Jurassic World: Rebirth

Memo to all screenwriters: giving your script’s unfamiliar characters a set of background sob stories does not make them automatically sympathetic. That constitutes one of the large problems with this movie: you don’t really have much sympathy for the group of mercenaries who form the core of the cast, so whatever is going to happen to them comes across from the start as low-stakes. Things are mildly better with the vacationing family, who at least come across as relatively innocent and thus worthy of the viewer’s consideration. Perhaps the story should have opened with them, and then there would  have been a rooting interest from the first scenes. As it is, it’s only well into the action that you start to care about what happens to these people. (Except the sociopathic corporate type, who practically has “dino food” tattooed on his forehead.) The aforementioned “action” is the key element here; the action set pieces are the most effective elements throughout the film, more so than any individual plot point or character or even the creatures themselves. Whereas once upon a time the identifiable species were the real stars, this outing mostly features a bunch of weirdo hybrids that are scary, yeah, but have no real personality or charisma. (The best sequence in the whole flick may be the one that features the good old-fashioned T. rex.) Mix it all together and you wind up with a competent but not all that compelling franchise entry that mostly makes you wonder, “When is this thing going to go extinct?” So long as no one comes up with a better idea, the answer to that question should be "now"— but the real-world answer will be, alas, "not anytime soon" (if there's money to be made). 

Ghost in the Shell

Style and substance, yet ironically little soul. The warning about a cybernetic future is well taken, though at this point it feels both derivative and a bit too late. One can’t help but mentally compare this movie in real time to the Matrix films, with their similar themes and at least congruent visuals, but the more widely known—and successful—iteration of this vision injected touches of humor and humanity into the technological spectacle, whereas this work is largely grim and almost as mechanical as the very thing that it wants to warn us about. Even the opportunity to ogle Scarlett Johansson, in various painted-on get-ups, only provides a thin layer of extra entertainment to these proceedings. I guess cyber dystopias only have so much appeal. Who would have thought that (besides anyone with a soul)?

Fly Me to the Moon

Believe it or not, this movie actually made me glad to be old. Not for the inherent qualities of being among the aged—that ferociously sucks—but for the fact that I am old enough to have had the historic events depicted herein happen (just barely) within my lifetime, and I can remember their aftermath on the psyche of the nation. It’s that world-changing impact of the events that makes the space program stuff so perpetually appealing; make a film about those days, those people, those ideas, and you can always hook me in. As for this specific movie, it has its ups and downs, positive aspects and a few downsides. The soundtrack is spectacular, with a lot of great Memphis soul tunes chased with generous doses of Sam Cooke, as well as a handful of standards (yes, including the title song). The performers high and low do excellent work all the way through; no one phoned it in here. And the visual recreations—when they weren’t using archival footage—are spot on. And that includes the wardrobe choices; the men are mostly drab, but the women in particular look absolutely gorgeous. (Maybe, just maybe, the less-is-more aesthetic of the past offers something a bit more inherently attractive than the “it’s all out on front street” look of today’s female fashions.) But it mostly comes back to the Space Race milieu—that is, as always, the true star of the show. Perhaps it’s encouraging that people still want to make movies about that time, and that at least some of us still want to see such films. We could all use the occasional reminders about what our people can do when we all pull together. This one reaches high, and it achieves orbit, at least, if not making it all the way to the stars. 

Asteroid City

See, this is why artsy types get beaten up. Wes Anderson’s flamboyant use of artifice and affectation keeps growing ever more out of control with every movie he makes, to the point now where a former fan such as myself is forced to ask, is all the weirdness for the sake of weirdness a strategy to hide behind? Or is it a means to hide the simple fact that there’s actually no there there? I’m not ready to declare Anderson a total fraud—I think he does still have interesting stuff on his mind—but it is less and less evident that he can be successful in putting said ideas on the screen. This film serves as a model for that problem: everything is so unusual, and seemingly without much point to it, that it’s hard to give this work credit, even though there’s enough going on to hold the viewer's attention throughout (even when the story drags a bit). Put together, you get a movie that is not bad so much as it is baffling, even for a viewer who wants something more sophisticated than cookie-cutter entertainment. It is also worth noting that this film’s huge ensemble cast works against it; the audience is so wrapped up in noticing who is on the screen to pay as much attention to what is actually happening. (Apparently, there’s a reason for the typical “two stars plus a cast of minor players” movie formula.) It would be nice to see this auteur return to his earlier standards of work, but at this point it seems like he is too lost in his own head to ever connect with a broader audience again. Talk about being lost in the stars.

Black Widow

This felt like filler. Knowing that the title character already has an ultimate destiny kind of puts a damper on the proceedings from the start. Then there’s also the confusing backstory, seeming double crosses that really aren’t, and then preposterous finale which is overly convenient, not to mention vigorously defiant of both geography and physics … it’s all a not-quite-rich tapestry. Bottom line: it appears the MCU is sometimes deficient in IQ; at the very least, they outsmarted themselves with this piece. Not incompetent, at least not completely, but also not particularly necessary.

Jojo Rabbit

Well that's weird. You can say that about a lot of this movie, but I'm specifically referring to the unusual fact that this movie's most notable conceit--Hitler as the protagonist's imaginary friend--was in fact completely unnecessary. This would have been a better film overall without it, if writer and director Taika Waititi had had the belief to just let his young lead go on this journey on his own. One suspects that  Waititi indulged himself, largely to get himself in his own film. (Perhaps someone told him once that he kind of looks like Hitler, and an idea was born--though perhaps not a great one.) There are other issues: a certain unevenness in tone--possibly unavoidable, given the Anne Frankishness of the plot--some of the funny isn't quite up to satirical snuff, and (one of the worst transgressions for this viewer) this is one of those movies that seems to think the world would get better simply through people dancing (it wouldn't--sorry). All that reads a little harsh, probably too harsh in fact; you can watch this one and find it enjoyable and ticklish (except for one very jarring moment); it's just not as good as some made it out to be.

Avengers: Endgame

Watching this film is like being at a well attended party. There's lots of people present, many of whom are your friends (or at least people with whom you are friendly), and you run into groups of them here and there. But you also get enmeshed with others whom you don't know so well, and who really don't do so much for your enjoyment of festivities. And so this, the ultimate money shot--in more ways than one--of the MCU comes across as exactly that way: chaotic, too big, occasionally fun, maybe even an emotional event now and then, and ultimately a night that leaves you with a certain amount of memories--but also wondering if it was really all that good a time. It's easy to take shots at a piece like this, and that's the kind of whining and nitpicking reaction you get all too often these days--the kind of behavior I really hate. So I'm not here to just dump on what is, mostly, a decent popcorn flick. Suffice to say, this movie delivers what you expect, both good and bad, and that's pretty much that. Whether it's worth it to you or not depends entirely upon who you are (and how well you know yourself). That's not hero work--that's just life.

Isle of Dogs

Some dogs are cute and engaging; some movies, too. That's enough to make some people fall in love, with the dogs at least. I'm not sure this flick is love worthy, but it is a pretty enjoyable bit of work. It's probably not everyone's cup of tea, given it's a Wes Anderson film; Anderson probably lays on the preciousness just brushing his teeth in the morning, and this outing certainly delivers its share of the auteur's characteristic style. But the somewhat affected style is not an insurmountable obstacle; Anderson takes it right to the edge, but doesn't fly over the rim into an abyss of cutesiness. That balancing act is helped considerably by a terrific voice cast, who deliver--in English and Japanese--a pack of spot on performances. The foreign setting (to yours truly, at least) is a strength of the story; the language barriers help give the sense of a lack of communication that must by typical of people and their pets (whatever folks may believe to the contrary). And no, this cat lover didn't mind the movie's notion of feline villainy. All in all, every dog movie has its day, and you can give this outing its day--or at least a couple hours of your time.

Captain America: Civil War

I’m not sure they thought this all the way through. If everything plays out as is depicted here, to its logical conclusion--to wit: ultimately, a group like the Avengers is a bad idea--then what the hell was the point of these last seven or eight movies? Are we really, at this point, supposed to take all of this story arc as a cautionary tale about the dystopian present and future of personal enhancement (for instance, AI and robotics) rather than just an expanded presentation of some particular flights of fantasy? Given the reviews at this film’s release, that seemed to work for lots of people...but it rings false for me. Either get real or get fantastic; you don’t get to have it both ways.

Hail, Caesar!

Sometimes it’s good; sometimes it’s not. Everyone is so given over to Coen Brothers hagiography at this point that mumbling a bad word about any movie they make is likely to elicit strong reactions...which is, in a lot of ways, what this movie does not elicit. There are moments, highlights, that are quite good and make you want to give this effort more credit than you ultimately are comfortable doling out. Perhaps if one of the subplots--I’m looking at you, Scarlett--had been left on the cutting room floor, this might have turned out to be a stronger, tighter movie. Alas, the boys overreached, probably because they were too interested in paying homage to classic movies and moviemaking--perhaps they noticed that such things burnish a film’s Oscar-bait credentials--and the overall work suffered accordingly. It’s definitely worth watching if you’re a fan, of the old days or the brothers; otherwise, it may not pass muster.

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Oh, boy. I warned in the review of the previous Avengers movie that the property was dangerously close to being little more than empty--and not very intelligent--spectacle. It's hard to argue that this entry in the series (there will be a third, per the promise in the credits) doesn't tip over that edge and descend into utter schlock. This is really a baffling outcome; these characters somehow work far better on their own, and the humor that should be a big part of such a "fun" franchise is again largely missing here. Given the inputs--including the very sharp Joss Whedon directing again--it makes no sense that this movie should be the fairly joyless exercise that it is. I suppose, if you're into the genre, you must watch these Avengers flicks, just to keep pace with developments that affect the rest of the individual storylines. But please, don't pay for any more of this nonsense; check it out from the library if you need to get your fix.

Lucy

There's a distinct possibility that this emperor is not wearing any clothes. That's not to say this is necessarily a bad flick; it's fun to watch, the action and special effects are good, and the economy of storytelling helps things move along quickly and without much drag. The science in this fiction is almost certainly mumbo jumbo, but that's to be expected; it's in the philosophy more than the science where the film breaks down. I just get the sense that what is supposed to come across here as deep and profound may simply be very, very foolish. But you can do worse with an hour and a half of your time.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I really wanted to give this flick a positive review, and intended to do so up till the moment I sat down at the keyboard. This film brings likeable qualities to the screen: Chris Evans does a good job of conveying Cap's earnestness, many of the action sequences are typically audacious (a trait shared with its predecessor), the plot even takes a stab at some serious philosophical questions. But...this doesn't seem like a very well thought out movie. The surprises aren't all that surprising, the major reveal doesn't make a great deal of sense (and why "The Winter Soldier"? I don't recall that ever being explained), and the ending largely devolves into the same orgy of destruction we saw in the first Avengers flick. If you're big on the whole Marvel universe, you probably want to watch this one for completeness, if nothing else--just don't pay for it; get it from the library or TV. If they want your dollars, the producers need to do better than this.

Don Jon

Yes, a positive review, but I’m not sure it should be. Perhaps that PURR is the product of all the goodwill Joseph Gordon-Levitt has built up over the last few years. As writer-director here, JGL makes a lot of typical rookie mistakes--the usual super-self-conscious “director-y” camera work and such--but he also presents an intriguing story, too. There’s some pretty deep stuff going on with these characters...and yet, the presentation almost invites the audience to view everything on the most superficial level. The important stuff might get lost on some viewers. Still, the movie holds your interest all the way through, so it accomplishes that crucial goal. A tough call, but I think this one’s good enough to merit your attention.

The Avengers

Mmm'okay. I guess. So this is what everyone was pissing themselves over last year? Sure, there are likable characters here--Captain Steve Rogers is an emblematic, admirable hero, plus there's that ever-reliable ton of fun, Tony Stark--but this film has too many "star" players to allow for anything like real character and/or storyline development. Plus all the pissy conflict among the team members--in the face of an immediate, known, deadly threat, no less--rings false. And then the climactic battle sequence is just plain dumb: an orgy of mindless destruction at the hands (claws?) of pan-dimensional but apparently mentally retarded aliens, who seemingly just show up without any particular battle plan, and are beaten back by a mere six beings (albeit superior or greatly equipped uber-beings). This is what stands as today's greatness? Joss, you'd better do WAY better with the next one, or you may wind up being known as the guy who queered the entire deal for everyone.

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.

The Island

Creepy, to be sure, but not necessarily in the way the makers had hoped. Maybe it never occurred to them that overblown movies created by abuse of technology are not much better than dystopian worlds created by abuse of technology. Yeah, you can watch it feeling there's a moral to this tale of cloning for greed and venality, but then some grotesque product placement comes along and blows that idea out of the water. And that doesn't even cover the confusing, badly-directed action sequences that invade the screen as exercises in empty destruction. Banish this one to some far off, isolated land.

Girl With A Pearl Earring

Competent, but hardly compelling. Such a languid film should bring some serious goods when it finally reaches its climax, but this one just doesn't come through. I'm still not sure what point the movie was trying to make; or maybe there was no point at all. And that begs the question: why bother?

Lost in Translation

An excellent little movie. The focal relationship, between Bill Murray's washed-up, middle-aged actor and Scarlett Johansson's misplaced, uncertain young woman, always feels perfectly natural and organic. Their interplay is never strained or actorly. And director Sofia Coppola makes good use of the alien city of Tokyo as a reflective backdrop for the main characters' alienation. Oh, yeah--it has some nice laughs, too.

Ghost World

Hits the nail on the head more often than a town full of Amish people building a barn. An awesomely true story with clever writing and a dead-on recognition of what's what in this world. The only possible quibble: in real life, girls that cute don't get that surly. Otherwise, it's perfect. A "Best of All" inductee.