Predator: Badlands

We’ve come a long way since Ah-nold was rolling around in the mud in Central America. I confess that I am much out of date as far as this franchise is concerned. I didn’t even know going in that it had been folded into the ever-metastasizing Alien-Blade Runner universe. So there’s quite a bit here that was new to me. What is not new—indeed, it has become a reliably predictable trope—is the phenomenon of the monster from an original story sooner rather than later becoming the hero insubsequent iterations of the franchise. So we have it here. That plot trajectory makes this film a target for skepticism right from the start, and for sure, many of the movie’s early details lead the viewer to question the premise and execution of this work. You get a lot of stuff that follows the “wouldn’t it be cool if…” line of thinking—note to would-be filmmakers: generally, no, it wouldn’t—without much evidence that any real inspiration went into the production beyond that initial thought. What saves the proceedings from full-on ridiculousness is a certain level of cleverness in the action sequences, as well as some unexpected wry humor in the characters’ interactions. So while I can’t make the case that this movie is particularly great, I must somewhat grudgingly admit that it holds the attention and entertains throughout. Nothing here is groundbreaking—this is treading on ground that was thoroughly broken long ago—but you can watch it without feeling like you have wasted your time. It’s like you’re bringing home the measliest hunk of meat you could find, but nevertheless, it goes into the books as a successful hunt. 

Paths of Glory

A gut wrenching experience. This scathing indictment of military culture remains sadly relevant in a world where too many are willing to feed the machinery of war in all of its bestiality for the sake of slogans, hatred and personal gain. Kirk Douglas gives a terrific performance as the one man in a position of responsibility in the whole French army who actually acts like he has a soul, while Adolphe Menjou and George Macready embody the corruption of generals safe behind lines. Director Stanley Kubrick presents a film full of gripping scenes, including intense battle sequences that prefigure Saving Private Ryan by 40 years, courtroom drama as sharp as A Few Good Men, and a harrowing sequence in which a firing squad serves as a form of passion play, one that cannot help but inspire pity and disgust in equal measures. War may be, as one writer put it, a force that gives us meaning, but its secondary effects simply drip with meaninglessness and villainy. Glory’s got nothing to do with it. 

Pitch Perfect 2

I guess this is what it would be like in a conquered world under a dictatorship of Pentatonix. No, that would not be as good as you may think. So too with this movie. Again, as in the first installment, the story is little more than a skeleton of a plot upon which a series of musical set pieces are hung. That would be fairly entertaining in and of itself, if all the songs were great tunes, but many of these are not. At least the vocal work is still very high quality. And many of the principal actresses are real charmers, which helps lift the appeal, while Rebel Wilson gets in a slew of genuinely funny lines. All in all, this record may be a bit warped, but it still delivers enough good sounds to make putting it on the turntable a decent thing now and then. 

Paper Moon

As comedies go, this one is about as low-key as it gets. Though the story clearly has a lot of humor embedded in the characters and circumstances, nothing ever really reaches laugh out loud funny. It’s more the kind of movie you watch with a sly grin constantly on your face. The film’s reputation clearly rests in large part on Tatum O’Neil’s Oscar-winning performance; the astonishing spectacle of a child that young playing a role that well definitely perks up the interest level. So too does director Peter Bogdanovich’s overall vision for the story, in particular the recreation and evocation of Depression-era America, not to mention the rural country in all its simplicity, guilelessness and homeliness (in any and every sense of that term). Also worth noting: this flick breaks the rule that films named after songs are generally bad. Perhaps this isn’t quite the classic the early opinion once had it, but it still gives the viewer plenty of entertainment value for a nickel and dime cost. It won’t be make believe if you believe in it. 

The Princess and the Pirate

In a way, this flick is astonishing: Bob Hope built a decades-long career out of this crap? It’s hard to believe that people back in the day were willing or able to find most of this sort of hambone shtick funny. Very few of the jokes, verbal or visual, truly hit the mark, and those that do are mostly bits and pieces (or pieces of bits) that were cribbed from funnier acts like the Marx Brothers. The only redeeming features here are a committed performance from Victor McLaglen as the villainous pirate The Hook, in which he hits all the buccaneer tropes with appropriate gusto, and the opportunity to ogle a particularly lovely Virginia Mayo, who looks like a million bucks in this two-bit comedy. You’re much better off watching a real pirate flick (Captain Blood or The Sea Hawk immediately spring to mind) or a superior contemporaneous comedy (The Court Jester would fit the bill) versus dredging your way through this drag. I’ll thank Hope for the memory of him walking the plank for this one. 

The Princess and the Frog

A real treat. This movie shows a keen sense of humor, one that is sharp and witty (and only occasionally slides too far into slapstick), to go along with some heartfelt charm about finding one’s true self. Musically, this is one of the best entries in the canon, with terrific jazz themes mixing throughout with well-sung vocals in well-written tunes. The animation is beautiful and (mostly, it would appear) old-school ink and paint work. There’s also a certain pleasure that comes from seeing a story that takes some of this very studio’s own tropes and turns them inside out, gently mocking many of the traditional themes upon which our most popular fairy tales were built. Enjoyable from start to finish, and a worthy member of this royal family.

Peter Pan & Wendy

This movie must believe in magic, as it wants things to both  be and not to be. It wants sympathy for its devil, it wants both sides of the battle to win, it wants everything to be everything. None of that is really possible, even in the Neverland that is cinema, so the film’s inherent contradictions stand out as a distraction for the viewer. What redeems the proceedings to a great extent is the movie’s stylish presentation; visually and tonally, it gets everything largely right. (One might quibble about a touch of the modern invading the original Edwardian setting, but the discrepancy is not great enough to ruin the experience.) One of the sharpest decisions, and in some ways the most surprising, is to not make the secondary children characters too cloying or outright annoying; they stay reigned in for the most part and allow the principle characters--who are all strongly played, and include an almost unrecognizable Jude Law as Hook--to make the story theirs. I’m not prepared to call this the best version of the story on film--the 2003 version continues to shine for me--but this is a strong effort overall (and exceeds the studio’s 1953 animated version by miles). I believe this one can fly, at least, if not actually soar to the stratosphere.

Pocahontas

Success often breeds ambition. Ambition often breeds hubris. And hubris leads to mistakes--or at the very least overreaching. The phenomenal success of the previous three movies from Disney may have contributed to the vexing problem that is this film. It’s not particularly bad, but there are so many issues with this work that it is somewhat distracting even as you are viewing it. For instance, the tone is very uneven; the underlying story is so serious--the viewer would have to be a total ignoramus not to recognize that--that even attempts at comic relief seem strange and inappropriate. This seems like a movie that would have been better if they had just played it straight. The question of historical accuracy--or lack thereof--hangs over every frame of the production. Clearly, the producers got plenty of native input, and their hearts were in the right place, but you can still forgive those who see in this piece a total historical whitewashing. Meanwhile, on relatively mundane levels, the movie, as a movie, has many hit or miss elements. The animation is beautiful, to be sure. The songs are mostly nothing special, though "Colors of the Wind" does stand out. The cute little animal characters, as noted before, don’t really belong here; you almost sense they’re in the story to provide cover, to let the filmmakers claim it’s just a kids movie after all. Last but not least, the question of how these people can even talk to each other is largely glossed over. (Clearly, some story elements are compacted timewise.) To be sure, this is a movie, a fictionalization of the true tale, and therefore there’s room for artistic license. But this viewer can’t say that that liberty was taken in the service of something great. It's an attempt at something special, but ultimately one that did not hit the mark. 

Promising Young Woman

An entertaining trip through one person’s mental illness. The movie remains interesting throughout its running time, mostly due to the storytelling’s economy of expression.  This is a tale that, in the wrong hands, could have veered off course in a number of directions, none of which would have done either the filmmakers or the audience any good. But the focus remains tight, and the result is a work that resonates not just with the viewer's sense of justice, but also with the viewer's desire to watch a good story told well. The only quibble comes from the inescapable feeling that these events only could happen because Carey Mulligan, and her character Cassie, are hot; a less attractive female could never pull this act off. Otherwise, this flick delivers on its promises.

Pinocchio

The storytelling at times is cloying. The narrative is somewhat disjointed (possibly more Collodi's fault than Disney’s). Yet, this movie merits a truly loud PURR. Why? The animation, all hand-drawn, is spectacularly beautiful--especially the backgrounds, where seemingly no attention to detail is missed. And this coming in what was just the second of Disney’s full-length features. It’s a remarkable achievement. (Note, too, that I watched this not long after seeing The Little Mermaid. Both films have substantial underwater sequences, and the earlier movie did it better. Disney's mid-'80s bottom-out was as much a technical fault as well as a leadership void.) Well worth the time to view--and I do mean VIEW--this one.

Pitch Perfect

It is nigh on impossible to watch this movie without wearing a smile, or at least a bemused grin, on your face. The musical numbers are wildly entertaining...which is good, because really, that's about all there is to this flick. The storyline, such as it is, is only the most skeletal framework upon which to hang this series of singing set pieces, all of which feature impressive talent on the part of at least some of the cast members. Even where anyone might be lip-syncing, the dubbing is done so well that most viewers won't be able tell. What's interesting to note is that many of the musical selections date back to a time when most of the putative college students here, in a movie released in 2012, would not have been born yet. More evidence that kids of the '80s are dominating movie-making these days. So if you're of a certain age--I am--then this flick should have some appeal even if it's not entirely your thing. And, if all else fails, you get to spend two hours hanging around with Anna Kendrick--hardly difficult duty. PURRing isn't singing, but this film works well enough to make even the Bad Cat make a joyful noise.

Paul

Hardly a masterpiece, but if you're in the mood for some goofy fun, sure, why not? I know that's not really a ringing endorsement, but that's pretty much what you have with this movie: a decent sci-fi comedy that spoofs the genre in a tame fashion, raising a decent amount of laughs without ever cutting too deep. Most of what goes on in the story is fairly predictable, so the film's worthiness comes largely from the appeal of the actors and their characters. Co-leads Simon Pegg and Nick Frost have their goofy British bloke types down pat by now--they've played some variation on these guys in several movies now--and they go a long way toward making this outing appealing. Seth Rogen is OK as the titular fugitive ET; sometimes he lays it on too thick, sometimes he's spot on; overall, it works. The supporting work, from several Saturday Night Live refugees, is fairly up and down; you get a pretty good sense why most of the projects that have come from later cast members have been fair to middling at best. Nobody's awful, things work out in the end (as you know they will all along), and there are enough laughs--and inside references to any number of sci-fi works of the ago--for most viewers to enjoy themselves. Out of this world? No, but you can appreciate staying firmly earth-bound, if you let yourself.

Parasite

Entertaining, engaging, and more than a little thoughtful. Is this flick all those things to a Best Picture degree? I'm not sure about that--the level of the competition matters, too--but it's closer to that level than I expected going in. The story's rich layering helps immensely, as do several fine performances from the actors playing the members of the antiheroic Kim family. Their work translates well, and suspends the viewer's judgement of their actions long enough to maintain the audience's open state of mind as the proceedings reach their equally open-ended conclusion. It was a deserved honor to be nominated, for sure; actually winning the statue was a bit of icing on this film's cake. Ultimately, this film may be remember as the signal that the rest of the world has at least caught up to Hollywood, if not surpassed it.

The Paleface

I guess Bob Hope was more than just a guy doing specials on NBC after all. He stars here as the hapless dentist who gets mixed up with Calamity Jane in some absurd investigative plot. She's played by Jane Russell, who's the real star here. She's stunning to look at, and more than capable as a comic actress. Some of the antics just come off as silly, though the barrage of jokes relentlessly thrown at the audience--mostly by Hope--does hit the mark once in a while. This is certainly a relic at this point, and not just for being a Western, but it retains some value as a mild amusement, worth seeing if you have the inclination--if for no other reason than for seeing the way it was done back in the day.

The Princess Bride

This may be the most superfluous review on this site. This film has long been a Best of All inductee; I simply wanted to add a review upon re-watching this classic. And in re-watching it, I approached it with as critical an eye as I could, looking to find the flaws instead of just rubber-stamping this flick's reputation. And guess what--there aren't any. This is as close to perfection as it's possible to get. Maybe one could quibble about the parts of the book that did not make it into the movie--but Goldman wrote both the novel and the screenplay, so those are his edits to his own work. Can't really complain about that. (And film is a different medium from books; some changes are absolutely necessary.) The re-watching was, all in all, an amazingly affirming experience: this movie is exactly as good, not just as you remember it, but as you dream it is. A monumental achievement, one of the best movies ever made, and worthy of its legendary status.

π (Pi)

A not-so beautiful mind. You see, the nosebleeds are the key. Anyone who is that prone to nosebleeds is generally just a straight-up loser. I know this from, let's say, personal research. Given protagonist Max's loser status, then, there's more than enough reason to believe that all the goings-on in this flick are simply his delusions. Is that the intention? It's hard to know. This was Aronofsky's first feature flick, and subsequent efforts continue this tradition of vagueness with regard to his movies' concrete reality, or lack thereof. The subsequent question: is this sort of obliqueness entertaining? Well, it's not hard to get through this movie's relatively brief running time (84 minutes), though if it had run any further I probably would have gotten frustrated. I doubt most viewers would enjoy this work, though some of your more adventurous watchers might dig it.

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.

The Petrified Forest

Interesting. Another movie with a lot on its mind, more so than you'd expect from the basic premise (lost people intersect with gangsters in an isolated cafe). This flick gives you healthy doses of thoughtfulness to go along with your serving of violence. And it says something that Leslie Howard makes at least as much of an impression as Humphrey Bogart. All in all, this film is entertaining and effecting in its crisp, hour and a half running time. I think it earns its classic cred. Give it a look.

Professor Marston and the Wonder Women

It's easy to get caught up in the titillating parts of this movie, but the ideas playing out in the story are the really impactful parts of the work. 'Unconventional' does not necessarily equal 'marginal,' and what's not normal often lies at the heart of some of our most mainstream cultural elements. That's a good lesson to learn. As for the nuts and bolts of this film, the only true weakness is a certain inconsistency in the role of Elizabeth; the character seems too strong to be so frequently doubtful. Also, the story starts off fun and comedic but drifts down towards heavy and grim at its denouement. Nevertheless, the overall experience is well worth the viewer's time and attention.

Phantom Thread

A paean to epic fussiness. You don't see that every day. Nor, in the case of many moviegoers, should you. Those who are fans of stuffy English dramas will probably get their kicks watching this one, and I can certainly see some appeal in the work in and of itself. There are moments where the interplay between the characters really works and provides sharp entertainment. But the tale also comes with its limitations; the aforementioned fussiness leads the viewer to wonder if there really needs to be this much sturm und drang in the relationship. Maybe everyone should just chill a little bit. Perhaps the biggest surprise is that Daniel Day-Lewis does not overwhelm with brilliance in his role; he's good, and is probably incapable of a bad performance at this point, but his fastidious fashion designer lacks some of the energy that his previous and more successful roles brought to the scene. Only in moments does our man crackle with his usual power. And moments, alas, don't add up to a total movie.