The Hateful Eight

The Hateful Eight

This film felt more like a play than a movie. It was divided in to five chapters and the first three chapters are as slow as molasses on a winter’s morning with lots of dialogue and little action. The film is set during a blizzard in post-civil war Wyoming in a stagecoach way-station. The majority of the action takes place in a one room cabin. Samuel L. Jackson is an ex-military officer turned bounty hunter transporting two dead frozen criminals. Kurt Russell is also a bounty hunter but his prisoner is alive and nasty, Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Tarantino has a distinctive approach to violence, academically it is referred to as the “aestheticization of violence”. I have no idea what the hell its means but after seeing this movie it must mean lots of crap. When the film revs up in the last two chapter’s blood and brains splatter all over the screen. It is violence for violence’s sake. Tarantino’s’ violence is predictable and at this point lacks imagination.

There is an excessive use of the “n” word in the movie. Tarantino is like some kid trying to see how often he can say a bad word before getting his ass kicked. It is offensive, dull and unimaginative. Hay Qunit, a location suggestion, the South Bronx.

This movie is humorless. Tarantino usually interjects some light comedy i.e. Pulp Fiction-Royal with cheese for a quarter pounder. The lack of humor makes the film grim.

The plot is not too complicated. It does not have the intricate twits of Pulp Fiction. It is more like Kill Bill with cowboy boots. It is an excuse for Tarantino to wallow in mayhem, guns, machetes, and poison as is his want.

The actors are his usual ensemble. Their acting is more cartoonish than dramatic. Jackson is more loquacious than the rest but completely bad ass.  Kurt Russell is almost unrecognizable behind his beard. Tim Roth, who is English, has a lousy British accent. Jennifer Jason Leigh gets dirtier and bloodier as the film progresses.

This film disappoints. I think it is just an ego film. Much has been said about the 70mm format of the film. Here size does not matter, but content does.

The Revenant

"The revenant," from the 19th century French verb revenant, meaning someone who returns from a long absence, or a person or thing reborn.”

This movie is about love, survival and revenge. For the first three fourths of the movie DiCaprio has little to no dialogue. What is better acting with dialogue or without? If done well both are effective. In this movie DiCaprio gives a tremendous physical performance with close ups framing his emotions. The physical demands of this performance are a tremendous challenge which DiCaprio meets.  When DiCaprio does speak it is a crescendo for all the tribulations he suffered.

In part this movie is based on the real life adventures of early 1800’s trapper Hugh Glass. Scenes in the movie are attributed to Glass’s story (DiCaprio’s character is named Glass). This movie is brutal.  The opening scene is an attack by Indians with carnage reminiscent of the opening scene in “Saving Private Ryan” for is visceral depiction of battle.  If you are uncomfortable with very realistic gore this is not your movie.

The movie is stark, almost minimalist. There are haunting vistas of snow covered forests and ice cold running rivers. This sets a somber mood reflective of Glass’ tortured journey. The cinematography is stunning and the vast emptiness of territory magnifies the harshness of Glass’s sojourn. The shoot must have been extremely difficult to make.

Tom Hardy plays his usual tough guy role. He has plenty of dialogue and mercifully the English accent dialed back. As Glass’s antagonist he did an excellent job. Domhnall Gleeson is becoming a staple in American cinema. He usually plays laid back characters, but here as the leader of the expedition he is more intense and challenged.. He does a fine job. Will Poulter plays Jim Bridger, the young trapper manipulated by Tom Hardy. For Poulter this is a dramatic shift from his early comedic role in “We are the Millers” where he plays a clueless nerd.

Native American Indians are prominent in this movie. They are brutalized and brutal themselves. With atrocities on both sides it is hard to see who is the savage. Then there are the French, they do not come off to well.

I saw the movie on a Tuesday afternoon, the theater was packed. This movie is getting a lot of Academy buzz. It may not be for everyone, but am glad that I saw it.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

It was like seeing old friends again, human and non-human. This film is very nostalgic, it harkens back to the first Star Wars film in 1977 (which I saw eleven times). There are numerous similarities between the two films. The same X wing star fighters are used, the Millennium Falcon was dusted off, and even the rebel attack formations were copied.  Jumping to light speed was choreographed in the same manner as before and the Death Star was super-sized. This connection between this film and the original Star Wars legitimizes J.J. Abrams and films to follow.

Han Solo and Chewbacca made the scene. Harrison Ford showed the effect of thirty eight years on his grizzled face. Chewie on the other hand looked marvelous, no grey fur anywhere. Princes Leia was de-bund and is now a general; rehab worked wonders. The dear old droids made cameo appearances.

 There are new characters. Finn, the ex-Stormtrooper now rebel, Rey (female) the scavenger, Poe the new ace pilot and the scene stealing rolli polli droid, BB-8 (destined to be the number one Christmas toy)  This is the foundation for the franchise going forward. There is a phalanx of bad guys that I cannot talk about.  

I would really like to say something about the plot, but I value my life!

For a fanboy it is a feast for the eyes and ears. The John Williams score soars. For those who have never seen Star Wars (only God knows who they may be), this is still a watchable and entertaining film.

This film is critic proof. In the end this movie is a shameless set up for the sequel (did I say too much?). May the force be with the box office.

The Big Short

Intentionally or unintentionally The Big Short is funny. This could be seen as gallows humor.   The main characters identify the impending collapse of the mortgage market which is refuted by the major financial institutions. The tension of the movie is who will win the bet. Every one over the age of twenty knows the answer. What makes the movie intriguing is how this band of financial savants/misfits, put their firms on the line holding to their convictions while the “experts” deride them.

All the actors were sterling. The main actors are Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling and Brad Pitt. Christian Bale gives a spectacular performance. He plays Michael Burry a one eyed bare foot doctor who probably has Asperger and listens to heavy metal music to calm himself. Aside from being certifiable he is a financial genius. He sees what others do not see and bets big on it.

Steve Carell plays Mark Baum who is devoid of social skills. Between bouts of depression and anxiety he delivers some of the best humor of the movie relying on his comedic chops. Ryan Gosling is Mr. Slick. Abrasive and fast talking his rudeness is epic. Brad Pitt plays Ben Rickert, the mellow financial mentor. He is too mellow and is nearly wasted for the part.

To explain complex financial concepts the movie employs humorous vignettes. One has Antony Bourdain explaining the mortgage bundling to create derivatives by making a bouillabaisse as an analogy. Another has Selena Gomez explaining synthetic credit default swaps. I think she hurt herself. Jengo blocks were used to illustrate credit ratings (it worked).

This movie is outstanding, too bad it is all true.

Creed

The Rocky franchise has been very lucrative, but how to keep it going? Maybe Walking the Dead Stallone or Dancing With Balboa. Or you can have a very angry illegitimate son of Apollo Creed ascending into the ring. He disdains his father’s reputation, wanting to make his own mark in the boxing world. He changes his last name form Creed to Johnson, but keeps his first name Adonis. Yeah, in South Philly, with that name you better be fast with your fists or fast with your feet.

This film is a melodrama throwing some jabs as a drama. Besides the young romance of little Creed and his girlfriend, Bianca, all the elements of the Rocky formula are present. Long shot dreams, failure, perseverance, blossoming kinship, museum steps and animal carcasses (I lie no dead cows were punched). There are some touching scenes between Rocky and Adonis as their relationship evolves. This is a better movie than the “post” Rocky films, it has the familiar uplifting theme which is the engine of these films. This film is like hot chicken soup on a cold winter’s night, warm and fuzzy.

Stallone was Stallone. With his hound dog eyes and droopy lips he looked like a Muppet. He was still talking with marbles in his mouth and sometimes needed sub-titles. Stallone had more scenes out of the gym which he handled well. The rest of the cast did fine work, but no one broke sweat. Michael B. Jordon, with his Adonis body, grows from a bitter young man to a disciplined boxer capable of respect and love. Tessa Thompson plays Bianca, Creed’s love interest. She is Adrian with dread locks. Phylicia Rashad plays Apollo’s widow who takes in little Creed. She has small functional roles. Hey, after the Cosby show, any work is welcomed.

The big fight takes place in Liverpool England. As usual the fight scenes are a big hit. Antony Bellow is the opponent. Tony is a real prize fighter who has the swollen face to show for it. The boxing choreography is impressive. Towards the end of the film the producers could not retrain themselves and threw in some old Rocky memorabilia. The stars and stripes shorts were reprised and the soaring Rocky anthem heralded the fight.

Given Hollywood’s horrible performance this year this modest film is a shining light (you though I was going to say a knockout). Stay tuned for Creed II.

Spectre

I have been in Milan for fifteen days and needed a fix, badly. I went to the local cinema and BUENA FORTUNA, Spectre was playing. I bought the ticket and rushed to make the two o’clock show. And, and the movie is in Italian! What the hell! This is an American movie with English stars. After calming down I rationalized this may not be a big deal. Basically, in Bond movies, James kills every one and get laid. Bada Bing Bada Boom.

Let’s put the Monica Bellucci thing to bed. Her screen time was about five minutes and the simulated (not stimulated) sex was about one minute. She is an attractive fifty year old women with fifty year old hands and fifty year old eyes. Any man would be proud to have her on his arm. But time and gravity are unforgiving.

Bond movies still remind me of when I was a kid. The opening credits and music are exciting. This movie does not disappoint. After Sean Connery, I think Daniel Craig is the best Bond. His cold blue eyes, pursed lips and his Walter PPK make him a remorseless killer. The movie is filled with action and Bond continually survives near death situations (Dah). One scene is painful to watch but at least the screaming was in English. The movie has some of the best aerial stunts involving inverted helicopters and wrecked airplanes. There is also the requisite pyrotechnics on a massive scale.  

Ralph Fiennes reprises his role as M and has a more muscular role in this movie. He is in front of the desk shooting bad guys. Ben Whishaw is the mop headed gadget wizard Q, is also targeted by bad guys. The new Bond girl is Lea Seydeoux. She blond and tall and not the sexist Bond girl wearing high heels. She is French with an English veneer making her crinkly. There is a new henchman, Mr. Hinx who is reminiscent of Oddjob, both in bulk and dearth of acting ability. Luckily, Mr. Hinx had no dialogue.

The gadgets were always a big draw for the Bond movies. Aside from the Omega watch which does more than tell time, the new Austin Martin DB 10 is one of the sexiest stars of the show. For fun they include some retro accessories into the car. Regrettably these are the only two gadgets of note.

My biggest regret is not hearing Christoph Waltz's lilting German accent. No dubbing does him justice. He is the villain, Franz Oberhauser, head Spectre and their goal is either world domination or destruction, whichever comes first. Waltz has a clam approach to evil; soft spoken and utterly ruthless. Fighting Spectre is a throwback to the Connery movies. They even reprised the white fluffy Persian cat Blofeld use to stroke.

What I missed most without dialogue are the glib one liners characteristic of these movies. Having seen all twenty three Bond movies I have some idea of the plot sans dialogue. I will be delighted to see it in English to fill in the blanks, big ones. This movie will do big box office and I recommend you see it. As good as this movie is I think Casino Royal is the best of the new Bond movies.

Regrettably my Italian only served me well asking where the location of the bathroom. Mi dispiace!

n.b. In Italian movie theaters they assign seats. I realized this after the show (there were only about 15 people in the theater).

In the middle of the movie they have a five minute intermission. Not knowing any better when the lights went on I dashed to the nearest by emergency exit.

The Walk

The Walk

This movie is ridiculous. It is not really a movie but a documentary masquerading as a movie. Philippe Petit, as played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, narrated the whole movie. In some shots he stands atop the Statue of Liberty’s torch with the Towers as background looking directly at the camera and addressing the audience.

This film has two gimmicks. The first is getting you to spend $21.00 the 3D version of the movie so you can experience all the special effects. The other is to try to induce vertigo from the high wire shots at the top of the towers. This is all done with green screens on sound lots. The effects are good but you know they are simply looking at graphics.

The movie is a biopic about Philippe Petit. Gordon-Levitt plays him like a strutting French cock with kinetic energy looking for the next challenge/high.  He is an e self-promoting egotist. He has no redeeming value and seeks only notoriety. He has an annoying French accent and wears a fright wig. There is nothing appealing about his character, the walk is solely for him.

Ben Kingsley is a father figure and mentor who gives him valuable advice about walking the wire. He has a generic east European accent which Sir Kingsley delivers flawlessly. Charlotte Le Bon is the love interest. She is lovely and she did the role well.

The center piece of the movie is the walk. Gordon-Levitt narrates every step as if he was broadcasting from some news desk. Every leathery foot step is magnified on the screen and the steel wire jutes out in 3D over the audience’s heads. The realism of the shoots from the top of the towers can cause vertigo (fear not, I was fine).

One big plus of the movie is nostalgia. It was great to see the towers in their glory. The walk was done in August 1974 so the Towers were not finished. How he and his crew got to the roof is extraordinary. I am certain these events are true, but this was such an innocent period before our world fell apart on 9 11.

A very strange movie, I cannot recommend it.