2018 Films: #16. They Remain

An OnDemand viewing on July 21st in Chicago. I don't know how the rest of you out there come up with a streaming choice but at our house it takes awhile. We run through Netflix, HULU, Amazon Prime, HBO Now, iTunes and OnDemand. My wife played this trailer, we looked around some more and finally came back to it.

The picture is directed by Philip Gelatt, he also wrote the screenplay, and is based a short story by Laird Barron. Set sometime in the future, Rebecca Henderson and William Jackson Harper are investigating the site of a murderous cult that apparently cause a lot of havoc years ago. They set up cameras, run soil samples and even discover some human remains. There's some distrust for the corporation the work for and they both seem to have vivid dreams. Things slowly breakdown as weird things start to happen; the cameras malfunction periodically, they hear things, and there's a similarity of their weird dreams. Eventually, they both slowly descend into madness.

They Remain received a 61% Rotten Tomatoes Rating which means its somewhere between meh and mediocre. It's more on the meh side in my opinion. It's not a bad film but there's a lot lacking. The film's run time is 102 minutes but it's more slow than a slow burn. Other than dream imagery, there isn't a lot of exposition on the murderous cult. It's also hard to differentiate sometimes which is a dream and which is reality. Gelatt tries to build the tension but falls flat most of the time. There are some interesting and creepy scenes but they're few and far between. The film's ending left me with a "so what just happened" feeling.

Gelatt could be someone to keep an eye on. He wrote the screenplay for Europa Report so he knows his way around creepy sci-fi. The acting is fine and the film is sound technically. Maybe the source material is not that fantastic. With the amount of time we spent looking for a film to view, They Remain didn't payoff.

2018 Films: #15. Wildling

OnDemand viewing June 23rd in Chicago, IL. My wife and I thought the description seemed interesting so we took a chance. As fan of the werewolf genre, it seemed like a good idea. The film received a 71% Rotten Tomatoes rating and that sealed the deal.

First time director Fritz Böhm, who also co-wrote the film, gives us a tale of a young girl who's held in a room by her father (the always creepy Brad Dourif) who tells her stories of the "wildling." She grows up before our eyes and starts getting injections for an "illness" as she reaches the age of puberty. One night her "father" shoots himself and Anna (Bel Powley) is taken into custody by Sheriff Ellen (Liv Tyler, who also received a producing credit). Ellen takes Anna into her home.

It doesn't take long for Anna to realize she's a little different than the other teenagers. She slowly starts seeing changes and has reoccurring nightmares. Ellen's brother Ray takes her to a party and things go off the rails after Anna has an encounter with local bully Lawrence.  Anna is taken into custody and proceeds to escape. Her "father" recovers from his self inflicted wounds and decides to round up the old posse of wildling hunters in order to kill Anna. Will she be able to get away?

After seeing this film, the Rotten Tomatoes rating was too high. The film has a reasonable run time of only 92 minutes but it just seems to drag on in parts. Then there's the scene where her "father" decides to go after Anna. He clearly knew what she was, why not kill her when he had the chance in his home? He couldn't bear killing her but shoots himself (FAIL) and then when she starts to transform, then he has no problem killing her. Then there's James Le Gros' character, Wolf Man (real subtle). He's a guy who walks around in, you guessed it, wolf pelts.

No really this guy hangs out in town. No job. Nothing. It's totally not weird.

He hangs around town and no one seems to look twice at him. His only purpose is to give Anna exposition about what she really is and the local history of the wildlings.

The acting was fine and there's some nice cinematography but the story seemed weak to me. It tried to be an interesting take on the genre but it came out like a cross between Teen Wolf, Wolf and American Werewolf in London. It didn't work.

2018 Films: #16. Won't You Be My Neighbor?

July 6th in Chicago, IL. Morgan Neville directs this documentary about television legend, Fred Rogers. Neville traces Rogers humble and good natured beginnings in television that would morph into Mister Roger's Neighborhood. Neville gives the history of the show from interview footage of Rogers as well as interviews with family, friends, cast and crew.

Rogers felt that children deserved better programming and for over 30 years, he gave it to them. He dealt with topics (race, death and anger to name a few) that no other kids shows dealt with. His goal was to educate children not just turn them into future consumers. He even testified in front of Congress for funding in 1969, apparently the Republican Party has been trying to destroy public television for decades.

The last 10-15 minutes are an emotional roller coaster. Starting with a clip from the show with a special needs child, about how his funeral was protested by westboro baptist church types for tolerating homosexuals to the on air reunion with Jeff Erlanger at his induction into the Television Hall of Fame. I bawled my eyes out.

This is a fascinating documentary chronicling the life of a fascinating advocate for children.

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.