The Fall Guy

Like one of Stefon’s hottest clubs, The Fall Guy has EVERYTHING: Action, comedy, romance and drama. And, of course, awesome stunts. And some cool dogs. And a unicorn.

Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt are excellent, as you would expect. But it’s their characters and the story that make The Fall Guy a movie you will want to see. As is often the case with films full of explosions, chases, fights, etc., you will want to see it at a movie house rather than wait a few weeks for streaming.

Colt Seavers (Gosling) is a stunt man who injures his back when a fall goes wrong. After which he goes into a shell and ghosts his girlfriend Jody Moreno (Blunt) who is camera operator on the film. Eighteen months later, when Jody is directing her first film, producer Gail Meyer (Hannah Waddingham) recruits Colt to jump on a plane to Sydney to do stunt work.

Their relationship ramps up again slowly as an insecure Jody tries to tie her film-within-a-film together. Her film Metalstorm involves aliens and cowboys,BTW. Meanwhile Gail asks Colt to track down missing star Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), setting in motion much of The Fall Guy’s action sequences which occur away from the Metalstorm filming locations.

Director David Leitch and screenwriters Drew Pearce and Glen A. Larson have stitched together a tale whose plot takes a few clever turns but doesn’t get too weird. The tale’s resolution and the film’s coda are both hugely satisfying. 

Also enjoyable are some of the “inside baseball” elements of movie making. Along with “real” views of some of Metalstorm’s action, we see the onscreen versions in brief clips. The stars talk about movies like Pretty Woman and Love, Actually. At one point, after Colt says something sweet to Jody, he wonders to himself if his remark was an ad-lib or a line from a movie.

The Fall Guy feels just a smidge too long but that qualm is extinguished when one considers all the stuff that’s in the movie. Including a few clever director’s tricks like split screens and quick cuts between static scenes and action scenes. To avoid the risk of this review also running too long, a quick mention that the film is rated PG-13 so you can take your parents and even most kids. No sex, just violence.

Bottom line: The Fall Guy is a winner.

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Monkey Man

Revenge! It’s a strong motivator. For Dev Patel’s character Kid AKA Bobby AKA Monkey Man, the thoughts of revenge fuel his very being. In this ultra violent new movie, directed and co-written by Patel, getting even is a slow and painful process.

Patel, best known for his role in the 2008 film Slumdog Millionaire, is in almost every scene in Monkey Man. The title comes from the Hindu monkey-god Hanuman who is referenced throughout the film AND from the persona Patel’s character Kid adopts in bare-knuckle fist fights. In the ring his head is covered by a monkey mask which hides his identity.

Kid manages to finagle his way into a job at an upscale Mumbai club, starting in the kitchen, moving up to become a server in the dining room and eventually in the VIP room. A strongman Rana (Sikandar Kher) who was responsible for Kid’s mother’s torture and death provides security for the establishment. 

After a scuffle leads to a classic chase with Kid getting shot and landing in the drink, he is rescued and rehabbed by a religious group led by a trans woman named Alpha (Vipin Sharman). This respite sets him up for his final confrontation. 

Monkey Man is already being compared to the John Wick films for its level of physical violence. But the violence in Monkey Man is more visceral and realistic. Whereas the Wick face-offs feel more like choreographed dance. A couple of scenes recalled the violent climax of Quentin Tarantino’s Once Upon A Time In Hollywood. (Though no flame-throwers like the one Leo used in that QT film were noticed.)

Patel’s facial expressions throughout the film communicate the gritty nature of these fights. There are a handful of light moments in Monkey Man. And the flashbacks to Kid’s childhood are sweet.

The cast includes Sharlto Copley who starred in the 2009 South African sci-fi film District 9. He is Tiger, the promoter and ring announcer for those underground bare-knuckle boxing matches.

Can a film that is imbued with the culture of India and its religions succeed in Western markets? Well, Slumdog Millionaire won eight Academy Awards (though none in acting categories) and was a financial success. Jordan Peele thought enough of Monkey Man to acquire the movie from Netflix and bring it to theaters via Universal. It’s rated R.

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Dune: Part Two

Timothée Chalamet is the top-billed star of Dune: Part Two. But, make no mistake, this is director Denis Villeneuve’s movie. 

As with other Villeneuve films (notably Bladerunner 2049 and Arrival, plus the 2021 Dune Part One) stunning images are a given. The desert landscapes and gigantic structures offer opportunities for compelling scenes that may or may not be have computer-generated elements but they look awesome.

The battles, big and small, employing high tech and low tech, involving thousands of souls or just two, the menacing desert worms (who provide a cool mode of transportation), the military aircraft that resemble mosquitos, that goofy sandwalk. One epic battle is staged in black-and-white to great effect. And it all proceeds at a good pace because there’s so much story to tell within a run time of 2:46.

Hans Zimmer, whose soundtracks are rarely subtle, charges in with low-pitched signatures that accompany key moments and fuel anticipation. This may be the loudest movie since Oppenheimer.

Because this film’s predecessor was released during the pandemic in October 2021 AND was made available to streaming at the same time as its theatrical release, many folks (including me) saw Dune: Part One on a small screen. Seeing Dune: Part Two on a large screen is, by comparison, overwhelming. It’s often said of films “see this movie on the biggest screen possible.” That suggestion applies here.

Is it necessary to have seen Dune:Part One to appreciate Dune: Part Two? No, but watching the first one or at least reading a plot synopsis provides context. 

Does Timothée Chalamet have the heft to portray a valiant warrior leading a classic quest? He is a slim man with a youthful countenance and cute curly hair. In the first film he is shamed by Jason Mamoa’s character for not putting on muscles. But, yes, he does manage to fill the heroic role ably because he is a talented actor. 

How do the Dune movies compare to the Star Wars films? There are similarities but the Dune movies lack the light-hearted moments and characters that populate the Star Wars universe. Villeneuve takes his sci-fi a bit more seriously.

The main plot: Paul Atriedes (Chalamet) leads a mission to the planet Arrakis to avenge the death of his father and to secure control of “spice,” the crop that fuels this future universe. He has the support of the planet’s persecuted Fremen who include his love interest Chani (Zendaya) and tribal leader Stilgar (Javier Bardem). 

The saga from Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel includes mythic and religious hopes seen in modern Christianity and Islam. Is Paul the Chosen One? The Lisan al-Gaib? The Mahdi? Some of the Fremen believe him to be a messiah.

Returning from the first Dune film are Paul’s mother Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), Gurney (Josh Brolin), Baron Harkonnen (an enormous Stellan Skarsgård), Beast Rabban (Dave Bautista) and Reverend Mother (Charlotte Rampling). New characters in D2 include Feyd-Rautha (a menacing looking Austin Butler), the Emperor (Christopher Walken) and his daughter Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh).

Dune: Part Two is, on one hand, totally satisfying. A visual treat, a classic tale of good versus evil. On the other hand, there are a few elements of the story yet to be resolved. How soon will talk about a Part Three begin popping up? TBD.

But before that happens, don’t miss Dune: Part Two. It’s a must-see. As mentioned, strap in and see it in a theater. Rated PG-13.

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Bob Marley: One Love

The joints are thick and so are the Jamaican accents in the new biopic Bob Marley: One Love. Unless your ears are finely attuned to dialects, you may want to wait for this movie to hit streaming and cable so you’ll have captions available. 

The reggae tunes are cool and plentiful. The music and Marley’s vibe are the film’s main charms. Marley (Kingsley Ben-Adir) is seemingly always smiling, always moving and always brimming with optimism. Marley, as portrayed by Ben-Adir and in real life vintage clips, is not the greatest dancer but his enthusiasm is contagious. Music is performed on stages, in studios and around fire pits. 

Bob Marley’s life story is told via a handful of flashbacks. Much of the movie is centered around his time in Europe in the late 70s. That’s when Marley recorded and released his landmark album Exodus. Island records exec Howard Bloom (Michael Gandolfini) tries to convince Marley to put a picture of him and the band on the album’s cover but Bob says no. (Yes, Michael is the son of James Gandolfini). 

Bob Marley: One Love is being released on Valentine’s Day but it is not an especially romantic movie. Yes, there’s his loyal wife Rita (Lashana Lynch) who sets him straight and calls out his womanizing in a key dramatic scene. And we see a youthful Bob wooing a young girl. But don’t think that because the word love is in the title that this is necessarily a great date film.

Ya mon, there is quite a bit of marijuana smoked in the film. And whereas some who consume weed tend to lie about, Marley and crew are shown moving, jogging, playing soccer. 

Jamaica in the 70s was the scene of political turmoil which often led to violence. Early in the film, Marley is shot by a home invader but survives. Marley arranges a concert bringing opposing political groups together, leading to a period of peace in the island nation. 

Bob Marley: One Love is for music fans, especially Marley and reggae fans. Is it a definitive biopic? No. But it gives you a some good insight into the life he led, the music he created and the stamp he left on the culture of Jamaica.

Rated PG-13.

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Argylle

Argylle is an action-packed thrill ride. It’s the kind of movie the world needs right now. There’s your pull quote. 

Bryce Dallas Howard is terrific as a spy tale novelist who quickly finds herself doing many of the wild and wooly things her books’ central character Argylle (Henry Cavill) does. 

Argylle is clever, funny, sometimes silly, colorful and, oh yes, violent. But much of that shooting and punching and kicking and exploding is of a comic nature—just as fantastical as the stuff in John Wick films but with a wink from the filmmaker. Argylle doesn’t move nearly as fast as the quick cut preview trailer does, but there are few slowdowns once it kicks off.

Director Matthew Vaughn, whose film Kingsman: The Secret Service (released here nine years ago) was filled with surprises and dekes and feints, brings similar turns and twists to Argylle. Vaughn also directed two Kingsman sequels, an X-men film and the 2007 fantasy Stardust, taken from a Neil Gaiman tale. 

When Elly Conway (Howard) finishes her fifth book, she sends her mom (Catherine O’Hara) the manuscript. When mom offers a critique, Elly takes a train to visit her mother in person. On the train she encounters Aidan (Sam Rockwell) who tells her his occupation is espionage. She notices he’s reading one of her Argylle spy novels. 

In short order, a fracas occurs on the train, starting Elly and Aidan on their adventure that takes them from somewhere in the western U.S. to London and on to the south of France where they visit a vineyard tended by Alfie (Samuel L. Jackson). Ah, but growing grapes is not Alfie’s real mission—he’s guiding spy missions from his man cave. 

Alfie is also the name of Elly’s cat who rides along in her backpack and looks out through the backpack’s round window. He’s not just along for the ride; he gets into the action at a couple of key moments.

Elly and Aidan’s travels take them to an oil tanker where a long battle occurs with a couple of ridiculously creative scenes that scriptwriter Jason Fuchs and Vaughn have crafted to provide some neat visuals.

Also in the film’s cast are Bryan Cranston, John Cena, Dua Lipa and Ariana DeBose. 

You’ve probably noticed a generally tense mood in the nation and the world in recent months. It’s not necessary to list the reasons why in this review. 

But it is necessary to tune out the world occasionally. Argylle provides a healthy dose of escapism with an engaging story, an array of memorable characters, an energetic soundtrack and one cool kitty. If you could benefit from a couple of hours of fun, you might like Argylle. It’s rated PG-13.

In theaters now, coming to Apple TV+ at a yet-to-be-announced date.

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American Fiction

American Fiction is a brilliant film about racial hypocrisy and the people—both white and black—who exploit it. Be ready to laugh. Some of the satire is over the top but much of it is not that far from reality.

American Fiction is also a story about a family in transition… a family that happens to be black. They are dealing with death, divorce, dementia, economic concerns, new romance, promiscuity, etc. Things that many families confront. Be ready to cry.

American Fiction has a talented cast, led by Jeffrey Wright as writer/teacher Thelonius “Monk” Ellison. Tracee Ellis Ross and Sterling K. Brown are his siblings. Leslie Uggams is his mother. Erika Alexander is his new girlfriend. Issa Rae is a Sintara Golden, a writer whose work elicits a strong response from Monk. Wright is nominated for a Golden Globe and a possible Oscar nomination may be still to come for Wright (and for other cast members, too). Be ready to applaud.

After being placed on leave from his university teaching position for offending a student’s sensibilities, Monk returns home to Boston to visit his family. He attends a conference where he observes Golden’s “authentic” black voice being hailed by a mostly white audience. He responds by anonymously writing a ridiculous book about his imagined experiences as a beaten-down black man. The book becomes a critical and financial hit and wins a big award.

Meanwhile, Monk finds new love with beach house neighbor Coraline (Erika Alexander) and addresses his mother’s descent into dementia. 

Cord Jefferson, who wrote the script and directed, could be an Oscar nominee for best adapted screenplay. He would be a long shot to get a director nod from the Academy. Not just because he is a first-time director but also because competition in that category is strong this awards season. In case you’re wondering, Jefferson is a mixed-race man. 

American Fiction is a likely nominee for Best Picture. It is a film that entertains and may trigger a response or two you were not expecting. Does the film have a “message?” That depends, I think, on your own life experiences.

In one of the film’s scenes, Monk goes into a book store and sees his previously written books included in the black authors section. He tells the store clerk that his books are not “black” books per se and should be included in the general inventory. Similarly, I would suggest that, while some may see this as a “black” movie since it has a mostly black cast, American Fiction is not just for black audiences. It’s for everybody.

 It is clever and different. American Fiction is a must-see! (Rated R.)

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The Boys in the Boat

The book was better. I’ve never read the book but I know it was better than the movie version of The Boys in the Boat. 

If you enjoy cliché-ridden sports stories about individuals and/or teams who overcome steep odds to claim victory in their field of competition, then this movie is for you. I myself was bored with this film.

Okay, a few positives: The depiction of Seattle’s Depression-era shantytown was impressive, no matter whether it was real or partly computer generated. The moving grandstand, on a rail car I guess, which allowed spectators to move parallel to the crew teams as they moved down the Hudson River is cool. And the overhead shots of the sculls racing along provide a pleasing images.

A big negative: Director George Clooney chose Joel Edgerton to play Al Ulbrickson, coach of the University of Washington crew team. The team goes on—spoiler alert—to represent the U.S. at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin. Sorry, but to me it just seems wrong to cast as the leader of Team USA… an Aussie! No disrespect to Edgerton, a fine actor, but were there no Americans available for this role? 

That’s not as bad as Ava DuVarney’s casting of Brits to play MLK, LBJ and George Wallace in her movie Selma. That still stinks!

Another positive: The Boys in the Boat is rated PG-13. So you can take the whole family. There’s romance that’s sweet and innocent and only one veiled reference to sex (but it’s married couple sex, so that’s okay.) Little kids might be amused if they’ve never seen any of these kinds of stories. And even 90-somethings might dig a movie set within their lifespans. But overall, this is ground that has be trod by makers of sports movies time and time again. Although… there are not many films about rowing. (Unless you count the rowing in the recent Lessons in Chemistry.)

If Nana loved Emma Stone in La La Land and thinks that the movie Poor Things looks interesting, steer her instead to The Boys in the Boat. She may nod off during TBITB, but she is also less likely to walk out ashen-faced.

The Boys in the Boat is the kind of movie that Nick Saban might take his Bama team to see the night before they face Michigan. It emphasizes teamwork, stick-to-it-ivness, conditioning and all that. Or, maybe not, since it’s a lily-white cast of characters. As mentioned before, and merits mentioning again, the film is rated PG-13.

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2023 Movies… Favorites and others

It was great to get back into theaters this year and see movies on the big screen!

I’ve put the movies I saw this year into three groups:

MOVIES I LIKED A LOT…

John Wick Chapter 4. Not just an orgy of violence, it is ballet. The cast, the stunts, the locations, the story… wow! Keanu Reeves and company deliver one of the best action movies I’ve ever seen.

The Holdovers. Clever story and script, strong performances, some good laughs and a big dose of humanity make this a perfect movie for grown-ups. Paul Giamatti is excellent as usual.

American Fiction. A comedy about white guilt and those people who exploit it—both black and white. It’s also a family story with Jeffrey Wright, Tracee Ellis Ross and Sterling K. Brown as siblings and Leslie Uggams as their mom. Opens in St. Louis in January.

Oppenheimer. Big movie. Loud. The physicist’s life is divided into two parts: pre-bomb and post-bomb. Director/writer Christopher Nolan crams a lot of narrative into three hours. Robert Downey Jr.’s explosive performance likely to be among this film’s award winners. Not only was this film a critical success, it did huge box office numbers too.

Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 3. More fun with this odd cast of characters, each of whom is developed more fully here. Loved the art direction and the song choices. 

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. With references to previous Indy movies and lots of entertaining chase scenes. The use of time travel as a plot device is weak but the movie checks most of the boxes we’ve known and loved in the Indiana Jones series. Welcome back, Dr. Jones!

The Burial. Jamie Foxx is excellent as a personal injury lawyer who takes funeral home owner Tommy Lee Jones as a client. 

MOVIES I LIKED SOMEWHAT…

Dumb Money. Better job of telling its story than expected. Paul Dano is great, as usual. 

Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret. Weird time of life for all kids, especially girls. Classic teen book finally gets the screen treatment it deserves.

Champions. Woody Harrelson in a movie with heart. He coaches a basketball team of developmentally challenged kids. 

Cocaine Bear. Silly, goofy, fun. And Ray Liotta!

The Last Voyage of the Demeter. A slow build horror film. Nicely executed.

Book Club: The Next Chapter. Basically a raunchier version of a Hallmark movie with bigger stars. Candace Bergen is the standout among the four senior actresses.

Mission Impossible: Dead Reckoning Part One. Effects and stunts triumph over story and characters. I was more impressed by the Rome chase than the dangling train bit.

Napoleon. Has its moments. Spectacular battle scenes. 

Priscilla. Her side of the story. The woman in the title role (Cailee Spaeny) did a nice job but that whole relationship was creepy. 

The Exorcist: Believer. Some good scary moments. And Ellyn Burstyn’s return.

No Hard Feelings. Jennifer Lawrence has charisma and range. Several good laughs.

The Flash. Highlight of the film is Michael Keaton’s return as Batman.

Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. Chris Pine is good but what the heck is Hugh Grant doing in this movie?

MOVIES I DID NOT LIKE…

Asteroid City. Wes Anderson overload. Pointless.

Five Nights at Freddy’s. Not scary. Josh Hutcherson’s overacting gets tedious.

Strays. Cute idea, dumb execution.

The Boys in the Boat. Sports movie clichés aplenty. I was bored.

Renfield. Nic Cage is fun but this horror flick had little charm for me.

Can’t wait to see what 2024 has to offer!

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Napoleon

Ridley Scott’s new film Napoleon is the kind of movie that’s not often made anymore. It’s a historical drama with epic battles, gorgeous costumes, spectacular palaces, luxurious coaches, romance and a beheading. (Spoiler alert: the film opens with Marie Antoinette getting the neat neck slice.) This is a big movie with big ambitions.

Napoleon (Joaquin Phoenix) is a successful military leader (well, up until overplaying his hand in the battle of Waterloo). He combines his bravery, his military skills with his political acumen to become Emperor of France during this period of French turmoil. 

He spots, woos and weds Josephine (Vanessa Kirby) and goes to work trying to sire an offspring but she is unable to bear him a child. (Their lovemaking is depicted in a less than erotic and seemingly functional manner.)

Napoleon appears to have, as they used to say, “a cast of thousands,” in some of its battle scenes. Or, in these days of clever effects and AI trickery, maybe a bunch of soldiers and horses copied and pasted over and over. In any case, the war scenes are violent and bloody. Some of the distant shots of camps and hordes of advancing troops are obviously manipulated, but the closeup warfare looks good and many sequences are memorable.

Despite all his accomplishments, Napoleon was responsible for a great number of lives lost on battlefields. The film’s end notes offer up a scorecard of sorts listing casualty totals, a number that led to his being sent to live out the last few years of his life in exile on the island of St. Helena.

A question that arises is… Is Joaquin Phoenix the right guy to play Napoleon? Napoleon is a complex character; so is Joaquin. He’s a big star, yes, and a recent Oscar winner. He’s had box office and critical success. And having him cast in the role was likely a major reason the movie was able to get made. But as I watched the movie, I kept wondering if Ridley Scott had considered others for the role or was he locked in on Phoenix from the get-go? 

Maybe that thought occurred because of the handful of laugh-out-loud moments in the movie that  would not have been included in an epic, spectacle movie like this just a few decades ago. 

Because of the grand scale of the battles in Napoleon, this film should be seen on a movie theater screen. The same has been said of several films that have been released this year but in this case the suggestion is one to seriously consider. Of course Napoleon will be on streaming platforms shortly but if you can catch it on a big screen, do so.

Napoleon is not a “must-see” film but… if you enjoy those big, epic films and if you are a Joaquin Phoenix fan, go for it. Rated R.

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The Holdovers

The Holdovers is funny. AND it has loads of genuine humanity. Once the film’s situation is set up, you’re likely to guess how things might turn out. But getting there is, as they say, half the fun. Go see this movie!

Paul Hunham, the main character in The Holdovers, is a person I (and, presumably, you as well) would not like in real life. But because this unlikable schlub is played by the great Paul Giamatti, well, you figure from the outset that he might have some redeeming values.

He’s a teacher at a residential private boys school in New England in 1970. He is not popular with his students nor with the school’s leadership. As the boys get ready for Christmas break he saddles them with homework. And when break begins, he’s the one faculty member tapped to supervise the few who are not headed home for the holidays. They are the holdovers.

Soon several of the young men are whisked away in a wealthy parent’s helicopter, leaving Hunham with just one student, the angsty Angus Tully (Dominic Sessa) along with the school’s cook Mary Lamb (Da’Vine Joy Randolph).

The forced interactions between Hunham and Tully lead to a series of episodes on and off campus, some with other school staff and townies. Mary Lamb is mourning the recent loss of her son in Vietnam. Her interplay with the two men becomes a bigger part of the story than is signaled early on.

Through their time in close quarters with one another, portions of their backstories are revealed, some with surprising details. Without tipping too much of the story line, there are risks taken by each of the three that bring about, um, interesting outcomes.

This performance ranks among Paul Giamatti’s best and he is an actor who has played numerous memorable roles. My wife and I enjoyed Randolph as a sassy police detective in Only Murders In The Building. And Sessa is a rookie in his first movie appearance!

The Holdovers is directed by Alexander Payne who also directed two of my favorite films, The Descendants and Nebraska. Sideways (also with Giamatti) and Election are also highlights of his resumé. The original screenplay is by David Hemingson. It is rated R for language.

(The film’s wintry setting has helped me get ready for some snowfall. And credit to all concerned for avoiding any anachronisms. It looks like 1970.)

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