Sinners

There’s an old saying: a point in every direction is no point at all. I heard that saying echoing in my mind as I watched this film. I’m not really sure what this movie wants to be. A horror show? A study of race relations? An ode to music? A period piece? Crime drama? Yes, it’s all those things, but trying to do too much can make a muddle. So we have here, to a minor extent, though to be fair the story at its core never loses coherence; you don’t get lost in this narrative. There is one other problem: the gimmick of having Michael B. Jordan play dual roles means that it can be difficult to tell if you’re watching the character Smoke or Stack in crucial moments. Having said all that, there’s much to admire here, too. The performances are splendid all around, and the cinematography is absolutely gorgeous throughout. And most of the music is wonderful, too, though occasionally the attempts at genre cross-pollination detract rather than add to the tableau. So certainly, this is a fine movie and worthy of praise—I just wish people would let it rest at that, rather than go overboard and declare it to be the greatest thing that ever happened in the history of movies, if not humanity. When we commit that sin, it really does make one want to sing the blues. 

Venom: The Last Dance

It’s actually pretty good when it’s trying to be funny. When it’s trying to be a straight action flick...it’s fairly standard action fare. Conclusion: the whole story arc probably should have leaned much more heavily on the comedy all the way through, instead of in just patches. But then again, I suppose hybridization is the point of the series. And after all, if we’re feeling generous, there is a certain amount of pathos in Eddie and Venom's putative final go-round—if it really comes to that (I have suspicions). Nevertheless, it must be said, there’s never any particular sense of stakes in this story...or anywhere in the series, if we’re being honest and looking at the big picture. And indeed, one strength here is that the picture isn’t actually that big; the running time is just around an hour and a half (brevity has been a strength of this franchise offshoot from the start). So, all in all, this movie is the usual mixed bag, as were its predecessors—no work of genius, but a perfectly serviceable piece of entertainment. It won’t actually get inside you, but at least that means it won’t eat your brain, either. You take what you can get. 

Godzilla Minus One

The most powerful force in this story is context. By portraying the events of the big guy’s incursion into the lives of the Japanese in the immediate postwar era, and making everything exceptionally real throughout, both on the human and kaiju scales, this reboot outing of the venerable franchise delivers a tremendous amount of impact. Seeing these colossal events within the frame of both individuals and a society trying to reestablish some sense of normal being makes the emotional impact more real than any previous movie of this sort has ever delivered. Notable too are the script’s observations on the Japanese nation and government, with some rather sharp remarks indicating that the locals are not exactly thrilled with the way things are going, or have been going, for quite some time. What may stand out most, though, are the action sequences when Godzilla is on the screen; these scenes are absolutely electric, dropping grip-the-arms-of-your-seat thrills like we haven’t seen since, perhaps, the original Jurassic Park. The vision and effects are a true step up in the creation of dazzling mayhem. And yet, you appreciate the journey of the human characters, too. A remarkable accomplishment, one that can be enjoyed by both 11-year-old boys and everyone else, too.

Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

Big lizard and monkey become coworkers—and you know how it goes dealing with others in the office. When you get right down to it, this is a profoundly silly movie. The star of the show is basically carnage. The film takes itself way too seriously; indeed, one can’t help but think that many opportunities for clever remarks or wry observations just go by the board, often in favor of bland yet expansive explication. The story features a lot of weird musical cues throughout. And even the title makes little sense; what new empire? So there’s no way this flick could ever deserve a PURR. Still, the eleven-year-old boy in me does appreciate the mayhem amply supplied by a host of starring and supporting monsters. Thus, the lameness is somewhat forgivable. If big beastie flicks are your thing—and, again, being eleven years old and male will help immensely—then no less-than-stellar review will keep you away from this movie. Conversely, anyone else probably couldn’t be dragged into watching this one. So maybe this is the most irrelevant review ever, making it a middling achievement at best—not unlike this film.

Shin Godzilla

The real monster all along was … bureaucracy? This movie may be a modern, native reboot of the classic Kaiju story, but it has the political landscape on its mind as much as it does giant lizards. A great deal of the running time contains ruminations about the state of Japans state—the filmmakers are not exactly thrilled with it—as well as that country’s relationship with its American patrons. There’s so much in here about the political situation that the star of the show, Gojira/Godzilla, spends a lot of the time either inactive or not even on the screen. That’s a complaint, but it must also be said that, when the moment comes for the damage to be done, the sequence contains some eye popping visuals—the rampages are very well done, and some of the shots of the big guy within the Tokyo skyline are almost downright artful. The movie is all in Japanese, so it’s difficult to judge if the key players are good actors or if they’re making their own disaster scenes. No matter—the presentation here, though a bit too talky and not quite stompy enough,  still delivers an adequate amount of entertainment for monster movie fans. It may not be an eleven year old boy’s dream film, but it will do.

Godzilla: Tokyo S.O.S.

What a load of bull Shinto. I'm guessing a lot got lost in translation here. How, for instance, can there be such concern about the bones of the dead if the critter in question—the chap whose birth name is Gojira—is, by the looks of things, very much alive? The conundrum may be the product of cloning, hinted at in a post credits scene, but that doesn’t really satisfy. This is apparently a sequel to another Godzilla movie, one not viewed by me, so perhaps that’s where the confusion comes in. Not that it really matters; these movies are hardly about plot or human actions or motivations so much as they’re about staging free-for-all fights between oversized creatures. This flick does supply the requisite monster mashing, which is good since there’s little else to recommend it. The human characters are dull as dishwater—though this outing is mercifully short on child antics, so a plus there—and the great philosophical theme cited by the movie’s wise old man character seems to have little to do with anything demonstrated in the film. As usual, nine-year-old boys will dig it, but this is hardly a movie that has breakout, crossover potential. Good thing these colossal characters never really die; they always have a chance to come back and do it better next time.

Jurassic World: Dominion

The gang's all here. I suppose that's a good thing, and I found the presence of the original cast members an enjoyable part of this outing. The action set pieces are also quite good. And I appreciated the story's vision of a modern world where dinosaurs are just a part of the usual landscape, even to the point where you're feeding them at the local pond like the ducks; it makes sense given the progression charted by the previous movies. (As we know, things can spread quickly in this world.) So there's plenty to enjoy in this work. But it also comes across as very much rehashed, recycled, thin on motivation and, ultimately, not especially impactful. The spectacle of realistic looking dinosaurs fighting each other--not to mention the human actors--on the screen just can't have the same impact anymore. It really make sense to let this thing--to say nothing of those things--be a thing of the past, a thing we can appreciate as an object of history and memory, rather than as something that was kept alive long past the time when it should have gone to its rest. Such is life, and it's time here to let life find its way to that end.

Godzilla vs. Kong

Three for the price of two. See that's what I like about these movies: value. As for the cinematic value here, well, as Joe Bob used to say, there's a bunch of plot getting in the way of the movie. Hardly matters though; the storyish stuff doesn't particularly hold the real show back. The stars of the flick deliver tremendous performances, via their CGI presences. I'm not talking about the human actors, of course; they're all so lightweight that a puppy's bark could blow them away, let alone the bellows of the big guys. It's all ridiculous, absurd, hokey and ultimately entertaining, if you don't go in expecting Chekhov. Kong fu. Godzilla fu. No breasts (unless you count the monkey). It's a good day to be an eleven-year-old boy. The Bad Cat says check it out.

Colossal

A monster lurks within all of us--it's just that most times, it doesn't manifest quite so concretely. Not so here, to the viewers amusement. This one delivers a remarkably deft mix of comedy and drama that hits all the right notes without a misstep. The only thing false, considering the nature of the story, is the fact that the city in danger is not completely evacuated by the end, given all that has happened before then. But that's a quibble. Ultimately, this is a little movie that makes a big impact.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

As Joe Bob Briggs would have said back in the day, there's a whole lot of plot getting in the way of this movie. They tried really hard to make it make sense--but it's a movie about monsters destroying the world. It's not about making sense, it's about spectacle. They got that part down OK; everything looks good, both in terms of scale and visual character. But none of the players really breaks out of their stock roles. Special recognition (?) must go to Kyle Chandler, who seems convinced--vocally, at least--that he's playing Batman despite the lack of a cape. More troubling, his character goes through a fairly unconvincing 180 turnaround. Other characters die, as likely as not because the actors wanted out of the further sequels more than because the story demands it. Yet, there's still enough appeal here to make it something more than bottom of the barrel. The 12-year-old boy in all of us is bound to get a charge out of watching a bunch of kaiju battle it out, and there's even a nice little piece of the world-building that ties the monsters in with our myths in a way that an "Ancient Aliens" fan, if not a classical scholar, will appreciate. As dopey entertainment, it's fine. It will take someone more adept than these filmmakers to turn this bit of pop culture into high art. For now, just watch shit blow up.

Pacific Rim: Uprising

Mmm, big and dumb; generally an irresistible combination. And if you're one of those people--boys, really--who grew up watching Japanese monster movies, you'll probably be more inclined to enjoy this outing then if you grew up watching, say, Merchant-Ivory dramas. So, does that mean it's any good. There are things to appreciate. One nice touch here is the climactic setting in Tokyo; where better to have this kind of battle than the capital of monsterdom? Respect, for sure. The rest of it? Meh; for the most part, this one's pretty run of the mill. The action is action-y, with lots of self-consciously "epic" shots sprinkled in, which is so-so, but the comic moments generally fall flat. The enjoyment here really depends upon who you are as a film watcher. If this is your thing, you'll dig it (and know that going in). If not, well, then the machines won't be the only things that crash and burn.

Kong: Skull Island

Monkeys see, monkeys redo. In this case, a certain crew of filmmaking monkeys did a particularly well-done reimagination of the classic monster movie featuring the titular, towering primate. This flick is a sort of sequel/companion piece to the recent, under-appreciated Godzilla movie--the Monarch cinematic universe?--with some similar themes and stylistic touches, though this flick has perhaps even more visual flair, and maybe a better sense of humor. Ultimately, though, this is truly a descendant of the original, featuring more than a couple of set pieces that seem to very consciously echo that eighty-year-old classic--hence, the heart of the matter is what it always is with a good monster movie: an orgy of satisfying violence. Who can ask for more than that? (And let's face it: the Bad Cat is a bit of a monster himself, so no wonder he's purring.)

The Invisible Man

This film seems to succeed despite itself. Early on, today's viewer can't help but focus on some of the truly horrible acting being delivered by some of the cast. It's almost like they were trying to camp it up (and who knows, with James Whale at the helm, maybe they were). Speaking of acting, Claude Rains is the certain star of this show, even though he never really appears until the end. His performance is more akin to the voice acting done by today's animated feature stars, or perhaps more like Andy Serkis' work as the motion-capture actor extraordinaire--but in Rains' case, done decades before that tech ever came to light. That fact means Rains is almost, in a sense, wasted here; his use of expression and subtle gesture, so evident in the best of his work, is basically absent here, and his character is thus played in broader strokes. Yet, for all that which seems to work against it, the film works on the most basic level of being entertaining and a good time with a good story--not to mention what were, at the time, eye-popping special effects. It's a classic, to be sure, though not a total monument to brilliance--just a testament to the kinds of things that, in the long run, were able to make cinema something really special, even if done just for the sake of a fairly lowbrow story.

I Am Legend

There’s an awful lot of stupid in this movie. It’s (probably) not Will Smith’s fault; the first half of the movie, when it’s mostly just him (and the dog) doing his thing--really, carrying the action--the film is quite good, almost fascinating. But then things really start to go south about two thirds of the way through...and, as it is with most of life, the problem is other people. Compound the OP problem with some really bad storytelling turns that ultimately make no sense at all, as well as a major, last-shot logical blunder, and you wind up with a movie that feels much worse than it actually is. Ultimately, it’s just a real lost opportunity. Hardly legendary stuff.

Jurassic World

Not bad. That doesn’t sound like a bang-up review, but this effort could have been much, much worse than it turned out to be. It might have been nice if there had been even more explicit recognition of the stupidity of going down the same rabbit hole again and again--including that idea’s meta aspects--but again, that would be raising the expectations much too high. Keep the expectations humble with this one, and you just get a satisfying action movie experience.

Godzilla (2014)

Mild spoiler alert: some of the stuff in this movie doesn't make much sense. In other words, it's a monster movie. Go figure. So why the positive PURR? It may be nonsense, but it's entertaining nonsense. There is perhaps a little too much teasing going on before the big guy starts messing shit up old school, but the flick does ultimately delivers on its promises. (The ending of the climactic battle, for sure, delivers quite a jolt.) It's somewhat ridiculous to judge these movies on any criterion other than the most obvious one: do you have a good time watching it? I certainly had a good time watching this one, so it's a go from this end. Enjoy.

Pacific Rim

I can almost see a single tear trickling down from Gamera’s eye: his genre is finally all grown up. And this is exactly that: the Japanese monster movie made to adult proportions. This one is entertaining, to be sure, but like its Japanese forebears it’s also very difficult to take seriously. Suspension of disbelief really gets thrown through the ringer; when a pan-dimensional portal at the bottom of the ocean that spits out giant monsters is NOT the most unbelievable part of your story...well, that’s a tough row to hoe. There’s also a little too much plot getting in the way of the smashing stuff, and some but not quite enough cheeky humor. It should be said, though: it looks great; first class visuals all the way. All together, acceptable, but not really something special in this day and age.

Cloverfield

Could it really be that the monster is a metaphor for...But no, it can't be. Best to avoid such speculations and just enjoy the horror show. And the horror show is well done, a clever presentation of what is (superficially, at least) an old genre. I am glad I watched it on DVD though; a wide-screen look at that jangly camera work would have really made a mess of one's visual field and sense of balance.

Underworld

Mostly, I liked it. I'm not going to give it any awards, but it stayed watchable all the way through, and as long as you don't start poking around looking for logic in the back story, you'll do all right. It might have been better with someone other than Kate Beckinsale--don't get me wrong, a fine actress--in the lead role; maybe some gal with a little more action heft. Plus, you have to admire the cheek of the producers, setting up a sequel when there really is no reason to believe there will be one. (ETA: boy was I wrong there!)

Godzilla 2000

Why is it that Godzilla, despite constantly destroying half of Japan, always comes out as something of a hero in these movies? Why, for that matter, does he always show up in Japan (the recent Hollywood version notwithstanding)? And, most pertinently, why would a Godzilla movie released in 2000 still look so damn cheesy? They couldn't float for good special effects at this point in the series, on an almost guaranteed money-maker? By any objective standard, this is a bad movie--but it's still entertaining, with some nice visuals and the tried and true "monsters blowing shit up" formula. If you can dig the camp value, you'll like it; if not, skip it.