The Weekly Movie Watch Volume 59

This week I watched McFarland, USA, Child 44.

I watch movies every week and then write down my thoughts. Read my previous reviews!
My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it.

McFarland, USA - An uninspired pseudo inspirational tale. It's like Waterworld,
in that they both star Kevin Costner and you shouldn't watch them.

McFarland, USA (2015)
Watch McFarland, USA
Written by: Christopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois and Grant Thompson (screenplay) and Chrisopher Cleveland & Bettina Gilois (story)
Directed by: Niko Caro
Starring: Kevin Costner, Maria Bello
Rated: PG

Plot:
Kevin Costner plays Coach Jim White. Fired from his previous job, he's left with only one job option located in the poorest city of California. After then being removed as a football coach, he decides to start a cross country team.


Review:
This is a by the numbers attempt at an inspirational based on a true story. It has the typical cliches, a coach who puts the team first at the expense of his family, a laughed at underdog team, a big competition at the end, and the town rallies to support the team after they win. I've seen this story many times before, most recently Spare Parts.

The ending was notable. They filmed the actual people the cast was based upon and used that as the background for the obligatory text crawl of "this guy went on to do great things." It was a neat touch in lieu of never showing us the actual people or just still images. Two minutes of notable credits is not a good reason to watch this movie.

Each member of the team is interchangeable. None of them are developed and I can't even remember their names except for the one that liked the coach's daughter. Do you remember The Mighty Ducks? It's been a while for me too, but I remember an underdog story and each character was unique. This movie is not that.

Verdict:
It's an uninspired inspirational story, doesn't require much thinking, and they (spoiler) win in the end. Let's be honest, if you didn't think they were going to win at the end, you aren't familiar with this genre. If you like period pieces, the production values are great. It really feels like 1987.
Skip it.

Child 44 - If you can't tell what's happening then this image perfectly summarizes the movie.

Child 44 (2015)
Watch Child 44 
Written by: Richard Price (screenplay), Tom Rob Smith (novel)
Directed by: Daniel Espinosa
Starring: Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman, Noomi Rapace, Joel Kinnaman
Rated: R

Plot:
Leo Demidov, played by Tom Hardy, is a military officer in Stalin era Soviet Union. He discovers a series of murders, but the Communist government rules them as accidents, stating that murders could not occur in the paradise of the Soviet Union.

Review:
A setting is supposed to enhance a movie, like in Fargo, acting as an additional character. In this movie, the setting serves to only muddle the plot. Is this movie a period piece on life in Russia at the time, a thriller, a mystery, a power hungry soldier's rise, a redemption story?
The movie is muddy. Nothing is clear, from the plot to the action scenes, it's always difficult to know what exactly is happening. I have to blame this on being a book adaptation. Going from book to movie, you have to cut plot points. Instead I'm guessing this movie tried to retain them all and in turn failed to develop them.

The movie has a lot of potential, an interesting story,and an impressive list of stars that includes Tom Hardy, Joel Kinnamon, Noomi Rapace, and Gary Oldman. This movie doesn't bring all of the disparate pieces together. It looks good on paper, but that doesn't translate to the screen. The movie needs to slow down, trim the plot points and pick characters on which to focus. 

The serial killer isn't even the main villain, instead the main foe is a craven, jealous soldier. Unfortunately, that's nearly all the characterization we get, and that translates to a banal finale.


Verdict:
It's convoluted, underdeveloped, and lacking in thrills. The action scenes are quite bad. They are unclear and lack the same qualities as the movie. For a story and cast that had such promise, this is a real let down.
Skip it.