Guardians of the Galaxy 2

Guardians of the Galaxy 2                                                    May 27, 2017

If you liked the first one you will like this one. The plot is metaphysically inane, but who goes to see this type of movie for the plot. The movie is about comradery and family. Joining the retuning crew is Kurt Russell as Star Lords father, Ego. This is a new vein for comic mining. There is also a cameo appearance by Sylvester Stallone, two to be exact. Very chunky, so so funny.

The rest of the crew is present. Bradly Cooper is the wise ass Rocket, a bit less acid, more humanin. Zoe Saldana as the green Gamora is a more overtly affectionate with Chris Pratt and continues her epic sister rivalry with Nubula, the blue spray painted chick with the metallic body. Groot is still Baby Groot. He is a source of endless cuteness. Best dam pay day Vin Diesel ever made and no acting required, as usual.

Drax the Destroyer is still blue and dim witted but delivers some very hilarious lines.  Michael Rooker as Yondu Udonta, the blue skinned pirate who kidnaped Star Lord as a child, has an expanded role and fits into the movie’s familial theme. His golden arrow is as lethal as before but it targets real ugly bad guys (one guy is named Taserface) . A new character is Mantis, Pom Klementieff, she is part of Ego’s crew. She sports antennae and has large black saucer eyes giving her the appearance of an insect. She is a bit innocent and unwittingly comical. There may be something going on with Drax (there may be blue bug babies in GOG 3).

Some parts of the movie were hilarious. I cannot remember the last time I laughed out loud in the theater. The audience joined in. Most were just silly one liners or some sets ups were well executed. There is a lot of fighting and killing, but it was all antiseptic. The movie is about comradery and getting despicable bad guys to do right thing.

The music is a big part of the movie. I personally like the tunes of the first movie better. But as my son would say what do I know about music! Thanks to GOG the Sony Walkman is an item on EBay. Never throw shit away!!!!

The Fate of the Furious

The Fate of the Furious                                                                                   April 18, 2017

All the Fast and Furious (F&F) hallmarks are present. Relentless action, steroid infused fights, fantastic car races, uber-pyrotechnics and a plot little more than a footnote. Some of the gags and CG are approaching cartoon status. In one scene, it was literally raining cars. There is so much testosterone in this movie Vin Diesel and Dwayne Johnson should have spontaneously sprouted hair like a Chiba Pet. This said, this film is probably the most fun movie of the franchise. Feeling financially secure the producers are taking themselves less seriously. Former rivals are becoming strange bed fellows.

Thank God Vin Diesel’s acting has not improved keeping the Dom Toretto mystic intact. Dwayne Johnson is the ex-foe now Toretto comrade. The two compete in the tightest tee shirt contest. Jason Statham retains his sand paper beard and has a duplicitous role of foe and friend. The transitions are entertaining. The rest of the crew Letty, Roman, Tej Parker are still good guys. Bucking baldness, Ludacris sports a full head of hair; he was funnier without it.

The arch villain is Charliz Theron (the most beautiful women in the world, in my opinion). Unsmiling with her bleached white dread locks, she almost looks unrecognizable. Her character was devoid of humor or humanity. What a waste of beauty and talent. Lindsey Lohan would have done it on the cheap baring talent.

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There are two new characters. One of them manages to humanize Jason Statham. Helen Mirrin appears briefly (I should have not mentioned her). A fun part of the movie is old friends and enemies make cameos contributing to the light heathenness of the movie.

Surprisingly, the opening scenes are in Cuba, specifically Old Havana where I was just a few weeks ago. I recognized the neighborhoods and the Capital Plaza de La Revolucion, the starting point of the mandatory drag race. What I did not see was a long-legged chick in a short floral micro mini skirt wearing red stilettos (size 6) waving a silk unmentionable to start the race. Senior moment or not that I would have remembered!

The fate in Fate of the Furious is the box office. The movie exceeded opening weekend estimates of +$100 m. Worldwide all time net box office (after production cost) for the franchise is about $3.4 billion. Incentive enough for more films. 

Get Out

Get Out                                                                                                           March 31, 2017

This is a one-handed movie. One hand to cover your eyes and the other to eat popcorn. The movie’s tension starts from the very beginning. You are not sure what is going on but something will happen.

This is a B movie. It cost $4.5m to produce (grossing $156m). Except for Allison Williams (Girls and Peter Pan), the rest of the cast lack name recognition. Some were familiar once on screen. This is not a star-studded movie, rather the ensemble carries the film. The main protagonists Daniel Kaluuya (British actor) and Allison Williams are the interracial couple visiting her parents in suburbia. What makes the movie work is anticipation and a myriad of clues. The black and white angle is played up in the movie. There are the usual racial stereotypes. What transpires goes beyond standard bigotry.

Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams give good performances. Kaluuya feels uncomfortable in a growingly white weekend gathering. The guests leering attention make him nervous. The few blacks he encounters act disturbingly strange. As for Allison Williams, anything is better than Peter Pan. She is the love interest, with an agenda. This film has a smattering of the 70’s blaxploitation movies.  The director/writer is Jordan Peele.

Since I dearly cherish my life I will not discuss the plot. It is a bit complicated and reminiscent of those cheesy TV programs Tales from the Crypt. The end of the movie veers into camp.  Rotten Tomato’s gave this movie a score of 99; maybe a bit much (It Follows, my favorite low budget horror film, has a 97 rating). Get Out is good for a laugh and hug. This movie is referred as comedy horror film; I think more horror. It is worth the price of admission price and for one handed popcorn.

Logan

                                                                                               March 17, 2017

Logan is a good movie for what it is not, cartoonish. There are no men in tights, women with bullet bras or German accented villains wearing metal helmets. Logan and Professor Xavier live in a abandoned encampment in the desert. Logan and Professor X, like all of us, are subject to the ravages of time. This vulnerability is more relatable to an adult crowd. Xavier is fighting senility, which is ironic for a mutant who could control minds. Logan’s once buffed body is etched with scares and raked with pain. Fighting and winning have taken their toll.

This said there are stock and trade Wolverine battles. He uses his talons like a five-star chef skewers kabab. Professor X’s senior moment is befuddlement but still cataclysmic, an echo of his vast power.  

There is a new crop of pre-teen mutants who were fabricated in the lab. One special mutant is an eleven-year-old named Dafne Keen, who has a special bond with Logan. The relationship is tenuous but grows warmly over time. There is a lethal element to her precociousness. Logan is the reluctant father figure reining in the wild child. They do not have a cuddly relationship and Logan’s clueless parenting skills make for funny situations.  

There are a few lulls in the movie, but these small breaks give space for reflection.  There is plenty of action for all but when you need to take your medicine before going in to battle that is a reality check. Medicare has a high deductible for decapitation.

The movie has seeds of sequels. Those cute pre-teens mutants will surely appear in forthcoming movies as strapping teens in tights and bullet bra’s. Keeping the franchise alive is imperative (all x-men films to date-$4.8b box office).

Arrival

Arrival

I saw this movie a few weeks ago, but fell asleep and missed some key parts. Yesterday I went to see Split and in the next theater Arrival was playing. I had an hour to kill so I snuck in to see Arrival.

This is an outstanding movie and in my opinion it is one of the ten best sci fi in the past ten years. Rather than action packed it is a more cerebral film. The theme of the plot is fascinating and once fully understood gives you new insight into old theories. Albert Einstein would have enjoyed this movie.

I am not a fan of flash backs but here they were integral to the story and done well. Amy Adams is wonderful as a linguist recruited by the army to decipher the symbols of the aliens called heptapods.  They look like a penyata stuck on aoctopus. Their writing is like squid ink forming complicated circles. Amy’s tragic personal story is intertwined with the aliens which adds a layer of complexity.

I encourage you to see this movie either in the theater or on demand. You will not be disappointed.

La La Land L

                                                                                          January 28, 2017

The title La La Land, means:

“the mental state of someone who is not aware of what is really happening. La-La Land —used as a nickname for Los Angeles, California”,

The film is a combination of traditional l Hollywood musicals and drama. To legitimize the film as a musical the opening scene has Angelinos stuck in traffic breaking out in joyous spontaneous song and dance. Would this work on the FDR?

The theme of the movie is “things that could have been”. Ryan Gosling is a pianist who loves jazz but compromises his principals to get steady work. Emma Stone is a barista/actress who feels defeated by dead end auditions. As with all musicals boy meets girl and hearts a flutter. For musical talents, Gosling took six months training to play the piano. He was impressive; his fingering was more complicated as the film progressed. His singing was more like those Grammy spoken word awards. Emma Stone has more of a singing voice and gives a solid Broadway rendition.

As for the dancing neither one was Fred Aster or Ginger Rogers. Their numbers were heavily choreographed. You could almost hear them saying, 123…123…123. In tribute to Busby Berkeley one number had them dancing in the air with stars courtesy of the Griffith Observatory.  

Gosling and Stone are outstanding dramatic actors and when the film focuses on their relationship without song and dance, they are in their element. The relationship is complicated as both pursue their dreams. They support each other and fall away from each other. The consequences of their actions give the film a complexity, with a ting of sadness, unusual for musicals.

Adulation for this film is wide spread. Unlike the Golden Globes the Oscars do not have a musical/comedy category. How do you compare this movie to the current crop great dramas? How do you nominate Ryan Gosling as best actor as opposed Denzel Washington or Andrew Garfield? How does Emma Stone compete with Viola Davis or Nicole Kidman or Taraji P. Henson?

Every few years Hollywood gets nostalgic. Back in 2011 the black and white silent screen film “The Artist” won best picture. This could be one of those years. 

Hidden Figures

Hidden Figures 

                                                                                           January 7, 2017

What a joyous and uplifting movie; but this is not a Disney movie. The movie tackles hard topics like racism, segregation and sex discrimination.

 This is a true story about three African-Americans mathematicians who worked on the space program at NASA Langley field Virginia in the 1960’s.They are: Taraji P. Henson as Katherine Johnson-mathematical genius , Octavia Spencer as Dorothy Vaughan, IBM programmer, Janelle Monáe as Mary Jackson, engineer.

This movie is referred to as a biographical comedy-drama film. It is humorous but certain parts are serious and historic. It never occurred to me there was discrimination NASA, but why not? It was in Virginia in the 1960’s where discrimination was accepted.   Mathematicians were called computers. These ladies were referred to as the colored computers. 

Henson is outstanding in her role. She could be submissive and stay in her place to advance but she had the courage to confront prejudice. She had to wrestle respect from her co-workers and bosses.  Her advantage was her mathematical genius, she even impressed the astronauts.  

Spencer was the over worked supervisor without a title or appropriate pay. In a quiet and relentless manner, she became the first Afro-American IBM programmer. She surreptitiously learning Fortran on her own. Spencer’s outward calmness underlies her tenacity and intelligence.

Monae was the squeaky wheel. Of the three she pushed the boundaries using moxie and her beauty. Through hard work and undiscouraged she became an engineer.

Kevin Costner played the director of the Space Task Group. Seemingly oblivious to racism until he needed his colored computers. He played a hardened bureaucrat with a heart deeply buried in his chest. Jim Parsons played the peevish head mathematician who was a racist and misogynistic. At every turn, he put up obstacles which Henson knocked down.

This movie is the flip side of The Right Stuff. These women boosted the space program with their No. 2 pencils. Hidden Figures shines a much need light on a neglected part of our history. Stick round for the credit roll to see the real-life people.