Parasite

Parasite

Korean cinema has gained a lot of recognition of late, thanks in large part to Directors like Bong Jon Ho.  I will say without hyperbole that he is one of the most dynamic directors out there and there is no other Director that can take you on a ride where you have no idea where you are going and surprises you with the final destination.  I consider his latest effort ‘Parasite’ to be his finest work and that says a lot considering films like ‘Snowpiercer’ and ‘Okja’ are on his resume.  ‘Parasite’ is a timely and insightful film about class disparity, but it wastes no time trying lecture or moralize about it.  I think Bong doesn’t mind giving you a message, but he is more interested in surprising you on where the story takes the audience.  How does one classify this film?  Comedy? Drama? Suspense? Thriller? Social Commentary?  I have no idea how to label it (probably the point), but one thing I can say is just when you think you know where the story is going they change directions and through you a curve ball that affects the entire direction and narrative.  Bong Jo Ho is a master at his craft.

The story revolves around the unemployed Ki-taek family.  The family is so poor that they live in a basement apartment where they do the odd job of folding pizza boxes for income.  They gratefully leave their windows open when the city fumigates the streets as they consider it free extermination for their apartment and it chases away the man who continually urinates outside their apartment window.  Through a stroke of good fortune and a hook up from a college buddy, the son Min (Seo-Joon Park) lands an English tutoring job with the Uber wealthy Park family.  Not only is Min amazed by the Parks wealth, but he is also charmed by their graciousness albeit naïveté.  Min spots an opportunity to expand his family’s good fortune where he has his sister pose as a high in demand  art tutor and recommends her for the Park’s precocious son.  Not believing their good fortune of getting away with two members of their family securing jobs with the Park family on fraudulent terms, the family plots a plan to get them all employed by the Parks

Eventually they work out the family driver and housekeeper and deftly replace them with  their mother and father. With the entire family employed by the Parks and the Parks being none the wiser, the Ki-Taeks are living the good life, especially when the Parks are away.  Things are going well until during one night of revelry absent the Parks, the former housekeeper shows up and changes everything with her revelation.  I am a firm believer in not doing spoilers in my review, so I can’t really give anymore details about the plot other than to say that the movie takes a dramatically different direction.

In a lesser film (especially ones involving class warfare) there would be good guys (usually the poor family) and bad guys (definitely the rich family). Bong Jon Ho does not make it so easy.  While we sympathize and hope for the best for the Ki-take family they are not without their faults.  Indeedthey do things that are criminal and contemptible.  Likewise the wealthy Parks have all the snobberies one would expect of a rich family, but they are genuinely likable and sincere.  There are no good guys or bad guys, just a situation that spirals out of control.

Bong Jon Ho’s ability to deftly change direction, if not genres, mid-movie is beautiful to behold.  He is able to ratchet up intense thrills and tensions while not letting go of the comedy or the commentary. Part of the reason for the tension is that you know that Bong Jon Ho is taking you somewhere, but given the twists and turns prevelant in the movie you have no idea where and how high he’s willing to go.  In this era of cookie cutter formula movies and sequels that offer few surprises, it is refreshing to see a Director who takes chances and offers a unique vision that isn’t tried and true.  There is nothing in this film that a Director could sell to a studios as a sure fire way to make money other than it is fantastic.  I can’t wait to see Bong Jon Ho’s next offering because each film seems to get progressively better.

I give this film **** stars out of five

Parasite trailer

Joker

         If I wasn’t so verbose, I could sum ‘Joker’ up in one word: “Wow!”.  There has been a lot of controversy surrounding the release of this film involving the disturbing themes and imagery.  People have tried to censor this film based on it’s close relation to the 'Dark Knight’ and the Aurora Colorado shootings.  Still others find it toxic to seemingly glorify a psychopathic violent loner.  And still others have focused their “wokeness” and “recreational outrage” to the latest flavor of a cancel target.  I tend to lean to absolutism when it comes to film and art where I believe the artist should be free to express their vision.  With all that being said, I completely understand the controversy and I’m surprised finding myself not disagreeing with the points the film’s critics are making.  That is not to say that I didn’t find this a superb piece of film making and a darkly beautifully filmed character study.  This is a film that takes chances in response to a world that snobbishly turns their collective noses up at “comic book” films.  My reverent hope is the 'Joker' will be rewarded during Oscar season.

First and foremost, for those who do not care for the super hero genre, this is not the type of film you are used to disliking.  If I had to label this film, it would be a noir character study akin to ‘Taxi Driver’.  It is a film that examines the descent of a sociopath, but does not glorify it despite what the critics have been saying.  Even though the majority of Americans know who the Joker is in the Batman world, this film is not connected to the current inter-connected DC film universe.  This is a stand alone film.  In fact, DC has slowly been giving up trying to copy Marvel’s one universe success and going more for these type of stand alone films.  If this is the result, then I say continue in this direction, because I have nothing but respect for this film.

Joker first appeared in Batman #1 in 1940.  Since then, there have been many origin stories and interpretations.  Film and TV wise, it is subjectively debatable which version is best, but I will say Heath Ledger’s version is probably the most respected give his Oscar awarded performance.  I found Joaquin Phoenix’s performance every bit as respectable yet entirely original and his own.  It has washed out the bad tasted of Jared Leto’s performance in ‘Suicide Squad’ and given me new confidence that DC can find their own audience with a unique vision apart from Marvel’s.  

The story itself doesn’t sound that intriguing.  Arthur Fleck is a mentally ill struggling comedian and clown who lives with his mother.  He is trying to keep it all together and the fact that he has Pseudobulbar Affect (a condition that causes uncontrollable laughing/crying) only heightens his isolation from his fellow man.  Life is not kind to Arthur and one event after another spirals Arthur downward.  He has two rays of light in his life.  His single mother neighbor, Sophie, shows him kindness which he hopes will turn into a relationship.  The second is during one of the nights he bombed at an open-mic comedy club, he caught the attention of one of his comedy idols, Murray Franklin.  Robert DeNiro captures the essence of a Johnny Carson style talk show host.  Not evil, but definitely a smarmy Hollywood type who is attracted to Arthur strictly in order to make fun of him on national TV.  

My admiration of this film is not in the story which we’ve seen shades of before as in the aforementioned ‘Taxi driver’ or ‘King of Comedy’ (ironically, both starring Robert DeNiro).  My respect comes from the sheer beauty of the film making.  Where most films in the comic book genre tend to be a roller coaster of action, this film takes its’ time.  Lingering camera shots as we feel Arthur’s descent into madness. We feel his pain as life batters him and while I may not sympathize with him, I definitely understand his descent.  As Arthur slowly becomes more violent, the film’s violence isn’t gratuitous or cartoonish.  It is visceral and disturbing.  Not necessarily gory, but having a certain veritas and gravitas that we are numb to in over the top action films. 

The film’s music score adds to the intensity so I recommend seeing this in the theater with a good sound system where you actually can feel the intensity it instills. The music that Director Todd Phillips chooses are ones that I never would have associated with a film of this type, but they fit perfectly to his vision.  The scene where Arthur Fleck emerges for the first time  in his Joker persona in its’ entirety is set to  Gary Glitters ‘Rock & Roll: Part 2” and is both viscerally exciting and disturbing given the lightness of the song overlapping Fleck’s madness.

There are many unexpected directions this film takes as well as a few easter eggs for we comic nerds, overall this film defies easy classification.  It’s too easy to say it’s just a character study as Phillips ability to take such a dark and unredeemable subject matter and give it the artistic beauty of superior film making causes many conflicting emotions.  In the end, I believe art is all about emotionally moving someone and ‘Joker’ does that, even if it isn’t in a direction one would want to go.  Much, much respect for this achievement.

I give this film **** out of five stars

Joker trailer

Spider-man: Far From Home

Spider-Man: Far From Home

I’m surprised at how many thoughts and opinions I wish to express over a film that I just found ‘pretty good’.  I’ve seen a lot of hype around this film saying it is the best super hero film of the year (really? Did they see Avenger’s: Endgame?).  I will say this is a thoroughly enjoyable, post major event film akin to last year’s Ant-man and Wasp, but by no means is it a fantastic movie.  More of a coming off your sugar high from ‘Avengers:Endgame’ type of film.  I will do my best not to give away too many spoilers, but I will warn in advance, there might be some minor ones.

Spider-man is unique in the film world as it is the only character that existed outside the MCU, before he was brought in (I am not counting Punisher or Howard the Duck for all the contradictory people out there).  Most characters have seen stability amongst the actors who play them, but Spider-man has gone through several actors over the course of these many years.  Most agree that Tom Holland was perfectly cast as the modern day web slinger.

So the question is ‘How does one top ‘Avenger’s: Endgame’?  The answer is that you don’t.  You make a smaller movie that is just fun and exciting.  Not every film has to break records.  The opening sequence cleverly goes about wrapping up the loose ends from ‘Endgame’ and explaining how life has gone on since everyone was brought back from the ‘Thanos snap’ (not to mention one of the funniest opening theme songs to any Marvel film).  We are reminded that despite Peter Parker’s cosmic adventures he is still just a 16 year old high school kid who obsesses over things any 16 year old would.  Most importantly, how does he get the girl he likes notice him?  As with traditional Spider-man canon, Peter is trying to win the affections of Mary Jane Watson (completely miscast with a sullen Zendaya).  He sees an opportunity to get closer to MJ on a European school trip as well as a long over due break from being Spider-Man.  

I think most of this film’s charm is that it is primarily a teen romance movie that harkens hack to the John Hughes era.  Despite being an Avenger who has faced Thanos, Peter still has the adolescent awkwardness of any high schooler trying to navigate his first school crush.  Of course, this is a super-hero movie and and it isn’t long before Nick Fury (the beloved Samuel L Jackson) shows up to recruit Peter to help fight monstrous Elementals who have invaded our world from another dimension.  Also from the same other dimension comes a hero who the Italians (the group’s trip starts in Italy) have labeled ‘Mysterio’.  He seems to be powerful enough to take on the monsters, but with the dire warning that these Elementals are what destroyed his world.  

Mysterio (Jake Gyllenhal, who ironically was originally cast as Spider-man before it was taken by Toby McGuire) was always a character that many fans thought would be impossible to adapt to the big screen, but I give Marvel credit as they captured his essence perfectly. Anyone familiar with this character in the books of Spider-man knows that all is not what it appears, so I will not further go into the story to preserve all the surprise twists and turns.

Marvel has done a great job at envisioning this version of Spider-man to the screen.  My one complaint is that they over tech his suit to the point where he is almost Iron-man.  Spider-man was never about cool tech (aside from his web shooters). I think all the next-gen tech distracts from the character, but that’s this man’s opinion.  Given how much Tony Stark was referenced in this film (even to include Jon Favreau’s Happy Hogan as a supporting character) and given how much Spider-man’s existence is based on Stark Industries support  one expected to see Robert Downey Jr some where in this film.  However, since RDJ’s contract is over, all we get is references to him.  

After all is said and done, it is an exciting super-hero flick even if the teen romance angle seems to be a little frivolous albeit charming at times. There are a lot of fun throw backs to plot lines that dated back to the original Ironman movie and a lot of Easter eggs that hint where the future of the Marvel universe is headed.  I think Tom Holland still has a few more years left before he ages out of the character, but I feel they have to work on the supporting characters a bit more.  It will be interesting if they incorporate Miles Morales from last year’s animated (and superior) ‘Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse’ film.  Given the introduction of the multi-verse in this film, it would only be a natural evolution to bring the Morales Spider-man to the live action MCU.  I am going to be overly generous with my stars for this film as it was great fun, but I’m sticking with my original premise that it is only “pretty good”.

I give this film *** out of five.

Spider-man: Far From home Trailer

Avengers: Endgame

       Never in my lifetime has there ever been more hype, more anticipation, more cultural focus on a movie than the final chapter in the Avengers story arc; ‘Avengers: Endgame’.  And yes, ‘Star Wars’ fans, I am including those films too as I think this weekend’s record shattering 1.23 billion dollar box office take will support my claim. I look back over the last 11 years to the beginning with 2008’s ‘Ironman’, which returned Robert Downey Jr to Hollywood’s A-list and sparked a series of complex, expanding, entertaining, and  intermingling movies that have finally come to a culmination of a 22 film journey.  Can any movie possibly live up to this hype… the answer is ‘Yes’!  I won’t say this was my all-time favorite movie, but I will say that ‘Avengers: Endgame’ is the perfect ending to the most successful movie franchise of all time. 

Very few cliffhangers have shocked the viewing public like last year’s “Thanos snap” at the end of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’.  We have been so programmed to expect (even know) that the heroes will win by the end of the movie. Not only was the audience caught unaware, but the sheer impossible magnitude of the “Decimation" rocked viewers to the core.  It has been the water cooler topic for the past year as our emotional jarring has built the anticipation for ‘Avengers: Endgame’ to such a frenzied pitch that it will be the first movie to break the 1 billion dollar mark opening weekend.  I purposely waited a few days to write this as it would be impossible to critique ‘Avengers: Endgame’ without a few spoilers and the viewers who have been patiently waiting for over a year deserve not to have the film spoiled for them.  That being said, be warned that there will be minor spoilers ahead.

It has been said many times before, but the sheer skill of the Directors Russo can’t be over stated.  How does one take 22 movies with open plot lines and wind them all up in one satisfying 3 hour finale extravaganza that feels organic and not rushed.  The Russos accomplish this.  And further, this isn’t just a rehash or a part 2 of ‘Avengers: Infinity War’, this is a film with a completely different flavor and objective.  After the action of the pre-opening scene, I would say this is more of a character exploration.  This is a film of how our original team of heroes are dealing with the aftermath of the "Decimation" 5 years later.  I won’t go so far as to say it was slow in the 2nd act as I enjoyed seeing their everyday recovering lives, but it is far from the non-stop rollercoaster of the previous film.  Tragedy and comedy seamlessly integrate as only Marvel can do.  Our hearts break as we laugh with them.

Out of all the secrecy that shrouded this, I think the one that all fans figured out is that time travel would be involved. The traveling to the past to fix the future has been the theme of many films over the years (as the team hilariously referenced many times), but in this case it was all the more gratifying because it gives the viewer a chance to go back and re-visit previous films from a different angle.  For those cinephiles who notice such things, even the music scores from each of the visited films lined up heightening the nostalgia.  The audience points and whispers at the appearance of characters we thought were long gone.  The sheer feat of rounding up all these actors is an event in itself.  The explanation of time traveling is brain turning and at times full of holes, but enough of our suspension of disbelief is held in tact to thoroughly enjoy the ride.

Of course, what would a super hero movie be without an epic battle at the end.  This part I will keep quiet as I want to give out absolutely no spoilers other than to to say it is the epic battle to end all epic battles.  I knew it would be big, but this surpassed even what I expected.  A climatic fight scene where we thrill, laugh, cry, hold our breaths, stare in awe, and jump from our seats.  However, despite this spectacle, it is the last 8 minutes of the film that has everyone talking and I am included in that group.  As I stated at the beginning, it is the perfect ending to the most successful movie franchise of all time.  A franchise that started with ‘Ironman’ back in 2008.  Marvel had no idea of what they were destined to produce.  It’s been revealed that Director Jon Favreau’s tacking on the introduction of Nick Fury in a post-credit scene sparked the idea.  11 years and 22 films later, Marvel has changed the face of cinema.

Usually in this portion of the review, I give my opinion whether or not one should see the movie, but I think that is obvious.  If one has been along with the Marvel ride over the years, then it isn’t even a choice.  You must go see it.  Just be satisfied with the confidence that you won’t be disappointed.  I give this film my highest rating, not so much for its’ technical achievements as a stand alone movie rather in gratitude to the gift Marvel has given its’ dedicated fans over all these years.

I give this film ***** stars out of five.

Avengers: Endgame trailer

Shazam

       So I have to confess that I went to see ‘Shazam’ not really looking forward to it.  He is a silly character to begin with from the Golden Age of comics and the trailers left me thinking it was just a little too campy for its’ own good.  Superhero movies have spent the better part of the last two decades trying to gain respect as a genre and this seemed like a throwback to the cheesy and silly  B-rated films pre-2000s.  Now I will say that this movie is designed for kids and the humor and even some of the plot line can be unsurprisingly cheesy, but even with all that and the family fun, this film has a heart and even some genuine thrills.

Shazam (played by the boyish Zachary Levi) was originally called Captain Marvel back in the 1940s, but due to DC letting the copyright expire, the newly formed Marvel comics grabbed the name for one of their characters whom they also called Captain Marvel (taking decades to become the feature film that was only recently released).  Marvel and DC battled over the name for years, but eventually DC gave in as the Marvel version became more well known and DC changed the character name to Shazam. For those who aren’t familiar with the character, SHAZAM is the magic word which a teenage Billy Batson utters to magically transform into the “World’s Mightiest Mortal”.  

This is an origin movie like any other and like in all super hero movie, the super villain is introduced along with the superhero.  Mark Strong takes on the role of the villainous Dr Thaddeus Savana, who was rejected as a child by the Wizard Shazam ( Djimon Hounsou) when he deemed him not worthy enough to hold the power.  However, the embodiment of the 7 Deadly Sins saw someone in Thaddeus Savana who would be worthy to help pull off their plans for conquering the earth and so they used Savana as their earthly vessel.  The Wizard Shazam, desperate to find a champion pure enough to fight the 7 Deadly Sins, sends out a spell to find a worthy mortal.  Enter Billy Batson, a 15 yr old orphan who has been hopping from foster home to foster home in search of his real mother.  The Wizard imbues young Billy with the power of the Greek gods every time he says the magic word SHAZAM.  

The movie comes dangerously close several times to becoming a copy of the Tom Hanks film ‘Big’ with the ‘kid trapped in an adults’ body’ cliche humor, but the film still finds its’ fun and we enjoy Billy testing out his powers with the help of his crippled foster brother Freddy.  A lot of praise for Shazam comes from the fact that DC has left its’ dark noir vision that they have clung to for many years and is trying to have fun with the genre.  That being said, Director David Sandberg has his roots in the horror genre and some of the scenes with the monstrous 7 Deadly Sins are suprisingly horrifying for a kid centric film. Sandberg deftly balances the horror with  Billy’s foster group home family.  All his brothers and sisters are cliché cute, but it really works as the true heart of the film whose ultimate message is the search for family.

I will say that this isn’t my favorite superhero film... not even close, but it was a welcome surprise given what the trailers prepared me for.  With all the heart and thrills this film is based upon, I can forgive the campiness of the humor.  Given the subject matter, I don’t know how they could have done it better.  I’m going to give ‘Shazam” a higher rating than it deserves just from the sheer satisfaction aspect I took from the film.  

I give this film 3 *** out of 5

Shazam trailer

Us

      

       Jordan Peele’s sophomore effort ‘Us’ is so hard to review because depending on your individual viewpoints and biases it can be interpreted so many ways.  The only way it can’t be interpreted is on face value. Throughout the film one goes through the emotions of “What?”, “Oh, I get it”, “Uhhh?”, “OMG”, “That doesn’t make sense”, “What’s that mean?” And pretty much a dozen other feelings too numerous to mention.   I can’t say one will walk away from this film satisfied, but you will walk away thinking and talking about this film for a long time to come. Despite that nebulous praise, I think it falls a bit short of Peele’s debut offering ‘Get Out’ from two years ago, but ‘Us’ is something to definitely be proud of and I think seals Peele as a new “it Director” in Hollywood.  

‘Us’ opens in1986, complete with console TVs showing ads for ‘Hands Across America’ (do you remember that?  Then you are showing your age).  A young Adelaide Wilson is vacationing with her family on the Santa Cruz Boardwalk.  The tone is eerie and dreamlike as Adelaide observes the revelers around her. Adelaide becomes separated from her father while he is playing a carnival game and wanders into a funhouse hall of mirrors.  Peele shows his adeptness at creating horror and tension as Adelaide panics as she is unable to find her way out among the multiple reflections.  When the images in the mirror stop mimicking Adelaide our terror increases with hers.  At the end of the prologue, Adelaide sees something profoundly horrifying in one of the mirrors and we are left wondering what as we are whisked to present day.

The grown-up Adelaide (the beautiful Lupita Nyong’o) is grown and has a husband Wade (Winston Duke) and two adolescent children.  She has obviously moved on from whatever childhood trauma she experienced.  We realize Adelaide is not completely over what happened when Wade announces that he has arranged a vacation at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk with old friends of theirs (Kate Moss and Josh Tyler).  In a quiet panic,  Adelaide resists, but she is eventually talked into the trip on the condition they don’t go out at night.  Even with those conditions, Adelaide starts noticing coincidences, each small, but too numerous to be inconsequential once they arrive.  When finally one late evening, they are mysteriously confronted by another family of four in their driveway, they are taken hostage by what they come to realize are their evil doppelgängers.  A premise that sounds cheesy as I write it, but effectively done with horror and surprising humor in Peele’s hands.

What follows is the predictable ‘Survive the night’ horror trope as the family escapes only to realize that the whole town has been invaded by each citizen’s evil doppelgänger.  The film converts into a zombie film in the second act, but we never let go of the “WTH is going on?”, disorientation.  Peele shows his love of the horror genre with his mix of horror and humor that he obviously grew up with.  We see obvious clues and puzzle pieces everywhere of what is happening, but they don’t fit together easily for the audience… or at all. No matter what is happening, we struggle with understanding what is actually going on.

As the third act gets underway, Peele throws in the twists and turns.  He starts answering questions, but his answers sometimes confuse us more than we were before the questions. The new ‘Twilight Zone’ series is narrated by Jordan Peele and I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the revelations at the end very much reminds one of that TV series.  There is a twist ending, but as I have said before, it leaves us more confused than satisfied.  Maybe that was the intention.  Your views and individual perspectives will determine how you interpret it.

No matter how well this film does or how it is received, Jordan Peele is no longer just a sketch comedy actor.  He is a full fledged Hollywood director.  Much like M Knight Shyamalan, Peele as a unique artistic vision that makes him a welcome change from current Hollywood cookie-cutter products.  I won’t rate this film as high as ‘Get Out’, but I will give credit where credit is due.  If you aren’t averse to horror movies, then I highly recommend you give this one a try.  It won’t blow your mind, but it will definitely twist it a little.

I give this film *** out of 5 stars.

Us trailer

Captain Marvel

After much hype and fanfare, ‘Captain Marvel’ is here.  Acting as both an appetizer for the upcoming ‘Avengers: Endgame’ in April and as Marvel’s declaration of having their first female lead in one of their movies.  I never thought I would say this about DC, but they did it first and they did it better with Wonder Woman.  That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy Captain Marvel and that I don’t think she is a great addition to the MCU, but the expectations were too high and the deliverables were too low.  Where ‘Wonder Woman’ exceeded ‘Captain Marvel’ is in that Wonder Woman did not dwell on feminism or trying to prove something, WW was simply the lead protagonist of an inspiring film.  ‘Captain Marvel’ wallowed a bit too much in “girl power” and trying to prove herself to the audience that a woman can be powerful (despite her protestations that she didn’t have to prove herself).  I felt that if they had minimized the social justice aspect of this film and enhanced her as a well defined and developed character it would have delivered more.  

Some quick back story; while comics have long been lauded for leading social change and diversity in particular, they still struggled in the beginning with it like the rest of the culture.  Women in particular were side novelties at best in the early pages of comics.  Their powers were more defensive or posturing than their male equivalent’s visceral strengths.  Many of the female heroes were mere shadows of male counterparts or worse just powered down versions of another hero like She-Hulk or in this case Ms Marvel (Her original name).  The original male Captain Marvel (technically ‘Mar-Vell’) was a rather uninteresting Kree warrior whose story I never truly understood.  Still, he was a cosmic level hero and was even considered Thanos’s main adversary.  Writers just didn’t know what to do with him, so eventually they just killed him off (‘The Death of Captain Marvel’ is a really good graphic novel if you are so inclined).  Ms Marvel was still around and with a sexist name at that, so eventually, in Marvel’s strive to create strong female characters, they retconned her and bestowed her with the Captain Marvel mantle.  I’m not a big fan of SJWs reinventing of characters to fit agendas (i.e. the female Thor), but this one seemed to stick.  Captain Marvel quickly became the lead female character in the Marvel universe, so it was only a matter of time before she got her own movie.

Despite the revamp, I still don’t find Captain Marvel that interesting a character.  There’s still a muddled backstory of her being a Kree/Human hybrid named Carol Danvers with vague and difficult powers to define.  In fairness to the film, I thought they did a much better job of defining her than I ever read in the comics.  So given all that and the fact that her cosmic universe backstory would be too difficult to explain in a 2 hour movie they decided to just jump in and leave it up to us to figure out.

The movie is set in the 1990s (I never really figured out why) and they do a great job re-creating mid-90’s earth, right down to the Blockbusters and Radio Shacks.  However, we start on the Kree home world of Hala with our future warrior Captain Marvel (Bree Larsen) now called Vers struggling with her amnesiatic past with only flashes of her previous human life in her nightmares.  The Kree are in a galactic war with their nemesis, the shape shifting Skrulls. Vers is part of an elite Kree military squad yet she still tries to prove herself to her mentor, Yon-Rogg (Jude Law).  We’ve seen the Kree race a few times in other movies and TV shows, but this is the first time we are introduced to the leader of the Kree dramatically named The Supreme Intelligence (Annette Benning…sort of).  An A.I. culmination of the greatest minds in Kree history, one sees the person they most respect when communing with it.  In Vers case, a mysterious woman from her nightmares named Mar-vell’. Yon-Rogg tries to guide and help interpret Vers communions with The Supreme Intelligence, but Vers is left even more confused after each time. Anyone not familiar with the comics will be completely lost, but you can still enjoy the ride.

After a botched rescue mission involving Skrulls, Vers is separated from her team and marooned on Earth in the 1990’s where she quickly uncovers a Skrull plot to infiltrate the Earth.  Fortunately and coincidentally (as conveniently happens in films like this), Vers runs into a cynical SHIELD field agent who turns out to be a younger and two eyed version of Nick Fury (Samuel L Jackson) along with his rookie partner Agent Coulsen (a welcome return of Clark Gregg). The film went for predictable laughs with the ‘fish-out-of-water’ routine, but the comedy fell rather flat I felt that Brie Larsen’s performance was a little wooden for an Oscar level actress, but overall it was fun to see Nick Fury’s backstory.  The film also employed many twists and turns to keep the viewer guessing who was the good guy and who was the bad guy.  Without being too much of a spoiler, I felt they emphasized the Skrulls innocence and victimization without really acknowledging any of their horrific acts they are known for (just my pet peeve as a reformed comic nerd).  

Vers best friend from her earth past and fellow fighter pilot was a highlight of the film for me.  Maria Rambeau is not just a side kick, but a stalwart companion and pillar of strength for Vers as she struggles to reclaim her Terran past.  Even more important for the initiated, we recognized that Maria’s young daughter Monica will eventually become a superhero in her own right and given the time the film highlighted Vers and Monica’s relationship, I would be surprised if we don’t see her debut very soon (‘Avengers: Endgame’ will be 20 years in the future from this story). 

Like I said, I didn’t not like this film (double negative intended), it just wasn’t one of Marvel’s highest deliveries.  For me it was just a whetting of my appetite for the upcoming Avengers finale next month.  Fortunately, it will save the audience the necessity of an introduction to Captain Marvel when she appears in ‘Avengers: Endgame’.  I will end on a high note in that the opening credits of ‘Captain Marvel’ alone was worth the price of admission.   Marvel decided to forego their traditional opening and gave us a touching montage tribute to Stan Lee.  As they said: “Thank you Stan Lee”.

I give this film ** 1/2 out of five

Captain Marvel Trailer

Stan & Ollie

         Laurel and Hardy was one of the original world famous comedy teams that arose to global prominence through the advent of the fledgling motion picture industry of the time.  At their peak (circa 1939), they were the preeminent comedy duo in the world.  I remember as a child, pre-Netflix, pre-DVD, heck, pre-VHS and cable, we would check out 35mm films from the library and watch Laurel and Hardy movies on neighborhood movie night.  They were my first introduction to comedy.  In danger of becoming forgotten through the passage of time, ‘Stan & Ollie’ tells the story of the final comedy tour of the duo in the twilight of their careers.  Steve Coogin and John C Reilly give Oscar worthy performances (even though they weren’t nominated) channeling Stan and Ollie right down to the minutest mannerisms.  Unfortunately, Director Jon Baird fails to deliver an engaging biopic that should celebrate this legendary team, rather he dwells upon the sadness of their fading celebrity.

For anyone familiar with Laurel and Hardy films, the opening sequence is a pleasant voyage of nostalgia, but after 5 minutes (and with no explanation) we are transported 16 years into their future as they embark on a British theatre tour in preparation for a movie that they are staking on reviving their careers.  I can’t emphasize enough the total suspension of disbelief as I actually believed the two actors were Laurel and Hardy.  Many times, especially when famous people play historical roles, we are always aware it is an actor playing a role. Coogin and Riley have the mannerisms and even look down so exactly that I would be hard pressed to tell the difference. I  couldn’t even tell that Riley was in a fat suit with prosthetics.  There should have been an Oscar nomination for at least make-up and special effects if nothing else.

As the tour commences, we realize that something has happened that has strained their friendship and they try to put the past behind them in order to restart their career.  It was interesting to see them interact having never seen them outside their vaudevillian interplay on screen.  On screen, Ollie usually plays the brains opposite Stanley’s almost simpleton persona.  In reality, Stan was the more business savvy of the two where Ollie was the reckless bon vivant.   A life of excess had caught up to Ollie and he struggled with a variety of health ailments that put his ability to do the tour in jeopardy. We feel Stanley’s desperation to make the tour work despite sub-par venues, shady promoters, and an increasingly fading outlook of the film project he was counting on. 

Everywhere they go, there is great love and affection for the two, but it is past glory.  It is not strong enough to fill theaters of even low level auditoriums.  They were expecting first class accommodations, but the reality of the fading stardom quickly sets in as they see the quality of their accommodations and even the inability to meet with producers.  Young up and comers like Abbot and Costello have taken their limelight.  As the pressure of looming failure emerges, so do their buried resentments.  Each had gone on with their lives after their split years prior, but they had never truly come to grips with the hurt both felt.  They tried to convince themselves they were merely studio actors paired together for films, but the reality is that they felt brotherhood for each other and the split was real and emotional.  The arrival of their devoted wives who were equally divided only exacerbates the situation.

The final confrontation between the two is heartfelt and dramatic and a highlight of the film.  It is both emotionally rending and cathartic.  Ultimately, the one scene is not enough to save the otherwise dour film.  So much more could have been explored and revealed about Laurel and Hardy.  To just dwell on the end without any context robs the uninitiated viewer of what they truly were.  They were pioneers at the dawn of global celebrity.  While we look back and wonder what the big deal was, for the time it was something the world hadn’t seen on a wide level.  They were the foundation for almost all comedy that followed.  The inspiration for countless aspiring performers.  That is what the film should have been about.  It should have been a celebration and not a tragedy.  I so wanted to love this film, but at least I loved the performances.  The fact that Coogin and Reilly weren’t even nominated for Oscars for these performances shows the state of the present day Academy.  If you have any nostalgia for these two, then I recommend seeing this film for a trip down memory lane. If you don’t have that, or don’t really know anything about Laurel and Hardy, then I’m not sure this is the best introduction to them.

I give this film ** stars out of 5.

Stan & Ollie trailer

Glass

              M Knight Shyamalan is a director for whom I have an unjustifiable adoration.  He has not had any significant commercial or critical successes since ‘The Sixth Sense’ and his career has almost been ended by a series of mainstream debacles where he even caused a Will Smith action film to fail.  All that being said, there are few Directors I have more respect for their artistic vision and ability. Few that I admire their skill to use the medium of film to express their art.  Shyamalan is an unparalleled storyteller and is capable of capturing nuance and substance, no matter what the box office craves.  His films do follow a formula:  the slow burn of exploring characters and rolling out a story, excruciatingly slow at times, culminating in a big surprise payoff.  He’s at his best when he uses his story telling prowess to de-construct the art of the story.  As a fellow comic nerd, his exploration of the comic art form in ‘Unbreakable’ connected with me.  He used this story 20 years ago to deconstruct comic book films before comic book films were even a thing.  Way ahead of his time.

Last year’s ‘Split’ was widely acknowledged as his return to form.  The surprise mid-credit reveal, that the main character was linked to the ‘Unbreakable’ universe caused fans to rejoice and eagerly anticipate the meeting of the characters of Mr Glass, David Dunn, and The Horde.  I think what confounded the casual movie goer about these films is that they expected a ‘super-hero’ movie when that’s not what these are at all.  If you go to ‘Glass’ expecting a major super-hero blockbuster, you will be disappointed. It is a character study and examination of what goes into making a super-hero mythology. In ‘Unbreakable’, Mr Glass (a brilliant comic art collector with extraordinarily brittle bones) is determined to find a reason for his pained existence. He is convinced that comics were based on exaggerated reality. He reasoned that if someone like him existed, then there must be others.  He fashioned himself a super-villain and his mass homicidal tendencies landed him in a psychiatric prison. 

The film opens 20 years after 'Unbreakable' with David Dunn (Bruce Willis) now patrolling the streets using his power of intuition to capture bad guys. This power leads him to the multi-personaged Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), who had kidnapped a group of girls to feed his “Beast”.  Their confrontation lands both David and Wendell in the same psychiatric hospital as Mr Glass (Samuel L Jackson) and in the care of Dr Staple (Sarah Paulson), a clinical psychologist who specializes in patients who believe they have extraordinary abilities.  Dr Staple’s sole goal is to understand why these three think they have super powers and hope to cure them of their delusion.  

I will repeat from my review of ‘Split’ that James McAvoy deserves an Oscar for his portrayal of Wendell Crumb. McAvoy flows seamlessly in and out of characters, each with a distinct identity (and sometimes with different languages).  He reveals himself for the true actor he is.  However, the star of every super-hero film (even this one) is the villain.  Jackson’s damaged Mr Glass is a true mastermind and he sees the arrival of Dunn and Crumb as part of a larger story unfolding.  Demented or not, Glass is an inspired genius whose sole goal is to see the culmination of the story with a climatic battle between Dunn and Crumb (or as he prefers, The Overseer and The Horde).  The fact that life is rolling out like a comic book story gives him his raison d’être. If what he believes is true then he understands that his existence was not a mistake.

I won’t go into anymore of the storyline as anyone who knows anything about Shyamalan films, its all about the subtle twists and turns.  It’s about the surprise of reality not being what we expected or thought.  For a comic nerd such as myself it was a delight to see Mr Glass's reality through his prism of comic book expression.  He planned and understood events through how the stories he loved so much played out.  The characters are without a doubt extraordinary, but are they super-hero level.  Dr Staple examines this and causes the characters, and the audience, to doubt if this is indeed the case.  I say characters, but Mr Glass is the only one with the intellectual fortitude to believe he is exactly who he believes himself to be.

Again, don’t go to this expecting a fast paced, big budgeted super-hero film.  Shyamalan is a Director from a bygone age when Directors expressed their artistic vision and storytelling as opposed to churning out big studio inspired formula films. I’m not sure why the critics haven’t been kind to this film as I had nothing but respect and admiration.  I don’t think this film is for everyone, but if you like M Knight Shyamalan you won’t be disappointed

I give this film *** 1/2 stars out of 5

Glass trailer