Netflix Movie World: May 2017

Wednesday 31 May 2017

Mission to Mars Movie Review

Mission to Mars (2000)

Rent Mission to Mars on Amazon Video
Written by: Lowell Cannon and Jim Thomas & John Thomas (story). Jim Thomas & John Thomas and Graham Yost (screenplay)
Directed by: Brian De Palma
Starring: Tim Robbins, Gary Sinise, Don Cheadle, Jerry O'Connell
Rated:PG

My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it. Read my previous movie reviews!

Plot
When the first manned mission to Mars meets a catastrophic and mysterious disaster after reporting a unidentified structure, a rescue mission is launched to investigate and bring back any survivors.

Verdict
The concept is fun, though not novel. Why are we fascinated with Mars, and from where did our ancestors hail? The problem is the clunky dialog. Due to that, this never feels credible. That and the CGI is woefully outdated. I like sci-fi so the concept made this bearable, but this could have been a good movie. It's not.
It depends.

Review
To be a space and NASA movie, it's an interesting move to jump cut and not see the astronauts ever leave Earth. The first scenes is a backyard cookout and in the next scene they're on Mars. The cookout scene must have been added later just to introduce us to the characters and provide them a hint of personality. The first Mars scene feels like an opening scene as it starts tracking a little rover before jump starting the plot.

I also don't understand why this is set in the future. There's little reason for it and the only 'future' thing we see is a car that is laughably low effort. Maybe NASA tech wasn't at the required level, but it's probably part of the misguided effort when adding the cookout scene. I just don't believe that scene was part of the original script.

Once on Mars an exploratory team finds an anomaly. They encounter a storm while investigating and that sequence is just hokey, from the acting to the visuals. A lot of the movie feels like how someone imagines space exploration without any of the training or knowledge of what it's really like. Due to this storm and loss of contact a rescue mission is enacted.

The timeline of how quickly the rescue mission arrived is a lingering question. I don't know how long it would take to do the calculations and plan a mission to get the team up there. It seemed like a short time, but then Don Cheadle's character looks like he's been stuck on Mars for a few years when they find him.
The way the movie develops characters is just clunky. Much of the dialog is soap opera level and that isn't a compliment. I like the concept. This explores humankind's origin, but it feels like something out of the '80s, not as recent as 2000.

I liked Sinise's wife foreshadowing when she talks about how Mars must be special because it holds a special place in many culture's. It's a nice bit of foreshadowing that would have worked even better towards the beginning of the movie, rather than the end.

The team finally discovers the origin of the anomaly and we are treated with some terrible CGI. If you watch this, compare it to the CGI dinosaurs in Jurassic Park which was made seven years earlier.

I really thought this might tie back to the Egyptian civilization. It has this whole conspiracy vibe going, why not take it all the way. Sadly, it doesn't make that connection.

Safe Movie Review

Safe (1995)

Buy Safe on Amazon
Written by: Todd Haynes
Directed by: Todd Haynes
Starring: Julianne Moore, Xander Berkeley, Dean Norris
Rated: R

My rating is simple, Watch It, It Depends, Skip it. Read my previous movie reviews!

Plot
Everyday environmental toxins begin making suburban housewife Carol increasingly ill.

Verdict
This is a subtle movie that will make you question everything in your vicinity, from what you consume to how you interact with the environment. It taps into the underlying fears of mortality and not being able to find a cure or even a diagnosis. Your death is imminent and there is nothing you can do about it but remain in prisoner of the world.
Watch it.

Review
Moore and Haynes would later work together on a more main stream movie, Far from Heaven (2002) (read my review).

Carol begins to get symptoms, rashes and a cough. It's dismissed as allergies at first, and I almost wish I didn't know the premise. Without knowing the premise you'd wonder if this is in her head.
Daily life has become literally unbearable. No longer can she complete her daily tasks.
Any kind of chemical affects her, leading to nose bleeds and trouble breathing. It makes you think about whats around you. We interact with toxins all the time. That new car smell is off gassing of plastics and the glue in the carpet. As with many allergens, exposure can eventually lead to a reaction. The world has become a prison for Carol.

We see the monotony of Carol's life, and I felt a disconnect. This is shot at a distance, making it feel cold. While Carol seems content with life, surely she can't be, at least the framing suggests that. It creates an unsettling mood because I wanted to believe Carol felt trapped despite it not being implicitly stated. Is her illness a way to escape this life, a reaction to this life, or is she truly ill.

She goes to a commune with people that share her illness. The leader of the commune has AIDS. This is a direct corollary with a weakened immune system and common interactions posing a problem. The connection is clear but it doesn't go anywhere. Carol is secluded from the world and relatively safe, but she's still imprisoned. The world is still fatal.

Sense8 Netflix Series Canceled After 2 Seasons

Sense8 (2015-2017)

Watch Sense8 on Netflix

Created by the Wachowski's who made The Matrix, eight strangers across multiple continents are mentally linked and can enter each others minds.

Netflix announced after two seasons and twenty-three episodes, the series will not be renewed for a third. Two years had passed between the first and second season.

Last week Netflix announced that The Get Down (2016-17) would not be renewed for a second season.

Press Release

PODCAST 258: Wake in Fright & The Creeping Terror

This week brings an end to Monsters and Madmen month. Using Shudder, The Horror Duo look deep into the bleak black hole that is the heart of man. Forest questions his own alcoholism when watching Wake in Fright, aka Outback. Cory explores the Ed Wood-like world of Vic Savage, by watching and discussing Vic's directorial debut The Creeping Terror.

CONTINUE READING

Panic Room (2002)

Genre

Thriller

Director

David Fincher

Country

USA

Cast

Jodie Foster, Kristen Stewart, Forest Whitaker, Jared Leto, Dwight Yoakam, Patrick Bauchau, Ann Magnuson, Ian Buchanan, Paul Schulze

Storyline

When three burglars break in their new home, Meg Altman (Jodie Foster) and her daughter Sarah (Kristen Stewart) take refuge in the house's safe room. What they don't know, however, is that what the three men are looking for is in that very room.

Opinion

Panic Room has everything it takes to be a solid thriller. It has a good cast, an interesting storyline, but most important it has David Fincher. Nobody does thriller like he does. Unfortunately, a quite terrible screenplay happened, and Panic Room ended up being a mediocre thriller.

Like I said, I was very interested in the storyline and, knowing Fincher, I was expecting an exciting, tense story with many twists along the way. Which of course did not happen. While it was a bit tense, the plot was pretty predictable, filled with holes and the twists weren't that jaw-dropping.

And since there's so little of a plot, the film ends up being quite boring. There still is David Fincher's typical tension but since the story is dragged, it feels like being trapped in a never-ending film. Maybe Fincher was going for that, I don't know.

Another problem is the characters. They are unrealistic, pretty stupid and annoying. Not to mention a few utterly pointless characters at the beginning of the film. They add absolutely nothing to the film. However, in spite of how badly they were written and how poor the dialogue was, the cast still managed to do a good job.

In addition, Panic Room also benefits from a truly beautiful camera work. It's incredibly how wonderful are some of the shots. But then again, this is Fincher, so it doesn't really come as a surprise.

Tuesday 30 May 2017

New in Theaters for June

A lot of movies are premiering in June, but only a few of them interest me. This is why they might be worth watching... or avoiding.

WATCHING

The Bad Batch (June 23, 2017)
A dystopian love story amidst a community of cannibals that stars Keanu Reeves, Jason Momoa, and Jim Carrey. I have no idea what this is, but I'm sold on the premise alone.

Baby Driver (June 30, 2017)
Terrible name aside, I'm an Edgar Wright fan. This heist movie seems poised to take advantage of Wright's talents.

All Eyez on Me (June 16, 2017)
The Tupac Shakur biopic. I though Straight Outta Compton was going to be a indulgent puff piece, and it turned out to be excellent. I'm thinking this will follow suit.

The Beguiled (June 23, 2017)
Set at an all girls school during the Civil War, a wounded Union soldiers upsets the balance in the house. Stars Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell, Elle Fanning, and Kirsten Dunst. Farrell always provides a solid performance and Kidman is straight off of her solid turn in her Big Little Lies role.

The Hero (June 9, 2017)
An ailing movie star must confront his past and mortality. Starring Sam Elliot, Krysten Ritter, Laura Prepon, and Nick Offerman.
Offerman did The Founder last year, and if that's any indication, he can pick good roles. While Elliot did do Netflix's The Ranch, I'm hoping this is a rebound for him.

AVOIDING

Wonder Woman (June 2, 2017)
Outside of Batman, DC has had a hard time making a successful movie franchise. Batman v Superman wasn't good, and large chunks of it were mini-trailers for future DC movies, Wonder Woman included. How many cameos will this have?

The Mummy (June 9, 2017)
Isn't this a Brendan Frasier movie? In this one Tom Cruise takes on a mummy awoken from her tomb. Seems it might be the Frasier version. I want to call this creatively bankrupt, but I'll refrain. The Cruise Missile has been successful, but this might be pushing it.

Transformers: The Last Knight (June 23, 2017)
How are these movies still being made? Who is paying money to see this franchise and continuing the cycle? At this point this is less movies and more a Michael Bay collection plate.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Movie Review

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

Buy Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 on Amazon
Written by: James Gunn (written by), Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning (based on the Marvel comics by), Steve Englehart and Steve Gan (Star-lord created by), Jim Starlin (Gamora and Drax created by), Stan Lee & Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby (Groot created by), Bill Mantlo and Keith Giffen (Rocket Raccoon created by)
Directed by: James Gunn
Starring: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, Vin Diesel, Kurt Russell, Michael Rooker, Karen Gillan, Sylvester Stallone, Ving Rhames, Michelle Yeoh
Rated:PG-13

Plot
The Guardians must fight to keep their family together as they unravel the mystery of Peter Quill's true parentage, when his a man claiming to be his father appears.

Verdict
This has become the summer blockbuster, no longer is it traditional one man army action movies, it's team effort comic book movies. This boasts impressive visuals, not just the CGI but even shot composition. While it's not quite as fun and irreverent as the first (read my review) due to multiple story lines concerning different aspects of family, it has enough humor to keep the story lines lively. It's got more than a few great scenes, and anything with Baby Groot is a winner.
The soundtrack alone could carry this movie and Kurt Russell is great. It's one of the better Marvel movies.
Watch it.

Review
This showcases some great visuals and tons of CGI work in quite a spectacle, but I do miss the irreverent fun of the first Guardians. This pairs off characters to delve into father-son, sibling, and outcast relationships. One of those sub plots is fine, albeit heavy for what I was hoping, but trying to tackle all three comes off as emotionally manipulative.

The first scene was impeccable. The team for hire is setting up to defend batteries. Rocket is getting the music ready before being chided that music is the least important thing in a battle. When the battle commences Baby Groot wanders over to the radio and connects the cord. Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra begins playing. The camera focuses on Baby Groot, immersed in the song, narrowly misses being smacked around by tentacles as the team fights a Chtulu monster in the background.

The scene confirms that this is a typical day for the team, wherein most movies would treat this encounter as the penultimate battle in the movie. I wanted this movie to be another zany adventure, but the focus on family bogs it down. These are heavy themes for a movie like this, and the theme is explored to varying degrees through Quill, Gamora, and Rocket. That pushes the run time to well over two hours. Most of the quips are in the first quarter of the movie. We needed that level of camaraderie throughout. "Trash panda" is easily the best put down and is much better in context.

While Peter Quill's father is an integral part to who he is, this doubles down with Gamora and her sister's subplot about their rivalry and emotional needs, and then the movie adds another subplot between Yondu and Rocket and how they distance themselves emotionally from others.

Kurt Russell is always fun to watch and is a great choice to play Quill's father, Ego. His arc leads to a few questions. It seems a bit contrived that Quill is the only child out of the potentially hundreds, if not thousands, he's fathered that inherited Ego's specific genetic makeup.
As powerful as Ego is claimed to be, the fact he needs a child to fully harness his power and do whatever it is he wants to do raises the question of what's the bottleneck on his powers?
It seems the only reason he needs Quill is to manufacture a plot for the movie. This is overcome with the sub-plots mentioned before and a couple of well placed Baby Groot scenes. It has a few tongue in cheek references, but I wish we got more of those and less melodrama.
The soundtrack makes the great visuals all the better, setting the mood for the movie. While I like the first movie better, Volume 2 is still one of the best Marvel movies, avoiding cliches, and remaining fun for the most part.