Film Review: Dune

 

Image Credit: Warner Bros.

As a sci-fi writer and fan, director Denis Villeneuve’s take on the science fiction classic novel Dune was one of my most anticipated movies of 2021. So it should be no surprise I went to see it opening weekend. It’s one of those tent-pole films that demands to be seen on the big screen whether you have HBOMax or not. Is it a masterpiece? No. But it kept me thoroughly entertained for the entire 2 hour 35 minute run time. Here’s my take on what it does well and where it might come up a little short.

First off, anyone who hasn’t read the book but did see David Lynch’s attempt in 1984 and walked out saying “huh?” will be happy to know Villeneuve does a much better job of setting up this complex tale so it makes sense. My wife, by no means a sci-fi fan, enjoyed the movie too and only whispered a question once or twice which I consider a huge endorsement. Dune avoids long speeches and exposition, but still throws in enough hints to keep you aware of who the players are and what their agendas might be.

Next, the visuals are amazing. The ship landings, the sandworms, the costumes, the ornithopters flying over the desert, there are so many beautiful shots that I feel like anyone who watches this on television or a mobile screen on first viewing is cheating themselves. If Villeneuve didn’t already prove it with his films Blade Runner 2049 and Arrival, he does here. The man knows how to wow.

Casting is also a major strength in this version of Dune, fixing several mistakes made by David Lynch in his earlier attempt. Timothy Chalamet is a much better match for the teenaged Paul Atriedes than Kyle McLachlan was in the mid-80s. Rebecca Ferguson and Oscar Isaac are excellent as his royal parents and Jason Momoa is a much more convincing warrior than the terribly miscast Richard Jordan. Several other actors shine as well including Stellan Skarsgard, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, and Dave Bautista.

Where does the 2021 version of Dune come up short? For starters, the book is so complex and multi-layered it probably should have been made into a mini-series rather than a feature film. Dune could easily fill 10 hours of runtime. This film only covers the first half (or less) of the original story. This means we only get the introduction of the characters, world, and dilemma. There isn’t a great deal of character development and there is little to no resolution, just a cliffhanger leaving us to wait on the recently greenlit sequel.

Perhaps less egregious, but still disappointing is the tiny amount of screen time actress Zendaya receives as Paul’s love interest, Chani. Based on how Villeneuve broke the story into two films, she appears in this one, but has almost nothing to do. I assume she’ll be a major part of the planned sequel, but for now, her fans are probably a little bummed at her lack of dialogue.

All in all, Dune is well worth the price of admission and one of my favorite films of 2021. I’m just eagerly awaiting the rest of the story scheduled to reach theatres in October 2023.

Ranking the Films of Christopher Nolan

 

Photo Credit: Matt Handle

It’s Christmas Eve and I finally got to watch Christopher Nolan’s latest film, Tenet, last night on DVD. I knew going in that many critics knocked it for being both confusing in plot as well as difficult to keep up with because of the level of noise drowning out the dialogue in certain scenes. The good news is neither of those things bothered me much. Yes, the plot is complex and yes, some of the dialogue is muffled, but neither of those complaints is why Tenet fails to rank up there with the best of Nolan’s films. For me, the movie’s failure is that Nolan just got too clever for his story’s own good. I kept finding myself chuckling over some nimble bit of science he throws at a scene, some inventive camera trick, or just pondering how he managed particular action sequences. I was much more interested in the how of the film rather than the what. I didn’t have much invested in any of the characters or if they would win their battle over opponents armed with “inversion”. I just marveled at the filmmaking logistics Nolan challenged his self with. Tenet is definitely an achievement, it just isn’t particularly good story-telling. So how does it stack up when compared to Nolan’s other 10 feature films? See below for his worst to best.

 

Following (1998)

Nolan’s debut only clocks in at 69 minutes and was made on the stringiest of shoestring budgets. It’s interesting and shows some of the promise he soon delivered in his bigger budget films, but it’s the least of his works in my opinion.

Dunkirk (2017)

Yes, yes, I know. This film was a critical darling that won all sort of awards including three Oscars, but there’s a reason it’s got one of Nolan’s lowest rankings on IMDB. For all its prestige, it’s kind of indulgent and for a war movie, it’s kind of boring.

Insomnia (2002)

This film boasts great performances by Al Pacino and Robin Williams and an intriguing setting in an Alaska town where the endless sunlight wears down a sleep-deprived detective who battles both a worthy opponent and his own guilt.

The Dark Knight Rises (2012)

This is the last and the weakest of Nolan’s three Batman films. Christian Bale is still great as the Caped Crusader and Tom Hardy makes a properly menacing Bane, but the movie is at least 20 minutes too long and nothing Nolan could do would match the villain and story of the trilogy’s second film.

Tenet (2020)

Interesting theme, big set pieces, incredible action sequences, but as stated above, the sum of this film doesn’t measure up to all its parts. This movie is perhaps the best release of a dismal year in cinema, but it isn’t nearly as good as the films that follow it on this list.

Batman Begins (2005)

Nolan reinvented superhero films with this one and the genre has been massive ever since. No longer campy with cringe-worthy dialogue and ridiculous spandex costumes, this Batman was dark, gritty, and the direct predecessor to what I believe is the best movie of its kind.

Memento (2000)

If Following showed Nolan’s promise as a storyteller and director, Memento delivered on that promise. This is his second film and it’s a knock-out. Utilizing the unique device of short-term memory loss, this movie tells the tale of a man determined to avenge his wife’s death despite a complete lack of recollection of anything that’s happened since she met her demise.

Interstellar (2014)

It’s been six years since I reviewed Interstellar on this blog and the film holds up just as well today as it did then. In fact, Nolan hasn’t made a film to match it since. Big, ambitious sci-fi like this one is always a treat when it’s done well and this one is exceptional. Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway and crew must travel through a wormhole to save humanity at the risk of never seeing their loved ones again.

The Prestige (2006)

This film boasts Nolan’s best cast ever including Christian Bale, Hugh Jackman, Michael Caine, Rebecca Hall, Scarlett Johansson, and maybe my favorite David Bowie acting performance of all time. The Prestige tells a tale about the cost of illusion and the miracles of science and it includes one of my favorite images ever captured on film, the forest of top hats.

The Dark Knight (2008)

This is the greatest superhero movie ever made, bar none. I’m not even a fan of the genre and I love this one. Christian Bale is superb as always, but it’s Heath Ledger’s Oscar-winning performance as the Joker that steals the show.  How do you defeat an opponent who “can’t be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with”? What if that opponent simply “wants to watch the world burn”?

Inception (2010)

And finally, my favorite of all Christopher Nolan’s films, his sci-fi masterpiece, Inception. Nolan put together another fantastic ensemble cast for this one that tells the story of a group of corporate spies who infiltrate the mind of a young industrialist in order to plant an idea that will dramatically alter his company and his memory of his recently deceased, unloving father. Nolan is known for his brilliant ideas, complex narratives, and massive set pieces. Inception nails all three of these trademarks.

The Old Guard and Top 10 Action Film Female Bad Asses

Photo Credit: Netflix

I watched the hot new Netflix offering The Old Guard last night. Based on a comic book of the same name, it tells the story of a group of immortal soldiers led by millennia-old Andromache of Scythia (now known as “Andy”) and their battle against an evil pharmaceutical executive who wants to harvest their DNA to cure disease and drive his company’s stock price through the roof of the fancy downtown tower where the film’s action-packed finale takes place. Charlize Theron plays the lead and like just about everything else she does, she nails it as the guilt-ridden bad ass heroine with a tragic backstory. It got me thinking, who are the best female bad asses in action movie history? Here are my picks in a countdown from 10 to 1.

10. Lucy in Lucy (2014)

Scarlett Johansson has starred in several action movies over the course of her career, but this one is my favorite. Writer/Director Luc Besson has a knack for the genre and this story of an unwitting woman who taps into the full power of the human brain via an overdose of a new synthetic drug and uses it against the cartel who created it is a fun ride.

9. Sofia in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)

Like Johansson, Halle Berry has played tough before, but never has she been more of a bad ass than she was in the third installment of the John Wick franchise. Watching her character Sofia fight side-by-side with Keanu Reeves’ John Wick was a blast even if the movie’s script doesn’t hold up to the original.

8. Ilsa Faust in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

Every one of the films in this long franchise is entertaining, but Rebecca Ferguson brought a welcome shot of female adrenaline to this fifth installment as British agent Ilsa Faust. She holds her own against Tom Cruise’s series lead Ethan Hunt and wound up making other series newcomer Jeremy Renner feel like an afterthought.

7. Miho in Sin City (2005)

There are several murderous women in this stylish hard-boiled thriller from Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, but my favorite is the mute, deadly sword-wielding assassin Miho. Played by Devon Aoki, she does a number on dirty cop Jackie Boy that’s one of the highlights of the movie.

6. Alice in Resident Evil (2002)

Sure, like just about every film based on a video game, the writing in this one is pretty sub-par, but there's no denying Milla Jovovich’s appeal as zombie-killing heroine Alice. From the iconic slinky red dress to the inventive scene in the laser hallway, Alice definitely makes an impression.

5. Jane Smith in Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

Angelina Jolie could have filled half this list, but I limited myself to just one of her roles and picked Jane Smith. This film is a blast and the chemistry between her and costar Brad Pitt was so palpable no one was surprised when they wound up getting married in real life. That marriage didn’t have quite the same happy ending the film did, but that doesn’t take away from our fun as an audience.

4. Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

One of the earliest cinematic examples of the modern female bad ass, Linda Hamilton nailed the part of Sarah Connor in both the original film and this sequel. Going against Arnold Schwarzenegger in his muscle-bound prime, you’d better bring your action A-game and she did.

3. Lorraine Broughton in Atomic Blonde (2017)

Starring in another film based on a graphic novel, Charlize Theron is both brutal and sexy as MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton. Sent to solve a murder in Berlin in the midst of the Cold War, Broughton’s mission includes a series of fantastic fight scenes, a great car chase, and one of the best film soundtracks ever.

2. Beatrix Kiddo in Kill Bill (2003)

Yes, technically this movie was broken into two chapters, but I’m counting both because there is simply no choosing between Uma Thurmond’s performances as The Bride. Writer/director Quentin Tarantino has written some of film’s best characters ever, but vengeful mama assassin Beatrix Kiddo might take the cake.

1. Ellen Ripley in Aliens (1986)

For me, Sigourney Weaver’s four turns as alien-fighting Ellen Ripley represent the matriarch of the film female action hero. No one before her took what was traditionally a male role and made it something truly female and yet still completely bad ass. She was great in all four of the movies she did in this franchise, but this 1986 sequel was the cream of the crop.

Andromache didn’t quite make my list and I’ll bet plenty of you would argue for some other characters and films I left out, but if you’ve already seen these 10, I highly recommend you add The Old Guard to your Netflix queue.

Leonardo DiCaprio’s Top 10 Performances

Photo Credit AP Images/Invision

From his humble Hollywood beginnings as a child television actor to his current status as one of the most famous film stars in the world, Leonardo DiCaprio has pretty much done it all. I finally got a chance to see him in Quentin Tarantino’s latest, Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, on video last night so I thought it would be fun to rank his all-time top 10 performances. Does his latest role make the list? Read on and find out!

Django Unchained (2012) – Yes, DiCaprio’s repugnant plantation owner Calvin Candie is over-the-top camp, but like so many of writer/director Quentin Tarantino’s wilder characters, he’s tons of fun. DiCaprio plays against type here as the racist bad guy against Jamie Foxx’s heroic ex-slave and new bounty hunter, Django Freeman.

Titanic (1997) – Of course this is the role that made DiCaprio a movie star so it had to be on my list somewhere. Young, handsome, and undeniably charismatic, DiCaprio won the heart of Kate Winslet’s Rose and movie-goers everywhere as the charming but ultimately doomed Jack.

Catch Me If You Can (2002) – This light-hearted Spielberg-directed film tells the story of real-life conman Frank Abagnale Jr. and his early life of crime as he’s pursued by FBI agent Carl Hanratty. This role probably wasn’t as challenging as some of the others on this list, but DiCaprio is a joy to watch as he fools people into thinking he’s a teacher, an airline pilot, and a doctor all while cashing forged checks everywhere he goes.

Shutter Island (2010) – Most critics don’t hold this movie in as high a regard as many other Martin Scorsese films, but I really liked it. It’s a puzzle of a story and DiCaprio does a great job of keeping us in the dark as to the true nature of his character as he navigates the mysterious mental hospital where he’s been called to solve a case.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019) – If there’s one thing Tarantino does well, it’s creating memorable characters. Leo plays washed up cowboy actor Rick Dalton who is trying to hold onto a sinking career in 1969 unaware that Charlie Manson and his gang are planning to murder his neighbors. For a star who remains on top of the world, DiCaprio does a fantastic job of presenting an actor who reached for the golden ring and never quite attained it.

The Departed (2006) – Scorsese has made several great films with DiCaprio and this is one of the best. DiCaprio plays state trooper Billy Costigan who goes undercover to infiltrate the Boston mob and ferret out a suspected mole on the force. DiCaprio brings just the right mix of bravado and vulnerability to the role and he more than holds his own in a stellar cast.

Inception (2010) – Anyone who reads this blog regularly is probably familiar with my appreciation of director Christopher Nolan’s work and my particular fondness for his sci-fi masterpiece, Inception. DiCaprio is darn near perfect as the brilliant but emotionally damaged lead, Dom Cobb.

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape (1993) – Still a teenager at the time, this is the movie that helped DiCaprio make the leap from television to film. His performance as mentally-impaired Arnie Grape showed the world he was much more than just a cute kid. He was in fact a star in the making.

The Revenant (2015) – DiCaprio’s only Best Actor Oscar so far was awarded to him for this gritty performance as a frontiersman in the early 1800s on a mission of revenge against the man who killed his son. The cinematography is amazing in this movie, but it’s DiCaprio’s steely-eyed determination that really brings the story to life.

The Aviator (2004) – One of four films to earn DiCaprio an Oscar nomination, he plays the legendary eccentric, millionaire, playboy, businessman, and aviator Howard Hughes. The best actor award wound up going to Jamie Foxx for his excellent turn as Ray Charles in Ray, but to me, this is DiCaprio’s greatest performance to date and his best collaboration with Scorsese. I completely forgot I was watching an actor when I saw this movie the first time. That’s the mark of a great performance.

No The Wolf of Wall Street? No Blood Diamond? Nope! DiCaprio has had such a fantastic career those two Oscar-nominated performances didn’t even make my list. With another four projects on his slate right now, including two more Scorsese films, who knows how many more great roles he’ll rack up before he’s done. If your favorite didn’t make my list, tell me about it in the comments section below.

Top 10 Ensemble Films

Image Credit: Miramax Films

In honor of this week’s Democratic Debates, I thought I’d write about my favorite ensemble films. To avoid duplicating similar lists out there on the Interwebs and to better reflect my theme, earning a place on my list requires two things: the film must feature at least eight key players and those players must be focused on the same prize. Sure, none of them feature a cast of 20 and none of them get to take on Trump in the final battle, but they’re still pretty darn entertaining. Note this narrow theme eliminated some personal faves such as Predator (it only featured seven soldiers), Inception (six mind invaders), and The Usual Suspects (just five suspects). It also removes such films as Platoon and The Thin Red Line from consideration since those characters were less focused on a single mission and more simply surviving the war they faced. So, with the rules as firmly drawn as Lester Holt’s hairline, let’s count down numbers 10 to 1.

10. X2: X-Men United (2003)

Outside of Batman, I’m not a big superhero fan so you won’t find any of the Avengers films on this list. That said, the X-Men franchise has churned out several good movies and this one is the best of the bunch. Wolverine, Magneto, Storm, Jean Gray, Mystique, Cyclops, Rogue, Nightcrawler, and more all band together to save Professor X and mutant-kind from the evil manipulations of Colonel William Stryker.

9. Mission: Impossible (1996)

Many people will tell you they prefer the more recent M:I sequels and I’ll admit, the stunts just get better and better as star Tom Cruise keeps pushing the envelope. My favorite remains the original. Ethan Hunt, Jim Phelps, Luther, Claire, Krieger, Sarah, Hannah, Jack, and the shadowy Max all pursue a CIA NOC list while employing a variety of fun spy gadgets and masks.

8. Fast Five (2011)

Yes, I know, this series isn’t exactly smart, but it is a lot of dumb fun. If you like fast cars, hot women, and tough men, you can’t really go wrong with any of this long-running franchise but my favorite is the fifth one. Before the series jumped the shark with Mr. Nobody and “God’s Eye”, this one featured both the gang’s (Dom, Brian, Mia, Roman, Tej, Han, Vince, and Gisele) best heist and its best fight sequence, a brawl between Dom and Hobbes that hurts just watching it.

7. The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter’s cult classic depicts a group of scientists in Antarctica who witness what appears to be a helicopter accident. They soon discover it was no accident. An alien capable of taking the form of any living creature it comes across is to blame. Soon the creature is killing its way through the crew of MacReady, Blair, Nauls, Palmer, Childs, Copper, Norris, Garry, Clark, Bennings, Fuchs, and Windows while fear and paranoia threaten to overwhelm the team’s will to band together and survive.

6. Ocean's Eleven (2001)

Detecting a trend here? At number 7 I have yet another selection from a series. Ocean’s Eleven is a Stephen Soderbergh-directed remake of a 1960 Rat Pack film and it’s gone on to spawn multiple sequels of its own. Danny, Rusty, Reuben, Linus, Saul, Frank, Basher, Virgil, Turk, Livingston, and Yen try to pull off a heist of multiple Vegas casinos owned by the loathsome Terry Benedict in a movie that’s probably the most fun of any on this list.

5. Toy Story 3 (2010)

I admit I haven’t seen the fourth movie in this series yet (it’s out in theaters now), but I doubt it will top this one. Woody, Buzz, Jessie, Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head, Slinky Dog, Rex, Hamm, Barbie, and the gang find themselves up against Lotso and his selfish pals in a daycare center full of destructive kids. Amusing as always, this movie also manages to tug at the heartstrings like few animated films can.

4. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

This entire trilogy is excellent (let’s not talk about what director Peter Jackson later did to The Hobbit prequels) but the middle tale is my favorite. Surviving Fellowship members Frodo, Sam, Aragorn, Legolas, Gimli, Pippin, and Merry have split up in their quest to destroy the One Ring, but Gandalf soon rejoins them as Gollum, Saruman, the Nazgûl, and other Middle Earth baddies try to steal the ring for their evil master, Sauron.

3. Reservoir Dogs (1992)

Almost all of director Quentin Tarantino’s movies leverage an ensemble cast, but his big screen directorial debut remains one of his best films and most closely aligns with this list’s theme. Messrs. White, Orange, Blonde, Pink, Brown, and Blue attempt to pull off a jewelry heist for Joe Cabot and Nice Guy Eddie but nothing goes according to plan. The resulting drama and bloodbath are a lesson in low budget, limited set film-craft.

2. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

This multi-Oscar winning film shows us plenty of French countryside and battles, but the team’s mission is narrow in scope, save Matt Damon. Err, Private Ryan. Soldiers Miller, Horvath, Reiben, Jackson, Mellish, Caparzo, Wade, and Upham fight through the horrors of WWII to save the sole survivor of four sibling servicemen sent overseas to serve their country in one of the best films of director Steven Spielberg’s well-decorated career.

1. Goodfellas (1990)

Martin Scorsese’s tale of Mafioso Henry Hill and both the lead-up and repercussions of the notorious Lufthansa heist is my favorite large ensemble movie. You just don’t get better than Scorsese, Robert De Niro, and Joe Pesci at the height of their cinematic power. After the gang of Jimmy, Henry, Tommy, Frankie, Sonny, Frenchy, Morris, and Stacks pull off their biggest caper, Jimmy gets nervous they’ll get pinched so people start winding up dead. The film is a masterpiece and rivals the first two “Godfather” movies as the best mafia movie of all time.

What do you think? Did I leave out one or more of your favorites? If so, comment below.

Solo and Where It Ranks in the Star Wars Universe

Photo Credit: LucasFilm

Unless you’ve been living on Ahch-To or some similarly remote planet in the galaxy, you know the latest Star Wars movie came out this weekend. This time it’s a spin-off origin tale for Han Solo. I’ve been opposed to the idea from the start. Harrison Ford is Han Solo and at 70-years-old, he’s not going to be doing any origin roles. However the trailers looked better than expected so once again, Disney got my money. Per the norm, I took my oldest son and his cousin and the trailers didn’t let me down. We enjoyed it. Alden Ehrenreich isn’t ever going to be mistaken for the real Han Solo, but he wasn’t terrible. Donald Glover was great as young Lando Calrissian, there were plenty of cool aliens and chase scenes, and Woody Harrelson was as entertaining as ever playing Han’s smuggler mentor, Beckett.

So where does Solo: A Star Wars Story rank among its peers? Well I ripped off my 2016 Rogue One post for most of this list, but read on to find out how I scored all 10 films from worst to best.

The Phantom Menace (1999)

This film is the George Lucas equivalent of Godfather III. Younger versions of many of the characters you loved as a kid have returned to star in an abomination that does its best to tarnish the image of the great films that came before it. New baddie Darth Maul and John Williams’ excellent score are the only reasons to watch this dismal effort.

Attack of the Clones (2002)

Lucas’s second attempt in the new millennium has several cool battle scenes and some impressive CGI, but Hayden Christensen is simply awful as our newly grown-up hero. Every line of dialogue lands with a thud and his scenes with would-be love interest Padme (Natalie Portman) are excruciating.

Revenge of the Sith (2005)

Retaining the terrible acting and dialogue of its two immediate predecessors, this film improves upon those two outings based on having the most interesting story to tell, but it’s still pretty bad. Ben defeats Anakin simply because he stands on a taller rock?

The Last Jedi (2017)

Director Rian Johnson knows how to make a good film and this movie has plenty to like, but two crucial flaws doom this entry to the lower half of my Star Wars rankings. First and foremost, I don’t buy what he did to the character of Luke Skywalker at all. It just doesn’t fit the hero I grew up watching as a kid. And second, the Leia floating through space thing... just no.

Rogue One (2016)

As much a war movie as a Star Wars film, the storyline and several of the secondary characters are what make this one special. The effects and battle scenes are as amazing as always, but the two major CGI characters were disconcerting. Of larger concern, I just didn’t find the main protagonist as engaging as last year’s similar hero, Rey.

Solo (2018)

Despite my misgivings over the casting of young Han Solo, the rest of the cast was excellent. Ron Howard did a great job taking over what was rumored to be a troubled shoot before he was brought in to handle directing duties and I wouldn’t mind seeing a sequel if Disney decides to tell us the tale of just how badly Han screwed up to convince Jabba the Hutt to put a price on his head.

The Force Awakens (2015)

As many pointed out, this one is largely just a remake of the original Star Wars, replacing the boy protagonist with a girl. Nevertheless, it hits almost all the right notes. If J.J. Abrams had done a better job with the ending of this one, I’m looking at you Chewbacca and R2-D2, it might have rivaled the original trilogy.

Return of the Jedi (1983)

Ewoks and George Lucas’s increased focus on selling toys over storytelling takes this film down a notch or two, but it still has a ton going for it. The opening sequence alone is worth the price of admission. Luke Skywalker showing off his new powers inside Jabba’s palace and again on his barge are some of the best scenes of the series.

Star Wars (1977)

The movie that started it all, George Lucas proved that there was a huge audience for sci-fi if done right. Despite his later efforts to mess this one up with new edits and even a new title, Star Wars remains a classic. And Han shot first.

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Rarely do sequels improve upon the original, but this one did. Empire has more bad guys, more lightsabers, and the tightest script of the series so far. If Boba Fett doesn’t get his own standalone film at some point, Disney might just find itself with a date in the Sarlacc Pit.

The Last Jedi vs. Logan

Photo Credit: Fandango

WARNING. This post is chock full of spoilers. If you haven’t seen The Last Jedi or Logan and have any plans to do so, abort now. I repeat. ABORT!

OK, for those of you still with me... I watched both The Last Jedi and Logan last week, the former at the theater and the latter via DVR. I consider myself a big-time fan of the Star Wars series and a reasonably enthusiastic fan of the X-Men series. I’ve seen all the films multiple times. I can carry on just about as geeky a conversation about these universes and characters as you’d want to have so I feel fairly comfortable stating that I’m confused. X-Men’s dedicated fanbase seemed almost universal in their praise of Logan. Most of what I see online from rabid Star Wars fans is disappointment in The Last Jedi. This makes no sense.

These films serve the same purpose. Both these movies kill off the old characters you love in order to usher in younger characters as our new heroes. As Yoda states, “We are what they grow beyond.”

Logan establishes very early on that every single mutant we’ve seen in any of the previous films is dead except our beloved Wolverine and Professor Xavier along with lesser known sidekick, Caliban. Every. Single. One. Magneto, Mystique, Storm, Cyclops, Jean Gray, Rogue, Beast, Angel... DEAD! It then goes on to kill Caliban, followed by Xavier, and ending with Wolverine six feet under. That’s right, even the title character is X’d out. (Sorry, I couldn’t resist.)

I sort of get it. Logan is No Country for Old X-Men. It’s Unforgiven X. It’s a dark, dystopian western that feels appropriate given the shit-stained world we currently live in under Herr Trump. But director James Mangold and star Hugh Jackman turned our favorite good guys into sad, old, weakened fugitives then killed them all. And as an audience, we thanked him for it. So why the hate for Rian Johnson?

2015’s The Force Awakens already took out Han Solo like a punk, skewered on a lightsaber by his long-lost Sith-emo son. In The Last Jedi, director Rian Johnson gives Jedi-turned-wizened hermit Luke Skywalker a heroic death. He steps out of his self-imposed retirement to become “the spark that will light the fire that will burn the First Order down.” He literally stands alone against the entire First Order and sacrifices himself to save all the good guys including his sister General Leia and all the new characters that are meant to carry the Star Wars torch. Fans hate him for it. Why?

Sure, floating-thru-space-Leia was bad CGI and desperately needed some brief explanation of how the Hell that was possible. Yes, Admiral Akbar’s untimely demise deserved more than one sentence of exposition. And I'll give you, a space-chase scene built around the idea that the fully powered bad guys would just sit around waiting for the good guys to run out of fuel was silly, but was every beat of Logan well thought out? Xavier owned a massive school with its own super-jet and mega-satellite. Now he lives in a rusted shed and Wolverine works as a chauffeur?

It seems to me that both these films were engaging, well made movies tasked with a morbid purpose. If you loved one, I don’t know why you don’t love the other.

The Top 10 Animated Films of All Time

Photo Credit: Disney/Pixar

I took the family to see Disney Pixar’s latest film, Coco, last night and I was blown away. There wasn’t a dry eye in the theater and it immediately got me thinking, was this the greatest animated film ever made? Given how many fantastic animated films have been produced over just the past 25 years, that’s a tall order. I decided to sit down and really sort through them. What are the absolute best animated films ever made? Here are my picks from number 10 to number 1.

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

Director Tim Burton has made a half dozen or more movies I love, but come Halloween, this is always the one to watch. Jack Skellington is the king of our scariest holiday, but when he gets it in his fleshless head that Christmas looks like it’s more fun, problems ensue.

Wreck-It-Ralph (2012)

Being a 1980s video-game nerd, this movie had me based on the premise alone. Ralph is tired of being the arcade-game bad guy so he sets off to prove he’s hero material but gets much more than he bargained for. John C. Reilly and Sarah Silverman make this one a real treat.

The Princess and the Frog (2009)

You won’t find many princess movies on my list, but this one is the exception. Tiana is no damsel in distress. She’s resourceful, she’s determined, and she’s got to make a man of selfish Prince Naveen if they have any shot at beating one of my favorite Disney villains, voodoo practitioner Dr. Facilier.

The Incredibles (2004)

What do super heroes do when the world thinks it doesn’t need them anymore? Director Brad Bird proves an animated action movie can be just as exciting as a live one when it’s armed with a great script and a cast featuring the likes of Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, and Samuel L. Jackson.

Monsters, Inc. (2001)

When you’re little, the monsters hiding in the closet can seem awfully scary, but what if they’re really cute and cuddly once you get to know them? Billy Crystal and John Goodman are perfect together as monster protagonists who just want to help a little girl get home without losing their jobs in the scare factory.

Inside Out (2015)

Growing up is hard and few films more poignantly depict the emotions involved than this story of a young girl forced to move from the Midwest to San Francisco and leave the familiarities of her childhood behind.

Up (2009)

The opening 10 minutes of this film are heart-breakingly beautiful. You won’t find better animated story telling. From the unconventional main character to the iconic image of a house being lifted into the sky by a massive bunch of balloons, this film will stay with you a long time.

Wall-E (2008)

For a film that features a robot protagonist incapable of saying more than two words, Wall-E has a whole lot to say about man and the destructive path he’s on with both the world and the bodies we live in. Not only is this one of Disney Pixar’s best films, it might be their most important.

Toy Story 3 (2010)

I could have picked any of the three films in this series for my list, but I think the last one is the best of the bunch. Tom Hanks and co. are pure magic and this one packs more emotional punch than any other film on this list save one...

Coco (2017)

Yep, Coco is my new favorite of all time. The script and the animation are unmatched. Making it through this movie without tearing up is the new Voight-Kampff test (hey, shout-out to my fellow sci-fi nerds!). You can’t do it. Go see it while it’s in the theaters this Thanksgiving holiday.

Because I love so many animated films, here are a dozen Honorable Mentions: Aladdin (1992), The Lion King (1994),Toy Story (1995), South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut (1999), Toy Story 2 (1999), Shrek (2001), Finding Nemo (2003), Ratatouille (2007), Frozen (2013), Book of Life (2014), Big Hero 6 (2014), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016)

Review: Blade Runner 2049

Image Credit: Matt Handle

Hollywood churns out large amounts of crap every year. There’s no secret as to why. Crap sells. Just look at the Transformers franchise. Or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Or the Avengers. You don’t need a good script, talented actors, or beautiful cinematography to sell tickets. You just need plenty of explosions, silly costumes, and fast-food toy tie-ins.

Given the paragraph above I guess I shouldn’t be surprised that Blade Runner 2049’s opening weekend was only $32M on a budget of $150M. I’m just disappointed. The film deserves a lot better. In an era of unnecessary reboots and sequels, this movie proves to be an exception. Blade Runner 2049 is one of the best films I’ve seen in years. Even people that aren’t familiar with the 1982 cult-classic that spawned this follow-up will enjoy Blade Runner 2049. It’s sci-fi for smart people. It’s a film that makes you think while also acting as amazing eye candy. Yet fewer people paid to see it this past weekend than paid to see much lesser recent sequels like Kingsman: The Golden Circle or Annabelle: Creation.

Like the original Blade Runner, this movie asks some interesting questions. Does where we come from define us? If you’re human in virtually every aspect other than the nature of your birth, does that difference give someone the right to own you? Is our species’ prioritization of profit over planet doomed to destroy us?

Director Denis Villeneuve deftly took the reins from Ridley Scott and with the help of cinematographer Roger Deakins and screenwriter Hampton Fancher has created a worthy successor to what I consider the greatest sci-fi film ever made.

I won’t give away any of the plot, but the cast including Ryan Gosling, Ana de Armas, Sylvia Hoeks, Jared Leto, Robin Wright, and the original blade runner, Harrison Ford are all excellent. Hans Zimmer’s score retains the flavor of Vangelis’ fantastic work from 1982, and if Roger Deakins isn’t nominated for an Oscar for his camera work, there is no justice come awards season.

I saw the movie in IMAX and I’m glad I did. Yes, the tickets aren’t cheap, but this is one of those films that’s so chock full of stuff to look at, the bigger the screen, the better.  With the amount of critical praise it’s receiving and a current Rotten Tomatoes score of 89, maybe Blade Runner 2049 will prove to be a slow burn. I hope so. It’s the type of movie I’d like to see Hollywood make more of.  It deserves a bigger audience.

If you enjoyed films like the original Blade Runner, Interstellar, Moon, Gattaca, or Villeneuve’s other recent sci-fi effort, Arrival, go see this one. It’s 2 hours 43 minutes well spent. 

The Top 10 Sci-Fi Films of All Time

Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

It seems like sci-fi has been riding high at the cinema lately. In the past year we’ve seen such major releases as Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Trek Beyond, Arrival, and Passengers. With the highly anticipated Ghost in the Shell opening this weekend and movies like Blade Runner 2049 and Alien: Covenant scheduled to be released later this year I thought it was as good a time as any to list my favorite sci-fi films of all time. Here they are from number 10 to number 1.

10. Jurassic Park (1993)

Written by Michael Crichton, directed by Steven Spielberg, and featuring some of the coolest-looking dinosaurs you’ve ever seen, this one was bound to please and it didn’t disappoint. It’s spawned three sequels so far with more on the way, but this one starring Jeff Goldblum, Sam Neill, and Laura Dern is still the best of the bunch.

9. Interstellar (2014)

Matthew McConaughey stars as a single father and space traveler charged with leading a mission to save the Earth but torn by the fact his journey will likely result in never seeing his daughter grow up. Emotional, thought-provoking, and well written, this film is the best sci-fi Hollywood has produced in the last few years.

8. Moon (2009)

Sam Rockwell puts on a one-man show under the excellent direction of Duncan Jones and an assist from Kevin Spacey who voices his robot sidekick. There are no big action scenes or expensive CGI. This film is simply a magnificent study on what it is to be human and how easy it is for corporations to dehumanize us all.

7. Aliens (1986)

Sigourney Weaver proved guys weren’t the only badass sci-fi heroes in Ridley Scott’s Alien. In James Cameron’s 1986 sequel, she was even bigger and badder. This time she’s up against a whole slew of the space monsters and when she finally comes face to face with their queen, it’s a battle you won’t soon forget.

6. Gattaca (1997)

Ethan Hawke and Jude Law try to find their place in a future where your DNA determines your lot in life. Hawke plays a flawed young man willing to do anything to fulfill his dream of space travel while Law plays a genetically superior man that’s destroyed his potential but might just be able to help Hawke achieve his own.

5. Star Wars (1977)

The film that proved sci-fi could appeal to the cinematic masses and that hooked a certain seven-year-old boy in Ohio on the genre for life. As I sat in my parents’ car watching Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, and Darth Vader on the big screen at the drive-in I knew I was watching something special. Forty years later, it’s spawned a host of sequels, prequels, and spin-offs that show no sign of losing steam.

4. Inception (2010)

Christopher Nolen, director of the best superhero movie ever, also directed two of my favorite sci-fi films. Interstellar is great, this one is even better. Leonardo DiCaprio leads a fantastic cast deep into the mind of an industrial scion to complete a complex mission with one very simple goal: to plant an idea.

3. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

Sequels rarely do the original justice, but this one did that and more. As great as Star Wars is, this follow-up is even better. Creator George Lucas handed over the director and screenplay reins to Irvin Kershner and Lawrence Kasden and those two men took Lucas’s vision to the next level. Boba Fett, the carbonite freeze scene, the lightsaber duel, the big reveal concerning the relationship between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader… simply awesome.

2. The Matrix (1999)

The Wachowski’s mind-bending film blew away audiences at the turn of the century with its excellent script, bullet-time cinematography, and iconic performances by Keanu Reeves, Lawrence Fishburne, and Hugo Weaving. The concept, the pacing, and the action in this film make it one you can enjoy again and again. The movie’s two sequels didn’t measure up, but this one is an all-time great.

1. Blade Runner (1982)

Simply the best sci-fi film ever made. It wasn’t a big hit when it was released, but over time it’s grown into a classic. Based on a novel by Philip K. Dick, this futuristic noir features stand-out performances by Harrison Ford and Rutger Hauer. It also includes a great cast of secondary characters played by Edward James Olmos, Sean Young, Daryl Hannah, and William Sanderson. In my opinion, it’s the masterpiece of director Ridley Scott’s long and stellar career.

And to avoid short-changing some other favorites, here are a dozen Honorable Mentions: Alien (1979), The Road Warrior (1981), Predator (1987), Total Recall (1990), Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991), Stargate (1994), The Fifth Element (1997), Cube (1997), Contact (1997), Dark City (1998), Pitch Black (2000), Minority Report (2002)

Interstellar – My review

Photo Credit: Warner Bros. Ent.

Yes, I know the film came out over a month ago, but I finally got a chance to see Interstellar last night. It was worth the wait. Christopher Nolan is the only filmmaker whose movies I go see in the theater simply because I know he made them. The guy is that good. But even before I saw Interstellar, I knew it had much more going for it than just a fantastic director. First, it centers around the exploration of space, the inherent loneliness in that endeavor, and the enduring love of family that even the vastness of time and space cannot compensate for or conquer. Anyone that’s read my short story, Vestiges, knows these are themes that are near and dear to my heart. Interstellar also boasts an amazing cast that includes Matthew McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, Michael Caine, and Jessica Chastain.

The story starts off by depicting a near-future Earth that has been decimated by blight. The world’s soil is so ruined that crops won’t grow, food is short, and the human population is nearly wiped out. McConaughey's protagonist, Cooper, an astronaut-turned-farmer, is recruited for a mission to explore a wormhole that’s appeared near Saturn. Probes have been sent through this space anomaly and it’s believed that three planets exist on the other side of it that might be capable of sustaining human life. Cooper is asked to leave his family behind in order to investigate these planets along with fellow explorers Brand (Hathaway), Doyle (Wes Brantley), and Romilly (David Gyasi). Michael Caine's Professor Brand explains that this is humanity’s last chance for survival. If the mission fails, humankind is doomed to die along with the planet.

Cooper’s young daughter, Murph, is especially devastated by her father’s departure and her heartbreak weighs heavily on the space pilot as he embarks on the long journey that he knows will take years even in the best case scenario. Trouble soon arises and the astronauts begin to perish one by one as they struggle to overcome difficulties that result in the mission dragging out much longer than any of them ever anticipated. Knowing that every hour so deep in space equates to years back on Earth, Cooper and Brand race the clock to find a habitable planet in the hopes they can do so and find a way back to their loved ones before it’s too late.

Meanwhile, back on Earth, Murph has grown up. Played as an adult by Jessica Chastain, Murph has become Professor Brand’s protégé and is a brilliant scientist in her own right. Still broken by her father’s abandonment, Murph dedicates her entire life to figuring out how to evacuate the world’s population so that they can leave for the new home her father swore he’d find.

I won’t give away any more of the plot, but Nolan does a wonderful job of making us feel Cooper and Murph's anguish, Cooper’s subsequent guilt, and both Cooper’s and Murph's determination to meet again somehow even while the fate of all humanity swings in the balance.

Han Zimmer's score perfectly builds tension where needed and bombast when appropriate. There’s a docking scene in the latter half of the movie that will have you on the edge of your seat the images and music are so well done. Some of the louder scenes, such as their take-off from Earth, are nearly ear-splitting.

The film isn't perfect. At 169 minutes, it covers a ton of territory and not all of it succeeds. Some of the dialogue feels a bit leaden and Matt Damon is completely miscast as a supposedly charismatic explorer that led the first “Lazarus” missions into the wormhole years ago, but I still walked out of the theater feeling exhilarated. Nolan’s skill, ambition, and dedication to his craft have made every one of his last eight films, starting with the year 2000’s Memento, favorites of mine. Interstellar is no exception. I highly recommend you go see it on the big screen while you still can.