First Man

Score:  A

Directed by Damien Chazelle
Starring Ryan Gosling, Claire Foy, Kyle Chandler
Running time: 141 minutes
Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  Damien Chazelle's follow up to La La Land is about Neil Armstrong - not just his famed moon landing, but also his personal life.  Gosling joins Chazelle again, and he's a great choice for the role, as is Claire Foy as his wife, Janet.  The film does a great job showing just how tough that mission to the moon was, on the ground as well as through a new, tangible sense of the perils of journeying to space.  By looking in on his home life, too, the film offers an intriguing take on how one man was pushed to legendary success as well as ordinary heartbreak.  Highly recommended.


In the early 1960s, Neil Armstrong (Gosling) is a struggling NASA test pilot.  He is going through deep personal turmoil as he watches his young daughter lose a battle with cancer.  However, he is accepted for Project Gemini - a crucial step for the ultimate goal of landing on the moon - and moves his wife and son with him to Houston.  There he befriends several peers, and they (and their families) help each other through an arduous journey as NASA seeks to make a breakthrough that will push the U.S. space program beyond the Soviets'.  Armstrong's skill and tenacity set him apart over the years, and he is named the commander of Apollo 11, the first lunar landing.  The designation is far from a victory lap for Armstrong, though: his continued grief is an unpredictable, double-edged sword, and regular close calls clearly show how thin a line exists between triumph and disaster in outer space.

First Man benefits from a strong, fairly small cast of men - plus one crucial woman's role.  Ryan Gosling was a clear choice for the role of Armstrong: not only did he work with director Chazelle on La La Land, he has proven his skill in quiet, introspective performances like this one.  He is also convincing as the driven, legendary astronaut, fully prepared and focused, though he can't help but laugh casually with his team members, too, a bit of the hotshot coming through.  It's actually his stoic father-husband role that is ultimately the weaker half.  He does a good job - perhaps too good a job - at realism here; his evolution is complex, but also frustratingly opaque and unresolved (like reality).  Claire Foy receives a substantial role as Janet Armstrong, and she does a great job with it.  While we don't get to see her personal ambitions, she fully inhabits a steely, perceptive, deeply compassionate wife and mother.  She shows this in even the briefest moments, but also gets to shine when storming to NASA HQ to check on her husband's status, and when powerfully forcing Neil to finally confront his deeply buried personal fears - and responsibility.  All other roles are purely supporting, though several help create a vivid personal and professional environment for Neil's story.  Of particular interest are Kyle Chandler's all-business yet caring NASA leader, Jason Clarke's friend-and-mentor Ed White, and Corey Stoll's amusingly socially-oblivious Buzz Aldrin.

First Man is a great biopic, one that makes the legendary lunar landing fresh with its focus on detailing the perils and struggles for Armstrong both personally and professionally.  While it is not as hyper-focused on a short period as similar masterpieces Lincoln and Selma, First Man wisely avoids using too broad a canvass to tell its story about Neil Armstrong.  The story begins with Neil near a breaking point, though he doesn't realize it, in both his NASA career and his home life: a key failed mission (following a string of disappointments), and a daughter whose illness resists all solutions.  This is the situation that launches him on a multi-year mission all the way to the moon, but the film does a great job to show that what is fueling him is also, like his rockets, dangerously unstable at times.  The film flows in a naturalistic way through its two-and-a-half hours, alternating focused, extended scenes (mostly Neil's NASA missions) with snippets, individually random but collectively filling in the portrait of a life (mostly his personal life, here).  It can be difficult to decipher the dialogue, often mumbled or sped through in this very non-staged style, but it's really the overall mood and direction of the drama that's important, so it's not a big deal.  The film's final, and one of its most poignant, scene has not a word uttered at all to emphasize that point.

The highlights to me were the NASA missions, which had me clinging to my seat: from the opening test flight gone wrong, to the first Gemini mission that seems a success (until it isn't), and even the famous Apollo 11 flight.  They are mostly filmed from inside the cramped vehicles with Neil, and you truly get the sense that he is riding buckets of bolts.  The camera itself shakes violently with the vessel, showing how helpless the passengers often are; metal creaks, groans and rattles ominously, straining to hold together against unbelievably powerful forces.  Crucial moments and circumstances on the mission are given great context by earlier moments on the ground, but not in an awkward way.  At times this is too much for the quieter, gentler home life scenes to compete with, but Foy does a great job to provide at least a few big impressions, as mentioned previously.  Finally, the journey is enriched by a great soundtrack whose repetitiveness but quiet urgency helps sustain that tone in the film; thankfully it does not succumb to cliched, triumphant swells.  Just making it through - whether on the ground at home or in the eerie quiet of outer space - is enough.

***

First Man is a great start to the season of Oscar hopeful film releases.  So many promising elements came together - Oscar-nominated director Chazelle reuniting with his lead actor from La La Land in Gosling, the biopic genre that has been so successful recently, etc.  But great promise is no guarantee of success, and the filmmakers deserve much credit for developing a focused, intriguing vision for the film as well as the actors for bringing it to life.  This only reinforces my interest in closely following great directors and their muses (when are your next films coming out, Christopher Nolan and Denis Villeneuve??) and adds Chazelle to that list.  I recommend this for everyone.




By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57634807

Night School

Score:  B

Directed by Malcolm D. Lee
Starring Kevin Hart, Tiffany Haddish, Taran Killam, Rob Riggle
Running time:  111 minutes
Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  Night School teams up two of the hottest comedians, Kevin Hart and Tiffany Haddish, in a goofy but relevant premise.  It does not adhere at all to the modern comedy tone, and replaces self-aware cleverness with riotous, simple yet strong verbal sparring to keep you laughing.  A strong supporting cast helps drive the film.  Recommended.


Teddy (Hart) is living his dream, albeit precariously - he is a clever if modestly-paid barbecue salesman, and he has just engaged a successful, beautiful woman (Echikunwoke) who believes his tall tales of business brilliance.  However, an accident leaves Teddy jobless and he quickly finds that, as a high school dropout, his options are extremely limited.  A friend promises a lucrative financial job for him if he can just get his GED, so he signs up for night school at a local high school, expecting a quick and easy process.  But he confronts an all-business, tough-as-nails instructor (Haddish), and an old nemesis (Killam) from school who's now the principal.  Teddy soon begins to strain under keeping the illusion alive to his fiancee while also diving back into the same problems he confronted in high school.  Fail at one, and he fears the rest of his life will soon follow.

Night School has an impressive comedic ensemble that goes beyond the two headlining stars.  Kevin Hart, one of my favorite contemporary comedians, does quite well in the lead role as Teddy.  This might be the first time I've seen him in a more conventional, solo lead role, and he impresses.  It's often hard for this type of role to standout comedically, as it's usually saddled with anchoring the story, but fortunately Hart is blessed with the virtuoso talent at performing required to overcome that.  Tiffany Haddish's role is smaller than I expected, but she does very well at delivering her trademark hilariously tough attitude while maintaining believability and sincerity in her narrative role as night school teacher.  Taran Killam, a former (and underrated) SNL cast member, is sneakily good as the villainous principal, adjusting his usual style to match his co-stars' and the movie itself.  The supporting cast gets a surprisingly large role, overall, perhaps expanded during filming due to how good they are.  Rob Riggle, Romany Malco, Mary Lynn Rajskub, and Anne Winters match Killam's skill in lining up with the tone of the film, arguably even playing a big part in shaping it themselves.

Night School is a throwback, broad comedy that works perfectly well in that role, though is ultimately also somewhat limited by it as well.  I think it's important to emphasize that this is not the stylistic direction that most contemporary popular comedies have been going, but the unapologetic, back-to-basics tone is quite welcome.  The effort could have resulted in a train wreck, had the writing either been lazy or tried to sneak back to the current norms, or if the cast had not been fully committed to just having a good time and leaving their egos in their trailers.  While it gets off to a bit of a bumpy start (this may have just been my adjusting to the film's tone), the film quickly settles into a nice pace.  Even Hart's performance is a little off at first, but once he gets to meet the other main players, particularly Haddish and his night school classmates, it all begins to jell immediately.  Most of the film's humor comes from the somewhat simplistic but well-crafted dialogue; still, there are also some standout sets, which are particularly important in this kind of comedy.  These include the night-schoolers attempt to break in at, well, night to steal an upcoming test, and an exasperated Haddish literally whipping Hart - wearing a Christian chicken suit (long story) - back to his senses.  But the funniest to me was an indulgently long, clearly improvised introduction of the night school class, both playing with stereotypes in a funny but sensitive way as well as piling on Hart as a clueless but charming victim which is where he shines brightest.  It's probably a little too long, but the film keeps the plotting fairly minimal while also ending on a surprisingly poignant message about the strength of those whole struggle on the fringes of society.

***

Night School is another pleasant entry in what has been a very strong year for comedies.  Critics, unfortunately, must not have seen the same movie that I did.  I truly think it comes down to expectations: they simply were thrown by its simple, back-to-basics style, significantly different from other entries in the genre.  And I might be overrating it a touch myself, having seen it in a theater full of people who found it absolutely hilarious (and it was contagious).  But beyond even the quality of the film - which is pretty high anyway - I see this variety in style to be all to the good, rather than a negative.  Just like we all hope to see more original stories and ideas from Hollywood, this too is a great way to keep things fresh and interesting.  I recommend this seeing this movie, particularly with a packed audience, but just keep in mind it may not be what you expect and I think you'll enjoy it.



By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57021176

The Predator

Score:  C-

Directed by Shane Black
Starring Boyd Holbrook, Sterling K. Brown, Olivia Munn, Keegan-Michael Key
Running time: 107 minutes
Rated R

Long Story Short:  The Predator resumes the franchise begun and made famous by Arnold Schwarzenegger over thirty years ago.  Brought back to theaters by a director known for recent curve ball hits, this sequel flops in its attempt to blend a winking tone with more familiar action and violence.  There are a few bright spots in the cast, but there's just little here to spark much interest.  Avoid.


A ship carrying a single, extraterrestrial hunter lands in a remote jungle, right in the middle of an Army Ranger mission.  Ranger McKenna (Holbrook) survives an encounter with the alien, and flees with some equipment found around the ship.  Upon making his way back to America, he is seized by Will Traeger (Brown), in charge of the mysterious government Stargazer Project.  Lab technicians, led by Dr. Casey Bracket (Munn), study the incapacitated alien, or "Predator".  However, the Predator escapes the lab; on a bus to military prison, McKenna spots it and teams up with fellow inmates to track it down.  Time is short for McKenna to find the Predator, figure out why it has come to Earth, evade the determined Traeger, and - most importantly - save his family and the human race.

The Predator has some big names in its cast, but for the most part they are wasted by a careless and thin script.  Boyd Holbrook, who's popped up here and there in recent years (Logan), steps into the lead role, and plays about as vanilla and uninteresting of a typical hero role as possible.  He may not be bad, but just completely unremarkable in any way.  Sterling K. Brown, as the villainous director Traeger, clearly enjoys his role, taking every opportunity to form a cruel smirk or deliver an offhand but cutting putdown.  Even the ticks and quirks he develops are fun, and the film would have done far better to give him much more screen time.  Olivia Munn, in the only significant female role, is given nothing interesting to do, and is unable to cobble something out of it herself.  There are a number of smaller roles, the most welcome of whom are Keegan-Michael Key's military veteran Coyle, who is predictably funny when he gets the chance, and Thomas Jane, a fellow veteran with Tourette's.

The Predator is a scifi horror film that tries to be both silly and light as well as violent and intense, and the result is a failure on both ends.  The overall structure is a fairly familiar one: malevolent alien life lands on Earth, good individuals as well as shady government forces discover it, and a ragtag, underdog group manages to win the day.  Clearly, more thought went into how to connect this story with other Predators, both past and future; fortunately, as a newcomer to the series myself, the various references to the series aren't too burdensome or confusing.  And it's not necessarily a problem to use a well-worn story pattern.  But the film's bipolar tone sinks any chance it might have had.  Even the score reflects this: it is painfully dated action-style fare, which could be read as either winking at the audience or just poorly done.  The action and horror elements are by far the weaker - but also eventually dominant - component.  Although the Predator is obviously designed to evoke terror, it came off as merely ugly to me, and while it racks up an impressive kill count, it never actually seems that big a threat or menace.  There is plenty of action - bits here and there are clever - but it's pretty standard, uninspired stuff, and beyond that there's a good bit of clunky and awkward choreography.  If only the filmmakers had committed to a unified, parody, light tone, things could have turned out much better.  Brown, Key, and Jane are by far the film's strengths anyway, and I suspect Munn could have flourished in a far less sober role.  The scene in which the "ragtag" military team meets, on a prison bus, is my favorite in the movie, allowing the characters to introduce themselves as (at least here) surprisingly interesting and with some laugh-out-loud moments (with some admittedly basement humor).

***

That The Predator failed to resurrect yet another scifi franchise is not all that surprising.  It's a victim of a common trap for such films:  it has far too much reverence for its predecessors, and tries to walk the almost impossible tight rope of reproducing the original's successful formula while updating it to contemporary tastes.  Admittedly, I have often been one of those fans who does not want one of his favorite franchises to boldly change direction or tone.  But clearly, the half-hearted messing around in the middle that The Predator represents is usually a recipe for disaster (or at least something completely forgettable).  Fortunately, my craving for decent movies in the theaters shouldn't have to wait much longer, and I'll hopefully have more reviews coming soon.  For this one, give it a hard pass (I guess if you're a big franchise fan, catch it on Netflix).



By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=58057065

Crazy Rich Asians

Score:  B+

Directed by Jon M. Chu
Starring Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeoh, Awkwafina
Running time:  121 minutes
Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  Crazy Rich Asians, an adaptation of Kevin Kwan's bestselling novel, gives the romantic comedy a look it's never seen in Hollywood.  Its all-Asian cast is spot on, and Constance Wu and Nick Golding are particularly good leads.  The genre bona fides are rock solid, and both its cultural focus and elaborate displays of wealth give it a winning edge.  Recommended.


Economics professor Rachel (Wu) has a happy relationship with Nick (Golding), but is hesitant when he asks her to join him at a wedding in Singapore and meet his family.  She agrees, and enjoys hanging out with the bride and groom, but slowly becomes aware that Nick comes from one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the city.  Much of the family is intrigued by the American "commoner", but Rachel receives a cold reception from Nick's mother, Eleanor (Yeoh).  As she becomes more deeply involved in the relationships - and politics - of the Young family, Rachel finds herself increasingly isolated, and challenged to keep her once simple, innocent life with Nick afloat.

Crazy Rich Asians comes to life thanks to its charismatic leads and talented ensemble; the fact that it is a milestone in having all Asian actors is commendable, but also perfectly natural.  Constance Wu, best known from Fresh Off the Boat, anchors the film as the fish out of water lead.  She effectively portrays a strong if fairly normal American woman, independent yet warm, bitingly sarcastic at times and plainly vulnerable at others.  If anything, I wish the script had allowed her a bit more opportunity to shine, although she has some great moments, like an intense game of Mahjong with Nick's mother.  Henry Golding's Nick is clearly the supporting member of the pair, but thanks to his performance and the script, he leaves his mark even as he defers to Wu's Rachel.  The actor is likable and interesting, even in the more cliched parts, crucially providing a near-match for Wu's more developed character.  Michelle Yeoh is excellent as Nick's mother, Eleanor, the plot's foil who nevertheless conveys real human complexity.  She is afforded ample screen time without being too dominant, and Yeoh makes Eleanor's intent crystal clear while remaining subtle.  Two supporting characters deserve particular mention, primarily for their invaluable comic contributions: Rachel's best friend, played by Awkwafina, and Nick's cousin by Nico Santos.  There are a few other goofy parts, but these two are the funniest and the characters themselves are very well done.

Crazy Rich Asians is at heart a fairly conventional genre film, but it far exceeds this thanks to the cast, script, and full embrace of its unconventional (to Hollywood) setting.  Key to this genre is having a central romance that is led by a capable pair of actors, makes you root for them and serves as the backbone for all that goes on at the periphery.  Check to all three.  As already described, Wu's Rachel and Golding's Nick are worthy stars; the obstacles in their path certainly help you to cheer them on more, but they're also plenty likable enough individually, too.  Nick's family provides the main accompanying factor; although it's difficult to keep track of how they're related, they are each almost immediately distinctive and make for a, well, rich world to watch.  While that side gets the most attention, Rachel's best friend and mother also play crucial roles, their relationships giving her more depth as well as critical support.  The story plays out in pretty standard form, with a normal couple being thrown into turmoil by awkward bachelor(ette) parties, maternal approval issues, and their own private self-doubts, before rallying to return to each other.  But each of these parts is done well, and serves to show how surprisingly relatable the otherwise culture-specific elements are.  Eleanor frowns on the American stereotype Rachel must represent, individualistic and "free spirited", yet how different is this from any family's doubts about a prospective partner's background?  The tension is sharp and ubiquitous, without spoiling the fun.  And fun there is - why not just go for sheer, extravagant displays of glamor?  It doesn't ever make the (main) characters themselves feel exaggerated, but it gives the film a nice, steady dose of Hollywood wow and keeps this light but well-made film entertaining from beginning to end.

***

Crazy Rich Asians is not the kind of film - if you read my blog regularly - that I tend to see in the theater, but I was convinced by its high score on Rotten Tomatoes and unique setting for the genre.  This film is not just a good movie worth the cost of admission, it's one that opens new doors for Hollywood even as it follows certain tried and true methods.  It is critical for films to increasingly reflect the diversity of the real world - and when it does, like in Crazy Rich Asians, it is always surprising yet reassuring (to one degree or another) how similar the stories are to what you've seen before.  Yet these films also bring fresh perspectives to those overall familiar stories, bringing them to life anew in one way or another.  Quality of filmmaking, of course, is still key - but far more often than not, this is well above average in these movies, too.  Particularly recommended for a date night, of course, but this is worth watching for just about everyone.




By Source (WP:NFCC#4), Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=57212947

The Spy Who Dumped Me

Score:  C-

Directed by Susanna Fogel
Starring Mila Kunis, Kate McKinnon, Justin Theroux
Running time: 117 minutes
Rated R

Long Story Short:  Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon star in the latest action comedy spy satire, as the "girlfriends" get to take the driver's seat in the action this time.  The premise and leads are promising, but it's wasted from the very start by a bad script and poor directing; it isn't as funny as it should be, and the action is both too violent and boring.  Not even McKinnon mania is enough to make this worth a theater viewing; go to Mission Impossible instead (even a second viewing would be better!).


Audrey (Kunis) has the birthday blues; she's just been dumped by her boyfriend, Drew (Theroux), and though best friend Morgan (McKinnon) tries to cheer her up, she now has just her boring cashier job to look forward to.  That is, until a customer takes Audrey aside and tells her that Drew is in fact a secret agent on the run, and sure enough, Drew shows up in her apartment to tell her they are both in danger.  Audrey and Morgan flee together in the ensuing chaos as bad guys close in, and head off to Europe according to Drew's final instructions.  Drew clearly had something valuable - to save themselves, the friends must figure out what it is, who wants it, and who can help.  But in the spy game, who's on whose side is a difficult, and perhaps impossible, puzzle to solve.

The Spy Who Dumped Me has some talented actors in the cast, some of whom fare better than others, but they are all dragged down by a terrible script.  Mila Kunis is the 1A lead in the film, the woman "dumped" by the spy.  Like her character, Kunis is in unfamiliar territory here, but she does an OK to solid job serving as the film's anchor.  She's pretty convincing in action scenes and even better in her comic timing; she's also the focus of the romantic subplots, which are thankfully minimal.  Kunis clearly has the chops for this kind of role, but her character is simply limited by the script.  Kate McKinnon is once again the goofy sidekick, similar to Ghostbusters.  It's the obvious part for an SNL star who excels at such a variety of exaggerated, sketch-level characters.  She provides what little passion and energy this film can muster, but she's never more than a collection of quirks, a weird but loyal best friend.  The men, on the other hand - who are fortunately only in supporting roles - are pretty dreadful.  Justin Theroux and Sam Heughan play boring, generic spy-types; other than occasional efforts to be 007-suave, they are most distinguished by moments of sheer brutality.  They're both just window dressing that happen to spew out dialogue too frequently.  There are some cameos from impressive comedic actors, too, but none get anything worth writing about.

The Spy Who Dumped Me completely wastes a promising premise and two very talented leads, thanks to a horrific script, poor directing, and an inconsistent cast.  I very much enjoy both the spy genre and good send-ups of it, like Melissa McCarthy's spy, so this unique take, with great acting talent behind it, appealed to me.  The overall structure of the plot is extremely familiar and predictable - the girls' shock of learning the boyfriend's secret, dangerous world; the flight to and peril within various foreign locales; and finally the plan to turn the tables on the bad guys.  I doubt any thought went into this at all; and the film could have survived it, had each of the sections been well-crafted, and good roles and interactions given to the performers.  It fails on both those counts, as well.  The tone whipsaws back and forth between funky buddy comedy, relying on lots of improvisation, and pretty hardcore action sequences with ugly violence.  Rather than letting one of those elements take the lead and inform the tone of the other, the comedy and action constantly clash with each other.  This also makes the film unpleasantly unpredictable, in small ways - overall, the next part is always predictable but you never know if it will be told through the goofy or the brutal lens.  McKinnon throws a whole lot at the wall to see what will stick, and her success rate is pretty low by her standards, but at least she brings good, consistent energy and some much needed chuckles here and there.  There is nothing to redeem the spy/action elements, on the other hand.  There is confusion and chaos simply for its own sake (except in small, cliched moments like decrypting stolen files), and it's difficult to care what's going on so that by the end, you wish the double-crossing agents would just shoot each other and be done with it.

***

Among the summer films I've seen this year, The Spy Who Dumped Me is certainly the worst, and probably the most disappointing, too.  More than the experience of sitting through a poor film, I'm upset by the potential of the elements wasted here, the premise and the actors.  As long as 007 and his  kin are around, there will surely be more films to poke fun at the idea, and hopefully this particular angle will be better explored later.  Meanwhile, Hollywood still owes McKinnon a good lead role to showcase her talents; SNL stars get typecast in the silly, sketch-type roles, but McKinnon has the ability to take a more standard role and bring it alive in ways that few others could.  I'm not sure what's next for me at the theaters, now that summer is winding down, but hopefully it will be a pleasant surprise.  For this one, I recommend you avoid it, unless you're a huge McKinnon fan (and even then, just wait for Netflix).




By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56915129

Mission Impossible - Fallout

Score:  A

Directed by Christopher McQuarrie
Starring Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, et. al.
Running time: 147 minutes
Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  The sixth Mission Impossible is aptly named, dealing with consequences from the previous film's plot.  Yet in important ways it's also a rebirth of the franchise - and even the genre - in its emphasis on and spectacular execution of its action sequences.  Tom Cruise seems to put his very soul into this one, as the two and a half hours race by in a glorious rush of adrenaline.  Must see.


From a safe house in Belfast, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) receives his latest mission: to stop the sale of three nuclear weapons to a terrorist group.  The mission does not go as planned for Hunt and his team, and the race is on to locate the weapons before it's too late.  To prevent a repeat of the episode the CIA assigns one of its own agents, Walker (Cavill), to accompany Hunt's team.  The group finds a contact with information, but which demands them to spring Solomon Lane, an ex-spy turned rogue, from French custody.  Hunt feels the pressure of the ticking bombs, but struggles with what to do about the dangerous Lane - all while a traitor lurks in the shadows, intent on ruining the mission.

The cast of Fallout mostly consists of familiar franchise faces, but several new intriguing roles are added to the mix.  Tom Cruise returns as lead action hero Ethan Hunt, and impressively he seems more game than ever to throw everything he's got at the role.  Hunt - IMO - has never had the distinct persona of British rival 007, though he does get a bit more personal story here than usual.  What really matters is the physical performance, and Cruise lifts the bar yet again here.  If there are any signs of mortality (or aging) in his action scenes, it is only to heighten the jaw-dropping displays.  Ving Rhames and Simon Pegg return as Hunt's sidekicks:  the tough, wise veteran and the sarcastic tech expert, respectively.  They know just where they fit in, and their presences are crucial yet leave the spotlight to Hunt and other more plot-decisive roles.  One of those is Rebecca Ferguson's Ilsa, a British spy returning from the previous film.  Her part and performance are superb, affectionate yet not romantic with Hunt, his equal in the spy game (perhaps even more clever) and perfectly natural.  Cavill is interesting as CIA agent Walker, certainly more nuanced than his Superman.  He quickly forms a rivalry with Hunt, and he's at once an odd, frictious yet handy new member of the team.  There are a number of smaller roles too, most notably Sean Harris's chilling villain Solomon Lane, and Vanessa Kirby's deceptively nonchalant White Widow.

Mission Impossible - Fallout is a bravura action film; not without its flaws, yet standing out in the important ways like few others.  In recent MI films, Cruise has developed a signature of performing one death-defying stunt of an action scene; there's more action in the films than the one scene, of course, but it tends to stand out.  In Fallout, nearly every action scene is like this.  Normally I don't care much about the special features/"making of", but I certainly want to see this one.  Three action sets in particular were just bonkers, ridiculous fun for me: a three-way fist fight between Hunt, Walker and a villain that is as intense as any I can recall; an insanely long and realistic car- and motorcycle chase through Paris; and a finale involving helicopters (I'll leave it at that).  What makes these scenes so outstanding is not superhuman feats or slo-mo or other fancy camera work, it's the raw, gritty, practical-stunt nature of it.  Surely some CGI was used, but I truly couldn't tell; you feel all the bone-rattling, nerve-jangling, yet (relatively) grounded action as you hold onto the arm rest for dear life.  The rest basically doesn't even matter.  Yes, it's a bit long, but mostly because all the insane action scenes just keep going (which you want them to).  The plot is head-spinning even for an MI film, but the crucial points are clear enough that it doesn't detract from any of the action.  Cruise and the filmmakers clearly took a step back when they were planning this one, thinking about how to set it apart.  Thankfully, they shunned just going louder and crazier and pulled things mostly back to basics (even the soundtrack seems a bit reined in), and in doing so pushed the genre to new heights.

***

Mission Impossible - Fallout breaks out of the pack in this summer movie season, a great film after a series of good but unremarkable films.  For all you can say about how crazy Tom Cruise is and his enormous ego, he is one hell of an action star.  There is no "cruising" on reputation - I'm not sure I've seen another actor put more effort or personal risk into an action film.  Nearly as important as the effort here is the thought that went into the production.  Old franchises and new standalones alike can easily fall victim to inertia and just crank up the intensity one or two notches on what was done before and call it a day.  Fallout brought something special again to the moviegoing experience, and we can only hope all studios, filmmakers and performers take note.  Highly recommended for all.




By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56464804

Ant-Man and the Wasp

Score:  B+

Directed by Peyton Reed
Starring Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michael Pena
Running time: 118 minutes
Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  Ant-Man and the Wasp is the sequel to 2015's unlikely Marvel hit (at this point, a term that is becoming an oxymoron).  Paul Rudd is again the lead but, as the title indicates, Evangeline Lilly's Wasp is about an equal co-star, not to mention a smorgasbord of a supporting cast.  It's one of the funniest movies - Marvel or otherwise - in recent years, though its overall reach exceeds its grasp.  Still, it's outrageously entertaining and recommended to all.


Two years after helping Captain America, reformed criminal Scott Lang (Rudd) is under house arrest.  One night he has an odd, eerily vivid dream, and soon finds himself back in the company of old friends Pym (Douglas), an eccentric scientist, and his daughter Hope (Lilly).  Pym is searching for his wife who disappeared years ago after using one of his inventions and shrinking so small that she entered the quantum realm.  His wife, Janet, has managed to communicate with them through Scott, who had also briefly entered the quantum realm.  The trio is eager to get her back, especially when they find out they have only a matter of hours to do so.  Meanwhile, however, other forces have discovered the work that Pym, Hope and Scott have been developing on the quantum realm, and hope to use it for their own purposes.

Ant-Man and the Wasp welcomes back the core cast of the original film, and adds some great new actors as well.  Paul Rudd reprises his lead role as Scott Lang, aka Ant-Man.  The casting was a stroke of genius (as many of Marvel's choices have been): Ant-Man and his corner of the MCU are silly and lighter than others, and so Rudd's tremendous comedic talents are perfectly suited (not to mention his formidable overall acting skills).  The film's large and talented cast prevent him from being quite the focal point he was in the original, but he makes the most of his spotlight, from impressive physical humor as his size changes from 6 millimeters to 60 feet tall, to tender, quieter moments with his daughter.  Evangeline Lilly gets a much bigger role here as Hope, aka the "Wasp" in the title.  She is a very solid performer, though she lacks the unique traits that so many of her co-stars possess so it can be easy to underestimate her.  Nevertheless, she provides crucial grounding for the film, key to the film's heart and reason, not to mention pretty damn funny parts here and there.  Michael Pena fortunately returns as well as Luis, Scott's friend and former partner in crime (now partner in business).  Pena is a riot, stealing just about every scene he's in, but also maintaining a more solid character than just a joke machine (his partners are also back and also still hilarious).  Walton Goggins is the villain this time, and he is outstanding as usual in the role, fitting right in with the film's tone, too.  Michael Douglas's Pym is a welcome presence once again.  And there are yet more roles... Randall Park stands out as Scott's hilarious parole officer; Laurence Fishbourne is very good but underutilized, and Hannah John-Kamen is interesting as a mysterious foil, but is also underdeveloped.

Ant-Man and the Wasp is a really funny movie packed with lots of great ideas and characters - too many in fact, but it's still hugely entertaining and light-hearted.  It follows the general formula of many other sequels: the first having set the table by introducing the main characters (Scott, and Pym-Hope) and the settings or rules (technology that can manipulate the size of objects and people), the follow-up introduces new characters and plot points designed to maximize the features of the first.  It's far from a cash-grab, though: clearly much thought went into this, perhaps even too much.  The ostensible main plot is the effort to rescue Pym's wife from the quantum realm (basically, a strange new dimension).  However, there are also the obstacles of Scott's house arrest; then, Pym and Hope run into a villain whose parts they need for their tech; then, a character with new powers comes out of left field with an entirely different set of problems.  Each of these separately is interesting, and all things considered it's juggled about as well as can be expected.  Still, I would have cut the last of those parts and used it in a third Ant-Man film instead (which I hope there will be).  The techno-babble is also overwhelming at times - this from an MCU devotee - though fortunately you can mostly tune it out and still understand what's going on.  But enough with the nit-picking.  Marvel has made another hilarious film whose humor puts to shame most of the straight-up "comedies" these days.  Highlights include a child-size Scott (in adult-Scott clothes) running around a school; a drugged Luis being interrogated, Drunk History-style; and anything with Randall Park.  Everyone gets involved, and it just never stops (a good thing).  There's also some great action, though on a, well, much smaller scale (literally and figuratively) than other MCU films.  There's a great car chase scene in the last act, and the shrink-expand tricks continue to be clever and interesting throughout.  The stakes are more personal here, a nice change of pace from the epic Infinity War, and the villain is appropriately street-level and sarcastic.  If you're not entertained, you're not paying attention.

***

Ant-Man and the Wasp is another high-quality success for Marvel, even if it tries to pack in a little more than it can handle.  Although not one of the flashier parts of the MCU, 2015's Ant-Man established an important new setting and tone for the wider franchise, thanks to its silliness and sense of humor (though distinct from Guardians) and contained scope.  The sequel is a rousing romp through that world, its success only limited by having to split attention among so many different elements.  It also is a signal that the MCU can continue to flourish after the main core of Avengers characters (Iron Man, Capt. America, Thor) presumably bow out after next year's finale.  As with other MCU films, you'll obviously get maximum enjoyment out of it if you've seen the other films, too.  But I still don't hesitate to recommend it to others as well - sit back and let the special effects dazzle, and the humor make you laugh 'til your belly hurts.




By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=56449896