The Final Countdown

A 1980 action thriller with Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen. The only thing missing is the thrilling action. The setup is the USS Nimitz Aircraft Carrier in operation in the Pacific encounters a freak storm, thrusting it back in time to a few hours before the Japanese attack of Pearl Harbor in 1941. Spend some time figuring out what is going on, spend some time deciding whether to interfere in the timeline, ... , spend some time debriefing what happens after returning (another freak storm) to 1980. I mean, this is only a bit after Jaws, and Star Wars, and not too much before Top Gun. But this was no action, no excitement, no purpose. But I did watch the whole thing...

2 stars (out of 5)

Radioactive

A biopic of Marie Curie and her path to achieving respect as a scientist. This is basically a straight forward historical telling of Curie's path from meeting Pierre and agreeing to collaborate in the lab to her work in developing mobile x-ray machines for WWI soldiers. The common theme throughout was the lack of acceptance in the local scientific community of her expertise and brilliance. Every single idea, and subsequent request for resources, was an uphill battle. She was never able to leverage her status as a preeminent scientist to take the next step without fighting for it. The culmination of this mentality was her basically needing to pawn her two Nobel gold medals to pursue the mobile x-ray project. Since it was a pretty well worn story, the filmmaker interspersed "flash-forwards" that were pseudo-documentary segments of future applications of Curie's research. Overall, I found myself kinda bored, with the flash-forward concept not enough to keep me engaged.

2 stars (out of 5)

Aeon Flux

Charlize Theron is Aeon, a rebel assassin in a city of 5 million in the year 2415. This city happens to be the last remaining instance of humanity after a global virus 400 years ago, and this city was saved by the founders (the Goodrich family). But something in wrong and she is out to set things right. I first saw this when released in the early 2000's, and in my mind this was one of the classic dystopian action films. Seeing it again, it is a bit cartoonish, but still quality. It did not know how to walk the line of reality/cyborg the way Alita did more recently. I would guess originally it was a 4 star, but now only 

3 stars (out of 5)

Magic & Bird: A courtship of rivals

The HBO Sports documentary tracing the relationship between these two legends from highschool through the Olympics in Barcelona. An outstanding inside look that really illuminates the personalities and playing styles of each man, and gives two very different approaches to competition. Both protagonists participated in extensive interviews, filling out the details of a story that was part of my introduction to fandom. 

5 stars (out of 5)

Women of Troy

An HBO Sports documentary about the early 80's USC Trojan women's basketball team centered on Cheryl Miller. And more broadly, this tells the story of the development of the women's game referencing the earliest transition to full court and first dynasty (The Mighty Macs) to the development of the WNBA. This doc argues that it was Cheryl Miller and her athleticism and competitive fire that began to turn the tide for the sport. 

4 stars (out of 5)

Midway

I suppose I am on a mini WWII air battle movie kick (The Red Tails - The Tuskegee Airmen) this weekend. This story follows a group of carrier based pilots in the Pacific and the task set to them after the Japanese attack Pearl Harbor. Taking place over the course of about six months, we lead up to the Midway battle, where 4 Japanese aircraft carriers are in place to deal a devastating blow to U.S. forces. The Navy sets up its own ambush and all 4 carriers are destroyed. The writing here feels like it is trying to cover 6 months worth of facts, details and intrigue in a 2 hour film. So we jump all around with IMO unnecessary details. Yes, the motivation for Japanese action at Midway was based on the recent bombing of Tokyo. But that could have a been a line, not a 10 minute segment. Overall, the film was jilted and covered so much that it never really let me in. I was also surprised by/interested in some of the technical details. The planes rear gunner was shooting over his own tail, so what was the lockout mechanism? The fighters carried only one bomb and the torpedoes never worked. The bombing tactics effectively worked out to line up all your planes to dive at a carrier and hope some get through. It felt like WWI trench warfare or Civil War lines soldiers shooting at each other across a field. But in the air. So I suppose I learned some facts. I guess I wanted more.

3 stars (out of 5)

The Tuskegee Airmen

The 1995 historical fiction offering telling the story of the Tuskegee flight training school the U.S. Air Corp set up as an experiment to see if Black pilots could be successful in combat. This film portrays snapshots of interactions that were most likely typical, from racist verbal abuse, self doubt, self confidence, fear, pride, etc. The graduating class in this film (the 99th air group) is sent to North Africa and given effectively non-combat flying duty. Then they are transferred to Italy, join with other wings of the Tuskegee flyers, and form the 332nd. This group is given escort duty for bombers, win them over with their skill (no bombers lost) and become accepted. Not quite as glossy (or glossed over) as the Disney version (see The Red Tails), but important as the first Hollywood telling of this story. What is particularly disturbing to me is the fact that we are measuring time in decades and seeing very little change in core cultural norms.

4 stars (out of 5)

The Red Tails

A very Disney 2012 historical fiction telling part of the story of the 332nd U.S. Air Corp, aka the Tuskegee Airmen. Very Disney meaning that this is the story of racism and the brutality of war, and the total number of physical altercations is 1 and deaths is 2. I feel like I saw the words of the story, but not the emotion or even the facts. The words of this story follow a few airmen as they are stationed in Italy, and the missions they are given to fly are shooting down trains and trucks, but kept out of air battle. When they are given the opportunity fly fighter support for a bombing run, they are extremely successful and welcomed into the club. This narrative reinforces the idea of meritocracy, your value is based on your work and performance, which is a particularly insidious fallacy in this country. Overall, this was exactly what was expected and significantly lacking at the same time. Further disappointing in that it was released 16 years after another version The Tuskegee Airmen without adding anything.

3 stars (out of 5)

Final Girl

A young girl is trained to be an assassin for the seemingly sole purpose of killing a group of 4 teen boys who take girls into the woods to hunt them. So many things wrong with this film. It is basically a slasher film trying to crossover as arthouse grindhouse. It does none of them well. Even though my ratings say if I watch an entire movie it gets a minimum 2, this gets

1 star (out of 5)

Guns Akimbo

A graphic novel feeling grindhouse movie starring Danielle Radcliff as a half-decent code jockey who gets his entertainment trolling fans of #Skizm. The problem is, #Skizm is a real life gladiator game where contestants are chose to fight to the death and the online world watches in. A real modern day Running Man. Since he has pissed off the #Skizm bosses, they kidnap him, physically bolt guns to his hands, and put him in the game. Nix (his opponent) is maybe a better version of a Harley Quinn backstory, but that doesn't make it worthwhile. Summer late night diversion quality only.

2 stars (out of 5)

The Tunnel: Vengeance (serial)

In this third season (see season 1 and season 2), Elise and Karl are working on a case they are calling the Pied Piper case. The case itself really turned me off. It was creepy and occult-ish (which of course some people love) but it seemed unnecessary as a plot mechanism to give me more of what I want to see, which is the two protagonists working together, strangely complementing each others style and personality. We get that eventually, but really only in episode 4 and 5. We also get season 3 familiarity, which reveals the angst that comes with knowing someone so well that personal dysfunction becomes mutual dysfunction. This exploration of the partnership is what makes the series excellent. Overlay the creepy Pied Piper with a second case of Elise exploring her own vulnerability based on a blown case from years ago coming back to her present, and not knowing how to deal with that emotion. Consistently great character portrayal. Love this series, even though this one is a notch lower in story than the previous.

4 stars (out of 5)

The Deuce (serial)

The Deuce is a 3-season drama starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and James Franco and full disclosure, I will watch Gyllenhaal in anything. This series follows the residents of Times Square (The Deuce) in New York from the late 70's through the 80's. This is the time of the mafia and corrupt police protection rackets, prostitution and the development of pornography. Gyllenhaal is a prostitute who becomes a film-maker over the course of the series. Franco is outstanding as he plays a set of twin brothers (Vincent and Frankie). Franco is outstanding in both roles, never played as "a good portrayal of twins", but instead as actual twins, with independent personalities and lives. As a 3-season show, it is also a 3-act drama. 

Season 1 is grit and desperation. We are introduced to the prostitution and pimp relationship, the desperation of the girls and both the psychological trauma and dependence on their man. We see the transition of Gyllenhaal from trying to work the street independently to starting to work in film. Vincent is a bar owner who pays regularly to his mafia financier and is so reliable that he starts several new ventures for them. Frankie is a screw up who is always gambling or drinking away his money and basically is living on the edge. This season shows New York pre-glitz, and how it became a magnet for desperate and downtrodden, and was effective in keeping the downtrodden down.

Season 2 is 5 years later. This is the roaring success of the group. Gyllenhaal is now directing films, and working on ground breaking art/porn films. Vincent is running a bar, a club, a massage parlor and starts another club and theater with former bartender Paul, all earning well for his mafia guy. Everybody is making money, the film business is booming, the girls relationships with their pimps is evolving and basically portrayed as good. Everybody is making money and life is good.

Season 3 is reality sinks in. Here we see the long term effects of pornography and prostitution on the women. The realization that this is basically PTSD showing up before PTSD was a diagnosis. The trauma is real and deep and has fingers into all aspects of life in The Deuce. It is painful.

There are lots of other themes floating around the seasons (police corruption, gentrification, AIDS, advocacy, etc.) and every story is well told and meaningful. The story is of New York as a city and how the people make the city what it is. I am glad I watched all seasons together. Don't stop after season 2, remembering only the heyday. You must watch the pain and ugly to even start to understand. 

5 stars (out of 5)

Palm Springs

Andy Samberg (Nyles) is caught up in your typical infinite time loop sort of thing. He is the boyfriend of the maid of honor at a wedding and wakes up each day the morning of the wedding. It is not actually clear how long he has been in the loop, but it seems like years. He is remarkably happy to not care. Enter Cristin Milioti (Sarah) the sister of the bride. When she gets pulled into the time loop, suddenly Nyles has a partner in crime and the two tear up the town. As they begin to truly fall for each other, the I-don't-care-attitude becomes less viable and the two need to actually work at redeveloping their character. Much of this is formulaic, but sometimes the formula is fun.

3 stars (out of 5)

The Whistlers

A Romanian police thriller that checks all the boxes. Christi is a police officer that has gotten involved with some mafia types and is looking for a payday. Those mafia types include Gilda (the beautiful love interest), Zolst (the guy who knows where the money is) and Paco (the brutal boss). Also in the mix is Magda, the maybe/maybe not corrupt police boss. Zolst got pinched, but the money is not to be found. Paco needs Gilda and Christi to break him out. To do so, they teach Christi a whistle language. The rest you have to watch to find out. I love the idea and the writing is done well enough that there are always multiple options for who to trust and who to double cross throughout. And each decision by the characters seems like the right one at the time. I also love the idea of the whistle language, but while central to the story, it turns out that it was not actually central. I can imagine 10 different ways that would be easier to communicate what was needed. But that doesn't make this any less fun.

4 stars (out of 5)

Moana

Moana is the chief-to-be of a (presumably) pacific island people. But she is also a restless explorer who can't wait to go beyond the safety of her island reef to explore the world. She is chosen by the sea to be the catalyst for an environmental rescue of the world. Her task - find the demi-god Maui who stole the heart of the creator Te Fiti and convince him to return it, reversing the environmental degradation of the oceans. In the process, she develops her confidence and leadership skills while rediscovering the historical story of her people. Definitely a message movie, but a good message and a good movie makes it a good watch. 

4 stars (out of 5)

The Twilight Saga

Including

Twilight

New Moon

Eclipse

Breaking Dawn 1

Breaking Dawn 2

I finally dove in, only a decade later. I really had no knowledge of the details of this story. Of course, it is a vampire, a werewolf and a human in a teen love triangle. But beyond that, I stayed remarkably ignorant of the story when it was launched, both in book and film versions. So with nothing but time, I jumped in. I will say, that like any multi-episode story, there are ups and downs, and I was sad to see the traditional mid-story weakening (book 2 of a trilogy is almost always "just a transition"). The first two are sort of brilliant in keeping the story fresh. First Twilight offers a full focus on the girl and the vampire. Then in New Moon, the vampire is basically relegated and we get a full focus on the girl and the werewolf. So everything still seems fresh. Then 3 and 4 are clearly interstitial, transition to lead up to the finish. Yes, some important facts are introduced, but not full movie (and I would guess not full book) importance. Then in the finale, we end strong. Bringing in the diversity of vampires was great and the expected battle and resolution using a dream sequence plot mechanism which, while reliable and maybe rote, was in this case also very effective. So well done. If I were to rank each individual episode, it would be 3, 3, 2, 2, and 3 stars. Overall:

3 stars (out of 5)

The Old Guard

Charlize Theron is the best action-star on screen right now. And her work here shows why. She is quick, strong and completely the character. Here she is Andy, the boss of a small group of mercenary special forces who take jobs that make things better (rescuing hostages, saving lives, etc.). Turns out, she is the boss because she is the oldest of the group, by a few hundred years. This group of mercenaries is actually a group of immortals and somehow, contrary to every other immortal mercenary band in cinema history, this group has maintained its moral center and not succumbed to the corruption of power. Andy (Theron) is the reason for this moral center and one of the strengths of the movie is the portrayal of how she does this through mentoring newcomer Nile. The action is crisp, the story is purposeful, pacing is perfect and entertainment is happening throughout.

5 stars (out of 5)

The Mandalorian (serial)

An 8 episode series in the Star Wars universe following a foundling Mandalorian as he moves through the bounty hunting guild to earn money and prestige. What strikes me as superb with this series are two things: the soundtrack, a la Sergio Leone, sets the tone and expectations for the series and that this is perhaps most similar in character to the original Star Wars trilogy as anything since the original trilogy. Great story telling, and characters and intrigue. And while this is titled The Mandalorian it is really the story of The Child ("Baby Yoda"). What strikes me as average is, with this set 5 years after Return of the Jedi, and the fallen Empire being a key plot thread, there seems to be a distinct lack of knowledge of the Jedi, the Force, and Yoda. This is either a key failure of the writing, or perhaps an indication of how disconnected "regular people" are from the movers and shakers of galactic war. On the other hand, a decorated Rebel warrior would at least know of the lore that led the army she served in. So my guess is that is is an attempt to show the grand scale, but is in fact a failure in writing. What I find disappointing is that it is over.

5 stars (out of 5)

The Tunnel: Sabotage (serial)

Season Two of this BBC series (see The Tunnel here) provides another opportunity for Elise and Carl to join up and solve a joint British/French crime. In this season, a plane is brought down and there are implications for terrorism, sex trafficking, arms deals and genocide. You know, just a little investigation. Once again, the pair are outstanding in their portrayals of everything involved with being a police officer, having relationships, and self discovery. I loved the first season and the introduction and this second holds up, and is an astonishingly good police drama.

5 stars (out of 5) 

Hanna (serial)

Season 2

Hanna picks up where she left of in Season 1. Hanna is surviving in the Romanian forrest, along with her new friend (and fellow escapee) Klara. Klara (such a newbie) makes a mistake, is taken back to the training facility, where Hanna works to free her. Several sub-plots going on here, but when I said after last season that the "series is Jason Bourne crossed with Dollhouse crossed with Nikita", I stand by that assessment. Really good action and I love that it is a basically all female show.

4 stars (out of 5)

Rachel Getting Married

I had seen this a long time ago and like it a lot. This time around, not quite as much. I had no recollection of the film, so was effectively watching it for the first time. Found on a list of movies recommended as treating depression with some fidelity, I can say that it seems to do that well. Anne Hathaway plays the sister getting out of drug rehab on a weekend pass in order to attend her sister Rachel's wedding. She struggles with not being the center of attention on this weekend and not receiving the validation she needs, and so acts out in order to get it. Everyone knows who she is, so it is not surprising, but is wearing. I did once again notice the music here, but instead of feeling clever and fresh, I found the character of music to be a bit annoying. All said, well acted and it really was a quality portrayal of family dynamic dysfunction.

3 stars (out of 5)

The Warrior Nun (serial)

A fantasy series based on a comic book of the same name. Set in Spain (although no one speaks Spanish), an orphan quadriplegic girl (Ava) wakes up in the morgue having been given a device of great power (and hence new life). Turns out that this is her initiation into the Order of the Cruciform Sword, a secret order of nuns who battle demons on a regular basis. Ava is, however, a bit of a skeptic and so tries to use logic and science to rationalize her new station in life. At the same time, she is working to find new friends and enjoy her second chance, and fight demons. The series is a strange mix of comic fantasy and church history/reverence. And it definitely dabbles in the world of conspiracy and occult that we have seen from the likes of Dan Brown with DaVinci Code or J.J. Abrams in Alias. And while it could have tipped into several different tropes (and become very bad), it didn't. I suppose this should not be a surprise coming from Simon Barry, who also produced Continuum, which is a really good SciFi serial from a few years ago. 

4 stars (out of 5)