Interstellar (2014)

Review for those who've not seen the film:

If you love Nolan, you get everything you want.  

10 out of 10 - Read no further because I'm about to spill everything. Save yourself, oh intelligent film goer. Go in Blind!

If you have seen the film:

Directed by Christopher Nolan
Written by Jonathan and Christopher Nolan
Starring:
Matthew McConaughy (Tropic Thunder)
Anne Hathaway (The Dark Knight Rises)
Mackenzie Foy (Apparently Twilight)
Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty)
Topher Grace (Predators)
Casey Affleck (Oceans Eleven)
Michael Caine (Batman Begins)
John Lithgow (Rise of the Planet of the Apes)
Ellen Burstyn (The Fountain)
Timothee Chalamet (Royal Pains)
David Oyelowo (Jack Reacher)
Collette Wolfe (Take Me Home Tonight)
David Gyasi (Doctor Who) 
Wes Bentley (Four Feathers)
Josh Stewart (The Dark Knight Rises)
Bill Irwin (MR. NOODLE!)
Elyes Gabel (World War Z)
(Freakin Matt Damon) 

Like standout songs in a concept album, movies, especially action-adventure sci-fi movies, tend to have highly memorable scenes. Interstellar brings one after another. Sequences you can absorb out of context just for the coolness of it all. And this movie is exactly that, hyper cool.  Absolute zero. It believes in itself, and while some may find that off putting, I absolutely love it. Why watch a movie that is unsure of it self?

With Interstellar we have a new SciFi juggernaut. A story of wayward and hopeful souls flying across the universe divide, looking for the future of humanity. A story to sit in the upper echelon of the genre and take a spot next to Moon, Sunshine, and Inception.

For Nolan, like Inception before it, this standalone nonsequel non adaptation brings sequence after sequence of beautiful, mind-shattering practical effects. The clarity with which you can tell that you are watching something that occupied actual space instead of rendered pixels is astonishing, refreshing even. The worth of those aspects alone stands out in this day and age of CGI splurging. As for the running time, I'm firmly in the camp of never having too much of a good thing. 

Here are the scenes ranked in order of Stellarness. 

1. Spin Docking (The score in this scene alone is enough to melt the hair off your entire body.)
2. First Journey through the Wormhole
3. Black-hole Bookshelf
4. New Earth 
5. Drone chase
6. Solid Cloud/Matt Damonland 
7. Space Station Orbiting Earth (I'm getting dizzy just remembering it,)
8. Water World. 

It's a 12 Monkeys situation (among probably every other film that messes with time) where the end is fundamentally tied to the beginning, but unlike 12 Monkeys, it doesn't massacre the story's worth by burying the narrative in doomed time loops. With Interstellar the characters' actions matter and their sacrifices have gains. The pivotal scene reminding me of Looper's aha moment. All while operating in the theoretical realm with a future that's ever so slightly apocalyptic. Let's not forget that there is no sound in space, the fifth dimension is the exact representation of "all time experienced at once." Two details I always wish to enact in films utilizing the time or space travel tropes. To see them executed on screen and so near to how i imagined is a thrill beyond words. 

Then there's the casting. Familiar names and faces popping up not just as dense characters but also unexpected roles. Mackenzie Foy was an exact match to Jessica Chastain. Topher Grace continuing to make amends for his miscast opportunity as Venom being in a enjoyable enough to place along side his other film success, Predators. There's Wes Bentley's ongoing supporting actor career resurgence (Coupled with his importance to Hunger Game Franchise, a welcomed success after the promise he flashed in Four Feathers.) And we have the golden geezers. Lithgow holding his own and Caine doing what he does. 

One most memorable performance is also a special effect, more of a puppet actually. The robots TARS and CASE are unexpected packages of jokes. Not only that but they defy expectations with their abilities and purpose. An R2D2 and C3P0 for a time not too far off. 

We have our standard Hero's Journey set in space, playing with time. In Nolans hands, it flourishes. The story is anchored by the standard white male lead but we can't fault Matthew McConaughy here. Another celestial performance from the best actor in Hollywood. In fact, we're lucky he's in such a far out film like this, bringing credibility, loopiness, and his immense talent to a genre that may not always get the respect it deserves. After him, there is real diversity present in the other characters as well. Not in any extraordinary amount (See: Maze Runner) but it's still nice to get a female character or two that aren't annoying. Chastain is beyond perfect. Even with Hathaway's Brand needlessly in love, it eventually leads to a payoff we may not see but certainly can understand.


Bottom line. Christopher Nolan is the best there is (Aside from Edgar Wright). As far as this year goes, Interstellar now sits atop the rankings edging out John Wick but the year's not done, emotions are still raw and flux. It may come down to this, while John Wick and Edge of Tomorrow thrilled, Interstellar fulfilled. 

To repeat. 10 out of 10

X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014)

Directed by Bryan Singer
Written by Simon Kinberg, Matthew Vaughn, Jane Goldman
Starring:
Everyone. (Everything)

Five Pluses:

1. Stunning, splashy, mesmerizing effects. The kind we've been longing for since the X2 and continuing the momentum Matthew Vaughn brought forth. 
2. Absolutely brutal at times. Not holding back on the bone crushing consequences drawing on our genuine fear for these character's lives. 
3. The actors are stone cold awesome. Fassbender is Fassbending. McAvoy be McMacking it while the old guard brings the gravitas. 
4. Flat out ignores Origins and swipes clean the damage of The Last Stand while keeping most* of the good.
5. The music. X2's theme back in all it's former glory. 

What was missing: 

1. Ben Foster's Archangel.* Completely and unfortunately MIA.  
2. The signature misty teleportation was nowhere.  
3. More of everything. I wish this was a 5 hour long film. 

Bottom Line:

The good far outweighs the bad and there are some stellar scenes that transcend the bar to the levels of even the X2 opening sequence. (Miss you, Kurt!)

10 out of 10

Nightcrawler (2014)

Written and Directed by Tony Gilroy (Bourne Legacy)
Starring: 
Jake Gyllenhaal (Source Code)
Riz Ahmed (Four Lions)
Rene Russo (Thor)
Bill Paxton (Edge of Tomorrow)

In the mud of Marvel congestion and superhero saturation, it's a risky maneuver to title a film the same name as a well known mutant but alas, here we are. So then the question becomes, how does a movie get over this disadvantage. A 94% tomatometer rating? Absolutely. An sinister, zoned in Jake Gyllenhaal finally showing his true talents? And we're off.

Gyllenhaal comes full force, fresh off another great performance in Enemy (2014), he gives life to a vile creature we never knew we needed to witness. His skeletal frame under sleek, greasy hair and that soulless bugeyed stare are magical. He completely dives into the character of Lou Bloom and it is terrifying. Riz Ahmed brings a strong presence to the screen as well as the tag along to Gyllenhaal's nightcrawling leach. Paxton is again a gratifying screen hog but he basically plays the same character he is in everything recently. You either like him or you don't by this point. This is also Paxton's second consecutive film to be at 90% or higher after Edge of Tomorrow so we can safely conclude that critics love him. Rene Russo does bring a little fire to her shared scenes with Lou Bloom but it all starts with Jake. His performance fuels this whole movie.

The story is as uninteresting as the trailer suggests, unless you're in to all that media nonsense, I mean, who even watches the news these days, probably people who would not enjoy this movie. That's the razor thin line that is walked. That's how good the performances are, that despite the lack of a feel good story, the absence of any true root-forable protagonist, we still feel a corrupted rush of wanting to know what will happen. Gilroy manages to add in a couple of snazy stylized sequences leaving the finished product to be a definite good movie. Not great, but certainly memorable and weirdly worthy of that RT score.

8 out of 10

Snowpiercer (2013/2014)

Director: Joon-ho Bong

Writers: Kelly Masterson and Joon-ho Bong

Starting:

Chris Evans (Cellular)

Jaime Bell (Tintin)

Kang-ho Song 

Luke Pasqualino 

Ewen Bremmer (Jack the Giant Slayer)

Ah-sung Ko

John Hurt (Alien)

Tilda Swinton (Narnia)

Allison Pill (Scott Pilgrim)

Octavia Spencer (The Help)

Ed Harris (Truman Show)

Chris Evans proves his leading man capabilities yet again in Joon-ho Bong's refreshingly strange tube tail. Its The Day After Tomorrow but with balls. The familiar post apocalyptic trope is shaken up and spun out is a new setting allowing for magically kinetic action to be filmed with stellar camera work.

During blistering sequences of intense violence, the camera focuses in on a single motion that leaves you breathless. Luke Pasqualino as the character of Grey was the prominent showcase for Joon-ho's flashy train zooms. All that flair provides the already unique story with visual thrills to match. 

Another atmospheric element brought to the film is the use of color. The plot allows for color to be part of the story. It becomes a character lingering in the background, shifting with every new train car,  a new palette, each one a stark contrast to the bright white snow that surrounds the outside world.  

The ending causes a but of a stir but this is a movie that doesn't play to mainstream sensibilities. It's one of those rare Yes Movies made by people who embrace any and every idea. They display it in a way that defies cliches because of how much the entire team believes in that philosophy of Yes. The destination here felt honest and unyielding. 

Besides, in addition to being a Yes Movie, the Zach Snyder Rule is also in effect. The rule states that all story hiccups can be forgiven if the cinematography, SFX, and stunt are magnificent.

To clarify, I did enjoyed the overall story here. That said, a character or two felt underused, but that's only because the screen time they were given was completely consumed by them and they made a real lasting impression. Luke Pasqualino, as mentioned earlier was phenomenal, as was Jamie Bell's Edgar.  

That compact energy and unflinching action presented here is quite memorable and Snowpiercer holds on strong during its fleshed out runtime. A mature Sci-Fi classic joining the ranks of Moon, Sunshine, Source Code, and Gattaca. 

9 out of 10

Fury (2014)

Written and Directed by David Ayer (Street Kings)
Staring:
Brad Pitt (Fight Club)
Shia LeBeouf (Holes)
Michael Peña (Silver Linings Playbook)
Jon Bernthal (Eastwick)
Logan Lerman (3:10 to Yuma)
Jason Issacs (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)
Xavier Samuel (New Moon)
Scott Eastwood (Clint Eastwood's Facewrinkle)
Alicia Von Rittberg (Debut)

As much as Logan Lerman can't hold a screen, like Noah earlier this year or 3:10 to Yuma a while back, he sure know how to be the whiner in all the right movies. Fury is a depressingly gruesome tale told with unrelenting honesty by David Ayer, whose track record is spotty at best. Street Kings and Harsh Times were a waste of time and talent, but he did helm End of Watch and write Training Day (neither of which I've seen but whose worth can't be denied by ignorance).

Brad Pitt performs as expected, one review had his performance pegged as a toned down version of his Inglorious Basterds character Lt. Aldo Raine, which is not wrong. But the most memorable stints come from Bernthal and LeBeouf (who apparently was so true to character that he didn't shower during the shoot). Notable names in the cast are peppered throughout the film and, like John Wick, no small role is wasted. In the vein of another Jason-Issacs-cameo war film, Black Hawk Down, it would't be surprising if Eastwood or Samuel went the route of a, lets say, Tom Hardy or Orlando Bloom and use this film as a platform to greater fame.

The details of tank warfare Ayer manages to display is a blistering success. It's ground that hasn't truly been spotlit before. "Best job I ever had," the catchphrase repeated by the characters, holds remarkable power in the hands of the performers and the in the context with which it is delivered. Before now, tanks were slow and fearful, but this film gives them a personality. A soul. Although Ayer focus' only on the tank Fury, it wouldn't have hurt the film to give some spotlight to the other crews and not just their versions of Pitt's character.

The story has tangents which take you away from the action and its fault is that it focus' too much on the moral complexity of its characters. It's not that the scenes with the poorly juxtaposed romance is unbearable to watch, in fact, it has it's emotional high points, it's just that it has no real purpose other than adding something that appeases the audience Logan Lerman brought in. That was a poor decision, we already know that he is the POV for the audience, there is no need to soften his character up that much. That said, the ending, which I won't mention, wasn't unwelcome.

All in all, this is a modern day war classic. The gore is gory, The blood is bloody. And death surrounds you the entire time. Each character is morally compromised and there's enough humor that you don't succumb to depression while watching it. Ayer's success here makes his involvement with DC's Suicide Squad all the more interesting.

8 out of 10.

John Wick (2014)

Director: David Leitch and Chad Stahelski (former Keanu stunt double on The Matrix)

Writer: Derek Kolstad

Starring: 

Keanu Reeves (Bill and Ted's Bogus Journey)

Michael Nyqvist (Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol)

Lance Reddick (Fringe)

Adrianne Paleki (Supernatural)

Allie Allen (Game of Thrones)

Dean Winters (30 Rock)

John Leguizamo (Mario Brothers)

Bridget Regan (Legend of the Seeker)

Willem Defoe (Spider-Man)

Toby Moore (Legend of the Seeker)

Bridget Moynahan (The Recruit)

Randall Duk Kim (Aka "hey wait a second, is that the Key Maker from the Matrix? Yes it certainly is.")

Take Constantine's style, add in Jack Reacher's fight choreography and mythos, throw in a hint of Thomas Jane's Punisher, and mix in a bit of Gun-kata and you get John Wick.

Keanu proves his lasting power is just as strong as Tom Cruise. He may have very little diversity in his roles, but good golly does he play the part perfectly. In a rare non-sequel, non-adaptation, albeit to some degrees a conventional actioner, the plot of John Wick unexpectedly plunges you deep into a world of assassins and mobsters that spits out one brutal gun fight after another.

First time director Chad Stahelski squeezes every ounce of mayhem and beauty out of each individual shot involving a gun. The motivation of the character himself is handled swiftly and clearly so it doesn't take anything away from what's too come, which is precision violence. The opening is deliberately calm but once the bullets start flying, the real ride commences.

The music thumps throughout setting an appropriate mood. One that's on-edge but confident, like Wick himself. Such a combination of sound and style fuels an exhilaration that builds as the story progresses. 

Another detail they got right was the humor. Characters know each other and they react in a way that tells us something deeper is at play, a history visible through expressions and reactions. Those reactions also catch us off guard to the point that the theatre was downright laughing because each of us got the joke.

The characters felt diverse and whole. Given that there were a healthy amount of characters, the movie's ability to make you care for each one is an achievement. While the main villain, which is only a circumstantial role for this story and whose real role in the world of the film is only hinted at, isn't ruthless, but in this situation he doesn't need to be. The bad guys are helpless and that's the playfulness of the plot. We know who to root for while simultaneously not hating the people who we know don't stand a chance. Then there's also the unresolved history of John Wick himself. For all we know, he may have been the most ruthless villain of all, we just don't see it in the frame of the story. The past that was constructed leaves all these possibilities open and keeps you thinking long after the credits role.

That depth may have been a hindrance for a single film were it not for one key element the movie got right. This is a purpose driven film and that purpose is vengeance. To truly be enjoyed, revenge needs a clear purpose and the vengeance must be satisfyingly delivered. The real triumph of this move, above all its layers, beyond the bloodshed, is the clarity with which we see everything for what it is, the camera work coupled with the tight scope which the story focuses on lets us soak it all in. Yeah there's this whole mythology to explore, but they are telling a specific story in that world.

One last shout out to the blistering cast. So many names and each one delivering a standout performance. No role was wasted. Glad to see Bridget Regan on the screen, too. Many of the best talents from television showing they can hold the big screen and all brought forth by a pristine debut film from Stahelski. 

John Wick is a strong candidate for top film of 2014. Stiff competition from Lego Movie and Edge of Tomorrow still lingers so we just have to see if the adrenaline rush lasts.


10 out of 10

2011: Film Rankings

A fine crop of films this year included these well-received selections that didn't quite reach the upper echelon: 

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Adaptation) 

The Help (Adaptation)

Immortals

Captain America: The First Avenger (Adaptation)

Sucker Punch

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows Sequel Adaptation)

Goon

Fast Five (Franchise)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Adaptation)

Moneyball

Rise of the Planet of the Apes (Reboot)

The Artist

Thor (Adaptation)

Midnight in Paris

Warhorse 

Bridesmaids

The Muppets (Reboot)

Horrible Bosses

Super 8

And now for the pyramid's tip, the top 11. 

11. Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Franchise)

Taking the franchise to new heights. 

10. Drive

A gorgeous blend of colors and talent for a unique, taciturn thrill ride. 

9. Hanna

Brutality meets innocence doused in a finely crafted score by The Chemical Brothers. 

8. Limitless

Stylish, simple, and well acted. 

7. The Adjustment Bureau (Adaptation)

Inventive and freeing in its story and direction. 

6. Hugo (Adaptation)

Profound emotional depth for an era of live action children's film that lacks such well executed stories. 

5. 50/50

Immemsely likable and winning performances all around. A striking balance between sorrow and joy.  

4. Attack the Block

Small scale scifi action delivered that gave the world John Boyega. 

3. Source Code

Duncan Jones does it again. 

2. X-Men: First Class (Prequel)

Stunning casting, uplifting score, presented in a totally immersive style by Matthew Vaughn. 

1. Fright Night (Remake)

With an opening theme that sucks you in and David Tennant and at his best, all the pieces fall beautifully in to place.