Justice League

If you grew up in the era when I grew up reading more DC than Marvel comics and was always looking forward to watching the Superfriends animated series on Saturday mornings, then you can understand how that just the very fact of their being finally a movie about all of them in one place, the Justice League itself, is such a big deal and is finally here.  That fact alone is and will have to be satisfying enough, because the Justice League film does disappoint.  What I took away from Batman vs Superman, despite it's own flaws, was that at the very least it was a precursor to Justice League and anchored by the presence and performance of Gal Gadot.  However, this film is obviously bigger than a redeeming Gadot, as there are 3 new characters being introduced or shall I say for audience purposes, being brought forth (with the exception of Cyborg).  Personally, I still feel the grief of the Green Lantern film fuck up of 2011, so at least they didn't foolishly try to jam him in this rather lack luster film.  Honestly, the trailer is more satisfying and if you keep your expectations at the level of Batman vs Superman, you won't be disappointed that much.  Frankly, even most of the humor of the film were in the trailers.  How to introduce a team, gel them together, resurrect Superman, and save the day is certainly enough to cram into any movie.  But these challenges have been done before.  There are film templates of success for it, the most obvious example being the Avenger films or even the early Transformer movies.  We certainly can't blame Affleck as Batman for this one.  In the midst of that challenge, the story was just badly written and not portrayed as urgent.  It's a shame because there were certain interesting points, not given enough emphasis.  For example, how there was a historical unity against this present threat of power in between Aquaman's, Wonder Woman's, and us regular human being's ancestors. The Flash was pretty much the equivalent of Spiderman inserted into the last Avenger film and Aquaman could have easily just been any other loud mouthed, testorone driven character in any other action film except he uses a pitchfork instead of a gun.  The most interesting character this time around was Cyborg, yeah the Black guy who was very instrumental to the story.  He's been around the comic world since 1980 and can arguably be seen as DC's attempt to update their diversity (think Marvel's Black Panther).  The Cyborg movie is set for 2020.  The villain, a character called Steppenwolf (lol, I kid you not) is like a fucked up looking Loki character from Thor, but without the charisma.  There's a decent exchange of him battling the Amazons early on, but that's about it.   But somehow Superman has to be resurrected to help take care of this threat and lead the Justice League.  That aspect also felt a bit forced on us.  Like, you mean these other superheroes could not get their shit together enough in time to coordinate all their unique powers to stop this guy?  I didn't buy it and neither did I think the audience. DC is just so damn far behind Marvel in film development and generating something other than disappointment. At least Batman vs Superman had some appealing  air of mystery in Superman's death and the notion of the other 3 superhero characters that would follow. DC is just so damn far behind Marvel in film development and generating something other than disappointment.  For sure, I'll watch Justice League again on dvd. I'm still a  DC fan and this movie has been a long time coming.

Kong: Skull Island

Here we have just a contrived remake retrofitted with the Vietnam era in a Jurassic Park is sort of way; the former providing some lift to the action sequences headed up by a war crazed Sam Jackson. Even with the weak facelift, Kong: Skull Island struggles to balance humor with the violent gravity of their predicament. More importantly, it's plagued by a sea of character cliches, if not fully lacking characters including the major character himself. Have very low expectations if there is any enjoyment to be had.

Jackie

Natalie Portman is an amazing actress and tackling on a role of one of the most iconic figures in American history certainly further cements that.  Jackie is a uniquely written and directed film about First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy.  It's shown in a series of flashbacks from an interview in the aftermath of her husband's assassination.  The flashback segments include her time in the White House, the events of the assassination, and the aftermath; which are amazing in showcasing the many sides of her persona within that high stakes bubble. There is a very unique soundtrack that captures the tone of those moments really well and aids in these transitional segments.  Because of that, the performances, the creative cinematography, and directing, Jackie has a poetical almost art house feel to it that lends itself well in discovering this character.

Detroit

Kathryn Bigelow directs Detroit, concerning the events of the Algiers Motel that punctuated the 1967 riots in Detroit.  It's an ambitious undertaking on the 50th anniversary of one of the most tragic events in U.S. history.  Bigelow and the talented cast of John Boyega, Will Poulter, and Anthony Mackie turn it into a very intense and watchable hard-boiled drama, carefully crafted with well placed documentary footage.  As a native Detroiter and hearing in some fashion about the 67 riots all my life, I was happy to have a movie made about events.  However, the significance of those events is hard to encompass in just one film, but the parallels to our recent history in dealing with police brutality and killings, racial profiling, and the militarization of the police should not be lost on anyone.

Three

Johnnie To films are certainly interesting and edgy.  I haven't been keeping up with his films in years. Three is a twisty, ensemble driven, crime thriller starring Loui Koo and Wallace Chung.  It might just be a bit too twisty I say with a certain curve for subtitled films, but I applaud the primary one set piece infused with a dialogue driven cat and mouse plot.

Founder

Watched this story of McDonald's franchise founder on Netflix.  Michael Keaton is a really engaging actor and this is certainly an interesting story about the guy who propelled the fast food giant to it's current status in the world.  It's also a slightly dark, cautionary tale trying to straddle both sides of the endeavors morale in doing so. In trying to maintain that equilibrium Founder suffers going deep enough into the story, but is more than a worthwhile watch with a very talented cast.

Popstar: Never Stop Stopping

Andy Samberg is a fool and I mean that in a good funny way.  It's about time he finally got a vehicle to capitalize on the amazing digital shorts he created when he was on Saturday Night Live.  Popstar: Never Stop Stopping is that culmination.  It's both an intelligent satirical film poking fun at what it means to be a celebrity and artist in this age of constant social media coverage and perception and just plain in your face exaggerated dumb down humor.  So it's theoretically accessible on different levels, but obviously, as is one of the points of the film, the dumbed down humor can be detracting.

In Your Eyes

Two seemingly disparate people from different parts of the country find they have a uniquely innate connection that serves to help and bring them closer.  In Your Eyes has an old fashioned, sweet, innocent charm to it that I just love.  It's about love, possibilities, the supernatural, and connections.   I'm an admitted sucker for these type of films and it's been on my Netflix list for a long time. It's an admittedly unrealistic fairy tale, but has connotations of depth for the human condition, especially relevant for us in this age of high tech. So I encourage the person in my eyes (this is one of "our" films) to view this film.

The Accountant

Highly functioning autistic guy uses his skills to get paid by finding discrepancies for criminal organizations until he is targeted. The Accountant has got a great cast in Ben Affleck, John Lithgow, J.K. Simmons, and Jon Bernthal and the story is thoroughly interesting and compelling with twist and turns.  The plot, although good, was pretty convoluted and could really benefit from improvements in writing and editing.  The action and pace later help to offset some of that, but towards the conclusion it's still noteworthy.  It's funny because in some ways, his character could easily compliment his pal Matt Damon's Jason Bourne character.  Let's just forget about his The Sum Of All Fears.

Suicide Squad

Other than to get perhaps some more insight into the whole Justice League saga, I watched this without any real earnestness.  What I got was kind of what I expected from the consensus, but no foul as it was a free dvd to rent.  Suicide Squad, despite it's maniacal characters, lack an edginess in characters and story with the exception of Jared Leto as the Joker and Margo Robbie as Harley Quinn.  The worst of the worst criminals are turned into a team for the government to take down extraordinary threats.  Of course, The Avengers or anything close to it, it isn't.  Sorely lacking are enough backstory content to make one even care about this team of super villains.  Admittedly, the DC saga of films has had a rough and rocky start leading up to the upcoming Justice League film. Suicide Squad seems like a feeble attempt towards that lead up.  A charismatic Will Smith and  the talented acting credibility of Viola Davis barely keep it  afloat.  I was certainly confused throughout the viewing by the questionable comedic tone and or lack of real edgy darkness presented.   DC isn't exactly navigating with the ease of Marvel when it comes to infusing more comedic films to further the larger narrative, as their Ant Man and Deadpool have done with regards to the Avengers.  Suicide Squad might have done better as a series on a network or Netflix like their Legends Of Tomorrow.

Flame & Citron

Starring Mads Mikkelson, Thure Lindhardt, and Stine Stengade, Flame & Citron is a 2008 Danish film based on true events in the underground resistance to Germany in World War 2.  I have to say I really liked this film. True story about spies and deception and betrayal with a really nice film noir element to it and great actors and acting.  Amidst the initial deciphering and orienting oneself about what was going on plot wise juxtaposed with the Danish subtitles, director and co-writer Lars Madsen reveals a world of intriguing characters in this shadowy world that constantly shifts the murky layers of grey among each character, including the Nazis.  There's also an integral romantic plot element to it that makes one think of those great film noir war films of the 40's. Flame & Citron had a lot of success obviously, but it was completely off my radar.  So it was a gem of a film to discover and view and learn about. 

Chronicles Of Evil

This is a really nice hard-boiled crime noir thriller, that we don't see much of nowadays.  I was really impressed with the Chronicles Of Evil.  Like I've said before, the South Korean movies have really been making strides. The twisted plot is just really damn clever and the lead actors  Son Hyun-joo, Ma Dong-seok, and Choi Daniel give really good performances.  It excels in exploring the notions of what it means to be good or bad or perceived as such; and how it unexpectedly manifest itself in a character's circumstances and situations.  Chronicles Of Evil is good and engaging with its twist and turns.  I suspect, maybe in dialogue too, but I'm certainly not fully qualified to judge by Korean subtitles alone.

Firestorm

2013's Firestorm is certainly a more than decent action movie starring Andy Lau.  Unfortunately, it has much more potential than it actually delivers, in terms of storyline and character development; though the performances are good. I viewed this on Netflix and found out later it was originally made for 3D, which has a semi-strange look if you aren't wearing the glasses.  That and the arguably overuse of cgi and other special effects as the climax increases, kind of takes away from the decent cat and mouse police hunt that preceded it.

Floyd Norman: An Animated Life

Chronicling the story of legendary Black Disney animator Floyd Norman, this documentary is a real gem of an American story.  The content and lessons imparted on his still very relevant life in how to live and reinvent that relevance in doing what he loves, is just fascinating  and inspiring from so many perspectives.  

The Salvation

Wow and wow really kind of sums up The Salvation.  You don't see a lot of well made westerns anymore, but this is certainly one to behold.  Starring Mads Mikkelsen and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, it's a tale of revenge and justice with a Danish flavored storyline and co-written and directed by Danish director Kristian Levring.  The visuals, use of color, and cinematography are really just amazing and unique, with South Africa used as the location for the American Old West.  Needless to say, the performances by an amazing cast are just as solid as it comes.  The Salvation is certainly unique, but it also deftly gives homage in influence to Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns.  I put this in my Netflix list  a while back because Mads was in this and pretty much anything he's in, he guarantees a great performance. But this went beyond that expectation from the very first scenes.  If you like westerns, you won't be disappointed.

Logan

Logan is probably one of the most character driven super hero movies I've seen, at least from the Marvel franchise. It's hard to believe that Hugh Jackman has been doing this role for like 17 years, but this film really puts that all into perspective.  This X-Men film redefines the genre it's usually associated with, with heartfelt performances from Jackman and Patrick Stewart.  Newcomer Dafne Keen has a magnetic understated charisma to nicely balance the aging gruff of Jackman, as the legacy baton is passed on to her.  Much of the film is in the template of Luc Besson's The Professional. Logan is certainly one of the most satisfying of all the X-Men films that instead of skimping on action, balances it cohesively with real character driven drama that gives it a cinematic grace and redemption sorely lacking in the previous films.

Star Trek Beyond

Star Trek Beyond is beyond solid in the third installment of the rebooted Star Trek franchise.   Director Justin Lin lends his signature Fast and Furious, frenetic action pace to this film and it never really lets up here.  This film is also about homages to Lenoard Nimoy (Spock), Anton Yelchin (Chekov), and to the general spirit of the original series.  There is a lot of heart and humor in the dialogue and plot, as relationships are rekindled and renewed. How to do that and maintain a great action pace is the product of good collaboration in directing, writing, and casting.  It certainly shows here.

Get Out

It's a wonderful time for Black cinema now.  Think of recent best picture nominees in the diverse genre works and accolades of Fences, Hidden Figures, and Moonlight and it's undeniable.  Now comes writer and director Jordan Peele's Get Out and it's clever and unique Black perspective on horror that simultaneously pays homage to the classics of the genre while making it's own unique inroads in that direction.  It also doesn't skimp on humor or in addressing the very real issue of race in this country.  I usually don't like to comment too specifically on what others are saying, but the recent critique about the casting of non-Black Americans and all that, has some validity, but it's a minor one in the sense that I found the rather unknown cast to be a fresh perspective here and in other films like Selma. Nothing against the talent and budget power of certain known Black actors and what they may lend a film, but sometimes the relative unknown qualities of lesser known actors, is less distracting to the intended leanings of a film. Irregardless, Jordan Peele has really done something great on so many levels here and at a pivotal time.

Hidden Figures

When you see a movie of such historical importance and long overdue present relevance as Hidden Figures, it is hard to encapsulate the significance of the content in mere words. This is just an amazing movie of Black history, women's history, and American history that was long overdue to be told. Three educated Black women mathematicians and engineers, a crucial part of the most significant American space explorations, just being revealed to the vast majority of people on a scale that is more than deserved. Showcased are the trials and tribulations with healthy doses of humor, poise, and an engaging humanity in the performances of Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae, and Octavia Spencer.  In our present technology dependent era, mandated by a more urgent need for education, training, and innovation; and amidst a society still greatly plagued by racism, Hidden Figures is a film with inspiring and not so hidden lessons for us all.

Moonlight

African American writer and director Barry Jenkins has developed a lot since his independent film debut in 2008's Medicine For Melancholy.  Moonlight is an artfully crafted, poetic film that creatively captures the moments in a young Black man's journey to manhood and the issues of race, sexuality, poverty, and family strife that shape that journey.  It's a well put together cast, especially in the performances of Mahershala Ali, Naomie Harris, Andre Holland, and Trevante Rhodes and I must say this is a very talented and refreshing cast ensemble of diverse Black actors.  Moonlight deserves all the accolades it's been given.  It's powerful film making in the stillness of it's cinematography, the mood of it's soundtrack, what it elicits from it's audience, and poignantly mirrors back on our society.

War Dogs

Two young American guys turn international arms dealers and their ambitions to get paid, take them to the top and down.  This thriller/comedy/true story is interesting to be sure.  However, it fails to measure up in its execution ultimately.  It's a shame because a decade prior, there was its arguably better counterpart of a film  in Nicholas Cage's Lord Of War (also about arms dealers and with the same general story arc).  The best thing about War Dogs is frankly Jonah Hill's performance.  It's as simple as that, especially after great performances by him like in The Wolf Of Wallstreet.