mini-reviews

Rather than do my standard extended essay about one movie I've seen recently, I thought I'd do something different and give little blurbs about several movies I've recently seen.  This way, you can get the gist of what the movie's about, and whether it's recommended, without having to slog through a lot of philosophizing on my part.  As per popular film critics, I'll even provide star ratings:

zero stars = Avoid at all costs!

★ = pretty bad, but with some possible redeeming value if you really, really look for it

★★ = has merit, but not worthy of a recommendation

★★★ = a sort-of flawed but ultimately enjoyable film (recommended)

★★★★ = glowing recommendation

All Superheroes Must Die -- ★★★ -- What happens when you take a talented writer, give him almost no budget, he spends almost all the money on hiring professional actors (though certainly not celebrities) and then tell him to make a high-concept film?  To be sure, the Internet is filled with examples of this scenario, but All Superheroes Must Die is a delight, sure to please superhero fans as well as admirers of plain old good script-writing.  The concept involves four superheroes who wake up in a seemingly abandoned small town, unsure of how they got there.  They quickly realize that their superpowers have vanished, and that, even without their powers, they must face a series of challenges devised by criminal genius Rickshaw in order to rescue innocent civilians (including the sister of one of the heroes) whom he has taken prisoner.

The "no powers" twist allows director/writer Jason Trost (who also plays the heroes' leader) to focus less on spectacle and more on dialogue and the relationships between the four superheroes.  The nature of heroism itself, as well as its limitations, is explored.  In short, this is a "thinking man's' superhero movie" (or a thinking woman's superhero movie, either way).  But make no mistake, there's plenty of action and suspense as well!

Minor quibbles:  A minor, pointless plot twist at the end makes absolutely no sense, and while it doesn't have much of an impact on the movie as a whole, it also poked a hole in the plot for no reason.  Also, the use of four-letter words seems jarringly out of place in this type of movie, as foul language is so rarely used in superhero films.  Still, the intriguing plot and highly intelligent script make this a highly entertaining film.  Available via Amazon Instant Play and Netflix.

Comic-Con Episode IV:  A Fan's Hope -- ★★★★ -- Morgan Spurlock, best known for his McDonald's documentary Super Size Me!, turns his attention to Comic-Con, an annual convention for fans of comic books, fantasy, and science fiction.  Interviews include celebrities both in these fields (Joss Whedon, Stan Lee, etc.) and in the mainstream (Seth Rogen, Kenneth Branagh), but the focus is on several particular convention attendees -- including two would-be comic book artists looking to break into the business, a comic book shop owner who must sell a priceless comic in order to save his business, a brilliant young costume designer who hopes to dazzle people by submitting several entries to the annual Comic-Con costume contest, and a young man who met his girlfriend at a previous Comic-Con and hopes to propose to her at the current event.  By emphasizing the personal experiences of the film's subjects, Spurlock allows us to get to know how these people think and feel, shining an affectionate light on individuals who might otherwise be thought of as outsiders.  This is just a highly entertaining film -- and the Kevin Smith monologue about what he would say to his younger self about Comic-Con is just plain hilarious!  Available via Amazon Instant Play.

Django Unchained -- ★★★★ -- Maybe I'm a bit biased here, as I'm a fan of Quentin Tarantino.  But with this combination of beautiful cinematography, fun celebrity cameos, and sometimes brilliant dialogue, it should be hard for even a fair-minded critic to avoid recommendation.  The story involves Django (Jamie Foxx), a black man rescued from slavery in the 19th Century south, and recruited to team up with a bounty hunter (delightfully played by Christoph Waltz) in the Deep South and Old West.  The result is an effective mixture of genres, an action-comedy-drama Western, with hints of a love story, thanks to Django's quest to reunite with his wife (who was also sold into slavery, but to a different owner).

Django may be the central character, but the best roles go to Waltz, whose natural eloquence is perfectly captured by Tarantino's script, and Leonardo DiCaprio, whose sense of Southern honor and gentility sharply contrasts with his cruelty as a slave-holder who enjoys watching slaves get torn limb from limb, either in forced death matches, or by dogs trained to attack runaways.

Some people may object to this film's foul language (especially the use of the word "nigger") and brutal violence, but both are absolutely necessary, the first to maintain a cultural and historical accuracy (slave traders surely didn't refer to their slaves as "African-American") and the latter to illustrate the pure sadism of slavery; here we see that not all slave-owners kept their slaves purely out of financial necessity, but often as an excuse to commit heinous acts of cruelty and barbarism on fellow human beings.  This is not just Tarantino using violence for exploitation's sake, it's an important message and theme of the film.  Currently in theaters.

Flight  -- ★★ -- Denzel Washington.  Don Cheadle.  John Goodman.  These are all highly captivating, and highly talented, performers, and teaming them with director Robert Zemeckis seems like an idea rife with entertainment value.  Alas, after the exciting event that sets the story in motion (a plane crashes, but the astoundingly genius skills of the pilot save almost everyone onboard) the film apparently has nowhere to go.  The movie can't decide whether Captain Whitaker, the pilot character played by Washington, deserves to be treated as either a hero (due to his actions on the plane) or a criminal (due to the fact that he had alcohol and cocaine in his system during the flight).  The supporting characters debate this endlessly without ever getting past extremely superficial declarations ("You're a hero!" exclaims one.  "Does your client know he's going to jail?" asks another.  Etc.) and so we never get any insight into the cultural dilemma of what to do about someone who breaks the rules horrendously and yet commits an act of heroism as a result of it.  A waste of a lot of great talent both behind and in front of the camera.  Currently in theaters, but yet already available on Io.

The Greatest Movie Ever Sold -- ★★★★ -- Another documentary from Morgan Spurlock?  Okay, so this one isn't that new, but watching Comic-Con made me want to re-watch this one, as Spurlock turns his attention to advertising, especially product placement, the practice of sneaking (sometimes not so sneakily) advertisements into the content of movies, TV, and other forms of art.  The concept that drives the film's narrative is that Spurlock wants to find commercial sponsors for his next movie -- which itself is about his quest to find commercial sponsors for his next movie.  In the process, Spurlock interviews advertising execs, consumer protection advocates, and random people on the street.  Spurlock's sense of humor pervades the film throughout, without ever becoming disrespectful or intrusive (as opposed to, say, the style of Michael Moore).  This makes an interesting double-bill with Comic-Con, which treats its subjects with obvious affection, while The Greatest Movie Ever Sold has a much more "tongue in cheek" feel.  One notable contrast:  Spurlock himself is the main character in Greatest Movie, while  he never appears at all, not even as an interviewer's voice, in Comic-Con.  Available via Amazon Instant Play and Netflix.

Safety Not Guaranteed -- ★★★ -- This highly entertaining mixture of quiet drama and quirky comedy stars unknown young actress Aubrey Plaza as Darius Britt, a journalism intern who accompanies a boss and another intern on an investigation into who could have possibly posted an unsigned classified ad seeking a companion for a time travel adventure.  This being a movie set in the real world, the possibility that the time travel is legit is promptly dismissed, but magazine reporter Jeff Schwensen thinks that the eccentric who posted the ad might be good for a few laughs in a curiosity piece.  Instead, however, Jeff immediately gets distracted by other goals, such as reuniting with a lost love, leaving Darius to investigate the would-be time traveler on her own.  The relationship that develops between Darius and her subject, Kenneth, is the main concern of the film.  Available via Netflix.

The Squid and the Whale -- no stars -- This movie boasts Jeff Daniels and Jesse Eisenberg in the main cast, and Noah Baumbach -- the occasional writing partner of the brilliant Wes Anderson -- behind the camera, so you'd think it'd be worth watching.  But this drama about a family torn apart by divorce is both superficial and mind-numbingly boring.  The always captivating Daniels himself is the only reason to watch this movie, but even he's not up to the challenge of making his one-dimensional character interesting.  Available via Amazon Instant Play and Netflix -- but don't waste your time.

Stand-up Guys -- ★★★ -- After spending decades in the joint, "Val" Valentine is released from prison, only to learn that his best friend, mafia hitman Doc, has been assigned to kill him.  No hard feelings; Val understands that Doc is just following orders, and doesn't take it personally at all.  Together, Doc and Val decide to have one more night of adventure and fun, out on the town, before Doc pulls the trigger.

As Val, Al Pacino is pretty much the whole movie.  Yes, Christopher Walken, who plays Doc, shares equal billing and screen time, and is usually a powerful screen presence.  But here -- and this is not a complaint, mind you, just an observation of the character -- he lacks the spark of most Christopher Walken characters.  No, Pacino is pretty much the whole show, although a few supporting characters do get moments to shine, particularly Alan Arkin in an extended cameo (a role much smaller than the ads would have you believe) as an elderly, retired getaway driver who turns out to still have more than a bit of the old magic in him.  Currently in theaters.