Independence Day -- Resurgence The tag line is pretty great: We had 20 Years to Prepare -- So Did They. But, we had 20 years to make the sequel and it still sucked. They're bigger -- they bring a ship that is 3000 miles wide and the queen is approaching 1950s Godzilla size -- so the threat is bigger. The show brings back several of the characters from the first movie, you know, the ones that were oh-so-annoying: Judd Hirsch, Jeff Goldblum and Brent Spiner, plus Bill Pullman (who I kind of liked). Will Smith knew better than to touch this dreck, so the show offers us his character's son. It's not an improvement. I'm not horribly disappointed, though, it was a rainy day at the beach. I'm sad that the first four showings of Finding Dory were sold out because I would much rather seen that sequel...
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (2015) The Star Wars prequels were bad movies. I don't even feel like this was a movie. It's like watching a condensed game on MLS Live - I imagine there is a 4 hour The Force Awakens movie somewhere and I just saw the condensed-for-time version. There isn't even enough here for me to hate. The pace was exhausting, and I had no idea what was going on except that some coincidence was going to save the heroes less than two seconds after they get into trouble because they can't even wait long enough to show the good guys worry for a moment. I know Star Wars has never been big on context, but we need to know something about what the First Order is, what the Republic is (was? we don't know!), why they are called the Resistance, and what happened since the Ewok party. The first movie that does that will be the first actual modern sequel.
You guys know how much I like the revisionist "Jar Jar Binks is a Sith" concept, right? Well, I just made up my own. Yoda was Herbert Hoover. As Hoover was the most intelligent and most accomplished citizen to become president, Yoda was the best lightsaber swinger, the best lightning thrower, the best heavy thing lifter, and the best useless saying sayer so it seemed logical he would make the best leader of the Jedi - and he was absolutely terrible at it. Episode 7 put the lie to his often-spoken (but never demonstrated) axiom that you need training starting when still in diapers to be a Jedi - or even that training was required at all. It's important that Anakin's transformation to the dark side was demonstrated with the destruction of the Academy - the destruction of the regimented, bureaucratic, useless system which, if he did not invent, Yoda at least presided over at its pinnacle of decadence before the Lucas-approved annihilation by a Great Man of History. And the Jedi Council building was a literal ivory tower, outside and in. Here's a guy that used the power of government to do what he wanted (including taking children from their parents), was so separated from the people that even those alive during the time of the council (like Han Solo) think the Force a myth, and couldn't even provide the peace he promised in exchange for this power and wealth. In fact, he was wrong about pretty much everything. It all fits. Yoda. Terrible, terrible failure.
Two Night Stand (2014) I've seen a few movies with Miles Teller and enjoyed them. I've only seen Analeigh Tipton in Crazy, Stupid, Love and thought she did a decent job there. Two Night Stand was about two young adults who are looking for a casual hookup. They hook up but then end up getting stranded in the apartment for two days because of a New York blizzard. Not a fantastic film, but enjoyable. Another half-way decent romcom.
Risen (2016) Having studied history at university and having always been fascinated by the Roman Empire, I figured I would really enjoy this. I did not. The movie did do a good job with the cinematography and costumes, but the plot was weak and the directors tried to overcompensate with lots of blood and gore. Accordingly, I shut it off at around the 45 minute mark.
that's an interesting observation. the resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth is the single most significant event in the planet's history. if it really happened, it trumps everything else. you can take sides, of course, but the idea that a Roman military tribune was tasked with proving that Jesus did not rise from death and came to believe that he had is remarkable. as far as blood and gore is concerned, i think that the Siege of Jerusalem in 70AD gives testimony to the brutality of the Roman brigades, so "overcompensate" may not be the best choice of words.
The Duel (2016) Dir. Kieran Darcy-Smith After dozens of bodies are found washed up on the riverbed near the Mexican border, all belonging to missing Mexican citizens, the governor tasks a single Texas Ranger with a special assignment of finding out what is going on in the area. Traveling under an assumed identity, together with his Mexican wife, he arrives at a small town which is ruled by a man known as the Preacher. After a rather cold reception by some of his henchmen, the Preacher welcomes the Texas Ranger and his wife in their midst and offers him the job of town sheriff. Even though it is evident something strange and sinister is going on within the small community, finding out exactly what proves to be harder than anticipated. A decent cast (besides the non-Thor Hemsworth and Harrelson we also get Alice Braga and William Sadler in supporting roles) cannot elevate this movie above mediocrity. It wavers between a conventional revenge story and an exploration of morality through the prism of an anti-western with vague supernatural themes, only it lacks originality for the former and complexity for the latter.
California Split (1974) Professional gambler and expert loser Charlie takes dabbler Bill under his wing and leads him down the path to gambling addiction. At the ends of their ropes, they hock everything on a final big stakes poker match in Reno. They find out the only thing worse than losing is winning. I usually don't pay attention to directors. But as soon as I started the movie I realized it was the same guy that made The Long Goodbye because it similarly has everyone talking over everyone and every sound from crashes to pin drops is played at exactly the same volume. I find that extremely annoying. And there's a never ending feeling that you are missing something. But by the end I figure anything I missed wasn't anything important. Not finding gambling interesting myself, I didn't care for the gambling adventures of others either. I liked Croupier better because it was about a broader concept of human failing using gambling as the focusing lens.
Ironman 3 (2013) I finally got around to completing the Ironman trilogy. Again, just like Ironman 2, I wasn't expecting Ironman 3 to surpass or equal the original Ironman. And I was right. It was still an enjoyable film. Loaded with action and amazing special effects. It's crazy how many movies Marvels has been pumping out. DC Comics really needs to do some catching up.
Disconnect (2012) Four loosely connected families all experience the worst of the internet which has mammoth repercussions on their meatspace worlds. Very well acted and fully engaging, and very emotionally affecting. Maybe too emotionally affecting. Because it's laying it on thick enough for you to notice the laying process. I appreciate that the problems are dealt in a smart way, but the movie shows them all as not just ones society has yet to deal with, but ones that by their nature can't be dealt with. At the end you are left thinking we nuke the entire planet from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.
Daddy's Home (2015) Plenty of star power with Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell here. I wasn't expecting a brilliant movie, just something to make me laugh out loud. Very enjoyable movie with a good sense of humor. Anyone looking for a decent comedy, it's a no-brainer.
Match Point (2005) Decided to rewatch one of my favorite movies. I love the Greek tragedy aspects of this film. Woody Allen does a fantastic job here with an engaging script. All the actors, especially Jonathan Rhys Meyers were brilliant. Meyers plays a retired tennis pro who takes up a job teaching to tennis to England's upper class. He manages to weasel his way into a friendship with one of his students and becomes romantically involved with the sister. One thing leads to another and they eventually get married. Meyers gets handed to him a posh business job by his wife's father and everything seems to be going great for him...until he falls for the fiance of the brother of his wife. He ends up impregnating the woman and now gets forced into an impossible situation. Great movie with a pretty shocking ending.
My Cousin Vinny (1992) Dir. Jonathan Lynn Two NYU students who received a scholarship to UCLA drive cross country to attend school there. They stop at a convenience store in a small town in Alabama to buy supplies, only to be pulled over and arrested by the local police force shortly thereafter. They mistakenly think they are being held for shoplifting when in fact the store clerk was shot and killed shortly after their visit and they are the prime suspects. One of the students turns to his middle-aged cousin Vinny for help, a Brooklyn native who is the unlikeliest of attorneys. Finally revisited an all-time favorite. I guess some would call this a guilty pleasure, but I don't feel any guilt about liking this. Growing up, the kid next door was my age and equally into movies and there were a bunch of them we had on heavy rotation on VHS. Some of them were the kind of fare you might expect (Raiders, the Star Wars trilogy, Willow, Die Hard, ...). Others were films that we might have stumbled upon randomly. This one very much fell into the latter category, but that didn't stop me from probably seeing it countless times. Pesci and Tomei are both brilliant (more about Tomei later), but the supporting cast is quietly great too: Fred Gwynne as the judge, Lane Smith as the DA, Bruce McGill as the Sheriff. After Tomei won the best supporting actress Oscar for this movie, there were rather mean rumors about Jack Palance having read the wrong name and her Oscar win thus being a mistake. Whether or not you take the Oscars seriously, no one who actually saw this movie could deny the quality of her performance.
Green Room - not a bad kind of a "slasher" movie....not sure why Patrick Stewart took the role though.
The Lobster (2016) Dir. Yorgos Lanthimos Super bizarre description for the film, but it was awesome: In a dystopian society, single people must find a mate within 45 days or be transformed into an animal of their choice. This is the second film I've seen by Lanthimos (the other being Dogtooth), and his stuff is off the wall and unsettling at times, but thoroughly engaging and entertaining. We walked out of the theater and had at least an hour long discussion about the film in the parking lot because no one wanted to go home without a thorough discussion first.
Also tonight, I learned that the same mobster - Henry Hill - was the basis both for Goodfellas and for My Blue Heaven. A less likely happenstance in movies I have not yet come across. Details here.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) I'm normally not into old movies, but with Al Pacino in it, I'd figured I'd give it a chance. Pacino plays a homosexual bank robber who winds up taking a staff of bank employees hostage after the robbery goes haywire. Lots of thrills, intriguing plot, and laugh out loud moments in the movie. This film was actually based on a true story. Even though Pacino plays a villain, you can't but help to root for him in the movie. Great film.
Green Room (2015) Dir. Jeremy Saulnier After a disappointing gig, a punk rock band accepts to play a skinheads venue because they need the money. In the aftermath of their gig, they witness a serious crime and find themselves locked in the green room, having to fight for their survival. Not bad, a fairly suspenseful thriller which takes place almost entirely within a single location. It gets a bit silly by the end, but I expected as much. Patrick Stewart stands out a bit, though there isn't much to fault with his performance. Somewhat odd to watch at times with the knowledge of Anton Yelchin's recent death in mind. Took me a while to recognize Imogen Poots.
Colonia (2015) Colonia was an intriguing historical period piece that exposed some of the nefarious aspects of Pinochet's regime in 1970s Chile. The story centers around a German political activist (Bruhl) who gets arbitrarily beaten and imprisoned for being an Allende supporter. Watson plays a German flight attendant who visits Bruhl and gets caught up in the storm. She doesn't get sent to prison; instead she voluntarily admits herself into a religious cult camp called Colonia Dignidad. It is her hope that she will be able to rescue Bruhl be being there. Excellent acting and storyline. Anyone interested in history or political issues should check this one out.
I've been taking advantage of BBC documentaries on youtube, which are often temporary. Very reliable bio-docs, those BBC things.