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| Courtesy of Universal |
(Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and some language.)
The cast: John Boyega, Scott Eastwood, Cailee Spaeny, Charlie Day and Burn Gorman.
What it’s about: A decade after the events of the first movie, Jake Pentecost (Boyega), is running from his heroic father’s name. When giant alien monsters were on the verge of destroying the world, his dad sacrificed his life to save humanity. That’s a lot to live up to. But when an even bigger threat is unleashed, Jake must finally embrace his lineage. He’s joined by a gifted rival pilot (Eastwood) and a 15-year-old mechanic (Spaeny), who become the only family he has left.
The good: This sequel to Guillermo del Toro’s “robots-fight-monsters” epic (sorry, “jaegers-fight-kaiju” epic) has a lot of problems, but it’s got two big selling points: cool visual effects and a terrific lead actor. Boyega is a massive upgrade from Charlie Hunnam, the bland charisma vacuum who starred in the first one. He’s funny, he has chemistry with practically all of his co-stars (even when they’re not as talented or sleepwalking through a scene) and it’s clear that director Steven S. DeKnight – who shares screenwriting credit with three other people – counted on Boyega to improve the material through sheer force of will.
Sometimes that plan works, like a hilarious and entirely unnecessary scene where Boyega eats ice cream while arguing with Eastwood’s character. But most of the time it’s an admirable effort that doesn’t pay off. At least the future superstar got a decent paycheck and a producer credit.
The not-so-good: Pretty much everything else, probably because the original story didn’t exactly require a follow-up. I think it’s telling that del Toro chose to make The Shape of Water instead of returning for another round. Four Oscars later, including Best Picture and Best Director, I’d say that was a good call.
Anyone paying the slightest bit of attention should be able to tell DeKnight didn’t really know where to go with the story. It feels like he stitched like four different scripts together, all with different narratives competing for dominance.
Boyega’s in a fun, cheesy ‘80s throwback. Eastwood seems to think he’s in a serious drama and there’s a lame “Jaeger Babies” subplot about teens training to be pilots happening at the same time. And don’t even ask me what Day is going for with his bonkers character. Maybe his inspiration was “what if Robert Downey Jr. was still doing coke when he made Iron Man?”
DeKnight makes some other weird directorial choices too, like incorporating a ton of close ups – even when two characters are standing next to each other having a conversation. It leads me to believe that some actors shot their scenes months apart, possibly in different hemispheres.
Perhaps the most memorable wrongheaded moment is the way a certain character’s tragic backstory is depicted. Her motivation to become a jaeger pilot is inspired by seeing her entire family get stomped by a kaiju right in front of her when she was a child. The scene is played completely straight, but the audience in my screening cracked up. Probably not the reaction DeKnight was going for.
The not-so-good: Pretty much everything else, probably because the original story didn’t exactly require a follow-up. I think it’s telling that del Toro chose to make The Shape of Water instead of returning for another round. Four Oscars later, including Best Picture and Best Director, I’d say that was a good call.
Anyone paying the slightest bit of attention should be able to tell DeKnight didn’t really know where to go with the story. It feels like he stitched like four different scripts together, all with different narratives competing for dominance.
Boyega’s in a fun, cheesy ‘80s throwback. Eastwood seems to think he’s in a serious drama and there’s a lame “Jaeger Babies” subplot about teens training to be pilots happening at the same time. And don’t even ask me what Day is going for with his bonkers character. Maybe his inspiration was “what if Robert Downey Jr. was still doing coke when he made Iron Man?”
DeKnight makes some other weird directorial choices too, like incorporating a ton of close ups – even when two characters are standing next to each other having a conversation. It leads me to believe that some actors shot their scenes months apart, possibly in different hemispheres.
Perhaps the most memorable wrongheaded moment is the way a certain character’s tragic backstory is depicted. Her motivation to become a jaeger pilot is inspired by seeing her entire family get stomped by a kaiju right in front of her when she was a child. The scene is played completely straight, but the audience in my screening cracked up. Probably not the reaction DeKnight was going for.
Grade: C
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| Courtesy of IFC |
(Rated R for language throughout, violence and some sexual references. Now playing at Landmark Midtown Art in Atlanta.)
The cast: Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Jeffrey Tambor, Michael Palin and Jason Isaacs.
What it’s about: In this biting satire from Armando Iannucci, tyrannical dictator Joseph Stalin drops dead and his equally horrific underlings quickly begin plotting to take his place. They include the foolish Georgy Malenkov (Tambor), the wily Nikita Khrushchev (Buscemi) and the sadistic Lavrentiy Beria (Beale). As their schemes gradually shift from pathetic to vicious, the film emphasizes the danger of not taking threats seriously until it’s too late to stop them.
The good: Anyone familiar with Iannucci’s past work knows how sharp, funny, and cynical his writing can be. He stepped away from Veep just before reality proved his outlook actually wasn’t pessimistic enough, so The Death of Stalin serves as both the pinnacle of his worldview and a cautionary tale.
Yes, these characters may be selfish idiots, but that doesn’t make them any less dangerous. Gee, I wonder what complex, hidden subtext Iannucci has buried in his work? I suppose we’ll never know. All jokes aside, this film is heaven for fans of great writing and killer one-liners.
Every actor is brilliant at delivering Iannucci’s profane poetry, but Buscemi, Isaacs and Paddy Considine (in a brief but memorable appearance) were the clear standouts for me. Isaacs has always possessed a natural sense of menace and a wicked sense of humor, so he’s perfectly cast as a military leader happy to put politics and the appearance of legality aside to excel at what he does best.
Iannucci also makes the smart decision to avoid making his predominantly British cast (I think Buscemi is the one exception) attempt bad accents. We know that these characters would be speaking purely in Russian, so we’re already suspending disbelief. Allowing the actors to use their real voices allows us to focus on the brilliant dialogue rather than how it’s being delivered.
The not-so-good: Entertaining as The Death of Stalin may be, it’s definitely a one-note premise. Granted, it’s a great note. But the movie might wear out its welcome for some viewers, even at a brief 105 minutes.
Grade: B
Blu-ray Review: Star Wars: The Last Jedi
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| Courtesy of Disney |
The cast: Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Kelly Marie Tran and Laura Dern.
What it’s about: Luke Skywalker (Hamill) has long been in hiding, but the persistent Rey (Ridley) tracks him down and urges the titular last Jedi to train her. Meanwhile, Kylo Ren (Driver) and the First Order are determined to wipe out the remaining members of the Resistance led by General Leia (the late Fisher). In hopes of striking back against the First Order, Poe (Isaac), Finn (Boyega) and Rose Tico (Tran) tackle separate dangerous missions.
The good: The Last Jedi was far more controversial than I expected, but I fall firmly in the “love it” camp. Writer-director Rian Johnson brings a real sense of urgency and change to the long-beloved saga.
The main theme of this installment is that nostalgia can be dangerous when it clouds the realities of the past, so you can imagine why some fanboys were upset that Johnson literally burns a lot of the old stuff to the ground. Again, I think it’s a bold choice that time will eventually look kindly on. (Remember, The Empire Strikes Back was divisive upon release too.)
Hamill is a revelation here, the years between Return of the Jedi and this installment adding weathered experience to his once youthful appearance. He’s not the whiny teenager he once was, nor is he the lofty hero most of us were expecting. Instead, he’s bitter and wounded, forced to address the devastating consequences of a decision he made long ago.
Once again, Ridley, Driver, Isaac and Boyega are all terrific. But Fisher’s performance packs the biggest punch. Her work here wasn’t designed as her final on-screen appearance, but many of her scenes certainly play that way in hindsight.
The not-so-good: Again, the story’s divisive nature will alienate some viewers. The same could possibly be said for the 152-minute running time and the many subplots (although the pace is lightning-fast).
Special features: audio commentary with writer-director Rian Johnson; The Director and the Jedi (an astounding 90-minute documentary about the making of The Last Jedi); “Balance of the Force” featurette; detailed breakdowns of three pivotal scenes – the space battle, the fight in Snoke’s chamber and the final battle on Crait; two sequences showcasing Andy Serkis’ on-set motion capture performance as Snoke; 14 deleted scenes (with optional Johnson commentary).
Grade: A-
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