Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

A climax that is somewhat anticlimactic. That’s not really a pan; this film is nowhere near the disaster it could have been. But it does come across, ultimately, as something not quite. The action is good, in some sequences great, and the characters live up to the legacy that they’re trying to fulfill. The story is fine, if a bit predictable, while the writing is mid-grade; you get the sense throughout the movie that the dialogue misses some opportunities to be really clever (or, dare I say it, whip-smart). But all in all, this ends up being an acceptable, entertaining, and to a certain extent even surprisingly poignant way to wrap up one of filmdom's greatest adventures. The tale of the man who swashbuckled through history is now history itself. Sounds about right.

Atomic Blonde

This movie probably never would have been made if it had not been pitched with the word "blonde" in the title. Hollywood, of all places, knows what sells. (The source material's title is "The Coldest City." Go figure.) So does this flick achieve such golden status as its title wants to suggest? Well, the story is a muddle, but that may not really be a problem, since this film is clearly an exercise in trying to recreate pre-Achtung Baby Berlin to its greatest degree. How much it succeeds is a matter of speculation, as few of us were actually there and can make a comparison. A lot of the clothing and stylistic touches--for instance, neon lighting in peoples' apartments--look about right for the late '80s, although the music choices are ham-handed (many of the songs, though authentically '80s and some even quite good, had long since fallen out of rotation by 1989). Mostly, this movie is an excuse to see Charlize Theron beat the tar out of people. On that front, she acquits well, and the filmmakers deserve credit for making the violence legit and not creating some stylized, "fight ballet" stuff like we've seen a lot lately. All in all, it's OK--not great or necessary, but hardly the sort of thing anyone would really clamor for (certainly not for a sequel).

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

See, here’s the thing about spies: if they’re doing their jobs right, you’re not supposed to know what they’re up to. Seems that the spies in this movie are on that ball--for a good stretch of the flick’s running time, I couldn’t tell what was going on. Despite that handicap, and almost in spite of itself, the film does eventually grow into an engrossing viewing experience. By the end, when Oldman’s George Smiley has worked through the problem, you care about how it all plays out. This is clearly not everyone’s kind of film, but if you’ve got a thing for the spy genre and a high tolerance for opacity, you might enjoy this one.