Dunkirk (2017)

Commander Bolton: The tide's turning now.

Captain Winnant: How can you tell?

Commander Bolton: The bodies are coming back.

Dunkirk was for me a masterclass in cinematography and the proper use of Handheld vs. Stationary vs. Steadycam work. I think Christopher Nolan hit just the right tone with his selection of which camera type fit his needs. I think that his was a necessity for the film because of the four basic level on which it took place: the sky, the boats, the beach, and the water. Each distinct area was best served by different camera work.  -Brilliant.  Honestly, this is probably the best camera work done for planes and arial combat I'v seen in years. 

Now, on a story element, I couldn't help but feel a little like Charlie Brown with the football being pulled away over and over. The main characters just had to go through all the steps and all the setbacks and all the terror to make it compelling. But it is a credit to the film that at each juncture I logically believed that the characters had made it -only to have it all pulled away..again. 

3.8 out of 5 stars. 

The Death of Stalin (2017)

Nikita Khrushchev: This is how people get killed, when your stories don't fit.

The Death of Stalin is the darkest, most absurd, hilarious, film I have seen this year that I didn't laugh out loud at.  Sure, the entire morbid theater of the communist ethos is almost debilitating funny, but none once did any of it break through in an uncontrolled physical outburst from me.  This is a British farce soup set on high simmer that never boils.

As to the cast: I will basically watch anything with Michael Palin, Jason Isaacs, and Steve Buscemi... so hats to those that signed off on pros. Yet, -and I say this with knowledge of his current troubles, and having never really watched Arrested Development- Jeffery Tambor was a disappointment in the role of Gregory Malenkov. There was something about his deadpan and somber voice that did not carry over into the spirit of the character.

3.1 out of 5

Ocean's 8 (2018)

"There are barely any Russians that aren't hackers." -Lou


Heist movies are fun. They just are. I like them. I enjoyed Ocean's 8. Others probably will too. Yet that is extent of the uniquely positive things I have to say. (and I may be have been influenced by The Solo movie here...) Having good materials and technique does a masterpiece not make. It just means it was set up as best it could for success.  And to use a painting metaphor, I think heist movies in particular need to hide their brush strokes. Knowing how it is all done, ruins the con on the audience. Ocean's 8 was a lot more paint by numbers.

So given that Ocean's 8 had a mildly positive outcome despite its promising set up, here are somethings I already knew. Sandra Bullock can act and is pretty funny. Assembling a team of misfits is probably the most satisfying element of any heist movie. If you hire good actors you will get generally good results. (No one in the cast was outstanding, but no one was terrible either.) And, to have an impactful twist, one first must set up the impossibility of success. (Ocean's 8 kinda failed on this one.)

2.8 out of 5

Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018)

Han Solo: I heard a story about you. I was wondering if it's true.

Lando Calrissian: Everything you've heard about me is true.

So in the long tradition of Disney cash grabs comes Solo: A Star Wars story. A well-meaning if benign take on the origins of Han Solo. There's nothing particularly wrong with it, but also not a lot right. I personally felt that it lacked soul. It was a well-constructed, visually entertaining, bit of camp with a good cast that appears to have emerged fully formed from the product strategy group of Disney. I understand there were some issues with the Director position, hence the need to bring in Ron Howard, but even he can't mask the paucity of passion that meh'd throughout the film.

While I understand the good intentions of having the droid be a radical for droid rights and I am in favor of the obvious corollaries to current social trends of the past 10 years, I hated the execution. It all played to me like when a Jostens representative told me that the "dazzle" tassel was really "bling bling".

To all you business folks out there, remember that bringing together Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water is not enough to make Captain Planet. You need Heart.  So does Solo: A Star Wars story. 

3 out of 5 stars. 

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Peter Quill: I'm gonna ask you this one time: where is Gamora?

Tony Stark: Yeah, I'll do you one better. *Who* is Gamora?

Drax: I'll do *you* one better. *Why* is Gamora?
_________________________________________________________________________________
Gamora: [scoffs] Really? Tears?

Red Skull (Stonekeeper): They are not for him.


*SPOILERS*

What a strange yet, engaging, emotional, debilitating movie.  The last time I saw a film where the bad guy was the protagonist and wins was "Manos and the Hands of Fate".  If we as the audience didn't know 100% for certain that there was more coming...Infinity Wars would be considered one of the great failures of all time.  It was as if a dark depressing juggernaut just smashed all that it took 10 years to make.  If that was all she wrote, we, the audience would be crushed, and angry. This is a new tactic and a story telling power that only large scale franchises can exploit.  Will it become passe? Will it lose effectiveness if done every 10 years? Will 1-off stories end on a nadir with greater frequency in the future?

I agree with several other writers that the main theme of Infinity Wars was "Sacrifice". Each character was generally presented with an opportunity to sacrifice -physically, mentally, or emotionally. (Spoilers, I think the Soul Stone has greater power than we know and will be critical to part 2.) Yet what disturbed in terms of the sacrifices was how often the torture of another was used as the impetus for action. I know that it is a movie cliche...but the ubiquity of this situation for the characters was over the top. My own preference would be for the writers to not use torture in this way. A. It normalizes torture. B. It makes people think that torture works, which it doesn't. C. It's a little lazy. I can understand that the source material of the comics uses pain and anguish as motivators...but this is something we as a society need to work on.

On the other had, Infinity Wars basically achieves the impossible, it made a 2.5 hour movie compelling across 4-5 major plots and like 20 characters. It was emotionally wrenching and delivered on explosions/magic destruction what have you. I would suggest everyone see it.

3.798 out of 5 stars. THANOS WILL RETURN

Pitch Perfect 3 (2017)

Calamity (Leader of Evermoist): I’m Calamity. This is Serenity, Veracity and Charity

My expectation meter was set to "Mole People" when I strapped in for PP#3 and to my delight it outperformed my prediction. #1 is cute an fun. #2 was execrable. #3 pulled the plane up and brought the franchise over the shark into the far green pastures of "maybe again in 20 years."

Is DJ Khalid really that big a deal? I mean I have heard of him, but in no way did I place him as a headliner for a USO tour.

In short, the Bellas fulfilled all sequel obligations, sang, had pretty good quips, and made a happy exit. Here's to decent producers (film and music).

Big points for me: John Lithgow's Aussie accent is either fantastic or Dick Van Dyke level buffoonish.  Either way...I'll watch basically anything with John Lithgow.  I always forget that he played the preacher against dancing in Footloose.  (He was only 37 then -I don't think I will be cast as a preacher with HS teenager daughters in 4 year.)

If you have agreed that "The Shark" is one's friend and you want to punch it in the nose in poor taste as you write over it, more power to you.

2.4 out 5 star. 

Battle of the Sexes (2017)

Billie Jean King: Hello?
Bobby Riggs: Eureka, Billie Jean! It’s Bobby. Bobby Riggs.
Billie Jean King: Bobby? How did you get my number?
Bobby Riggs: I called every hotel in the city. Listen, I have a great idea.

Gladys Heldman: You do the Tennis. I'll do the smoking.

I'm sorta glad that I watched this on a plane. The Battle of Sexes just left me kinda wanting to stop watching but not enough so that I did, so it was good that the design of the situation kept me from changing things.

In a truly strange confluence, The Battle of the Sexes manages to take a good script, with a good cast, and an inspiring level of 1973 set/costume detail and turn it into something less than memorable. In this case 1+1=1.

I think the answer to this debacle is that while the original "Battle of the Sexes" was an interesting social point in history and worthy of a movie.  The event more easily lends itself to pure comedy than the elements of drama that were written to make a script. The drama somehow took away from the spectacle. And spectacle was the purpose of the the 1973 battle.

if you are a Steve Carrell or Sarah Silverman fan, both are fantastic in their roles.

2.4 out of 5 stars.