“The Irishman” Movie Review

    I have been waiting to see Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman” since it was announced.  I have to admit that I was surprised to learn that it was going to be a Netflix film since Scorsese is such an old school filmmaker.  I will fully admit that on Tuesday night, I stayed up so I could watch the film (although at roughly three and a half hours, I ended up having to finish it in the morning).  This film has received wide spread acclaim so I had to see if the film is really the masterpiece it is being made out to be.

    The film tells the story of Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran and his connections to the Mafia and the labor unions under the leadership of the infamous Jimmy Hoffa.  Sheeran gets his start in the criminal underworld working under Mafia boss Russell Bufalino.  Sheeran quickly gains favor with Russell and becomes one of this most loyal hitmen.  Bufalino introduces Frank to Jimmy Hoffa and the pair become friends shortly after their introduction.  Frank becomes Hoffa’s primary bodyguard while he is head of the Teamsters.  The film chronicles Frank’s torn loyalty to his friend Hoffa and his boss Bufalino as Hoffa begins to clash with the Mafia families who helped him rise to power.

    Let me start this review by stating that this movie is long.  That isn’t to say the film doesn’t make the best of every second or that I necessarily think it would have been better if they edited the film down, but at the three and a half hour long runtime, it is still difficult to take it all in during one sitting (I couldn’t even manage to do so).  One advantage to this being a Netflix film is that it is possible to pause it and come back to it if you have to take a bathroom break without missing any of the film.  I would recommend taking a bathroom break roughly one hour into the film right before Jimmy Hoffa is introduced (it makes for a good intermission in my opinion).

    The film definitely feels more like a classic Martin Scorsese film in the vain of “Goodfellas” and “Casino”.  Scorsese is definitely the master of the Mafia epics and this film joins the long list of his classics.  Scorsese has always been a very visual storyteller and this film is greatly enhanced by his eye for detail.  The depiction of Detroit, Michigan during the mid 70s was very accurate for instance.

    What makes “The Irishman” so captivating is it’s performances.  Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci all deliver powerhouse performances in this character driven motion picture.  Robert De Niro knocks it out of the park as Frank “The Irishman” Sheeran right on the heels of his standout performance in “Joker”.

    In a supporting role, Al Pacino is the best he has been in years.  Pacino’s Jimmy Hoffa is a charismatic leader without the foresight to know when to quit.  It was nice to see Al Pacino actually care about a role for a change.  It was great seeing Pacino and De Niro’s natural chemistry together on screen.  Rounding out the main cast was Joe Pesci.  Pesci has famously been retired for years and had turned down several projects before Martin Scorsese was able to persuade him out of retirement.  On a side note, I thought it was interesting seeing someone playing David Ferrie in this film was a bit distracting considering Joe Pesci famously played Ferrie in the movie “JFK”.

    The film digitally de-aged it’s three lead actors for several scenes fairly successfully.  There were only a few scenes with an uncanny valley effect but it was primarily with De Niro’s scenes and it was one of the best uses of de-aging technology overall I have seen to this date.

    “The Irishman” deserves the acclaim it has received and is a return to form for many of the actors headlining the film.  Though the runtime makes it feel a bit more like a mini-series than a movie, it is an excellent character study.  If you have a free afternoon (or day), “The Irishman” is worth the watch.

Grade: A-

“Lady and the Tramp” (2019) Movie Review

    With “The Mandalorian” seemingly taking the world by storm, it is easy to forget that the streaming service Disney+ also launched with two original movies, a live action remake of the Disney classic “Lady and the Tramp” and the Christmas themed “Noelle”.  Being a huge dog person, I had to check out “Lady and the Tramp” for myself.

    The film opens with a dog named Lady as she quickly warms her way into her owner’s hearts (and bed).  Lady is part of the family and enjoys being an indoor dog with all the comforts that come with it.  By contrast, we are introduced to a canine simply known as the Tramp who seemingly enjoys the freedom he has being a street dog.  Lady and the Tramp soon cross paths when Lady helps the Tramp escape a dog catcher who has it out for him.  Soon after their encounter together, Lady finds her place in the home threatened when a new baby is born and takes all of her owner’s attention.  When Lady ends up getting loose one day, the Tramp ends up helping her find her way back home as she worries if she even has a home to return to.

    The film is more or less a more politically correct live action update of the classic cartoon.  The new film removes the controversial ‘Siamese Cat’ song with an updated new song.  While I certainly understand and even support some of the changes in the film, it still leaves the film feeling as if they played everything a little too safe.  I am not saying Disney films need or should be edgy, but a little cultural subtext like Disney cartoons used to have wouldn’t be the worst thing either.  Maybe that is just the cynical adult of me talking though.

    The dog actors used in the film did an incredible job (with some help from the cgi department).  I loved the fact that Disney actually used real life shelter dogs for this film and the studio was smart enough to spin that into headlines.  Good publicity can go a long way.

    The remake has currently been hit with mixed reviews stating it lacked the heart of the original cartoon classic, much like the criticism of the latest “The Lion King” remake had.  While I fully admit that I think the cartoon is overall superior to this live action remake, I still found this film to be quite entertaining and I think it had the same amount of “heart” as the original did.

    This remake was enjoyable overall and a fine attention to Disney+.  While I do wish the new streaming service had more original content out of the gate, I do prefer quality to quantity.  “Lady and the Tramp” won’t change your life or make you think but it will provide you (and especially your young ones if you have them) a cute movie to enjoy for a few hours.

Grade: B-

“The Peanut Butter Falcon” Movie Review

    After seeing the trailer for “The Peanut Butter Falcon”, I knew I really wanted to see it but I just never got around to seeing it in the theaters.  Unfortunately, I just don’t have the time to see every movie in the theaters considering I work full time.  When the film got released to DVD and Blu-ray, I knew I would end up picking it up and I did just that.  So after a long wait, I am finally able to review this film.  Hold your applause please.

    The film tells the story of Zak, a young man with Down syndrome who longs to become a professional wrestler like his hero the Salt Water Redneck.  Watching old VHS tapes of the Salt Water Redneck, he dreams of attending his wrestling school.  Unfortunately for Zak, he is living in a nursing home under the supervision of Eleanor.  Zak escapes the nursing home with some assistance from his fellow resistances.  On the run, he meets up with small town crook Tyler and the pair set off on an adventure together before eventually forming a bond along the way.

    This film feels very much like a retelling of “Huckleberry Finn” (deliberately so by the filmmakers in fact) which is sort of refreshing in this day and age.  As much as I love big blockbusters, it is nice to see small and personal films every now and then, especially a film like this.  This film was made with love and it shows.

    The film stars Zack Gottsagen as Zak and he is very much the heart and soul of the movie.  The filmmakers Tyler Nilson and Michael Schwartz cast Zack in the lead role after meeting with him at an actors bootcamp and becoming inspired by him.  The filmmakers were actually offered money not to hire Gottsagen, but they stood by their choice and it paid off beautifully.

    Shia LaBeouf also stars as the troubled Tyler.  LaBeouf is excellent in the film and this film stands as a testament to how great he can be.  LaBeouf actually got into legal trouble due to his drinking problems during the production of this film and in a case of real life mirroring film, it was the friendship he formed with Gottsagen that helped straighten the actor out.  Dakota Johnson also shined as Eleanor and proved she has more to offer than the “50 Shades” franchise.  I should also point out that Bruce Dern was a real standout despite a short appearance.

    If I had any criticism of this film, it would just be that some of the relationships depicted in the film seemed a bit rushed and because of this, I didn’t feel they felt as organic as perhaps they could have felt.  That being said, the performances of the three leads helped gloss over that some.

    On a side note, as a WWE fan, it was sort of cool seeing a film depicting wrestling as one of it’s main story elements.  The fact that Mick Foley and Jake “The Snake” Roberts also make appearances in the film just makes it that much better.

    “The Peanut Butter Falcon” almost feels like a throwback film these days.  It’s personal and heartfelt and the performances really help make the film feel special.  If you are a Mark Twain fan (or WWE fan for that matter), “The Peanut Butter Falcon” is a must.

Grade: B+

“Doctor Sleep” Movie Review

    Can a movie serve both as a sequel to a classic film while at the same time distancing itself from that movie enough to be a faithful adaptation of a novel?  “Doctor Sleep” is the latest film to be adapted from a Stephen King novel.  The novel is a sequel to his classic novel “The Shining” which Stanley Kubrick adapted into a classic horror film.  The problem “Doctor Sleep” faced was that Stephen King hated the film version of “The Shining” because of the liberties it took with his source material.  Can the sequel manage to bridge the book and the film successfully together?

    The film tells the story of Danny Torrance as he grows up dealing with the trauma he experienced as a child with “the shining” at the Overlook hotel.  He is still haunted by the ghosts of the hotel and learns to deal with them by boxing them up.  As an adult, Danny has turned to alcoholism in order to mute his gifts.  He decides to stop drinking for eight years and begins to form a psychic pen pal relationship with a young girl named Abra.  Abra lives a peaceful life until a cult of “shiners” become aware of her and seek her out to feed on her energy.  Danny decides to protect her from the cult and takes her to the one place they might be able to have a fair fight, the Overlook hotel.

    Let me start by saying that this film probably shouldn’t work but it somehow does.  The film manages to honor both the work of Stephen King and the late Stanley Kubrick in a very satisfying way while still being it’s own movie.  It also goes a long way to explain certain aspects of “The Shining” that were left deliberately vague.  These answers help expand the world of “The Shining” and “Doctor Sleep”.

    The film has an excellent cast led by Ewan McGregor as the adult version of Danny Torrance.  McGregor is able to convey a feeling of post traumatic stress disorder masterfully.  McGregor’s Danny Torrance is a lost soul just trying to find his place in the world.  Rebecca Ferguson is wonderful as Rose the Hat, the leader of the evil cult.  She brings a menacing sense of superiority to her performance that I really enjoyed.  Newcomer Kyliegh Curran was a real breakthrough as Abra Stone.  I expect big things for her soon.  Lastly, (SPOILER WARNING) Henry Thomas takes over the role of Jack Torrance from Jack Nicholson and I have mixed feeling about the portrayal.  He looked enough like Nicholson to pull it off, he just didn’t sound much like him which is my one complaint.

    Mike Flanagan wrote, edited, and directed this film and he did a stellar job with his work behind the camera.  There were shots that felt very much like Stanley Kubrick’s style but a bulk of the film felt very much like an episode of “The Haunting of Hill House” as well.  If I had one complaint about the movie, it’s that it’s pacing slowed down a bit midway through the film and it felt almost like two different films (the last act taking place at the Overlook hotel felt very different to the rest of the movie to me).

    “Doctor Sleep” is an entertaining followup to “The Shining” and I would be curious to see if it’s legacy lasts as long as it’s predecessor’s legacy has.  This is definitely one of the better and more faithful follow ups to be released based on a classic film recently.  I would definitely recommend seeing this if you are a fan of Stephen King or “The Shining”.

Grade: B+

“Godzilla: King of the Monsters” Movie Review

    There is just something about monster movies that brings a smile to my face everytime I watch them.  Even if they aren’t my favorite movies, seeing a giant monster destroy a city is fairly breathtaking.  Seeing a monster fight another monster is just that much better.  Kaiju films are a bit of a guilty pleasure for me.  Even though I didn’t catch it in theaters, “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” was a bit of a must for me to watch.

    Set after the events of 2014’s “Godzilla”, “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” starts with the scientific organization Monarch tracking the likes of Godzilla and Kong as well as several other titans who have yet to arise.  Monarch scientist Dr. Emma Russell has created a device that can communicate with these titans but the device is stolen by a terrorist organization who also kidnap the doctor and her daughter.  Soon the device is used to awaken the hibernating monsters.  Monarch soon enlists the help of Emma’s ex-husband Mark to figure out how to rescue Emma and stop the titans.  When everything else seemingly fails, Monarch must put their faith in Godzilla to restore the natural order.

    This film is influenced by the 1968 film “Destroy All Monsters” which sees Godzilla and several other monsters battle King Ghidorah.  This film scales back the monster mayhem a bit to focus primarily on Godzilla vs King Ghidorah with a smaller scale battle between Mothra vs Rodan also happening at the same time.  The monsters are the clear stars of this film but it was also nice that the human co-stars had a slightly more satisfying role to play in the sequel.

    On the subject of the human co-stars, this film primarily focuses on the Russell family played by Vera Farmiga, Kyle Chandler and Millie Bobby Brown.  Farmiga and Chandler both give good performances but it was a bit odd seeing Chandler in the role considering he also co-starred in Peter Jackson’s “King Kong”.  Millie Bobby Brown was wonderful in the movie and proved her career past “Stranger Things” is just beginning.  It was also nice seeing Ken Watanabe, Sally Hawkins, and David Strathairn all return for the sequel.

    Michael Dougherty took over directing duties for the sequel and delivered a superior sequel.  This film is the third film set in this new monsterverse after “Godzilla” and “Kong: Skull Island”.  This movie will be followed next year by “Godzilla vs. Kong” which should be an interesting film considering how both Godzilla and King Kong are depicted as protagonists in their films.

    While I enjoyed how the Monarch organization managed to allow the human characters to appear in the film in a logical way without taking away from the monsters, the monsters were still what everyone came to see and they didn’t disappoint.  Toho favorites King Ghidorah, Rodan, and Mothra all join the battle in this sequel.  Rodan is given the least screen time and feels almost like an after thought.  King Ghidorah on the other hand is the main antagonist and is depicted incredibly.  Still, for me, the main standout was Mothra, Queen of the Monsters.  I won’t go into spoilers, but one of the most emotional scenes in the movie for me involved Mothra.

    “Godzilla: King of the Monsters” doesn’t have much plot but also has the good fortune of not requiring much story either.  These monsterverse movies provide good old fashion spectacle and that is fine by me.  I would recommend this movie for anyone who just needs to sit back and relax.  Enjoy the show (down).

Grade: B

“Terminator: Dark Fate” Movie Review

    It’s been four years since “Terminator: Genisys” was released to mixed critical and audience reaction.  For the past few decades, it seems like the Terminator franchise has been desperately trying to find it’s footing after the events of “Terminator 2: Judgement Day”.  “Terminator: Dark Fate” once again tries to set the franchise on a new course.

    The film follows the events of “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” and picks up shortly after those events (a major character death that would spoil most of the film happens at this point).  The film then shifts to modern day and focuses on a young woman named Dani as she finds herself the target of a new Terminator model (the Rev-9).  Dani is protected by an enhanced human named Grace as well as Sarah Connor as they try to protect Dani from the dark fate that lies ahead of her.

    Let me start by saying that this film negates “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”, “Terminator: Salvation”, “Terminator: Genisys” and the television show “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles”.  Those additions to the franchise now take place in an alternate timeline.  I know some franchises have worse continuity (Highlander and X-Men come to mind) but this film further tarnishes what little continuity the franchise still had.  The film itself almost serves best as a stand-alone film as opposed to a sequel as a result.

    The movie was directed by “Deadpool” filmmaker Tim Miller and he once again delivers an adrenaline rush with this film.  Many of the action set pieces felt original and intense in the film.  The movie also delivers pulse pounding stunts that will leave audiences on the edge of their seats as the Terminator franchise often does.

    James Cameron returned to consult and help develop this sequel.  I find some of his choices a bit odd since some of his decisions contradict scenes he filmed for “Terminator 2: Judgement Day” in which Sarah and John Connor were seen older and happy in 2029.  These scenes actually appear in a cut of the movie so why he retconned his own masterpiece for this film is beyond me.  It sort of takes the message of the second film away that we can create our own destiny and instead copies the ending of the third movie, that judgment day is inescapable.  I prefer to think we make our own destiny.

    The new characters and actors in the movie are somewhat lackluster compared to the returning characters and stars.  Natalia Reyes was serviceable as Dani but wasn’t very convincing as ‘future Dani’.  Gabriel Luna was completely wasted as the Rev-9.  The highlight among the new cast members was Mackenzie Davis as Grace.  Davis brought an intensity to the role that the other new cast members did not.

    This brings me to the highlights of the film, Linda Hamilton and Arnold Schwarzenegger.  It was so refreshing to see those two share the screen together again after so many years.  Hamilton plays a wonderfully seasoned (and grizzled) Sarah Connor who’s only purpose is to kill every Terminator she comes across.  Schwarzenegger plays a Terminator model T-800 and actually provides the most interesting subplot of the film.  After this T-800 was set free from Skynet, he attempted to seek a purpose and become more ‘human’.  In my opinion, this should have been the main story of the movie.  Some of the best episodes of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” revolved around Data’s quest to become more human.  This film could have used more of that.

    When all is said and done, this film is ultimately a good sci-fi action movie that is handicapped some by it’s own brand name.  If you view this film as more of a stand alone movie, it is far more enjoyable.  If you look at this film as a sequel to any of the other movies in the franchise, it will probably just leave more questions than answers.  I would still recommend seeing this movie in the theaters, just know what you are getting yourself into first.

Grade: B-

“In the Tall Grass” Movie Review

    It’s official, 2019 in now officially the year of Stephen King adaptations.  What is most amazing is that many of them have actually turned out well.  So when Netflix released their own Stephen King adaptation, “In the Tall Grass”, I felt extra compelled to check it out.  After watching the film, I also felt compelled to write this review.

    This film starts with siblings Cal and Becky (who happens to be pregnant) as they stop by a church.  From the nearby field, they hear the voice of a small boy named Tobin who appears lost in the grass field.  The pair are concerned as they hear Tobin’s mother pleading with him not to call for help.  Cal enters the field and Becky soon follows.  The siblings are separated and the distance between the pair seems to increase by the second.  The pair try to make their way back to the road but neither of them can find their way out.  While in the field, Cal encounters Tobin around the same time Becky comes across Ross, Tobin’s father.  Things clearly aren’t as they seem as Travis, the father of Becky’s baby, goes looking for them in what seems to be one day later but is actually weeks later for Travis.  The things the group discovers next can only be explained as supernatural as they try their best to find a way out of the tall grass.

    The film is based on a novella by Stephen King and his son Joe Hill and is full of all the suspense you might expect from the duo.  The film is sometimes shocking and horrifying in ways that took me aback some.  These graphic moments sometimes go a bit too far in my opinion but the film doesn’t shy away from some stomach turning moments so if that is your cup of tea, you are in luck.

    The film is intriguing from the beginning, giving the viewer the same sense of confusion that the main characters are going through.  The film does a good job of keeping the audience’s attention until revelations start to unfold.  While this style of storytelling does a decent job of retaining the viewers attention, it unfortunately creates a great deal of pacing issues throughout the film.

    The film definitely has an interesting premise but the answers provided in the film felt too simplistic to justify the film’s overall runtime.  As a storyteller, I personally believe that you shouldn’t open a mystery box if you aren’t willing or are unable to provide satisfactory answers.  It’s a shame since the field being at the center of a space and time warp of some kind is an interesting plot device.

    “In the Tall Grass” was directed by Vincenzo Natali and this film feels very much like one of his works.  I found his directing a bit frustrating in this film because he had some really interesting shots throughout some of the film but they were so poorly lite that it was hard to make out what was going on in the film.  As for the cast, they all do serviceable job with only Patrick Wilson really standing out.  Patrick Wilson is so over the top in this film and hammy yet it somehow works perfectly.  The man can do no wrong.

    The film is definitely not the best Stephen King adaptation this year but far from the worst overall.  The film doesn’t hit the heights the premise suggests it could but it is still enjoyable.  If you are looking for a spooky film with some good scares, this film is definitely worth a watch.

Grade: C+