Dr. Strange (2016)

"Dormammu, I am here to bargain!" -Dr. Strange

I gotta hand it to Marvel -their formula works.  Dr. Strange is pretty good and worth seeing.

I have become benumbed by the idea of visual spectacle as a reason to gawk or lavish a film with praise, but if you only go to the movies for eye candy, Dr. Strange is a treat.  Imagine if MC Esher had access to drugs, a Kaleidoscope, and 90s screen savers, then have him watch Inception; this is what Dr. Strange fight scenes look like.

I additionally want to commend the creators for making a movie without guns.

Finally, it is a rare spectacle to actually witness a movie thats climax is to bring everything back together. In general, action or adventure films use destruction to defeat an enemy as the emotional fodder for showcasing the victors and the vanquished. Dr. Strange brings an entire city back together and saves the day.

On a scale of time as a loop to time as a non-directional, I give Dr. Strange 3.3 out of 5 stars.

The Magnificent 7 (2016)

"I do believe that bear is wearing people clothing." -Jack Faraday -referring to  Jack Horne

Another remake.  (meta- in this case, because this is a remake of a re-imagining.)

Due to that the original and the homage on which this film were based were fantastic, first and foremost, I would say that this version is not as ground breaking or impactful as its predecessors.  Copies lose efficacy with each cycle. However, I really am pleased to say that The Magnificent 7 (2016) is a first rate production worthy of one's time and consideration.

So here's just a list of things I noticed or thought during the movie.

1. I much prefer Eli Wallach to Peter Sarsgaard.  Wallach made evil more understandable as a grasp at control in a changing world, while Sarsgaard's evil is just pure theater. Murder and violence as a means to power.

2. You would have thought Denzel Washington would have stolen the show, but he actually takes a surprising fifth in my power ranking of actor performances.

1. Vincent D'Onofrio
1. His high pitch squeaks about the LOARD are just magical.  He is the heir to Toshiro Mifune and Chico.
2. Chris Pratt
1. Great death! Great opening scene. Perfect 1 liners playing a combination of Harry Luck and Vin from the 1960 version.
3. Ethan Hawke
1. I don't know if I have ever seen him in a bad role, but his performance as Good Night Robicheaux was really a much better story than that of Lee. (and I liked Robert Vaughn in the the 1960 version.)  Redemption takes many forms. 
4. Lee Byung-hun
1. Someone needed to take on the mantle of Charles Bronson, James Corburn, and Seiji Miyaguchi.  Those were huge shoes to fill and you were up to the challenge. I look forward to your next project. 
5. Denzel Washington
1. You were never going to be Yul Brenner. You didn't even try.  I respect you for that. But, amongst this ensemble your choices did not shine. 

3. I wonder if the addition of the rail gun was something the writers added to just infuse the story with a little more senseless violence.  We modern cinema watchers are so desensitized to mindless destruction that it seemed strange to only use single shot guns. Hmmmmmmm? 

On a scale of 7 Samurai to 7 Gunslingers, I give The Magnificent 7 (2016) 3.8 out of 5 stars. 

Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong (2015)

"You took a chance...you'll never have to regret that." -Ruby

So I took a chance.  On a sleepy morning, when I didn't have to work, and I wanted to watch something/anything on Netflix.  Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong was there and, it filled my desire for anything/something for a brief period. Then it floated away never to be thought of again until the writing of this post. Perfectly innocuous, eminently forgettable, in the moment flirtatiously delightful...but not scary, stupid, or cheating.  Peeps on film.

I think there is a time and a place for films like ATiHK, just like sometimes one just needs Jello.  It's not very often...but it happens.

Nice job,  Emily Ting! You made a very marginal movie just special enough to not make me regret my sleepy morning choice one bit.

On a scale of China (1 time zone) to China (5 times zones), I give Already Tomorrow in Hong Kong 2.3 out of 5 stars.