Tag Archives: joel-edgerton

Dark Matter S1 E4

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Spoilers

“The Corridor”

The Apple TV + series Dark Matter episode four was on the docket tonight and we get a very cool display on the multiversal travel. It felt as if the corridor where Jason and Amanda found themselves after their harrowing escape from Leighton. They found their way into the Box and were transported to the corridor, with an infinite number of doors, and an infinite number of possibilities.

I was really wondering how they were intending on finding their way anywhere without it feeling random and coincidental. It seemed as if this was never going to have a reasonable answer to how to navigate the multiverse.

And then Jason figured it out.

So far, this has been great. I am still working hard to keep in focus on which Jason is which, and when they brought Leighton into the situation, I was even more confused (though I think I worked my way through it). The concepts here really work well and feel very tightly scripted. It had to be otherwise it would feel like a major issue.

The story of Charlie’s twin brother was very emotional and how his family honors him (Max) is quite lovely. It is also something that I am not sure if Jason 2 knows about and could be something to trip him up eventually.

Jason 2 is taking some big life changing steps as he occupies Jason’s life. Quitting a job and going full in on the Box, with Leighton’s help, of all people. It was interesting how Charlie had been picking up some vibes from Jason 2. Charlie knows something is not right, but he would never in a million years be able to come up with a theory of why.

Dark Matter is some outstanding sci-fi so far, even if it is a slow burn. I am loving it so far.

Carry-On

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Taron Egerton and Jason Bateman star in a New Netflix action flick called Carry-On, directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, who was known for The Shallows, Orphan, Non-Stop and Black Adam.

Carry-On is like Die Hard 2 meets Phone Booth. It is an exciting action movie with some preposterous situations that should not work. However, everything is so thrilling and dramatic that you excuse the improbable and embrace the excitement.

Egerton played Ethan Kopek, a down on his luck TSA agent whose girlfriend Nora (Sofia Carson) is pregnant. Kopek, who was denied his dream job of joining the police force, is going through the motions at his TSA job at the airport. In the wrong place at the wrong time, Kopek gets blackmailed by a man (Jason Bateman) who wants him to make sure a carry-on case gets through the security check and he says that if he does not, Nora will be killed.

Most action movies requires a lot of suspension of disbelief and this is no exception. However, the film is very exciting and everything is put together so well that even on those time when it feels like the film has stretched credibility, you are okay with it because of the well done story.

Egerton and Bateman carry on a conversation over a headpiece for much of the film and they are very engaging during this time. I did not expect Bateman to be able to play such a cold monster as he does in this film, but he does it exceedingly well. Egerton is a perfect foil for Bateman as he played the young, lacking confidence hero beautifully and we see him slowly gaining more strength as the risks pile up.

It does a good job of building the tension in each scene and the anxiety of the situations. The over the top scenes are still set up and executed well. If you have to pick apart the situations, a lot of the film would not hold up, but you could say that about most action/adventure movies, especially this type of action movie like Die Hard.

There is one scene involving a car crash that has some wonky special effects, but most of the movie is practical effects and looks pretty solid.

And I suppose we could argue about this being a Christmas movie.

Carry-On is a lot of fun and brings an electric action thriller despite some of the most implausible moments. Egerton and Bateman were excellent and carry the film on their backs.

3.75 stars

The Boys in the Boat (2023)

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June 6, 2024

Today’s June Swoon 3 movie was one that I actually had tickets for this past year, but I left the theater after seeing another movie first because I was not feeling well. After being unable to see this (Along with Ferrari too), I decided that I would wait for the June Swoon to watch this movie directed by George Clooney.

The Boys in the Boat is the true story of the Washington Huskies rowing team’s unlikely ascension to the 1936 Olympics with a junior team that lacked experience. Led by their coach Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton), the group of eight young men exceeded all expectations in quest for an Olympic medal.

I enjoyed the actual rowing competitions filmed during this movie as they brought some real dramatics to a sport that might not have as much as some others. The races were well filmed and created suspense in scenes that were fairly predictable.

The film lacked a lot of characterization for the cast, focusing on Coach Ulbrickson and Joe Turner (Callum Turner), one of the crew. The rest of the crew of the row team were fairly simplistic, one-note characters, with a few minor traits tossed their way. Ironic how a sport that is so much about the team does not spend much time with the parts of that team.

The story itself was basic, taking most of the sport movie cliches into play. This was a basic, by-the-numbers sports flick that did not stray from the pattern much.

Having said that, I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t inspired by the finale of the film, especially the final Olympic race. There was one final conflict that was tossed in at the end that felt rushed and did not pay off in the end.

If you come into The Boys in the Boat with the idea that this is a basic formulaic sports movie and that it does not go above that, there are things to enjoy here. I think this story could have been more than what was here, but there is something to say for formula.