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December 2015: the month that was, the year that was, the 15 films I saw, and how I felt about them.
(Ratings are on a 5 star scale. Note that a classic only becomes a classic after a decade or more.)
(Titles in purple have been expanded for Flix Pix columns.)
> So let the show begin!
WILD (2014)****
BIG EYES (2014)***+
DOPE (2014)***+
WHICH WAY IS UP? (1977)**
KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE (2014)***+
ROOM (2015)****+
BEASTS OF NO NATION (2015)****+
GETT:
THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM (2015)****
SPECTRE (2015)***
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015)***+
CHAPPIE (2015)***+
TRUMBO (2015)***+
AMY (2015)***+
THE BIG SHORT (2015)****
AVENGERS: THE AGE OF ULTRON (2015)***
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
WILD (2014) ****
> I know Cheryl Strayed’s autobiographical book was popular, the film version well-liked, but I was not prepared for this flick to be so damn good!
. I wonder what made me so skeptical?
. Central to the quality of this film: a truly fine performance by the ever-growing Reese Witherspoon. Like Christian Bale, she started out as a child actor and grew up to develop a serious talent. Reese is so very real, vulnerable and unglamorous and believable in this tale of a woman whose life fell apart, so she made the impulsive decision to “walk it off”… along the length of the entire Pacific Cost Trail! It’s both a man-verses-nature drama, and a story about overcoming inner demons, and both elements are so well articulated. In adapting her book for the screen, author Cheryl Strayed tells a compelling story of crisis and transformation. We come to know this lost pilgrim in flashback, as her past washes over her along the seemingly endless trail, gradually discovering the choices she made that led her to this spot. When Cheryl does encounter other people along her journey, she invariably learns about herself in the process, forming new friendships and possible new romances, but also facing frightening encounters with possibly malevolent strangers, that test her meddle just as much as the natural world has.
. It is so nice to see, that in this case the ‘man’ in question battling nature, is a woman. We need more women writers writing better parts for women, and many more women at the helm, sitting in the director’s chair. This is the next evolution of the cinema: we need to empower women in telling their unique stories, and expand the limitations gender-bias enforces upon the movies.
. The production looks and sounds great and there is no shortage of gorgeous scenery to enjoy in this drama, peppered as life is, by unexpected moments of great mirth. Happy to say, I loved the ending- it made me teary-eyed, and having seen so many films, I am not usually that easy to manipulate emotionally. That kind of emotional involvement indicates a good story, well told.
– In this case, also very well acted and photographed.
BIG EYES (2014) ***+
> This is an underrated, underappreciated Tim Burton biography that shows uncharacteristic restraint from the wildly inventive showman.
. Christoph Waltz is perhaps too-perfectly cast in this true story, as a highly affable charlatan who basically steals the identity of his wife to capitalize on her very popular painting style- the kids with the Big Watery Eyes that plagued our culture in the 1970’s. (Andy Warhol said that her work must be good, because so many people liked it. I hope he was wrong about popularity equaling quality!)
. Amy Adams is just perfect as the abused woman. She gives a remarkable, constrained performance that shows real skill: it makes a shy, inner person interesting.
. The pastel color palate here is a wonder to behold, with the high production values we have come to expect from Tim Burton. There is only one overtly ‘Burton’ moment, when under great stress, we see the world from our heroine’s POV, and everyone appears to have those great, sad eyes she always painted.
– It’s nice to see this talented director branch out a bit and expand his milieu. And it’s nice to see Amy Adams doing anything, she is always so damn good!
DOPE (2014) ***+
> DOPE is dope!
. As an old, hopelessly white fart, it took me a while to get comfortable with the harsh reality this wonderfully comic drama presents, of a trio of young black nerds trying to stay out of the deadly gang drama surrounding them in their Inglewood ‘hood. I just hate to think of kids growing up facing everyday existential crises on top of the already traumatic rigors of puberty. Millions do.
. Describing the story to a friend, she said: “Isn’t that a genre all its own? Innocents-find-themselves-caught-between–the-law-and-nasty-gangsters-when-they-come-across-a-big-stash-of–drugs.” A sub-genre, I had to agree. And this is a good one.
. DOPE is like an infection. Or a drug. It gets you kinda high. The film has real style, and once the fun kicks in, it just grabs you by the ears and drags you along for the mayhem. The three kids in the leads who play Malcolm, Jib and Diggy are a delightful trio. They play in an aspiring punk band, and their raw music rocks! (As does the entire soundtrack that just pulsates with energy and life.) Forest Whitaker narrates- and produces. Nigerian-American director Rick Famuyiwa brings a light touch in potentially explosive situations. There is a lot of nuance here in the characterizations that helps dispel the very stereotypes the film exploits. It is delirious fun.
– Yep. DOPE is… dope!
WHICH WAY IS UP? (1977) **
Racist, sexist, homophobic… This comedy has everything going for it! (If you are a Neanderthal.) The culture of ‘political correctness’ has been justly skewered of late, but this film shows the upside of the attitudinal change of the last few decades. In this not very funny “comedy” (based on Lina Wertmüller ’s great Italian romp THE SEDUCTION OF MIMI), the occasionally brilliant Richard Pryor plays three characters: one, a caricature of an old man, one, a caricature of a hopelessly oversexed man, and one, a caricature of a corrupt, hypocritical hell-and-brimstone preacher who is seducing all the ladies in his congregation. Certainly this relic has moments of fun, but audiences in the 2000’s are not inclined to think that a man throttling his wife and threatening repeatedly to kill her is very funny… At least, I hope not.
KINGSMAN: THE SECRET SERVICE (2014) ***+
> The hype would have us compare this film with the James Bond franchise. It’s stretching a point a bit, but there is a point to stretch.
. This slick, stylish, oh-so-fun spy film brings together the oldschool Britishness of Bond and the world of today, by introducing a seemingly average young Everyman into the world of high-stakes espionage. A lisping Samuel L. Jackson is our villain du jour, and of course- he wants to fix all of humanity’s problems by exterminating most of the people on the planet. The wealthy, privileged, powerful class is sequestered away for safekeeping, and they celebrate the coming mass human extinction as one would celebrate new year’s eve, watching a clock counting down to the brave new world. Good thing there is a clandestine extra-governmental security squad working unseen to prevent madmen like lisping Jackson from wreaking havoc on the world: the Kingsmen. And when one Kingsman dies in the line of duty, all the rest are sent in search of replacement candidates.
. Enter our angry, unfocused young protagonist (Taron Egerton), who is recruited by the always-wonderful Colin Firth- who, like a fine wine, just seems to get better as he ages. While the stunts may not be as elaborate as Broccoli’s Bond films, they are imaginative and kinetic. There is a world of action to enjoy here and lots and lots of violence. We are treated at the end (SPOILER ALERT!) to the spectacle of many, many human heads exploding off their bodies in an over-the-top psychedelic orgy of stylized carnage. It is almost what one might be called a sin, that it is so perversely enjoyable.
. If this is an attempt to set up a modern tongue-in-cheek sendup of the James Bond universe, I’m along for the ride.
– This was every bit as much fun as the average Bond vehicle, if lighter in touch and smaller in scope.
ROOM (2015) ****+
> W-O-W. Talk about impact. This film hits you like a tidal wave and washes you wholly into its world.
. It’s hard to talk about at all without giving too much away. The trailer itself makes the mistake of telling you what this film is really about, which is revealing far too much, as far as I’m concerned. For ROOM, the excitement, heartbreak and enchantment is in the unfolding.
. It’s a film in three parts really, and because the three acts do not unfold in the usual order we have come to expect in cinematic storytelling, it’s an unconventionally structured film. First we have the mystery of a woman and her child living isolated in one room the child has come to view as the entire world. Then we have a segment so breathlessly exciting, I could feel my heart pounding in my chest. It was like a horror film when you find yourself talking back to the movie: “NO! Don’t go into that scary barn alone!” I was riveted. Then the third act becomes more of a cerebral psychological drama. It’s longer, slower, more complex and difficult. But these are great actors at work, working with a great script, (written by Emma Donoghue working from her own bestselling book), and they pull it off in this richly rewarding film.
. The story is told largely through the eyes of the child at a major turning point in his life: when he turns five- old enough, his devoted Ma thinks, to help her execute a plan to escape from the only world the boy has ever known, the world of “Room”. I was just blown away by this one. Actually, it seems kind of an obvious story, snatched straight from the headlines, but I don’t ever recall seeing any film take this subject on.
.Unfortunately, most of my Oscar predictions for this amazing film came to pass: it was almost criminally ignored. Brie Larson who played the fiercely devoted Ma, was not overlooked as I feared, but walked away with the golden statuette, proving there is at lease some justice in Hollywierd. One of the very best performances I’ve ever seen by a child actor, (8-year old Jacob Tremblay in a shockingly nuanced, pitch-perfect performance so amazing we often wonder if he is computer-generated), was completely overlooked, even though he was every bit as good as Anna Panquin when she won for THE PIANO, and far better than Tatum O’Neill when she won for PAPER MOON. The film was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay, as I predicted, and did not win as I said it would not. I didn’t expect it to make the Best Picture or Best Director lists, but did, even if it came home empty handed. And the score was ignored- dynamite, if a bit over-the-top in the final reel.
– If you like serious cinema, that challenges and delivers the goods, move ROOM to somewhere near the top of your list!
BEASTS OF NO NATION (2015) ****+
> Netflix means business.
. They are serious about developing great new content. They bought this project for a paltry 12 million bucks, and it was worth every penny. Ever since I read Ishmael Beah’s wonderful biography ”A Time Long Gone: Memoirs of a Child Soldier”, I have been wanting to see a big screen treatment of this heartbreaking reality. (Read my review at:
https://lastcre8iveiconoclast.wordpress.com/2011/02/22/what-me-bloviate-3-book-review-a-long-way-gone-memoirs-of-a-boy-soldier-by-ishmael-beah/
. I’ve been hoping someone would make Beah’s very cinematic book into a movie, but this project takes his story several steps further, becoming almost the APOCALYPSE NOW of forced child warfare films. Its title taken from a Fela song, this is the devastating story of Agu, a young boy in an unnamed African nation, living in the U.N. enforced safety zone between government and rebel forces. But when there is another junta, the peacekeepers abruptly move out, and bloodthirsty rebels move in. The family and village Agu knew and loved is decimated, and he runs into the bush to save his life. Unfortunately, the terrified child runs right into a gang of murderous child soldiers, who capture him and bring him to their commandant. Idris Elba plays the terrifying rebel leader of his “child army” with steely nerve and horrifying clarity. He gives terrified and traumatized Agu a stark choice: join or die. As you can imagine, things only go downhill from there.
. A ten-year old boy from Ghana makes his debut here, and it is impressive! Abraham Attah is in nearly every scene and (with Elba’s charismatic help), he carries the film. Attah is dynamite, even if he is a bit hard to understand at times. (I found using the closed captioning to be helpful.) This is the second truly outstanding performance by a child actor this year, (along with Jacob Tremblay of ROOM), and honestly they are both deserving of Oscar nominations. So is Mr. Elba who is blood-drainingly good in every scene.
. The score was awesome, and in moments of great stress the low, bass, vibrating rumble reaches down your gullet and yanks out your skeleton. Such an effective soundtrack!
. As it absolutely had to be to tell the story honestly, BEASTS OF NO NATION is a tough, gut-wrenching experience at times, but take comfort: there is a pay-off coming. Writer/producer/director/cinematographer Cary Fukunaga, (SIN NOMBRE in 2009, JANE EYRE in 2011 and now MANIAC on Netflix), delivers a complex and ravishing film, packed with vivid images and gorgeous African scenery. So much natural splendor, such ungodly carnage! The man is a fine screenwriter, an exceptional director, and a first class lensman.
. Because BEASTS OF NO NATION was released online through Netflix simultaneously with its theatrical release, many theater chains refused to show it, restricting this gem to a limited national release that makes this extraordinary film eligible for Oscar recognition. Unfortunately, when the time came to make the determination, the fools at the Academy snubbed this great film as punishment for tampering with the fiscal applecart. Honestly, it should have been nominated for cinematography, screenplay, costuming, score, best supporting actor (Elba), best actor (young Mr. Attah), best director and the big prize, best picture of 2015. It deserved to be a serious contender in all these categories. It got NADA. Nothing. A clear, vindictive snub.
– Don’t let the sordid horror of the reality of child slavery stop you from seeing this splendid film! It’s praiseworthy on every level.
GETT: THE TRIAL OF VIVIANE AMSALEM (2015) ****
> All around the world, in countless ways a man like me cannot imagine, women just ain’t got no rights.
. Gender equality is, without question, the big civil rights issue of our time. It’s not just a matter of one gender being paid significantly more for their labor than the other, it a matter of access to dignity, respect, basic human rights. Honestly- if the exploited sex carried the Y chromosome, you think we’d stand for it? Not on your life. Women! I’ll bet your estrogen against my testosterone that you know exactly what I’m talking about, having very likely experienced it yourself firsthand.
. This rather powerful film illustrates the point starkly, by examining the true-life struggle of a woman to simply divorce her incalcitrant husband in modern day Israel. In her culture, the system is completely rigged against her. A woman simply cannot divorce without the express ceremonial consent of her husband. Simply: once she says “I do”, he has all the rights and she has none. This unrelenting film follows the decade long struggle of Viviane Amsalem to convince a three judge panel to enforce her human right to determine her own destiny. The problem is that the three judges are rabbis. It is a Rabbinical court whose primary responsibility is spiritual, and not civil, and intervening to grant a divorce would like be an admission of failure in what they see as their primary responsibility: to keep Jewish households intact.
– It’s a case of religion and human rights being at odds with one another. Which has primacy?
SPECTRE (2015) ***
> The specter of previous Bond films haunts this movie, taunting it silently from beyond the screen for not being better.
. All the ingredients are here: familiar characters, the best actor ever to play Bond (Daniel Craig), a first rate director (Sam Mendes), sexy women for our hero to seduce, a nasty bad guy with a plan for world domination to defeat, a big budget for the Broccoli production machine to play with, and that familiar theme song that just resonates mystery and intrigue… Everything is there, but SPECTRE is a bit like a lopsided cake or a soufflé that fails to rise to the occasion. Not as appealing as hoped, but still tastes good though.
. The production looks kind of dirty and gritty, the colors as washed-out as Christoph Waltz’s bland, boring Ernst Stavro Blofeld. (Give me Donald Pleasance in that role, malevolently petting that fluffy white hissing cat.) Even Telly Savalas was better than this flat, drab performance from a very good actor. Here, the great German import Waltz just fails to deliver… anything.
. The film occasionally commits the cardinal sin of being dull. Too talky. And some of the things this James Bond said just didn’t ring true in my ears. But it was nice to see the way this and the newer Bond films have cleverly worked characters like M and Q and (in this case a beautiful new) Moneypenny into the action. No longer are they just mannequins in window dressing. Ben Wishaw, Ralph Finnes and Naomie Harris have plenty to do here, and they are good. Unfortunately the stunts are not as good or grand-scale as in some of the previous Bonds- including an explosion so large it made the Guinness Book of Records. What a waste of money! They might just as well have built and exploded a small model and digitally integrated it. It was such a throwaway moment, we would never have noticed.
. Daniel Craig is widely quoted as saying he is not inclined to put himself through another Bond film, but he was an executive producer on this puppy, so it made him millions. I suspect if asked back, he’ll return. I hope so. The same way the Beatles reunited temporarily to produce Abbey Road, a more fitting swan song than Let It Be, I’d hate to see the best Bond yet go out on a flat note.
– The good news, is that Daniel Craig finally agreed to make one final Bond flick! Good. A chance to redeem himself.
STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS (2015) ***+
> This cow still gives milk, but alas- no more cream.
. I did myself the favor of not nurturing high expectations for this much-anticipated reboot of the beloved fantasy franchise. I suspected (not expected) that it might well be the best of the lot, with J. J. Abrams in the director’s chair. George Lucas hasn’t made a really good film in a long time now, and the miracle Abrams worked in breathing life into the STAR TREK and MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE franchises appeared to make him the right person for the job. Then there’s the deft choice in screenwriters he drafted to help him construct the story, including Lawrence Kasdan who wrote THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK, the best of the lot. Not to mention the reprise of the incomparable John Williams scoring, the return of Han Solo and Princess (now General) Leia, Luke Skywalker and Chewbacca and C-3PO and R2-D2, a return to the “classic” design of the earliest trio of films, three promising fresh faces in Oscar Isaac and John Boyega and especially the ravishing Daisy Ridley, who is in fact, one of the best parts of the movie…
. But I would have to agree with one of the only ten critical reviews in a sea of praise on Rotten Tomatoes: there was nothing really new here. If you’ve seen the other six Star Wars space operas that came before it, you have seen THE FORCE AWAKENS. Going into the theatre to watch it is only a formality. I will spare you the many transparent parallels, as this would give too much away, but I encourage you to consider them after seeing the flick. There is less here than meets the eye. More bad news: the fine Oscar Isaac (INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS), is completely wasted as the resistance’s crack pilot, as is the iconic Max Von Sydow in a part you might miss if you sneeze at the wrong moment. Adam Driver as the new bad guy is an example of casting as bad as George Lucas made with Christian Hayden in the second trilogy. This cardboard villain is no Emperor Palpatine, no Darth Vader, no Sith. He’s just plain… nothing- a void in a nice costume.
. But there is good news. From the familiar opening titles floating in space, down to the very cool, (if predictable) coda at the end, Episode VII is an entertaining ride. Putting Daisy Ridley in the center of the story was a wise choice indeed, as she is just about perfect in each scene. (And, as kind of a young cross between Keira Knightly and Natalie Portman, she is very, very easy on the eyes.) Please tell me that we are finally entering the era of the heroine! This one is even more empowered than young Leia was- fierce, determined, agile, empathetic. A fine debut for young Daisy. The editing was great, moving things along at a crisp pace. There was plenty of humor, and it was lovely to see old Harrison and Carrie share kind of a love scene, in their grandpa and grandma years. There were fun new critters in a rehash of the bar scene from A NEW HOPE, but there’s no Yoda, no Jabba the Hutt, no giant, toothy sand worms.
. The climax, sadly, was more than a bit flawed. The pivotal scene is far too reminiscent of Skywalker confronting Vader on the catwalks, and Han Solo’s behavior is neither justified nor believable for a second. When the death star substitute is about to destroy the entire rebellion, it had about as much tension as an episode of The Andy Griffith Show. General Leia is informed (of course) that they only have two minutes left until they are doomed, and we feel the same urgency we felt in ordering popcorn at the concession stand. Will they put enough greasy fake butter on my giant bucket o’ corn, or not? I mean really- is there any doubt Isaac’s crack piloting will save the day by finding the one weakness conveniently engineered into the most advanced weaponry in the history of the universe? Naw, not really.
– I wanted to give this 4 stars or more- really I did. Star Wars was once a reliable milk cow. Even without the cream, the milk tastes nice- a little watery, perhaps. The coda on Skellig Michael off the coast of Ireland is stunning, and perfectly sets up the rekindled franchise. I like the cute milk mustache on Daisy Ridley’s upper lip enough to see the episodes that follow, but I can’t say it’s J.J. Abrams finest hour.
CHAPPIE (2015) ***+
> South African original Neil Blomkamp’s third film (after DISTRICT 9 and the ambitious ELYSIUM), was panned more for what it wasn’t, than for what it was.
. Somehow, this imaginative film was considered to have fallen short of expectations. Some viewers didn’t like a choice here, or a device there. Folks took exception to the unusual but highly appropriate ending, or wanted a story about Artificial Intelligence run amok to have more gravitas. Who cares about all that crap? Does it matter if the film entertains?
. CHAPPIE is an entertaining film about the first robot to become sentient through artificial intelligence. Originally part of the new robot Johannesburg police force, the A.I. named Chappie is waylaid and put to use by a criminal gang. But this artificial human has a conflict. His maker, (Dev Patel), has instructed him never to listen if someone tells him to harm another human being- but always to think for himself, and as he struggles from intellectual babyhood into childhood and beyond, this new being comes to a point where he has to confront this cognitive dissonance and decide what his morals and ethical standards will be.
. Great premise! So the film is not as great as the premise? Big deal. I’m not concerned about what CHAPPIE is not.
– I enjoyed and appreciated CHAPPIE for what it was.
TRUMBO (2015) ***+
> I did not know much about the intellectual character that was Dalton Trumbo.
. I had read his searing anti-war novel from 1938 JOHNNY GET YOUR GUN, and I did know that he was found in contempt of congress for refusing to cooperate with the heinous House Un-American Activities Committee making him one of the infamous “Hollywood ten”, a cadre unjustly blacklisted screenwriters found guilty by suspicion and association alone. I knew there was a great story in there somewhere and that it would only be a matter of time before someone made a biography of this courageous man.
. Good thing. Good film!
. My old junior high acquaintance Bryan Cranston seemed the perfect casting choice. As an actor, he has shown great skill in his chameleon-like ability to recreate himself for new roles. Who would have imagined the goofy father with those great comic chops in “Malcolm in the Middle” could be Walter White in “Breaking Bad”? (I hear he did a great L.B.J. on stage as well. Wouldn’t surprise me.) And he is just the right man for the job in this handsomely-appointed period piece from director Jay Roach, ably backed up by fine actors doing solid work.
. Michael Stuhlbarg (“Boardwalk Empire”) does an uncanny Edward G. Robinson, David James Elliott inhabits John Wayne without stooping to impersonation and Helen Mirren delivers a deliciously vile professional busybody Hedda Hopper. Also contributing: Diane Lane, Ellie Fanning, John Goodman and a very good Louis C.K. as Trumbo’s sidekick/foil. I knew Trumbo was able to create a “black market” for his forbidden screenplays by creating straw men writers to take the credit, (and the Oscars, when they came!), but I didn’t know he singlehandedly created a cottage industry for his fellow blacklisted writers.
– Very cool story. But sad. Sad and pathetic. Especially when seen through the prism of today’s proud ignorance.
AMY (2015) ***+
> Having just used the words “sad” and “pathetic” in the above review of TRUMBO, I find it necessary to repeat myself:
. AMY is sad. Pathetic, even.
. The story of the slow, steady descent of supremely talented diva Amy Winehouse into the hell of self-destruction is above all, sad and pathetic. In a time where far too many people worship the cult of celebrity and aspire to fame more than any other attribute, this is a powerful portrait of how sudden success can completely destroy a person, with a little help from unhealthy appetites. By the time Amy Winehouse finally succumbed to her excesses, nobody was surprised to hear the news. Saddened and disappointed yes- surprised, no. It had long seemed just a matter of time.
. But time was something Amy did not have much of. Good thing there is this record of her unique genius. And there is plenty of it, though more often than not, her crippling insecurities obfuscated the shining star she could have been. Some of the session work recorded here from the Back in Black album clearly reveals what a stunning gift she had. Yes, the woman was a mess- but man those pipes! An old story indeed, from Billie Holliday to Janis Joplin.
. It is so telling, what Tony Bennett says he would like to have told Amy had he been able:
– “Slow down. Life teaches you how to live it, if you live long enough.”
THE BIG SHORT (2015) ****
> Best known for his silly Will Farrell comedies, former SNL head writer Adam McKay has pulled off quite a trick here: he took the driest, wonkiest subject imaginable (arcane banking shenanigans), and crafted from them a truly compelling film.
. Certainly, there’s no shortage of drama here, from the meta to the mega- from the scheming investment banks maximizing profit by withholding information to the family man holding an underwater mortgage. It’s the story of the big housing meltdown of 2007 that almost took the nation and the world down the drain to financial ruin. The details are so lurid as to seem unbelievable- even all these years after the fact. The cynical greed and denial behind the whole shameful debacle are Shakespearian in scope.
. The cast is great, which is good, as there really isn’t a standard “protagonist” among them. Like SPOTLIGHT, this is a true ensemble film where everyone contributes to the heady brew. Brad Pitt, Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling are all excellent, but Steve Carell (the actor who comes the closest to being the lead), continues to amaze with his ability to step completely outside of the TV Daily Show comic and demonstrate considerable acting chops. (He is also the only character given much of a private life, in very good scenes with a criminally underutilized Marisa Tomei, where is struggles with the biggest pain in his life- his brother’s suicide.)
. THE BIG SHORT is a very stylized affair that uses lots of cultural collage as shorthand to invoke the zeitgeist of the passing historical moment. The invisible “fourth wall” of the audience is breeched repeatedly, as characters turn suddenly and speak directly to us. When the going gets thick, the narration cleverly diverges to little scenes of familiar personalities using metaphor to explain complex dealings- people like Selena Gomez at a blackjack table or Anthony Bourdain in a kitchen. It’s thick indeed, but presented in a breezy tongue-in-cheek way that always keeps us interested and in the loop.
. McKay seems to have done a bang up job adapting the book. The soundtrack is good, punctuated at the end by the perfect Led Zeppelin song to encapsulate the madness of the film: “If it keeps on rainin’ the levee’s gonna break!” As we now, it did- flooding the world in misery while the investment bankers who caused it all got off Scot-free with big fat (taxpayer subsidized) bonuses as they walked out that revolving door into other lucrative banking jobs. Motherfuckers!
– Another very good film, in a very good year for cinema!
AVENGERS: THE AGE OF ULTRON (2015) ***+
Comic book movies are not generally my genre, but how could I resist this eye candy? The previews made Ultron look good and BAD, and with all the serious talent here (from Robert Downey Jr. to the ever-delicious Scarlett Johansson), I had to take it seriously. And I was seriously entertained. I really like the new plotline of artificial intelligence run amok, and this is one of the best of the bunch. Fine actor Mark Ruffalo gives real soul to the beast we know as The Incredible Hulk, by emphasizing the human half of the man-turned-monster. As always, he is very, very good. The FX are a blast and evil robot Ultron has some of the best lines in the script, delivering some very funny zingers. Yes it’s all very silly and contrived, but I don’t mind that in the least if the film is as outright entertaining as this one was!
*
Goodnight, Irene, Goodnight. Toodle-oo. Sayonara until next month! Until then, let the battle cry be heard:
Vive Cine, elves and reindeer!
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© Kevin Paul Keelan and lastcre8iveiconoclast, 2021. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Kevin Paul Keelan and lastcre8iveiconoclast with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
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