The Beach Bum

Ok, sure it's a stoner movie.  Matthew McConaughy, Snoop Dogg, Jonah Hill, Zac Efron, Isla Fisher, and Martin Lawrence are all here for the ride.  But what in the fuck was the point here. McConaughy's character Moondog is so stoned the whole time and I suspect, he and everyone were on set.  Don't get me wrong, Matthew is perfect for the role here, but it is so overplayed and wrought with excess, that it can't be anchored by anything or anyone else.  Whatever carefree living point was attached to some semblance of a questionable plot here, The Beach Bum, did not quite make it with flying colors and it seems like such a waste of a film, however much fun the cast may have had.

The Irishman

All hands on deck! Pacino, Deniro, Pesci, Keitel. Scorsese has assembled the best dream cast around and delivers a much anticipated classic here and you can see and feel it from the very first frames. The Irishman is a master class in excellent film composition and an ode to all the best films of it's cast and director. Old fashioned film making paired up with the well placed use of de-aging technology is amazing (and, admittedly a little weird) to see and just gives the viewer this sense of nostalgia for when these guys were in their prime, less we forget that this was also a film about a man's life and intersection with Hoffa  and the mob. It even pokes fun at the fact that people nowadays don't know who Hoffa even was. Indeed, this is not just a gangster film in even the obvious storytelling style of Goodfellas or Casino. You could rightfully say all of Scorsese's best films are encapsulated here. There is the passage of time, end of an era motif played out in so many other levels not just integral to the story itself. What we are witnessing in The Irishman is magical, majestic, and with a level of craft on all levels to strive for.  I would describe it as an internal gangster film with more efficient use of violence and it doesn't need to be anything more for the viewers or anticipators of just shoot em up action leanings. Like last year's brilliant winner in Alfonso Cuaron's Roma, I easily anticipate great things here. Needless to say, of course everyone's performances were damn stellar and at the top of their game. Netflix, to their credit, has given both of these directors a medium to work in as real film artist, to anyone who has the short attention span to complain about their long running times. The level of detail in each well placed shot, writing and storyline, composition, acting, soundtrack, foreshadowing, etc., is a poignant and beautiful thing to behold when it's done right and The Irishman is certainly that. 

John Wick 3

John Wick 3: Parabellum runs like a video game.  What it lacks in a coherent and underdeveloped storyline, it makes or shall we say overshadows with in action sequences.  In this sense, it is heavily influenced by Asian action films. I could certainly see influences, references, and playful nods to lots of films, like The Raid, Game of Death, and The Matrix films.  It was just over the top and heavy handed in this sense and hard to understand or even care much about what could have been a more interesting backstory with some interesting characters.  For martial art action fans like myself, I can't be totally disappointed in this common criticism because on the surface alone it does excel both more in the action quantity and quality, more than the previous two films put together. I'm happy about the franchise, but at the same time, I think Reeves and director Chad Stahelski should be more vigilant about it digressing into just slick action alone.  I also emphasize this because some of the cgi aspects of the film got a little sloppy and with an abundant budget and resources, that's just not to acceptable.  I would want to see the franchise tighten it up a bit in chapter 5.  It was good seeing Halle Berry kicking ass of course, but actors understandably jumping onboard action franchises is arguably so common place now especially with her donning this type of role before.  All of that being said, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, like the previous two, is still a highly enjoyable romp into an exciting fictional film noir, that doesn't let up in action and intensity.

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!!!