Indiana Jones-Dial of Destiny

 

Indiana Jones-Dial of Destiny

I saw Indiana Jones Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981. I was thirty years old, five pounds lighter and combed my hair. It was magical: the  huge round bolder rolling down, fighting Nazis and watching them melt when they open the Ark of the Covenant. This being the fifth iteration of the Indy franchise it is nostalgic but worth watching.

Jones is still cantankerous, teaches at Hunter College and lives on Eldridge street. He is still fighting Nazis past and present. A hallmark Indiana Jones  films are chases, automobile and other wise. The chases in this movie are clever and unique. For Ford the Indy character is like a second skin. In some scenes he is vulnerable and melancholy. The film has all the props, the hat the whip and a clever variation on snakes.

Mads Mikkelsen, a former Nazi scientist, is Indy’s nemesis . Mikkelsen is type cast as a villain and rightfully so. His cold eyes and menacing  voice are perfect for his character. He does not do much of the  fighting but leaves it to his henchmen.

 Phoebe Waller-Bridge is Helena Shaw , Indiana’s goddaughter. She is a scamp and duplicitous. She sees artifacts as items for auction rather than museum pieces. She does provide some comic relief.

Antonio Banderas has a brief appearance as an old friend. The role did not require his talent. Toby Jones is an archaeologist and  friend of Indiana Jones. He is also pursuing the Dail of Destiny. John Reys Davies is Indy’s’ Egyptian friend from Raiders of the Lost Ark who was a resourceful ally. Instead of riding camels now he drives taxis. Binding all five films is John Williams iconic movie score.

At times the film feels like one chase scene after another: some better than others. From the title  of the film, you may deduce the plot, but it has a nice twist.

Regrettably the film is a financial flop. It cost between $295m-$400m and to date earned $260m. The 18-35 year old male cohort off 1981 are now in their 60’s and 70’s. Gen z/x’s are more fascinated by their video games than watching melting Nazis.

 

Rogue One

Rogue One

You do not have to be a devotee of the Star Wars saga to see this film, but it defiantly helps. This movie is advertised as a standalone feature presumably to attract new audiences, but there are definitely similarities that establish lineage. Rogue One is a prequel to the 1977 Star Wars movie, A New Hope. The basic story is the rebel’s efforts for a way to destroy the Death Star (stop screaming plot spoilers, this is in the coming attractions).

This movie is like one of those concentration games where you find hidden characters. Some characters are obvious others are not. Then there are plot tie ins which are mind numbing. Folks who go to ComicCon, in full regalia, quiver with excitement connecting the dots between the two films. I only spotted four archived characters (not bad for my age).

The film defiantly has the Star Wars flavor. Rebels fighting the Empire. Lots of alien characters new and old. Huge computer graphics and epic battles. The aerial (space) battles retained the inspired dog fights from actual wars.

There are new characters, some are wonderful. Felicity Jones is the main protagonist, Jyn Erso, the daughter of an important Rebel scientist. I am going on a limb, but I was not impressed, she is too generic (where is Lara Croft when you need her). She is as threating as a shop lifter in Victoria’s Secret. Mads Mikkelsen plays a good guy! He is Jyn’s father. There is a blind samurai, Donnie Yen who channels the Force. Jiang Wen, a Rebel warrior and side kick to Yen who needs a bath. Alan Tudyk , a wonderful comic actor, is a rebel droid. The film would have benefited from more of his comedic dialog. The great Forest Whitaker is literally half a man with a terrible accent. The green card actors are Diego Luna and Riz Ahmed. Diego was effective as a rebel fighter. Riz not so much as a Rebel pilot. Many of the characters were killed off, which is strange for a franchise that uses recurring characters to bridge films.

Then there are the CG character recreations. One was spot on; I thought he was dead; he is dead. The other character looked like she stayed to long in Dunkin Donuts.

No matter what I say here, this film is going to make a ton of bucks. Should you see it? If you secretly keep a light saber under your bed, yes. Otherwise, prey for the for the third Tomb Raider film.

Dr. Strange

Dr. Strange

The recent crop of super hero movies has been disappointing, especially for DC. This sentient is well founded but you will be sorely remised if you skip Dr. Strange. If not the best 2016 super hero film it is right up there. The script is well written and all plot twists are comprehensible. The end does get a bit weird, a small deficit compared to the whole.

Benedict Cumberbatch is wonderful as Dr. Strange. He plays it straight showing vulnerability undermining supreme confidence. He is a renowned neurosurgeon who finds himself in the Himalayas seeking guidance (God forbid I say why). Tilda Swinton “The Ancient One “is his sensei of dark arts. Her que bald head lends credibility to the mysticism she projects. Her solemnity and tranquil confidence underlie formidable superpowers and dark secrets. As with all “grasshoppers” (Google Kung Fu 1970’s TV show) Strange gets the crap beat out of him until he masters the mysterious arts.

The villain is Mads Mikkelsen (The guy with the bleeding eye in Casino Royal). Mads is currently the go to villain, it must be that warm Nordic blood. His face glows with vengeance through sinister eyes. He is a master of the black arts and Dr. Strange’s foe. The battle scenes are epic and fit the fantastic realm of the story.

Racheal McAdams is Dr. Strange’s girlfriend in the physical world. She to is a surgeon working in the same hospital. She is always a delight to see but her role here is minimal. She is in some important scenes and her repartee with Strange provides some levity. Another character is played by Chiwetel Ejiofor who is an ally of Strange and a fellow master. There are many other characters and they all work well together making for a smoothly cohesive film. The director’s vision comes through.

The big star of the movie is the special effects, they are fantastic. The film liberally took concepts from Chris Nolan’s “Inception” with the folding cities. The scenes here are more complex and extreme; Escher would have been very impressed. There were many fight scenes and none boring. I think the special effects will be at least Oscar nominated. As proof of how good the film was I did not fall asleep, at least I think I did not.

If you think I am over selling this film, I am not. Given the elections we need a little magic to make someone go” POOF!!!”.