Kate: Definitely a gotta-see action film

Movie Review: Kate (2021) on Netflix

Here's another action movie you should see, just for the sheer moxie of the story. Think of John Wick but with a woman in the antihero role. Maybe a Sigourney Weaver from Aliens but taking on the Tokyo Mafia. In this case, it's Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Kate taking no prisoners and taking no sass in Tokyo. And she has Ani (played by Miku Patricia Martineau) as a sidekick. Woody Harrelson is her mentor/protector, although in many films we've come to find that Mr Harrelson rarely comes out at the end as the good guy. 

Kate is a wickedly efficient assassin, skilled in all the killer arts. But she blows an assignment to take down the leader of the yakuza syndicate in Japan. It results in her being poisoned with polonium, giving her only 24 hours to find her own assassin and complete her original assignment. Struggling to survive, she runs into the granddaughter of her target, who could help her locate the old man but at first acts more as a deterrent, until they find they have more in common than in detraction.

Lots of action, with chase scenes, gun battles, fights, and bloody melee. I'd say a notch or two below a John Wick bloodletting, but still, you will be wowed. I'd rate it an A+ for antihero wins the day. This is definitely a gotta-see action film.

tick, tick...Boom!: What a great musical

Movie Review: tick, tick...Boom! on Netflix 

I was prepared for tick, tick...Boom! to be good but not this good. Boom! What a great musical!! Based on the musical play by Jonathan Larson and writer of Rent and directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda, it scintillates on the screen with energy while oozing with honesty and earnesty. This is really great stuff. You will be captured by it from beginning to end.

tick, tick...Boom!, written for film by Steven Levenson, is about Jonathan Larson's eight-year tussle with creativity and writer's block to finish his Broadway play before his 30th birthday--before he loses his youthful energy, his friends who have moved on with life, his friends who are dying of AIDS all around him, his girlfriend who wants to finally get her break... And the Monday before his birthday is scheduled a big working session of the play before interested parties that can make or break taking his play into production, and he has one critical song to write but not a whisper of inspiration anywhere. The pressure!

The film is shot in New York City, so it is full of character. There is tons of movement and color and energy. And there is, of course, music everywhere. Think of the energy of Lin-Manual Miranda's Hamilton. It's present here. 

The ensemble cast isn't notable, but they shine together with Andrew Garfield in the lead as Larson. I'd rate it A++ for absolutely fantastic.

Love Hard: Adorably innocent holiday rom com

Movie Review: Love Hard (2021) on Netflix

First, Love Hard is not a porn movie. It's a holiday rom com and it's adorably innocent fun. You see, it's another of those Christmas movies that isn't really about Christmas it just takes place around the holiday season, and a couple of the characters reference their favorite Christmas movies that also aren't really about Christmas they just take place around the holiday: Love Actually and Die Hard. Thus, they form this movie's title from those two titles. Get it? 

In this film, Natalie Bauer (played by Nina Dobrev) writes articles about failed dates. Her whole love life is an amalgam of failed first dates. But she has been using a new dating app and she has met this amazing new guy, Tag (played by Darren Barnet), who has amazing photos and says the most amazing things and has set Natalie's heart atwitter. Natalie lives in L.A. and Tag lives in Lake Placid, NY, but Tag mentions, wouldn't it be wonderful if she could join him for Christmas? All seems too good to be true, but maybe this is finally the first date that breaks the mold for Natalie, so she makes plans to surprise Tag and join him unannounced for the holidays.

You can imagine, when Natalie gets to Tag's house it isn't as she imagined it. Tag is actually Josh (played by Jimmy O. Yang)--Tag was Josh's best friend in high school so Josh has lots of photos and stories to fake his identity. But now Josh's family has met Natalie and everyone's expectations are very high, so to save face Natalie and Josh agree to fake their relationship through Christmas and then they will break it off. In exchange, Josh will arrange for Natalie to meet and date Tag. What could go wrong with all that? You will see.

This is ultimately about truth and honesty. Everyone's feelings are tested. Some of the writing is cliched but if you can accept the original concept and enjoy the innocence of the ploy, it's a fun holiday-themed story with a hopeful end. The final scenes are a nice touch. I would rate Love Hard a B^ for brings the love home. It would make a great way to start the Christmas/holiday movie season.

Red Notice: Just too much fun

Movie Review: Red Notice (2021) on Netflix

Red Notice, starring Dwayne Johnson, Gal Godot, and Ryan Reynolds, is just too much fun. That's mostly because Ryan Reynolds is in it to add quirky humor, but also because Dwayne Johnson is kind of a cornball himself. Together, well, you're going to have a great time watching this combination of James Bond flash-bang and Indiana Jones swashbuckling adventure. Said enough?

Gal Godot is there for the sizzle, and sizzle she does. Think of her role as Wonder Woman 1984, and just change her outfit to modern femme fatal spy and you get the idea. She handles a spear and a pistol with equal ease!

This film is heavily plot driven, but the motion is accelerated by intense chase scenes, fight exchanges, and lots of quick give-and-take dialogue between the characters, which keeps the pace lively. Don't plan any bathroom breaks during the film! This is an action film.

Here's the gist of Red Notice: Good guys, bad guys, and guys in between are on the hunt for three rare eggs artistically created and gifted to Cleopatra and then mysteriously separated over time. One is in a museum, one is in a private collection, and one hasn't been seen for hundreds of years. A multi-billionaire wants to reunite them as a wedding gift for his daughter. Dwayne Johnson plays an FBI profiler who arrives on the scene aware someone is plotting to steal the museum egg. Ryan Reynolds plays the second most successful art thief, who tries to steal the museum egg and wants to move onto the privately held egg. Gal Gadot plays the first most successful art thief, who is plotting to outdo Ryan Reynolds' character and show up Dwayne Johnson, and beat them to finding the third egg. And let the thieving begin.

This is a great romp. You won't know who to trust. I would rate Red Notice an A++ for way above average.

Words and Pictures: Good writing, good cast

Movie Review: Words and Pictures (2013) on HBO Max

I've forgotten what really good writing can do to drive a good film. Recently, I was reminded watching Words and Pictures.

The whole gist of this film is a washed up old writer turned English teacher (Clive Owen) and a struggling artist (Juliette Binoche) forced to teach fine arts at a prep school battle out which is more meaningful, words or pictures. Caught in the middle are their bright, impressionable high school students. The two teachers are at first caught up in their own misery and failure to achieve insights in their individual arts and fight it out in a battle of wits highlighted by the sexual tension between them and the devotion of their brightest students. But over time, they come to circle one another until they tangle in a competition in which their honors programs will decide on a supreme art: words or pictures, and the outcome may surprise you.

This is written with great wit and conversation around language arts, with quotes from the great authors of time--in essence, Words and Pictures becomes a piece of literary art in itself. 

At the same time, we see fine art explored visually as Binoche struggles to paint as the master painter her character is known to be yet struggles because of a disabling disease. We see her grasping brushes intricately small and industrially huge in painting masterpieces, yet not able to articulate her vision and anguishing over every stroke. Her studio is awash in art and anger. 

Meanwhile, required to write new manuscripts of prose and poetry, Owen can't muster the thoughts that once came so easily to him, now absorbed in debilitating alcoholism.

Both are spiraling out of control, before our eyes. And here they are, trying to guide students as they try to apply for college entrance!

So, what the writing does for the "words" part of the film, the staging, cinematography, and acting do for the "pictures" part of Words and Pictures, and it's a brilliant choreography. Binoche, a wonderfully natural actor, flows across the screen. Owen is hefty in most of his roles, and his passion in this role comes across with vigor and life.

Words and Pictures is a thinking film but also a feeling film. And I'd rate it A^ for Above Average on all Counts! Loved it.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings: Awesome Entertainment

Movie Review: Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings (2021) on Disney+

Let me say from the outset that Sheng-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings is a great film with sweeping vistas, strong characters, great martial arts scenes magnified by magnificent artistry, and punctuated by that typical Marvel-universe humor that makes superhero movies so fun to watch. The cast is great! My only beef with it is how it was rolled out on Disney+. 

I believe the challenge is, if you watch the film in their IMAX version on Disney+ you may not see subtitles. They don't prepare you for this, and it is the recommended viewing. My nephew Rob watched it on the theatrical release widescreen and subtitles were included in the film. I went with the recommended IMAX version and it didn't. It took us three attempts to figure out how to select English subtitles on our own. Without subtitles, you don't get the backstory on the Legend of the 10 Rings, which is told in the film in Mandarin, and lots of the dialogue is in Mandarin. Many minutes into the story, when the setting switches to New York City, the dialogue switches to English. Later again it will switch back and forth between Mandarin and English. If you don't speak or read Mandarin (or English, for that matter), it's a challenge to understand the story. So be prepared, just in case.

That caution being expressed, I want to switch gears and say what a great film this is. It makes generous use of CGI and special effects to create an imaginative world with vivid characters in an incredible alternative world. 

Sang-Chi (played by Simu Liu) and his sister Xialing (played by Meng'er Zhang) unite to try to save their mother's legendary home world from attack by their villainous father Xu Wenwu (played by Tony Chiu-Wai Leung), who has been the master of the 10 Rings for hundreds of years, wielding them as tools to gain power. Shang-Chi has been living in New York City hiding in cheap urban centers with his best friend Katy (played by Awkwafina) until he is egged into battle by Xu Wenwu's minions, who force them into exposing themselves. Once brought to his father, Sheng-Chi is invited to join in his father's quest, which is to save his murdered wife who he believes is locked in a fortress in her home world. To do that, they need to get the aid of Shang-Chi's sister, who has come out of her shell and started a gang-fighting command center in Macau. But talking her into joining forces isn't easy and the father's story about where their dead mother is isn't so convincing, and Xu Wenwu's plans go awry.

Veteran martial arts film star Michelle Yeoh adds authenticity to the legend and battle scenes, not to mention the artistry of the fighting shots. Filling out the top-quality cast is Ben Kingsley, who plays a Shakespearean actor who...I don't understand the role of his character, really, but his roles in past films give him weight in any casting list, so he forms a bookend to solidify the bone fides of everyone else? Anyway, this is a great ensemble cast, who get into several major battles throughout the film, the greatest near the end, which is a battle between two mega-giant dragons. Pretty cool!

Shang-Chi becomes a solid addition to the Marvel Superheroes universe and I'd watch it again in a New York (or Macau) minute. I'd rate Shang-Chi and the Legend of the 10 Rings a solid A for Awesome!

Jungle Cruise: Have you seen this somewhere before?

Movie Review: Jungle Cruise (2021) on Disney+

Have you seen Disney's Jungle Cruise, in theaters and on Disney+? You wouldn't be wrong if you thought you had seen it before. It's loosely based on Disney's theme park ride of the same name. And it brings back memories of John Huston's The African Queen (1951), although that was set in Africa and this is set in Argentina. Loose memories, because beyond the opening scenes of a jungle cruise complete with pun-spinning boat captain, faked nature attacks, and other things you might remember from your own adventure at Disneyworld, this story goes well beyond the quick romp on a controlled course. 

As the story goes, British adventurers Lily Houghton (Emily Blunt) and her brother MacGregor (Jack Whitehall) are on the hunt for a legendary arrowhead sought by Conquistadors during the conquest of South America. It is rumored to lead to a fabled tree of life that can heal all ills, which the Houghtons want to bring back to save their father. Their search also involves German Nazis who escaped Europe in the final days of World War II and headed to Argentina with a mysterious shipment. 

Arriving in South America, the Houghtons meet up with one Frank Wolff (Dwayne Johnson), who runs the fastest tour boat and has spent his whole life scouring the tangled jungle of rivers Emily and MacGregor intend to search hunting the arrowhead. He knows the territory, they have thousands of dollars in funds to help him get his boat out of hock and save his touring company. 

This film also has a lot in common with Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), too, in style, substance, and tone. Just like Indy, Frank must guide a feisty woman through the jungle, battling Nazis (or their leftover stuff) and jungle natives to find a treasure. Danger lurks everywhere. There may be a giant warehouse involved. 

Jungle Cruise borrows from The African Queen in its ramshackle boat and its battle against a German ship (here it's a submarine) and its gritty captain. There is also a very similar river-rapids scene. 

Borrowing so much from other films and a tourist attraction, what's left for a film crew to do? Well, there is plenty. The cast is pretty good, including some fun scenes with Paul Giamatti as a financier eager to extort money from Frank Wolff's business. And there's lots of special effects as centuries old Conquistadors are reanimated from death in the jungle. Oh, and a pretty good chase scene in a mining tunnel (nothing as thrilling as the one in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom). If you like puns, the jungle tour at the beginning is full of them and there are a few more sprinkled toward the end, but my experience is puns are an acquired taste.

So, this film is a mixed bag. Disney decided to make more money out of its theme park ride by making a movie out of it. This isn't an original idea. They borrowed a bunch of things from other films, also not an original idea. It was fun but not something to build an evening around. Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt are good in it, so there's that. I'd give it a C+ for Could Do Better.