One Movie Punch

Today’s movie is “Logan Lucky”, directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Rebecca Blunt. The film follows the Logan family, Jimmy (Channing Tatum), Clyde (Adam Driver), and Mellie (Riley Keough), who decide to rob a local speedway while dealing with challenges in their everyday lives. They enlist of the help of Joe Bang (Daniel Craig) and his brothers Fish (Jack Quaid) and Sam (Brian Gleeson).

This film has a huge cast. In addition to everyone already listed, there are appearances by Katie Holmes, Seth MacFarlane, Sebastian Stan, Dwight Yoakam, Hilary Swank and Macon Blair. Mostly everyone turns in an above average performance, although sometimes underutilized. My general criticism is that their southern characters are just a little over the top, which is funny if you don’t live in the flyover states.

Blunt’s script works well with Soderbergh’s direction, although “Logan Lucky” is very reminiscent of the style used for the Ocean’s trilogy, especially for the heist-related scenes and introduction of characters. However, unlike that trilogy, there is almost equal space given to the lives of the Logan family, not a series of passing will they / won’t they moments like Danny and Tess. It meshes together well, though, with the colorful backgrounds and costumes bringing consistent art direction.

I think my big concern is with the ending, which has an unnecessary stinger scene leaving the door open for sequels. It’s a gamble for a film to do this, especially when the film doesn’t pay off at the box office, even though it was well received critically. I also have a slight problem with all the mystery surrounding whomever Rebecca Blunt might be, but mostly because I just want to know.

“Logan Lucky” (2017) is an above-average heist film that will remind you a great deal of the Ocean’s trilogy while delivering a much different story. It has a great cast, is well-paced and well-executed. Fans of the Ocean’s trilogy or crime films in general should enjoy this film.

Rotten Tomatoes: 93% (CERTIFIED)

Metacritic: 78

One Movie Punch: 8.2/10 

“Logan Lucky” (2017) is rated PG-13 and is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.

It’s Marvel Monday and we’re back on the Road to Infinity War! Today’s movie is “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, the incredible movie written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely, and brought to life by Anthony and Joe Russo. The film had a meager $170 million budget, and pulled in $714,000,000 worldwide.

The film follows Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) acclimating to life after “Marvel’s The Avengers” and his struggles with the compartmentalized nature of his work with S.H.I.E.L.D., particularly with a new aerial defense grid being launched capable of targeting individuals from anywhere. He clashes with Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) and Col. Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson), until they uncover a conspiracy within S.H.I.E.L.D. by Rogers’ old nemesis, Hydra.

I wish the other films in the franchise tied closer to the television series being filmed. “Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.” was not only involved in the setup for “The Winter Soldier”, but was affected by the events for two seasons afterwards. Yes, I know Lady Sif showed up a few times as well, but that’s been about it. It’s still a bit weird given the cosmic/religious nature of Hydra, but I appreciate the effort, not to mention two seasons of “Marvel’s Agent Carter”.

A repeat viewing confirmed my feelings that this is one of the few franchises where each sequel is better than the previous film. The Russo brothers get the tricky second act curse right, not only addressing the events from “Marvel’s The Avengers”, but tying back to Rogers’ origin story, his relationship to Bucky Barnes aka The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), and his developing friendship with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie). It also has some delightful easter eggs for both “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Captain America: Civil War”.

“Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014) is an engaging spy thriller with a great story and incredible action sequences. Its biggest fault is introducing too much, giving short shrift to Agent 13 (Emily VanCamp) and Brock Rumlow (Frank Grillo), the former adding little, the latter getting a whole lot of setup for his later early demise. It remains an intense thrill ride that will continue to delight Marvel fans.

Rotten Tomatoes: 89% (CERTIFIED)

Metacritic: 70

One Movie Punch: 9.0/10

“Captain America: The Winter Solider” (2014) is rated PG-13 and is available wherever you enjoy movies.

Today’s movie is “The Sign of the Cross” (1932), written by Waldemar Young and Sidney Buchman, and directed by the legendary Cecil B. DeMille. The screenplay was based on a play from 1895 written by Wilson Barrett, which was also the basis for the silent 1914 version. Dorothea Barrett, Wilson’s daughter, protested both versions, feeling they detracted from the religious message from the play.

The film is centered on a tragic relationship between Roman Prefect Marcus Superbus (Fredric March) and Mercia (Elissa Landi), set just after the burning of Rome and the beginning of the Christian persecution during the rule of Emperor Nero (Charles Laughton) and Empress Poppaea (Claudette Colbert), who is in love with Marcus. Mercia, however, is part of a secret Christian community, who are eventually killed, or captured and sent to the arena to die in horrible, horrible ways.

“The Sign of the Cross” is made on an epic scale, with some large sets and long panning shots with huge casts. It has a big focus on the salacious and horrific elements of the story, particularly Roman decadence in milk baths and lesbian seduction (yes, really), and also the brutal final act in and around the arena as the Christians are brought to the slaughter. The film almost takes great delight in depicting human sacrifice.

The scenes were so graphic that once the Motion Picture Production Code was strictly enforced in 1934, the film had to be recut to meet the new standards and to pass the censor boards in various communities around the country. The original version of the film was restored decades later, replacing the cut scenes, including a racist fight scene involving blackface. I wonder what a modern version of this film would look like today, with no real limits on sex or violence.

“The Sign of the Cross” (1932) is an example of the somewhat salacious nature of Hollywood that was one of the prompts for the Motion Picture Production Code. It was a commercial success, with multiple runs in the theatre, and would be another step for DeMille on his extensive career. If you like classic films, and can stomach the more racist and sexist elements, then you will at least appreciate this film, if not enjoy it. 

Rotten Tomatoes: 33%

Metacritic: NR

One Movie Punch: 6.6/10

“The Sign of the Cross” (1932) is not rated and is available on physical media.

I know, right?

Today’s movie is “Forgotten”, the South Korean psychological thriller written and directed by Hang-jun Zhang, his first feature film in fourteen years. The film follows Jin-seok (Kang Ha-neul), a 21-year-old student who has moved to a new home with his parents (Moon Sung-kuen and Na Young-hee) and his brother Yoo-seok (Kim Mu-Yeol). One night, his brother is abducted but mysteriously returns after 19 days, unable to remember what happened.

The trailer for this film engages in the same kind of misdirection prevalent throughout the film. So, if you think you know where this film is going, you most likely do not. Both the trailer and the film have just enough breadcrumbs to raise doubts, whether that’s the right question asked by the wrong person or the doubt-inducing film editing. And sometimes they collide in baffling ways.

Overall, the film has an odd structure. The first two thirds maintains the mystery, pushing at the edges, dropping hints, allow for multiple theories to fit the known pieces. But as Jin-seok begins to realize the truth of the circumstances around him, we are given a sudden, grand revelation, followed by the dramatic, quite depressing events that follow the reveal. We get the answers we didn’t want and the results we couldn’t see.

The cast is the film’s greatest strength. Everyone convincingly pulls off double, and sometimes triple roles given the format. They overcome some rough transitions and bizarre storytelling choices, even while shining during some great scenes with clever camera work. The last third is especially rough, but does bring home the story and the larger, mostly tragic message.

“Forgotten” (2018) is a confounding thriller that struggles in a few key areas, but ultimately delivers a smart, if tragic story with an excellent cast. Viewers who enjoy psychological thrillers will definitely enjoy this film as a whole, but may not appreciate the ending. And definitely a trigger warning for anyone who suffers from mental illness or struggles with abusive situations.

Rotten Tomatoes: NR

Metacritic: NR

One Movie Punch: 7.6/10

“Forgotten” (2018) is rated TV-MA and is streaming on Netflix.

Today’s movie is “Silence” (2016), the historical drama from Martin Scorsese based on the novel by Shüsaku Endō. The novel was previously adapated in 1971 by Masahiro Shinoda. The film follows two Portuguese Jesuit priests, Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Garupe (Adam Driver), who are sent to Japan to proselytize and to check out the rumored apostasy of Father Ferreira (Liam Neeson), with the help of a drunken fisherman named Kichijiro (Yôsuke Kubozuka).

“Silence” is a compelling story about a difficult topic during a brutal time. This film begins at the height of the persecution, showing Japanese Christians and the missionary priests being tortured to death, which while awful, was no more brutal than the Spanish Inquisition against non-Christians back in Europe. It ignores the famine causing unrest leading up to the Shimabara Rebellion during the Tokugawa shogunate, a relatively peaceful time, and the larger theme of the perceived divine right of cultural colonization by European Christians.

The framing as a film about religious persecution gives me some trouble, but it also makes sense as a storytelling device, particularly with three Jesuit priests as main characters. It allows for toying with themes of personal faith and social responsibility, which are outlined through Garfield’s performance as Rodrigues, and the events surrounding him. It also means we get vivid representations of torture and execution that churns the stomach.

Despite all this, Scorsese knows how to practically make an incredible film, regardless of the subject matter. My initial worries about the two hour, forty minute length melted away as I became more and more engaged in the story. The costumes and sets were excellent, no matter the social strata, and the cinematography was incredible. It helped overcome the lack of resolution or perhaps the lack of acceptance at the end of the film.

“Silence” is a well-crafted period piece about cultural colonization and personal faith that overcomes its difficult, incomplete framing. It asks more than it answers, exploring the limits of complexity and brutality. If you like period pieces about difficult topics, or just a fan of excellent filmmaking, this is the film for you.

Rotten Tomatoes: 84% (CERTIFIED)

Metacritic: 79

One Movie Punch: 8.0/10

“Silence” (2016) is rated R and is currently streaming on Hulu and Amazon Prime.

Today’s movie is “Exit Through The Gift Shop”, the extremely subversive documentary by Banksy about street art and its relationship with the art world, told through the eyes of Thierry Guetta, a street art filmmaker who would later transform himself into Los Angeles’ hottest new street artist, Mr. Brainwash or MBW.

At least it might be. Anything goes with Banksy at the wheel and particularly when it comes to so-called street art. From “Kilroy Was Here” to New York City’s graffiti boom to the modern waves of street art in cities worldwide. The public art form has now recently caught the eye of the big money art world, the loose grouping of people who decide what is art and profit from its traffic. With commerce starting the process of gentrifying the subversive art form, it’s up to someone to subvert the subversion.

Enter Thierry Guetta, a supposed street art obsessive documentarian who happens to have been present during the latest wave of street art beginning with Invader’s work re-creating 8-bit icons, through spending time with the legendary Shepard Fairey, creator of the iconic Obey and Barack Obama Hope posters. And eventually, he gets to work with and document Banksy, who takes over the film after seeing an extremely bad cut of Thierry’s street art documentary, and sends him back to Los Angeles to become a street artist.

Enter Mr. Brainwash, Thierry’s new street art persona, who essentially copies every step of those who he has documented, mortgaging everything to put on a massive art show in Los Angeles known as “Life is Beautiful”. He hires other artists to create his work for him based on vague direction, and leverages two quotes from Shepard Fairey and Banksy to create a massive buzz around the show, becoming the premiere street artist, selling over a million dollars worth of art.

Now, is it real? Much like art, it depends on how you look at it, and more importantly, how much the presence of a camera affects everything. “Exit Through The Gift Shop” could be a full-on hoax, which would fall in line with Banksy’s aesthetic. But I think the film does something much more subversive... it documents how the art world is so easily swayed by hype and name recognition, and how two sentences could make anyone an overnight success, deserved or not.

Rotten Tomatoes: 96% (CERTIFIED)

Metacritic: 85

One Movie Punch: 9.8/10

“Exit Through The Gift Shop” is rated R and is streaming on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

Today’s movie is “My Happy Family” (2017), the Netflix Original film from Georgia written by Nana Ekvtimishvili and directed in collaboration with Simon Groβ. The film follows Manana (Ia Shugliashvili), a 52-year-old woman living in a multigenerational home, including her parents Lamara (Berta Ninidze) and Otar (Goven Cheishvili), her husband Soso (Merab Ninidze), and her two children. One day, sick of living under their roof and meeting their expectations, she decides to move out on her own.

Ia Shugliashvili is amazing as Manana, a delightfully complex character in an excellent script. I’ve never lived in a multi-generational home, growing up during the peak individualism of 1980s and 1990s exurban, mostly white world. I can say that after one beautifully constructed montage of Manana’s life, however, that I would have never made it as long as she did, the perfect setup for this film that builds not only her character, but our relationship and identification with her character.

“My Happy Family” makes great use of locations around Tbilisi, including open-air markets, a few different neighborhoods and social strata, and showing the transitory nature of Georgia’s social, cultural and political spheres. While all these locations and themes are present, they never take the focus away from Manana’s personal journey towards reclaiming her life, and almost always support her story.

The film makes great use of traditional and contemporary music, with musical numbers acting as transitions between scenes, the obvious exception being Manana’s breathtaking solo performance. The use of music is reminiscent of the more intentionally musical “Once”, almost a folk overview of Georgia. I hope the soundtrack becomes available at some point.

“My Happy Family” (2017) is like Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique”, sitting at a social, cultural and political transition in Georgia and in particular, the perceived role of women within that society. Manana’s journey is both empowering and tragic, which Shugliashvili brings forward with an incredibly reserved, realistic performance, and set against the traditional and modern culture of Georgia. If you enjoy international movies and peering into the rising cultures across the globe, then this film is definitely for you.

My sincere apologies for any mangled names.

Rotten Tomatoes: 100%

Metacritic: 86

One Movie Punch: 8.6/10

“My Happy Family” is rated TV-14 and is currently streaming on Netflix.

Today’s movie is “Fullmetal Alchemist” (2017), the live-action adaptation of the classic manga from Hiromu Arakawa, directed for the screen by Fumihiko Sori. The film distills the major events from all 27 volumes of the manga and crams them into two hours, from the origin story of alchemist brothers Edward Elric (Ryôsuke Yamada) and Alphonse Elric (Atom Mizuishi) to the ultimate reveal of the origins of the Philosopher’s Stone.

I’m not sure what to think about the latest batch of live-action adaptations of long-running manga and anime properties. These particular storytelling media, like any media, have a built-in structure with strengths and weaknesses, and a specific relationship with their audience. Characters can develop and worlds can unfold slower, allowing for longer story arcs with complex themes, and the episodic nature brings its own cadence. This translates rather well from manga to anime, but it doesn’t translate well to feature-length films.

“Fullmetal Alchemist”, as a film, has way too much story. We don’t get time to develop any relationship to the characters, or to appreciate any of the relationships between the characters. We are just launched into a river of plot, moving the story forward at breakneck speed, swerving between anger and humor and love, and making the slower, more emotional scenes feel hollow. Viewers who lack any prior knowledge of the source material will get lost very quickly, and may question some of the iconography given the lack of world development.

This film doesn’t get everything wrong, though. The special effects were great in practice, even if some scenes tried too hard to replicate the more iconic frames. I thought the cast was good, only feeling overly melodramatic because of the pacing. The art direction was great, although there are a few cheesy bits, especially Gluttony (Shinji Uchiyama) and the final creature design. And it definitely tells the story, even if it feels more like a supercut of a much longer work.

“Fullmetal Alchemist” (2017) is just too much of the property packed into a mere two hours, creating issues with pacing and tone. Despite that structural flaw, the cast is decent, and the costumes and effects are fun to watch. Fans of the manga or anime may be disappointed by the presentation, but will hopefully appreciate the art design and effects. And if not, you can always check out the manga and the anime.

Rotten Tomatoes: 38%

Metacritic: NR

One Movie Punch: 5.8/10

“Fullmetal Alchemist” (2017) is not rated and is currently streaming on Netflix.

It’s Marvel Monday and we’re back on the chronological road to Infinity War. Today’s movie is “Thor: The Dark World” (2013), the second of three sequels to follow “Marvel’s The Avengers” (2012), after “Iron Man 3” (2013) and before “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” (2014). The film follows the efforts of Thor (Chris Hemsworth) in the wake of “Marvel’s The Avengers”, bringing peace through violence throughout the Nine Realms while an even more ancient evil resurfaces: The Dark Elves.

It should be a no-brainer that Marvel would lead the second phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe with sequels to all their uncontested intellectual properties. This new kind of franchise starts to operate by different rules in Phase Two. More leeway is granted to the writing teams to incorporate other storylines, allowing for more connections and shared plot development leading towards “Infinity War”. It also leads to a number of unforgiveable plot holes.

The right way to incorporate the other threads of the universe was exemplified during Loki’s escape, when for no real reason, he transforms into Captain America to make fun of him, or building in The Collector at the end to further the mystery of the Infinity Stones. The wrong way, however, is to have another major alien battle on Earth (or Midgard if you will) and not have one member of The Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D. show up to help out.

“Thor: The Dark World” is all spectacle, with battles that are part Lord of the Rings and part Star Wars, both a strength and a weakness. Loki (Tom Hiddleston) and Thor make a great on-screen pair, while the big ticket supporting cast feels weak, especially Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) who just feels, once again, along for the ride. Everyone else feels like characters on a tapestry, great representations that we have to endow with story and heart. Even the ending is disappointing, including the rushed reunion in the post-credits scene.

“Thor: The Dark World” is probably the first MCU film that I had serious issues with the story, which filters into the rest of the experience. The film makes even less sense given the reveals in “Thor: Ragnarok”, particularly when and where Hela exists in the timeline. If it wasn’t for the incredible actions scenes and background cinematography, this could have been the first flop for the MCU. Instead, it’s a passable film, a high budget transition towards future storylines.

Rotten Tomatoes: 66%

Metacritic: 54

One Movie Punch: 7.2/10

“Thor: The Dark World” is rated PG-13 and is available wherever you enjoy movies.

Today’s movie is “Within Our Gates” (1920), the silent film written and directed by Oscar Micheaux. It is the oldest surviving film made by an African-American director. The film was written as a quasi-response to the incredibly racist “The Birth of a Nation” from D.W. Griffith. The film had trouble getting cleared for release, ironically for fears of sparking so-called interracial riots. 

Oscar Micheaux was an African-American author, film director and independent producer of both silent and sound films. He founded the Micheaux Film & Book Company, the first production entitled “The Homesteader” is based on his novel called “The Conquest: The Story of a Negro Homesteader”, which was an enormous success and paved the way for “Within Our Gates”.

“Within Our Gates” follows the journey of Sylvia Lantry (Evelyn Preer), a biracial woman from the Deep South with a dark past, working to raise money for Piney Woods School, a rural school to educate black children. The film has five major sections: an initial scene with her backstabbing friend, Alma Prichard (Floy Clements); the introduction of Piney Woods School and Rev. Wilson Jacobs (S.T. Jacks); her efforts to fundraise by petitioning Mrs. Elena Warwick (Mrs. Evelyn) and her racist friend, Mrs. Geraldine Stratton (Bernice Ladd); a flashback to her adopted parents being lynched; and her eventual marriage to Dr. Vivian (Charles D. Lucas).

Micheaux doesn’t shy away from difficult themes in this film. The discussion between Mrs. Warwick and Mrs. Stratton is a nice summary of the polite Northern racism and thought process among upper class whites. A black preacher is used to demonstrate complacency in making sure black folks remain uneducated and, in his words, know their place in the white man’s world. And the heartbreaking lynching scene, spurred on by a wealthy white aristocrat no longer being able to cheat Sylvia’s adopted father because she was educated, is closer to the true nature of lynching than any other film of the time.

“Within Our Gates” is incredibly aware of its time, but also still echoes problems in today’s world. The same polite racism still exists in the North. The media still poorly frames narratives about black individuals. Property is still primarily in the hands of the upper class, either directly or via banks. We’ve come farther than Micheaux ever thought, and we still have a long way to go.

Rotten Tomatoes: NR

Metacritic: NR

One Movie Punch: 7.6/10

“Within Our Gates” is not rated and is available in full on YouTube.