Spectre Is a Bit Shady

Daniel Craig in Spectre

From the days of my early childhood, I have been a huge James Bond fan.  I grew up in the heyday of Roger Moore, watching televised airings of the Sean Connery classics on ABC's Sunday Night Movie.  As a teen, I read all of the Ian Fleming novels.  I have clear memories of watching "For Your Eyes Only" over and over on cable TV.  And of going to the theater to see "A View To a Kill" and "The Living Daylights" in the theater.  Thus, I have been a judicious participant of the franchise even as I write the review to "Spectre", the 24th 007 movie!

My favorite Bond movies - in no particular order - are "From Russia With Love", "On Her Majesty's Secret Service", and "Casino Royale", because they remain fairly close to their source novels.  My favorite Bond was Timothy Dalton, because he did research and tried to base his character on the Bond of the books.  However, I do like Daniel Craig as he carries an air of danger, a bad-boy attitude that befits the character.  Although he has never looked like a Bond.

I have enjoyed the reboot of the Bond series.  They are panoramic, brutal, gritty, and more believable., although by no means perfect.  Sam Mendes returns after the overrated "Skyfall" to continue the story of a maverick British spy chasing an elusive elitist crime syndicate hinted at since the first movie.  It is revealed to be a sinister organization called Spectre - headed by Ernst Stavro Blofeld played by Christopher Waltz.  Whereas Waltz has the proverbial fluffy kitty, he is too nice to be a believable bad guy.  There is this lame backstory where Bond and Blofeld have some sort of childhood connection, although I am not sure what the point is.  In this film, Spectre is organizing terror events to get the world's intelligence communities to network through a common computer network, controlled, of course, by Spectre.  Although it is never confirmed what Spectre hopes to gain from this, or what their ultimate aim is as a syndicate.  The film leaves you with the feeling that there should another film to explain this, although interviews with Daniel Craig indicate that this is his last Bond film.

The whole movie leaves you feeling like there is something lacking.  Sure, there are incredible vistas and action, like the whole sequence of the Day of the Dead in Mexico City.  There are some cool cars, gadgets, and beautiful Bond girls, like Lea Seydoux and Monica Bellucci (a Bond girl at age 50!).  But the previous Bond films were pretty good at providing a clean narrative.  Now we are back at the Roger Moore era of stories with huge plot holes big enough to drive an Aston Martin through them.  We have a corny villain whose purpose is unclear.  Next, Bond needs to start making glib jokes in moments of danger, and we will have come full circle.  So much for the reboot...

Summer Movie Reviews 2015

So I neglected to write my reviews for the summer movie season - probably because I didn't really go to the movies that often this summer.  So I decided to include all of the movies I went to this summer into one post.  Here it goes:

Avengers: Age of Ultron

1.  Avengers: Age of Ultron - The second installment of this Marvel franchise was one of the most anticipated movies of the season and possibly one of the biggest let-downs.  Several minor films and TV episodes culminated in bringing the heroes of S.H.I.E.L.D. together again to combat an imminent threat to life as we know it.  The first movie was gripping, showing the struggle between the heroes to swallow their egos and to learn to work together.  There are some really cool action sequences in this movie.  But the character interaction is almost non-existent except for some unusual twists.  (Wait, what?  Hulk and Black Widow?)  There are a few new characters introduced - Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Quicksilver, Elizabeth Olsen as Scarlet Witch, and Paul Bettany as Vision - but their characters are so sketchy, do we really care what happens to them?  James Spader plays the villain, a gravelly-voiced robot named Ultron, but his character is so whiny and ambiguous that it is hard to take him seriously.  Should we be scared?  It was really disappointing, but I hold on to the hope that the next one will be better.  I must say - my kids loved it.  It has already come out on video, and I have watched it again this week.  Maybe I should have waited for it to come out on video.

Jurassic World

2. Jurassic World - When "Jurassic Park" by Michael Crichton came out, it was a novel with biting commentary, an ironic look at the world of science when it collides with commercialism.  The movie based on the novel, directed by Steven Spielberg, had the same spirit of the book, along with some cutting edge special effects,  The movies that followed seem to seek after the same commercialism that the original story preached against, following an undeviating formula.  "Jurassic World" is no different - a dinosaur theme park gone wrong where all the dinosaurs break loose.  Park administrators that refuse to heed dire warnings of imminent danger.  Heroic park staff that rescue kids from said dinosaurs.  Genetic super-dino on the prowl.  It's all there, man.  Right there.  Predictable as all get-out.  It's still fun.  Who can dislike a movie with Chris Pratt in it, right?  But in the end, not even Vincent D'Onofrio can save this movie.  Jeff Goldblum might have.  Still, the kids loved it.

Ant-Man

3.  Ant-Man - Sometimes the little guy does win.  "Ant-Man" is probably among Marvel's best pictures to date, along with the first "Iron Man" and "Guardians of the Galaxy".  Quirky and light-hearted, it tells the story of one of the more idiosyncratic characters from the Marvel pantheon, Ant-Man, played by Paul Rudd, who gives his hero a softer, more comedic feel.  He plays a down-and-out thief recruited by the irascible Michael Douglas to escond and use a technology that allows the user to reduce his size to that of an insect, along with inheriting other insectile traits.  Of course, he winds up facing another minuscule villain, Yellowjacket, played by Corey Stoll.  This film is unconventional and fun.  And yes, the kids will love it.

American Ultra

4.  American Ultra - "American Ultra" tells the story of a neurotic stoner in a sleepy town played by Jesse Eisenberg.  The on;y solace he has is in his girlfriend played surprisingly well by the otherwise boring Kristen Stewart.  His life take a turn for the chaotic when he discovers that he is a killing machine, a victim of an MK Ultra-type government experiment.  As teams of assassins lead by Topher Grace descend on the town, he discovers his secret talents along with other dark secrets of his past.  This movie is subversive, violent, and fun.  All of it set within the confines of a small town with colorful characters within the space of one nightmarish night, this film evokes the suffocating feeling of Scorcese's "After Hours".  This really is my kind of movie - a cerebral, psychedelic mindf*** disguised as a summer blockbuster.

Everest

5. Everest - "Everest" is probably my favorite movie of 2015 so far.  When I walked into the theater, I only knew it was a climbing movie, and I am a sucker for those kinds of movies.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was based on the events portrayed in "Into Thin Air" by Jon Krakauer, one of my favorite books.  It is not specifically based on the book, but the events were pretty close to what I had read.  It narrates the tale of the ill-fated Everest expedition of 1996.  Visually, the film has superb panoramic shots of the Himalayas, which makes the 3-D experience worth it.  There are stellar performances by a diverse cast that includes Jason Clarke as Rob Hall and Jake Gyllenhaal as Scott Fischer, as well as excellent performances by Keira Knightly, Josh Brolin, Sam Worthington, Robin Wright, John Hawkes, Michael Kelly as Karakauer, and Emily Watson.  This movie will keep you on the edge of your seat, as well as stir you emotionally.  I went to see it a second time and took my wife.  She was in tears by the end.  Don't miss the chance to see this on the big screen.

I Predict An Earthquake: Review of "San Andreas"

Dwayne Johnson in "San Andreas"

I have a theory about disaster movies.  To make them visually poignant to the viewer, they must destroy well-known landmarks.  In the early summer film, "San Andreas", we get to see the Hoover Dam burst, and most of Los Angeles - including the Hollywood sign - get ripped asunder along with most of San Francisco with, you got it, the Golden Gate Bridge.  The disaster doesn't seem real if it's a Save-On in some podunk town.  It has to be something that you recognize - even if you have never been there.

"San Andreas" follows other disaster movie formulae.  There is the scientist (Paul Giamatti) who predicts a catastrophe - in this case, a major event along California's San Andreas Fault.  No one listens to him until it is too late, and then his dire predictions become vindicated.  There is a hero, in this case being "Ray", a rescue helicopter pilot, played by the gibbous Dwayne Johnson.  The hero has a broken family - an estranged wife (Carla Gugino) who is engaged to a rich tycoon (Ioan Gruffudd) and a disillusioned child (Alexandra Daddario, whom I had just seen in some steamy scenes in "True Detective" whose memory proved distracting).  Somehow, this disaster is going to bring them all together as Ray and his wife race from Los Angeles to San Francisco in the midst of a devastating series of earthquakes and tsunamis to rescue their daughter.

So there you have it.  This movie is predictable as all get out.  That doesn't mean it's not a fun ride.  Visually, it's pretty awesome.  It will have you sitting at the edge of your proverbial seat.  It's like an amusement park roller coaster.  Sadly, it's just as cerebral.  This is not a thinking man's movie.

I guarantee you that, someday, I will own this movie.  As soon as it hits the Walmart $5 bin.

Infinite Music: "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" Soundtrack

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

About a year ago, I rented "The Perks of Being A Wallflower" from the public library.  I liked it so much that I picked up a copy out of the Walmart bin.  Such a great movie.  It is based on a teen novel written by Stephen Chbosky (who also wrote the screenplay and directed, also produced by the same company that did "Ghost World" and "Juno").  My daughter had actually read the novel and loved it.

There are many reasons I love this movie.  First of all, it takes place in Pittsburgh, a city that is beloved to me.  Part of the plot involves the excitement of emerging from the Tunnel into the city.  I have done it many times, and it was exhilerating every time.  Next, it takes place in the time of my youth - the early '90s.  Even though it takes place back then, this is not quite a period piece.  It is kind of timeless.  It could take place at any time.  It is about being a misfit, not really fitting in, and finding friends who give your life some meaning - a theme that many, including me, find resonant.

But what I found most compelling in the movie was the music.  Music was an important part of the book as well.  Charlie (played by Logan Lerman) makes mix tapes for his friends.  I was the music geek who handed  mix tapes to all of my friends, so I can relate.  The book mentions several of these artists like Ride, The Smiths, Nick Drake, and many more artists that I grew up with in the late '80s and early '90s.

I liked the soundtrack so much that I went out to buy it.  Many of these songs play an important part of the story like "Asleep" by The Smiths, "Come On Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners, and, my favorite, "Pearly Dew Drops" by Cocteau Twins.  The Tunnel scene uses "Heroes" by David Bowie in that the song comes on the radio, and they set out on a quest to find out who sings it.  The other songs are a drape over an exquisite movie that creates a sense of nostalgia in me.  "Teenage Riot" by Sonic Youth, which was an anthem in my younger years,   "Temptation" by New Order, one of their earlier pieces, and, also, one of their best, dominated by its electronic beat and Peter Hook's high-end bass, a sound that he created and is much imitated.  Cracker, The Innocence Mission, XTC, and Galaxie 500.  It really is a great soundtrack.

There are additional songs that didn't make it from the movie onto the playlist of the soundtrack that compliment the movie as well - "Counting Backwards" by Throwing Muses, "Araby" by my favorite Austin band, The Reivers, L7, Bongwater...

It is nice to see my era eulogized so nicely, and with some of the better music from my day.  The sense of nostalgia takes me back to those moments.  But that's kind of the poetic point of this picture.

Steampunk Fast & Furious: My Review of "Mad Max: Fury Road"

Tom Hardy & Charlize Theron in "Mad:Max: Fury Road

The title of this review is perhaps the most accurate description of this movie - funky steampunk costumes (or perhaps apocalyptic cyberpunk, to be more exact) all during a fast and furious car chase that lasts the whole movie long!

When I was thirteen, one of the best things about having cable TV was being able to watch "The Road Warrior" over and over again.  This dystopian vision by George Miller and starring Mel Gibson became part of my repertoire growing up along with "Conan the Barbarian", "Beastmaster", and "Krull".  At fifteen, I felt let down by "Beyond Thunderdome", as it lacked the pace of the previous two films.

So you'll imagine my surprise when I saw the trailers for "Mad Max: Fury Road" and learned that George Miller would be taking helm of the fourth installment of the franchise.  The previews were amazing, vivid, the action spectacular.  This is what "Road Warrior" would have looked like if Miller had the technology back then.

The story is never clear on whether this is sequel to the other stories, or if it is just a reboot of the whole concept.  It starts with Max (Tom Hardy as an excellent replacement for Mel Gibson) being captured by a group called the War Boys and being taken to a mighty, stone Citadel ruled by a bloated villain named Imortan Joe (played by Hugh Keays-Byrne, who played the villain in the very first "Mad Max" film).  Joe is some sort of Halloween Warren Jeffs, in that he has super-model wives known at the Five.  As a former polygamist, I had to laugh at the plot, which reads like Carolyn Jessop book.  Charlize Theron plays a tough-as-nails truck driver named Furiosa who spirits the girls away in a chase across the wasteland, aided by Max, a group of old ladies, and a young boy played by the nearly unrecognizable Nicolas Hoult, whom some may remember from "Warm Bodies".  They are chased by the denizens of the desert at high speed velocity.

I suppose I could use this movie as a chance to pontificate on the ills of human trafficking, or even about polygamy.  But this is just not that kind of movie.  This movie is like the most expensive B-movie ever made.  If you try to think too hard about it, you'll hurt your brain.  Like, where do they get car parts?  Or speakers?  Or their outlandish clothing?  No, just go with it.  There is definitely a cheese factor - like the guy perpetually mounted in front of a truck, violently strumming a flaming guitar.  But the other movies were slightly cheesy as well.  I felt like a thirteen year-old boy again.  It was an intense ride from start to finish - like a Monster Truck Rally, like demolition derby meets WWF Wrestling.  The dialogue is sparse and stilted.  The best interaction between the actors is found in shared looks.  All in all, the movie will wow you.  Visually, the film is sweeping and panoramic.  The stunts are brutal and crushingly breathtaking.  I sat on the edge of my seat the whole time.

This movie is definitely worth it, if it is your type of "thing".  I foresee this film becoming a cult classic - just like the originals.  And there are talks of Max returning in a sequel.  I can't wait for the next wild ride...

American Sniper Kills It

Bradley Cooper as Chris Kyle

So I generally despise politics, and I try to avoid writing about it in any way.  But reviewing a movie like "American Sniper" it becomes increasingly difficult to keep politics and America's foreign policy out of it.

Since the end of December, I had been hearing hype about this movie, which has garnered six Academy Award nominations.  From the conservative, flag-waving element, I was hearing what a great movie this was, that Chris Kyle (played by Bradley Cooper), a Navy SEAL marksman called the deadliest sniper in the history of American military, was a hero.  On the flip side, you had liberal critics calling Kyle a "baby killer", that the film glorified American warmongering, and was a propaganda movie justifying continued U.S. presence in the Middle East.

First of all, you should know my views, which I usually keep close to my chest.  I am somewhat of a conspiracy theorist.  I believe that 9/11 was used to justify, if not outright orchestrated, to plunge us into illegal wars in Iraq and Afghanistan - not in the interest of protecting our freedom - but for economic reasons.  I believe in neither the Democratic or Republican parties, that they are different sides of the same proverbial coin, and that American interests are controlled, not by the federal government, but by a consortium of mega-corporations and banks.  I don't support any of the wars we are involved in.  In fact, I don't support any war or military aggression at all.

That said, I don't  believe that any of our military servicemen are to blame for any of that.  Their service is based on misguided patriotism and a desire to serve the American people.  I love this nation as much as they do.  I still salute the flag, and I have gone to rallies in support of our troops.  Still, until the U.S. military truly represents the interests of the American people, and not the corporatists, I would strongly advise any of my children to not join the military.

That said, I am a sucker for these kinds of movies.  I am patriotic.  I loved this movie, just like I loved "Lone Survivor", a book that I also read.  I didn't read the book that this particular movie is based on.  Some critics have stated that it was embellished, and sometimes outright lied.  Frankly, I don't care about that.  It's a given that a Hollywood movie based on real events is going to spin and twist events from their actuality.  As far as this movie being propaganda, show me a movie that isn't.  Every narrative has an agenda.  The key is to be able to look beyond those things.  In other words, I can watch a movie like this, enjoy it, and not be swayed by whatever message it is promulgating.  I am not that gullible.

As far as this movie being pro-war, I guess that I didn't see it that way.  In fact, I kind of saw it as opposite.  Bradley Cooper brilliantly portrayed Kyle as tortured by the things that he was forced to do and the tension that it placed on the relationship with his wife (played by Sienna Miller, whom I didn't recognize until the end credits).  It showed the cost that war exacts on men.  And, really, it was these human moments that made the story so poignant, not the battle scenes (which were still pretty cool).

I disagreed with his frequent use of the word "savages" to describe the enemy combatants.  Who were the savages?  The terrorists?  Muslims?  Arabs?  I have only ever had positive experiences with Muslims, and I have a deep respect for Islam.  I have always taken umbrage with the Muslim-hating that seems to be prevalent since we went to war in the Middle East.

Whatever you feel about this topic, whatever your political views, you should see this movie.  Clint Eastwood has spun a brilliant masterpiece that at least deserves to be seen.

There And Back Again: Review of "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies"

The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

It was a Christmas tradition for us in the last decade to head to the theater to see each "Lord of the Rings" installment.  For the last three years, it also became our tradition to see the latest episode of the "The Hobbit".  This Christmas was no different.  We headed out into the cold December air to see "The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies".

I actually went to see this movie twice.  The first time, I felt disappointed and let down.  The second time, I enjoyed it.

Of course, I have read "The Hobbit".  Many. many times.  It was the first novel I ever read at age 7.  So I knew that they had taken many artistic licenses with the story.  I know that they had converted two movies into three.  But this felt really stretched thin.  In the book, the whole battle takes place after Bilbo (Martin Freeman)is knocked unconscious, and he awakens to the aftermath.  This movie deals mostly with the battle, and, as fever-pitched as it gets, it is still not as cool as any of the battles in "The Return of the King" - giant "Dune" sandworms (hey, wrong movie!) or troll-mounted catapults notwithstanding.

The first two films did a great job of building up characters, but characterization took a back seat to the the epic battle.  Some of the dwarves didn't even have any speaking parts in this movie.  Even Bilbo's character seemed sketchy in this film, taking a back seat to Thorin (Richard Armitage).  I couldn't help but feel let down.

Then I saw it a second time with my kids.  And they loved it.  Believe it or not, I enjoyed it, also.  Probably because I had fewer expectations.

The conclusion of the Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch) conflict was really cool.  And the confrontation between Galadriel (Cate Blanchett) and the Necromancer(also, Benedict Cumberbatch)?  Totally epic.  Scottish dwarves riding pigs?  Classic.  Legolas (Orlando Bloom) using a ginormous bat to fly?  Awesome.

This movie was all that my kids hoped for, and more.  It left me kind of sad that our Christmas visits to Middle Earth are now at an end.  Oh well.  There is always "Star Wars".

Interstellar Is Out of This World

Interstellar

"Interstellar" was such a great movie that I went to the theaters twice to see it.  It was definitely the best movie of the year.

I think that is because most boys of my generation, in the wake of man setting foot on the moon, wanted to be astronauts when we grew up.  Astronauts were like rock stars back then.  Whenever a movie came out about space, it truly spoke to kids like me.  "2001: A Space Odyssey" was way cool, even with its trippy, psychedelic ending.  Okay, "Apollo 13" made me not want to go to space.

When the teaser trailer first came out for "Interstellar", it was cryptic enough to not know what the movie was about, but I knew it would be good, directed by Christopher Nolan, director of the Dark Knight series and the masterpiece, "Inception".

The story deals with a dystopian society not too far in the future where climate change and blight are killing our crops and reducing the population to dangerously low numbers.  Matthew McConaughey is at his best as Cooper, a washed out pilot recruited by a barely-functioning NASA to go into space through a freshly-discovered wormhole to scout for potential planets to relocate the human population.

The story is complimented by laudable, if sketchy, performances by Michael Caine, Wes Bentley, Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow, and Casey Affleck.  Anne Hathaway, as usual, was highly annoying.

The science of this film is spot on.  It is refreshing to see realistic portrayals of space, gravity, and celestial bodies beyond the Star Wars genre of space movie.  The visuals and the anticipation of seeing what they encountered held me breathless.  Especially the end, when Cooper descends into the black hole, which was slightly reminiscent of the end of "2001", except that the filmmakers actually tried to make sense of it.

The most triumphant part of the film, however, is the human element - the anguish of a parent being separated from his children by billions of miles and the ravaging effects of quantum mechanics and time dilation.  There were moments so poignant to me that I had to fight back tears.

That does not mean that everyone will love this movie.  I went with my mother, and she really didn't understand the movie.  My daughter thought it was overhyped.  But I loved it.  If you have not seen it, believe me when I say - it is out of this world.