Reel Recap: October 2019

In case you missed my Doctor Sleep review or first two Reel Recaps, I'm starting a new review format called "Reel Recap." This will enable me to write brief thoughts on everything I watch monthly going forward. In this third Reel Recap, I'm going to cover every 2019 release I watched in October. This includes Judy, Gemini Man, El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, The Lighthouse, Zombieland: Double Tap, and Terminator: Dark Fate.

Reel Recap: October 2019

Judy - Watched October 5, 2019

Nominated For: Best Actress; Renée Zellweger and Best Makeup and Hairstyling.
Won: Best Actress; Renée Zellweger.

Synopsis: Legendary performer Judy Garland arrives in London to perform a series of sold-out concerts.
Runtime: 118 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for substance abuse, thematic content, some strong language, and smoking)
Who should see it? Fans of Judy Garland.

Based on Peter Quilter's stage play "End of the Rainbow," Judy is a biographical picture about Judy Garland directed by Rupert Goold and written by Tom Edge. However, it's worth noting that the biopic doesn't chronicle Judy Garland's entire life, as the marketing may lead you to believe. Instead, it focuses on the later years of her career with an enlightening evaluation of how the classic Hollywood studio system affected her mental, physical, and emotional wellbeing. This is perhaps the most compelling aspect of the story since the remainder is reserved for her live performances and the intricacies of her personal life. Still, I wish the filmmakers followed that yellow brick narrative road a little more closely. Front and center, the remarkable Renée Zellweger delivers an incredibly well-rounded performance. Aside from exhibiting an excellent singing voice, Zellweger really taps into the icon's feisty attitude in addition to channeling her broken, sorrowful side. Zellweger's dynamite performance elevates what would otherwise be an ordinary biopic. By the time it ends, the spirits of Garland devotees will surely be soaring over the rainbow.

Film Assessment: B-

Gemini Man - Watched October 10, 2019

Synopsis: An over-the-hill hitman faces off against a younger clone of himself.
Runtime: 117 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG-13 (for violence and action throughout, and brief strong language)
Who should see it? Fans of Will Smith and action films.

In development since 1997, Gemini Man is visionary director Ang Lee's latest project featuring a screenplay credited to David Benioff, Billy Ray, and Darren Lemke. Ang Lee's recently shifted his focus as a filmmaker towards technological innovation, previously toying with 3-D, high frame rate, and complex visual effects. Gemini Man employs all three but garnered attention primarily for its 120 frames-per-second presentation and a CG-Will Smith double. To my surprise, the high frame rate enhanced the immersion of action sequences, and Lee made great use of 3-D effects (certainly the best I've seen in a long time). However, the younger digital Smith model was only convincing in dark environments, otherwise falling into an uncanny valley when glimpsed in daylight. Unfortunately, nothing could conceal the lackluster script though. Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Benedict Wong, and Clive Owen are adequate, but the text does them no favors. Spearheaded by a dull story, dreadful dialogue, and generic stock characters, Gemini Man proves to be nothing more than an unimaginative use of new technologies. A grotesque clone of superior action cinema.

Film Assessment: C-

El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie - Watched October 11, 2019 (Netflix)

Synopsis: In the wake of his escape from captivity, Jesse must come to terms with his past in order to forge a future.
Runtime: 122 minutes
MPAA Rating: TV-MA
Who should see it? Fans of Breaking Bad.

Six years after the finale of Breaking Bad, series creator Vince Gilligan has returned to Albuquerque to close the door on Jesse Pinkman's story. In case you were wondering, Breaking Bad is essential viewing to maintain a firm grasp of everything going on in El Camino. Conveniently, Netflix houses El Camino in addition to every Breaking Bad episode. In spite of the realtime six-year gap, Gilligan's addendum feels like a natural series continuation. While certain cast members noticeably aged in the intermittent period, Gilligan wonderfully captures the tone and atmosphere that pervaded weekly in the seedy underworld of the meth-based show. The cast comfortably reprise their roles as well, with several surprise cameos sprinkled throughout the two-hours. But it's Aaron Paul who shines above all. Now in the limelight, Paul brings a new dimension to Jesse for his final outing by exploring his tortured psyche and soul. Against all the odds, Gilligan revisited the world of Breaking Bad and preserved the sanctity of the series' original ending.

Film Assessment: A

The Lighthouse (2019) - Watched October 24, 2019

Nominated For: Best Cinematography.

Synopsis: Two lighthouse keepers try to maintain their sanity living on a remote and mysterious New England island.
Runtime: 109 minutes
MPAA Rating: R (for sexual content, nudity, violence, disturbing images, and some language)
Who should see it? Adult fans of Robert Eggers and unusual indie horror.

Robert Eggers' The Lighthouse is undoubtedly one of the more unusual films of the year. Shot in black and white with a 1.19:1 aspect ratio, it resembles an old silent film. This aesthetic heightens the gloomy atmosphere and gradually immerses audiences in the cinematic equivalent of a sea shanty. As lighthouse keepers, Ephraim Winslow and Thomas Wake, Robert Pattinson and Willem Dafoe lend a convincing representation of two men descending into madness. Pattinson and Dafoe share a fascinating rapport as their dynamic develops throughout their isolation. You can sense an underlying resentment between the two as they begrudgingly get along. The exasperating escalation of their egos and subsequent feuds results in career-best work from either actor. Think of it as The Shining on an island, but weirder.

Film Assessment: A-

Zombieland: Double Tap - Watched October 28, 2019

Synopsis: Columbus, Tallahassee, Wichita, and Little Rock move to the American heartland as they face off against evolved zombies, fellow survivors, and the growing pains of the snarky, makeshift family.
Runtime: 99 minutes
MPAA Rating: R (for bloody violence, language throughout, some drug use, and sexual content)
Who should see it? Adult fans of Zombieland.

Zombieland was an unexpected success that became a cult classic. A decade later, and director Ruben Fleischer's reteamed with writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick as well as franchise newcomer Dave Callaham for Zombieland: Double Tap. Throughout its runtime, Double Tap reiterates its predecessor's irreverent sense of humor but fails to do so in an exciting manner. While I don't cherish the original enough to consider it a classic by any stretch, Zombieland was fresh and unique, which is why it accumulated a large following. Double Tap falls into the trappings of a sequel with no interest in broadening its horizons. Only this time, Reese, Wernick, and Callaham showed no restraint. I considered much of the humor drawn out and repetitive, and never felt the sequel justified its existence beyond turning a profit. With that said, I chuckled occasionally, and the delightful chemistry between the grouping of Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone, Abigail Breslin persevered. Nevertheless, I found Zoey Deutch's valley girl character to be an obnoxious one-note addition to the cast. For a second outing, Zombieland: Double Tap bit off way more than it could chew. It takes more than merely regurgitating what viewers liked about the first film to deliver a worthy follow up.

Film Assessment: C-

Terminator: Dark Fate - Watched October 31, 2019

Synopsis: Sarah Connor and a hybrid cyborg human must protect a young girl from a newly modified Terminator.
Runtime: 128 minutes
MPAA Rating: R (for violence throughout, language, and brief nudity)
Who should see it? Adult fans of the Terminator franchise.

Terminator: Dark Fate has been heralded as the best Terminator sequel since Judgement Day, and while that may be true, consider for a second how low the bar was set... Directed by Tim Miller with a slew of screenwriters behind it, Dark Fate is the series' third attempt at a reboot. Ignoring the previous three sequels, Dark Fate charts a new course... But history has a funny way of repeating itself as Dark Fate's story is derivative of the first two entries, and renders them meaningless in minutes. Overloaded with incomprehensible action and varied quality of visual effects, Dark Fate left little to win me over. Regardless, it was cool to see Linda Hamilton back as Sarah Connor while Arnold Schwarzenegger makes due on his often-quoted promise to return. The two of them had the most memorable moments amongst the cast, and I especially liked their contentious relationship. That said, Mackenzie Davis, Natalia Reyes, and Gabriel Luna are great additions. In an effort to reconcile the damage done to the franchise, Terminator: Dark Fate focuses so much on emulating T-1 & T-2 that it disregards the notion of differentiating itself.

Film Assessment: C+

'Aquaman' Review

Once home to the most advanced civilization on Earth, the city of Atlantis is now an underwater kingdom ruled by the power-hungry King Orm. With a vast army at his disposal, Orm plans on conquering all oceanic people and ruling the surface world as well. Standing in his way is Arthur Curry, Orm's half-human, half-Atlantean brother and true heir to the throne. With help from royal counselor Vulko, Arthur must retrieve the legendary Trident of Atlan and embrace his destiny as protector of the deep if he's going to prevent war between the surface world and ocean dwellers. 

The DC Extended Universe went through a bit of a rough patch, and only briefly found its footing with Wonder Woman last year before Justice League squandered the goodwill of many critics, fans, and general audience members mere months later. Eyes then turned towards DC's next batch of projects, curious if any could possibly save the sinking ship and help course-correct the franchise to better compete with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Helmed by visionary director James Wan, Aquaman seemed like a viable candidate to turn things around for DC and Warner Bros. Wan would have to overcome waves of preconceived cultural stigmas surrounding the character to succeed, but given his track record, it was an obtainable goal. Though the film has its flaws, which I'll address momentarily, Wan dove headfirst into the extensive source material and emerged with an entertaining onscreen adaptation. 

I wouldn't say Aquaman is a "game-changer" for DC or even the comic-book genre for that matter, but it will likely bestow audience members with a newfound appreciation for the often ridiculed hero or at least demonstrate that he should be taken more seriously. The script collectively credits David Leslie Johnson-McGoldrick, Will Beall, Geoff Johns, and Wan as being responsible for screenplay and story. Dialogue from Johnson-McGoldrick and Beall is occasionally quite cheesy while the story by Beall, Johns, and Wan frequently seems derivative of other genre-fare. 

The pacing and visual effects are also somewhat uneven, as the second act meanders a bit while the color-grading and green-screen work are sometimes shoddy in the brighter environments above water. My impression is that Wan understandably concerned himself with doing justice to the underwater setting that time constraints and budget allocations likely inhibited the visual effects outside the ocean. With that being said, Aquaman relishes in its underwater setting and the darker environments. The visuals are genuinely sensational underwater, and there's a noticeable uptick in quality as the film enters the third act and Wan's able to get in touch with his horror roots. Aquaman really reminded me of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story in regards to the third act being substantially better than the rest of the film since everything from the Mariana Trench sequence onwards was absolutely outstanding! 

In spite of some sketchy CG here and there, the action in Aquaman is very well-executed across the board. The combat's cool, clear, and easy to follow. What more could you ask for? Also, it's worth mentioning that slo-mo seems to now be a staple of the DCEU, for better or for worse, as it's employed quite often. Additionally, I noticed some clever editing transitions were applied when fluctuating between the past and present via flashbacks. Furthermore, Rupert Gregson-Williams' score was spectacular, utilizing the recently re-popularized futuristic synth-sound. The incorporation of pop-music stuck out like a sore thumb and was quite jarring when juxtaposed against the onscreen events though. Pitbull and Rhea's "Ocean-To-Ocean" which samples from Toto's "Africa" was a particularly dreadful ear-sore. 

Jason Mamoa and Amber Heard admittedly aren't the greatest actors and honestly have no chemistry with one another, but they each do their characters justice. It's readily apparent that neither performer was necessarily cast for their acting ability, but instead because they're attractive individuals. To upend the public's perception of Aquaman as a lame character, casting an actor with Mamoa's physique was required. We'd previously only seen Mamoa's Aquaman in small doses and gotten a brief glimpse of his iteration, but Mamoa exudes an infectious charisma and even displays some convincing emotional range in the lead role. Otherwise, Heard made the most of her time onscreen as Mera to leave an impression on audiences as a capable female character. I'm not going to on record saying Mera couldn't have been portrayed by another actress, but I think Heard was fine in the role. In fact, I'll confidently say she amounted to being more than eye-candy, with a vital proactive role in the narrative to boot. I'd say that's a win in my book!

In the depths of the supporting cast, Nicole Kidman, Temuera Morrison, Willem Dafoe, and Dolph Lundgren elevate their material and help buoy the two leads as well. Kidman and Morrison carry one of the film's few emotional threads and actually had stellar chemistry in their limited shared screen time. It was particularly exciting to see Dafoe acting in another comic-book movie (the most recent being Spider-Man 3 in 2007) and refreshing to finally witness Morrison onscreen again years after the Star Wars prequels where he played Jango Fett and every conceivable Clone Trooper. Not to mention that Lundgren's career is also now on a resurgent hot streak between this and Creed II.

Meanwhile, two oceanic antagonists are meant to swim circles around Aquaman. Patrick Wilson lends greater gravitas to Orm but ultimately flounders as a one-note, power-hungry villain. Then, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's Black Manta is a neat addition but would have been better saved for a sequel because he didn't have a natural place in the narrative. Abdul-Mateen and Wilson do well in their respective roles and are at least cool-looking villains, but both characters are underdeveloped on paper and onscreen. Per film, I'd say the DCEU is currently 0-6 in its strong villain department.

Whether Aquaman will be the much-needed rising tide for DC's future ventures remains to be seen, but the Atlantean's already making a splash in terms of international box office and is a significant improvement over Man Of Steel, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Justice League in my eyes. It may not measure up to Wonder Woman, but Aquaman successfully stands on its own two feet and spearheads a brighter future for DC! 

Film Assessment: B

'The Florida Project' Review

Nominated For: Best Supporting Actor; Willem Dafoe.

The Florida Project depicts the day-to-day dilemmas and experiences of a troublesome six-year old named Moonee and her ragtag group of friends as they court mischief and adventure around their makeshift motel during the summertime. Meanwhile, Moonee and her absurdly irresponsible mother live week-to-week at the Magic Castle, a budget hotel on the outskirts of Disney World managed by a watchful, compassionate attendant.

The Florida Project is written and directed by up-and-coming Indie-filmmaker Sean Baker, who cowrote the screenplay with longtime collaborator and friend Chris Bergoch. I've been meaning to watch this film for quite some time, but only got around to it more recently because I wanted to be sure and watch it before tomorrow night's Academy Awards since I'd heard so much buzz around the film and it was nominated for Willem Dafoe's performance. Like Mudbound, I watched the film with set expectations for how I thought everything would pan out and was similarly disengaged for the first fifteen minutes. At first, I found the bratty behavior of the children to be repulsive and the attitude of the mother to be utterly obnoxious until I realized it was all intentional. Over the film's runtime though, I warmed up to the characters and realized Baker was commenting on poverty and conditions of the marginalized American population. 

These individuals aren't quite homeless, but they're obviously at the tipping point and I felt like seeing that on film really put things into perspective. I'm not going to go into political semantics, but the word "privilege" often carries a negative connotation and is almost entirely associated with the idea of being rich. However, Baker reminds those in the middle class that we're more privileged than any of us would care to admit. Of course, we run into our own fair share of financial problems, but they're nowhere near this extent... Which only makes it all the more remarkable that Baker was able to authentically approach this subject matter through the naive perspective of a child.

This is reflected in Alexis Zabe's cinematography, as The Florida Project is beaming with bright imagery full of dynamic color contrast and largely shot from low angles. Beyond the aesthetic, there's an underlying sense of awe and wonder in direct opposition to the tragic circumstance these families find themselves in. The world not only looks vibrant and exciting though. It feels that way due to Sean Baker's direction. The closest comparison that comes to mind is 2015 awards contender Room, but these children aren't exactly innocent like Jack. They're equally oblivious to the severity of their situations, but Moonee and her friends are exposed to the negative influences of the outside world while Jack was essentially sheltered to the confines of a shack for a VAST majority of his life.

Due to the aforementioned approach, The Florida Project is a film that lives and breathes on the proficiency of its child actors. If they couldn't carry their scenes, this film would not have received such a warm reception. Thankfully, they foot the bill. I doubt I'll be able to truly tell you something you haven't heard already, but I'll elaborate nonetheless. Moonee's friends, Scooty, Dicky, and Jancey, are played by Christopher Rivera, Aiden Malik, and Valeria Cotto respectively, who make for a sufficient set of friends for Moonee. With all that being said, Brooklynn Prince is a precious revelation. If you don't believe me, good luck watching the video below without thinking the words "aw" or "adorable" to yourself. 

Now that's GOTTA stand out as one of the most adorable awards acceptance speeches you've ever seen, right? Anyways, Prince has earned her coveted spot alongside other unstoppable young actors as her performance isn't just "cute." She expresses a lot of emotion over roughly two hours, and it all comes across as genuine and endearing. You'll find yourself wrapped up in her heartbreaking circumstance because Prince will win you over in a matter of minutes. 

Portraying her mother Halley, first-time actress Bria Vinaite managed to both revolt me as such an irresponsible adult and pluck my heartstrings in the grounded, tender moments she shared with her daughter. I know it sounds insane, but Vinaite made it work wonders! You'll probably wind up leaning towards the side of "get this child away from this woman," but there's enough of a bond between Halley and Moonee that your heart aches for their day-to-day dilemma. 

Last but not least, Willem Dafoe's accolades are well warranted. Dafoe's character is undeniably the audience stand-in, as he persistently stands on the peripheral of their problems being the hotel manager and all. This then makes it all the more heart-warming whenever he inevitably steps in to do what he can for the family with no expectations to receive anything in return. Bobby is a man of congenial character with a rough exterior, and Dafoe plays that beautifully.

Purely from a filmmaking standpoint, The Florida Project is endlessly imaginative and brimming with childlike wonder. I wasn't expecting to say this, but I now even find myself in the camp of individuals who believe the Academy unfairly snubbed the film in the categories of Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, and maybe even Best Actress/Supporting Actress for Prince and Vinaite. While I thought the film's overarching narrative was weak from time-to-time by nature of the day-to-day storytelling and that the ending was a jarring transition from an incredible emotionally-charged scene, I'd say The Florida Project is a shining gem from 2017 that I regret not seeing in theaters.

Film Assessment: B+

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Fantastic Mr. Fox'

I haven't published Throwback Thursday Reviews these past two weeks for varying reasons, but I have a few exciting updates to share regarding my blog and I'm now back on track to review Fantastic Mr. Fox ahead of Wes Anderson's new stop motion film coming later this month, Isle of Dogs. In regards to late reviews, I watched Blade the other day so that particular Throwback Thursday Review will be coming as soon as I finish writing it. However, I've decided to remove all other delayed reviews from my schedule to free up space. I promise I'll get them eventually at a more appropriate time when they're more relevant (ie. review It (1990) when the It sequel comes out, etc.). If you want to know what you should expect to see from me this month, I plan on publishing Throwback Thursday Reviews of A Wrinkle in Time (2004), Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Pacific Rim, and Jurassic Park, new reviews of A Wrinkle in Time (2018), Tomb Raider, Pacific Rim: Uprising, Isle of Dogs, and Ready Player One along with a couple more Star Wars Speculation posts and some Academy Awards coverage this weekend.

Meanwhile, it's also worth mentioning that I'm in the process of updating the format of my "Movie Review" page and I've added an area where you can sign up for email updates. For those confused what that first part means, I have an area that's intended to ease navigation around my blog. On the side, there's a series of tabs that will direct you to pages and I'm currently modifying those pages to be more user-friendly. Now, you'll be directed to the respective review if you click on any of the banner images with my score and watermarked logo on them. Then if you'd like to subscribe to the email list, just go over to the side tabs and you'll find an area entitled "Follow by Email." Just enter in your preferred email address and press "Submit" to be added to the list and I believe you'll be notified via email anytime I publish something.

'Fantastic Mr. Fox' Review

Nominated For: Best Animated Feature and Best Original Score.

Twelve fox-years (two human-years) after settling down to start a family, Mr. Fox grows tired of his idyllic lifestyle and yearns to satisfy his animalistic urge of raiding farms. Unaware of the consequences, he seizes his ideal opportunity upon moving near the triple farms of Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. However, the tenacious farmers unexpectedly retaliate to his schemes so Mr. Fox, his family, and the surrounding animal community are forced deep underground where they must amass their cunning wits and instinctual gifts to emerge victorious against the shrewd farmers.

Fantastic Mr. Fox is a feature length stop-motion animated film based on Roald Dahl's famous children's book, which is directed by Wes Anderson and features a screenplay cowritten by Anderson and Noah Baumbach. If you're familiar with Anderson's work, you know what you're in for whenever you see a Wes Anderson production. Anderson's established himself in the industry as a filmmaker with an especially specific style, and it's almost impossible to deny that his approach to making movies is entirely unique. In this case, Anderson actually adapted Dahl's book in such spectacular fashion that he managed to marry his own unique sensibilities as a filmmaker with the spirit of Dahl's source material to the degree you'll believe the union was always meant to be.

 

As a brief aside, I was initially introduced to Wes Anderson through Fantastic Mr. Fox probably seven or eight years ago and I've been drawn to his work ever since! While I haven't explored his filmography extensively, I absolutely adore Moonrise Kingdom, The Grand Budapest Hotel, and can't wait to see Isle of Dogs in a few weeks! I'm quite captivated by Wes Anderson's flicks because they're characteristically quirky, colorful, and obsessively symmetrical with a good bit of wry, witty humor to spare. Seeing as Fantastic Mr. Fox was accomplished with the approach of stop-motion animation, the project seemed a perfect match for Anderson's eccentric artistry. 

Stop-motion has to be painstakingly precise if the models are to move with an authentic fluidity when it's all said and done, and I can even speak from personal experience as I dabbled with the medium when I was younger. Which is why I believe Anderson's OCD-like tendencies made him an appropriate artist to tackle this story through this technique. Credit should definitely also be bestowed to the animators for meticulously managing to position the puppets so their movements look genuine and lifelike and, of course, the intricate production design from Nelson Lowry is a nice touch!

Fantastic Mr. Fox isn't just a well-crafted work of stop-motion though... Anderson and Baumbach craftily convey Dahl's story as an exciting, outlandish animal adventure that's energized by a happy-go-lucky soundtrack and supplemental set of cheery compositions from Alexandre Desplat. However, one of the film's most attributed traits is its sharp, hysterical delivery of deadpan dialogue and the imaginative use of farcical situations for amusing interplay. 

As for the illustrious ensemble, Fantastic Mr. Fox features the likes of George Clooney, Meryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Eric Chase Anderson (Wes' brother), Wallace Wolodarsky, Bill Murray, Michael Gambon, Willem Dafoe, Owen Wilson, and Wes Anderson himself in the varying voice roles of assorted animals and heinous human farmers respectively. Each cast member explores the intricacies of their character in enough of an interesting, unique way that they all stick with you once it's all over. With that being said, Clooney slyly steals the show in a fittingly foxy fashion.

There are many words I could use to describe Fantastic Mr. Fox, but I believe the title hits the nail on the head with the word "fantastic." If you have not experienced this film or any of the entertaining antics of Wes Anderson, I strongly encourage you to dig deep into his filmography where you'll be met by a delightful array of equally excellent films.

Film Assessment: A+

'Murder on the Orient Express' (2017) Review

[This review was originally written in November 2017 and is now being published that my internship is over. For an explanation of this, visit my Fall 2017 Important Update post.] 

Murder on the Orient Express chugs along with world-renowned detective Hercule Poirot as he travels on the extravagant Orient Express enroute to London so he can solve yet another case. However, his recess is interrupted when the lavish locomotive becomes the scene of a murder, and responsibility falls upon Poirot to catch the culprit responsible for committing the crime among a dozen of the train's dubious passengers.

Murder on the Orient Express adapts a novel written by Agatha Christie and this 2017 rendition is directed by Kenneth Branagh, who also happens to star as the brilliant Belgian detective. Branagh's version joins one pre-existing film adaptation, three television series (including one Japanese incarnation), and the novel itself of course. Considering I haven't seen or read any of these, I can't quite speak to how faithfully Branagh adapted the novel or how it compares to the other editions. I can however say though that Branagh imbues Murder on the Orient Express with the stylistic sensibilities of an old-fashioned murder mystery, which really works in the film's favor.

Branagh and his crew create a convincing 1930s environment to coup up the characters (full marks to the production and costume designers, as well as the hair and makeup team) while cinematographer Haris Zambarloukos cunningly captures captivating imagery within the confined compartments of the Orient Express. Patrick Doyle's score also fuels the coal fire with a liveliness that mimics the movement of a train as it rarely stops chugging along. Murder on the Orient Express rides a set of comfortable tracks in regards to aesthetic, but the script accounts for a bumpier ride.

Again, I can't attest to the accuracy of this adaptation and so I'm unsure if any of my complaints are better directed towards Christie or the film's screenwriter, Michael Green. Regardless of where the problem lies, theres still an issue. Murder on the Orient Express is a whodunnit murder mystery, and when solving a mystery it's best to key the audience in on various clues by showing rather than telling. Branagh goes with the latter though, essentially spilling all the details in expositional dialogue. The mystery and the characters involved aren't nearly as fascinating as they should be considering the viewer's knowledge is relatively restricted to what Poirot explains to them, which really is a shame considering the quality of the cast assembled for the project. Murder on the Orient Express also isn't in any hurry to meet its destination, so naturally the pacing can veer towards being slightly sluggish on occasion. 

Murder on the Orient Express amasses an exceptional ensemble, and while certain actors are able to stick out from the crowd a tad, Kenneth Branagh's the only one who truly shines... or was it just his character's marvelous moustache? Anyways, Johnny Depp, Daisy Ridley, Josh Gad, Willem DaFoe, Michelle Pfeiffer, Leslie Odom Jr., and Tom Bateman are actually quite good when afforded the opportunity to do or say something, but the ensemble as a whole is woefully underutilized and are made out to be mostly stock background caricatures rather than fully, fleshed individuals. 

I'd love to confidently shout "All aboard the Orient Express," but the journey's a little trepidatious if I'm being honest. Branagh steals the show from both behind and in-front of the camera, providing the embers necessary to keep the flick moving, but the film almost veers offtrack due to the script's underwhelming roles for his extraordinary ensemble.

Film Assessment: C+

'The Great Wall' Review

In The Great Wall European mercenaries searching for "black powder" (gun powder) stumble across the Great Wall of China and are drawn into a conflict between China's militia and an army of monsters to protect not only China, but the world itself.

The Great Wall has been surrounded by plenty of whitewashing controversy for casting Matt Damon in the lead role of what's actually the most expensive Chinese production ever made. Is the controversy justified? Not really, and I'll explain why shortly. First of all, Damon is surrounded by LOTS of Chinese talent in front of and behind the camera. Second of all, this film is not based on any pre-existing events, myths, or legends whatsoever. Therefore, Damon's character William was always intended to be a European outsider considering this film's an original idea. It's not as if they cast Damon in the role of an Asian character for some odd reason. Thirdly, Damon's role isn't quite what many are assuming. His character isn't subjecting European ideals on the Chinese and he's definitely not a "white savior" or "hero" of this story, in fact he's almost a supporting asset in terms of how he contributes to the action. Did his character need to be there? Not really... In fact, the movie may have been better without him and the tangled subplots surrounding his side of things but I wouldn't consider his inclusion to be whitewashing. If anything, Matt Damon was involved because a film this ambitious unfortunately needs respected American actors to headline if they're going to be green-lit by studio executives.

Visionary director Zhang Yimou helms the sprawling Chinese blockbuster and his inclusion permits The Great Wall's aesthetic to flourish. The cinematography, production design, battle armor, action sequences and visual effects are all admittedly impressive elements to be found in The Great Wall. The action sequences include wall sieges reminiscent to the Battle of Helm's Deep from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers or the zombie wall ascension from World War Z and a third act finale that feels like a convoluted final boss fight from a video game. The Tao Tei monster design is undeniably original as they look like lizard dog creatures you might come across in a video game.

Back to the action, you'll find the sequences are cool in the moment and will scratch your "awesome archer Matt Damon vs a CG-monster army" itch but none of which were particularly memorable or engaging due to flat characterization. If you don't care about the characters, it's difficult to get engaged in the action and that fault lies with the screenplay penned by Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro, and Tony Gilroy with a story treatment from Max Brooks, Edward Zwick, and Marshall Heskovitz.

The characters remain fairly static throughout and are scarcely developed so you never really connect or care about them at all for that matter. There's a "character arc" for Damon as William that he supposedly redeems himself from a hardened mercenary to a genuine hero but the film fails to really show any despicable actions on William's part. This in turn makes it difficult to believe he was ever a "bad guy" considering all his contrary selfless acts of heroism shown throughout. As for the story itself, the film spreads itself thin with pointless side quests that you won't care about. The story's stretched thin but it feels unbelievably and unnecessarily bloated, I would have preferred two hours defending the Great Wall of China because the early combat sequences showed promise for that side of things despite displaying way too much of the Chinese preparation.

The cast also don't do much to pick up the slack as no-one really shone through. I'm saddened to say this is probably the worst Matt Damon performance I have ever seen, which really is a shame considering Damon's proven himself capable of leading an action blockbuster before. Damon nails the action side of things but makes an odd decision to mesh Irish and Scottish accents and the end result's incredibly inconsistent. Outside of his accent, Damon practically sleepwalks through this movie with dry dialogue delivery.

Tian Jing's Lin Mae makes a strong showing but I wish her character had been more developed for me to actually care about her. Jing is surprisingly not the cliché love interest or sex appeal so thank goodness for that! In the remaining supporting arsenal Game of Thrones' Pedro Pascal serves his part as Damon's sidekick Tovar while Willem Dafoe's Ballard is the typical greedy merchant, an absolute waste of Dafoe's talents. A positive aspect of The Great Wall I forgot to mention earlier is its epic score from Game of Thrones composer Ramin Djawdi. Djawdi has proven himself capable of crafting epic sweeping scores that match the intended grandiose nature of the project and he succeeds once again here.

In conclusion, The Great Wall isn't offensively bad, it's probably something you won't mind catching on cable but it's not worth two hours of your time or the price of admission at the cinema. The visuals don't quite redeem the lackluster story and forgettable characters, but they do make The Great Wall slightly more watchable.

Film Assessment: C-

Throwback Thursday Review: 'Spider-Man'

Sorry for the delayed review but I had a test I needed to prepare for that took precedence over this. Anyways, this week I'm beginning a new series of reviews over all the Spider-Man films, starting with the Sam Raimi directed Spider-Man Trilogy followed by The Amazing Spider-Man series, in the lead-up to Spider-Man: Homecoming this July. Next week I'll be beginning another series of reviews over the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise starting with Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Both series of reviews are evenly distributed till the release of their subsequent new installments and you can find a breakdown of my entire planned schedule for this year's Throwback Thursday Reviews at my Third Year Anniversary Post. Reviews over new releases you can expect for the remainder of February include The Great Wall, A Cure for Wellness, and Get Out.

'Spider-Man' Review

Nominated For: Best Visual Effects and Best Sound. 

Spider-Man tells the origin story of Peter Parker, an everyday high school nerd who gains spider-like abilities after being bitten by a radioactive spider. At first he's a little reckless with his powers, but once tragedy strikes he takes the words of his altruistic Uncle Ben to heart that "with great power comes great responsibility" to become the amazing Spider-Man. When the nefarious Green Goblin begins to terrorize New York, Spider-Man must stand up against the Goblin's reign of tyranny if he's to protect those closest to him. 

Chances are you yawned while reading that brief synopsis because let's face it, just about everyone is familiar with Spider-Man's origin story. We're currently on our third incarnation of the web-head and have seen the origin story play out twice thus far. I remember watching this film and its subsequent installments over and over again growing up (Yes... even Spider-Man 3...) so I could have easily just slapped together a review of how I remembered Spider-Man but decided it'd be more interesting to revisit them objectively as I do with all these Throwback Thursday Reviews. 

Spider-Man was the first take on the friendly, neighborhood wall-crawler to be directed by Sam Raimi. Raimi is perhaps most well known for his work on both this trilogy and The Evil Dead franchise and it's surprising to look back and see how much he was able to carry over from low budget filmmaking roots to big budget superhero escapades. Raimi executed as much in-camera action as possible, inviting a feeling of visceral excitement to the stunt and camera work showcased in Spider-Man. 

Obviously, visual effects are required to allow Spider-Man to swing through the concrete jungle and I have to say that those hold up surprisingly well in comparison to what I was expecting. Raimi and screenwriter David Koepp do a wonderful job spinning their own web of original storytelling that maintains integrity to both the source material and the film itself. I've got to give them props for keeping the story personal instead of going for large scale spectacle. Raimi's Spider-Man is unabashedly fun, almost as though it leapt straight out of the '60s comic books. 

On occasion, Spider-Man ventures so far down that avenue it becomes an outright cartoon but its such an excellent translation of silly source material that it can be easily forgiven. One aspect that I feel to constantly be overlooked is the costuming in Spider-Man. Both Spider-Man and Green Goblin have fantastic costumes, sure you could say that there's absolutely no way a teenager would be able to make a suit like that (something somewhat rectified in later takes on the character) or that the Goblin looked like he walked on set in between shooting for a Power Rangers episode, but they're realistic renderings of Steve Ditko's art work. An area in which Spider-Man triumphs in comparison to later incarnations thus far is the Danny Elfman score (Fingers crossed Michael Giacchino is able to deliver in Spider-Man: Homecoming though). Elfman's score has a sense of adventure, otherworldliness, and simply is a deserving theme for such an iconic character. 

Speaking of iconic characters, just about every superhero has an alter-ego or some secret identity, meaning any actor portraying one needs to showcase both sides of that coin. Now this isn't necessarily beholden to ALL superheroes but certainly is true for these three; Batman (Bruce Wayne), Superman (Clark Kent), and Spider-Man (Peter Parker). Tobey Maguire's a fine actor and all but I've never quite latched onto him as Spider-Man, he really captures the heart and soul of the awkward nerdy Peter Parker but for me he never quite hit the mark as the witty web-slinger. 

For some odd reason, his dialogue delivery just sounds monotonous, he simply doesn't sound excited. Perhaps you can say his dialogue is muffled since he's delivering dialogue through a mask but I was able to clearly understand everything he was saying in the suit so that wasn't the issue. When he's throwing out quips it just doesn't feel in the moment or click the way other actors have recently demonstrated in the role, which is probably why everyone loved Maguire in the role at the time. He wasn't being compared to others yet, he was the first to get a crack at it. 

The supporting ensemble that surrounded Maguire had its highs and lows but were certainly a capable cast. Kirsten Dunst nails both the spunky go-getter girl and sensitive sides of Mary Jane Watson as you see she almost adapts her personality to who she hangs around, something I've seen to be surprisingly accurate about teenage girls. However, her character is written the archetypal damsel-in-distress and love interest so she doesn't really have much to work with in this first chapter. James Franco's fine as Peter's best friend Harry Osborn but almost feels like a cardboard cutout or shell of a person, something that's significantly improved in the subsequent franchise entries. 

Cliff Robertson and Rosemary Harris provide endearing, sweet elderly mentor figures for Peter as Uncle Ben and Aunt May while J.K. Simmons perfectly embodies the snarky cigar chewing Daily Bugle editor J. Jonah Jameson. Simmons channels the flippant frustration in a way that I doubt could ever be replicated and stands as one of the greatest comic book film casting choices of all time alongside Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine to name a few. 

Last but not least, Willem Dafoe brings an unhinged fiend into the proceedings as Norman Osborn or the Green Goblin. Dafoe practically oozes menace and showcases fine acting abilities in scenes that evoke the Gollum/Sméagol dynamic from Lord of the Rings or even James McAvoy's work in Split to a lesser degree for a more recent comparison. Dafoe really sells the campy nature of Green Goblin in such a way that you can almost relate to what drove him down such a twisted path. 

In summary, Spider-Man remains a great superhero film thanks to some spectacular filmmaking and talented ensemble but it does have its problems. In retrospect, most of my issues with Spider-Man are relative nitpicks when juxtaposed to the grand scheme of things and some can easily be cast off in favor of watching the film with nostalgia goggles on but its hard to ignore these problems when they stick out like a sore thumb fifteen years later. The iconic moments may live on and stand the test of time but Spider-Man's weaknesses do not. 

Spider-Man may not quite hold up to the standards of modern comic-book based blockbusters we see today from Marvel Studios or Fox's Marvel division like The Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, Deadpool, or Captain America: Civil War, but for its time Spider-Man was one of the best superhero flicks swinging around! 

Film Assessment: B