'Tag' (2018) Review

Tag follows a group of friends who have been playing the same game tag for over 30 years. The five highly competitive friends annually travel across the country, willing to go to whatever lengths lengths necessary to tag one another so they can keep the game and their friendship alive. However, when the untaggable Jerry is looking to settle down and get married, the group see it as their golden opportunity to finally pin him down and tag him once and for all. 

Tag's premise is as about as zany as it gets, so it may surprise you to learn Tag is actually based on a true story (stick around through the beginning of the credits to see some footage of the real life friend group that inspired this film). Jeff Tomsic directs Tag as his first feature film while Mark Steilen wrote the screen story based on the Wall Street Journal article "It Takes Planning, Caution to Avoid Being It" in addition to penning the screenplay alongside Rob McKittrick. As a comedy first and foremost, Tag needed to deliver plenty of laughs to be deemed a worthwhile venture, and I feel it was successful on that front as I hardly stopped laughing once the over-the-top hilarity ensued. 

The extremes which these adult men are willing to go to in order to tag one another is funny in-of-itself, but Tomsic continually escalates the action to another level when things go full slo-mo and Jerry analyzes his friend's sloppy tactics with an inner monologue before thwarting their futile efforts to tag him. Just combine the fast reflexes of Neo, Spider-Man, and Guy Richie's interpretation of Sherlock Holmes and you've got Jeremy Renner's Jerry. Renner may have played a super-spy, government agent, and an Avenger elsewhere, but Jerry would probably wipe the floor in a brawl with Aaron Cross, William Brandt, and Hawkeye because the skillset of those characters doesn't come close to Jerry's. And that's precisely what made Tag such an enjoyable movie-going experience. It over-exaggerates the events to such an absurd degree that you'll have a difficult time keeping a straight face. The physical comedy is far-and-away what will leave you rolling over in laughter, but Steilen and McKittrick's script is full of some clever zingers as well. 

While the core concept of Tag is really ridiculous and ripe for comedy, I was glad to see the writers didn't forget to bestow Tag with a beating heart amidst all the insanity. At its core, Tag is about the value of friendship and how games ultimately bring friends closer together and I found that message ideal for such a crazy comedy. The cast's commitment to the absurdity makes a huge difference though, as the silly premise is certainly elevated by their willingness to let their inner child come out and play. Renner got so into it that he wound up breaking both his arms on set, wearing green sleeves for his arms to be digitally recreated with CGI in post-production. I kept my eyes open for any noticeably uncanny arms along the lines of Henry Cavill's mustache-less mouth in Justice League, but I didn't catch anything so I suppose that's a good thing? Regardless, these behind-the-scenes CG-stories just keep getting stranger and stranger. 

The ensemble functions as a tight-knit group and have convincing enough chemistry for you to believe these characters grew up together. Ed Helms, Jon Hamm, Jake Johnson, and Hannibal Buress each attribute the proper personality to their respective roles and bounce lines off one another quite well. Helms is the every man, Hamm plays the cool business tycoon, Johnson is down-on-his-luck stoner, and Buress is the calm, collected awkward one. Though even outside the bro group, Isla Fisher manages to be a highlight as Hoagie's hyper-competitive wife. 

However, it's fittingly Jeremy Renner who runs away as the Most Valuable Player in this game. Renner delights in playing the all-star player and he bestows Jerry with a mischievous attitude viewers will relish in watching! 

Despite the all ages appeal of the game its based on, it should be known that Tag is not a film for the family. While it doesn't push the envelope of the "R" rating, the film's still raunchy. Regardless of that, Tag is truly a riotous time at the theater and the funniest film I've seen all year! Now that you've read this review, you're officially "it." I humbly request you see the film and tag someone else with your opinion to keep the game going!... And no tag backs of course!

Film Assessment: A

'Nocturnal Animals' Review

Nominated For: Best Supporting Actor: Michael Shannon.

In Nocturnal Animals an affluent art gallery owner Susan Morrow receives her ex-husband Edward's manuscript for an upcoming novel "Nocturnal Animals" dedicated to her. As Susan reads the horrifying tale of revenge she reflects on her past with Edward and the film sphincters off into three stories that are more interconnected than one would first suspect. 

I won't explain much else because the less you know going into the Nocturnal Animals, the more confused you'll be leaving the theater spurring on an intellectual train of thought that will allow you to eventually put all the pieces into place and see the big picture of Nocturnal Animals. Nocturnal Animals like Arrival, another film that was released this year starring Amy Adams based on obscure literature, is a thought-provoking cinematic experience. 

Viewers will be baffled by the shock value found in the film's bonkers slo-motion opening sequence of nude morbidly obese women dancing while the opening credits slowly creep onscreen, thankfully giving the audience something else to focus on, and from that point on will likely be striving to understand exactly what is happening and struggle to find connections between the splintered narratives. This is a film that will probably be more enjoyable to watch with successive viewings because the viewer will have already digested the crazy proceedings once. They then might be able to better understand what it all means and believe me, Nocturnal Animals warrants plenty of analysis. 

Former fashion designer Tom Ford writes and directs the insightful revenge thriller, taking the viewer on a ride that first exposes them to a refined, elegant environment before plunging them into a fictional take on West Texas that's truly got grit. One of the more interesting aspects of Nocturnal Animals is how fabricated Susan's reality seems and how realistic Edward's fiction appears and Ford further brings out visual juxtaposition between the two as cinematographer Seamus McGarvey brilliantly frames gorgeous picturesque imagery while editor Joan Sobel expertly cuts between the trio of tales. I haven't read Austin Wright's novel on which the film is based, but can say Ford's screenplay is an excellent adaptation for the screen and it's also worth noting that Abel Korzeniowski calamitous compositions are a great underlying accompaniment. 

Nocturnal Animals also features a seasoned cast of A-list actors who bring a strange blend of understated and overstated performances that will likely garner praise this coming awards season. Amy Adams' Susan Morrows is simultaneously hopeful in her past and calculating as a result of her long-winding life while Jake Gyllenhaal also gets to inhabit dual personas as Susan's recollections of her past lover Edward Sheffield and the protagonist of "Nocturnal Animals" (Sheffield's novel) Tony Hastings bringing serene sensitivity to one and a brewing venomous longing vengeance to the other. 

Two supporting performances steal the show though as Michael Shannon plays an unhinged officer with some Southern drawl and Aaron Taylor-Johnson's deranged redneck sociopath Ray Marcus will make your skin crawl. Other familiar faces including Isla Fisher, Armie Hammer, and Laura Linney are to be found in bit-supporting roles and are serviceable for their minuscule screen-time. 

The ending of Nocturnal Animals will leave many unsatisfied but the longer my mind dwelled on it, the more appropriate the ending seemed to be considering the overarching theme of revenge. Many will probably be turned off by Nocturnal Animals' oddities, only taking everything at surface level and refusing to dig any deeper, but I found the thriller to be intellectually engrossing and would highly recommend it to anyone that likes to solve puzzles or leave a film pondering the plot. 

With that being said, there were some things that don't quite fall into the big picture yet in my mind and I'm sure that once I revisit Nocturnal Animals enough I could decipher the meaning but I'm interested in acquiring it on Blu-Ray for a director's commentary alone. Nocturnal Animals takes a chaotic approach to it's three-pronged story structure and I found bringing order to the chaos through thought processes the most satisfying part of the viewing experience, but the slick cinematography, exceptional editing, mixture of nuanced and exaggerated performances, and concentrated direction amidst the insanity alone make Nocturnal Animals worth a watch.

Film Assessment: A-

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Now You See Me'

This week I will be reviewing Now You See Me to coincide with the release of it's sequel this weekend. I recall being surprisingly blown away by the film as I went in with somewhat tempered low expectations based on the mediocre marketing put forth for the film and came out really enjoying it. This weekend there are three wide releases like last weekend and I anticipate at least reviewing Warcraft and Now You See Me 2 within the next week or so. I did end up seeing Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping yesterday and found it to be funny but not worth reviewing, I had a similar case with Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising as typically I don't think there's enough elements to discuss in comedies. The remaining Throwback Thursday Reviews I have planned for June include Finding Nemo, Independence Day, Tarzan, and E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial to correlate with the releases of Finding Dory, Independence Day: Resurgence, The Legend of Tarzan, and The BFG.

'Now You See Me' Review

Now You See Me can best be described as a mystery crime thriller that finds four illusionists called the Four Horseman (not to be confused with Apocalypse's Horseman found in X-Men: Apocalypse) performing a series of bank heists as acts of their stage show and the FBI's pursuit of the aforementioned magicians.

Louis Leterrier directs the sleight of hand heist flick and cultivates a quirky energy thanks to the awe and wonder commonly found with magic tricks that succeeds in maintaining audience interest, especially on the first viewing as there's a plethora of unpredictable twists and turns. Speaking of magic, there's plenty to be found behind the scenes with a riveting screenplay written by Ed Solomon, Boaz Yakin, and Edward Ricourt that caught me off guard with it's clever reveals that explain the logic and reasoning behind each of the film's big twists.

The cinematography looks great throughout with some gorgeous shots to be found in the two hour magic trick heist bonanza and Now You See Me also boasts big splendorous visuals due to the nature of magic created both practically and through CGI. While Now You See Me's action sequences aren't particularly memorable, it relishes in plot. The film entices the viewer with seemingly meaningless cheap tricks that turn out to be more vital with additional inspection that the film purposely downplays to outsmart the viewer.

Additionally, the film's cast brings quite a bit of energetic charisma to the table and there's no weak link to be found. Jesse Eisenberg seemingly leads the pack of Four Horseman as the cocky yet charming illusionist, J. Daniel Atlas with washed up hypnotist Merritt McKinney played by Woody Harrelson, former assistant turned solo act Henley Reeves brought by Isla Fisher, and sleight of hand pickpocket Jack Wilder portrayed by Dave Franco.

The four illusionists carried such great chemistry amongst their group that serviced the plot and made the mind games all the more fun, but these characters unfortunately weren't fully realized beyond their one note personalities. Not to say the performances were any less enjoyable, as all four actors give likable turns as the delinquent magicians.

Mark Ruffalo and Mélanie Laurent made for interesting protagonists as FBI investigator Dylan Rhodes and French Interpol agent Alma Dray and the two paired well off one another bringing out the best in the other's performance. Ruffalo and Laurent's characters' unique relationship allowed for some insightful verbal exchanges diving into their respective characters.

It was also nice to see seasoned actors in the cast with Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman both bringing great supporting performances as the stately elder gentlemen that are surprisingly quite integral to the plot.

In conclusion, Now You See Me makes for one of the more charming original summer blockbusters in recent years and actually held up quite nicely to repetitive viewing despite it's reliance on surprise for awe and wonder. To sum it up, Now You See Me is a fun mind game with lots of twists and turns, great visuals, and an all star cast that does however have some story weaknesses but these ultimately don't detract from the entertainment provided.

Film Assessment: B-