Finding Dory (2016)

"For a guy with 3 hearts, you're not very nice." -Dory

Hats off to Pixar. They know how to make me feel; happy, sad, solace; you name it. I think that John Lasseter is a true and often unheralded master of cinema today. His cheer and leadership permeates everything Pixar touches. Other studios can copy the look, the sound, even to some degree the feel, but they can never recreate John Lassester.

It's unfortunate that Finding Dory, just wasn't actually a great movie. It was fine. Fun. Cute, and made me sniffle to hold back tears, but the story was difficult to follow, made harder by retrograde amnesia, and just felt like a really great direct to video adventure, not a cinema feature.

On a scale of 1 fish,  2 fish to 1 potato, 2 potato, I give Finding Dory 2.2 out of 5 stars.

A Hologram for the King (2015)

"It was a difficult decision." -Allen Clay in reference to the Schwinn bicycle case

Hologram for the King was a well conceived, well-executed,  and timely movie. It is worth seeing. I expect college classes in 20 years might include it in a syllabus, and that's exactly why it is a financial flop. The entire premise lacked anything that the average audience member could latch onto. I like to think of myself as average, and I do my best to empathize with everyone, but the movies I see and even want to see are a product of years of schooling, training, and my attempts to seem/act/behave smrt. If I lacked the privileges of my circumstance, my guess is that I would have found Hologram for the King, slow, unfunny, boring, and confusing.

But, I want to use HftK as a springboard for something we all want to talk about when it comes to movies: NUDITY!!!!!

Yes, HftK has nudity.

For myself, I think our culture, sensors, and artists, should prioritize violence as a "problem" on screen far far above nudity. I'm even in favor a strict 50/50 policy when it comes to female vs. male nudity.  And no, Tom Hanks does not get naked for this role. HftK only has female nudity.

But what made the nudity of HftK notable is that it wasn't outrageously young pretty people wearing make-up, but rather an attractive woman in her early 50s in the ocean, where light is irregular and no make-up stays put. No pretenses, no camera tricks, no voyeur camera positions, just a character getting naked for the right reasons, in a delightfully understated and tasteful snorkeling sequence. Equality in attractiveness, age, body-type, and gender in cinematic nudity please.

I also found myself comparing the unbuilt tech city and Saudia Arabia itself to Japan in the 1980's into 90s. Wealthy and prosperous in vision for the future; unable to see the emptiness of their affluence in the present.

On a scale of emulated flattery to inimitability, I give Hologram for the King 3.43 out of 5 stars.

Captain America: Civil War (2016)

What defines a movie versus a mini-series versus a serial season?

I honestly don't know. I've commented before that I have thought certain films would have been better served in a different format -Batman: The Dark Knight Rises comes to mind.

And in terms of Captain America: Civil War (CA:CW)C, here is where I am confused.

• CA:CW was crafted with deference to the needs a story arch contained within
• It has a clear 1st, 2nd, 3rd act and a denouement.
• The main theme CA:CW seems to be "things torn apart". The resolution is a torturous break with no catharsis.
• This is not unique to CA:CW, other films choose to end on chaotic notes -The Empire Strikes Back-, but this is a defined commitment from start to finish to dissolution. It isn't its choice as much as its purpose.
• I know that this is part of an extended Universe of which this movie serves a distinct purpose for future films
• CA:CW is a resounding success in its goals: emotional tension, continuity, suspension of disbelief, etc. 

So, here I am wondering if it is even right to rate and judge CA:CW and other franchise universe films under the same criteria as one-off competitors. I'm not sure I want to have to think about Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds and CA:CW as being in the same class of art. 

I realize now that TV, mini-series, seasons, and films/movies are melding together in a way that I enjoy and find upsetting at the same time. I shouldn't be surprised. I consume electronic visual media in an almost uniform fashion. Others are doing the same. I watch movies, episodes, and series generally from home in longer sessions -binges.  If I do go to the cinema, the experience is only occasionally better than my couch. 

Content is coming together as never before.  The only differences are production time, episode time, and length of audience attention during and between engagements. 

It's a brave new world. 

On a scale of One-Time event to On-Demand, I give Captain America: Civil War 3.657 out of 5 stars. 

Chongqing Hot Pot (2016)

If you are going to smoke, I have to be here. Ok, grandpa? -Liu Bo

*More Chinese movies should be showcased in American first run cinemas.

A tale of two halves.

Act 1:  A delightful Chinese bank caper with goofy/sad protagonists and evil mask wearing robbers. I, knowing nothing about the peculiarities of Chongqing caves, Chinese middle schools, or hot pot, was refreshingly out of my element. But, the filmmakers, translators, and actors do a wonderful job suspending any need for inherited cultural associations or assets.  I thought of the first half as Chinese Trailer Park Boys attempting Oceans 11.

Act 2: Despite an impressive act 1, act 2 looses all direction and disregards consequences, reality, and the audience to conclude with a visceral and almost too real fight scene down the streets of Chongqing. Hot Pot ends as if they were making Jason Bourne, because they could. It was too brutal and negated most of my previous affection. *Side note, it was super unclear as to what were the motivations of the masked bank robbers. What I originally thought of as a mysterious background to be revealed later turn out to just be mindless young male violence -like from a bad manga with a bully.

On the whole, Chongqing Hot Pot is acceptable. I am not likely to (want to) watch it again.

On a scale of jumbalaya to stone soup, I give Chongqing Hot Pot 2.1 out of 5 stars.

Zootopia (2016)

"It's called a hustle, honey." -Judy Hopps

Short:

1. A+ for animation, imagery, voice talent, and CUTE
2. C for storyline, plot, and editing

Long:

Oh my is Zootopia a visual treat. It's plot is difficult to follow and its moralizing about predators vs prey is slightly confusing/reductive......but for children I think it is in the top ten of the last 5 years. Funny, positive, pluralistic, beautiful, and encouraging of reaching for dreams.  The Disney recipe to a tee. 

I chose the above quote because it seemed apt that Zootopia in mind was a hustle. For me, I followed the pretty pictures, laughed at the simple jokes, got caught up in the time-honored plot, and left reasonably happy. And like all true hustles, it was too late once I figured out that it had no real soul.

On a scale of Carrots for 1 to Beets for 900, I give Zootopia, 2.9 out of 5 stars.

The Sound of Music (1965)

-Why am I always last? (Gretl)
-It's because you're the most important. (Max)

Minority opinion holders are by nature capable of resisting peer pressure -assuming they are not just trolling for a fight. The smaller the minority, the more difficult the positive consensus is to push against. Thus, only the devoutly and obstinately foolish hold unpopular opinions as a matter of fact without admitting the possibility of being wrong.

I only admit that I could be wrong when I say: The Sound of Music is not a particularly good movie. (cue pitchforks, torches, angry mobs, and the wrath of the internet)

I admit that I had never seen The Sound of Music before this viewing -Never. I almost held it as a badge of honor.

Here's why I found it underwhelming and contrite. - I accept contradictory feedback in the comments.

1. The songs are over used.
    I expected, as with any musical, that there would be a string of songs for each section of the film culminating in one final song to end the show with aplomb. Unfortunately, The Sound of Music reuses all of it songs in their entirety once, twice, even thrice. They filled 2 halves of a long musical with only enough music for a 90 minute sing-along. I got it. Doe is a deer, A female deer.

2. Choreography
   The exact same blocking and musical routines are performed once, twice, even thrice, without any apology. The same. Over and over. It certainly makes things adorable, but not particularly interesting.

3. Character development
  This is a small point. I sympathize with the challenge of taking a daring family tale from story to musical to movie, but somewhere along this line, the motives and development of the central characters were lost. I got a bit whip lashed from the father's love shift from Baroness to Governess.

On a scale of phrygian to TEE, I give The Sound of Music 2.87 out of 5 stars.

Race (2016)

"Nothing matters. not color, not money, not even hate." -Jesse Owens

I think we've all seen this movie before; an uplifting sports bio-pic that touches on racism, politics, identity, and grit. Race is more of the same.  Obviously, the story of Jesse Owens is inspiring. Talent, hard work, and opportunity will out. If you didn't know the story and accomplishments of Jesse Owens, I thoroughly recommend Race.

If you do know the story and have seen this movie before, there's no need to see Race. It is not particularly original or memorable.  However, Race did have some great points and interesting topics to discuss.

1. Nazis
1. I find it strange that Nazis have been the villains on screen for 70 years. One of the lasting legacy's of the regime will be as heels for eternity. Need a despicable cast of murderous ideologues that are universally despised?  Best make them either aliens or Nazis.
2. Time period
1. There are lots of period dramas. Some of them do the costumes, accents, periodicals, and locations right.  Some of them put just enough shine on these essentials to hope we don't notice. A few think fancy hats make things old-timey. For Race's part, they do a an amazing job with the costumes and locations. I was particularly impressed with the old stadiums, the Olympic venues, and the kits of the athletes. This is how period is done.  
3. Actors
1. Stephan James was spectacular as Jesse Owens. Beyond that, the rest of the performances were completely acceptable. Jason Sudeikis was pretty good in a dramatic role, and I would like to see him in more. I expect Amanda Crew will be getting better roles than Office Girl (Peggy) going forward. Carice van Houten still makes me only think of Mellisandre, but it is good to know that she has dramatic range. 

On a scale of 4X100M relay to 100X4M relay, I give Race, 2.9 stars out of 5.