State of Play (2009)

State of Play is the Americanized film adaptation and condensation of the British television mini-series of the same title. While capably executed throughout at first I couldn't help but dwell on how the film embodied existing and well worn genera conventions, Russell Crowe plays a grizzled reporter straight out of the 1970's, while Ben Affleck plays the golden boy, rising star politician with a secret, almost a pre-request for this kind of film. There are also the House of Cards parallels, the political mistress pushed in front of a DC subway train, and the presence of Robin Wright in the cast (and yes I am aware that series came out after this). About halfway through the movie however the story folds over on top of itself, complicates, and explores some interesting and ambiguous dimensions. The reporters friendship with the politician and his wife makes him far from an impartial broker, even if he gets at the truth, because he is the one that did it's tainted. The film also explorers the persistence of character flaws throughout of our political/media system, how everyone is compromised, a hero in one context can easily be a villain in another. I quite liked that. If anything this movie is too star heavy, and three actors in this movie whose names I would not have recognized when this film first came out, today are all established TV and movie regulars. State of Play manages to peak just above the merely good, so I give it ***1/2

Under the Skin (2013)

Some Spoilers

I had not realized until researching the movie to write to this review that Under the Skin is based on a novel of the same name by Michel Faber which came out in 2000. I suppose that makes sense because even though this movie is very visual the film that it reminds me of the most, likewise a very visual work, is also based on a novel, namely Arthur C. Clark's 2001: A Space Odyssey. There are certain visual cues in this film which evoke the earlier movie but don't copy it, a solid white, and later a solid black featureless chamber, the construction of a human type eye in the opening scene, and whatever it is that is happening to the men collected by our protagonist. Our protagonist is played by Scarlett Johansson, she is an alien given human form and her assignment is to collect human males, though for what purpose exactly is never made clear, it seems they are being taken as samples.

Because this nameless alien looks like Scarlett Johansson she doesn't have a lot of trouble luring unsuspecting men back to her dilapidated house, which is possibly her ship in disguise, possibly some kind of portal, and is located somewhere between Glasgow and Edinburgh Scotland. Scarlett is not used to being in human form, she is not used to being around people, or the sensory stimulation, sounds, smells, and such of the Earth environment in which she finds herself. While at first very single minded in her mission, driving around Scotland in a van, pulling over to the side of the road to ask some man for directions, sizing up her pray, flirting, and doing whatever ever it is she thinks she needs to do to get the man in the van with her, in time this changes. Something inside her snaps, she seems to develop sympathy, or at lest overwhelming curiosity about the humans, goes off script, goes rouge, and wanders about Scotland, pursued by her helper, an alien in male form who drives a motorcycle.

Johansson gives a great performance, a character of few words she really feels alien. That performance, as well as the direction of Johnathan Glazer, primarily a commercial and music video director, takes a premise that could easily be exploitive sci-fi and deepens it, makes it contemplative, at time stunning, and unlike most anything I've seen. A kind of art house Starman for lack of a better comparison. Beautiful locations, a few of which I had actually been to on my trip to Scotland about a year before this movie was filmed. Under the Skin really wowed me, I was not expecting this. Sometimes graphic, and sometimes slowly paced, I found it consistently fascinating, but it is certainly not for all tastes. ****

Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018)

Some spoilers

Jurassic Park 5. I came into this movie suspicious, first off the very premise, Isla Nublar is going to erupt and its going to kill all the dinosaurs unless they're evacuated. Look we all know John Hammond, John Hammond spared no expense, he did not put his dinosaur park on a geologically active island, they try to cover for that by saying the island only recently became reactive, that's a lazy cover for lazy writing. Speaking of lazy writing, Hammond had an estranged business partner who has never been mentioned until now, and in overly obvious casting he is played by James Cromwell. This whole movie is just trying to get dinosaurs onto the North American mainland, I get that, they are trying to move this franchise into Planet of the Apes territory, but they could have tried harder, and don't even get me started on the villains. All that being said the climax at Benjamin Lockwood's California estate is fun to watch, and there is a little twist there that expands the scope of the franchises concerns above simply dinosaurs, but to other kinds of mucking with genetics and nature. The exploration of this hubris could go in interesting directions in the future, however if this film is any indication it probably won't. Please prove me wrong, various Spielberg affiliated production companies. **

Pottersville (2017)

Pottersville is like a Hallmark Channel Christmas movie that has been drinking moonshine. I say 'drinking moonshine' because that is what Michael Shannon's character Maynard Grieger does after the mild mannered small town shop keeper catches his wife (Christina Hendricks) having an affair with the sheriff (Ron Perlman). What makes the whole thing worse, or at least weirder, is the couple were snuggling in Furry costumes when he caught them. A drunk Maynard improvises a Furry costume of his own and runs through town at night where he is mistaken for bigfoot. The bigfoot sightings bring curious tourists who bring money to the town, hard hit after the closing of the local mill. So Maynard keeps going out at night in his bigfoot costume, eventually attracting the attention of a cable TV monster hunter (Thomas Lennon) who teams up with a famed local hunter (Ian McShane) to try and capture bigfoot, putting Maynard's strange but good natured scheme, and possibly his very life, in danger.

Pottersville is delightfully weird for its first third or so, but the filmmakers aren't able to sustain the concept, more strange twists were needed I think to keep the film sharp and surreal, instead it loses steam and becomes a more conventional comedy/ redemption tale. Shannon plays his character straight, which is really the right choice here. Judy Greer is charming as Maynard's loyal assistant at the general story, and the only person in town who truly seems to appreciate what a good and charitable guy he is. The supporting cast is an interesting mix, they give it a good go, Ian McShane probably being the standout, but again the stories payoff just can't live up to its inspired set up. **

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon (1949)

She Wore a Yellow Ribbon is the second film in director John Ford's "Cavalry Trilogy" after Fort Apache (1948) which I have not seen, and Rio Grande (1950) which I have. The film covers about a week and is principally concerned with the final mission of Captain Nathan Brittles before retirement. Set in the American south west in the summer of 1876 Brittles, played by John Wayne in some old age makeup (Wayne was in his early 40's when this movie was made but is playing a man closer to 60) is charged with leading his troop to investigate possible Indian agitation in the aftermath of The Battle of the Little Big Horn. This mission is made more complicated because he is also tasked with escorting his CO's wife and niece to meet what may be the last stagecoach to visit the area for some time.

The film is beautifully shot, principally in Ford's beloved Monument Valley, but there is some stage work, even one purported exterior which is surprisingly effective in a stylized way. Brittles is a man who has given his whole life to the army, and lost his wife and daughter, presumably to Indian attack, about a decade or so prior to the action of the film. Brittles is not sure what he is going to do with himself after retirement, and there is a valedictory melancholy to the proceedings, with Wayne giving one of his better, more nuanced performances. The supporting cast is effective, though they are really playing more types then rounded characters this works for the film. There is also a bar fight with Victor McLaglen which is somehow both perfunctory and very involved at the same time.

I loved this movie, its everything you want out of a John Ford western. It's beautifully shot, its iconic, it's earnest and reflective but also lite and funny, It's got action, some fine character actors and its got a poetic soul. This would easily be a top 10 western for me, and I'm very grateful that I got to see it on a big screen, that helped the effect enormously, its really how Ford is meant to be seen. ****

Horror High (1973)

From bottom of the barrel Crown International Pictures comes Horror High. Horror High features child actor Pat Cardi in his final onscreen role, though he is still around and directing. Cardi is Vernon Potts, he's a science nerd and almost everyone at his high school, including some of the teachers, are horrible to him. One of the people who isn't horrible to him is Robin Jones, a comely lass who looks like a red-headed Jane Curtin and is played by Rosie Holotik, whose like 28 but playing 16. Vernon invents a 'Dr. Jekyll Mr. Hyde' formula and after the mean old janitor kills his guinea pig 'Mr. Mumps' its revenge time, and Vernon goes on to kill four people in as many days. Austin Stoker plays Lieutenant Bozeman, he's the lead detective on the case and he's black which is progressive for the early 70's, and while I liked him he should have locked down that dang school and brought more then two officers with him. This movie was filmed on a shoestring which strains credulity of the story a little bit (as if the secret formula doesn't already) because this school should have been a media circus, but they didn't have the money for sufficient extras. However this is a fun bad movie with an unexpected hokey charm amid the murders. **1/2

Skyscraper (2018)

The Towering Inferno meets Die Hard. This movie is made up almost entirely of parts of other movies, yet while watching it this did not make me angry, on reflection though... This was close to a neutral viewing experience in some ways, the likability of Dwayne Johnson carried the thing, and there are a few moments on the giant crane where the sense of height is so effectively conveyed that I actually felt a little uncomfortable. While competently handled, this is also and extremely disposable movie. **