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).




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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.




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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.




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Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

Score:  B-

Directed by J.A. Bayona
Starring Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard, Rafe Spall
Running time: 128 minutes
Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  Fallen Kingdom is the fifth entry in the Jurassic dinosaur film franchise, one that continues to amp up the action - but diminish the overall quality.  Chris Pratt and Bryce Dallas Howard lead again, but of course it's the dinosaurs that are the real stars.  There are some massive, awe-inspiring sets, but at the cost of much of the series' trademark mystery and wonder.  The script and overall quality are weaker, too, but if you have a family in tow, it's still recommended.


Several years after the Jurassic World park was compromised and evacuated, Isla Nublar has returned to the headlines.  The island's volcano is set to erupt, possibly wiping out the only dinosaurs remaining on Earth.  While some, like Dr. Malcolm (Goldblum), prefer to let nature take its course, others, like Claire Dearing (Howard) and her Dinosaur Protection Group, want to save as many of them as possible.  Unable to get government support, Claire is relieved to find that Jurassic World's co-founder, Sir Lockwood (Cromwell), hopes to create a new island dinosaur sanctuary.  Although she has long since split up with him, Claire manages to get former park trainer Owen (Pratt) to accompany her to the island on the rescue mission.  As they race against the clock, they discover that there are others with more nefarious plans for the extraordinary yet deadly creatures.

Fallen Kingdom features the same co-stars from the last film, and introduces a slate of others who, for the most part, serve as dino fodder.  While Chris Pratt was Jurassic World's primary lead, this time he splits the focus pretty evenly with Bryce Dallas Howard's Claire.  It's still based on a clash of personalities, with Owen being the animal behavior expert, unsentimental save for the raptor he trained, and Claire being the more passionate, invested character.  However, Claire's motivation has swerved rather drastically: in Jurassic World, she fought to save the business of the park, and in Fallen Kingdom she has become an ardent conservationist with no thought to financial gain.  Bryce does a decent job selling it, but it's a pretty convenient flip-flop.  Meanwhile, Pratt is still fun but doesn't get nearly as much time; much more standard heroics as opposed to his unique deadpan wit.  The most significant new character is Lockwood's granddaughter, Maisie, essentially the latest version of the child-victim surrogate for the audience, and Eli Mills as Rafe is the new conniving villain; both are fine but forgettable.  Trailers and commercials teased the return of Jeff Goldblum's Ian Malcolm, but it's essentially a cameo appearance.

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom is an entertaining summer blockbuster, but it also accelerates its predecessor's shift away from the original, leaving the franchise with a questionable future.  Both in tone and in many plot elements, Fallen Kingdom is to Jurassic World what The Lost World was to Jurassic Park.  The majesty of the first, optimistic despite the inevitable collapse of the parks and the ensuing chaos, makes way for a darker tone through both a plot emphasizing the exploitation of the dinosaurs for (especially) bad purposes and thus the dangers posed by other humans.  Just like Jurassic World took the original's park-based formula and magnified its scope significantly, Fallen Kingdom does the same to The Lost World.  They're not just trying to take dinosaurs to a sanctuary, they're saving them from a Cataclysmic Event in the form of a volcano.  The bad guys are not just trying to start a new park, they are developing all new Genetic Monsters out of them and selling them to other bad guys around the world.  In trying to do so much, Fallen Kingdom loses almost all of the mystery and suspense that were crucial elements of the first two Jurassic films.  The camera lingers on the new, genetically-designed dino (an aspect already used in Jurassic World and thus less effective), and so it loses its menace quickly.  There are some effective, top-quality action scenes, like the pre-credits scene - taking place at night, in the rain, one of the few semi-unpredictable moments - and some clever, even amusing ones like a ram-headed dino causing chaos in a crowd.  But others, like the centerpiece set of dinos fleeing the erupting volcano, do more to show off what they can do with CGI now rather than creating tense (much less even slightly realistic) action - it also doesn't help that so much of it was in the advertising.  Oh, and don't even bother listening to the dialogue, which is among the most cringe-worthy of recent years.

***

Fallen Kingdom takes another step away from the original Jurassic Park, disappointing to us devotees of that film, but it still has considerable general entertainment value, particularly for younger audiences.  It's now clear that the Jurassic franchise is mirroring what happened to Star Wars.  The originals were released, and then after a long hiatus, a new set of films were made in an entirely different tone.  Jurassic Park and The Lost World of course showed how spectacular its dinosaurs were, but open melees were kept at a minimum in favor of more intimate, suspenseful sets; the target audience was adults and older children.  Jurassic World and Fallen Kingdom is turning the franchise into a more family-oriented series; they accentuate the massive scenes of adventure and action and downplay the scares.  I'd also argue the new films are increasingly dumbed down and fantasized.  Still entertaining, certainly, just in a much different way.  So for families, I'd recommend this one; otherwise, go see it if you just want a big (if fairly simplistic) blockbuster.




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Tag

Score:  B+

Directed by Jeff Tomsic
Starring Ed Helms, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, Annabelle Wallis, et. al.
Running time: 100 minutes
Rated R

Long Story Short:  Tag is an ensemble comedy about adults acting like children; or at least, keeping the competitive fires of their youths alive via the ongoing game in the title.  Ed Helms capably leads a great cast, and the premise allows them to engage in not just verbal sparring but also some nicely- (and hilariously) choreographed physical matches.  It's a bumpy ride at times for both performers and audience, but it's well-made overall.  Recommended.


An HR supervisor interviewing candidates for a custodial position is surprised when he finds a man with a veterinary PhD begging for the job.  Why does "Hoagie" (Helms) want this job so badly?  So that he can get close to the CEO of the company, Bob (Hamm), to... tag him "it".  May has arrived, which is the month that a group of now-middle-aged men reconvene to continue a game of tag that they have kept going since childhood.  A reporter for the Wall Street Journal, Rebecca (Wallis), who was interviewing Bob about his company, sees the intriguing alternative story this situation promises, and tags along.  Soon Hoagie, Bob, "Chilli" (Johnson), and Kevin (Buress) join up and descend on the hometown of Jerry (Renner), who has never before been tagged "it" and is set to be married in a few days.  Does the group have what it takes to finally tag Jerry - and at what cost?

Tag has an ensemble cast loaded with comedic talent, from both familiar and surprising sources.  Ed Helms is at the head of this group, fittingly, as he's the most well known for his funny roles.  His character differs little from what you've seen him in before, but it's perfect for this film about adults playing tag: joyful and naive, and at times either petulant or warmly earnest.  He has this role locked down - he could probably do it in his sleep, but he's fully invested here and is engaging throughout.  His most significant partner-in-play is Jon Hamm's Bob, who despite having become a Man Men-like executive still has a sense of mischief.  He's proved his comic chops plenty of other times, such as goofy TV roles in 30 Rock and Kimmy Schmidt, and he's fun here, too, although he sometimes has trouble with the tricky tonal balancing act the film demands.  Jake Johnson's Chilli and Hannibal Buress's Kevin are secondary, but both of their presence's are welcome.  Johnson is the group's stoner, an exaggerated version of his New Girl role, and delivers most of the edgiest humor (effectively, for the most part); Buress gets the smallest role, but his sober, bemused Kevin provides much-needed balance for the cast.  Jeremy Renner is the least known for his comedy, but again it's appropriate since his Jerry takes the game of tag deadly serious.  He is still funny, but mostly through the way he utterly (and convincingly, physically) decimates his friends in action.  Tag also has impressive female actors - Annabelle Wallis, Isla Fisher, Rashida Jones, and Leslie Bibb, but sadly they are all bit parts (Fisher and Bibb do quite well, anyway).

Tag is a mainstream comedy with a refreshingly original and intriguing premise; the quality is a bit uneven and the tone zigs and zags, but most importantly, it's pretty darn funny.  Big comedies can often be sort of plug-and-play: cast a megastar or ensemble, and rely on their performances to lift tired if reliable storylines.  Fortunately, Tag is considerably more clever than that, based on the real life story of adults who play the children's game.  Perhaps because of this, it takes a little while for the script and the performers to find their footing - though it likely took me, as a viewer, some time to adjust, too.  Once the whole group is together and the plot underway, though, it runs more smoothly.  The humor is very good, though not quite elite, both in the writing and the acting.  It relies on both physical slapstick and improvised banter, which provides crucial variety.  A scene at a pre-wedding party with Hamm, Helms, and company skillfully one-upping each other makes way in the next for riotously (though intense for the characters) choreographed tag battles (Helms disguised as a grandmother going one-on-one with Renner in a mall is the highlight of the movie).  Much like The Hangover, this film also pushes the envelope at times with its humor - sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.  This is in contrast with a more sentimental tone that runs through the film, too - though it is anchored by an oft-repeated but effective line - that also is hit-or-miss.  But the movie resolves this tug of war the right way at the end, I believe, with an interesting twist that emphasizes the group's friendship and still allows for a little more play, too.

***

Tag is one of the bigger mainstream comedy successes of the last few years, and I hope Hollywood makes more in its mold.  Most importantly, take chances with some new, even bizarre ideas, and don't just rely on the reputations and abilities of the star performers.  The unique circumstances and scenes that this will create (as it did in Tag) should also take pressure off the writing, which is so often painfully bland, cliched and/or just not very funny.  It's worth repeating a warning here that this is not exactly a gentle little comedy, but I would argue the film overall has its heart in the right place and none of the humor is mean-spirited.  Give it a try, and I hope there's more like it to come this year.




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Incredibles 2

Score:  B+

Directed by Brad Bird
Starring Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Bob Odenkirk, Samuel L. Jackson
Running time: 118 minutes
Rated PG

Long Story Short:  Pixar's latest is a sequel to its incredibly popular superhero story from fourteen years ago.  The whole Parr family is back, with Helen/Elastigirl taking the heroic lead while Bob/Mr. Incredible looks after the home front, including its new star, baby Jack-Jack.  While it's made with the studio's typical high quality and has a few standout scenes, Incredibles 2 lacks the creative juice that powers its kin.  Highly recommended for families, but it's optional for others.


The world's most incredible family, the Parrs, are still at it, doing their best to fight crime with their super powers.  After the family fails to capture a villainous master mind, though - and leaves quite a mess in their wake in doing so - the government is no longer willing to tolerate the damage done.  Fortunately for them, not everyone agrees.  Winston Deavor (Odenkirk), a technology tycoon, is a big fan, and is convinced that if people see exactly what it is that heroes do, public opinion will turn in their favor and allow "supers" to operate in the open again.  Equipping her with a personal body cam, Winston selects Helen (Hunter), aka Elastigirl (the least "messy" of the heroes), to serve as a symbol for his plan.  While Helen generates positive headlines battling a new evil force who hypnotizes his victims, Bob (Nelson), or Mr. Incredible, has his hands full at home with the children, including a difficult to control baby Jack-Jack.

All the favorites from the original are back in the Incredibles 2, along with some intriguing new characters.  Holly Hunter's Helen/Elastigirl gets the featured role, at least when it comes to the superhero parts.  She is a strong, tenacious, determined crime fighter, though the film doesn't really delve too deeply into her character.  Helen clearly relishes the return to her old life and the adulation it produces, while time spent on worrying about the family (a common theme when mother characters return to their previous work) is refreshingly minimal.  Craig T. Nelson's Bob gets the harried, single stay-at-home parent role here, producing some good humor.  Among the children, Sarah Vowell's Violet gets a fairly substantial side plot dealing with her crush, though brother Dash (Huck Milner) just, well, runs around a lot.  It's baby Jack-Jack who is truly the featured family member here, bringing a new level to the challenges of infant care as his powers emerge without any ability to control them.  Bob Odenkirk's Winston is pleasantly cheerful and optimistic, coupling well with his clever, more grounded sister, Evelyn (Catherine Keener).

Incredibles 2 has Pixar's typically high overall quality to it, yet it lacks the unique creative spark and consistent cleverness that has distinguished the studio's best efforts.  In fact, I found this sequel more beholden to its status as a general, family superhero movie than to the spirit of a Pixar film, whose subgenres tend to be secondary to the core, universal stories and themes.  Certainly, this is still a very fun family adventure movie.  Elastigirl's solo missions in particular are quite thrilling; via animation, it's capable of bigger stunts than even the biggest Marvel films.  Baby Jack-Jack's wild outbursts are also entertaining, and serve as an interesting contrast: where Elastigirl is in complete control, Jack-Jack is completely unpredictable.  His opening outburst - featuring a fierce battle with a raccoon - is my favorite part of the movie, both for the novelty and charm of his powers and innocent glee as well as for its classic, trademark Pixar cleverness (which somehow almost always involves an animal).  But there is much in the film, too, that is unusually derivative for a Pixar film, or merely flat and uninspired.  The movie's main twist - you know there's going to be one - is staring you in the face (and I fully admit I don't figure out most twists ahead of time) from the outset, and the climactic scene both goes on far too long and is not very fun on account of rehashing much of what we've already seen as well as being - again - too predictable.  There are interesting moments here and there throughout the film, but it doesn't all come together with the same drive you expect from a Pixar film.

***

Incredibles 2 is another enjoyable movie from Pixar, and a perfectly fine choice for a night at the movies - but not absolute essential viewing, like some others.  Some of the only Pixar films I've never seen are the Cars trilogy - they just seem to me like pure family fare, without the universal appeal of their other titles.  While I wouldn't say Incredibles 2 is entirely like that, it is somewhere in between.  It also rankles me a bit to read critics deriding all other superhero films as dumb and tired out while praising this film.  I would argue that Incredibles 2, with its lack of anything new to add or say about the genre (whether straight or parody), if anything proves Marvel's genius at keeping itself remarkably fresh.  Anyway, the main audience for this Pixar film is families, and I would recommend Incredibles 2 to them without hesitation.  If you're coming to it as an adult Pixar fan, though, you may not be quite as satisfied.




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Ocean's 8

Score:  B

Directed by Gary Ross
Starring Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway, Helena Bonham Carter, et. al.
Running time: 110 minutes
Rated PG-13

Long Story Short:  Ocean's 8 is the fourth film in the heist franchise, the first in more than ten years and, more significantly, with an all-new cast of female stars.  The roster overhaul is mostly successful, led by rock-solid Bullock and Anne Hathaway stealing the show.  The innovations don't go as far as you might expect, but the formula still works well.  Recommended (especially those looking for fun outside the space-and-superhero hordes).


Debbie Ocean (Bullock), the sister of famed heist master Danny (Clooney), shares some of her brother's strongest impulses: proving her ability to do anything she puts her mind to, and exacting revenge on those who have wronged her.  After being released from prison, Debbie is a woman on a mission.  She meets up with a longtime friend, Lou (Blanchett), to seek her help in planning and executing a heist that would impress even Danny.  Due to the magnitude of the job, Debbie finds that she has to look beyond eager and willing friends like Amita and Tammy (Kaling and Paulson) to unknown experts in their field, as well as other key allies when things don't go as planned.  But while technical plans fall into place, Debbie realizes that her equally strong desires for riches and revenge may not be fully compatible.

Like its predecessors in the Ocean's heist movie franchise, the latest edition is packed with famous faces - this time, of course, most of them female.  Sandra Bullock takes over for George Clooney as the lead, appropriately playing his sister, Debbie.  Bullock was an excellent choice for the role: not only a very strong actress in general, she also already has plenty of experience with both lighter, funnier roles as well as dramatic leads.  The introduction is where she really gets to shine, displaying a supremely confident and competent (if also ruthless) personality; she easily has the stature necessary to lead what you know will be an epic heist.  Unfortunately, she gets largely drowned out in the sea of other characters by midway through, but her parts are still effective and central to the larger story and tone.  Cate Blanchett is ostensibly the co-lead, but she never really emerges; in fact, she's probably the most dispensable part of the cast due to the script.  Instead, it's Anne Hathaway's star actress Daphne who transforms from witless victim into the most intriguing and entertaining character.  At first she plays the part as stereotype (amusingly at that), but in the film's best twist, becomes deeply involved and reveals far more complexity, including a delightfully mischievous mind.  Helena Bonham Carter gets the next most notable role, as an overwhelmed fashion designer, on the team, particularly in her scenes working with Hathaway.  Paulson, Awkwafina, and Rihanna each draw a few chuckles in small and/or plot-device roles.  Last mention goes to James Corden, who enlivens much of the final act with one more dose of much-needed humor.

Ocean's 8 doesn't quite get to the thrilling, showmanship heights of the original Ocean's 11, but it is a well-made reboot with a few highlights.  This sequel doesn't try to mess with the formula, so the two key ingredients remain the same:  a dynamic ensemble, both individually and via relationships, and clever and exciting heist scenes.  The film does a solid job with both of these, though having seen my share of similar films, there are only a few standout elements here.  The cast is fun, as described above; Bullock, taking the "Clooney role" is very good, while Blanchett in the "Pitt role" is a non factor.  The special part here is Hathaway, whose performance rises to the challenge of her character's transformation.  She is the film's most effective symbol, of a female caricature becoming actualized, moving from plot device to a formidable force as an individual.  The heist itself is fun, too; in particular its setting - the Met Gala - not only with its variety of cameos but more the overall mocking take on celebrity culture.  There is not much sense of there being a challenge to it all, though; sure there are a few obstacles that get thrown in, but they are all overcome quickly and with little trouble.  Perhaps it would have helped to develop a good nemesis, like Ocean's 11's Andy Garcia; Bullock's ex is a very, very hollow substitute if he was meant to be one.  Although there isn't a lot here to separate it from its predecessors, Ocean's 8 has good pacing and is enjoyable throughout, wisely wrapping up well short of the two-hour mark.  Bookended with Bullock's great introduction and Corden's hilarious investigation, the main story in the middle develops smoothly and produces enough laughs and/or tricks to keep you well amused.

***

Ocean's 8 is a welcome addition to the summer 2018 movie season; while not a classic, it's perfectly fine and quite enjoyable.  And if you're not a fan of the action blockbuster franchises (while I don't see how that's possible, personally, I do acknowledge that there are those of you out there), this is a particularly good alternative to those.  Yes, it's part of a franchise itself, but obviously a much different kind of franchise, and one with zero relevant connections to other films.  It represents another step in the right direction for Hollywood, with its female-emphasized cast, if a timid one within a familiar formula and franchise.  Still, progress is progress.  I suggest giving this a try, to a wide variety of audiences, and we can hope that the progress continues in whatever comes next.



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