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| Courtesy of Paramount |
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
(Rated
PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, and brief partial nudity.)
The
cast: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Jeremy Renner, Ving Rhames and
Alec Baldwin.
What
it’s about: When the IMF is shut down, agent Ethan Hunt (Cruise) is targeted by
his higher-ups. Now it’s up to him and his team (Pegg, Renner and Rhames) to
defeat the Syndicate, a shadowy terrorist organization. Along the way, they join
forces with an enigmatic British agent (Ferguson) who may or may not be a
Syndicate member.
The
good: If Mad Max: Fury Road hadn’t set the bar at such a stratospheric level
back in May, I’d be calling “Rogue Nation” the best action movie of the summer.
Writer-director Christopher McQuarrie, who also worked with Cruise on the
underrated Jack Reacher and Edge of Tomorrow, crafts a fine fifth
installment in the series by significantly upping the comedic elements.
Cruise,
at 52 years-old, continues to outshine movie stars half his age. Say what you
will about his bizarre off-screen antics, you can’t deny that the man fully
commits to every role he plays. For the opening scene, the guy chose to hang
off the side of a plane as it takes off. That takes a delicate balance of
dedication and crazy.
Similar
to the previous installment, McQuarrie continues to focus on the ensemble
rather than make this a one-man show. It’s a smart move when Cruise has such
terrific chemistry with Pegg, Renner and Rhames. Ferguson is a worthy addition to
the franchise, even though Paula Patton is sorely missed.
The
not-so-good: Honestly, not much. Rogue Nation is as close to a perfect summer
movie as it gets. See it in IMAX if possible – McQuarrie takes full advantage
of the large screen format and killer sound.
Grade:
A
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| Courtesy of TWC-Radius |
A LEGO Brickumentary
(Rated
G. Now playing in limited release and On Demand.)
The
cast: Jason Bateman (narrator).
What
it’s about: This documentary takes viewers on a journey through the history of
LEGO, from its 1932 origins in a humble Danish workshop to its current position
as one of the world’s most popular brands. Filmmakers Daniel Junge and Kief
Davidson study the impact of those little bricks and the way they’re utilized
all over the world, including art galleries, architecture, fan conventions and
therapy sessions for autistic children.
The good: What
could’ve been a dry recounting of corporate talking points is instead a
charming, breezy look at various ways Lego’s iconic blocks have impacted the
world. Bateman’s narration, light and a bit sarcastic, goes a long way in
keeping the 93-minute film interesting – especially since Junge and Davidson
forego the standard voiceover route and have him voice a friendly little
figurine instead.
Not every story
element is a winner, but there are some fascinating and emotionally powerful
narratives woven throughout. The big standouts to me were the creation of the
company’s recent Lego Ideas program, which allows fans to vote on which sets
the company will produce next; the artist who employs Lego bricks and local
volunteers to add color to political landmarks throughout the world; and, most
touching of all, the impact the blocks have made on developmentally disabled
kids who learned to communicate through building.
The not-so-good: While
watching, you never quite forget you’re watching a feature-length Lego
commercial that strokes the company’s ego while delivering a ton of great PR.
Still – much like last year’s The Lego Movie – the flick is so darn charming
that after a while you simply stop caring. More cynical viewers might consider
this brainwashing, but that doesn’t keep it from being a fun watch.
Grade: B+
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| Courtesy of 20th Century Fox |
Paper Towns
(Rated
PG-13 for some language, drinking, sexuality and partial nudity – all involving
teens.)
The
cast: Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Austin Abrams, Justice Smith, Halston Sage
and Jaz Sinclair.
What
it’s about: Based on the popular novel from The Fault in Our Stars author
John Green, this coming-of-age drama focuses on Quentin (Wolff) and his
uber-popular neighbor Margo (Delevingne). After taking Quentin on a wild,
all-night adventure following years of not speaking to him, Margo suddenly
vanishes. Her friends are stumped, but Quentin discovers a few clues she left
behind. Soon, he and his friends set off on an adventure to track her down.
The good: In a few
years, we might look back at this film like Dazed and Confused or 10 Years, as a little-seen comedic drama that launched the careers of multiple
superstars. Wolff, already on many teenagers’ radars thanks to his supporting
performance as a blind cancer survivor in Fault, is fantastic as everykid
Quentin. He’s not always easy to like, particularly in the movie’s final act, but
that’s an authentic trait most teenage boys possess.
Abrams, Smith and
Sinclair are also charming as participants in Quentin’s road trip. But the
biggest standout is Sage, as a popular girl who realizes she has more in common
with the nerds. Granted, that’s nowhere close to an original character, but
Sage makes her seem like a real person rather than the fantasy of a novelist or
screenwriter.
Scott Neustadter and
Michael H. Weber, who also wrote the movie version of Fault and the far
superior The Spectacular Now, prove they’re the reigning kings of young adult
lit adaptations. I haven’t read the original source material, but based on the
changes my wife tells me they made, it sounds like they improved on Green’s
book.
The not-so-good: The
plot never quite clicks like it should because of the characters’ obsession
with such a lackluster figure. Everyone can’t stop talking about how Margo is awesome
and beautiful and wonderful, but she comes across as shallow and a bad friend.
Granted, the final moments of the movie attempt to reconcile these two wildly
opposing images, but it fails to make a strong case. Part of that is because of
Delevingne’s performance, which seems more focused on
masking her British accent than creating a compelling character.
The film also has some
pacing issues, namely that it only exists to focus on about four crucial
scenes. Everything between those is filler. It’s sweet, funny, nicely acted
filler; but it’s filler nonetheless.
Grade: C+
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