EYG Top 10 WWII Movies Based on True Story

Posted on August 29, 2018 by Doc

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Hey, welcome back to the EYG Top 10 list based on the Top 10 Show’s weekly podcast. This week’s show featuring John Rocha and Matt Knost was the Top 10 Movies Based on A True Story.

When I first saw this category, I thought this would be one where I could not get ten films. I am not the biggest fan of World War II movies and I knew that there would be films on Matt and John’s lists that I have not seen (for example: Patton, Letters from Iwo Jima, A King’s Speech, Downfall etc).

However, I was able to scrape out ten films so I am going to go ahead and do the list. Thing is, there are some films on the top ten list here that I am just not much of a fan of. In fact, I would say that a good chunk of this list would be considered films that I only mildly like (if not even basically do not like). It had to be done though.

#10. Dunkirk. Starting here, I am not a fan of this movie, but I do respect some of the technical aspects of the film. I did see this movie in IMAX and the sound was just so powerful that it was shaking my body and made me almost ill. I could feel the film in my stomach and it was just an unpleasant viewing experience. That may have severely altered my opinion on the film and that may not be fair. It may even be one of the things that Christopher Nolan was going for when he made the film. I just did not want to physically feel that way in the theater so it was down my list. It will still make the list though.

#9. Zookeeper’s Wife. Here is the next film that is, at best, an okay film. It would have some great performances from Jessica Chastain and Daniel Bruhl. The film tells the story of the Warsaw Zoo and Antonina Zabinski and her husband, Dr. Jan Zabinski who ran the zoo prior to its overtaking by the Nazis. The Zabinskis worked in the resistance and helped many Jews and animals to escape the clutches of the Nazis.

#8. Unbroken. Another average film, directed by Angelina Jolie. This tells the story of Olympic athlete Louis “Louie” Zamperini whose plane crashes in the ocean. He survives 47 days adrift and then is captured by the Japanese. Winding up in a POW camp, Louie was targeted by the commander because of his fame and his strength. But as the title must tell you, he makes it through the ordeal unbroken. This could have been a much better film than it turned out, but it was a strong performance from Jack O’Connell.

#7. Fury. Matt may have poo-pooed this choice when Jon tried to throw it in as a replacement pick, but I am keeping it on the list. It is made up of a collection of true stories from real life Army veterans who spent their time in tanks. It may not be based on a singular story, but that should not affect the choice. However, it was another film on this list that was, for me, at best , okay. It definitely has a great cast of actors here and there is distinct drama in the tale.

#6. Saving Private Ryan. Okay, truth time. I may have only seen this once and it was years ago. In fact, I do not remember much about it, but I know it has a stellar cast and it has scenes that are as realistic as any you have seen. I love Tom Hanks, as everybody does and the film is a really solidly created movie.

#5. Imitation Game. Again, this movie is a great performance from Benedict Cumberbatch, and that performance elevates the remainder of the film. Cumberbatch played Cambridge mathematics alumnus Alan Turing to crack German codes, which included the believed to be unbreakable Enigma code. However, the end was not good for Turning as he was revealed as gay and he was hauled off to prison. He ended up committing suicide. Tough end for a man who helped the Allied Powers win World War II.

#4. Allied. Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard play spies during World War II and they fall in love. They wind up getting married, but the questions continue to be asked… is she still a spy and just using him? The love story is strong and the performances are outstanding.

#3. Darkest Hour. This is another movie that is elevated by a remarkable performance, which seems to be a theme among this list. This time, the performance is Gary Oldman playing Winston Churchill. This is the better, in my opinion, of the movies involving the removal of troops from Dunkirk, but it is best because of the Oscar winning performance of Gary Oldman. The scene of Churchill on the train with the normal people was just as charming and touching as you could find.

Image result for hacksaw ridge #2. Hacksaw Ridge. I loved this movie. The first half of the film was all setting up our character, Pfc. Desmond T. Doss, played beautifully by Andrew Garfield. Doss was a conscientious objector to the violence of the war and he fought to not have to carry a gun. He won that right and his platoon mates hated him for it. However, no one hated him after he would run into fire to pull out injured soldiers. The second half of this movie was as brutal and fetus position-inducing of a film that I have ever seen. The heroism of Desmond Doss should never be forgotten.

#1. Schindler’s List. This one was a no-brainer. It was the first film that I thought about when this topic came up. It was the most emotional film that I have seen, maybe ever. It was Steven Spielberg’s classic that starred Liam Neeson as Oskar Schindler, a German businessman who was out to make a fortune, only to discover the horrors of the concentration camps on the Jewish population. Schindler attempted to save as many Jewish people form the camps as he could. The devastating scene where Oskar broke down because he found a medal on the ground that could have bought the freedom of a few more people was just poignant as could be. This is a movie that strikes at the heart and is one of the best works ever put to screen.

Rebecca (1940)

Posted on August 27, 2018 by Doc

Continuing to work on the gaps in my Alfred Hitchcock film series, I pulled up Rebecca, the Academy Award winner in 1941. I heard the movie’s name mentioned during the Movie Trivia Schmoedown as the only film Hitchcock directed that would win Best Picture so I put it on the list.

This was a well-deserving Oscar winner. The film was tremendous. I loved just about everything about it. The story was mysterious and engaging. The acting was wonderfully strong. The tone of the film had that suspenseful feel that was so obviously Hitchcock. The twists of the plot were well done and came from the story. It made sense even though you did not expect it. I really enjoyed this movie.

Wealthy Maxim de Winter (Laurence Olivier) meets up with a shy and self-doubting woman and they get married. However, it appeared that de Winter has been carrying a flame for his dead wife, Rebecca, who died in a boating accident the year before. After they get married, the couple returned to his home, Manderley, where he had lived with Rebecca and where several servants still held loyalty to their former mistress.

Joan Fontaine played the new wide, Mrs. de Winter, whose first name is never revealed. She does a great job playing that self-doubt that is really attacked by the staff, in particular, Mrs. Danvers (Judith Anderson). Mrs. Danvers, who was Rebecca’s personal housekeeper, was quite a creepy character who played on the young lady’s insecurities in her anger and jealousy.

Then the story takes a twist that caught me off guard. I really enjoyed the twist and it turned the whole film’s narrative on its ear.

The black and white film brought such a series of wonderful imagery that it helped play into the tone of the film.

This is right up there with my favorite Hitchcock films.

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2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

Posted on August 26, 2018 by Doc

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I got a chance to see 2001: A Space Odyssey today for the first time ever and, man, what a trippy film to watch. I am really not sure exactly what I saw.

2001 was being re-released in IMAX theaters for a week and I was anxious to see it. I mean, I knew of the film, the way the AI Hal 9000 took control of the space station and would not follow instructions of the humans any longer, leading to some dramatic events, but that was just a part of the film.

Based on Arthur C. Clarke’s story The Sentinel, 2001: A Space Odyssey stretched what a film’s narrative structure was and how a film was presented. This was a bold chance taken by Stanley Kubrick, the film’s director, but it reached a new level of filmmaking. Not every scene worked, and honestly, there were some sections that were somewhat dull, but the originality at the time cannot be ignored.

It starts at the dawn of man and ends up going through the weirdest light show you can imagine. It is all really about (I believe) the evolution of the human species, as only Stanley Kubrick can see it. All this plus large black monoliths floating in space and buried in the earth.

There is no doubt that the special effects were amazing and WAY beyond its time. The film is literally a visual odyssey through every imagined acid trip possible. The music was awe-inspiring as well. Even more than just the music, the use (or non-use as the case may be) of sound was as brilliant as any movie has ever done. The sound kept the audience off guard and downright anxious. This film is a technical masterpiece. Art at its highest level.

Hal 9000 is a great villain as well, but it still was a difficult thing when he was basically begging Dave for his life near the end of the film. That made Hal very human and allowed us to understand his motives for his evil actions.

2001: A Space Odyssey felt too long, but the beauty of what was seen and heard out weighed any nagging issues over the narrative structure. There is a reason why this is seen as one of the all time classic films ever made. If you get a chance to see the film on an IMAX screen, take advantage of it. It is a beautiful event, even if parts of the film are a tad boring.

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The Happytime Murders

Posted on August 25, 2018 by Doc

I have seen a lot of hate for this movie, including some people calling this the worst movie of the year. I am not sure what version of this film they were watching because, in my opinion, The Happytime Murders is a decent comedy. It was far better than I was expecting after hearing so much hatred directed towards it.

That does not make this a great movie, because there are definite flaws here, but I spent most of the film being entertained and laughing.

In a world where puppets and humans live together, there was once a children’s television program called The Happytime Gang. Unfortunately, the cast could not handle the sudden success and fell on hard times. Years later, the show was coming back in syndication and the cast was set to make big bucks.

Trouble was, someone started killing the mostly puppet cast members. One of the cast members was Phil Phillips’ brother, Larry. Phil was a current private investigator and a disgraced former police officer, the last puppet allowed to be a police officer. With his brother’s death, Phil got involved in the case, along with his former partner Connie Edwards (Melissa McCarthy), who had a falling out years prior with Phil over a standoff that went horribly wrong.

The promotion for this movie wanted to make sure that they were clear that this movie, despite having puppets in the starring roles, was not meant for kids. It is a crude, crass film with many sexual and drug jokes. And while I agree this is not for children, The Happytime Murders was not the crudest and most raunchy film I have seen. In fact, I would say, with the exception of a few notable scenes, that the high percentage of The Happytime Murders was more about puppets swearing, puppets smoking or puppets being inappropriate.

In fact, the movie was more of a noir type detective style film, like many of the 1980s films (complete with voice over). I can see this film as being if Who Framed Roger Rabbit met Sausage Party.

The mystery of the murders that was happening was actually reasonably engaging for me as was the enigmatic moment from Phil’s past that, not only cost him his badge, but also any future puppet theirs. I thought Phil ( who was brought to life by legendary puppeteer Bill Barretta) and Melissa McCarthy were great together. I bought everything between the two of them.

The film was pretty funny, but I do think that the funniest parts of the movie had already been released in the trailer. The silly string scene, of course, is the most risque part of the film. Do all of the jokes hit? Absolutely not, but I would say that more that not, the jokes were successful.

The film raises some ideas such as puppets being considered second class citizens and must deal with racism everyday. While the idea was brought up, it was simply never paid off. It was a side that could have elevated the film to more of a satire status instead of a simple buddy cop movie with some dirty jokes. Unfortunately, the racism bit along with most of the movie stayed on the superficial level without going very deep.

Brian Henson, son of EYG Hall of Famer Jim Henson, directed this movie and it was released by HA (which stands for Henson Alternative). You could feel that there are some scenes that Brian wanted to include as a jab at the Muppets, which he could never do this type of movie with. Despite that, the puppeteering is amazing in the film and remains at the top level that any Muppet movie would be proud to include.

You may think that the joke of puppets dropping the F bomb and having sex will get old after awhile, and I can understand why some people may make that criticism. However, I found the story itself interesting enough to keep me invested in what was happening, even if the swearing puppets would not maintain throughout. This type of humor has never been a personal favorite, but I think this was done well enough for me to enjoy it as the story was better than I anticipated. Again, I do not know why this film has gotten so much hatred in the critic corner, but I thought it was a fast and fun 90 minute film.

If you like raunchy humor, there is enough here to scratch that itch. If that type of humor offends you, you may want to skip over The Happytime Murders

3.4 stars

EYG Top 10 Police Comedies

Posted on August 22, 2018 by Doc

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This week’s Top 10 Show is featuring the Top 10 Police Comedies, in honor of the release of this weekend’s The Happytime Murders.

Some of the lower films on this list are films that I feel are okay, but not great. Comedies can be difficult because what is funny is so subjective that what one person thinks is funny can be completely unfunny to others. For example, one of the films that could have made this list, Super Troopers, is a film that I find stupid.

And it has to be police, not private eyes, FBI, spies etc. Police officers/cops.

Top 10 Police Comedies.

#10. Police Academy. Most of the sequels were terrible and really went too far, but the original Police Academy was a funny movie with Steve Guttenberg. Sound effect star Michael Winslow was always remarkably entertaining too. It is not a great movie by any stretch but it is a funny movie and movies that make me laugh can cover the flaws. And Police Academy covered its flaws well.

#9. Dragnet. Tom Hanks and Dan Aykroyd star in the movie remake of an older television program from the 1950s. Aykroyd played Joe Friday, the uptight no-nonsense police officer who teams with new partner Pep Streebeck, a smart alack free-wheeling cop. Together they have to investigate a weird cult in order to save the virgin Connie Swail. It was funny and the pairing of Aykroyd and Hanks was very solid with strong chemistry. The film is not great, but it was entertaining enough.

#8. 22 Jump Street. I am one of those people who did not like 21 Jump Street. Yes, everyone else seemed to love that movie, but I did not. However, I found the sequel to the film considerably more entertaining. I especially loved the ending compilation for Jump Streets #23 on. There was some serious creativity in this section. Then, when Channing Tatum found out that Jonah Hill had sex with Ice T’s (their captain) daughter, the scene is as funny as anything on this list.

#7. Running Scared. This film may not be as much of a comedy as some of the others on this list, but with Billy Crystal in the film, the dialogue is well written and the humor is natural. The combination of Billy Crystal and Gregory Hines was great as they were hoping to retire from the street cops and retire to Florida.

#6. Zootopia. Judy Hopps is a police officer, and she became the first police officer that is a rabbit. She meets up with the fox Nick Wilde to attempt to solve a mysterious case in Zootopia. There is a lot in Zootopia that is aimed at adults. There is some drug jokes that are very funny and would have gone over the heads of the kids in the audience. Disney had another winner with Zootopia.

#5, The Heat. Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock are fantastic together. Melissa McCarthy is a foul-mouthed, unlikable police detective and Sandra Bullock is a by the book investigator who is exceptional. Together, this odd couple provide a ton of laughs as they work together to solve their case. The comedy in this movie is one of the best of McCarthy’s career. Paul Feig directed The Heat. He worked on several films with McCarthy.

#4. A Shot in the Dark. Inspector Clouseau, played by EYG Hall of Famer Peter Sellers, is in his prime in this, the second Pink Panther movie. Clouseau is convinced that the beautiful maid, whom everybody else believed is guilty of murder, is innocent and he is determined to solve the case… despite the opposition of his own captain. Peter Sellers is a gifted comedic performer and his slapstick performances here are as great as you will ever see.

#3. Kindergarten Cop. This is one of the most unlikely successful Arnold Schwarzenegger movies you are going to find. When his partner gets sick, Arnold must go undercover as a kindergarten teacher to find the son of a killer who is hiding from his father. The interactions with Arnold and the kids in the school were wonderful and was one of the films that helped me choose the profession of teacher. The ending was also great and I can remember wondering how this was going to work out. And I still use the line “It’s not a tumor” in every day life.

#2. Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad. Based on a short lived ABC television show, Naked Gun was a unbelievably funny film. Leslie Nielsen plays Frank Drebin, a police officer who has to go to huge extremes to try and stop a mysterious crime from happening. A mysterious crime that happens to involve Reggie Jackson. Frank as the umpire in the baseball game is just amazingly funny. The film also featured OJ Simpson, Ricardo Montalban and Priscilla Presley.

#1. Beverly Hills Cop. Eddie Murphy and one of the films that sent him into the stratosphere. Eddie Murphy played Axel Foley and he went to Beverly Hills to investigate the murder of one of his closest friends in Detroit. Murphy was the fish out of water type of character as he watched the weirdness of California everywhere. He met the two police officers, Rosewood and Taggart, whom Axel could not understand. Beverly Hills Cop works as a comedy, an action movie, a buddy cop movie. Axel Foley is quick witted and smart alack cop and he is really on a roll. Eddie Murphy becomes a massive star from this. Plus, cameo from Weird Al is always a great thing.

Honorary Mention: 48 Hours, The Naked Gun: 33 1/3: The Final Insult, Beverly Hills Cop 2, Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear.

EYG23

Aliens (1986)

Posted on August 19, 2018 by Doc

Holy S%$^

Ripley, you are one badass mamma!

It had been too long since I saw the Ripley Scott film Alien and James Cameron’s Aliens so I watched Alien yesterday and it was great. Then, since Aliens was 155 minutes long, I waited until today to watch it.

Holy S%$#

This thing was just completely insane. I do not remember being this tense or ridden with anxiety the last time I watched this film.

Aliens was just tremendous. I liked it even more than the first one.

Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) was found 57 years later, still floating in her cryo-sleep on her escape vehicle after the first film. Returned to civilization, the Company did not believe the story that she told about surviving the alien and having to blow the compound up. However, when the moon LV-426 where Ripley’s team originally landed, picking up the alien had been colonized and contact lost, a team was sent to scout and rescue whom they could. Ripley was asked to go along, but she did not want to go. Unable to escape the nightmares, she finally decided to join the search as long as they were there to wipe the creatures out of existence.

This film is more of an action/adventure film than a science fiction film, though it still can be categorized as such. I liked the crew that accompanied Ripley this time, including the android Bishop (Lance Henriksen) who Ripley did not trust, weaselly Company man Burke (Paul Reiser), Corporal Hicks (Michael Biehn), Hudson (the late, great Bill Paxton), and Vasquez (Jenette Goldstein). The cat is replaced in this film by Newt (Carrie Henn) the sole survivor of the outpost- a little girl who has survived in the vents. These characters meant more to me than the ones in the first film so, for those that would not make it, I felt more of a loss.

I found myself yelling at the screen, supporting Ripley as she ripped through the situations she gets dropped into. Showing just how capable and kick ass she truly was. I threw my fist into the air as Ripley yelled at the Alien Queen, who was trying to kill Newt, “Get away from her, you bitch!” What a perfect moment. And while that line of dialogue could be seen as corny or over-the-top, it is delivered so perfectly by Weaver and is such a release of pent up frustration and anger for both Ripley and the audience, it is a perfect moment.

Again, I knew the end result of the film, but it had been long enough that much of the film was a refresher. I remembered more about this film though than I did the first one prior to the re-watch.

The core of this movie is Ripley. She is, not only, bad ass, she is extremely smart. Remember how she was right in the first film and none of this would be happening had they listened to her? She puts that quick brain on display here as much as she puts her bad ass self. She is commanding, dominant and powerful in her opinions and damn those who may be in her way. I loved how she stood up to the brazen Marines at the start and how she was able to overcome her own desperate fears to become an icon of female power. She is the ultimate female action hero in movies and she is truly the total package. Plus, she can run the exo-suit cargo loader like a boss!

The film is a great looking film, even though there are a few moments where the green screen was apparent. Still, for 1986, this is an impressive feat.

It is a remarkable film. It sits at 98% on Rotten Tomatoes out of 66 reviews there was only one dissenter. I wondered who that was, because I couldn’t believe that someone went against this. It was Gene Siskel of all people. Wild.

This was an amazing film. I do not remember being this amazed by it when I first watched it so I am truly glad I got to see it again on HBO. I think this one has found its way into my favorite films of all time.

“Game over, man. Game over.”

paragon

Alien (1979)

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Doc

Ridley Scott’s classic horror movie set in space, Alien was on the agenda today and I enjoyed it a great deal. I had not seen the whole film in along time so it was very much fresh viewing.

Of course, Ripley was right. Every time she said something in the movie, she was spot on. If what she said was followed, they all would have survived.

Unless, of course, that pesky robot wrecked it for them.

Sigourney Weaver created one of the first really kick ass females on the big screen with her role as Ripley. Ripley took care of business and set a standard of female heroes for the next several decades. I did not remember Tom Skerritt ( who I knew as Jimmy Brock from Picket Fences) was in this movie. He was positioned for you to assume that he was the star of the movie, but it was clearly turned out to be Ripley.

The effects are still reasonable and actually increase the terror of the situation. I’m not sure the Xenomorphs would be nearly as frightening had CGI been a thing in 1979. The practical effects here were really exceptional and chilling.

The argument I have heard about Ripley going back for the cat is a silly one. Of course she should have gone back for the cat. She was right about everything so I am with her! Team Ripley!

The movie went at a solid pace, building tension and anxiety the whole time. You are never quite sure what is going to happen next and that feeling of claustrophobia is a real sense. You are filled with it the whole time and when the alien arrived on the shuttle with Ripley the final survivor, you cannot believe what is happening. I knew Ripley survived and I was still nervous and tense the whole time.

And of course, Alien played a huge part in Avengers: Infinity War (thanks Spidey!).

It is a shame that the new Alien movies are no where near as strong as this one is. I will be rewatching Alien 2 either later tonight or tomorrow.

The Rocketeer (1991)

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Doc

My memory of Disney’s The Rocketeer was that I did not like it much. I remember renting the VHS of the film when I was younger and not being a huge fan. After revisiting it today, I found myself in a different mindset.

The Rocketeer was quite a fun ride and my opinion soared to new heights.

Bad puns aside, I found much more enjoyment today than I did when it first came out. While not perfect, The Rocketeer brought that feeling of the old pulpy serials of the 1930s combined with the adventuresome qualities of an Indiana Jones.

Billy Campbell was solid as Cliff Secord, the down-on-his-luck pilot who finds the top secret rocket pack after an accident on his airstrip involving the mob and the FBI. Hoping to use the rocket pack to make some money and get back on his feet, Cliff winds up in the middle of a Nazi plot to use the technology to take over the world. Campbell felt authentic in the role, bringing a quality of heroism and bravery to Cliff. He did that without sacrificing the ability to show that he was still in over his head.

Timothy Dalton was great as Neville Sinclair, the Hollywood movie icon who had a dark secret he was keeping. Alan Arkin played Peevy, Cliff’s close friend and genius mechanic. LOST’s own John Locke himself, Terry O’Quinn played Howard Hughes, the famous philanthropist who designed the rocket pack. Paul Sorvino played Eddie Valentine, local mob boss who is working with Sinclair to find the rocket.

Much of the special effects do not hold up to today’s standards, but I am sure they looked fine for the time. I loved the ending of the film how everything came back around from earlier in the movie and paid off (especially the chewing gum). My favorite moment was when the FBI and the mob teamed up and were shooting at the Nazis. It was an ironic moment and a ton of fun.

Tiny Ron played a fascinating character named Lother, the giant henchman with the rubbery face. I found him intriguing to watch and somewhat frightening as well, but when he was running, there was a comedic aspect to it. He made me think of Frankenstein’s Monster and I did not want him to be shown quite so awkwardly as he was. It is believed that this character was based after a man named Rondo Hatton, the “ugliest man in Hollywood” who appeared in several films in the 40s as henchmen roles and some horror movies.

The movie was based on a comic book by Dan Stevens from the early 1980s.

The Rocketeer was more fun than I remembered and I am glad I watched this one again. There are flaws here and there, but it was a worthwhile watch.

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Crazy Rich Asians

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Doc

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When I first saw this trailer, I dubbed this “50 Shades of Yellow.” Now, having seen the romantic comedy Crazy Rich Asians, I realized that my comment was unfair.

The story of a famously rich man falling in love with a normal girl and them having a whirlwind relationship made me think this was similar to 50 Shades of Gray sans the S&M, but this film is much stronger, funnier and well crafted than the 50 Shades series.

It is also notable for having an entire cast of Asian descent actors. This is a major event for Hollywood that should be considered as socially important as Black Panther was in February.

Rachel (Constance Wu) and Nick (Henry Golding) were a couple living in New York, but Nick had to go home to Singapore for a wedding of his best friend. He decided that this was the perfect time to introduce Rachel to his family. The catch? Nick was truthfully Nick Young, a member of the Young family, incredibly wealthy and royalty-like, and Rachel had no idea. Unfortunately, Nick’s mother Eleanor (Michelle Yeoh) took an immediate dislike of Rachel, not believing that she would be enough for Nick.

This is a typical rom-com, but there are some moments in here that truly elevates it above the genre. One of them is some of the fun and original characters that we meet along the way. Awkwafina steals every scene she is in as Rachel’s college buddy Peik Lin Goh. Awkwafina is just hilarious and you have not seen this type of character before. Ken Jeong is here too as Awkwafina’s father. His role is kept short which helps the shtick from becoming too old. Nico Santos was another actor whose performance as cousin Oliver was so much over the top it was fun.

The relationship between Rachel and Nick is very strong and enjoyable to watch. I like relationships on screen that feel as if they are worth rooting for and this pairing was definitely fun. It wasn’t even as if Nick had done anything wrong during their relationship that led to their separation, which is usually something that happens in rom-coms like these. It was one reason why, despite the ridiculousness of the situations, this felt like a real relationship that had some gravitas.

Both Constance Wu and Henry Golding are great in Crazy Rich Asians. I feel as if both of these actors have a positive career ahead of them after this movie.

The humor in Crazy Rich Asians works more often than it doesn’t and the story is a bit predictable, but the cast does such an admirable job with the material that you don’t realize this is all stuff that you have seen before. And the fact that the cast is fully Asian actors is not something that should be taken lightly. Crazy Rich Asians is an entertaining film that I had a lot of fun with.

3.9 stars

Alpha

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Doc

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After I ripped Dog Days last week, people are going to start accusing me of not liking dogs.

I am a cat person. Still, that does not affect my reviews at all.

Alpha is set 20,000 years ago and shows the domestication of the wolf into the dog, which happens over a few months (Sarcasm, if you cannot tell).

Keda (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is the son of the chief (Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson) of a tribe and the tribe is preparing to head out to hunt the Beast (aka buffalo) before the winter snow arrives. During this hunt, Keda ends up being thrown from off a cliff and left for dead by the tribe. However, the plucky lad survives his fall and meets up with a wolf pack. He is able to stab the alpha wolf in defense causing the others to run away. Instead of putting this wolf out of its misery, Keda decides to nurse it back to health, all the while training the wolf that he was the boss. The wolf slowly understands the lessons and bonds with the boy and they start off in an attempt to return to Keda’s people before the onset of winter.

Let me mention the positives first because there are some. There are some wonderfully shot images of the world that this is taking place in. The cinematography is beautiful and some of the shots appear to be picturesque in execution. Secondly, a lot of the actual relationship stuff between Keda and the wolf, which he names Alpha, work. Sure it is somewhat formulaic, but that is not necessarily a bad thing. The whole a boy and his dog vibe works in several spots in the film. Finally, I did appreciate that they had a language that was not English and the film had subtitles to read. Had Keda been speaking English, it would have made it even more ridiculous than it already was.

The biggest problem I had was that Keda must have been some kind of mutant healer because he went through so much trauma to his body that I did not believe for one minute that he was not already dead. Just in the trailers (which I hated by the way) alone, you see him fall off the cliff, reset a broken leg between a splint, and fall through the ice and go completely under water. There were even more things that happened to him that were not included in the trailers that I won’t spoil. I’m thinking to myself that this kid needed a hospital, but he kept shaking off these potentially crippling and debilitating injuries only to be running from the wolf pack in the next scene.

And he spent way too much time under that ice. I kept thinking about Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” the whole time wondering how he intended not to freeze to death. And he did not even cut open that wolf to sleep inside it a la Leonardo DiCaprio in the Revenant

Thank goodness that Wolverine/Deadpool healing factor kicked in.

Or maybe there is some kind of special healing gusto in eating grubs. They seemed to help both man and wolf after eating them. Yum?

There were several parts of the film that ended up being, basically, a lot of walking. Sure, it was beautifully shot majestic walking, but that doesn’t mean that just walking is good enough. It made that 90 + minute film feel considerably longer.

The film kept taking close up shots of Alpha and, in my own smart-ass way, I kept giving an internal monologue for the wolf which was usually something like “I’m gonna rip his throat out” or “I wonder what this kid tastes like?” Alpha would lend itself to a RiffTrax show.

And I was rolling my eyes so much at the end of this movie with the ridiculousness of the conclusion. The final ten minutes were just terrible even while they were sweet.

I hate these trailers, but I had seen the Rotten Tomato score was in the 80s% so I had hope that I would like this more than the trailers. I did like it more than the trailers, but that is not saying much. It was a well shot film with a nice boy-wolf relationship at the core, but the rest of the film degraded those positives.

When Alpha was howling in pain, I could relate.

2.65 stars

Pandas

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Doc

Pandas

I went into this first thinking it was one of those Disneynature films that come out like once a year. I was confused about it though since I thought that the next one of those coming was about penguins. I dismissed that idea, but when the movie started, it was listed as being from Warner Brothers, which caught me off guard.

Truthfully, I liked this way more than those Disneynature films for a couple of reasons. One, it was fairly short (40 minutes) and two, it was not making up a silly story with a voice over person giving names to random animals in the wilderness and pretending that they were human.

This was an educational documentary about the attempt to release pandas raised in captivity into the wild by using the process of a man who does the same thing with black bears.

The entire film was well done and the way these researchers went about preparing these bears for the return to the wilderness was eminently fascinating. Watching the one researcher bond with the panda cub (which had grown significantly) through a style of play that could be considered roughhouse was amazing.

The film also added its share of drama as we follow this cute panda named Qian Qian on the quest to release her in the wild.

The film was spectacularly shot and the beauty of the cinematography was worth the price of admission alone. You just cannot help but be engaged in what these remarkably cute creatures are doing.

Kristen Bell does provide a voice over, but there is nothing but reality being presented here. Wonderfully shot and short, Pandas had a solid 3D effect in IMAX theaters as well. A good time for the whole family.

3.7 stars

Mile 22

Posted on August 18, 2018 by Doc

Mark Wahlberg and director Peter Berg have teamed up for several really strong films including Lone Survivor, Patriots Day and Deepwater Horizon. Unfortunately, that streak does not continue with the flawed Mile 22.

Mark Wahlberg played James Silva, a terribly damaged individual who worked as an operative in a group for the CIA. Silva’s group was instructed to pick up a “package” in the form of a rogue police officer named Li Noor (Iko Uwais) and escort him to a plane to the United States. The local forces tried to prevent him from leaving. Everyone wanted Li Noor because he had a piece of information that could prevent a terrorist strike.

The movie’s premise is straightforward and simple, but the film through too much garbage at it, trying to make it into more than it should have been. There was a good action movie to be had with just this idea, but this was not it.

The biggest problem with the film is that the action scenes, in particular the fight scenes, were so poorly shot with shaky cam that half the time I was not sure about what was happening, and that was an even bigger shame since Iko Uwais, who was involved in many of them, was the star of The Raid and is a top notch film fight coordinator and he should have been able to give us something truly awesome. Instead the action scenes are impossible to follow or to enjoy since the camera is bouncing all over the place.

I also did not like the characters, specifically Mark Wahlberg’s character. Silva was just about the most unlikable hero you are ever going to see. He rambled on about insanity multiple times through the film and was just basically a jerk. I was so tired of hearing him that I was more interested by Li Noor. Lauren Cohan (Maggie from the Walking Dead) was also here and her character had some development. She at least had a daughter that she wanted to see. However, both of them had desperate anger issues that was going to mess their lives up.

Ronda Rousey was part of Silva’s crew and, though her part was small, she was actually better than she had been before. Admittedly that is a low bar to set, but I was actually impressed with her efforts here. Maybe those promo lessons in the WWE are paying off.

There were some exciting moments of action, but they were few and hard to see. In the end, which has an extremely unsatisfying result meant to set up a sequel (which we will never see), the film was not anywhere near what it could have been and pales even more when compared to the list of films at the beginning of this review.

Mile 22 is far too far to go.

1.9 stars

EYG Top 10 Undercover Movies Based on a True Story

Posted on August 14, 2018 by Doc

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Here we go with another week of The Top 10 Show featuring John Rocha and Matt Knost. This week’s topic came from one of the patreons at the Boss Hogg Level meaning that it did not have an inspiration from the upcoming weekend. It started out as Undercover Movies and then the guys added the addendum to it that it had to be from “based on a true story” films. This made the list a difficult one to muster.

Honestly, there were a bunch of films that I tried to stretch and make it fit the list, but most of them I wound up tossing out. For example, I thought about Trumbo because in it, Trumbo wrote movies under an alias. I know it does not really fit, but I considered it. Other films that I considered but eliminated because they did not really fit the category included All the President’s Men, Hollywoodland, Charlie Wilson’s War, Bridge of Spies, The Imitation Game and Snowden.

Again this week, I was able to watch a couple of classics that I hadn’t seen before that wound up making the list. I will miss this time as next week, I will be unable to do that since school will have restarted. Those will just have to be the films that I have already seen.

Top 10 Undercover Movies that are Based on a True Story.

#10. American Made. Starring Tom Cruise as Barry Seal, a pilot who was recruited by the CIA to fly reconnaissance missions on some countries in Central America. However, Seal wound up doing way more than that as he started flying drugs into the country for Noriega and he became ungodly wealthy. Cruise does his normal solid job, though the film was not a huge success.

#9. Imperium. I had forgotten about this movie completely until the guys brought it up on their show today. Daniel Radcliffe is amazing as Nate Foster, an FBI Agent who had to infiltrate a group of white nationalists. Although the character of Nate Foster is not a real person, the story itself has parts of it that are true and so fits into the category effectively. Toni Collette and Nastor Carbonell also appear in the movie.

#8. American Hustle. One of David O’Russell’s films that is filled with oddball characters and big name celebrities. Jeremy Renner, Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Amy Adams, Robert DeNiro, Michael Pena, and Louis CK are all in the film. It is a dark comedy focusing on Irving Rosenfeld and Sydney Prosser, two con artists who were caught by the FBI and forced into working for them in a sting operation to bring down New Jersey mayor. This is base on the Abscam case.

#7. Snitch. One of the more unusual films in the oeuvres of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. It was one of the earliest examples that The Rock had some acting chops and might not always be seen as just a big action hero. John Matthews begs the DEA to be allowed to go undercover in exchange for the release of his son who had been caught with a package of drugs despite not knowing what was in the package. The film involved the Mexican cartel and The Rock is able to expose a major player, only making things more dangerous.

#6. The Infiltrator. Another film that I had not thought about until John and Matt brought it up today. I did enjoy the film, featuring Bryan Cranston as US Customs agent Robert Mazur who went undercover to infiltrate the drug cartel of Pablo Escobar. Mazur became a close confidant and friend of Escobar which led to the bust of many of the members of the cartel and members of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International at a family wedding. Cranston is sharp and strong in the film as Mazur, under the alias of “Bob Musella,” wound up in constant danger.

#5. Serpico. This was one of the films I had not seen before today. Again, I had a working knowledge of it and I knew it was one of the amazing string of performances in the 1970s for Al Pacino, but I had not seen it until now. Frank Serpico, a clean cop, who refused to take the money offered the police to look the other way etc. He was idealistic and the film is really about the loss of his innocence and his idealism. The scene where Frank gets shot in the face is a tough scene to watch and it makes you wonder what the cops might do to maintain their status quo.

Image result for the Imposter #4. The Imposter. Here is my cheat for this list. The Imposter is a documentary that tells the story of a life long criminal and con man named Frédéric Bourdin. Bourdin, in an attempt to get out of the life that he was living in Europe, pretended to be the missing son of a family in Texas. So yes I know that pretending to be someone else is a bit of a stretch for going undercover, but this documentary is so compelling and brilliant that I am willing to expand the definition for this film alone. The film is unbelievable and thrilling. It brings out emotions and makes you wonder exactly what happened to the 13-year old boy Nicholas whom Bourdin impersonated. And what exactly did the family know about all of this. Certainly an amazing story.

#3. BlacKkKlansman. The brand new Spike Lee movie is the most recent film that fits this category. Spike Lee tells the story of African-American police officer Ron Stallworth who, by phone, was able to get the local branch of the Klu Klux Klan to agree to meet him for potential membership. Of course, his black skin was going to be a problem. Stallworth convinced another fellow officer to play the role of Ron Stallworth in person so they could infiltrate the KKK. The scam was so successful that the real Ron Stallworth actually carried on conversations with Grand Wizard David Duke. This film has major implications for today’s world and is not shy in showing them. This is a tremendous film and one of the best of 2018 so far.

#2. Argo. The Best Picture Academy Award winner was directed by Ben Affleck and told the story about how a group of Americans were rescued from Iran during the time of the Iranian hostage crisis. Tony Mendez went undercover into Iran playing a director of a film looking to shoot in the country. In order to make this seem real, they had to go through the real set up of a big Hollywood blockbuster. The film is stolen by great performances from Alan Arkin and John Goodman as the men backing and writing the project. I found this movie completely thrilling and it was almost my number one film on this list.

#1. Donnie Brasco. However, the second film I watched today was Donnie Brasco and it was really wonderful. It was also both John and Matt’s number one and it was a well deserved ranking. FBI agent Joe Pistone went undercover in the New York Mafia by hooking up with Lefty (Al Pacino) and using the name Donnie Brasco. As the days passed, Joe was growing closer to the low level Mafioso Lefty who seemed to always be passed over when the positions above him went to “swim with the fishes.” Joe had to weigh his job responsibilities and that of his family against his new found friend. I was riveted with this film and it took that number one spot away from Argo.

Honorary Mention: Black Mass and Bad Country.

EYG23

Gone Baby Gone (2007)

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Doc

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Ben Affleck’s directorial debut is a powerful film featuring a story that is difficult to watch, and provides the viewer with many ethical questions that are truly left ambiguous.

Patrick Kenzie (Casey Affleck) and his girlfriend Angie (Michelle Monaghan) were private detectives who are hired to assist the police investigation by the aunt of a missing 4-year old girl. Patrick was well known in the Boston neighborhood so the aunt thought he could go places where the police couldn’t go. They joined up with the investigating officers Remy (Ed Harris) and Nick (John Ashton) and they followed the case through many unexpected twists.

The story was well told and the characters were very deeply developed. You felt the pain and the guilt Patrick felt as the case took what seemed to be negative turns and you wanted everything to turn out alright.

Whether everything does turn out right at the end of the movie is left up to personal opinion in a unexpected way.

This is an amazing debut in the director’s chair for Ben Affleck. There are many shots it the film that create emotions within the viewer and he takes a case that should be obvious what the best thing to do is, and makes you uncertain about what the right thing is.

Casey Affleck was strong in the film, and I found to be on his moral train. There are other good to great performances from Ed Harris, Morgan Freeman and Amy Ryan. Amy Ryan in particular showed a downright rotten side to the character of Helene McCreedy, the mother of the missing girl.

The film is an adaptation of Dennis Lehane’s novel of the same name and Affleck does the source material proud.

vintage

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Deep Rising (1998)

Posted on August 13, 2018 by Doc

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I was listening to the Critically Acclaimed podcast which includes the discussion of online critics William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold. Each week, they pick two films, one bad and one good, to discuss as a pair. Before that, they spend time reviewing the week’s new releases. This week, they were talking about The Meg and during that discussion, William Bibbiani brought up the film Deep Rising as the last good sea monster film. Both he and Witney Seibold spoke with such a positivity about Deep Rising that I decided to start looking for it. I found it on HBO and gave it a try.

I will say that I had a good time watching the movie. Sure, it was not the best film I have ever saw and it had some problems, but I enjoyed watching it. If you can suspend your disbelief, there is entertainment to be had in Deep Rising.

John Finnegan (Treat Williams) runs a business where he and his crew would take you on his boat wherever you want to go with no questions asked as long as you pay them. He was bringing a group of mercenaries through a pretty decent storm when we meet them. There is some immediate conflict between the two groups when grease monkey Joey (Kevin J. O’Connor) discovers that they were hauling torpedoes.

Tensions built as the boat came closer to their destination… a gigantic cruise ship, one of the most luxurious in the world. However, there’s a problem on the cruise ship. The passengers appear to have disappeared.

However, the ship is not completely deserted as it becomes clear quickly that there is something monstrous there as well.

I enjoyed the crew of Finnegan’s boat, but I would have liked to have something more at the beginning to introduce me to them instead of simply throwing them into the mix right away. I felt that Joey was played like he was Shaggy from Scooby Doo and I could see how some people may have found him to be annoying (because he was). Still, there was something about him that made you root for him. I liked Leila (Una Damon) and I would have liked more from her than we got.

There were none of the mercenaries, though, that I wanted to make it and when they started to be killed/consumed/drained by the sea monster, I was happy. Still, the fate of the passengers was very frightening and you start hoping they escape simple because they were human beings.

The special effects were okay considering the date of the movie and the creature itself looked solid. It looked good enough for me to not check out every time part of the monster was shown.

The story was fairly simple, although there was a bit of a twist with Anthony Heald as the owner of the cruise ship. Heald played his character with a zeal that goes along with the B-movie villain and his over-the-top characterization fit well with the movie. We also see a young Famke Janssen as the love interest for Finnegan. Her character is not well developed outside of the fact that she is a thief whose overall motives are murky at best.

I loved the ending of the film which brought a laugh to me. “Now what?”

I would thank William Bibbiani and Witney Seibold for the recommendation of a movie that I probably would never have seen had they not brought it up. I was entertained because Deep Rising knew the kind of movie it was and embraced that. It did not try to do more than it should do and, because of that, succeeded.

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