Category: Movies

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Star Trek Beyond (2016)

As the movie opens, the Enterprise of the Kelvin alternate universe is in the middle of its five-year mission of space exploration. Captain Kirk returns from an unsuccessful diplomatic mission questioning his role in Starfleet. As Bones McCoy points out in a private moment, Kirk is still competing with his dead father, especially on the impending anniversary of Kirk’s birth (and his father’s death).

The Enterprise heads for a deep space port named Yorktown where the crew can have a little downtime. However, we learn that Kirk is tiring of trekking and, to no crewmembers’ knowledge, has requested a transfer to an administrative assignment. Elsewhere on Yorktown, Spock, who feels he should be doing more to help New Vulcan, receives a visit from two Vulcans who notified him of Ambassador Spock’s death. His melancholy has already affected his relationship with Uhuru as they have broken up.

Before Kirk and Spock can act on their feelings, however, they are assigned to help rescue a stranded crew on another planet in the quadrant. However, just before arriving, the Enterprise is attacked and Kirk and crew must fight for their survival.

Star Trek Beyond deconstructs the characters and relationships of this alternate timeline crew and then spends the film reconstructing them. As the situation separates them, we see Kirk and Chekov working together. Sulu and Uhuru form another team on a different mission. Scotty and a newfound alien, Jaylah, are another team. Finally, we have Bones and Spock working together. As the film meanders along, these teams come together to fulfill an even bigger threat off planet.

One of the striking things to me, as a fifty-year viewer of this television and movie franchise is how well these new actors have stepped into the old shoes of their predecessors. The newer characterizations are so spot on that my brain is willing to accept the massive cast shift. This has been evident since the 2009 reboot, but this is the first time that I’ve felt the characterizations have moved beyond imitation and parody into inhabiting the characters as we grew to love them. I’m fully invested in this cast. Kudos to cast member Simon Pegg (Scotty) and Doug Jung who wrote the script which reflects the heart of the original television series.

At this point, I should mention the untimely death of Anton Yelchin, who played the rebooted Chekov. Unlike that of original cast member Leonard Nimoy, Yelchin’s death is not dealt with within the context of the film.  Both are handled with slides at the beginning of the end credits.

Justin Lin has directed Star Trek Beyond with great energy which many expected as Lin made the Fast and the Furious franchise what it is today. However, Star Trek Beyond does not feel like Fast and Furious in space. The set pieces are fantastic, but Lin handles the character interaction with great skill. Idris Elba (as Krall) and Sofia Boutella (as Jaylah) are great as guest stars.

Star Trek Beyond is a welcome 13th edition of this franchise and third film in the rebooted series, Producer J.J. Abrams has already stated that another film is in the works with Chris Hemsworth returning as George Kirk. So. James T. Kirk will have the opportunity to work out his “Daddy” issues.

Meanwhile, enjoy Star Trek Beyond.
Live long and prosper.

★★★★☆ 4 out of 5 stars

Rated PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi action and violence

Trailer:

Originally published 22 July 2016 20:00 on View from the Seats

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Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice – Ultimate Edition (2016)

Like many fans, when I viewed the theatrical release of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, I was incredibly disappointed. I found it disjointed, full of plot holes and inexplicable character development.

Well, the inexplicable character development is still there and a few plot holes still exist, but BVSDOJ: Ultimate Edition is a vastly superior film to its theatrical release.

As the opening credits roll, we get director Zach Snyder’s version of the Batman origin story. However, by the time the credits are done, we’re done with the origin story as well.

An older Bruce Wayne arrives in Metropolis as Superman and General Zod battle over the city as we saw in Man of Steel. However, this time it’s all from Wayne’s point of view. We begin to see the reason why Wayne thinks of Superman as someone who should cease to exist.

Clark Kent is a much more developed character in the Ultimate Edition than he was in the theatrical release. His character feels more in line with the character of the previous film. His relationship with Lois Lane is fleshed out (pun intended) as well as that with his Mom.

The dream sequences that Wayne had in the theatrical release are far less disjointed and re-edited into a form which makes better sense.

This film introduces Wayne and his faithful butler from the Batman saga and Alexander Luthor from the Superman saga. Ben Affleck and Jeremy Irons play their characters well and Jesse Eisenberg is slightly less goofy in the extended version rather than over-the-top in the theatrical version. Unfortunately, Laurence Fishburne is chewing a lot more scenery in BVSDOJ than in Man of Steel.

While I’m talking about characters, let me just mention as an aside that I don’t understand why the characters of Steve Lombard, Jimmy Olson and Clark Kent (Kent to a much lesser degree in the Ultimate Edition) were wasted in this film.

The set pieces in the movie flowed naturally with the narrative and I think many will enjoy the major fight sequence in the film.

Query: was that Wonder Woman theme in the theatrical release?

All in all, BVSDOJ: Ultimate is a much better film than the theatrical release. It’s plot flows more evenly, many characters are better developed and, although the film weighs in at 3 hours and 3 minutes, I didn’t want to leave my seat for fear of missing something.

On a 10 scale, I rate BVSDOJ: Ultimate up from a 6 to a 9.

Trailer:

Rated R for sequences of violence.
Theatrical cut rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action throughout, and some sensuality. 

Originally published 28 June 2016 05:30 on View From The Seats

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10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

JJ Abrams seems to be the only producer to get me in an actual movie theater. He first accomplished that with Star Trek, then Super 8.

Now comes 10 Cloverfield Lane, the first official blood relative to 2008’s Cloverfield. (Mr. Abrams and others may not agree, but I actually feel Super 8 is worthy of that title.)

Now,  you’d have to be brain-dead to hear Mr. Abrams talk about this film and expect a direct sequel to the eponymous 2008 film. Yet, even I was surprised at the numerous twists and turns this latest entry takes.

Mary-Elizabeth Winstead portrays Michelle, a woman who has decided to end her relationship with her unseen boyfriend, Ben. She’s driving through rural Louisiana talking to him on her cell phone when she’s forced off the road.

When she awakens, she has an IV in one arm and is handcuffed to a bed by one leg. Enter Howard (John Goodman) who explains, in chilling fashion, that no one will be looking for her.

I won’t be the one to give away the various secrets of this film. I suppose that will happen faster than you can spell Wikipedia. I will say that you’ll be trying to figure out what the heck is going on as much as Michelle is.

Honorable mention to John Gallagher, Jr. who portrays Emmett, the third member of Howard’s impromptu family.

Most of the action takes place in Howard’s bunker and it can be quite claustrophobic at times. Yet, a pivotal event occurs and all hell breaks loose.

10 Cloverfield Lane will keep most guessing right to the very end. Director Dan Trachtenberg is to be commended for constructing a film that mostly keeps you on the edge of your seat. The fact that most reviews won’t reveal the secrets of the film should tell you everything you need to know.

Highly recommended!

Out of 5 Stars: ⭐⭐⭐⭐+1/2⭐

Rated PG-13 for thematic material including frightening sequences of threat with some violence, and brief language.

Trailer:

Originally published on 12 March 2016 20:44 on View from the Seats

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Twister (1996)

One of the things that gets me about movie reviews is that every thing has to be so subjective. In the case of this little movie, the subjective complaint is PLOT, PLOT, PLOT. A couple of things. First, when a latter-day movie has the name of Twister, what do you expect? A Long Day’s Journey Into Night? Schindler’s List? I think not. This movie is for escapism and it should be judged in that context.

Secondly, the movie does have a plot. Hell, there’s even sub-plot.

Bill Paxton is Bill Harding, a TV weatherman chasing his soon-to-be ex-wife Jo (Helen Hunt). You see, Bill wants to get married to psychiatrist Melissa (Jami Gertz) but he can’t until he get Jo to sign the divorce papers. Jo, however, is occupied. See, she is chasing something herself. Tornadoes. She hates them. She’s obsessed by them. So, she hunts them down so she can place small sensors into them. The sensors will give her and other scientists better information about them. While she’s chasing the tornadoes, she’s running away from Bill. She’s playing hard to get, or rather, hard to get rid of. Jo is ambivalent about divorcing Bill. She’s so ambivalent that she’s built his invention, named Dorothy, to launch the sensors into a funnel, if she catches one. Maybe, in the meantime, she’ll catch her man. Again.

So, off they go. Jo’s chasing tornadoes with her rag-tag bunch of storm chasers. Bill is chasing her trying to get her to sign the divorce papers, while trying to convince the aforementioned rag-tag bunch that he’s not back in the storm-chasing game. All the while, Melissa is trying to figure out all the things swirling all about her.

Meanwhile, while Jo’s group is rag-tag, the group headed up by Dr. Jonas Miller (Cary Elwes) is not. It’s slick and para-military. Dr. Miller seems to have ripped off Bill’s designs and constructed a sensor launcher of his own to rival Dorothy. So, it’s a race to see which storm-chasing team gets their device launched first.

I went into the movie house wanting a thrill ride and I got exactly what I wanted. It was an enjoyable experience. I can actually see Twister: The Ride on the Universal Studios tour in the forseeable future. That’s because the movie is just that, a non-stop thrill ride from start to finish with just enough of a plot to let you catch your breath and move the story along.

See for yourself.

Ciao for now!

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Saturday Night At The Movies: Jeffrey / To Wong Foo…

I’m gonna start this way.
Remember in Who Framed Roger Rabbit when Jessica Rabbit told Eddie Valiant : “I’m not bad. I’m just drawn that way.” Well, both of the following movies had predictable plots. You could see plot turns from a mile away. However, they weren’t bad. They were just written the way they were written. Well, given that proviso, I present my opinions as follows.

Jeffrey
3 stars
(Add a star if you like getting exasperated.)

This movie is a veritable cameo fest, but that’s not what makes it enjoyable. What makes it enjoyable is the wonderful acting of Patrick Stewart, Michael T. Weiss, and Steven Weber in the lead role as Jeffrey. That aside, there is a cornucopia of cameo appearances by a variety of people that you’re sure to recognize.

Jeffrey is an actor/waiter in New York City who’s gone thru, by his own admission, about 5000 prior liaisons. How’s that for hyperbole. Well, maybe it was a bit much, but right away you can see that Jeffrey is not cut out for sex in the 90′s. Especially gay sex.

Unfortunately for Jeffrey, gay sex in the 90′s means AIDS and it’s driving Jeffrey mad. So, all at once, he decides to give up sex. Of course, as soon as he does, he meets Steve (Weiss). Steve obviously has the hots for Jeffrey and makes his feelings known almost instantly. Jeffrey, however, wants to stick to his decision. So, despite Steve’s pursuit, Jeffrey spurns him at nearly every turn. At one point, Steve (with a little help from his friends) gets Jeffrey to agree to go out with him. At the same time, he lets Jeffrey know that he’s HIV-positive. Resistance turns to avoidance as Jeffrey weedles out of his date.

Jeffrey does all of this despite the advice of his good friend, Sterling. Sterling (Stewart) is an interior decorator…er…designer who’s gleefully living with Darius (Brian Batt), an HIV-positive chorus dancer in CATS. Sterling and Darius have a wonderful relationship; yet, despite this, Jeffrey is still afraid of what dating an HIV-positive man.

The balance of the movie becomes Jeffrey’s journey thru life as he balances his obvious fear of getting AIDS with his lust for Steve. Unfortunately, the journey becomes so tortured that at one point you’re looking for The Golden Ticket (from The Last Action Hero) just to jump up on the screen and slap him. What saves your outing are the marvelous performances by Weber, Weiss, Batt, and especially Stewart. Can you say “Best Supporting Actor”? He probably won’t win, but he should as he gives a delightfully camp performance that shows his tremendous range as an actor.

I don’t wanna be too down on Jeffrey. Despite its manipulative scripting and Jeffrey’s insufferable whining, the screenplay does hold a couple of surprises. So, things may not turn out exactly as you expect.

All in all, Jeffrey is an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours at the movies. It’s funny and poignant and there’s a moral as well.

To Wong Foo: Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmar
3½ stars
(Add a half-star if you don’t mind being manipulated.)

All during the summer, in seeing previews, I was worried about To Wong Foo… being an American version or rip-off of Priscilla: Queen Of The Desert. Trust me, there are a lot of similarities; however To Wong Foo… stands on its own as an enjoyable movie experience. In the audience I sat in, there was laughter and applause throughout and I found myself laughing and applauding along. (I hadn’t expected to.)

Patrick Swayze is Vida Boheme, a drag queen from Bala Cynwyd, PA living in New York City. Bala Cynwyd is pivotal in his story. So is Noxeema Jackson (Wesley Snipes). Boheme and Jackson are friends competing against Chi Chi Rodriguez (John Leguizamo) and others for “Drag Queen of the Year”. Well, as luck would have it, Boheme and Jackson tie for the honors and both win an all-expense paid trip to Hollywood.

Well, Boheme is a queen with a heart. She can’t stand to see Chi Chi, who lives in the same building, so upset about not winning the crown; so, Vida bullies Noxeema into trading their paid-for airline tickets for a car and, together, the three set off to drive cross-country. Shades of Boys On The Side.

Early on, the trio is stopped in the middle of nowhere by a county sheriff (Chris Penn in a hoot of a role). What happens next brings more remembrances of Boys On The Side.

Eventually, our fun-loving “females” end up in Snydersville, a small hamlet where everyone seems to have a problem and our girls have a solution for every single one of them. Despite this manipulation, To Wong Foo… delights at every turn. It’s laugh-out-loud funny and not at all subtle. Normally, that would be a criticism, but in this case, it turns out to be a refreshing change of pace.

Of course, all of the elements in the story come together for a smaltzy conclusion. But, that’s OK. You’ll get all wrapped up in it anyway, just like I did. (Boy, was I surprised.)

Closing Comments

Between the two, I have to admit that I enjoyed To Wong Foo… better. Going in, I thought that a small film would do much better than a major studio release. However, they’re really different movies and you shouldn’t have to choose between them. So, don’t. Go out and enjoy them both.

Ciao for now!
Mike