2018 Films: #14. Annihilation

An OnDemand viewing on June 22nd in Chicago. Andrew Garland directed and wrote the screenplay for the follow-up of 2015's Ex Machina.

This sci-fi thriller is about an anomaly called the "shimmer" inhabiting some swamp lamps around the Maryland shoreline(?). Natalie Portman plays Lena, a biologist from Johns Hopkins who husband Kane (Oscar Isaacs), a special forces soldier, has been missing for a year and is presumed dead. Kane shows up at the house one day but he seems off. After coughing up blood, the ambulance is overtaken by black SUVs. Lena then wakes up in a government facility. Dr. Ventress gives Lena some much needed exposition about the "shimmer" and that her husband is the only person to come back alive out of the numerous expeditions sent inside.

Sure enough Lena is part of the next team going into the "shimmer" along with Dr. Ventriss, a psychologist; Tessa, a physicist; Cass, a scientist and Anya, a paramedic who's just crazy enough to go on a mission like this and also the resident tough chick. While in the "shimmer" they find some crazy sh*t. One by one the team starts to get picked off. Cass is killed by a bear, Anya goes crazy and eventually gets killed by the bear that killed Cass. Tessa figures out what is happening in the "shimmer," the DNA of everything inside the "shimmer" is mutating, including them. She then becomes a piece of flora.

Lena makes her way to the center of the "shimmer," the lighthouse where she meets up with Dr. Ventress. Lena discovers a video of her husband that kind of explains somethings. Lena sets off a chain reaction and makes it back to the base.

The film is based on a book of the same name by Jeff Vandermeer from 2014. Obviously I never read the book but the film seems to borrow a lot from Avatar, John Carpenter's The Thing, Imposter and even Stargate. This is an interesting picture but it doesn't have the build up that Ex Machina had. Ex Machina had a plot that made people think about something that could happen in the not too distant future, sexbots! That seems to be absent in Annihilation. It's not a bad film but it seems to drag on a bit. The run time is 115 minutes but it moves too slow at times, there were probably 8-12 minutes that could have cut without damaging the narrative.

I liked that an all female team goes in a succeeds where the dudes have failed. I do wonder if Lena would have been allowed to go on the mission if she didn't just happen have a useful profession that would be helpful, though it was the physicist that figured it out. Would she have been allowed to go if she was a tax attorney? Dr. Ventress reminded me of Col. O'Neil from Stargate in the "I've got nothing to live for in this world therefore it's a one way trip for me" cliche. The ending didn't seem too original to me either.

The film did receive an 87% Rotten Tomatoes rating but the film so far as under performed at the box office with a $32 million gross against a $40 million budget. Solid visual effects and really good acting. But the film moves too slow and just didn't seem original. Garland is still a director that I want to follow and this is only his second feature.

2018 Films: #13. Hereditary

June 8th in Chicago, IL. My wife and I saw this trailer back in March and had penciled June 8th on the calendar. The trailer seemed to have a lot of what we enjoy (it's more my wife who enjoys this stuff but I can get into it): supernatural horror and a creepy kid.

Ari Aster wrote and makes his debut as a feature director. The film stars Toni Collette as Annie, a miniature artist. Gabriel Byrne is Annie's husband Steve, work from therapist. Alex Wolff is Annie and Steve's oldest son Peter and Milly Shapiro is their youngest daughter Charlie. Annie's mother has just passed away and Annie delivers the eulogy. When Annie explains her relationship with her mother, it was not only strange, it was weird. Deeply weird.

After the funeral, Charlie seems to be acting weird but no one really notices. Peter just seems to want to score girls and smoke pot like a regular teenage boy in Utah. Annie works on her miniatures, which mirrors her life which is creepy and Steve just tries to hold it all together. Oh and the grave gets desecrated. Tragedy strikes the family again, in a very gruesome way, and Annie seeks solace in a a support group where she meets Aunt Lydia (the character's name is Joan). Joan is not what she seems and things go down an even darker path that sees Annie slowly descend into madness.

 This film had a budget of $10 million and has currently made $44  million worldwide. That's a good haul for being out two weeks. The film received a 90 % Rotten Tomatoes rating and even made Rolling Stone's list of best 2018 films so far. The film tackles issues like family dysfunction and mental illness. Both play a big part. Aster does a nice job of building the tension but sometimes he tries to be too clever. I don't think the film is as great as everyone seems to think. Look, it's a good creepy film. It wasn't the horror masterpiece I expected. Those high expectations are a me problem. The film seems to have a Rosemary's Baby type ending. The film draws comparisons to 2015's The Witch. Another slow burn tension builder with a bit of a head scratch ending.

I was disappointed that this film was not a horror masterpiece, but it never set out to be. The film is a metaphor for family dysfunction and mental illness, which Annie mentioned that it ran in her family. I dig films where the protagonist loses it. The film had things I like but something didn't sit right with me. It's an interesting film to watch and I encourage people to see it. It's not a film that you need to see in a theater per se but it would be wrong for me to say it's not worth viewing. 

2018 Films: #12. Solo: A Star Wars Story

June 2nd in Chicago, IL. Disney bought the rights to the Star Wars Universe in 2012. Since then, rumors of a stand alone Han Solo back story film started almost immediately. To say there were problems with production is quite the understatement. The original directors Phil Lord and Christopher Miller were fired and replaced by Ron Howard who ended up reshooting 70% for the film. Lord and Miller, who've had success with animated and comedic films, wanted to make the film more comedic and were fired. If Lucasfilm didn't want this picture to be too funny then they should not have hired a directing with a track record for comedy.

The film traces Han's humble beginnings on Corellia as the elder hustler for a group of child hustlers in the employ of a criminal organization run by Lady Proxima. Sounds a bit like Oliver Twist doesn't it? Anyway, Han's dream is to squirrel enough away for him and his girlfriend Qi'ra to escape. Han and Qi'ra manage to bribe their way through an Imperial checkpoint but Qi'ra is caught at the last minute and the only means of escape is for Han to join the Imperial Navy. Han washes out of flight school for "having a brain" as he puts it and meets up with a smuggler named Beckett and his crew. Beckett,who's impersonating an Imperial officer, gets Han arrested for desertion which leads to a meeting with a certain Wookie from Kashyyk. Han and Chewie are able to catch a ride with Beckett and join his team.

Beckett has been hired to steal a load of the universe's most precious commodity but he runs into a rival gang and the job goes south. Beckett takes the group back to see Vos, the crime lord who hired him for the score. There Han reunites with Qi'ra but things look grim as Vos is none too happy about the score failing. In order to save their skins, Han comes up with an odds defying job that will probably get them killed. It involves the universe's most precious commodity and a place called Kessel. In order to pull this job off, they need to fast ship. Enter Lando Calrissian and the Millennium Falcon.

"She may not look like much but she's got it where it counts."

Despite a few setbacks, the team pulls off the job. Lando gets wounded, putting Han in a position to pilot the Falcon. Can you guess what he does in 12 parsecs? This eventually leads to a big showdown with Vos, Beckett and the rival smuggling gang. The film ends with Han beating Lando in a card game to win the Falcon where he and Chewie fly off to go work for a "big time gangster."

This is a fun movie. There are some funny scenes, Han and Chewie showering together after they escape with Beckett is really good. Qi'ra makes a nice comment about Lando having a lot of capes. It got a deserving 71% Rotten Tomatoes rating. The plot is very overly complex film. It's a heist movie but it tried to be a clever heist movie. It's good. There are a lot of references to the original trilogy that are fun. The acting is good. Alden Ehrenreich as Solo. Woody Harrelson as Beckett. Emilia Clarke as Qi'ra. Donald Glover as Lando and Paul Bettany Dryden Vos. The entire cast was very solid. As good as Ehenreich was a Han, Glover was better as Lando. Glover stole the show. Glover and Ehenreich had good chemistry. Han and Chewie together were really good too. I never bought Qi'ra as a love interest. It didn't work. This is my opinion but there's a scene at the end of the film where Han has a change of heart to help the rival smugglers who are actually members of the rebellion. In Episode IV, he famously said to Leia that he "ain't in this for your revolution" but his actions contradict the later statement. This is a classic scene that gets devalued.

I did not think it was necessary for a stand alone Han Solo film but I have over 40 years invested in the Star Wars franchise so I had it was a given that I had to see this film. It's a fun film for Star Wars fans but I cannot see it having a lasting affect on fans. The film took in only $84 million opening weekend and that was considered a disappointment. To date its grossed over $320 million but it had a budget of $300 million. This was probably the best film we were going to get with all the production problems. It's arguable the affect it had on the Star Wars Universe but there was a nice little Easter Egg at the end. If you're a fan of the franchise it's not a must see but it is fun. If you don't see the film, you're not missing much.

2018 Films: #11. Deadpool 2

May 22nd in Bridgeton, MO. The sequel to the 2016 debut, which grossed over $700 million worldwide, is directed by action film veteran David Leitch and stars Ryan Reynolds in the title role. This time around Deadpool seeks redemption by saving a young mutant Firesfist (Julian Dennison) from going down the wrong path. You see Deadpool is depressed after he is unable to **SPOILER ALERT** save his love interest's (Morena Baccarin) life after he botches a mission.

Firefist is housed at a Mutant Reeducation Center and he reaches his boiling point. The X-Men arrive to help, Deadpool is shacking up with them, but Firesfist kills a guard and Deadpool does the same. Both are sent to prison. While in prison, Cable (Josh Brolin) comes back into to kill Firefist in the "go back in time to set the future right" cliche. Cable fails but Deadpool and Firefist are able to escape. This is where Firefist ditches Deadpool and enlists the aid of the Juggernaut. This is where Deadpool's redemption comes in, he wants to save Firefist from getting a taste for murder which will lead to him killing Cable's family.

Deadpool feels the need to recruit his own "super team" to combat Cable. The team that's assembled is mostly for laughs except for Domino (Zazie Beetz). Who's power is luck and we see why. Firefist and Juggernaut head back to the Mutant Reeducation Center to murder the director. Cable agrees to give Deadpool one last chance to alter Firefist's future or he'll kill him. Cable, Deadpool and the rest of the X-Men go to meet Firefist and Juggernaut for the final showdown.

The budget for the sequel got a bump up to $110 million from the $58 million in the original. Deadpool 2 took in over $125 million on it's opening weekend and has grossed over $665 million worldwide as of June 14th. The film received an 82% Rotten Tomatoes rating which is right where it should be. There are some laugh out loud moments and good chuckles throughout. However, it doesn't really expand on the first film. A lot of the same jokes from the first film still work. They expand on the "loss of limb" site gag as Deadpool gets ripped in half by Juggernaut and we get to see Deadpool grow is lower half back. It's a funny scene. There are some really good site gags in the film and a lot of fun 80's pop culture references.

I had moved on from comic books by the time Deadpool showed up. I remember Cable from a 90s X-Men cartoon so I do not know much about them or whether or not the franchise strays too far from the source material. However, I can spot a lack of originality in a plot. That's what we have here. I touched upon the "hero seeks redemption" aspect but earlier. The "traveling through time to set things right" aspect is taking right from the Terminator franchise and Looper. Time travel is always an interesting plot point but it seems to muddy things up more and there's always the "I've only got one time jump" cliche. It's here too. Deadpool's team assembly is taken directly from 1999's Mystery Men, right down to an invisible character. Then there's the whole "protagonist wants to die so he can join his true love in the afterlife" nonsense. The two films in this franchise were made for under $200 million and have grossed $1.5 billion so far. The title character is not going to die. This is a problem within the MCU, death usually doesn't mean a whole lot and no one kills off a golden goose.

I really liked Beetz as Domino. I thought she had a good rapport with Deadpool and had some good lines. The filmmakers took some heat about the character being nothing more than eye candy,

which may be true but I thought Beetz did a nice job and the character came off really well. I do feel that TJ Miller's character has run it's course. I guess the filmmakers feel he skewed well in the first film and gave him a larger role. It was too much. Dopinder (Karan Soni) got a little more screen time but his worked better. Quite frankly I thought that there wasn't enough of Blind Al (Leslie Uggams). Her character got cut while Miller got a larger role. Didn't seem right to me.

The filmmakers played it safe and they got another home run. Where they go from here is a concern. At some point, the jokes are going to get stale. Where can you take a character that cannot die? Will there be a point when the audience just says "enough already?" It's a fun film that is a good time. The post credit scenes were quite funny too.

2018 Films: #10. RBG

Saturday May 19th in Chicago. Julie Cohen and Betsy West direct this documentary about the life and times of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. From her humble beginnings to her 1993 Supreme Court Nomination to her close friendship with Anton Scalia her newfound fame as a pop culture icon (sorry to rehash a tired cliche).

You'll learn just about everything there is know about Ginsburg through archival footage and interviews. I can't imagine that West and Cohen left a stone unturned while putting the film together. The film received an 94% Rotten Tomatoes rating. If you see one film about a Supreme Court Justice this year, RBG is the one to watch.

2018 Films: #9. Disobedience

Saturday May 19th in Chicago. Sebastián Lelio directs and shares a writing credit for this film that's based on a novel by Naomi Alderman.

The film stars Rachel Weisz as Ronit Krushka, a photographer who returns to London after her father, a Torah scholar and legend in the community, passes away. Early on we get the feeling that Ronit was exiled from her community at some point. Upon arrival she links up with a childhood friend Dovid Kuperman (Alessandro Nivola) who was a student of Ronit's father. As they reminisce, it's revealed that Dovid married Esti (Rachel McAdams) and as kids the three were very close. We eventually see what it was that most likely got Ronit banished, she and Esti had a fling as kids. Ronit eventually gets asked to leave after her and Esti are spotted hooking up but they do eventually give in completely to their desires that sets an interesting ending.

The film received an 84% Rotten Tomatoes rating, which is fair. This is not a film for everyone. There's tension for sure but it's a slow burn. Ronit feels weird going back. When she arrives, people are courteous but uncomfortable around her. Lelio does a nice job of playing on that discomfort, the characters know what happened and what makes them uncomfortable around Ronit but the audience is left to wonder (although the trailer gives it away). The film has a run time of 114 minutes. On the outset that seems long but there was never a time when I felt bored and I can't think of an unnecessary scene that could've been cut. It's nicely paced.

For me, the conflict between duty and desire is the underlying theme in the picture. It's Esti that calls Ronit to come back for her father's funeral. Ronit comes back out of a sense of duty. Esti and Dovid's get married not because they're in love but because getting married is what they're supposed to do. They do care for each other but the marriage seems loveless. In the end, Dovid and Esti's marriage is over. Dovid was set to replace Ronit's father but he publicly turns down the post and releases his Esti (per custom) from the marriage. His desire overcomes his duty. He loves her enough to want to see her happy and so he frees her. Esti loses her job and does not go back with Ronit, she forsakes her desire to be with Ronit knowing that she would not truly be free. Esti and Dovid's lives are more or less in shambles but they seemed okay with it. Ronit gets to pick her life back up in New York. It ends badly, in varying degrees, for everyone (Esti clearly loses the most). That's the way life works sometimes.