Full disclosure: I first saw A Cure For Wellness a few weeks ago; however, I put off reviewing it until now because I didn't have much to say about it at that point. Now that some time has passed, I now feel comfortable giving it the Matinee Everyday treatment. On with the show!
A Cure For Wellness might be the first movie I've reviewed and liked on this blog that I'm not sure if I can recommend. It's one of the few recent movies that's been described as divisive or polarizing and actually earns that description. Those who love it tend to defend it with a fiery passion. Those who hate it loathe it as if the film came alive, murdered their pets, burned their houses down and salted the earth underneath the land they were built in. As for my thoughts, I'm leaning rather positively on this flick.
Make no mistake: this isn't to say I'm guaranteeing you'll like this movie (there's a 50/50 chance you'll despise this thing). That being the case, I would recommend anyone who's even remotely curious about this movie to go give it a try. Why? Because, quite frankly, I have my doubts that there's going anything like this in theaters any time soon (especially on such a mainstream level).
Discussion of the plot for A Cure For Wellness is a pointless undertaking both because it would spoil some of the film's sickest, most twisted twists and story isn't director Gore Verbinski's primary focal point here. What Verbinski sets out to do here is create what is essentially a extended visual moodpiece and it works for the most part. The imagery on display here is undoubtedly striking and it'd be outright criminal to deny this film a Best Production Design nomination.
You're probably asking why I'm being so skiddish about giving this film a pass or fail. Well, the answer is quite simple: A Cure For Wellness is... absolutely disgusting. While the film looks gorgeous, it sinks to the lowest low possible and somehow manages to find even deeper levels of depravity to sink to. If you don't come out of this movie feeling even remotely ill, you deserve a medal. Again, describing some of said disturbing details would make up for a great deal of spoilers; but, I'll say this: its unlikely you're going to look at eels the same way again after sitting through this flick. Even most of what I like about this film comes from the visuals and the atmosphere, the acting's also pretty solid. Dane DeHaan manages to keep his head above water amidst the vile madness and Jason Isaacs turns in some spectacularly creepy work. Also, Benjamin Wallfisch brings a brilliantly haunting yet dreamlike score to complement the insane events that play out over the film's gaudy 146 minutes.
Ultimately, while it's certainly excessive in some respects (both in content and especially the runtime), I was satisfied with what I got here. As both a work of gothic horror and auteur filmmaking, it certainly delivers some new things for those areas. It just isn't everyone's cup of tea (which is just fine by me).
A CURE FOR WELLNESS gets a modest rating of... HEY, THAT'S PRETTY GOOD out of TEN
2017 has claimed yet another legend of the screen, both small and silver. Last night, Adam West passed away at the age of 88. While not without other , West is most famous for his extended stint as Batman way back in the 1960s. His portrayal of the Caped Crusader is undoubtedly one of the most iconic depictions of that character, regardless of the unjust scorn aimed at it throughout the years for sucking the seriousness out of the darkest mainstream superhero ever. I'd even argue that the 60s show is one of the most important parts of Batman's history/mythos.
After much anticipation and scrutiny (both at the depressingly less-than-stellar status of the DCEU and the even worse reputation for female-led superhero flicks), Wonder Woman has finally hit cinemas. Thankfully, it's absolutely wonderful, pun very much intended.
Gal Gadot is an absolute gem as Diana. Those who were skeptical about her range/talent as an actress can put their potential qualms to rest. Like in her brief part in Batman v Superman, Gadot brings an equal level of ferocity and old fashioned humanity (the latter of the two I haven't seen in a cinematic superhero portrayal since Christopher Reeve donned red & blue tights way back in '78). If her smile doesn't make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, I'm not sure if you're a real human being. Chris Pine should also get some special recognition as Steve Trevor. Pine's performance often results in some of the film's funniest moments as well as some of its most emotional. Those are obviously the two big standouts acting-wise; but, everyone else is still rather good (even if one or two roles feel a little underdeveloped).
While the tone significantly unlike Man of Steel, Wonder Woman does share two major things in common with that near masterpiece: action setpieces that set the gold standard for the entire genre and a score that improves each individual scene with its prescence. The "No Man's Land" sequence is exactly as awesome as you've heard and the final battle is an utter thing to behold. Marvel Studios may have the better track record in terms of general quality from film to film, I doubt that there's much of an argument to be made that there are some things DC does that makes them look rather inferior in comparison (mainly striking visuals and memorable music*). The score is also fantastic. Composer Rupert Gregson-Williams delivers some impressive work of his own here and his inclusion of the titular heroine's theme from BvS is as electrifying and rousing as it was in that film.
Ultimately, one of the biggest compliments I can give this film is that it understands that empowerment is a truly universal feeling that isn't restricted to race or gender (an idea that I wish the teams behind that cringeworthy Ghostbusters reboot and the almost as cringeworthy Supergirl show on the CW). Director Patty Jenkins mainly focuses on delivering an awesome superhero movie over a preposterously overblown political statement packaged as run-of-the-mill pop culture tripe. From my perspective, this doesn't "save" the DCEU (given how I don't think it needs saving); but, I hope garners some well-deserved goodwill for this franchise.
WONDER WOMAN gets a...
BADA$$ out of TEN
*I was originally going to mention the stunning action sequences there; but alas, that's an area where both companies seem to be evenly matched.
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!
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.
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!
