Despicable Me

I resisted this movie for a very long time. It just never seemed like a work that had much to offer me and my taste in films. Maybe that had something to do with the over the top marketing tie ins etc. well, I can now report that…I wasn’t entirely right, but I wasn’t entirely wrong either. The movie is at its strongest when it is focused on individual elements: sight gags, one-liners, slight satire. There are good moments sprinkled throughout its run time. But the overall story is weak and utterly predictable. Worse, in a story where the main characters are villains, every outcome is soft and pulls the punches. No-consequence cartoon violence is one thing, but this stuff here is for babies. Despicable? More like docile. That may fly with the toddlers (both actual and mental), but not with me. 

IF

The premise is its problem. Because this script focuses so strongly on suspension of disbelief, such as comes naturally to a child, it gets lost in that focus and expects a child’s reaction from everyone in the audience—even the adults who are watching with a substantially more critical eye. That primal flaw spawns others, including a weak storyline that renders much of the movie a pastiche of loosely related scenes that have more cutesy to them than anything else. You get the sense that the filmmakers expect the viewer to look at the imaginary characters (such as Steve Carrel's Blue) and think, “He’s delightful,” when in reality the reaction is more like, “He’s annoying.” Meanwhile, the main plot point is so telegraphed that when the crisis arrives, you’ve already seen it coming a mile away—and then the story chickens out and doesn’t follow through to the logical—but probably too upsetting for the target audience—conclusion. And the twist at the end is predictable, too—otherwise, you wouldn’t have spent most of the running time wondering just what was the deal with that character anyway. (That twist is also a gigantic violation of the story’s own rules, which indicates a lack of attention to detail.) Really, much of these proceedings feel like cheap setups to produce cheap, unearned sentiment. Perhaps all that’s just my cynicism talking. For sure, John Krasinski has made better and more interesting films in the past, and he has built a reserve of goodwill from previous works, so I don’t want to be too harsh; it would be churlish to direct a hiss towards what is essentially a children’s movie (though one I’m not sure a lot of kids would actually enjoy it, even with its bevy of CGI characters). I’ll leave this one in MEOW territory, and let myself imagine that it deserves that such credit.

Vice

An interesting question arises when watching this movie: was Dick Cheney the most or least likely person to rise to such heights of power? The presentation seems to argue, or at least provide, evidence in both directions. Most of what you see here is pretty much boilerplate for anyone at least vaguely well informed on the subject; not much new ground is broken in the exploration of Cheney's life (other than, perhaps, that he was a rather rough roughneck early on). That means the life presented, or the case being prosecuted (if you will) pretty much follows the course you would expect. One failing that does pop up is overreach, especially in summary; certain events and trends are laid at the old man's feet for which, at best, he only deserves tangential blame. At least the performances are top notch, but given the principals involved--Bale, Adams, Rockwell--that's hardly a surprise. This one is definitely worth a look, but I don't think you need to make permanent room in your man-sized safe for a copy, on whatever may be your preferred media.

Battle of the Sexes

A rebel and a rogue, in a different kind of star war. Given the tide of history, we all know going in not only who won the match, but whom we are supposed to root for. And, by just about any measure, that notion is correct on its face. But watching this movie, one must recognize--assuming an honest and intelligent assessment--that the victory won and the progress made necessitated both players; there could not have been the rebel without the rogue. That's something interesting to ponder. So too is the notion that this film actually seems to undermine its own point, in a way; maybe he lost simply because he didn't take it seriously enough. All in all, it's a good sign that such a movie makes you think that much about its premise and conclusions, and it definitely helps that it's wildly entertaining and expertly performed. A victory for sure.

The Big Short

I don’t think this movie makes a good case that any of the investors depicted is the hero of this story. Perhaps that’s the point: there were no heroes, and couldn’t be, given the nature and scope of the crimes being committed. It’s entertaining, almost to a fault. A few of the scenes--particularly the expository interludes--are a little too clever; they actually undermine the seriousness of the message of the movie (if any). Will anyone learn anything from this tale? Of course not; the same swinishness is already happening again. But, at the very least, next time no one will be able to claim that no one saw it coming.

Foxcatcher

The moral of this story: strange, damaged people should not get together with other strange damaged people. The odd thing that comes through while watching this odd movie is how unnecessary the story--and its tragic ending--were. John duPont could just as easily have stood in Mark Schultz's corner as the wrestling team's sponsor; it's what a lot of rich guys do. But that damage--the need to be a "coach" beyond all self-awareness--led to inevitable conflict and breakdown, and makes this a highlight reel that no Olympian would ever want to be in. The story is clearly told, and the actors do a fine job of conveying the sense of the people--not sure how closely they capture the nature of the people they're playing--but the film loses points for its measured pace, and for being so weird and challenging to the viewer; lots of moviegoers simply would not have the patience for this one. It's worth a look, but a lot of folks simply won't like it. Your mileage may vary.

Dinner for Schmucks

Yet another of those comedies that just keeps hurling joke after joke at you, hoping enough of them hit the funny bone to make the whole experience worthwhile. By my count there are enough belly laughs in this flick to make the cut, though it must get downgraded slightly for descending into schmaltz towards the end. If it had stayed true to its nasty self to the bitter end, this would have been a better movie.

Date Night

I was all set not to like this movie, but the combination of appealing lead actors and a well-rounded supporting cast--with one or two pitch-perfect cameos--put an otherwise run of the mill movie over the top.

Little Miss Sunshine

I guess a curmudgeon might agree that this movie isn't all that, like it was claimed to be upon its theatrical release. But it is hard to resist its cute, sweet, funny charm. In an ocean of shit, such as comes out of Hollywood every year, it makes sense to applaud a movie that's this together. Again, it's nothing supreme, but well worth your time and your laughs.