'Kingsman: The Golden Circle' Review

I was surprised to see how divisive this movie wound up being (currently standing with a 51% Rotten Tomatoes score), so I'm going to have spoiler areas to discuss some specifics in more detail. There will be clear spoiler warnings to mark these as a means of forewarning those who've yet to watch Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

[This review was originally written in September 2017 and is now being published to coincide with the digital home media release. For an explanation of this, visit my Fall 2017 Important Update post.] 

Kingsman: The Golden Circle revolves around Eggsy approximately a year after the events of The Secret Service. When disaster strikes Kingsman headquarters in the form of an egomaniacal drug lord named Poppy, Eggsy and the remnants of Kingsman must align themselves with their American cousins in order to save the world once more. 

Matthew Vaughn circled back to write and direct the spy sequel, once again receiving some assistance in the screenplay department from Jane Goldman. Since The Golden Circle managed to wrangle together much of the same behind-the-camera talent from The Secret Service, I was hoping the sequel might be able to stand toe-to-toe with the fantastic first film. Unfortunately, that wasn't necessarily the case. Instead, I was quite shocked to see The Golden Circle face such a mostly-mixed critical reception. While I don't agree with the general consensus, I can certainly concede that The Golden Circle wasn't quite as great as The Secret Service.

However, I don't think a sequel succeeds simply by surpassing the original. While that is the ideal scenario, it's an uncommon occurrence. When I see an action-packed blockbuster sequel, I hope to to be entertained and I felt Kingsman: The Golden Circle flourished in that regard. I first saw the film in an early screening, as a part of my fall internship, and enjoyed it enough to then pay and see it a second time in IMAX opening weekend. Trust me when I say it doesn't happen too terribly often that I watch something more than once the same week of release. 

Any-who, on a technical level The Golden Circle is superbly shot, exceptionally edited, and the film moves at a fun, brisk pace. The one downfall is that the visual effects work in the CG-reliant action sequences aren't always up to snuff; but even at their worst, the effects are still sufficient and not too distracting. Meanwhile, Vaughn doubles down on his stylized sensibilities this time around, injecting a frenetic vitality into every second of action fueled by an upbeat soundtrack. Even though The Golden Circle's action sequences never quite measure up to the church massacre sequence from the first, the film has an exuberant opening car chase and the insanity goes full throttle from that point on with a bonkers buckaroo bar brawl, a spellbinding shootout, and an insane all-out assault to cap things off. 

One of the common complaints regarding The Golden Circle was that the sequel was too far-fetched. To those griping, I ask this "Did you not watch The Secret Service?" For me, absurdity has seemed to be the whole point of this franchise. The Secret Service kept itself in a relatively restricted reality that progressively loosened the confines of this fictional world till there no longer were any confines. At the start of The Golden Circle, the can of worms has already been opened as we'd seen the glorious church massacre and the hosts of exploding heads. It's difficult for me to imagine The Golden Circle would then regress backwards to sensible surroundings, especially when you take into account that this franchise is inspired by classic Bond, with this installment tipping its cap to Roger Moore in particular.

So yes, this film gets absurd at times and I think that's perfectly okay. I'm not expecting a movie about international spies to remain grounded from start-to-finish, especially since the franchise is based off a comic book. In the case of Kingsman, I excuse the ridiculousness because I'm invested in the characters and the action commanded my attention. In regards to the story itself, Vaughn and Goldman do a swell job tying up loose threads from the first, advancing the plot, and simultaneously laying the groundwork for promising possibilities later on down the road. Vaughn and Goldman make an interesting addition to the world of Kingsman in the form of the Statesman. The American spin on the Kingsman agency allow for plenty of laughs and are an interesting expansion on the global intelligence community, but the plot does sometimes suffer from their inclusion.

While I think Vaughn and Goldman succeeded in progressing with a fun, outlandish spy venture, The Golden Circle does sometimes suffer from feeling too formulaic at times. This is largely because the villain is another eccentric antagonist with a henchman who has a weaponized appendage and a plan involving the sale/distribution of some product that will spell doom for many. The parallels are then made abundantly clear by countless call-backs to the original. However, these references found a nice, natural niche in the narrative rather than coming across as forced. 

**Spoiler Warning**

In particular, I actually liked how Eggsy wound up in a committed relationship with Tilde, the Swedish princess from the first film. The relationship took me aback, because I didn't realize they'd be carrying forward with that plot point, but I like how it distances Eggsy from Bond. Where Bond typically moves on from his woman without a second thought, Eggsy's actually interested in forming and maintaining a romantic relationship. I found that to be a nice twist on the traditional gentleman spy archetype and was glad they incorporated it into the plot.

As for my problems, I wasn't a fan of the way Roxy quickly got one-offed and how it was just brushed over. I'm guessing this was done because Vaughn wanted to loop in the Statesman and bring back Harry, but I think they could have still made it work. It's not like many of the Statesman had much to do either, considering Channing Tatum, Jeff Bridges, and Halle Berry had relatively reduced roles in comparison to how the Statesman were being thrown around in the marketing for The Golden Circle. Who knows though? Roxy could turn out to have somehow miraculously survived in the next one! For the time being, I'm a bit bothered by it though...

When it comes to the return of Harry Hart, I found the explanation for his survival to be quite convenient. The Statesman just so happened to arrive right after he was shot in the face and have an "alpha gel" that was able to repair any damage. I suppose it works for the purposes of quickly explaining how he's alive, but I'm still not sure it was entirely necessary for his character to come back to begin with. I wasn't opposed to seeing him reappear per say, but I felt they could have dedicated his screen time towards some of the underutilized characters I just mentioned or at least come up with a better explanation for his return. Otherwise, I was happy enough to see him back in the mix.

I thought it was intriguing they took one of the top agents of Kingsman and subverted audience expectations by making him clumsy and unrefined after recovering from amnesia. On the subject of amnesia, I liked how it took time for Harry to recall everything as opposed to healing immediately. I think many people are wondering where the heck the whole butterfly thing came from, but the idea Harry's interested by butterflies is planted in the original. When Eggsy's visiting Harry's home, there are MANY butterflies decorating the wall so it's not like the lepidopterist subplot came out of nowhere. My one issue with his character though, was that he seemed to become a proficient agent again just before the third act without much explanation. If they hadn't devoted so much screen time to explaining his return and recovery, I probably wouldn't have been as bothered, but it just came across as sloppy, storytelling to me.

Another thing that bothered me was a subplot shoehorned into the story seemingly for the sake of ridiculing Donald Trump. It's not that I'm bothered by mockery of Trump, considering I see it on a daily basis all over social media, but I didn't feel the political agenda warranted its place in this movie. I'd understand if the entire plot had political undertones and it serviced the storyline, but that's not really the case and it just stood to bloat the film's running time. Although, I suppose Vaughn felt he had to make it up to Democratic audiences for blowing up Obama's head in the last one. 

Then there's one scene that I'm sure will be controversial where Eggsy has to seduce a girl in order for them to locate Poppy and find a cure to the Blue Rash. It's rather risqué to say the least, but stands in accordance with one of the predecessors' contentious scenes, so I wasn't really bothered by it. One thing that's probably being overlooked in favor of viewing the moment as misogynistic is how it brought about a crisis of conscience for Eggsy. He wants to remain faithful to Tilde, but at the same time he knows he needs to plant this tracker to help save the world. Sure, it was unnecessary, but it did show some maturity on Eggsy's behalf and I liked that touch. 

**End of spoilers**

Among the ensemble, Taron Egerton once again channels a suave, charming sensibility into Eggsy that enables him to stand his ground opposite established talent. Egerton imbues Eggsy with such confidence and charisma that you can't help but be drawn towards the character. Alongside Egerton, Mark Strong turns in a prime performance as Merlin. Strong manages to elicit lots of laughs thanks to commendable comedic timing and even strings out some heartfelt emotional beats I didn't see coming. Meanwhile, Colin Firth puts his all into resurrecting Harry Hart by breathing new life into the character with a surprisingly layered performance. There's not much I can say without spoiling the film, so if you're wondering what all I thought of his return; watch the film and come back to check out the spoiler section above! 

Now for the woefully underutilized Statesman... Halle Berry, Channing Tatum, and Jeff Bridges are all billed as being a big part of The Golden Circle. They're on ALL the posters and trailers relating to The Golden Circle, but sadly none of these actors are afforded much to do. They make a strong impression when onscreen, but simply don't factor into the story as much as I would have liked. Basically, don't expect to see these three actors onscreen for more than ten minutes total or you'll be woefully disappointed.

Thankfully, Pedro Pascal stands out apart from the crowd as Agent Whiskey. The Game of Thrones star does it again, putting forth a gruff, chiseled Southern charm that's simply satisfying to see. Pascal gets plenty of time in the limelight with a couple key action sequences that will knock your socks off, and his character is by-far the most developed of the Statesman agents, so it's only fitting that he lassoes his way towards standing being one of the top performers.

In the antagonistic department, neither Julianne Moore or Edward Holcroft were able to fill the void Samuel L. Jackson and Sofia Boutella left behind. Moore seems to have thoroughly enjoyed herself playing Poppy as an bozo baddie, but I don't think the script did her character any favors. Poppy's motivation aren't really relatable and she's not positioned to be particularly menacing in her own right whatsoever. Her right hand-henchman, the rejected Kingsman applicant Charlie, is portrayed by Holcroft once more, and while he makes for a serviceable servant of evil, he's rarely anything more than that. On the bright side, viewers may or may not be surprised to see Elton John pop up in The Golden Circle for an extended cameo appearance. Elton John's scenes had me dying of laughter and independently are more than worth the price of admission (or Blu-Ray in this case?).

Kingsman: The Golden Circle isn't perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but there was enough fun to outweigh its problems in my opinion. Kingsman: The Golden Circle may not be a golden follow-up, but it shouldn't be discounted as fool's gold, because The Golden Circle still shines as a delightful globe-trotting spy adventure in spite of its flaws! 

Film Assessment: B

'Logan Lucky' Review

[This review was originally written in August 2017 and is now being published to coincide with the digital home media release. For an explanation of this, visit my Fall 2017 Important Update post.] 

Logan Lucky pits audiences out in West Virginia, where tough times have convinced Jimmy Logan to team-up with his one-armed brother, his speed-demon sister, and a detained demolitions expert in order to break into the Charlotte Motor Speedway during a NASCAR race and pull off the gutsiest hillbilly heist of a lifetime. 

Despite announcing his retirement from directing four years ago, Steven Soderbergh races back into feature filmmaking with Logan Lucky. Unconventionally, Soderbergh decided to independently distribute the film because he wanted to ensure his vision made it into cinemas with no studio meddling. Another quirky fun-fact is that Soderbergh likes to handle the cinematography and editing himself under false pseudonyms (Peter Andrews and Marry Ann Bernard). I bring this up not only because it's interesting and informative, but because the film's credited screenwriter is Rebecca Blunt (who has no prior credits and is believed to be another pseudonym for either Soderbergh or his wife).

Steven Soderbergh had a tricky task ahead of him in trying to balance the dramatic heist elements with the comedic sensibilities, but across the board Soderbergh ensures Logan Lucky remains entertaining and inoffensive with a jovial tone and smart screenplay. This film could have easily veered into offensive areas by ridiculing rednecks, but Rebecca Blunt paints an authentic portrayal of the America's Deep-South instead. The characters are constructed in such a way that they don't come off as caricatures since the film takes great care to put everything into proper perspective. The situations these character find themselves in are real, so the characters are relatable to-a-degree.

One especially intriguing element to Logan Lucky is how it provides viewers a general sense of the heist, but enough information is withheld so the film never reaches a point of predictability. There are moments that seemingly meander, because the audience is kept in the dark at times, but the pay-off allows for plenty of pleasant surprises along the way. Oh, and the script is surprisingly sharp with tons of zany one-liners and hysterical moments all throughout.

Channing Tatum keeps it all together in his most venerable performance yet as the genuine family man Jimmy Logan. Alongside Tatum, Adam Driver imbues Jimmy's brother Clyde with a reserved nature and Riley Keough flexes her resilience as their sister Mellie. The one actor who took me completely off-guard was Farrah Mackenzie as Jimmy's daughter, Sadie. Mackenzie demonstrates a knack for playing out the sweetness and innocence associated with children, but takes it a step further by leaving a sizable impression for every moment she's onscreen.

Daniel Craig's the one who steals the show though as the outrageously eccentric Joe Bang. I'm really only familiar with watching Daniel Craig in the recent Bond flicks, so it was loads of fun to see such a drastic departure from the straight-laced, straight-faced gentleman spy. Bang's brothers are portrayed by Jack Quaid and Brian Gleeson, who are an absolute hoot as well. You'll also likely recognize much of the supporting talent sprinkled throughout the cast, but I won't ruin their inclusion here.

Steven Soderbergh's return to cinematic storytelling is immensely entertaining and easily of of the year's more unique entries. Logan Lucky doesn't totally transcend the heist genre, but it's a refreshing change of pace well-worth watching due to its fixed direction, some eccentric performances, and off-kilter humor.

Film Assessment: B+

'Hail, Caesar!' Review

Nominated For: Best Production Design.

Hail, Caesar! follows the daily life of a PR man who must solve many behind the scenes issues with the various talent at Capitol Pictures, a movie studio at the height of it's powers. I've been looking forward to Hail, Caesar! since the first trailer released for the film hoping it would be similar in tone to The Grand Budapest Hotel, even though I was completely aware that different directors were behind both projects. So as may be apparent from the date I'm publishing this review, the combination of school and work as well as releases of films I was anticipating a bit more constantly delayed me from seeing the film. The delay however has allowed me to see the general response to the film, which was unlike any I had ever seen. In this case, I've noticed that critics enjoyed it and audiences hated it, and having seen the film I think I might have discovered why that is. The film boasts a star studded ensemble cast that's filled to the brim with great talent. However, the cast is used sparingly with a few actors relegated to a few scenes sprinkled throughout the film and I think that's one of the issues that audiences have with the film. They saw the name talent that compelled them to see the film and were disappointed by the underuse of some of these actors. I'm going to discuss them in order of actors who were on screen the least to the more important characters. Most notably absent was Jonah Hill, who is relegated to a one scene cameo yet is featured prominently on the poster and quite a bit in the promotional material for the film. However Hill's role does service the narrative in a small capacity and he's great for his minute on screen. Ralph Fiennes plays the snide Hollywood Drama director Laurence Lorenz, which works perfectly juxtaposing with Alden Ehrenreich's western star Hobie Doyle forced into drama as the studio attempts to change his image. This allows for a hilarious scene between the two where Lorenz is trying to get Hobie to correctly say a line, which Hobie is unable to do. This gag runs a bit long but it only gets funnier and funnier. Fiennes is limited to a few scenes but fantastic in the capacity used. Scarlett Johansson gets to take on the role of DeeAnna Moran, an Esther Williams esque actress, enduring some personal problems of her own that the studio wants to sweep under the rug. Johansson is primarily featured in a mermaid synchronized swimming sequence that's just a delight that leads into a particularly funny bit in the film. So she's restricted to about two or three scenes but also great when onscreen. Tilda Swinton gets to play twin rival journalists, Thora and Thessaly Thacke, who are trying their best to get an intriguing scoop about one of the studio's stars and she's the perfect balance of irritating and snoopy for both characters. Swinton is brilliant as usual but utilized conservatively in the film with a few scenes sprinkled around. Channing Tatum plays a Gene Kelly type as Burt with a spectacular tap dance and song number. Tatum continues to impress me again and again, first proving he can be a comedic and action star in the Jump Street movies, and now getting to flex more of his musical talents. I'm aware Tatum's acting career began with dancing in the Step Up films but tap dancing is a whole other animal that requires rhythmic precision. I was amazed at Tatum's abilities on display for the sequence and he also shocked me when I learned he could carry a tune as well. Channing Tatum's character is an interesting case as I can't go into too much detail without spoiling the film but he has one scene that had me laughing hysterically throughout. On the flip side of that, there are the members of the cast that carry the narrative focusing on George Clooney, Alden Ehrenreich, and Josh Brolin. George Clooney gets to play the dunce movie star, Baird Whitlock, who is kidnapped in the film by a nefarious secret organization, which makes for an intriguing reveal that at times allows for some effective comedy. Alden Ehrenreich, who I mentioned a bit earlier, plays the cowboy western star Hobie Doyle and is surprisingly a standout among the cast with great comedic timing and heart. Josh Brolin is perfect as Capitol Pictures' studio fixer, Eddie Mannix, and really the main character of the film as it follows a day in his hectic life. Speaking of this, the film feels very unfocused which is certainly a problem but after I saw the film I realized that this is to reflect how insane Mannix's life is because of the crazy talent he must deal with on a daily basis. Conclusively, if you are interested in Hail, Caesar! because of the cast, I'd be very wary. The cinematography, score, and direction are all standard and effective but nothing particularly stood out to me. The Coen Brother's do a fine job and achieve what they set out to do with the film as they clearly are fascinated with 1950's Hollywood. Another strange thing was the style of editing that would would randomly jump from one part of the story to another without the proper groundwork and foundation to understand what is going on initially. In summary, the Coen Brothers created a strange love letter to old, classic 1950's Hollywood that I'd recommend for rental or home media purchase as opposed to checking out in theaters. 

Film Assessment: B-

'Jupiter Ascending' Review

This is the first movie released in 2015 that I have reviewed and it's almost been a year since my very first review which you can view at this link, 'The LEGO Movie' Review. This movie was a visual spectacle with cool gadgets an technology in the world of the film with some great performances. In particular, Channing Tatum really impressed me with his first sci-fi film role and I am very excited to see him as Gambit in the upcoming X-Men films. Mila Kunis also delivers a great performance which I did not expect. The only actor that felt out of place was Eddie Redmayne who performed well as a villain but had a distinct voice that was very strange and annoying to listen to which really bothered me. This film however had a very cluttered incoherent story which is the fault of the directors, screenwriters, etc. The fight choreography and action in the film were great and fun to watch. Overall this is a good, watchable film with amazing visuals and production design that has an overcrowded story with unnecessarily complicated stories. If you like aesthetically pleasing movies I would recommend it but I will warn you that this film has several story problems.

'Foxcatcher' Review

Nominated for: Best Director; Bennett Miller, Best Actor; Steve Carell, Best Supporting Actor; Mark Ruffalo, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.

I am currently trying to watch all of the films that were nominated for the major categories so I can develop my own opinion of which film I feel deserves to win each category by seeing each of the films nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, etc. I felt that it was a good film but the first half is somewhat boring and then has a crazy ending that I really enjoyed. I thought Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo each gave great performances and understand why Ruffalo and Carell received nominations but I didn't feel that Carrell was necessarily the best choice for a nomination for Best Actor. This is a film I would recommend to watch if you are interested in wrestling or if you enjoy these three actors but I don't think I would be able to watch this film multiple times.

'22 Jump Street' Review

This was another sequel that was released this weekend that was better than it's predecessor. This film is filled with great humor and has some awesome action scenes in it. Although the story is similar to the original it has plenty of great laughs that makes it worth the trip to the theater. I went to go see it with my father, who normally falls asleep during movies, for Fathers Day and he loved it! Overall I enjoyed the humor and references in the movie and definitely recommend seeing it!