The Irishman (2019) [No spoilers]

Spoilers ahead (it's mostly historical record, though).

Director: Martin Scorsese

It's a mammoth of a gangster movie by arguably the greatest director of such films, and it is among his very best.

If you only know a few of Scorsese's rather large and impressive filmography, chances are that Goodfellas and Casino are two of them. They both offered dramatic re-tellings of real-life events in the world of organized crime. In Goodfellas, we saw the rise and fall of Henry Hill, a street-level soldier for the Italian mafia in New York who, after living the criminal life from the 1960s to the early 1980s, turned state's evidence and testified against his former colleagues and bosses. Casino followed the closely intertwined lives of Sam "Ace" Rothstein and Nicky Santoro, who both served to help the mafia carve out a solid niche in Las Vegas during the 1970s. Both movies offered us a view of the rises and falls of the more violent, influential mafia figures, but seen from the perspective of guys - Hill and Rothstein - who were just far enough away from the truly violent and powerful that they avoided complete disaster.

The Irishman follows a very similar blueprint, for most of the way. Scorsese mainstay Robert DeNiro plays Frank Sheeran, an Irish-American truck driver and World War II veteran who eases his way into working for the Italian mafia during the 1950s. Through a chance encounter with Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci), a high-ranking mafia boss, Sheeran soon works his way into becoming a reliable hitman. Despite being a foot solider, he builds a great deal of trust with Bufalino, who eventually introduces him to Teamsters Union president Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino). At this point in history, the mid-1950s, Jimmy Hoffa was about as famous a figure as there was in the United States. A hard-nosed and charismatic people's man, Hoffa was never above a little strong-arming and bribery to accomplish his goals, which were often to the benefit of himself as much as the Teamsters. Sheeran and Hoffa strike up a friendship, with Sheeran becoming Hoffa's bodyguard and occasional confidante for a number of years.

In the succeeding decades, Hoffa's star famously falls, starts to rise again, and then completely disappears under famously mysterious circumstances. The Irishman, however, offers an answer to the mystery - that a highly conflicted Sheeran played a role in sabotaging and assassinating Hoffa after he refused to take marching orders from the powerful mafia figures with whom he had previously worked. After Hoffa's death, Sheeran himself remains connected to Bufalino in both professional and friendship capacities. Eventually, though, Bufalino and all of Sheeran's human connections to the mafia and Hoffa pass away, leaving him the last one alive to recount his tale a few decades later.

The epic scope and the sordid nature of organized crime dealings prevalent in The Irishman will feel very familiar to anyone who knows Scorsese's mafia flicks. Some low-rent, morally dubious dude is lured in by the money, and gets a front row seat to some pretty dastardly business, all set to a great soundtrack. But The Irishman does offer something more. Sure, the thugy killings and beatdowns are there. Yes, the hilarious exchanges between not-so-smart guys trying to sound smart are there. But what elevates this movie above even Scorsese's past mafia masterpieces is the final analysis of Sheeran. In the much quieter final 30-or-so minutes of the movie, we see Frank Sheeran reckoning with the cost of his loyalty to Bufalino, Hoffa, and forces far more powerful, personal, and spirit-crushing than he ever quite realized. It all leaves a much deeper impact than Scorsese's earlier mob movies, not unlike how Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven left an indelible final stamp on his own career in Western movies.

As important as any of the typical gangster-film violence in
the movie is the bond that forms between Frank and Jimmy
Hoffa, as well as Russell Bufalino. In the end, Frank has to
live with the decisions he made regarding both, which is
far from easy.

The only thing that might be surprising about the fact that The Irishman is so technically brilliant is that Martin Scorsese is still doing this in his late-70s. The movie is no less sharp or eye-catching than anything in his exemplary career. And it was probably his age, wisdom, and the fact that Netflix granted him the freedom to make a three-and-a-half hour movie that he could extend his previous boundaries a bit and offer broader circumspection on a character type whose story he's told so expertly several times before.

It feels a bit silly to nitpick over such a well-crafted movie, but there were a few things that I couldn't help but notice. Mainly, the fact that DeNiro and Pesci, both 76 years old, are playing characters over a span of four to five decades. Rather than find younger "look-similars," Scorsese had the late-septuagenarians play their own late-30/early-40 year old selves in the earlier flashbacks of the tale. And no amount of makeup and costume ingenuity could cover all of that up, making few of the scenes from the earlier times a tad distracting.

That little gripe aside, it's an excellent movie. The length and relatively somber final act may prevent me from firing it up again anytime soon, but I'll certainly see it again in the future. 

New(ish) Releases from 2019: Ad Astra and El Camino

No Spoilers for either show. Read away!!

Ad Astra (2019)

Director: James Gray

A decent enough sci-fi flick with enough to keep a person tuned it, but not inventive enough to stand out very much.

In a not-too distant future, Brad Pitt plays Roy McBride, an astronaut called upon by the government to embark on a mysterious mission to the far reaches of the Solar System. Some sort of strange energy is emanating from a location there, and it threatens to destroy the entire system. As if that weren't enough, the government believes that the person behind the imminent catastrophe is the last astronaut sent to the area, none other than McBride's own father, H. Clifford (Tommy Lee Jones), long hailed as a national hero and icon.

The movie is a solid, space-faring sci-fi flick that does the sci-fi elements better than the emotional ones. Like the very best mission-to-space flicks - I'm thinking 2001, Interstellar, and Europa Report, among others - Ad Astra maintains a cool, meditative tone throughout, especially once the story brings Roy outside of the Earth's atmosphere. The vision of director and co-writer James Gray is an engaging one that seems grounded in a very believable possible future. There is a thrilling pursuit on the Moon, and a rather striking and eerie vision of what Mars might become, which offer some nice food for thought on how humans may be interacting with the nearest celestial bodies long before the century is over. Anyone who enjoys such topics and themes is bound to appreciate these aspects of the movie. And there is the greater mystery of what, exactly, is the threat in deep space to pull one along through Roy's journey farther from home.

The more personal story about Roy and his father? Not nearly as engaging. While Pitt and Jones play their roles perfectly well, the entire relationship never feels like it is offering anything that is novel or surprising. Right from the jump, it's clear that Roy's mission is as much about finding closure with his father, long-presumed dead. I suppose one could read a certain amount of symbolism into the narrative about an absent father's ability to mysteriously have the ability to annihilate one's world, but that's a bit of a stretch. Because Roy is a rather repressed individual (not uncommon for astronauts, who need the ability to subdue and overcome their own nerves), there is a certain detachment which runs through the film. Had there been a few more moments of vulnerability sprinkled in here or there, the film may have had a bit more emotional impact. As it was, though, there was only so much pathos to be found.

If you're like me, and enjoy good space-faring movies for their ability to inspire awe at the cosmos, then Ad Astra can give you that. If you're looking for the more human drama elements, though, this one may leave you wanting.

El Camino (2019)

Director: Vince Gilligan

Compelling, entertaining, and satisfying sequel movie to the brilliant Breaking Bad TV show, which ended its outstanding run in 2013.

The sixty-odd episode run of Breaking Bad represented one of the very best TV shows of all time, created and run by Vince Gilligan. It saw the rise and eventual fall of high school chemistry teacher-turned-drug kingpin, Walter White, who used his genius for chemistry to concoct the most potent formula for crystal meth ever known. White, who had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, took this bizarre career shift in an effort to quickly earn enough money to support his family after his impending death. The problem was that, once White got a taste for the money and nefarious reputation which his recipe brought him, he found that he liked it. So much, in fact, that it sent him spiraling down darker and darker paths in order to maintain and grow his place in the drug-peddling world. By the end of the show's run, White had destroyed or alienated everything which he had once held dear; and although he found some measure of penance and rectification, he still died a tragic and lonely death.

White's partner through nearly his entire journey was Jesse Pinkman, a confused former student of his who had been dabbling lightly in the drug trade during his few years removed from high school. Pinkman, played brilliantly by Aaron Paul, while likable and funny in many ways, was always a lost soul, never knowing exactly who he was or what he wanted from life. As such, he was ripe to be pulled into the dark gravity of Walter White's drive and obsession. As White's decisions grew grimmer and more self-serving as the show progressed, Jesse felt more and more tied to him, despite his pangs of conscience and general reluctance to get so deeply involved in such dastardly deeds. In the show's finale, the last image we see of Jesse is him driving away from a white supremacist compound, where he had been brutally imprisoned and forced to cook meth for them for six straight months.

This is where El Camino picks up the story. In the hours immediately after the fiery end of Walter White, in which he freed Jesse, gunned down and killed all of his tormentors, and then died himself, Jesse has to elude the police as they look to put the pieces together of the entire bloodbath at the compound. A beaten and traumatized Jesse must seek out any friendly faces and places of sanctuary that he can, in an effort to not only escape capture and certain imprisonment, but also to truly decide who he is and what he wants to do with the rest of his life, should he even have one.

The movie is every bit as good as Breaking Bad was, even if it doesn't have the power of some of that show's most memorable moments (think Walter's showdown with Tuco or Gus Fring's death). El Camino certainly has a few great thriller sequences, with some fun twists of their own, but a two-hour movie is never going to be able to have the build-up necessary for the explosive moments that a longer-form TV show can offer. This movie does, however, make the most of its time, balancing Jesse's soul-searching and recovery from a horrific situation with the more cat-and-mouse elements that come from his scrambling away from his pursuers and towards an uncertain future.

Jesse, after cleaning himself up a bit, during one of several
moments of desperation. Viewers of Breaking Bad may
recognize the blurred outlines in the back of Skinny Pete and
Badger, two of several familiar faces who appear in the film.

The show is split roughly in half, with the tale alternating between the roughly 48-hours immediately after Jesse's escape and a series of flashbacks, some going way back into Breaking Bad's first season, when he and Walter White were just getting into the meth-cooking business together. We get to see scenes and moments never revealed during the original show, and they all make maximum use of the many open areas in the story, adding extra shading to certain familiar characters, some friendly and others downright evil. It all makes a great follow-up and addendum to the entire story.

I can't say enough about Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman. This film requires nearly every bit of the immense acting chops and range that he showed during Breaking Bad, and he seemed able to get right back into the character's head, despite having been away from it for a good six years. He exhibits, by turns, all of the terror, misplaced swagger, soul, and humor that he did at various points during the original story. Though Breaking Bad was mostly the story of Walter White, Jesse Pinkman was the soul and often the tragedy of the tale. Aaron Paul's ability to play the character with just the right type of vulnerability at just the right times is what elevated the show well above other drama/suspense/thriller fare.

Obviously, I can't recommend this movie highly enough for fans of Breaking Bad. If you haven't seen the show, then the movie won't make much sense to you. In fact, you should stay well away if you haven't watched the original show. It will mostly baffle. But feel free to use this as yet another endorsement from me to go ahead and start watching Breaking Bad. I've watched the entire series twice now, with a likely third time coming at some point in the future. It's brilliant, and El Camino only further enhanced the entire amazing show. Now, we just have to wait for the next season of Better Call Saul for more stories from this incredible tale that Vince Gilligan has created. 

New(ish) Releases from 2019: Booksmart and Parasite

Booksmart (2019)

Director: Olivia Wilde

A new teen comedy to add to the canon of 21st century-classics.

Booksmart follows in the spiritual footsteps of Superbad by following a crazy day in the life of a couple of close high school friends, Amy (Kaitlyn Dever) and Molly (Beanie Feldstein). Amy and Molly are overachievers who are primed for upper-echelon universities, and they are in their final week of classes before graduating. But once they realize that all of their peers, to whom they had felt academically superior, are also getting into top-notch schools on the strength of skills unknown to the prideful young ladies, massive regret sets in. Namely, that they had wasted some of their high school years studying rather than occasionally cutting lose and having fun with their classmates. In an attempt to remedy this, they decide to go all-out and attend a massive graduation party where they will have all of the fun that they skipped during their previous years of study. Of course, the line to the party quickly becomes anything but straight, and the girls are sent on a rather wild, epic evening of craziness.

While the overall premise and structure of Booksmart aren't particularly novel, it breaks a few barriers by focusing on young ladies who are incredibly smart, funny, and can be every bit as raunchy as their male counterparts. While my 44-year-old self was probably not quite as entertained as a younger person might be, I still found plenty to laugh at and appreciate. The Odyssey-like journey goes through various episodes, some funnier and more creative than others, which keep the pace moving along nicely.

The strength is in the performances of Dever and Feldstein, who are great in their turns as Amy and Molly. I can't imagine that it's easy to pull off uproarious comedy in the same film where two actors need to build some genuine sympathy and heart with the audience, yet these two young stars pull it off.

I don't know that I'll go out of my way to watch this one again, but I could very easily see myself surfing across it, stopping, and staying on for the rest of the ride. At least, at any point in the purely-comedic first two acts. Things get a bit more dramatic in the third (as you would hope for a buddy comedy that aspired to be a bit more than comedy), but it's an entertaining trip worth jumping into at nearly any point.

Parasite (2019)

Director: Boon Jong-Ho

Brilliantly crafted and executed social thriller/dark comedy by a modern Korean master who seems to just keep getting better and better.

Parasite follows young South Korean man Ki-woo and his family, the Kims. The Kims are quite poor, though they all seem to be rather intelligent, if sometimes morally dubious, survivors. Ki-woo takes an opportunity to fill in for a friend as an English tutor to the 15-year old daughter of a very wealthy couple, the Parks. Ki-woo gets the job by lying about his credentials and keeping up a good front to the rather gullible Mrs. Park. The money is so good that Ki-woo finagles jobs for his family members, as well. But once the Kims get deep into the Park's lives, things take a strange turn which jeopardizes the entire scam.

A simple, spoiler-free summary of the premise hardly does this movie justice. As with director Boon's 2013 sci-fi dystopian film Snowpiercer, Parasite has a strong theme revolving around socio-economic class. The interactions both within and between the Kim and Park families say a ton about the relationships between the upper- and middle/lower-tiers on the economic spectrum, not just in South Korea but in any society. This is what elevates the story far above a mere thriller.

And suspense-thriller is what you get on the movie's surface, which it does extremely well. While it takes a bit of time for the mystery and suspense elements to kick in, they hit hard when they do; I guarantee that, if you don't know anything about the movie, then you will never be able to see where some of the twists are taking you.

The Kims, trying to make ends meet by folding pizza boxes.
What might have been completely depressing in another
movie is, in Parasite, comical and revealing.

But, unlike say, an M. Night Shyamalan movie, Parasite goes well beyond its twists for its real impact. As already stated, the plot turns and rising tension serve to do more than simply build drama. They offer sly and sometimes brutal commentary on relations between people of very different means.

One might be tempted to think that Parasite is some horrific, dark tale that will leave one endlessly disturbed, but such is not really the case. Yes, there are dark elements to it, and even some horror elements. But there is also plenty of humor of various types, some dark but some very light. And this range of tones and gags is brought off splendidly by the flawless cast, most notably all four of the Parks - Ki-woo (Choi Woo-sik), Ki-jung (Park So-dam), Chung-sook (Jang, Hye-jin), and Ki-taek (Song Kang-ho). The others are great, but these four charismatic hucksters really make you pull for them and really make you feel the pain when tragedy hits.

I expect Parasite to rake in more than a few major awards (I think it already has, at the time that I write this), as it really is an outstanding movie. If you haven't seen it, I can't recommend it enough. While there are elements that may seem strange to those more accustomed to traditional narratives, if you can go in with an open mind and try to read in between the lines a bit, you won't be disappointed. 

New Release! 1917 (2019) [No spoilers, so read away!]

Spoiler-Free Review, so have no fear:

Director: Sam Mendes

One of the greatest war movies ever made. Hands down.

As the name of the movie implies, it takes place during World War I - the massive conflict in the early part of the 20th century that saw multiple countries at war throughout Europe and Mediterranean. Though the war was a massive affair that dragged on for roughly four years and involved millions upon millions of soldier, this particular movie mostly follows two young British soldiers, Lance Corporals Blake and Schofield. The two are commanded to deliver an urgent message to a regiment of 1,600 fellow soldiers who are set to fall into a massive trap. Blake's brother is in that company, and he and Schofield have to traverse a few miles of supposedly-abandoned no-man's land to reach their comrades and deliver the message before the attack takes place the following dawn.

The set-up of the tale is simple enough, as a classic race against the clock tale. But the execution is what sets this movie apart from so very many of its counter-parts.

Probably the most obvious element of the filming is that the entire movie is done in a virtually unbroken "tracking shot," meaning that the camera constantly stays on one or both of the main characters the entire time, without the camera ever cutting to a different angle or jumping to a different scene. This builds a sense of complete continuity and place, as you are experiencing exactly what Blake and Schofield are in real time, at exactly the same pace that they are. Plenty of films have used the tracking shot for such purposes, but they rarely last for more than a few minutes, due to the technical difficulties of executing them for very long. 1917 goes all-in with it, though, and the effects are powerful.

By telling the story with unbroken chronology, we are allowed to see everything these characters experience for the roughly two hours of the mission (two hours minus an indefinite period when one of them is knocked out). And while there are certainly moments of intense action and harrowing escapes, there are almost as many moments of eerie quiet and poetic meditation. As the story progresses, we can see the effects of the trauma through the ever-more glazed looks in the eyes and the ever-more desperate and blind urgency in the Lance Corporal's movements.

Blake and Schofield cross the wire into no-man's land,
towards the start of their mission against time. This still may
suggest the care that went into the costumes, sets, and props.

While all of this may suggest a thoroughly grim slog across a hellscape of war, there is more to it than that. Yes - the horrors of war are clearly presented, in their various degrees of gross inhumanity as well as brutal intimacy. However, there is real visual beauty and majesty to be noticed here and there, suggesting the remnants of the things which are supposedly being fought over. When Blake and Schofield walk through a quiet, abandoned orchard of stunning, white-blossomed cherry trees, it's almost painful to realize how much death a destruction has and will continue to happen in and around this otherwise beautiful, pastoral setting. Moments like this give the film extra layers and shades rarely found in a war picture.

I've read a few pieces critical of some elements of the movie, such as finding the sustained tracking-shot technique a distracting flourish, or that the slow moments beg questions about whether the characters' actions are in keeping with the demands of the premise. But I'm yet to read one of these criticisms that has shaken my feeling that I was watching a real masterpiece of cinematic art.

I highly recommend that anyone go and see this movie. Chances are that there will be something that amazes you, if not many things or the entire thing. 

New Release! Uncut Gems (2019) [Spoiler-Free Review]

Spoiler-Free!

Directors: Benny and Josh Safdie

Like watching an amazingly agile weasel side-step and juke away from rabid predators for two hours and ten minutes, all with brilliant cinematography and lighting.

Uncut Gems is a feat. I had only seen one of the young Safdie brothers' previous films, 2017s Good Time, which I found to be a gritty, sweaty, fast-paced and amazingly authentic excursion into the shadowy places that desperate losers on Long Island dwell. Uncut Gems is very much in the same vein, even if the setting and main character hail from environs slightly to the west.

This movie follows rare gem dealer Howard (Howie) Ratner, a fast-talking, charismatic hustler who has a severe gambling problem. This tale picks up in 2012, with Howie already deeply in debt to some gangsters whom he keeps at bay with half-empty promises and a knack for escapism. Howie's big chance arrives when basketball superstar Kevin Garnett is brought to his jewelry store and takes a profound liking to a massive raw stone which Howie has just procured from Ethiopia. Garnett feels such an intense spiritual connection to the stone that Howie loans it to him. This kicks off another round of wild betting by Howie on Garnett, whom he's sure will now play a fantastic game. And so it goes, with ever-increasing chances taken and with ever-more pressure placed on Howie via ever-more serious threats on his life by his gangster creditors.

This movie is done so incredibly well that you're likely to feel your blood pressure rise significantly, just watching Howie finagle and bullshit his neck out of one noose and almost immediately into another. All through it, we're being let in on an entire universe which many of us are not privy to - that of high-rolling, high-stakes action junkies. In the world of the Manhattan Diamond District, the adrenaline comes from a hot rare gem sale as much as from a huge bet coming through and paying off. While the movie is fiction, every ounce of it feels authentic. And as someone with a fair bit of family in the New York City area, I can attest to having met more than one Howie Ratner over my time spent with relatives in the area.

There are so many little details in this film that one can appreciate. To name just a couple, there is a depth to Howie as seen through his relationship to his family. It speaks to his perceived social pressure that he feels the need to appease the material desires of everyone around him, whether its toys and trendy gadgets for his children or pricey gifts for his wife and mistress. And there are moments of clear emotional vulnerability where the brash, confident front breaks down, even if it is in somewhat humorous ways.

NBA mega-star Kevin Garnett (left) listens to Howie's rap.
Garnett is just one of many who are bound by Howie's spell.

The acting is as good as it gets. If you're only familiar with Adam Sandler's comedic roles, his turn as Howie may surprise you in its flawless execution. Outfitted with brilliant, fake teeth and scumbag shades, Sandler channels some of his far-too-often untapped range as an actor. The charisma he exudes is not terribly surprising, but the sweaty urgency and flashes of self-serving profundity may show you different facets to his game. It's a marvel to watch. As great as Sandler is, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the entire supporting cast, which includes some familiar faces like Lakeith Stanfield and Judd Hirsh, among others. Yes, even Kevin Garnett holds his own. They're all great, though Sandler is clearly the star around which this film galaxy spins.

A movie like this could probably have fallen flat without just the right direction, but the Safdie brothers do not fail. As they did in Good Time, they create just the right atmosphere of claustrophobia and desperation. There's a dazzling amount of masterful framing and editing, which is quite a feat when having to follow around a character as frenetic as Howie Ratner. I fully expect a few prestigious award nominations to be thrown at this movie for its direction and filming.

Obviously, I'm a fan. I can very easily see myself watching this movie many more times in the future, which is about as good an endorsement as I can give a movie. 

Documentaries! Fyre (2019); Fyre Fraud (2019)

It's happened several times in movie history that there are two films of the same genre, on basically the same subject, released within a few months of each other. Think Dante's Peak and Volcano in 1997. Or The Prestige and The Illusionist in 2006. These things sometimes happen. But I can't recall a time when two documentaries covering the exact same bizarre event were released in such close proximity. But this is exactly what happened when two documentaries detailing the disastrous Fyre Festival, which happened in spring 2017, were both released within four days of each other, earlier in 2019. The wife and I were curious, so we watched one. We only grew more curious, so we went ahead and took in the other the following week.

As you would guess, the topic and a fair number of the details covered are the same in both documentaries. They trace the basic story of the Fyre Festival - a music festival hastily thrown together as a means to lure wealthy, image-obsessed young people to an island in the Bahamas for what was supposed to be "the next Coachella." It aspired be the trendiest, most exclusive festival of the future. The stated, greater purpose of all of this was to promote a new website and phone app - the Fyre app - which would allow people to find and book top-level entertainers for various social functions. What the Festival became was one of the most infamous and poorly-executed scams in recent history.

The basics of how it all devolved into disaster are as follows: a young "entrepreneur" named Billy McFarland had a big idea. McFarland had been making what seemed like massive amounts of money through a specialty credit card in New York City. Several years after the rather short-but-lucrative life of the card, it became clear that it was a scam that not only gave McFarland the appearance of being quite wealthy, but also gave him enough surface credibility to launch the idea for Fyre. Together with hip-hop star Ja Rule and other investors, McFarland had a vision for the grand music festival. While such things normally take years to plan and execute, McFarland and Ja Rule thought they could pull it off in roughly six months. Not only that, but they backed themselves into a major corner by going full steam ahead with an all-too effective marketing ploy on Twitter. The buzz grew at a dizzying rate, as did the number of people - mostly young, party- and image-obsessed millenials - who were paying thousands of dollars to be a part of the spectacle.

As the hype grew, McFarland and the organizers whom he hastily gathered together scrambled to put together all of the countless resources needed to fulfill the promises they had made to their customers. Suffice it to say that not one of their grand promises was met. The greater problem was that they admitted nothing, either to themselves or any of the festival-goers, until the enthusiastic crowds had already flown to the Bahamas, expecting a festival of mind-blowing proportions and ending up in refugee tents, eating two-dollar cheese sandwiches, waiting on promised musical acts who never arrived.

The two documentaries cover mostly the same key plot points in this tale of 21st century, all-American hype and millenial fear of missing out. They do differ, though, on their focus and access to some of the players involved:

Fyre (2019)

Director: Chris Smith

This was Netflix's offering.

Of the two docs, this one does the better job of telling the story of the origins of Fyre and logically walking us viewers through how the disaster unfolded. It also has plenty of self-shot footage of McFarland, Ja Rule, and their gaggle of "organizers" at almost every stage of the preparations, such as they were. It certainly gives you a certain sense of how these guys were going about their business (or not, in several cases), and offers enough for one to form an opinion of their character and approach to business.

I'm certainly glad that I watched this documentary first, as it laid the ground work to better understand the other:

Fyre Fraud (2019)

Director: Jenner Ferst and Julia Willoughby Nason

The strength of Fyre Fraud is the closer access to McFarland, the mastermind behind the entire festival fiasco. Unlike Fyre, the film-makers actually got McFarland to sit down for a one-on-one interview about the entire debacle. It is through this interview that is becomes abundantly clear that McFarland is the classic pathological liar and fast-talking con man who knows exactly how to talk a great game in order to increase his wealth and prestige. That is, as long as nobody is looking too closely at what he's saying or doing. And it is rather clear, from watching both documentaries, that everyone involved with McFarland and the entire Fyre Festival idea was too busy thinking about becoming rich and/or famous to bother truly scrutinizing his pipedream.

While the insight into McFarland's character is the great strength of Fyre Fraud, it is not nearly as coherent as Fyre, in terms of building up the disaster that was the festival. If I had watched this documentary first, I would have had far more questions than I did after watching Netflix's offering.

Final Thoughts

This was really a fascinating moment in modern history, and one that I don't remember hearing about when it unfolded back in early 2017. It is the type of debacle that could only have happened in the current place and time, in the image- and wealth-obsessed culture of the United States, and during the time of unchecked social media pervasiveness. It is honestly such a curious case that both my wife and I still had questions about it all, even after watching over three hours of footage from these two documentaries.

Anyone who thinks they want to dip their toes in the water should do what we did - watch Fyre on Netflix first. If you're still curious, go ahead and watch Fyre Fraud on Hulu. The two, in that order, paint a reasonably clear picture of everything that unfolded and much of the aftermath. It wouldn't surprise me if we get a follow-up documentary in another few years, given that some of the fallout from the entire affair is yet to completely land. 

New Releases! Knives Out (2019); Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Knives Out (2019)

Director: Rian Johnson

A ton of fun, for anyone who ever has loved a good murder mystery or loves seeing a somewhat worn-out genre reinvigorated through crackling energy and narrative inventiveness.

Summarizing the tale would defeat a certain amount of its purpose, so I'll use broad strokes. Knives Out tells the story of a wealthy author of murder mystery novels who dies, perhaps under sinister circumstances, and the fallout among his highly dysfunctional progeny. Nearly all of the standard elements of a classic murder mystery are there: greedy, bizarre suspects, a brilliant detective working the case, and multiple twists and turns in the plot as more details are revealed about the death and those involved. If you want your marks hit, director Rian Johnson bullseyes every one of them.

But if Knives Out were just another cookie-cutter, contemporary take on Murder on the Orient Express, it wouldn't especially standout. And standout this movie does, for several reasons. One is that the cast is as brilliant as one could ask for. Whether it's the well-seasoned veterans like Christopher Plummer and Jamie Lee Curtis, relative newcomers like Chris Evans and Lakeith Stanfield, or the bevy of other accomplished actors, there's not one performance that is less than pitch-perfect. They all bring the fun, dark humor into full form with aplomb, and it's a blast to watch them work. And I must point out just what a great job was turned in by Alma de Armas, with whom I was completely unfamiliar before this movie. Daniel Craig is also among the most memorable of the many indelible characters, but de Armas showed exceptional range here.

Of course, no murder mystery is worth its salt if it doesn't have a compelling narrative, plot, or both. Well, true to his risk-taking form, Rian Johnson plays with the genre in several creative ways. Again, I won't spoil them for those who haven't seen it yet, but the story folds out in an unexpected order and resolves in a way which I found uniquely satisfying.

Given just how many sequels, reboots, and adaptation from other media we are offered in the world of film these days, it is wonderfully refreshing to get a completely original story. Yes, it is in a nearly century-old genre, but it is telling its own tale in the novel way that its teller sees fit.

I highly recommend this one.

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (2019)

Director: J.J. Abrams

It was fine. No more, no less. But for an infinite-budget tent-pole movie in one of the largest franchises ever, "fine" can feel like a letdown.

The massive Star Wars franchise is in a strange place these days. In one sense, it's stronger than ever, now that it has the full might of Disney behind it and has broken into previously-untapped, massive and burgeoning markets like China. The toys, shows, and films are as ubiquitous as ever, and the release of a primary film in the main storyline is still as grand an event as one can find in movies.

At the same time, this recent trilogy has taken an odd trajectory. First we had The Force Awakens, in which J.J. Abrams took a ton of elements from the original Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope, tweaked a couple of things and gave long-starved devotees a return to form strong enough to give them multiple orgasms. Still, it was treading a lot of the same ground. Curiously, Disney tapped a very different director, Rian Johnson (see review above), for the next chapter, The Last Jedi. Johnson took a lot of admirable risks with his Star Wars film, something that the franchise has never really done at all. As one might expect, this met with incredibly divisive reaction between critics, who lauded the film's attempts to break free from the franchise's conventions, and the hardcore fanbase, who felt like their entire childhood had been obliterated like Alderaan. The swing between these two movies was massive, as one might expect when you give two very different writer and directors full control of movies which are supposed to be two chapters of the same overall tale.

So along comes The Rise of Skywalker. The film had had a somewhat muddled history, in the originally-slated director, Colin Trevorrow, left the project. Rian Johnson was meant to write a treatment for the movie, but never did. And then Carrie Fisher, whose General Leia Organa was supposed to be a central character in the final movie, passed away before production could begin. So Disney calls in J.J. Abrams to save the day.

I guess he did, sort of. At least, in the sense that the movie got its act together enough to not be bad.

What I've learned over the years of seeing several of Abrams' movies (I've never watched any of his TV shows) is that the man is, as John Powers once described him, "brilliantly unoriginal." The guy knows how to tell a story well and make a movie with technical prowess, no question. But he's all too happy to color within the lines drawn by artists and creators who came before him. Sure, he'll throw in a "fun" little curveball to let you know that he's not a total hack, like switching Kirk's and Spock's positions from Wrath of Kahn when he did his reboot Into Darkness several years ago. But he's never going to take any major risks, seemingly terrified of asking too much of his audience. And this is pretty much what he seemed to fall back on when he was asked to "rescue" The Rise of Skywalker.

This is a spoiler-free review, so I won't go over any plot points. But I found the movie decent enough. The first 15 or 20 minutes are annoyingly frenetic, with herky-jerky pacing and new story elements hurled in your face all too quickly. But once you settle in, it becomes a decent enough fantasy-adventure ride. If one is willing to relax a bit, then they'll find a several decent examples of the following: gags, action sequences, set pieces, and Easter eggs for devoted Star Wars fans. And the acting is solid all around, except for a weird return engagement by Billy Dee Williams as Lando Calrisean.

I think what I ultimately come away from Rise of Skywalker with is the larger question of why on Earth Disney didn't show more foresight when diving into this trilogy. It just feels like something which could have been far fresher and more cohesive that it was.

If nothing else, it just solidified my opinion that Rogue One is the best Star Wars movie we've gotten since Empire Strikes Back nearly 40 years ago. And it's not even really close. 

Retro Duo: 50 First Dates (2004); Kick-Ass (2010)

Though no great Sandler fan, I found this
"oldie" of his fairly charming.

50 First Dates (2004)

Director: Peter Segal

A pretty decent rom-com, and one that serves to further remind us of Adam Sandler's oft-abandoned potential.

Set in Hawai'i, Sandler plays animal veterinarian and womanizer Dr. Henry Roth. Roth's modus operandi is to lie about his identity in fantastic ways in order to bed vacationing single women, which allows him to make no serious relationship commitments. This changes when Henry comes across Lucy (Drew Barrymore). At first, Henry sees Lucy as another potential conquest. That is, until he is made aware that Lucy suffers from short-term memory loss, which causes her to forget everything she has experienced that day once she goes to sleep that night. Despite her condition, Henry quickly falls in love with her, going to great lengths to re-introduce himself to Lucy each day, despite the fact that she never remembers him once the day is over.

Like many people, my history with Adam Sandler has been very mixed, and I have almost completely avoided the dreck comedies that he's been putting out for many years now. Still, I loved a few of his earlier comedies, especially Happy Gilmore, and I found him especially effective in the against-type dramatic role he played in Punch-Drunk Love. 50 First Dates was his second teaming with Drew Barrymore, after the also-entertaining The Wedding Singer in 1998, and it is arguably a deeper, more touching movie than that earlier pairing.

The general appeal of Adam Sandler has always been the comedy of his Jekyl/Hyde "lovable dope/furious buffoon" balancing act. In 50 First Dates, he drops the rage monster persona and swaps it out for the part of a womanizer - a move that was a refreshing change of pace and allowed the more charismatic aspects of his on-screen persona to shine through. He and the also-sweet Drew Berrymore have a very strong chemistry, which is no doubt why they've done several rom-coms together spanning two decades. This was still very much the case in this movie, in which the love story is spun out nicely, with some fun, light-hearted comic contrivances. It was actually effective enough to pull one's attention away from the moronic character Ula, played by the always over-the-top Rob Schneider (one of several Sandler buddies who show up and add plenty of ham to nearly all of his movies).

While the movie isn't to be taken too seriously, the romance elements are endearing enough. It's one that I could see myself going back to at some point, as it's one that my wife quite enjoys. We can both share some good laughs while I don't feel my intelligence is being completely insulted. That's really about all I need from a romantic comedy, and 50 First Dates provides that in the beautifully lush setting of Hawai'i.

Kick-Ass (2010)

Director: Matthew Vaughn

How on earth I - a fairly devoted fan of comic book superhero movies - had never seen this movie is a bit of a mystery. It received a fair amount of buzz and was a solid commercial success when it was released back in 2010. Still, I somehow completely missed it. And even when I watched and thoroughly enjoyed Kingsmen: The Secret Service, by the same writer and director, and saw that he was also responsible for Kick-Ass, I still went a few more years without seeing it. Well, that is now remedied.

The movie is merely alright, which was a bit of a surprise, given its reputation.

The movie follows Dave Lizewski, a run-of-the-mill high school senior deeply enamored of costumed, comic book superheroes. So enamored, in fact, that he decides to become one after witnessing more than a few brutal crimes in his neighborhood. While not having any supernatural abilities (nobody does, in this film's world), Lizewski trains to fight, dubs himself "Kick-Ass," and even manages to be just successful enough to start building something of a fan following. It also captures the attention of a powerful local crime boss and a father-daughter costumed vigilante duo in the area. Things grow ever more treacherous for Lizewski as the stakes get higher for him and his crime-fighting alter ego.

Given the context of its time, I can guess that I would have loved this movie far more had I seen it back in 2010 or even within a year or two of its release. It's harder to recall now, but back then, the big-budget, comic book superhero movie trend was only just beginning to get into full swing. Christopher Nolan's Batman Begins and The Dark Knight had come out a few years before, sure. But the Marvel Cinematic Universe was still barely nascent. What is now a 23-movies-and-counting global movie juggernaut was then only a two-movie dream, with Iron Man and the relatively forgotten The Incredible Hulk being the only movies released up to then. And the X-Men movie franchise was in a bit of a rut, having released the laughably messy X-Men Origins: Wolverine the year before. In the face of these rather straightforward superhero tales came Kick-Ass, an R-rated, darkly funny and extremely violent costumed hero story of a very different ilk. It must have felt like a real treat to watch something that turned the cinematic genre on its ear a little bit.

Seeing it for the first time in 2019, though? It just doesn't pack as much of a punch. By now, comic book superhero movies and (now) TV shows have gotten at least as funny, dark, and quirky as Kick-Ass was nearly a decade ago. It's still entertaining enough, but if you're looking for smart, mature "super-hero" stories, there are just too many better options on TV and film now.