 There tends to be a fair share of names that are attached to movies that are bound to get my attention enough to be a sort of "Golden Ticket" to something that's, at the very least, objectively "good." One of those names is Leonardo DiCaprio, who, while perhaps seen as more of a teenage heartthrob back in the day, has since grown into a chameleon of an actor and can play anything from suave and intelligent to what he delivers here, as he portrays a far-left extremist who also happens to be a reclusive paranoid stoner.
Adding a little more draw to the film is director Paul Thomas Anderson, who has his own slightly more realistic, if a bit wacky, storytelling style, conjuring up some real classics like 'Boogie Nights,' 'Inherent Vice' and 'There Will Be Blood' to name a few. Here, he gives us a few more of his famously complex characters and gives the otherwise rather serious story a dark, comedic spin. The viewer isn't gonna be slapping their knees or anything. Still, the film isn't without a few much-needed moments to lighten things up, generally revolving around DiCaprio's performance. In this film, we hit the ground running as "Ghetto" Pat Calhoun (DiCaprio) meets up with the French 75, a far-left revolutionary group which includes Pat's lover, Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor). I'm still trying to work out how much of that is her real name, and how much is a nickname. Regardless, the group embarks on a mission to rescue immigrants from the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, CA. During the mission, Perfidia finds commanding officer Steven J. Lockjaw (Sean Penn) and, noticing how creepily he looks at her, sexually humiliates him, which he seems to have a bit of a fetish for. Once Perfidia detains Lockjaw, she and Pat escape after a job well done, and continue their acts of revolutionary terrorism, all while keeping an amorous sex life. On one such mission, Lockjaw catches Perfidia planting a bomb, agreeing only to release her for sexual favours. Perfidia soon ends up with a baby that Pat takes on as their daughter. Still, Perfidia's not finished fighting her war, and abandons them both, only to end up in witness protection while Pat and the baby, Charlene, take on aliases Bob and Willa Ferguson as they go off the grid to hide from authorities. Sixteen years pass, Lockjaw manages to move up the rankings to Colonel, and he gets invited to join the extreme far right secret society, The Christmas Adventurers Club, which is full of white supremicists who insist that their members steer clear of interracial relationships, which prompts Lockjaw to seek out Willa, who could be his daughter, in an effort to cover up his past. A distress signal is soon sent out to other members of the French 75, including Bob, who quickly realizes that authorities are after his daughter, whom he means to intercept with the help of his "Sensei" (Benicio Del Toro) before something extreme occurs. Everyone is good in this; it's a testament to Anderson's directorial skills. For as much as DiCaprio carries the film, though, I'd be hard-pressed not to point out Penn's performance as the villain here just the same. Penn plays a pathetic, sleazy creep so incredibly well that I'd say he makes my list of most memorable movie villains for the year. I must also mention the surprise performance of Regina Hall, who plays Deandra, there to help Willa hide from those after her. I know her best as the over-the-top Brenda in the 'Scary Movie' series, and here, she really manages to show her acting chops. At the end of the day, this is a political thriller with doses of comedy that tackles real-world issues, and it has been seen as "bold" for addressing some of the subject matter. I can basically agree with everything positive that the film has going for it, and on top of that, I tend not to enjoy political thrillers. This movie did things in a way that made it easier for me to empathize with the characters than I usually do, and it helps that the film goes to certain extremes to keep my attention. Speaking as a fan, I wouldn't say it's a favourite DiCaprio title, but it's certainly worth a sit-through if you have nearly 3 hours to kill. 4/5  While Stephen King adaptations are largely hit or miss according to my tastes, I have taken notice that with movies like 'Stand By Me' and 'Shawshank Redemption', which this film follows the trend of, the film ends up making the story something, dare I say, a little bit better, or at the very least, parallel to the written story. I have tremendous respect for King and his legendary prowess, but with so many of his stories, I often find myself getting more out of the visual storytelling; 'Shawshank' being a great example.
'The Long Walk' is one of those films that I appreciate a tiny bit more than the story itself. I'm more of a movie guy than a book guy, though, so my opinions are probably far separated from those of your average Stephen King purist. However, the movie condenses the entire story into a nice, short runtime, with fewer characters to keep track of than the book, and even takes the opportunity to blend some characters with others without compromising the story. I read the story shortly before seeing the film, and I have to say, I was impressed with the final product. This particular King tale gives me 'Hunger Games' vibes, taking place in a dystopian America, ruled by a totalitarian government, in which a public spectacle is arranged every year in which several people die. Thousands of young men apply to participate in The Long Walk each year, as the prize at the end is a massive cash reward, and they get to wish for anything they could want. The competition is intended to draw in these young men, distract the public, enforce totalitarian rule, and inspire people (namely, these boys) to work harder. However, for all but one of these boys, the hope at the end of the tunnel is a false illusion. The winner of the competition is the last one standing, but as for the 49 other participants, if they drop below 3 miles per hour, they receive a warning. If a walker gets three warnings and slows down again, they face execution by soldiers who follow them along their route, with Carbines trained on them at all times. However, a walker can erase and refresh his warnings if he keeps up his speed for long enough. Our lead walkers for this story are Ray Garraty (Cooper Hoffman), Peter McVries (David Jonsson), Arthur Baker (Tut Nyuot) and Hank Olsen (Ben Wang), often referring to themselves as "The Musketeers." The Major (Mark Hamill), who, without spoiling anything, is the reason Ray signed up in the first place, oversees this whole event, dangling the carrot in front of these walkers. I have to say, Hamill is in such an incredible disguise here, he's damn near unrecognizable. The effect is up there with Tom Cruise in 'Tropic Thunder' or Johnny Depp in '21 Jump Street'. The "Musketeers" also have characters like the villainous Gary Barkovitch (Charlie Plummer) and the mysterious Billy Stebbins (Garrett Wareing) to deal with on this walk, providing, respectively, a secondary villain for the story and probably their strongest competitor. If you're someone who likes the story just the way it is, be forewarned that the movie makes several changes, right down to the way the story ends. I found the book's ending was less satisfactory than the movie's ending. But again, that's just me, and I totally understand any King purists being upset by it, or even something like bringing the walker count down to 50 from 100. I didn't think the 100 was necessary for this story, which is mainly about these young men forming a brotherhood between them, urging each other on, while all the while knowing that only one of them can survive. Throughout the film, we see these characters bonding with each other, helping one another, and for a Stephen King thriller, there's a whole lot of heart to it, along with a fair amount of drama when it comes to some of these characters "getting their ticket." You'll also get a fair amount of laughs, feel a lot of hope and empathy for some characters, while paralleling your hatred for others, and experience some truly harrowing moments that feel intensely intense. It's a bit of a bottle movie in its own way, which I always appreciate when done well, and this was, in my opinion, done very well, even with the changes to a story that's already good. 5/5  Considering the reviews I've read and the names attached to it, it frankly surprises me that this film hasn't been talked about more, seemingly caught somewhere between the latest 'Conjuring' movie and the controversial remake of 'The Toxic Avenger.' But I recommend not overlooking this title entirely. Speaking for myself, I'm not going to call it "perfect" or even among my top films this year, but there is definitely something to it that I enjoy. I could see myself coming back to it and allowing it to grow on me over time.
Among the primary draws to this film will be its director, Darren Aronofsky, who has proven to be an acquired taste with his movies that include titles like 'Requiem for a Dream,' 'Black Swan,' and 'Mother!' among others. If I were to describe his overall style, he's the guy who specializes in films that make you wanna take a shower after watching them. 'Caught Stealing' is really no exception, but what I really appreciate about this film is that, unlike so many of his others, it's a little more straightforward, and to be fair, a little bit outside his norm, which may very well lead die-hard Aronofsky fans to see it as one of his lesser movies. I would personally consider this Aronofsky's movie for your "average Joe." While it's still very much his style, it doesn't go far into that "WTF?" realm he's so known for. He even goes so far as to tackle nostalgia here, subtly, as the film takes place in 1998, and does a good job of showing us the time frame without cramming it down our throats. The film focuses on a bartender named Henry "Hank" Thompson (Austin Butler), who has become something of an alcoholic following a disastrous car crash that he still has nightmares about, which threw off his ambitions to play major league baseball. Hank, despite his dreams going up in smoke, still carries on with his life in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. He has a passionate girlfriend named Yvonne (Zoë Kravitz) who takes good care of him, gets regular phone calls from his mother, who shares in his passion for baseball, and seemingly decent neighbours in his apartment complex, one of whom is a hardcore British punk named Russ Miner (Matt Smith), who, despite not being in it a whole hell of a lot, is probably the best part of this movie - a total 180 performance from what I've seen of him playing The Doctor in 'Dr. Who'. When Russ takes off to London to visit his sick father, he leaves his cat, Bud (Tonic), in Hank's care. Things seem to be going okay, but soon, two Russian mobsters, Aleksei and Pavel, come looking for Russ, in search of something important enough to them that when Hank can't give them any answers, they viciously beat him half to death. Although he makes it out of the attack alive, Hank soon finds himself caught up in Russ's problems, and it's not long before things get personal, and Hank has to get to the bottom of it all, with it all going much deeper than he could have expected. As I've mentioned, this is one of those films I really enjoy, but, as with most of Aronofsky's films, it's one I have to be in the mood for. Nothing about that whole feeling of needing a shower after watching the movie really goes away, and it's full of nasty stuff (both in good and bad ways, as Aronofsky does so well). That said, however, it's definitely one of his tamer films in the sense that it doesn't get too hardcore with anything - for that, I'd recommend 'Requiem for a Dream,' which makes this film look like a 'Scooby-Doo' mystery. This title might be a good place to start if you plan to delve into his material and want to start a bit lighter. What makes this stand out lies between the performances of everyone on board, especially Matt Smith, who I didn't even recognize for the first couple of seconds. On top of that, the writing is a near-perfect balance of humour and tension, giving me a few laugh-out-loud moments while still allowing empathy for Hank's character and what he's caught up in. The only criticism I have about it is also what I like about it. For an Aronofsky film, it comes off as a bit more "plain & simple," and the dark, artsy side of him takes a bit of a back seat. For some, it won't quite be what they want, but for me, it's a bit of a breath of... almost fresh air. 4/5  Let's kick this review off with a quick recap of the first film, which will probably involve some spoilers, so if you haven't watched it yet, get on that. It comes as the highest of recommendations from yours truly, featuring good old Saul Goodman as a John Wick-type, complete with pulse-pounding action, incredible fight scenes, and that touch of humour that only Bob Odenkirk can provide. When all was said and done, it gave me the solid 5/5 rating I needed while we were all hiding from Covid (March 2021).
'Nobody' featured a frustrated workaday family man named Hutch Mansell (Odenkirk) whose home is invaded one day. As he tries to keep calm after the break-in, he reaches his boiling point, which exposes his past as a skilled assassin, and inadvertently triggers a war with the Russian mob. As he works his way up the mob ladder, kicking ass and taking names, he eventually finds himself indebted to a man who calls himself "The Barber" (Colin Salmon) and gets forced to do odd, dangerous jobs for him, utilizing his skills, to pay off his debt. That's where this chapter picks up. After everything that has happened and the trouble Hutch has caused, his family have grown distant. Things open up almost the same way as in the first film, showing his day-to-day life, padded with assignments from The Barber. One day, as his wife, Becca (Connie Nielsen) is leaving the house, Hutch promises to take the family, which also includes his feisty son, Brady (Gage Munroe), who's like his Dad in many ways; his daughter, Sammy (Paisley Cadorath), who's pretty straight-laced; and his Dad, David (Christopher Lloyd) who was probably the best side character in the first film, on a vacation to his favourite childhood spot, Plummerville. When Hutch tells the Barber that he's taking a break from his assignments in an effort to regain some ground with his family, the Barber reluctantly agrees to it, but makes sure to remind him that trouble tends to follow him wherever he goes, family or not. Just as the family vacation is starting to work out, Brady has a confrontation with a kid named Max (Lucius Hoyos), which ultimately triggers the ire of both Max's Dad, Wyatt (John Ortiz), who asks for the family to leave, and the town's crooked sheriff, Abel (Colin Hanks), who represents the trouble that the Barber forewarned Hutch about. As things escalate with Hutch's refusal to cooperate, it's not long until he finds himself having to find some help against a sadistic crime kingpin named Lendina (Sharon Stone), who tends to take joy in her handywork, runs the town of Plummerville, and is aiming to be Hutch's ultimate downfall. So this one, much as it follows a 'John Wick' type of formula, acts as a bit more of a survival movie than a revenge movie. It is almost as good as its predecessor, with my criticisms being very few and far between. I also have a bias towards this type of high-octane action that dabbles in comedy, so one may take my praise with a grain of salt. The only honest criticisms I have about the movie—and again, take these extremely lightly—some may find it repetitive, especially given how the film opens and ends. On top of that, the family involvement may be a bit much for people, especially when Sammy gets pushed way into the background as someone helpless when she ought to be just as badass as the rest of the household. I also think that for some, Lendina is going to be pretty over-the-top, but I do enjoy how much fun Stone had with her villainous role. I find 'Nobody 2' almost parallel to the original film. I had as much fun here as I did with the first film, and if you're anything like me and just like these kinds of movies by default, you'll enjoy it as much as I did. However, some are bound to see it as "more of the same," and not quite up to snuff with the original. I also feel fatigue with similar films, or even with whatever they may have in common with superhero films (at least as far as the fighting and action go). I recommend watching anything like this when you need to relax after a terrible day, and you'll get more out of it. 4/5  When 'M3GAN' was released, I gave it quite a bit of praise. It felt like everything the 'Child's Play' reboot should have been, carried a dark sense of humour, and even struck a note or two that I found original, part of which does indeed include the rarely seen female horror baddie. Face it, we could stand to have a lot more of them out there who could potentially reach "Freddy/Jason" levels. 'M3GAN' showed promise as what I could consider one of the present primary horror villains - sort of a new type of Chucky.
When first seeing the trailer for this, however, I knew I was gonna be in for something a little different than last time, as this takes notes from 'Aliens,' becoming an action movie after a horror movie; 'Terminator 2' in the sense that the baddie from last time becomes good; and, amazingly enough, 'Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning,' as it's practically the same plot. In other words, and I cannot stress this enough, do NOT go into this expecting some kind of levelled up killer doll movie. This is a straight-up action comedy. As the film opens two years after the events of the first film, we learn that the US Army has managed to steal the technology that created M3GAN (Amie Donald/Jenna Davis) in order to create AMELIA (Ivanna Sakhno), a more human-looking android designed to be an assassin, because why else would the US government want deadly tech? During a demonstration of what she can do, she immediately becomes self-aware and escapes the control of Army Colonel Sattler (Timm Sharp), who heads a secret research division of the Pentagon, specializing in new technology. In the meantime, our former heroes, Cady (Violet McGraw) and her aunt Gemma (Allison Williams) are still living together. As Cady is now studying computer science, Gemma has become an advocate for AI regulation, warning of the dangers of AI after M3GAN once terrorized them by going rogue. Before long, Gemma learns about AMELIA, and M3GAN appears out of nowhere, saved on a backup in their smart home, and offers her help to stop AMELIA (having the advantage of understanding how she works) in exchange for a body. Gemma reluctantly agrees to the deal, but fist traps her in a much less threatening toy robot until she can prove she's trustworthy. The movie does admittedly get pretty entertaining with this when it comes to the back-and-forth between Gemma and M3GAN, as while Gemma has a hard time trusting her, M3GAN does a good job of reminding Gemma that she created her in the first place, and that her primary objective was to protect Cady at all costs. I give the film a lot of credit for that, reminding us that though its a cautionary tale about AI, it was humankind that created the AI. As the film continues, it proves to be a fun adventure, keep the sense of humour in tact from last time, and for some, it will be an intriguing change of pace from last time. I personally find myself more in the camp of wishing there was more horror involved in the process, but I can appreciate the route they took here all the same, and I don't hate it for not delivering what I wanted. If the series continues after this, it will be a matter of waiting to see where they take it. For example, it could be a case of trying out different genres, all while keeping that dark sense of humour. I'm going to say at this point, the film is passable for what it is, and there were some decent moments that got a laugh out of me, but I'm unsure if it will be something I'll want to come back to in the future. This may very well become another case of the first film standing alone well enough that nothing following it could compare, like 'The Matrix.' On the other hand, it could be something I wanna watch again after a character's development, like 'Black Widow' with Yulena after 'Thunderbolts.' I missed out on what I wanted, but not at all mad about it, and I think one can still have fun with this as long as they go in with the right mind-set. 3/5  I didn't know this going in, and it may mean I haven't been paying enough attention to details, but trust me when I say that it's well worth noting that this ends on a cliffhanger. While the last two were left pretty open-ended, here, it feels abundantly clear that the story is meant to continue, feeling more like the end of a season of 'Walking Dead', and less of a matter of leaving it to one's imagination to fill in the blanks. I say all this because it was honestly jarring for me, the way this ended, but we'll get to that more later.
Here, we leap through time from the previous two films, which take place somewhere between 2002 and 2003, and fast-forward to 2030, where the Rage Virus has finally been wiped out of continental Europe (making the very end of '28 Weeks' pointless). However, the British Isles have been left quarantined, serving as ground zero for everything that went wrong, and the population has been left to fend for itself. This chapter centers on a family of three living in a community of survivors who have their ways, including tradition. One such tradition is shown by the father and son of this family, Jamie (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and Spike (Alfie Williams), in which Spike is brought to the mainland from their tidal island of Lindisfarne by way of causeway to learn some scavenging and survival skills in this world of terror he'd have been born into. Meanwhile, Spike's Mother, Isla (Jodie Comer), stays home sick with a debilitating mental illness that they can't quite figure out with no medical experts present, but they cope however they can. During their time away from home, several things of note occur, like Spike getting his first kill and his first experience with an "Alpha," which is pretty much what it sounds like. While hiding out, Spike notices a fire in the distance that isn't thought too much of, and eventually, the pair manage to make it back home. Spike brings the fire up to their family friend, Sam (Christopher Fulford), a fellow survivor who helps Jamie and Spike take care of Isla. In turn, Sam tells him about Dr. Kelson (Ralph Fiennes), an apparent "madman" whom their community fears. All Spike hears in this conversation is "Doctor," and he hopes that he can take what he's learned in such a short time to guide his mother to this doctor for some help. Much of the way the film unfolds, it returns to its original format by focusing a little more dramatically on the people involved. I have to say, everyone is excellent in their roles here and gives it their all, but Alfie Williams impressively knocks it out of the park, and I sense that he's probably gonna be a kid who goes places. Even standing next to Ralph Fiennes, this kid did a great job. The film does a great job of once again bringing us a new set of survivors and a new set of circumstances, focused on a family much like in '28 Weeks,' but set many years after the initial outbreak, and we see a lot of adaptation at work here. It further impresses by showing us pure isolation, even on a large landmass. It's eerie to think that during this, the rest of the world has returned to normal (more or less) while those who have been stranded on the British Isles have adapted a culture of zombie apocalypse survivors. For those questioning the somewhat famous clip of the very gaunt-looking zombie and whether or not it's meant to be what happened to Jim from '28 Days,' it is not him, and this is according to director Danny Boyle. Remember, this ends on a cliffhanger, though, and rumour has it that Jim may be coming back for the next movie, so that's exciting. But I'll say this about the film's cliffhanger ending - it comes out of nowhere. You'll want to pay attention to the film's opening scene for it to make any sense, and you may find yourself wondering what just happened to the movie. I hope there's a good enough reason planned for it to go so off the rails. 4/5 |
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