Sicario: Day of the Soldado

We've seen films that centered on terrorist activity especially since the 9/11 tragedy, but terrorism includes so many other facets and people, namely the different cartels. As we saw in the predecessor of this film, "Sicario", terrorism is alive and living in Mexico, and other countries for that matter. So now we have "Sicario: Day of the Soldado" to continue the story of Mexico's violent underbelly.

 

In this film, the series begins a new chapter. In the drug war, there are no rules--and as the cartels have begun trafficking terrorists across the U.S. border, federal agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) calls on the mysterious Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), whose family was murdered by a cartel kingpin, to escape the war in nefarious ways. Alejandro kidnaps the kingpin's daughter, Isabel Reyes (Isabela Moner) to inflame the conflict--but when the girl is seen as collateral damage, her fate will come between the two men as they question everything they are fighting for.

 

Others to round out the cast are Jeffrey Donovan as Steve Forsing, Manuel Garcia-Trulfo as Gallo, Elijah Rodriguez as Miguel Hernandez, Catherine Keener as Cynthia Foards, Matthew Modine as Secretary of Defense James Riley, Howard Ferguson Jr. as Troy, Shea Whigham as Andy Wheeldon, David Castaneda as Hector, Jacqueline Torres as Blandina, Raoul Max Trujillo as Rafael, Bruno Bichir as Angel and Jake Picking as Shawn.

 

This was as grittily directed as intensely as "Sicario" by Stefano Sollima ("A.C.A.B." '12, "Suburra" '15) plus TV and shorts. The predecessor of this, "Sicario", which was directed by the talented Denis Velleneuve was amazingly well paced and staged, so this filmmaker had big shoes to fill, and fill them he did. The effortless flow from one film to this one made one think it was directed by the same filmmaker, and this is expressly difficult. This director doesn't have the experience of Villenueva, however given time and more work, he will become more and more in demand. It was amazingly well written by Taylor Sheridan ("Sicario" '15, "Hell or High Water" '16, "Wind River" '17) plus TV, based on characters created by Sheridan. It couldn't have been difficult for Sheridan to write this since he wrote "Sicario"--he had already created the characters, the basic storyline along with the grittiness, however it does convey the story easier to the audience when the writing style is identical. Where Sheridan lacks in an expressed resume, he more than makes up for in quality. Look at his resume! It's stunning! If this writer wrote the contents on a cereal box, I believe it would be interesting--his style is that captivating. Other than a couple of very small places in script, this story rocks, but how could this film go wrong with both Brolin and Del Toro in the leading roles?

 

If intense, political, explosive dramas are your thing, you'll love this, but even if they aren't, this would definitely be worthy of price of admission just for the performances by Brolin, Del Toro, and even the ensemble cast, not to mention Sheridan's gripping writing. Hold on, this is going to be a bumpy ride.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                        Rated: R                                           122mins.

 

Tag

Honestly, when I first saw the trailer to "Tag", I had planned on letting it go by since I felt it would've been totally inane. Subsequently, I decided to see it, but more for the reason that there was nothing left to see that I hadn't already seen. But now that I've viewed it, I can truly say that even though it wasn't a great film, it certainly was a surprisingly better film than I ever thought it would've been.

 

One month, May, every year, five highly competitive friends, Hogan 'Hoagie' Malloy (Ed Helms), Randy 'Chilli' Cillano (Jake Johnson), Bob Callahan (Jon Hamm), Kevin Sable (Hannibal Buress) and Jerry Pierce (Jeremy Renner) hit the ground running in a no-holds-barred game of tag they've been playing since the first grade--risking their necks, their jobs and their relationships to take each other down with the battle cry "You're It!" This year, the game coincides with the wedding of their only undefeated player, which should finally make him an easy target. But he knows they're coming...and he's ready. Based on a true story, this shows how far some guys will go to be the last man standing.

 

Others to round out the cast are Annabelle Wallis as Rebecca Crosby, Isla Fisher as Anna Malloy, Hogan's wife, Nora Dunn as Linda Malloy, Hogan's mom, Steve Berg as Lou Seibert, Leslie Bibb as Susan Rollins, Jerry's fiancé, Rashida Jones as Cheryl Deakins and Lil Rel Howery as Reggie.

 

This was directed in rapid succession by Jeff Tomsic ("Crazy House" (TV movie) '14, Good at Life" (TV movie) '15) plus TV and shorts. I say rapid succession because the way this filmmaker directed the editing, it was as if these characters were going in fast motion to get to each other before the next, hence the game of tag. Using slow motion photography was very effective when Jerry was calculating the others guys' movements so he could make his move more effective. Considering this is his first theatrical film, he will receive more work. Doing all the TV and shorts he's done has served this filmmaker well. Although it was a physical, fratfall film, it was cleverly written by Rob McKittrick (""Waiting..." '05) plus a video and a short, and Mark Steilen ("The Settlement" '99, "The Pooch and the Pauper" (TV movie) 2000 plus TV. The one thing I would impress on newer comedy writers is to leave out the many areas of drug use and references especially when it doesn't have any bearing on storyline. This is NOT funny. This is a cheap way to get a laugh or two, but no real laughs. What does amaze me about the story is that it's based on a true story. However the film, "Pain & Gain" '13 isn't anything like this film, the shear obscurity of the two plots are unbelievable since both films are based on true stories. Like "Pain & Gain", this film certainly does have an original storyline, it just got a bit bogged down with gratuitous drug use and  four-letter words.

 

If this brand of comedy is to your liking, you'll revel, however if you're looking for something a bit more sustaining and better executed, you might want to Netflix this one. It does have many funny moments--many more than I thought--but with a bit more experience under these writers' belts, they will very likely become the writers they are striving to be.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 2.5                                        Rated: R                                      100mins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom

When it comes to films, I'm not typically a fan of franchise type films, however when it comes to the Jurassic franchise, I'll make an exception. Ever since I saw "Jurassic Park" back in 1993, I was hooked. The high-adrenaline, explosive, dinosaur-ridden adventure was definitely a film I could escape into and have been with each installment since. So, now we have been offered "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" to sink our teeth into, and like the others, it rocks!

 

It's been three years since theme park and luxury resort Jurassic World was destroyed by dinosaurs out of containment. Isla Nublar now sits abandoned by humans while the surviving dinosaurs fend for themselves in the jungles. When the island's dormant volcano begins roaring to life, Owen Grady (Chris Pratt) and Claire Dearing (Bryce Dallas Howard) mount a campaign to rescue the remaining dinosaurs from this extinction-level event.

Owen is driven to Blue, his lead raptor who's still missing in the wild, and Claire has grown a respect for these creatures she now makes her mission. Arriving on the unstable island as lava begins raining down, their expedition, which also includes Franklin (Justice Smith) and Zia (Daniella Pineda), uncovers a conspiracy that could return our entire planet to a perilous order not seen since prehistoric times.

 

Others to round out the cast are Rafe Spall as Eli Mills, James Cromwell as Benjamin Lockwood, Toby Jones as Mr. Eversol, Ted Levine as Ken Wheatley, Jeff Goldblum as Ian Malcolm, BD Wong as Dr. Wu, Geraldine Chaplin as Iris, Isabella Sermon as Maise Lockwood and Robert Emms as Tech Merc.

 

This was intensely directed by J.A. Bayona ("The Orphanage" '07, "The Impossible" '12, "A Monster Calls" '16) plus tons of videos and shorts. While he doesn't have a ton of theatrical experience, what he does have has allowed him to gravitate within his qualified comfort zone. Whether the character is cruel, sarcastic, gentile or insane, he gives exactly what we would expect from any character development. He had to follow in Colin Trevorrow's footsteps--who directed "Jurassic World", so when we see this, he was able to expertly give the audience a very similar characterization. It was grittily written by Derek Connolly ("Gary: Under Crisis" (TV movie) '05, "Safety Not Guaranteed" '12, "Jurassic World" '15, "Monster Trucks" '16, "Kong: Skull Island" '17) and Colin Trevorrow ("Making Revolution" '03, "Reality Show" (Documentary) '04, "Gary: Under Crisis" (TV movie) '05, "Jurassic World" '15). Even though "Jurassic World" was different than this in nature, I felt that film was simply setting the audience up in introducing the different characters, whereas this was taking us along with these characters into a story that might better show us more what could happen to them in different situations. All the while giving us intense situations with amazing visual effects predominantly created by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic), this was still able to give us a thrilling, tight, gripping script that will have its audience biting their nails done to the nub. And I've said it before and I'll say it again, these dinosaurs are so lifelike, it looks as if the crew went out and rented them from a dinosaur farm.

 

I really strive at being as impartial and objective as I can be, but I feel this film was amazing--sure, I do like this franchise, but it was well put together--visuals, writing, directing and even the acting was truly solid. No, the acting wouldn't receive any Oscar nods, but that's not why this movie was made. This is the true popcorn, quintessential film all in a nifty IMAX and 3D format. I saw it in IMAX and it rocked!

 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                     Rated: PG-13                                      128mins.

 

 

Gotti

While biopics are all too common for Hollywood fodder, ones based on Mafia leaders or Mafia situations are that much more commonplace. We've seen many through the years, "Casino", "The Godfather", "The Godfather Part 2", "The Departed", and the like. We've even seen parodies on these films: "The Freshman", "The Family", so it was inevitable to bring the mob leader, "Gotti" to the big screen.

 

This story chronicles infamous crime boss John Gotti's (John Travolta) rise to become the "Teflon Don" of the Gambino Crime Family in New York City. Spanning three decades and recounted by his son John Jr. (Spencer Rocco Lofranco), this examines Gotti's tumultuous life as he and his wife Victoria (Kelly Preston) attempt to hold the family together amongst tragedy and multiple prison sentences.

Nearing his death from cancer in 2002, Gotti is ultimately confronted by his son John Jr. while in prison serving a life sentence to tell his father that he wants to cop a plea in order to save his family and the Gotti name only for John Sr. to attempt to convince him not to do it through a series of flashbacks.

 

Others to round out the cast are Stacy Keach as Neil Dellacroce, Pruitt Taylor Vince as Angelo Ruggiero, Chris Mulkey as Frank DiCicco, Leo Rossi as Bobby Boriello, Patrick Borriello as Johnny boy Ruggiero, Megan Leonard as Kim Gotti, Chris Kerson as Willie Boy Johnson and William DeMeo as Sammy Gravano.

 

This was grittily and extremely well directed by Kevin Connolly ("Gardener of Eden" '07, "Dear Eleanor" '16) plus TV and a short. Truly, if given the right project and role, Travolta can shine, however this definitely had this filmmaker's stamp on it. Considering Connolly's minimal experience, his future productions should certainly pack a wallop. This was adequately written by Lem Dobbs ("Hider in the House" '89, "The Hard Way" '91, "The Score" '01, "Haywire" '11, "The Company You Keep" '12) plus TV and Leo Rossi ("We're Talkin' Serious Money" '92, "Mafioso: The Father, The Son" '01) plus tons of acting. This is where the film misses a bit. As the film unfolds, we are shown different situations of the characters, however, as they are conveyed. there are a bit too many places of meandering and jumpiness. The flow of the film wasn't as strong as it could've or should've been. Where this movie shines is that of the performance of Travolta as Gotti and his real-life wife, Preston as Gotti's wife Victoria. Unless there are other performances to knock Travolta off the list, I can possibly see Travolta being nominated come Oscar time. He truly did his homework of his subject and it showed in spades!

 

If biopics and especially Mafia films are your kind of film, this is one you will want to see and will not soon forget. The ensemble cast was also solid and believable as his family and nemesis'. Of all the character studies Hollywood has produced through the years, this is an eye-opener.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                       Rated: R                                        104mins.

 

Incredibles 2

I usually object to sequels for the obvious staleness and unoriginal plots, but Pixar Animation Studios are definitely the exception. Their sequels to "Toy Story, "Cars" and "Finding Nemo" with "Finding Dory" were smart, clever and just as fresh and original as their predecessors. So when "Incredibles 2" came along, the odds were that it would be amazing and it was.

 

Everyone's favorite family of superheroes is back--but this time Helen Parr (Holly Hunter) is in the spotlight, leaving Bob Parr (Craig T. Nelson) at home with Violet (Sarah Vowell) and Dash (Huck Milner) to navigate the day-to-day heroics of 'normal' life. It's a tough transition for everyone, made tougher by the fact that the family is still unaware of baby Jack-Jack's (Eli Fucile) emerging superpowers. When a new villain hatches a brilliant and dangerous plot, the family and Frozone (Samuel L. Jackson) must find a way to work together again--which is easier said than done, even when they're all incredible.

 

Others to round out the cast are Catherine Keener as Evelyn Deavor, Bob Odenkirk as Winston Deavor, Michael Bird as Tony Rydinger, Sophia Bush as Voyd, Brad Bird as Edna Mode (E), Phil LaMarr as Krushauer/Helectrix, Isabella Rossellini as Ambassador, Adam Gates as Chad Brentley and Jonathan Banks as Rick Dicker.

 

This was incredibly well delineated by director Brad Bird ("The Iron Giant" '99, "The Incredibles" '04, "Ratatouille" '07, "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol" '11, "Tomorrowland" '15) plus TV and video shorts. Even though Bird directed "The Incredibles", fourteen years later, he hit another homerun with this, This is as fresh as its predecessor and seems as if there wasn't as large as a gap between releases of these two films as there were. It was also brilliantly written by Bird ("batteries not Included" '87, "The Iron Giant" '99, "The Incredibles" '04, "Ratatouille" '07, "Tomorrowland" '15) plus TV, video games and video shorts. With so many years in between films, it truly helps to have the same writer and director attached to it. This simply assists the different films to share with the same fluidity. The characters were 3-dimensional as was the script every bit as much as the original. And, considering this is from Pixar, how could the writers be anything less than exemplary? In all the feature films Pixar Studios have produced, they have never had a film that tanked! Their profits are astronomical..

 

If you're a Pixar diehard, you'll be in heaven with this one. With the original script, the freshness, the well-paced storyline, most everyone likes Pixar films, and this movie will be no exception. I've said it before and I'll say it again, how do those guys do it at Pixar do it? With this, a wonderful 8 minute small animated short named "Bao" all in a nifty IMAX and 3D format, you'll be wanting for more.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                         Rated: PG                               118mins.

           

Hotel Artemis

As our society becomes more violent and volatile, we see more films that reflect that impact. Apocalyptic films are usually the best form in which to emulate this impact--"The Omega Man", "Fahrenheit 451", "District 9", "9", "The Book of Eli", "Mad Max", the very recent "Ready Player One",etc. So when I saw my first trailer of "Hotel Artemis", it was no surprise that Hollywood continued to create yet another grim look at our future.

Set in riot-torn, near future--June 21st 2028 Los Angeles, this is an original, high-octane action-thriller with Jodie Foster as The Nurse, who runs a secret, members only hospital called Hotel Artemis for criminals. There are two policies that anyone must adhere to while in Artemis: trust and following rules. The rules? No cops. No guns. No killing the other patients.

We enter this 'hospital' through two criminals, Waikiki (Sterling K. Brown) and his brother, Honolulu (Brian Tyree Henry), that survive a bank robbery gone awry. So when they enter Hotel Artemis, the Nurse and her orderly, Everest (Dave Bautista) assist in keeping them alive. Unfortunately, from here we meet a colorful array of other patients including Nice (Sofia Boutella), Acapulco (Charlie Day) and eventually Niagra (Jeff Goldblum) to add to the fray. Will anyone survive this night or is the riots outside easier to handle?

Others to round out the cast are Jenny Slate as Morgan, Zachary Quinto as Crosby Franklin, Kenneth Choi as Buke, Josh Tillman as P-22 and Evan Jones as Trojan Nash.

This was surprisingly directed well by virtual newcomer in the director's chair, Drew Pearce (Video shorts). Even though this filmmaker has an impressive amount of shorts to his resume which is valuable experience, he simply soared in getting his actors to convey that gritty, hard, desperate feel to their characters, especially Foster. Her character absolutely stole the show. Considering his talent, it is no surprise that he will be directing the next installment of Sherlock Holmes appropriately titled "Sherlock Holmes 3" which is pre-production for a 2020 release. This was also written by Pearce ("No Heroics" (TV movie) '09, "Iron Man 3" '13) plus video shorts, video games and TV. Certainly writing is where Pearce has his experience, but I believe directing is where he's most comfortable, if this film is any indication. This film is definitely original and edgy, but it does play out with a degree of predictability with a bit of jumpiness involved, but the way he makes this script move and definitely has that knack of keeping his audience on the edge of their seats is something to behold. This writer is slick, fast, and riveting.

Given more projects to this filmmaker will only make him better with each film, whether it be in the directing or the writing realm. It has flaws, but this is truly worthy of a watch at the multiplex just to experience the many odd, eclectic characters that unfold before its audience.

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                     Rated: R                                        93mins.

Ocean's 8

When the original "Ocean's 11" was released back in 1960, no one knew of the incredible franchise it eventually would become. Even when the reboot was released in 2001, who knew? So after all the sequels have been made, an all female cast was certainly destined to be inevitable. So now we have "Ocean's 8" in the offing in a flipping-the-table version.

 

After spending five years, eight months, 12 days and counting in prison, Debbie Ocean (Sandra Bullock), the estranged sister of legendary conman Danny Ocean, has been devising the biggest heist of her life. She knows what it's going to take--a team of the best known people in the field, starting with her partner-in-crime Lou Miller (Cate Blanchett). Together, they recruit a crew of specialists, including jeweler Amita (Mindy Kaling), street con Constance (Awkwafina), suburban mom Tammy (Sarah Paulson), hacker Nine Ball (Rihanna) and fashion designer Rose Weil (Helena Bonham Carter). Their target at the New York City  Annual Met Gala--a necklace worth in excess of 150 million dollars.

 

Others to round out the cast are Anne Hathaway as Daphne Kluger, Richard Armitage as Claude Becker, James Corden as John Frazier and Elliott Gould as Reuben.

 

This was directed with the same whimsical flair as the previous 'Ocean' films by Gary Ross ("Pleasantville" '98, Seabiscuit" '03, "The Hunger Games" '12, "Free State of Jones" '16) plus a video documentary short. The way this cast of females came across was so reminiscent of how the male characters came across in the "Ocean's 11" films, that it was almost like watching the same film. Just take out the male cast and put in the female cast and, viola!, you have the same film. I mean this in a complimentary way since I am really fond of this franchise. Undoubtedly, Ross will continue with these characters in future Ocean's 8 films, assuming this makes a profit. It was equally well written by Ross ("Big" '88, "Mr. Baseball" '92, "Dave" '93, "Pleasantville" '98, "Seabiscuit" '03, "The Tale of Despereaux" '08, "The Hunger Games" '12, Free State of Jones" '16) plus TV and a video game and Olivia Milch, based on a story by Ross which is based on characters created by George Clayton Jones and Jack Golden Russell. Obviously Ross had the lions' share of the script, however I'm sure Milch was integral considering the cast was female instead of predominantly male. This did have some places of choppiness and it was a little slow in places, but once it got going, its pace was spot on The characters of Debbie Ocean (Bullock) and Danny Ocean (Clooney) were so similar as were Lou Miller (Blanchett) and Rusty Ryan (Brad Pitt)--it was simply uncanny. 

 

This was surprisingly well thought out and clever, but considering they had a seasoned writer (Ross), it should not have been any doubt of its ability to bring us a talented yarn. Truly if another installment is to be created, Ross would undoubtedly have to write and direct once again lest the outcome becomes less than exemplary. It's a great popcorn film replete with an IMAX format as well.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3                                          Rated: PG-13                                   110mins.

 

Adrift

While films based on true stories are fraught with a story of a tragedy laced with adventure, it would be quite a change to see one of these films based on a wonderful event sometime.

But, until that time comes, the film "Adrift" is in the offing to intrigue us about an horrendous sailing voyage gone awry.

 

This is based on the inspiring true story of two free spirits whose chance encounter leads them first to love, then to the adventure of a lifetime. As the two avid sailors set out on a journey across the ocean, Tami Oldham (Shailene Woodley) and Richard Sharp (Sam Claflin) couldn't anticipate they would be sailing directly into one of the most catastrophic hurricanes in recorded history. In the aftermath of the storm, Tami awakens to find Richard badly injured and their boat in ruins. With no hope for rescue, Tami must find the strength and determination to save herself and the only man she has ever loved. "Adrift" is the unforgettable story about the resilience of the human spirit and the transcendent power of love.

 

Others to round out the cast are Grace Palmer as Deb, Jeffrey Thomas as Peter, Elizabeth Hawthorne as Christine, Tami Ashcraft as Herself and Kael Damlamian as Smiley,

 

This was intensely directed by Baltasar Kormakur ("101 Reykjavik" 2000, "The Sea" '02, "Jar City" '06, "Inhale" '10, "Contraband" '12, "2 Guns" '13, "Everest" '15, "The Oath" '16) plus others and TV. This filmmaker truly knows how to make his characters come alive through his actors by extracting the grit and intensity out of them in order to put life into his characters. If you like his brand of directing, his "The Good Spy" is in pre-production. It was written effectively by Aaron Kandell, Jordan Kandell and David Branson Smith based on a book by Tami Oldham Ashcraft. Although this is written in a series of flashbacks within present time which has been done in previous films, it still was able to create a cascade of intense situations for its leading stars. The way the characters drifted from sorrow to bargaining to depression to getting a second wind and going through this pattern over again was amazingly real and was told to us effectively. Other than a couple of places of slowness and choppiness, this script was concise and delineated well.

 

If the survival film is your cup of tea, this will definitely fit the bill. And with all the big grandiose films out there in the summer season to dig into, it's nice to be able to get caught up with a small film about two very desperate people striving to survive the ultimate sea challenge.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                                  Rated: PG-13                                  96mins.