI creation as is her gestalt henchman, Infernocus. The sound quality is as loud and forceful as always, though thankfully my screening didn't dial it up exponentially. The various locations, from London to Cybertron and the Knights' ship, all looked great when rendered by cinematographer Jonathan Sela. The crew hasn't lost its touch or its power yet.

The TV commercials are making it out like it's the last one ever. But it's not. There's a spin-off with the Autobot Bumblebee next year and an official sixth film the following year. The end credits even show a blatant sequel hook. They've got a lot of plans with this franchise even as the reviews get worse and worse. As for me, the film is fine as long as you don't think about it too much. I just hope that whoever takes over from Bay does more to fuel this franchise's spark.

OK, rolling out now.