Dillon's Take #2

Note from Jack: Some of you may recall a post where I displayed some of the critical musings of my good friend, Dillon Humphrey. If not, well I'm doing that again. While my critiques are rather eloquently worded and knowledgable in terms of what makes a film good, I think its always important to remember a film as viewed through the perspective of your average man on the street. After all, a film scholar's outlook on cinema may be insightful; yet, it is ultimately how the general public reacts to a movie that determines what kind of cultural impact it leaves on the world at large. Anyway, here's his latest thoughts on a few movies. Enjoy!

XXX: THE RETURN OF XANDER CAGE

Quick note that when I was looking this movie up in the LetterBoxd database I half expected some eroticas to appear. I'm so glad I was wrong..

Aside from seeing advertisements for this movie, I'd never really heard much of it or considered watching it until today. And I'm pretty darn happy I watched it. Opening sequence with Samuel Jackson's instant death had me dying. And of course, as you'd expect he was resurrected by the gods themselves just like he always is (if Samuel Jackson can't be killed, then Mace Windu MUST be alive!!!).

The fight sequences in this movie are grand and it's very friendly to newcomers to the Xander Cage franchise, so don't worry about watching if you haven't seen the first. I haven't either, but now I do want to see it.

Everything about this movie is great. For me there may have been to many suggestive points in the film. The party scene was barely handlable to me (I may have inflated standards, leave me alone).

Also, Donnie Yen. Nuff said.

SPECTRAL

I wasn't expecting to enjoy a Netflix movie as much as I did. It's not an amazing movie per se, but it definitely tops the few Netflix movies I have watched (Ridiculous 6 and True Memoirs of an International Assassin). It was quite tense and pretty mysterious until maybe 3/4 of the way through when they finally figured it out.

Honestly I'd probably watch this movie again cuz it is pretty badass. Lots of people died in it (nothing like in Rogue One though), but that just adds to the seriousness of the film. I'm curious to see what other Netflix originals are actually good. I'll be checking those out soon enough.

Anyways, good work on the movie! With that ending tho I better not see a sequel.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2

It was a great movie! Really enjoyed it! I went to see it with some friends at a drive-in and it was a really good time. Lots of laughs! However, there was a slight issue.

Before we went to see Guardians of the Galaxy 2, we watched the first Guardians of the Galaxy for nostalgia's sake. I ended up really liking Guardians of the Galaxy again (5-star for number 1). When we watched Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2, I was kinda sorta let down just a smidge.

Not to say that Guardians of the Galaxy 2 is a bad movie, cuz it's not. It's a really great movie! The experience just didn't feel quite as fun and entertaining as it did for the prequel.

Anyway, my main point is that Volume 2 is an awesome movie, but in my opinion it didn't 1-up the original.

Side note though, the post-credit scenes were excellent and the new Stan Lee cameo was grand!

ALIEN: COVENANT Review

To many, the idea of giving a backstory to a universe as cryptic and mysterious as Alien seems almost sacrilegious. Those who go into Alien: Covenant with that mindset are likely to come out of the theater with steam coming out of their ears; however, if you're like me and you're a bit more open to a movie that delves into the history of one of the iconic movie monsters, there's a decent chance you'll like it (I certainly did). After all, isn't science fiction genre built on the question "What if?"

To get the most obvious thing out of the way, this film is absolutely arresting from a visual perspective. Director Ridley Scott is, if nothing else. a masterfully immaculate technical specialist. Even as he's approaching the seasoned age of eighty, Sir Ridley still has one of the best eyes in the business and he delivers plenty of memorable frames here. Plus, Jed Kurzel's score is quite good. He manages to create a sound that's unique to this film while cleverly weaving in excerpts of Jerry Goldsmith's original compositions for the 1979 classic. John Logan and Dante Harper's screenplay brings to mind many fascinating concepts (even if, much like Prometheus, they aren't as flushed out as they could've been).

For the most part, the performances on display here are pretty solid. Katherine Waterson equips herself quite admirably as the movie's Ellen Ripley analogue, Daniels. Danny McBride proves himself to be a pretty good dramatic actor (so, anyone who's concerned over his involvement with the Halloween franchise can relax). Billy Crudup is convincing as the titular ship's new captain who even doubts his own convictions and limited skills as a leader. Everyone else is pretty much there just to meet grisly ends. That is to say everyone else except Michael Fassbender, who pulls double duty by playing both the new android Walter and David, who's still doing pretty okay after Prometheus ended. As to be expected of a skilled thespian such as Fassbender, his work as both characters is fantastic. The discussions between the two often make for some of the film's best scenes. If there's one thing that I can say is near perfect about the movie, its that David's character is expanded in some truly mesmerizing directions. Without giving away too much, what we find out about him in this film brought to mind echoes of benchmark characters of genre fiction (namely Dr. Frankenstein and the monster he created, Roy Batty from Blade Runner, and a heavy dose of HAL 9000). Speaking of which, the origin of the actual Xenomorphs is certainly treading familiar ground but it clicks together with the universe it inhabits nonetheless.


While I do understand and (to a certain extent) sympathize with those who view the idea of an Alien prequel as sucking the mystery from a beautifully abstract work of horror, I thought the explanation given here was pretty good (the idea that the horrors of the unknown aren't too disconnected from the safe and familiar is a pretty scary idea in and of itself). Overall, I thought that this served as a pretty good film in its own right and probably the best movie in the Alien franchise to come out in decades.

ALIEN: COVENANT gets a...
BADA$$ out of TEN

THE EMOJI MOVIE Looks Like 💩

Hollywood being utterly bankrupt from a creative standpoint is about as common a truism as you can get when discussing modern cinema. And, while that's undoubtedly true on so many levels, there are times where a movie comes along that proves why mainstream big-budget fare is worth defending (movies like Guardians of the Galaxy, The LEGO Movie and Mad Max: Fury Road fit this mold quite smoothly, if you need a few examples)....
....and then there are movies that are so blisteringly appalling and artistically worthless that I end up smacking my head against a nearby wall, thinking "Why do I even bother?". Guess which category The Emoji Movie falls into.

All hyperbole aside, this "movie" looks like its going to land a nice comfortable spot on countless lists of the worst movies that came out in 2017. Anyway, the basic premise sounds like the diseased, corporate-mandated offspring of Inside Out, Wreck-It Ralph, and a little dash of The Lego Movie for good measure. The jokes are all stiflingly lazy and sound like they were ripped straight out of the "Everything Wrong with Modern Children's Films" playbook. The animation is so cheap, I almost thought this was an extended T-Mobile commercial (it might as well be with all the other product placements that are seen here and the dozens more that are almost certainly going to be in the final cut).

Honestly, this whole thing could easily be renamed "Everything Wrong with Sony's Approach to Modern Movies". It's all there: the shameless product placement, the bafflingly wrong-headed idea fueling it all, the absolute waste of talent (mainly the animators and almost everyone in the cast except James Corden), and the scarcity of anything resembling originality, inspiration, or even effort. Long ago, a film critic I used to admire once said that the fact that someone gave millions of dollars to Baz Luhrmann to make The Great Gatsby in 3D was enough proof that Hollywood doesn't have respect for anything. If only I'd known that this movie was coming, I'd tell him he hasn't seen nothing yet. Plus, the fact that Sony's planning on showing this thing at this year's Cannes Film Festival is the poisoned cherry on top of this cesspool milkshake.

The Emoji Movie comes out later this summer; so, plan accordingly (lock your doors, set the alarms, and hug your family). Something that shouldn't exist finally does and we're all the lesser for it. The doomsday clock is ticking faster and faster while I sit here counting every spiteful second that goes by. Cheers!

Home Video Catch Up: GET OUT

For the sake of transparency, I would just like to let you know that my top priority with this review is to avoid the subjects of politics and race. All that I will say is that the everso comfortable blanket of satire does make the film's commentary on race relations both somewhat thought provoking as well as being just plain amusing. With that said, let's get the ball rolling.

Well, this year's critical darling and box office success story for the realm of horror cinema is finally out on Blu-Ray. So, I finally got around to watching it. What are my thoughts? Honestly, Get Out is really...
...
...
...
...okay.

I know that's quite anticlimactic, hearing that I'm not as in love with this film as much as the rest of the film critic intelligentsia. In my humble opinion, this film is a decent little horror comedy that people are drooling over mainly because of the film's message regarding race. To be fair, that isn't to say acclaimed funnyman Jordan Peele's debut feature is bad by any means (it isn't). However, I still don't quite understand what's making everyone fall head over in love with this picture.

Since this is a horror movie filled to the brim with all sorts of twists and surprises, I'll keep my explanation of the premise quick. So, the basic idea here is essentially Meet The Parents crossed with The Stepford Wives (the good version from the 70s, not the dreadful remake starring Nicole Kidman and Matthew Broderick). While the film isn't particularly scary and only sporadically funny. it is really well made from a technical perspestive. Everything's very well shot and the score has its moments. Plus, there are some scenes that left me both startled and rolling on the floor laughing.



The best thing I can say about this film is that Jordan Peele gets what Sam Raimi and Joe Dante get about the horror genre: its that horror movies should be fun first and foremost. Within the film's 104 minute runtime, there are a number of amusing gags and jumpscares (to a degree where I question whether or not my enjoyment would have been boosted if I had experienced it with a crowd). Still, this is a fine enough directorial debut and I'm beyond curious to see what new tricks Mr. Peele has up his sleeve for his next outing.

GET OUT gets a...
SATISFACTORY out of TEN

Home Video Catch Up: LA LA LAND

Over the past few months, I've noticed a rather peculiar negative reaction to La La Land. I get the idea of hype killing a good movie and all; but, rarely have I seen a vocal subsector of the online film community go from calling a film merely overrated to outright bad or even awful. Now, after watching for the third or fourth time, I can confidently say that La La Land is still a marvelous film.

From a technical perspective, this is about as close to flawless as movies get. The production design is top-notch, the fluid cinematography is beautiful, the score is emotional and memorable in ways few scores have been in recent cinema. Of course, the two leads give stellar performances. While the character of Sebastian could've easily been smarmy and insufferable if portrayed by another thespian, Ryan Gosling imbues with him with enough sly charm and raw charisma to where you're left wanting to root for him instead of wanting to smack him upside the head. To be honest, little needs to be said about Emma Stone's Oscar-winning performance. She really does a bang-up job of believably portraying a character with a true sense of passion and sincerity. Even some of the film's biggest detractors can at least admit that this is a fantastically well made picture, if nothing else.

Yet, none of that would matter if the music wasn't up to snuff. Thankfully, that isn't the case. Aside from Justin Hurwitz's ethereal score, the musical numbers are all aces. "Another Day of Sun" serves as a wonderful way to kick things off. "A Lovely Night" absolutely nails being the embodiment of what the movie in general is going for (i.e. being a well-done homage to Golden Age Hollywood musicals). "City of Stars" and "Audition" both work extraordinarily well as the tunes that will arguably be the most iconic parts of the movie outside of a few striking images. I could go on about the music in La La Land all day; but, I'll just say that the soundtrack is just great.

Ultimately, I think that people will come back around towards showering this movie with well-earned praise once the dust settles and the hype finishes dying down. The only thing I regret regarding this movie is making my Best of 2016 list before I saw this film. Because if that were the case, then this would easily be in the top five of that list and easily among the best musicals of the past twenty years.

LA LA LAND gets an...
EXCEPTIONAL out of TEN

BLADE RUNNER 2049 Looks Pretty Terrific

...and that's not just referring to the visuals.

First off, here are some words that I didn't expect to say in a post Suicide Squad world: I'm looking forward to seeing Jared Leto in a movie. I'm not kidding, his performance looks really creepy. Now then, on with the show.

The most obvious thing that's been said about this trailer by everyone and their mother is that this film looks absolutely gorgeous. To that I say, you don't say? Think about it for a moment. Not only is this sequel to one of the best looking films ever made, but they also hired Roger Deakins as this film's DP*. Of course, this was going to look absolutely stellar. I love how faithfully this sequel updates the aesthetic of the original and word on the street is they're mainly using practical effects for this. So, good news all around.

Thankfully, this doesn't give away much, if anything, story-wise (even if that does make this difficult to discuss at any degree of length). After watching this, I hit google and looked up the premise that was released and it looks they're going for The Force Awakens route when approaching the decades later sequel**. Honestly, I don't mind this approach. Partially because its probably the best way they could've gone about doing a Blade Runner sequel in this day and age; but, mainly because they got the guy who directed Arrival for this and you know what? I'm just take a second to do a quick PSA.

(clears throat)

IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN ARRIVAL, FIX THAT! IT'S BRILLIANT!

Okay, that's all I have to say for now. I leave you with some examples of how beautiful this movie is.

Happy Monday everybody!

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 review (spoiler-free)

QUICK ASIDE: For the first time in the rather brief history of this blog, I'll be doing two reviews for the same flick. This one's going to be spoiler-free. The other one will talk about the film to a greater extent.

Those who know me know that I absolutely adored the first Guardians of the Galaxy, to a degree where it was both my favorite film of both the year in which it came and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general. Part of that was because its then refreshing sci-fi comic book pulp, bubblegum-pop approach clicked with me so well, its also a film that holds a special place in my heart because I saw it the same day I experienced a personal lowpoint in my life. Anyway, my point is that I have a very big attachment to the first movie.

So, how is this highly anticipated sequel?  Personally, not only do I think that this is on par with the first movie, it might be even better than the original. Does it have the same impact and feeling of that made the first one so great? No, but, there's no way it could've done that, not genuinely. Aside from not being a disappoint, what sets this apart from other sequels in the MCU is how its primary focus isn't on setting Although it certainly isn't without its fair share of crowd-pleasing callbacks and fan-pleasing Easter eggs, the assembled cast and crew have decided to make this follow-up far more personal than the first and the results are all the better for it. Since the first movie already made these characters charming, Volume 2 takes them in interesting new directions that I'd feel remorseful if I were inclined to spoil them here.

Chris Pratt's Star Lord is just as likable and as Star-Lord. Zoe Saldana continues to be the straightwoman in a group of offbeat personalities while still being more than just a stick in the mud, Dave Bautista is still consistently hilarious as Drax. Michael Rooker really shines as Yondu, bringing more  tragedy and depth to the character. Kurt Russel is, of course, great as Star-Lord's unearthly father in ways that are quite unexpected (at least, not to the common moviegoer). Elizabeth Debicki shines with enthusiastic conceitedness as the film's gilded secondary villain, Ayesha. To say that Baby Groot is absolutely adorable should just... well, go without saying. Even Sean Gunn's Kraglin and Karen Gillan's Nebula are revealed to have more layers that distinguish them from being just generic supporting characters. Special mention should also be given to newcomer Pom Klementieff as Mantis. Her portrayal imbues the character with shades of shy innocence and warmth that complements the rest of the cast quite nicely.

Outside of Doctor Strange, this is easily Marvel's best looking film to date. With its rich seems to proudly draw from the original comics of the 70s and 80s (most notably resembling the portfolios of Jim Starlin and Gene Colan). Like last time, the soundtrack is wonderfully vintage. From the opening credits sequence set to ELO's classic "Mr. Blue Sky" to the effectively heartbreaking use of Cat Steven's "Father and Son", mad genius writer-director James Gunn has curated yet another eclectic mix of classic tunes that'll keep me humming for months on end.

Ultimately, as cliche as this comparison is, I think the two Guardians of the Galaxy films released thus far are comparable to the first two films in the original Star Wars trilogy. While the first one might have had a bigger impact culturally speaking, its the sequel that ends up providing a deeper, emotionally nuanced and poignant when all is said and done. While this installment certainly doesn't lack in the explosive set-piece department, its the emotionally peaks and valleys that will stick with me as time goes on.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 gets a...
MASTERWORK out of TEN

Behold! A Trailer For THE DARK TOWER Is Finally Here...

...and it actually looks pretty wizard.

Okay, it may come as a surprise to some of you that I, a young man with a near-encyclopedic knowledge of the many realms of pop culture, am not very familiar with Stephen King's much beloved Dark Tower series. That having been said, you better believe that I can easily get behind a series that's essentially a blend of fantasy, westerns, science fiction and horror (seriously, any piece of art that positions cowboys as knights will probably catch my interest). And, after a rather extensive pre-production period (at one point, J.J. Abrams and Ron Howard were attached to the project before Nikolaj Arcel ultimately became the film's director), it's finally coming out a few months from now.

Now, that I've given a quick little explanation about this whole business, you may be waiting for me to actually give my thoughts on the trailer. Well, hypothetical reader, here goes... I think it looks pretty good. Whether or not it's faithful to the source material is something that A) I don't have enough investment in said source material to deliver an informed opinion on (if you want a look at this trailer from the eyes of a fan, I'd recommend reading this: http://birthmoviesdeath.com/2017/05/03/and-now-a-definitive-breakdown-of-the-first-dark-tower-trailer) and B) we'll have to wait until August 4th to know for sure. But, for now, I have hope for this one. Visually speaking, it looks quite impressive, especially when I took into account that the budget on this film was significantly less than your typical blockbuster nowadays. Granted, this isn't to say 60 million dollars isn't a staggering amount of money (it is). All I'm saying is it's interesting that a movie of this size and scope wasn't as costly as other films of similar nature (at least, if we're just talking about the production budget). The action sequences look slick and inventive (mainly the stuff involving its unique approach to cinematic gunplay). With all of that in mind, what really peaks my curiosity is Matthew McConaughey's villain. From what I've seen, this looks like new territory for him as an actor and I'm curious to see what he does with this role.

Before I go, I'd like to mention that they did release a couple character posters the day before this trailer was dropped and they're also pretty wizard.