Detroit 48202:; Conversations Along A Postal Route

A local documentary portrait offering a rare snapshot into the city of Detroit from a unique native perspective.  It weaves in and out of city history, family narrative, and neighborhood perspective.  I found it very relatable and engaging without being preachy.  Detroit is often times just thought of in terms of just the Motorcity or Motown, Detroit 48202 explores other little known aspects like the significance of Black Bottom and Black migration.

Bumblebee

Well, the Transformer film franchise certainly needed a reboot after the last disasters in Age Of Extinction and The Last Knight.  So like other superhero/comic book film franchises that find themselves going down the wrong path, they did a reboot.  Since the Transformers started in the 80's, it was only appropriate to make that (1987) the setting for Bumblebee here.  Having grown up in the 80's myself, being a fan, and watching the early television shows and  films, I've never run into anyone who didn't consider the character of Bumblebee to be one of their favorite Transformers.  So giving him a bit of an origins story and pairing him up with a troubled teenager (Hailee Steinfeld) turns out to be a no brainer.  The special effects and action are, of course, all there but they aren't unecessarily saturated over substance like many of the earlier films, even with Michael Bay still as one of the producers.  Instead, nostalgia, character chemistry and humanity, and humor are in equal doses here under the helm of  director Travis Knight. 

Triple Threat

You've got an all star dream team of martial artist here in Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Tiger Chen, Michael Jae White, Scott Adkins, and Jeeja Yanin to name just a few.  That alone promises a lot of potential and their is surely great action to supplement the badly executed story.  Don't get me wrong.  It's certainly not the worst executed plot and most martial art fans understand that, expecting more action.  On this note, it's great and there is never a dull moment with the variety of styles showcased and going against one another.  Yet, I would certainly argue that each of these stars already has or can potentially make their own stand alone movie even better executed action.  Tony, Iko, Scott, and Michael for sure have showcased their prowess better in their own films.  But a buffet of action stars that aren't yet ready for the Expendables movies from an international cast is still just magnificent to behold, especially in seeing the teaming of Tony and Iko and their respective western counterparts of Michael and Scott.  Granted, an action cast that extensive and talented is rather doomed to fully live up to the expectations and possibilities of the fans given the time restraints and budget of a regular feature film format, even as visceral as Triple Threat is.

September 16, 2019. Finally!!!

Avengers: Endgame

Beyond arguably the most star studded cast in a successful film franchise, Avengers: Endgame is the culmination of a decades long legacy and realization for the Marvel franchise and it doesn't disappoint.  It delivers and then some, in hefty but fitting doses for the fans and critiques alike.  In the aftermath that is Avengers: Infinity War, Endgame is exciting, witty, surprising, unexpected, nostalgic, and delivers tons of obligatory action.  At 3 hours long, the Russo brothers pack it with story oriented trips down memory lane and the like, that return the franchise to it's roots started in 2008's Iron Man and send it off with a conclusion and continuation rarely seen in this type of genre.  Free range is given to explore and celebrate the original Avenger characters and this is just as great as the action that we've come to expect.  Those character bonds, their angst, tragedies, and triumphs are dived into wholeheartedly.  Much of what ties all the characters, including the seemingly ordinary ones, of these 21 films together in story and ultimately as an integral solution to their current dilemma is a treat that is sprinkled in generous doses throughout here.  Avengers: Endgame certainly has it's flaws, mostly in terms of uneven tone and pacing for the length. A mandatory second viewing may flesh them out further. But whatever minor criticisms I may have on that front, are just that in the overall scheme of things.  Endgame is what we've been waiting for and it's a celebration of all of these successful films (let's not forget TV, too)  tied together and if you've enjoyed anyone of those films, then Endgame will resonate with you on some level.  Marvel has made so many ascending strides in the superhero genre and they flaunt it here, sometimes unabashedly.  So while there is a somberness and celebration here, there is also a continuation in more films in the works and on the way.   

Shadow

The Girl In The Spider's Web

Claire Foy is a very fine actor and all and she's capable enough in the role here, but she surely ain't no Noomi Rapace.  Director Fede Alvarez does a fine job of updating the technical capabilities of our favorite dark vigilante heroine and her alies, but too much emphasis is placed on that at the expense of other essential elements.  It's cool and all, but The Girl In The Spider's Web ends up becoming just another almost composite of  the Jason Bourne films at best.  Lisbeth's backstory, as interesting as it was and integral to the whole story, was not fully dealt with enough getting lost in a plot that was more suited to Bourne or Bond.  The look, pacing, and action were all right and it had a creative premise, but it didn't fully live up to the expectations of what I've come to expect in this franchise. One other notable omission was the rapport with partner and  journalist Mikael Blomkvist (played by Sverrir Gudnason), who was almost reduced to just an extra here. This is a shame, because there is so much inherent possibility in characters that rich and that we've seen done well on the screen in the 3 original Swedish films and even in the well edited and executed Netflix TV series which takes a different slant.