'Alita: Battle Angel' A Review

Alita: Battle Angel is a scifi action movie based on the Gunnm manga series. Five hundred years in the future after a catastrophic war called "The Fall" the Earth is devastated. In a junk yard in Iron City cybernetic surgeon Dr. Ido(Christoph Waltz) discovers a comatose amnesiac cyborg which he repairs and names after his deceased daughter, Alita(Rosa Salazar). She befriends a charming but compromised street kid Hugo(Keean Johnson) and as she begins to remember who she is she is hunted by the corrupt forces that run the city.

Although packed with some series talent- Waltz, Jennifer Connelly Mahershala Ali, and Jackie Earle Haley to name a few- the performances are almost unilaterally stilted and dull. This can mostly be put at the feet of the screenwriters as the story is incredibly convoluted and allots little to no actual time for character development, not to mention the dialogue is worse and more obvious than day-time soap operas. Salazar puts in an enthusiastic performance as Alita but it's an uphill battle she cannot surmount, perhaps if it wasn't motion capture she could do more but the terrible plotting along with the veneer of CGI she's unable to make much of an impression.

Visually the movie is impressive no real surprise from director Robert Rodriguez, unfortunately there is nothing much else to bolster it up. The world-building, crucial in a genre piece, is virtually non-existent, when there are attempts at flushing out the society and setting in which the characters inhabit it is so muddled and half-hearted it further confuses as opposed to enriching the action taking place.

Similar to last year's Ready Player One this is all sizzle no steak, eye-poping visuals with no real characters within them, a story so thin and underbaked it plays like video game cut scene from a C-list RPG.

Stream It.

Valentine's Day Poem

I'll be with you
till the end of time
our paths forever
intertwined
as we age
come what may
partners today
and every other

'Cold Pursuit' A Review

Cold Pursuit is a black comedy revenge movie about a snowplow driver Nels(Liam Neeson) in ski resort town Kehoe, CO whose son is killed by gangsters who he then begins to kill one by one inadvertently starting a turf war between two Denver based drug dealers Viking(Tom Bateman) and White Bull(Tom Jackson).

There is no denying Neeson is a movie star, his mere presence is watchable, and clearly the past decade have produced a series of successes for him with variations on the growling, vengeful, paternal force. But after a dozen or so movies the ability to engage with basically the same story line and character over and over has worn thin. Bateman as the man heavy is starkly miscast and is not really intimidating, funny, or engaging he's just kind of boring and the fact much of the bloated run time is spent developing his character, such as it is, is quite bizarre. Jackson as the other heavy is wonderful as is his gang of Native thugs but unfortunately the characters aren't given much screen time or much to do. Emmy Rossum as the local detective, Laura Dern as Nels wife, and Julia Jones as Viking's ex-wife are all great but are criminally underutilized.

The problems with the movie are many fold but the most egregious is its tone. It shoots for something like 8 Heads In A Duffel Bag crossed with Snatch which is kind of bizarre because the prevelance of the Tartinto lite film is about twenty years in the review and tastes and cinema have progressed significantly since then. Regardless, the almost flippant comic violence and total eschewing of any kind of emotional reality doesn't particularly work and its not even rigidly adhered to. There are funny scenes and poignant scenes and natural panoramas and existential monologues all smashed together in the hopes that simply putting them next to each other will make them fit. There's no consistency. This coupled with the fact that there are so many characters none, even Neeson's Nels, is really focused on and as such there is no real investment in the story nor effect when the long series of deaths begin.

An adaptation of a Norwegian movie that is seemingly aping a certain foregone late 90's American aesthetic the result is a weird jumbled semi-coherent mess with a couple scenes that really grab you. Worth a watch only on a sick day or a lazy Sunday.

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'The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part' A Review

Lego Movie 2: The Second Part is an animated family adventure film, a sequel to the 2014 surprise hit. The story picks up at the end of the previous film when the dad(Will Farrell) lets both his kids Finn and the younger Bianca play with his Legos causing a confrontation in the Lego-world of the characters. Five years past and Emmet(Chris Pratt) and Lucy(Elizabeth Banks) are living in a post-apocalyptic wasteland which is under constant attack from aliens. A number of master builders including Lucy are abducted and taken to the Systar System in order for Queen Watevra Wa-Nabi(Tiffany Haddish) to wed Batman(Will Arnett) and avoid Our-Mom-Ageddon. Sound convoluted? It's even more so!

The majority of the voice cast return from the original and all put in respectable performances however some of the magic is worn off and a focus on the convoluted stuffed-to-the-gills plot rather than character doesn't allow them to go beyond the surface as far as performance. Because of time and over exposure as well as the visibility of his personal life Pratt no longer has the everyman charm that was his most bankable asset. He is sufficient in his return to Emmet but not particularly engaging, the believability and engagement of his naive optimism being a crucial part of the success of the first installment this flounders given that void. Haddish is a wonderful addition to the cast and has two thrilling musical numbers but ultimately is underutilized.

Visually the film has outstripped its predecessor with more complicated and compelling animation however the plot is exceptionally convoluted to the point of incomprehension. The moral heart of the previous film was a slow burn with the reveal at the end bolstering it whereas here the "real world" intrudes from the beginning and instead of heightening it distracts and the moral sibling rivalry and indifference transforming into love and cooperation is manufactured rather than organic and thus lacks any real effect.

Entertaining and fun but lacking some of the magic and much of the heart of the original.

Rent It.

Hold The Door

Perhaps
in our age
the scales have tipped
from kindness to cruelty

Perhaps
hand-held technologies
have usurped attention
and eroded respect

However
at my large and faceless office
all make an effort
to hold the elevator door

And perhaps
this small courtesy is one of many
that have defied
the tides of incivility

'Free Solo' A Review

Free Solo is a documentary about free solo climber Alex Honnold and chronicles his preparation and attempt to free solo El Cap in Yosemite National Park. The film follows Alex as he trains and occasionally diverges to show his humanitarian and outreach work as well as his romantic and familial relationships. The film culminates in his death-defying climb.

The cinematography and the nature and climbs its captures are all breathtaking, the visual achievement is impressive as are the physical acts of Honnold. The film falls short when investigating Honnold as a subject, who has a complicated history and personality which the film only tangentially engages with. It raises questions- the purpose and potential mortality of this particular career as well as its interpersonal effects and implications- but doesn't really answer them. For a feature length film Honnold isn't particularly engaging- his refusal of introspection, his questionable views of relationships, a couple cringeworthy comments about women, and a very clear and deliberate reserve- make for an initially intriguing but ultimately unfulfilling portrait. His physical prowess and accomplishments are impressive but as the film goes on his personality tends to grate. Perhaps his healthy ego and isolation are a part of what makes him an exceptional climber however this is not addressed in a satisfactory way. There is an attempt at investigating who Honnold is and what makes him tick but in the end that thread of the film is abandoned for the exhilaration and coolness of the climb.

Nature, as arguably the second lead in the film, is also underdeveloped. The attitude, again, is one of reserve, one of surmounting and dominating rather than communing with. This certainly is a matter of taste and perspective but for a career and the central act contingent upon the natural world the film does not engage with it much.

Interesting to a point but for a more complete and contemplative exploration of a man who interacts with nature this year provided the superior Leaning Into The Wind.

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'The Kid Who Would Be King' A Review

The Kid Who Would Be King is a family fantasy movie, a retelling of the Arthurian legend on the context of the modern day. The movie opens on an animated sequence summarizing the story of King Arthur then a cut to modern day detailing the numerous very real political and social turmoil the world is in. It then introduces Alex(Louis Ashbourne Serkis) a normal middle class kid trying to adjust to his burgeoning adolescence. Before school he saves his best friend Bedders(Dean Chaumoo) from school bullies Lance(Tom Taylor) and Kaye(Rhianna Doris) but is chased by them after detention. He hides in a construction site and discovers and withdraws Excalibur from a concrete block. With the once and future king now chosen by the sword old advisory Morgana(Rebecca Ferguson) gains strength to attempt a take over and aged wizard Merlin(Angus Imrie/Patrick Stewart) emerges from the ether to aid Alex in his quest to defend the realm.

Serkis plays the grounded, idealistic, every-kid with ease and provides a stable yet light optimistic center for the film to revolve around. Chaumoo plays his sweet, earnest sidekick who provides a lot of heart and occasionally much needed comic relief. Taylor and Doris, who become Alex's knights, are both decent but aren't as fully flushed out, this doesn't detract and they still have character arcs but they are moved through with efficiency and focus. Imrie is the one who takes some real swings with some deliciously bizarre and over-the-top eccentricities he imbues into the character. Stewart, always a joy to see, only really appears to provide exposition so is a tad underutilized however in a story with kids about kids the fact the Imrie personifies the character for the majority of the run time is a good decision. Ferguson doesn't have a ton of screen time but she clearly relishes the opportunity, and we enjoy, her portrayal of the evil witch.

A great soundtrack, proficient visual effects, and beautiful locals make, if not a great film then a competent and entertaining adventure with an old school yet refreshing moral. The Arthurian legend has seen countless adaptations and remains part of pop culture consciousness and it deserves the occasional refresh. This iteration comes at a great time. In our divisive times the message of sincerity, courage, and goodness is needed more than ever. And this story which empowers kids and advocates for courtesy and humility(implicitly, rarely explicitly its still a popcorn movie) feels rare in this age of children's entertainment based on superheros, animation, and/or short attention spans.

Rent It.