Song Sung Blue

There’s a reason why jukebox musicals are so popular on Broadway lately. You take a roster of songs that are proven popular and build a narrative around them and you have a show that will please a crowd. The value of such a production, beyond the nuts and bolts of the music’s appeal, thus boils down to what the story has to say. In this case, the message here that comes through loud and clear is that, while there may be an overclass of famous people who receive the lion’s share of the attention and affection in this world, there are all sorts of other people—obscure and unknown and often overlooked—for whom we should be rooting just as hard. Maybe even more so. The characters of Mike and Claire are so authentic and worthy of compassion that it’s hard to imagine anyone not feeling a desperate desire to see them succeed. That’s why the story’s ups and downs have such a profound impact, almost to the point that they nearly overwhelm the viewer’s power to endure them (even if the events depicted run right up to the brink of believability). Ultimately, though, the tale achieves a balance that is more redemptive than discouraging. And, if nothing else, you get to hear some amazing music. I’m a believer, at least enough to recommend this one. 

Deadpool & Wolverine

Was this trip really necessary? I’m far from convinced that it was. I won’t say there isn’t any funny in here; there are some real laugh-out-loud moments along the way in this script. But then again, a lot of the story reads like it was copied and pasted from fan fiction posted on message boards. I wasn’t quite sure how and why the main characters were where and what they were at the start of things—I guess I really don’t live and breathe these flicks after all; score one for me—and it never got all that much clearer as things went on. Others may be satisfied with the Easter egg experience of seeing some obscure characters brought into the plot as cameo devices, but that only goes so far in my view. (Dafne Keen’s appearance worked best for me, as her character actually had some relevance to the last time we saw Hugh Jackman as Logan.) And, of course, the over the top violence is fun, for a while. Then it gets numbing, and your mind starts to drift onto other ideas—like, for instance, what is the point to all this besides making money? The answer may not surprise you. Alas, everyone’s favorite unkillable supersomething may live on again and again, until the profit margin grows small enough to invoke the powers that no franchise can resist: studio accountants. I guess that’s the real subtext of this thing. That certainly is the lasting takeaway of this movie. Let’s see how many wisecracks it takes to overcome that.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Oh, so that's why they didn't do more of these "origins" movies. That and the fact that, I suppose, nobody really cares about any mutant other than Wolverine. It might have helped if the filmmakers here cared as much about the character as the fans do; there seem to be enough inconsistencies and outright mistakes--even to a relative non-fan like me--that you wonder if anyone involved was really...you know, involved. Plus the movie plays around with some of the canon in ways that, thankfully, were superseded by a more recent, much better version of this concept. (You know the one.) It's not a total disaster, since you do get to spend some time with Jackman in his now signature role, and that's generally good for some entertaining mayhem. But not enough to make more films like this a good idea.

Logan

And some people have the balls to criticize those DC movies as bleak! I found it very hard to figure out what to make of this flick. Is it good? Sorta. Does it hold the interest? Sure--you can't have that much mayhem on screen without holding the eyeballs for a good chunk of the while. (A couple of scenes seem to come right off the Fury Road, which is either derivative or an homage--can't tell.) But I find myself pondering more what it says in the macro than the micro. Is it truly a denouement, or just another franchise fake-out? Is it saying something about the general hopelessness of all human endeavors, normal or mutant? Is it just saying, "Damn, this franchise sure has gotten old." It could be all of that, or none of it. Or probably some but not others. Any way, it's a bit of a tough nut to crack--and thus, perhaps, deserves props for trying something else rather than just going with tried and true. I guess you can say, "It is what it is," and that's pretty much it.

X-Men: Days of Future Past

What's the strength of this franchise? Most would say action, special effects, the metaphor--whatever else is obvious about these movies. I'd say it's casting. The reason we care at all about what's going on here is simply how well these actors inhabit their roles, and make the characters meaningful to us despite all the hullabaloo. This is particularly so with Jackman's Wolverine, but also applies to Stewart and McAvoy as Xavier (they don't really look that much alike, but you still buy them as different ages of the same guy), Fassbender as Magneto, even the lightning quick kid whose name (and actor) I didn't catch. Oh, and what is going on here, a.k.a. story? Preposterous bullshit, of course--which is sort of the point of these things. Regardless, it's enjoyable bullshit, and worth at least a couple hours of your future time.

Les Misérables

Simply spectacular stuff. I was surprised by all the complaints I heard and read about this film; the issues raised never amounted to more than quibbles in my eyes. What I got out of it was a great viewing experience: tremendous performances from several of the cast members (Jackman, Hathaway, and Barks in particular), a lot of memorable music, and a rich visual presentation that truly enhanced the complex and deeply emotional story. I was especially intrigued by how Javert prefigures the soldiers of Nazi Germany, and by the moral contrast between Javert's failures and Valjean’s powerfully redemptive story. Not just bang-up entertainment, but heavy, interesting stuff to think about, too. A must see.

The Wolverine

Another X-Men movie? Yes, and (surprise!) it’s a good one. There are lessons to be learned here: the cast, except for Jackman, is all unknowns (at least to an American movie viewer), the setting in Japan comes across as intriguing (instead of yet another well-worn string of action sequences in the all-too-familiar settings of this land), and a set of as yet unknown writers and filmmakers got a shot at telling their own story (one that still dovetails well with the already established canon). In other words, make it different and original, and even a series movie can seem fresh and exciting. Like this one. Give it a look.

Happy Feet

Somewhat impressive, somewhat stupid. That doesn't help, I know, but I'm not quite sure what to make of this movie. The stuff about the plight of the natural world at the hands of man is effective and moving, to be sure, but the story and songbook used here are a dumb way to go about presenting that viewpoint. Maybe this is what it takes to drive the point home to the mall crowd. Who knows? For the rest of us, this one can only be a mixed bag.

The Prestige

Magic movies always have some appeal; there's built-in intrigue, you might say. Add to that a director as good as Christopher Nolan, and a fine cast led by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, and you've got a very likable movie, filled with strong performances, clever (but not too clever) twists, and just a dollop of humbug. It isn't quite as good as the contemporaneous, vaguely similar film The Illusionist, but it's worth it in its own right.

X2: X-Men United

Ah, I'm such a sucker for anything that reeks of "cool." Throw some special effects in front of me and I'm happy. I have a feeling I should have liked this movie less than I did, but I certainly don't think there was anything egregiously wrong with it. There's a subplot about a particularly religious mutant that opens the doors to a lot of speculation, but they left it thoroughly undeveloped. Too bad. You have to settle for fairly run of the mill sci-fi superhero stuff. Still, that's usually entertaining--and so it is here.

X-Men

Well-done comic book adaptation. Some of the mutant powers are a bit on the outlandish side, but hey, you're not supposed to believe in this shit. Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan provide just the right touch of gravitas to an otherwise popcorn-light movie.