New-ish Releases: Good Time (2017); The Great Wall (2016)

Good Time (2017)

Directors: Benny and Josh Safdie

A frenetic, wild ride that captures a crazy day in the life of a native, desperate New Yorker whose bad decisions collide with insane situations at a dizzying rate.

In an extremely tense 100 minutes, we follow Connie Nikas (Robert Pattinson) after a bungled bank robbery he pulls with his mentally challenged brother, Nick (co-writer and co-director Benny Safdie). Though Connie manages to elude the police, the ever-confused Benny is captured and sent to jail. Connie, a consummate fast-talker and short-term thinker, tries to call in every favor and use any idea he can to get his challenged brother out of jail. As one plan of action after another either goes completely wrong or creates new problems, Connie grows more and more desperate, finding himself zipping all over Queens, his sole purpose to free the helpless Benny.

Good Time is, while bearing similarities to a few other films, one of the most unique heist movies I've ever seen. Sure, there have been bank robbery movies where things go comically wrong at every turn, a la Quick Change and others, and there have been dozens and dozens of New York crime stories.
There have also been plenty of films focusing on would-be criminals too dumb or myopic to get out of their own way, with Martin Scorsese's classics arguably being the best among them. But Good Time somehow conveys the sweaty, off-the-rails insanity of such situations as authentically as I've ever seen. It's not that anything in the story is implausible. Quite the contrary. Almost all of us have met a few people who were like Connie: clearly intelligent to a degree, but whose mental faculties are all steered towards the wrong objectives. In Connie's case, it's nabbing short-term gains at the expense of virtually anything else. In real life, it can be depressingly tragic; in a film, though, it can actually be engaging and even entertaining at times. Such is the case in Good Time.

The acting is amazing in this movie. Like most, I only really knew Robert Pattinson from trailers for the laughable Twilight series of films, a young-adult-oriented fantasy/horror series in which Pattinson played the main role of a dreamy vampire. After seeing him play Connie in Good Time, though, it is very clear that this guy can act. He basically carries the entire movie with his feverish energy and ability to downshift into a scuzzier version of a silver-tongued devil when the situation demands it. The several supporting cast members are all perfect, as well, only adding to the highly palpable atmosphere of the film.

I've now heard that the co-writers and co-directors, the Safdie brothers, have established a solid reputation in their relatively short resume. I'll be keeping an eye out to see what they do next, as Good Time lived up to its quiet but solid critical acclaim.

The Great Wall (2016)

Director: Yimou Zhang

A decent enough, fun action/adventure movie that got a bit of a bad wrap upon its release a year ago.

The movie mostly follows a pair of mercenaries from Western Europe - William (Matt Damon) and Tovar (Pedro Pascal) - who were part of a band out to find the rumored Chinese "black powder" (gunpowder in modern parlance) and buy, beg, or steal it back to their bidders back in the West. William and Tovar's band is harried by local bandits, and then attacked by some strange creature at night, leaving only the two of them alive. They are then soon taken as prisoners by the Chinese army at their astonishingly impressive Great Wall. There, William and Tovar learn that the Wall and the impressively skilled and disciplined army stationed there are the major line of defense against a horde of monsters. These monsters - Tao Tie, in Chinese - have a sort of hive-mind intelligence governed by a queen. They are eerily cunning, and they attack in calculated waves against the Wall's forces of male and female warriors, who are divided into specialized units to maximize their differing abilities. As William watches the Chinese fight for the lives of their civilization, he must decide whether he is more interested in the profit he can make from smuggling out the highly-coveted black powder or in putting his preternatural skills as an archer to use in assisting the Chinese against the monstrous Tao Tie.

For what it is, this movie was pretty fun. I honestly put it on with the plan of giving it 15 or 20 minutes to catch my interest. It did, and it held it all the way through to the end. It is not especially creative in terms of overall narrative or character depth, to be sure, but it is a fairly entertaining, visually lush and dazzling fantasy action-adventure tale, as you might expect from Yimou Zhang. While the fight choreography isn't on par with the best martial arts flicks, the set pieces, costumes, and general action scene set-ups are enjoyably creative and sights to behold. Not the best I've ever seen, but engaging if you're in the mood for such things. There was also some novelty in how the Chinese defense force is organized into its various fighting units, using different, brightly colored uniforms to differentiate each unit.

The acting? Meh. Surprisingly, Matt Damon does fine, even with the faux Irish/English/Unplaceable accent that he's putting on. He didn't bother me one bit, and I thought he was solid. His fellow Westerner Pedro Pascal also does well. Willem Dafoe, whom I absolutely love, feels rather out of place as the shifty hangabout Ballard. Female lead Tian Jing seems fine, especially when she is able to work in her native language of Chinese. When delivering her English lines, though, she seems uncomfortable, as if she's reciting phonetically-memorized scripts rather than using natural fluency (I feel confident assessing this, given that I am actually a professional English as a Second Language instructor who has worked with literally hundreds of Chinese-speakers of every possible level). That said, my hat is off for doing as well as she does, as acting in a language not ones native tongue must be exceedingly challenging.

William, alongside several of the higher-ranking members of
the Wall's impressive defense force. Rather than a "white
savior," Damon's character is much more of an accidental
hero who assists rather than outright saves the local warriors.

Some of you may remember that when The Great Wall was released in late 2016/early 2017, it got blasted pretty hard and was considered a "bust" at the box office. Firstly, it should be noted that it was really only a "bomb" in the United States, where is pulled in just over $45 million. That is a rather low total for such a large-scale, big-budget spectacle film, but it should be noted that the cinema universe does not revolve solely around the U.S. anymore. The movie actually made over $330 million worldwide, which was more than double its budget. In that respect, it did well enough, if not exactly Marvel Cinematic Universe or James Cameron type levels of profit.

So why did it do so "poorly" in the U.S.? The main reason may be the one that you recall the movie for - the "whitewashing" accusations. This is something that Hollywood has certainly been guilty of, without question - casting a white actor in a "savior" role, especially when the character he is playing is meant to be a person of color. This was no doubt the case in recent movies like The Prince of Persia, Gods of Egypt, and others. However, I think this accusation was applied incorrectly to The Great Wall. If one watches the movie, it's clear that Matt Damon's character is meant as the "outsider" - which is a tried and true method for storytelling. His being a white man makes perfect sense in the story, and is hardly a case of white washing. One could perhaps argue that he is placed in a "savior" role for the sake of Western audiences, but I would also point out that he only "saves the day" right alongside his female Chinese general Lin Mae (played by Tian Jing). So I have to feel that the harsh criticism levied upon the movie was mostly unfounded.

I am comfortable in recommending this movie to those who want a fairly light, fun, and yes, culturally inclusive movie that has a bunch of kick-ass warriors fighting off hordes of reptilian monsters. Simply the stuff of fun, fantasy, popcorn flicks. No more, no less. 

Before I Die #575: The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)

This is the 575th movie that I've now seen from the 1,177 movies on the "Before You Die" list that I'm gradually working through. It is also part of a little Bourne marathon that I did over a couple of weeks. A review of the other films is forthcoming. 

Director: Paul Greengrass

While it is often the most acclaimed of the Bourne movies, this is actually the one that I had never seen. I can now definitively say that Paul Greengrass is not for me. Ultimatum hits its marks extremely well, but this type of film only holds so much interest for me.

Picking up shortly after the events of The Bourne Supremacy, this third film in the original trilogy has Jason Bourne tracing his own history in an effort to discover everything about his past. The movie relies heavily on the revelations about Bourne's true identity and the breakneck action that takes place between those revelations.

The plot is not the most creative one a viewer will find. We do get some answers about who Bourne was before being molded into a lethal assassin, but it is not the stuff of grand revelation. Also, it is no great leap to suggest that the U.S. government has a super-secret stash of soldier assassins. Nor is it a great leap to think that those who control these assassins might be at least a little corrupt or of questionable ethics. And yet the movie presents these to us as if we are still meant to be shocked by them. The pacing of the narrative is skilled, and the actors all play their parts well, but the drama seemed stale to me. This, despite the ever-moving, ever-panning camera and edgy music score. The movie felt to me like Aaron Sorkin telling a grim espionage thriller, but without his trademark snappy dialogue.

Blurry, frenetic fights and action are a hallmark of the
Greengrass Bourne movies. They can be very impressive at
times, but my tolerance for them is limited.

Let's face it, though - the Bourne series became popular due to its action, not a particularly intelligent plot or brilliant insights. Even I must admit that Greengrass and his camera and editing crew are exceptional at what they do. Choreographing and filming the fight and chase scenes must take an immense amount of planning and work. And being able to have such a dizzying amount of quick cuts, while still communicating the overall visual story, is no mean feat. There are several sequences that are very impressive, even to a non-fan like me. The proximity of the cameras to the intense hand-to-hand combat and inside cars that are speeding, crashing, and careening all over the road do create a sense of excitement at times. However, I can't help but get bored with them after a minute or two. And when such scenes extend more than a few minutes and take up around half of a film, as Greengrass's Bourne movies do, then my attention wanes. I will admit that this style is far superior to the overuse of slow motion (I'm looking at you, Michael Bay), but it is just not my cup of tea.

I completely understand why these movies are popular, and it is easy to admit that they are very well done, for what they are. They really are, though, a case of slightly more style over substance. This is fine when the style suits you, but this is not a style that suits me.

That's 575 movies down. Only 602 to go before I can die. 

New Releases! The Martian (2015); Spotlight (2015)

The Martian (2015)

Director: Ridley Scott

A strong, sober take on outer space adventure, but one that takes no true risks.

Set in an undetermined but not-too-distant future, The Martian is the tale of Doctor Mark Watney (Matt Damon), an astrobotanist who is accidentally abandoned by his crew on Mars during an exploratory mission on the red planet. Once he awakens after being knocked unconscious, Watney must attempt to survive on a planet with almost no water, very limited food, and no immediate way to contact Earth to send a rescue team.

The strength of the film is in seeing just how a top-notch scientist uses all of his knowledge to fend off impending death at multiple turns. Watching Watney diagnose and solve problem after problem offers plenty of fascination for those who wonder exactly how someone might survive in the worst environmental circumstances.

Buoying the compelling plot is the performance of ever-reliable Matt Damon. Damon does excellent work in conveying the affable doctor's fear, frustration, elation, bemusement, and excitement at various turns in the film. He humanizes Watney in a way that stokes our hopes that he somehow safely return to Earth.

Watney takes a little break during one of his lower moments.
Not surprisingly, director Ridley Scott oversaw some
incredible visual effects within which Matt Damon could
bring Watney to life. 

These immense strengths make the movie well worth watching. However, I couldn't help but see some places where other, similar movies have outdone The Martian. The 1995 drama Apollo 13 tells a similar, albeit historically true, tale in which the NASA engineers and astronauts are less romanticized or glamorized while still being granted extreme respect for their intelligence and abilities. The 2013 film Europa Report is far more similar to The Martian, being a futuristic tale of speculative fiction about space exploration. However, this earlier film avoids Hollywood tropes such as the sometimes-misplaced playful humor and occasional caricatures which we see in The Martian (just note the socially awkward, uber-nerdy astrophysicist Rich Purnell). 

The main reason that I think more highly of a movie like Europa Report is that it takes the risk of actual peril with its characters. I never for one moment watching The Martian doubt that Watney would be saved. The movie sets a tone early on that tells us viewers that we shouldn't worry too much about the lovable doctor. What I respect so much about Europa Report is that strong, dignified characters must literally die for a higher purpose - in this case broadening humanity's collective scientific knowledge. It may not be the most crowd-pleasing element, but it is one that I hold in high regard. The Martian misses out on some of this, in the name of finding a broader appeal.

Spotlight (2015)

Director: Tom McCarthy

Quite simply one of the best movies I've seen in years.

Spotlight depicts the lamentably true story of how a handful of dedicated journalists working for the Boston Globe exposed nearly 90 Catholic priests in the Boston area who had molested young children, only to have church authorities and other local institutions cover up and bury the story for decades.

The Boston priest scandal was a bombshell when it broke in 2002. The story of the victims and the protection of their abusers is one that required the utmost respect, diligence, and skill of a filmmaker. Fortunately, director Tom McCarthy and his team were clearly up to the task. Spotlight conveys just how hard it can be, even for the most skilled and dedicated journalists, to construct and publish an immensely impactful story in the proper way and at the right time. This movie truly is the All the President's Men of our time.

When watching a film based on true events, I am always wary of directors' attempts to romanticize or glamorize the real characters or actions. I found none of this in Spotlight. What we get is a group of always committed, sometimes conflicted professionals who are chasing down a social disease. The facts of the story provide all of the drama, without need for anything extra. In fact, I cannot think of a single scene or character in the movie which was superfluous to the primary story. There are no romance stories or relationship dramas thrown in for inattentive viewers, and every character feels completely fleshed out.

Liev Schreiber as editor Marty Baron. He may look and talk
like a human tranquilizer, but underneath lies the steady hand
that urged and supported the revelation that was the Boston
Catholic priest abuse scandal.

The acting, with one exception, is above reproach. My only little gripe is that I found Mark Ruffalo trying a bit too hard to display righteous indignation in an overt, twitchy way that I felt oversold the emotion. I did grow accustomed to it as the movie progressed, though. All of the other actors, major stars and lesser-knows as well, are outstanding. In particular, I found Liev Schreiber's understated yet extremely powerful turn as new editor-in-chief Marty Baron to be quietly amazing. The depiction of his character is the very portrait of a restrained yet unwavering sense of what is right and how to do it correctly. He and all of the other actors seemed well aware that this movie was far less about them or their performances, but rather it was about the horrible story that they were dramatizing. They clearly went to great lengths to get it right, just as their source people did in their jobs as journalists.

I can very easily see this film becoming an inspiration for young people who see it. Just as All the President's Men stoked the fires of meaningful journalism in the 1970's, Spotlight could very well do the same these forty year later. I certainly hope so.