The Aviator. I often struggle with biopics, but I liked this one a lot. I like how the film stock and coloring shifts with the passage of time, the recurring hands imagery, and the sympathy we feel as we see this man changing. “Nothing’s clean, Howard. But we do our best.”
Shutter Island. Better than I thought it would be. Scorsese takes some simple genre stuff to some good creepy heights.
The Gift. I loved this movie for 90 minutes and then I hated it so much. There are a couple late plot decisions that totally broke the spell. But, credit is for a spell-binding run up to that point. It’s amazing how much tension Edgerton wrings out of thin air. I liked it.
Mission: Impossible 3. Better than I remembered. Hoffman is casually one of the most terrifying villains of the past couple decades. It’s a shame that Keri Russell didn’t have a larger role. Current Mission: Impossible rankings:
It seems the rule of thumb here is that the quality of the MI films is inversely proportional to the length of Tom Cruise’s hair.
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation. It’s fun! I wish it were as stylish as some of its predecessors. I wasn’t picking up on a McQuarrie directorial stamp like we saw in the De Palma, Woo, and Abrams movies. Also a little bit disappointed with Hunt this time around. Seems like he was a bit overmatched at times – more like something you saw in the early stages of Edge of Tomorrow, or something out of Indiana Jones. I’m use to a Hunt that’s more ruthlessly (absurdly) competent. But still, really solid, and I love the pace. That Ferguson is Cruise’s equal (superior?), the opera scene is top-notch, the villain is perfect, and it’s nice to see an action movie that doesn’t feel like it needs a built-in romance. Filed under: Tom Cruise, Mission: Impossible.
Song of the Sea. From the same crew that brought you The Secret of Kells. This one is lighter, and more of a mess. It is heart-stoppingly gorgeous at times, and I love the sound design. I also love how much the story was told visually. The direction tunes us in to the acting, their moods, what’s they’re interacting with, where they are, guiding us along as they meet their new challenges. That’s all lovely. But there’s a lot of mythology and plotting and tasks that got in the way for me, and when the climax came around, I just wasn’t invested enough to revel in it. I think The Secret of Kells is the stronger of the two.
The Guest. It’s a really satisfying little thriller. Love that they cut out whatever dumb backstory explains this guy, and just ran with it. Sort of like Jack Reacher, with a drifter passing through town, getting mixed up with some teens that are waaaaay out of their depth. Love the creepy pumpkins and jack o’lanterns other spooky mood bits throughout. Gotta be one of the last movies to work CDs into the plot. Killer soundtrack.
Three Colors: Red. Third and last in the Three Colors Trilogy. This one felt more natural than Blue (and less of a drag), and not as zany as White. So balanced and sure. I dig it.
Trainwreck. Gonna sound like a total old man, but this is a mess. I walked out of the theater thinking, “Okay, that was fun here and there”, and as the week went on I got more and more annoyed. Vulgarity can be fun, but it’s not enough. There’s some super lame homophobic/racist stuff. The main character seems to despise her sister’s child and husband for no good reason. Surprisingly frosty relationship. Interesting that it opens up with strong resistance to anything resembling slut-shaming… and then tells a story leading to a very traditional redemption and triumph. Acting-wise, Schumer is better than I expected. Hader every bit as good. LeBron is magnetic, but his character is just weird. Better writing would have helped him shine. In general, the celeb cameos are lame. There is some lovely physical comedy, though. Like early on, walking down a shitty sidewalk in heels, and a triumphant moment on the boat. And later one, putting an average person next to pro perfomers, and seeing how they compare. That’s great stuff. But the scene exists as a dance ex machina (sorry), and doesn’t work. Where did she find time for that? No idea why Ezra Miller exists in this story. Blah. Cf. The Age of the Jokeless Comedy
The Place Beyond the Pines. This was my second viewing (cf. the first), and I really really liked it. The whole thing hung together for me better this time. One thing I noticed the second time around that I appreciated: the movie opens with the sound of Gosling’s breathing prominent; the second main chapter opens with Cooper’s. I would watch a feature film made entirely of those tracking road shots.
Blackhat. Some really cool moments and scenes, but a bit underwhelmed the second time around. (The first.) Updated Michael Mann rankings:
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold. Gotta admit I didn’t follow this one very well. I liked it, though.
Magic Mike XXL. My appreciation for it grows as time passes. It’s more aimless than the first one (which I really liked), and I think that “this isn’t gonna be like last time” shift is pretty obvious right away with the “Pony” solo. This one seems more gentle and… appreciative? Everybody learned some lessons over the years since the last one. Now it’s time to celebrate, honor that time, and move on. It’s a shame their crew only has like 1.5 decent dancers, but it kinda works. I really enjoyed Kameron Hurley’s series of tweets about the movie, which had me shouting in agreement. Filed under: Magic Mike.
Team America: World Police. A mixed bag. Some brilliant satire and some painfully juvenile stuff. Interesting to see things that were casually fun back then that just won’t fly today.
Three Colors: White. Second in the Three Colors trilogy. A dark and funny revenge (?) tale, with a little bit of shaggy dog thing going on. Another thumbs-up from me. I like when movies lull you into getting invested in a terrible protagonist.
Three Colors: Blue. On grief (+ separating yourself from it) and human connection (+ separating yourself from it). I dig it. It doesn’t play like a weepy melodrama because our lead is in such a shambles, she’s unpredictable and hard to read. Never gonna argue with a Binoche movie. This is the first I watched from the Three Colors trilogy.
Michael Clayton. Third viewing (second, first). Something about this movie just really clicks with me.
The Captive. There is way too much going on here.
Jurassic World. There are at least three establishing shots early in the movie that make sure you’re ready, later on in the movie, for a terrible jab about high heels. It’s that sort of dedication to the stupidest things where this movie really shines.
I’m curious about how this amped up B-movie plays for a young audience that doesn’t have ties to the earliest film. There’s a lot of fan service here with “remember how ___?” nudges throughout. The cellphone ringtone that pulls from the main theme was a nice touch. Along with those references, I thought I saw some borrowing from other movies, too: *Predator*-vision with people getting killed in the jungle; *King Kong*, where a monster looms over a woman in a tattered dress; flying creatures pouring over the horizon, like *The Wizard of Oz*; the scene people with tossing air tanks off the back of a vehicle has a hint of *Jaws* to it.
There’s also a complete orgy of product placement! Converse, Beats, Samsung, Verizon, Coca-Cola, Blackberry, Mercedes, Starbucks, Margaritaville. I’m pretty sure I’m forgetting another 5-10, minimum. Totally shameless.
It’s too bad that Chris Pratt is no fun here, mostly posing stiffly and asserting. They killed his charm, but he’s somehow still the best thing going here. D’Onofrio manages to make his Hoskins character more interesting than it should be, with all the swagger and bluster. Most of the others are pretty bland. Least (spoiler) favorite (spoiler) part (spoiler): the viciously indulgent death of the British nanny. Other downsides relate to its general overstuffed-ness. Earnest family bonding moments and a vast insider corporate conspiracy?
That I have so much to say about this says… something. So anyway, go watch Jurassic Park instead.
Mark Larson 