The Creator

 

The Creator

This film is a combination of Blade Runner, Star Wars, and The Golden Child. It is visually impressive with special effects being its most appealing quality. The plot is about Artificial Intelligence posing an existential threat to humanity. This is a real theory in AI. It is called Artificial General Intelligence and in theory, can achieve cognitive computing. The big problem with the film is the script is muddled. I had a hard time following the movie, perhaps you will not. The film is in three parts which makes the flow of the film bumpy. Also, when simulants are killed an identical replica is made which adds to the confusion.

The main actors of note are John David Washington, Allison Janney and Ken Watanabe. The protagonist is a six-year-old named Madeline Yuna Voyles, called Alphie . She is nearly a dead ringer for the child monk in The Golden Child, and she too has abilities.

The acting was almost perfunctory. Washington plays a soldier battling humans and robots. He is also the protector of Alphie. Allison Janney is a tough mean Colonel who leads assault missions against the simulants. Ken Watanabe is a simulant soldier who gets killed twice. Alphie does a great job of being cute. Her English must be limited since she did not have much dialogue.

I was expecting more. As a Sci-Fi fan, I was intrigued by the coming attractions. The special effects are so good they may be nominated for an Academy Award.

Barbie

 

Barbie

There are many words to describe this movie, witty, clever, funny but most importantly smart. The film has societal messaging and comedy helps make the delivery acceptable. Not to be accused of spoilers there were scenes where the audience laughed out loud. The script is a balance between absurdity and seriousness. The word patriarchal defines the status quo and is a target of the Barbies.

The cast is full of talent. Margot Robbie is the perfect Barbie (what else) her comic timing is great. Just from the expressions in her eyes, you can see when doubt of her existence emerges. It is not all silliness, there are warm and tender scenes in the film and Robbie delivers. Her awkwardness and cluelessness in the real world are clever.

Then there are the Ken’s. The main Ken is Ryan Gosling. He is a buffed boy toy who is sexually naive. He does a lot of posing and his overacting works well. There are many Kens in the movie and Ken’s main rival is Simu Liu. They are rivals for Barbie. There is a great dance-off with all the Kens which is more entertaining than combative.

The one non-Ken in Barbie land is Allan played by Michael Cera. His low-keyed acting style plays perfectly for an outcaste in the perfect Ken world. He does break type in one scene to his surprise and ours. Kate McKinnon perfectly plays Weird Barbie. She is un-Barbie in looks and brains. Mattel actually made a limited edition of Weird Barbie (for $50).

Will Farrell is the real world president of Mattel. His trademark wackiness is on display. He provided some of the better laughs. Rhea Perlman (Danny DeVito’s wife) is the spirit of Ruth Handler the creator of Barbie (Barbie was named after her daughter, Barbara). Ruth gives Barbie sage advice.

Make sure to watch the opening scenes of the movie it is a witty parody of a classic sci-fi movie.

Barbie outgrossed Warner Brother’s The Dark Knight with $1.2b worldwide. Not bad for a doll.

Oppenheimer

 

Oppenheimer

This is a brilliant movie. I listened to the audio book “American Prometheus”. Christopher Nolan selected  historical events of the book and remixed them into a compelling  story. The story is not sequential but effectively jumps around . There is more to the movie than the  atomic bomb. Besides his scientific endeavors he had a superficial connection to communism, an extra marital  affair and was the subject of FBI surveillance.

There is a plethora of historical characters in this film. The four main characters are:

J. Robert Oppenheimer- Cillian Murphy

General Leslie Groves- Matt Damon

Lewis Strauss- Robert Downey Jr.

Kitty Oppenheimer- Emily Blunt

Cillian Murphy bears an uncanny resemblance to Oppenheimer. He plays the role with fragility and confliction to  the atomic bomb project. The atomic bomb project is the culmination of his scientific endeavors but he understands the dangers to humanity he is unleashing. He is soft spoken and not angered even when persecuted. It is challenging  playing an emotional role while staying controlled.

Matt Damon played the good guy and the sort of bad guy. General Groves likes Oppenheimer but he has to enforce secrecy “compartmentalization” at the camp. This is an easy role for Damon. Most  of the time his conversations are civil without  confrontation, although frustrating.

Robert Downey Jr. plays a pivotal role in the movie. This movie is equally about Strauss and Oppenheimer. Strauss was Oppenheimer’s nemesis. In the scenes for Strauss’ nomination for Secretary of Commerce, Nolan filmed it in black and white making it a film within a film. Robert Downey Jr. looked haggard. He plays the role as a conniving politician with a vendetta against Oppenheimer.   

 My main complaint with Emily Blunt is that her screen time was too short. Kitty was Oppenheimer’s anger. Blunt plays Kitty as a controlled explosion. With all their marital problems she remained by Oppenheimer’s side.

The rest of the cast is fabulous.  Their varied contributions were essential to the film.

It is recommended to watch this movie in IMAX. I have never been a fan of IMAX and my position is unchanged. IMAX uses thunderous sound which sometimes makes hearing  dialogue difficult. As for the atomic bomb explosion at Trinity the scene lasted less than a few minutes out of three hours.  Buy popcorn instead.

There are two bloopers (that I saw) in the movie.

fyi- Oppenheimer died at 62 and his security clearance was  posthumously reinstated.

 

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.

 

The Flash

 

The Flash

Two Flashs, two Batmen and one Supergirl what else can you ask for. The movie is a bit convoluted, but it is lots of fun. For all his emotional and legal issues Ezra Miller gives a strong performance. He has great comedic timing and the audience laughed aloud. A running gag because of his super metabolism he has to consume food anyway he can get it.

The Flash lacks the square jaw righteousness of Superman or the moodiness of Batman. The Flash is vulnerable; ironically he has a problem with being on time and is awkward around women. Uncharacteristically for a hero he is sometimes uncertain.

The story deals with alternate time lines/ alternate realities. The base story is Barry Allen (the Flash) trying to prove his father’s innocence in the murder of his mother. This quest takes him to another reality and this is when things get complicated. The Flash is assisted by other super heroes,  Batman and Supergirl. There are two Batmen, Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton, one does more than the other. Supergirl is introduced to the pantheon of super heroes. Her performance is more in line with what super heroes do, they battle. She is dynamic and her story is  a subplot of the film . She fights General Zod, a villain from a prior Superman movie. In an alternate reality it does not matter if you died in another movie.

The film has lots of Easter eggs. Many pay homage to past heroes living and deceased. A level of geekiness may be necessary to ID them. Some heroes only us old folk will recognize (hint black and white). There are also fun  cameos.

The film has been anticipated for a long time  generating lots of buzz. Rotten Tomato gave the film a modest 68%. I think this movie is critic proof and audiences will not be deterred. The box office is more challenging. The production cost is $200-$220m, which does not include advertising which normally is about  50%. With out a profit a sequel is questionable.  As for Ezra Miller, he needs all his super powers to remain as the Flash.

p.s.- Stay after the credits run.

RRR

 

RRR (Rise Roar Revolt)- Netflix

This movie is hilarious and poignant. Some scenes are outlandish and in a comic super hero fashion. Jumping over high fences, out running a wolf and single handedly tossing a motorcycle are some of the antics. This is a westernized version of Bollywood. The fight dancing scenes are hugely entertaining and energizing. This film won the 2023 Oscar for best original song, Naatu Naatu. This is a lavish production with colonial settings and period costuming. The cinematography is dynamic and sets the mood of the story. Although the scene of marauding wild animals is a bit hokey.    

The story involves a local village girl abducted by the wife of the British governor. Bheem, played by N.T. Rama Roe jr., is on a mission to get her back. A foe and ally of Ram is Alluri Sitarmara Raja played by Ram Charan. There is a lot of duplicity in the plot, and it is best to keep notes. It becomes really confusing when both protagonists grow beards and it becomes a who’s who challenge. Flash backs could have been better integrated to support the narrative. The fight choreography is action packed and a big part of the fun. The acting was a bit over the top, but effective.

The period is 1920’s British colonial rule, the Raj. The film makes a statement about the abuses and brutality of colonialism. Here too it is exaggerated but not beyond the pale. Colonialism is the dark underbelly of the British empire. Membership was not voluntary and abuses insighted rebellion.

The movie is free on Netflix, so what do you have to lose? It runs for three hours so stay close to the toilet.

AIR

 

Air

I originally went to see Dungeons and Dragons-Honor Among Thieves, a mistake. Now I know why I never became a gamer.

On my way out I snuck into theater 15 and watched Air which is an origin story about the creation of the Air Jordon sneaker and how Nike signed Michael Jordon to their brand. A fabulous movie with a stellar cast. Matt Damon plays Sonny Vaccaro, Ben Affleck plays Phil Knight, Jason Bateman is Rob Strasser, Chris Tucker is Howard White, and the always wonderful Viola Davis plays Jordon’s mother. Besides the strong chemistry of the cast this is a great script. This is not a jock movie; it is a story of believing in some one and making a full commitment.

Over many years and movies, the relationship between Matt Damon and Ben Affleck is well established.  However, with good roles their collaboration remains fresh. Affleck is Phil Knight, CEO of Nike. Damon is pitching Michael Jordon and creating a line of sneakers on one player, which was very risky for the company. In 1984 Nike was not the juggernaut it is now; it was competing against and behind Adidas and Converse. Signing Jordon was the golden ring.

Matt Damon is a true believer and is willing to bet everything on signing Jordon. This is to the consternation of Affleck who as the CEO has to balance Damon’s passion with hard business calculus. Jason Bateman delivers his trademark understated performance. There are some funny exchanges between him and Damon. Chris Tucker was reserved but even the way he speaks is funny. Another character is David Falk played by Chris Messina. He is Jordon’s agent and some of the funniest scenes are between he and Damon. Viola Davis is the boss. She is the gate keeper to Michael Jordon. She does not negotiate she just demands. Davis plays his mother as confident and tough.  

The movie employed a gimmick. You never actually see Michael Jordon. They show the back of his head or a shoulder. I do not know if there was a copywrite issue, but it was a bit silly. The movie’s sound track is great with 80’s songs.

So, either Dungeons and Dragons or Air. Make your pick.