Double Dip - Knives Out & Uncut Gems Are Two Of 2019's Best

One of my earliest movie memories involved watching the great Murder On The Orient Express in middle school.  Why we were watching it, I have no idea, but I was hooked.  I spent the entire movie at the edge of my seat, desperately trying to figure out the murderer's identity.  We watched half of it before lunch and half after.  My classmates and I spent the entire lunch break discussing our theories.  From that moment on, I was hooked on the "Who-dunnit" format.  The problem with that is that Hollywood seemed to sour on the idea of the all-star murder mystery format.  Recently, Hollywood has tried to revive the format with Quentin Tarantino's The Hateful Eight and a remake of Murder On The Orient Express to mixed results.  They were either too long or just unwanted, but at least the format was making a comeback.

That's why I was pumped for Rian Johnson's Knives Out from the moment I saw the trailer.  I'm a little late in seeing this one, but I'm glad that I finally got an opportunity to watch it, because it might be the most fun I've had at the theater all year.

Knives Out is a bit of a comeback for Johnson after his polarizing, yet refreshing take on Star Wars (2017's The Last Jedi), and he doesn't disappoint as the director of this ensemble whodunnit.  You can tell he's freed from the weight that Star Wars brought upon him (and the legion of toxic fanboys who will never be satisfied).  He fills every frame in this movie with joy, humor and suspense, and the result is a top-notch movie that I hope revives the genre.

Knives Out doesn't stray too far from its format.  It picks up a week or so after the birthday party (and potential murder) of a successful murder mystery writer (played with an almost kid's like glee by Christopher Plummer), whose quirky family all stand to gain financially from his death.  There are many suspects and the spider's web that is woven together kept me captivated the entire time.  Without spoiling it, I will say that this movie is more of a how-dunnit than a traditional who-dunnit, but I enjoyed this particular twist.

The entire cast gets to shine in this one.  From Jamie Lee Curtis & Don Johnson and relative newcomer (to American films at least) Ana De Armas, to Chris Evans (in full a-hole mode here), Michael Shannon and LaKeith Stanfield, every actor seems like they're having the time of their lives.  Every character is richly developed and adds their own personal intrigue to the story.  Every performance could easily have stolen the movie, but I'd have to give that crown to Daniel Craig as the inspector hired to put the pieces together.  He is not above self-deprecation, but is seemingly in control the entire time.  His "Foghorn Leghorn" southern accent only adds to the laughs.

I can't say enough about this one.  If you have a chance to see it before awards season officially kicks in, you should definitely take that opportunity.

The other gem (pun intended) of a movie that I recently had the pleasure of watching was Uncut Gems.  It's an intense film from the Safdie brothers, a duo that have established themselves as master filmmakers after only a few movies.  Their previous film, Good Time, was one of my favorite films of the year that it came out and told a similar story of a down-on-his-luck criminal struggling to stay ahead of his bad decisions.

Uncut Gems ups the ante in every way from that film.  It features a never-better Adam Sandler, in the performance of a lifetime, as a degenerate gambler/jewelry dealer who can't seem to get out of his own way.  Did I mention that this movie is intense?  It starts with its foot on the gas and doesn't ever let up.  You can't help but white knuckle your seat when you sit through this.  It's shot and acted in such a frenetic way that it never stops to breathe.  I absolutely loved it and it just may be the best movie I've seen all year. 

Back to Sandler for a moment.  I realize that he's way past his prime as a comedic star.  He's responsible for some of the worst movies of all-time.  Audiences have abandoned him to the point where he had to go to Netflix to get his bro comedies made.  I'm not faulting him for that.  Hell, If I could goof around with my buddies and get paid for it, I would do it in a second.  However, when he manages to step out of his comfort zone, he usually delivers in a big way.  From Punch-Drunk Love, Spanglish and Funny People, to the underrated Reign Over Me, Sandler has proven that he's a more than capable dramatic actor.  He's unbelievable here.  I wish he'd take more chances in his acting choices going forward, but I wouldn't be excited if he lines up another Grown-Ups after this one.  I really can't laud his performance enough here.  He displays the right blend of sleaze and confidence here, while also slowly crumbling under the weight of decisions.  He definitely deserves to be (at the very least) nominated for his performance, and I think he should win outright.

You have to go see this one.  It will not disappoint and will certainly make my top 10 of the year.  I really can't see it dropping out of the top 2 or 3 of 2019 for me.

Naysayers Be Damned! The Rise Of Skywalker Is A Triumph

Star Wars, like everything else in 2019, has become polarized.  2017's The Last Jedi fractured the fan base almost to a point of no return.  People are vehement in their defense of (I'm in that category) or their hatred of that film.  Somehow Rian Johnson simultaneously sent the franchise in an exciting new direction while also murdering the childhood of countless (toxic) fanboys.  I, for one, loved that film.  Its primary message was "in order to move forward, you have to kill the past."  It was a bold new direction for the franchise that always looked to the past, and I was very excited to see where they were taking it.  Sure, there were flaws (Mary Poppins-Skywalker, anyone?), but damn if Rian Johnson wasn't afraid to take big, bold steps.  I guess I'm in the minority because Disney went back to the well with JJ Abrams (director of spectacular Force Awakens) to right the ship.  The Rise Of Skywalker is definitely more of a course correction than a step in a new direction, but holy moly is it a fun ride. 

I've long maintained that the biggest mistake Disney made with this new trilogy of films is that they didn't allow a singular vision to tell the complete story.  They were more concerned with pumping out a new film every two years than telling a cohesive story through a new trilogy.  I contend that if they let JJ direct the entire trilogy, there would be a lot less polarization in the fanbase.  The Force Awakens opened up a new set of characters and stories, while weaving in past favorites.  Last Jedi did the opposite.  It was as if Johnson was burdened by the other film rather than growing the story from it.  Important characters (well, at least we thought) were killed off without reason and other important characters spent their time middling through weird side quests (casino scene, I'm looking at you).  What Skywalker does smartly is get the band back together.  Rey, Poe, Fin, et al have always been stronger together, and this film proves that point to a T.

Skywalker opens up with a rumor of the return of Emperor Palpatine, and our yin and yang (Rey and Ren) homing in on his potential locations.  Battle lines are drawn as both The First Order and The Resistance move towards one final battle.  I don't really want to spoil anything, but there are some truly breathtaking battle and fight sequences in this one, and the story being told, while familiar, is downright entertaining.

Going back to our group of heroes, their chemistry shines in this one.  Finn and Poe bicker like a pair of brothers and the connection of Rey and Ren really drives this film to its spectacular conclusion.  That's not to say that the old guard doesn't get their moment in the sun.  This film weaves in the late Carrie Fisher (from a mix of deleted scenes from the first two films) admirably and she's given the send-off her character deserves.  The great Billie Dee Williams returns as everyone's favorite space playboy, Lando.  I couldn't help but cheer out loud during his scenes.  Nostalgia plays a big part in this film, but it never feels forced.

Returning to my original point of a fractured fan base.  It seemed like The Force Awakens had everybody screaming for joy, while The Last Jedi was a critical hit and a audience miss.  The Rise Of Skywalker is more of a return to safety, but I didn't mind the nostalgia romp.  JJ Abrams had the unenviable task of finishing the Skywalker saga, while also bringing the aliented fans back into the fold.  If the audience reaction from my screening tonight is any measure of success, then he did so on both fronts (there were a couple "thank you JJs" yelled as the credits rolled.).

I absolutely loved The Rise Of Skywalker.  It did a fantastic job of finishing off the Skywalker saga, and was a hell of a lot of fun.  As I said during my review of The Force Awakens... congratulations JJ, you made a triumphant film!  Go see it!

Joker Is A Scorcese Meets Kubrick Masterpiece

 A lot of the buzz surrounding Joker is how much it (and its star Joaquin Phoenix) resembles Taxi Driver.  And while that is mostly true, I couldn't help but think that this film owes a lot to Stanley Kubrick as well.  It reminded me a lot of A Clockwork Orange with a bit of 2001 and The Shining sprinkled in.  It's a very open-ended film and other than a few references to Gotham City and the Wayne family, you'd never know it was a comic book movie.  It's a genre elevating film and one of, if not the best films I've seen this year.

The other pre-release buzz about Joker is how controversial is.  How it glorifies Incel culture and will inspire countless copycat killers.  This couldn't be further from the truth, and the media is doing this country a disservice with the hysteria it's drumming up.  Director Todd Phillips is right when he complains of a double standard.   We're in the midst of the Keanu Reeves revolution, and yet John Wick 3 was one of the most disturbing movies I've seen in quite some time.  The hundreds of point-blank shootings in that film almost turned my stomach... and I'm a huge fan of action oriented movies.  Meanwhile Joker is a brilliant character study of one man's dissent into madness.  The violence in this film is not glorified by any means, and there are less than a handful of violent scenes in this one.  I get that a horrible tragedy will forever be linked with the Batman franchise, but to say that this film is dangerous is a flat out overstatement.

There's not enough words to describe how brilliant Phoenix's performance is in this film.  He fully committed to this role in a way we haven't seen in a long time.  It's clear from the opening scene that Arthur Fleck is a man with some serious mental problems.  His uncontrollable laugh causes him to get picked on and even beaten.  He's a man down on his luck, but also one with serious delusions of grandeur.  He fancies himself a standup comedian, but doesn't actually know how to tell a joke.  He dreams of being on the Murray Franklin Show (hosted by Robert DeNiro's character - essentially The Tonight Show, Gotham Edition), but he's a nobody... and he'll always be a nobody.

There are many parallels to our society in this film.  The rich eating the poor.  Our refusal to help the down and out.  Our insistence that "mental illness" is a problem without actually offering up a solution or wanting to do anything to fix the issue.  This movie is a cry for help that goes unanswered.

It's also a villain's origin story, and yes, there is violence, but this is by no means a celebration of that violence.  It's up to the viewer, and it's something that has stayed with me throughout the weekend.  It's my opinion that a lot of the "glory" in this film was actually the Joker's interpretation of his actions.  We're seeing it through his twisted eyes.  I really enjoyed that there can be many readings of this film.  How much of it actually happened and how much it happened inside Joker's head?  The opening and closing scene in this movie gave me more questions than answers.  It could have taken place entirely inside Joker's mind, or most likely, a mix of both.

Joker is not your average comic book film.  It barely resembles one at all, but it feels like a breath of fresh air to the genre.  Don't let the "controversy" sway you from seeing this wonderful film.  I already want to go see it again.

It Chapter 2 Is A Let Down From Chapter 1

There's a running motif throughout It Chapter 2, in which a character who plays a writer doesn't know how to end a story.  I couldn't think of a more appropriate (albeit too self-aware) way to describe this movie.  It Chapter 2 was always going to struggle with its finish, the way the 1990s miniseries did and (I'm told) the book does.  I had high hopes that the phenomenal team behind the 2017 remake would be able to write the ship, but alas, they weren't.  It Chapter 2 is a mixed bag of scares and cheese that never quite finds itself.

It Chapter 2 picks up 27 years after the events of the first movie.  The creature that haunts Derry is back and at it again.  People are once again going missing and its up to the Loser's Club to fulfill their youthful promise and return to put away Pennywise The Clown once and for all.  As you can imagine, the gang is hesitant to return.  They eventually do return and we're treated to a bunch of up and down performances.  The "famous" actors (James McAvoy, Jessica Chastain and the movie-stealing Bill Hader) are given the meatiest roles, while the other actors don't quite live up to the others on the top of the marquee.  The Losers' time away from Derry has caused them to forget the events of the past, so most of the first half of the movie is a catch-up of sorts, where the grown ups have to confront their past in order to gain the power to fight Pennywise.  The scares in these scenes, while formulaic, are some of the better moments of the movie.  Once these acts are completed, it's time for the final battle with the killer clown (portrayed, once again, by the fantastic Bill Skarsgard).

This is where the movie really struggles.  Most of the pre-release buzz about the movie dealt with the nearly three-hour run time.  I didn't notice it much during the first 2/3rds of the movie, but the "final" sequence (which in reality is about 20 "final" sequences) is where the movie drags.  I haven't read the book, but this movie apparently stuck fairly close to it.  I would have preferred a re-write that got Chapter 2 to a better, more succinct ending.

Another issue I had with this movie is the off and on CGI that filled some of the horror sequences.  There were breathtaking moments, for sure, but there were also a lot of "cheap" looking effects.  It took me out of the movie a decent amount of the time.  It's like they ran out of money for the special effects and just tried to patchwork certain scenes together.  The kids from the first movie appear a lot in this one in flashbacks and they used de-aging special effects on them to make them look like they did 2 years ago.  It was quite distracting, and something that I wish they had avoided.

I didn't hate Chapter 2, but I certainly felt it could have been better.  Skarsgard's Pennywise is in a league of its own, and the marquee actors (particularly Bill Hader) shine during large chunks of the film.  However, it wasn't enough to save Chapter 2 from its meandering ending that was at times too cheesy for its own good.

Hobbs & Shaw - This Movie Is Insane(ly) Fun

I continue to be amazed by the Fast & Furious franchise (Universe?), and that a movie about catching thieves who stole DVD players (remember those?) would spawn 7 direct sequels (with two more on the way) and its first spin-off in Hobbs & Shaw.  If you go back to the first few films, they definitely had a straight to DVD vibe about them.  They were nothing special and the producers could have easily ended the franchise after the forgettable Tokyo Drift. However, I'm glad they didn't, because we never would have been introduced to The Rock's best on-screen character, Luke Hobbs.  He was the Viagra that the F&F franchise needed and transformed the series from run-of-the-mill racing movies to James Bond in cars.  Sadly, like most great bands, these actors couldn't quite last.  The Rock and Vin Diesel essentially refused to be on set together in the 8th installment, and it doesn't look likely that they'll ever collaborate in a F&F film again.  Hey, if Axl & Slash can play in Guns N' Roses again, anything is possible.  Until that day, we'll probably get a slew of spin-offs to keep the characters active... and I'm OK with that.

Hobbs & Shaw is a movie that feels like an action film from a forgotten era.  It's a 90s-style thrill ride from start to finish, and a definite escape from real world madness.  To describe the plot of this film would probably be an insult to the word, "plot."  It essentially boils down to the following: Bad guy does bad guys stuff, and two former foes team up to stop him.

I've long been a fan of The Rock, the wrestler, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, the actor.  He has a natural charisma that not many people have.  He's a larger than life screen presence, both in the ring and on the silver screen.  My one quibble with him is that he needs to learn to say "no" to every role thrown at him.  For every Fast & Furious success, there's a Rampage or Skyscraper (legitimately one of the worst movies I've ever seen) that tanks.  Just because someone offers you something, doesn't mean you have to take it.  I think he needs to be more selective with the roles he chooses going forward.

On the other hand, Jason Statham has more misses than hits.  He works best when he has someone to play off of, and Hobbs is the perfect Yin to Shaw's Yang.  They spend the entire movie trading insults and somehow it never got old. 

Another bright spot to come out of this is that Idris Elba gets to shine as the villain.  He's a genetically modified human (you read that correctly) hellbent on taking over the world.  Elba is delightfully devious and gets plenty of room to shine here.

The final act is bat shit crazy (in the best way possible) and you have to see it to believe it.  There's a fight with cars, helicopters and tribal Samoan weapons.  I can't really describe the madness since it makes my brain hurt, but you can kind of get my point. 

Hobbs & Shaw is an insanely good time at the movies.  Stay tuned for a couple surprise cameos and, I believe, five post-credit scenes. 

Once Upon A Time In Hollywood Is The Least "Tarantino" Tarantino Movie - And That's A Good Thing!

Quentin Tarantino is, without a doubt, one of my favorite directors of all-time.  He's also a master of subverting expectations.  Think of Death Proof and the mid-movie twist, or how Kill Bill 2 was essentially a completely different movie than the first volume.  He's always keeping his audience guessing, and I love that about him.

I understand that he's a love it or leave it personality to most people, but I'm fully on board the "love it" train.  My one gripe about his filmography is that most, if not all, of his films can be considered homages to certain genres and film stars.  From war movies to kung-fu to westerns, his most recent films have been essentially "Tarantino does _____."  For the longest time (since Jackie Brown, really), I've wanted Quentin Tarantino to do an original, character driven story.  After watching his latest film, the sun-soaked and trippy, Once Upon A Time In Hollywood, I can share that my hopes have been rewarded.  Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is Tarantino's least flashy, more grounded film in years.  It's a film that catches you in a dream and made me want to watch it again immediately.

Once Upon A Time is essentially a few days in the life of Rick Dalton (a never funnier Leonardo DiCaprio) and Cliff Booth (a movie-stealing Brad Pitt), who are a washed-up actor and his forgotten stunt man.  The movie isn't really "about" anything, but rather a series of vignettes that culminate with a fateful night in the annals of Hollywood history.  It's a sublime piece of historical fiction, but a welcomed surprise for a movie buff wannabe like myself.

Your love for this film will largely boil down to your ability to sit through large chunks of "inside baseball" dialogue and scenes about the inner-workings of late 60's Hollywood.  Of course, Tarantino does his best with dialogue and scene building to entice even the most hardcore Tarantino cynics.  Both Dalton and Booth are some of the more three-dimensional leading characters that Tarantino's put together on film.  Dalton's insecurities and realizations about becoming washed-up seem to mimic Tarantino's own brush with film mortality (he's on the ninth of a planned 10 film career).  DiCaprio plays him with such gusto and with little self-awareness as to how foolish he is that it might just be my favorite performance of his illustrious career.  And Pitt has never been cooler on-screen (and that's saying a lot!).

A lot of fuss has been made about the lack of dialogue for Margot Robbie's Sharon Tate, but I think it's been unfounded.  Robbie has the unique inability to completely set a mood with a smile, and her performance here is no different.  The shadow of the Manson family hovers over this entire movie, but it doesn't detract from anything.  They're creepy by being minimally invasive, and I think Tate's innocence is the perfect antibody for them.

I'm not saying Once Upon A Time In Hollywood is a perfect film.  I'm not even quite sure where to rank it in Tarantino's filmography.  It's a film that requires repeated views to peel back all the layers.  It's definitely not for everyone and it's length (Tarantino's really struggled with length since the death of his longtime editor, Sally Menke) will surely turn people off.  In fact, I struggled with its pacing in the first act until I finally succumbed to its mood.  Just sit back and enjoy the ride, because it's a gorgeous one, and one that will only grow in stature as the years go by.  I'm not even ready to give it a star rating, but if someone offered me a ticket to go see it again today, I would jump on that offer in a minute.

Spider-Man: Far From Home - The Marvel Train Keeps On Rolling

**END GAME SPOILERS AHEAD**



I went into Spider-Man: Far From Home fully ready to write about Marvel fatigue, and how I couldn't possibly imagine the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) continuing after the death of multiple popular characters.  I, myself, was a little fatigued by the 3 hour epic that was End Game.  In fact, Far From Home was the first Marvel movie in a long time that I didn't see on opening night.  It's not that I'm done with the MCU, it's just that I needed a breather after End Game.  However, the machine doesn't stop and the train keeps on rolling... and I was totally and completely entertained by Far From Home, the perfect kick start to the next chapter in the MCU.

From the first scene, this movie serves as a mood setter.  Peter Parker's back from the dust, and back in school.  There's a hilarious scene to open the movie, where the in-school news program at Midtown Science pays tribute to the stars we lost in End Game.  It's perfectly "bad" in a high school television product kind of way.  I can't really do it justice by explaining it, so you'll just have to take my word for it.  Anyway, back to Peter Parker.  He's looking to relax after saving the world from Thanos, and he's looking forward to a much-deserved vacation.  He's hilariously planning on telling MJ (played with a millennial's charm by Zendaya) that he loves her during their upcoming trip to Europe.  The relationships between the teenagers in this film is a delight.  There's a sense of awkwardness to them in the best possible way.  However, Parker quickly realizes that his plan is not going to be a smooth one as the MCU (and Nick Fury) are not quite done needing Spider-Man's help.  He's Tony Stark's chosen replacement as the leader of the Avengers... and its something that Peter Parker struggles with.

Once the class gets to Europe, a mysterious space traveler named Mysterio appears (Jake Gyllenhal) and need's Spidey's help battling a series of Elementals (Essentially they're creatures made out of the four major elements).  I can't really explain Mysterio further than that since his character is shrouded in mystery (hey, that's in his name!), so I'll only say that Spidey will be tested like he's never been tested before, and his journey to Avengers' leader is a fun, action packed one.

Far From Home is a relentless charmer, and one that even the most skeptical MCU fans can't help but enjoy.  Tom Holland continues to be the best cinematic version of Spider-Man we've ever seen, and this one has me fully back on board the MCU train.  Stay tuned during and after the credits for two highly enjoyable sequences... one that features an old Spider-Man nemesis.  You won't be disappointed!