Captain Marvel (2019)

"I have nothing to prove to you." -Carol Danvers

Captain Marvel was well made and completely acceptable. That's pretty much it.

It's a small part of a greater tapestry that  I mostly consider art. But individually, it's just a cog.

Points in favor:

-Annette Bening is a super cool choice for the Supreme Intelligence.
-They didn't have to sell that it was the 1990's through specific dialogue.
  "Yo man, It's 1995!"

I'll still totally go see Marvel movies but I think we're past reviewing each one for individual merits.  I leave the window open for future points...but meh. Captain Marvel was completely forgettable were it not part of the MCU.

2.7 out of 5 stars.

The Hunt For Red October (1990)

Capt. Vasili Borodin: I will live in Montana. And I will marry a round American woman and raise rabbits, and she will cook them for me. And I will have a pickup truck... maybe even a "recreational vehicle." And drive from state to state. Do they let you do that?
Captain Ramius: Oh, yes.
Capt. Vasili Borodin: No papers?
Captain Ramius: No papers, state to state.
Capt. Vasili Borodin: Well then, in winter I will live in... Arizona. Actually, I think I will need two wives.
Captain Ramius: Oh, at least.

In what I consider a strange hole in my knowledge and movie catalog.  I had never seen The Hunt For Red October (THFRO). Never. Not on TNT. Never. I've always known of it, but it just never was a priority, I guess.

It's been 30 years since the filming, and much has changed, Alec Baldwin especially. But what grated on me was how much less scared I was/am of an outside threat to national security. So.. spoilers...The Russians develop a new kind of submarine propulsion that is silent. (It isn't. Courtney B Vance can just hear it, apparently.) And with that silent system Soviets could, without warning, launch atomic missiles at the United States. This is the terror that is to be averted by the intrepid Jack Ryan.

As plot devices go, Tom Clancy knows how to push national threat, espionage, and a very small amounts of heroism into a decent mix for a current audience about to get into the Gulf War. Unfortunately, for me, it didn't age well and in hindsight it reeks of nationalism.

Now to what I noticed.  I am jaded and not at all afraid of national security threats or terrorism -especially when those concerns are the driving force behind a narrative. I might be alone in this. But I am just not frightened or even scared of these things. -maybe if it was a current film...but even then.

Am I a monster for not being invested emotionally in the security and lives of my fellow citizens or of other humans across the board? I am not sure. The national security threat, terrorism threat, story is now so over done in my history of media consumption that it is basically meaningless.  I no longer care -at least in story sense- about the potential of a terrorist threat or security calamity. I think each of us has witnessed at least 1-2 crimes against humanity in terms of death and violence on screen and all that's happened for me is a lessening of the impact. Yikes!  This is perhaps the scariest thought I've had on this blog.  Pro-longed exposure to existential threat only lessens fear and empathy.

So, THFRO is a decent film that is no longer impactful in any sense. Other than seeing an all-star cast then and now.

2 final points:
-Stellan Skarsgard makes a pretty great Russian commander.
-Basil Poledouris should just have been hired for more soundtracks.  -Bravo

3.1 out of 5 stars

-So consider also that this film came out as the Soviet Union was crumbling. When the media restrictions fell and movies flooded into Russia.  THFRO would have been 1 of the first.  How might the Russians feel about it?

The Catcher Was a Spy (2018)

William J. Donovan : You're an unusual man Mr. Berg, you speak 7 languages, you're an athlete, you're more than up to the physical requirements of the job...

I'm on a bit of a streak of picking films that just leave me feeling incomplete. And so it continues.

For me it, it was like The Catcher Was a Spy went out of its way to not focus on the interesting, captivating, story that was being presented. In fact, they had Jeff Daniels state the exact opposite of what would be captivating. "if there's a 1% chance of imminent doom then we go stop it..."  But, that statement means that the whole story is after a 1% check-in. The really good guys were being sent on missions with much more credible impact. Poor structure if there ever was.

But worse, was that with the lack of investment, the final decision, by Mo Berg, lacked any impact or sense of closure. The film just stopped and evaporated like a smoke into a Parisian night. 

But, Paul Rudd makes a good go of a dramatic performance.  I think he should continue down this path for his career.

Bottom-line, design and structure doomed this film, there was nothing solid execution could do.

2.8 out of 5 stars. 

RBG (2018)

"I'm very similar to the Notorious BIG; we're both from Brooklyn." -Ruth Bader Ginsburg

It's a bit of a praise bio. I'm of the opinion that she deserves praise, but if you were interested in a more nuanced understanding of her cases, her legal scholarship, etc.  -Which I am- then RBG will leave you a bit underwhelmed.

For those who are unfamiliar with the workings of the US Supreme Court and the positions of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I highly suggest RGB.  If you just want to revel in the career and impact of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I suggest RGB.  If you just hate RGB, yeah you should watch it.

That said. It's not a particularly inspired biographical film.

3.4 out of 5 stars.

Chappaquiddick (2018)

"The bay of pigs was better a better run operation." -Robert McNamara

In a very brave bit of decision making the John Curran,  Chappaquiddick's director, chose to pull the curtain back on half of Roshomon. The payoff could be huge if we accept that the events presented in the film are both real and made up....and that a person has the ability to curtail aspects of both in to a singular version moving forward that is agreed upon.  -history is just a bunch of agreed upon lies.

Unfortunately, the gamble did not pay off. Even a solid cast,  decent writing, and a very good performance by Jason Clarke could not over come the fatal flaw of this unreal telling of alternative history. It is not in the nature of the audience to be highly informed and most expect Hitchcockian directives on what to think. This is my opinion with regard to mass appeal.

Thus, Chappaquiddick ended up meaning very little, historically, theatrically, emotionally, et all. If I hadn't been in the minority that wanted to know a little more about the historical events, it may have tanked harder. Curiosity is not a great motivator for selecting/going out to see a film.  It's enough when you are stuck on a plane though.

Clancy Brown. Please be in more things.  Please voice more things. I consider you a consummate professional actor.

2.4 out of 5 stars.

In an alternate reality, I would like to make a Roshomon film about Chappaquiddick. First, we'd watch Kennedy's version, then we'd watch Ms. Kopechne's version through a medium, then we'd watch from the perspective of Joe Gargan.

Vice (2018)

"What do we believe?" -Dick Cheney

In sort of a strange tribute to nihilism, Adam McKay created a bracing portrait of Dick Cheney.  And its utter garbage.  And that's the point. So, well done......? But, also....No, No, No, No, No, This absurdist farce is like gum from one's shoe on the wall at the MET. And thus, as a film, I think it fails utterly.  As a bold faced critique of current American reality, I expect film schools in 20 years (if those will even exist...) will consider VICE iconic.

I especially hated the Shakespeare bit. I think audiences members like me were supposed to.

Christian Bale is ridiculous as Dick Cheney. But so much so that I forget to laud him...which makes the transformation more complete.  Unfortunately,  he also submerges the performance to the goals of the film, it is ultimately forgettable.

1.6 out 5 stars.

What will future historians think of us?

The Imitation Game (2014)

Alan Turing: Do you know why people like violence? It is because it feels good. Humans find violence deeply satisfying. but remove the satisfaction, and the act becomes... hollow.

It's not often that I compliment a film on its theatrical choices when attempting to adapt a (generally perceived) boring subject. My standard is that if one sacrifices the true essence of the technical elements, the challenges, the math, the fundamental forces that must be overcome by our heroes for the sake of a stupid audience, then the adapted script is a failure. In that, I would prefer subject matter expertise and in depth points motivations over easily digestible visuals.  I understand this makes me a minority.

But, The Imitation Game succeeds where many many films fall flat. Yes, the story is ahistorical for the purposes of drive, emotion, conflict, simplicity, watchability, etc. (and if you are one of those people who delight in pointing out historical inaccuracies; I don't. Here is the wiki page with a complete section for all you completionists. It's a drama, feel free to watch a documentary or read.)

What I loved was the attention to the details that matter. 

1. Charles Dance plays perfectly the beuqacratic/military insistence on results, progress, order, time-tables, always always risk adverse. This has always been a critique of government, military, and business thinking in times of crisis. The Imitation Game never looses a moment to remind the audience that results are expected.
2. That scene where they realize they can't tell anyone.  What a horrifying position to be in where you know all, but if you tell or act like you do, everything changes? It changes every encounter from random interaction in the fog of war, to a known sacrifice. 
3. The characters breakdown of the scale. It's on the order of 150.7 trillion combinations to break ENIGMA.  So...how would you solve it each day? As fast as possible? And it changes at 5am daily.

4.0 out of 5 stars.