Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): A mostly satisfying second half

Posted on July 4, 2022 by kaist455

Indian film “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion”, which is the following second half to “Baahubali: The Beginning” (2015), does more than delivering whatever was promised by its predecessor. Besides being gleefully overblown and exaggerated as required during its many highlight moments, the movie also brings some engaging human elements to its ambitious epic drama, and the result is not only more serious but also quite more entertaining on the whole.

First, let me summarize a bit about what was presented in “Baahubali: The Beginning”. While it initially follows how its young hero played by Prabhas gets himself into a political turmoil surrounding one big and powerful kingdom and then comes to realize his hidden birthright to the throne, the movie later comes to pay more attention to the life story of his father who was a highly respected prince and warrior (He is also played by Prabhas, by the way), and that is where the movie becomes more entertaining. While I will never, never, never forget that early scene where a baby is lifted above water by a single arm, I was also impressed much by a number of outrageously fun moments of supercharged action later in the film, and that was more than enough for me to overlook its numerous glaring artificial aspects including its rather tacky CGI.

Anyway, “Baahubali: The Conclusion” continues the story right after the very end of its predecessor. After demonstrating not only his valor but also considerable compassion during one spectacular battle, the prince is chosen as the future ruler of the kingdom by his aunt who has overseen the kingdom on behalf of him and her son, and her son, who has fiercely competed against him for many years, is naturally not so pleased about that. While courteously accepting his mother’s decision on the surface, he begins to scheme behind his back along with his father, who has also been quite discontent due to not having much power in contrast to his wife.

Meanwhile, the prince and his loyal slave solider Katappa (Sathyaraj) begin an unofficial journey around several other kingdoms. When they subsequently drop by one particular small kingdom, they happen to see a bunch of bandits being suppressed by a group of local soldiers, and the prince comes to spot a young noble lady who turns out to be more active and courageous than expected. She is a princess of that kingdom, and, having already quite smitten with her, the prince decides to get closer to her while maintaining his humble disguise as before.

During this part, we are initially amused by a series of comic moments coupled with an obligatory musical sequence, but, of course, things later get more serious when the princess, feistily played by Anushka Shetty, refuses the marriage arranged by the prince’s aunt. While he eventually comes to reveal himself after one impressive action sequence involved with lots of water as well as a pack of buffaloes, the prince has no choice but to bring the princess to his kingdom as ordered by his aunt, and he eventually comes to show more of not only his deep love toward his princess but also his strong sense of honor and integrity in front of the princess and many others.

While we already know where the story is heading, the screenplay by director S.S. Rajamouli, which is developed from the story by V. Vijayendra Prasad, keeps holding our attention as its plot gets thickened with some insidious court intrigue. After being reminded again of how popular the prince really is in the kingdom, his villainous cousin, played by Rana Daggubati with overpowering intensity as before, wants to get rid of the prince once for all, and the mood becomes more ominous as he deliberately pushes his mother and Katappa into an impossible circumstance later in the story. What follows next is utterly melodramatic to say the least with many big moments of exaggerated emotions and gestures, but the committed supporting performances from Ramya Krishnan and Sathyaraj keep this part grounded enough to make us care about what inevitably happens in the story.

In comparison, the next part focusing on how the son of the prince tries to avenge for his parents and then regain what is rightfully his is relatively less interesting. Although he is not exactly that experienced compared to his father, he somehow can not only galvanize those rebel soldiers but also concoct some smart strategies for his important battle within a very short time, and that certainly requires considerable suspension in disbelief from us.

Nevertheless, the movie still maintains its irrepressible sense of fun and excitement even during this part, and we are served with heaps of actions cheerfully peppered with CGI on the screen. In case of a certain gigantic statue shown in the previous film, it does not disappoint us at all as dutifully following that familiar dramatic principle called Chekhov’s gun, and the following duel of fate between the two main characters of the story amuses and thrills us a lot before the expected fiery payoff moment.

In conclusion, “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion” is broad and overblown in many aspects just like its predecessor, but it is often quite entertaining thanks to the game efforts from Rajamouli and his cast and crew members. To be frank with you, I often could not keep my face straight while watching “Baahubali: The Beginning” and “Baahubali 2: The Conclusion” due to their numerous silly and preposterous moments, but these moments are presented with considerable style and skill in addition to being spirited and spectacular enough, and it is a shame that I watched them at my home instead of beholding them on big screen.

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Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) ☆☆☆(3/4): A fairly competent first half

Posted on July 4, 2022 by kaist455

Indian film “Baahubali: The Beginning” is amusingly grandiose and exaggerated to say the least. While its story and characters are quite serious, the movie willingly goes for anything to entertain or amuse us, and its many broad moments ranging from obligatory musical sequences to pulpy action scenes are somehow acceptable even though we often chuckle at their glaring artificial qualities.

Right from its very first scene, you will instantly know that you cannot be that serious about its story and characters. A lady is desperately running away from several soldiers chasing after her, and it is apparent that she is quite determined to protect a little male baby in her arms by any means necessary. When she and the baby are later swept along a big river, it is apparent that she and the baby will be drowned sooner or later, so, what do you know, she simply lifts the baby above the water only with one of her arms, and she somehow maintains that posture even after she eventually gets drowned. What a fascinating case of rigor mortis it is!

Anyway, the baby is eventually discovered in some shabby downriver village, and the wife of the village chief immediately decides to raise the baby as her son, though it subsequently turns out that raising her adopted son is much more demanding than expected. Even when he is just a little boy, he is somehow very curious about whatever is beyond a huge waterfall in the upriver area, and, despite his foster mother’s sincere efforts, his curiosity has only kept growing during next several years.

When he grows up to become a handsome young man played by Prabhas, our hero still keeps trying to climb up along those rocky walls of that waterfall despite many failures, and his foster parents is reminded again that nothing can possibly stop him, especially when he demonstrates how powerful and determined he really is. Not long after his latest failed attempt, he discovers a wooden mask, and that leads to the first musical sequence in the film as he is driven further by his romantic curiosity ignited by that wooden mask. To be frank with you, I have no idea on how the hell he can so easily conjure up his dream lady from that simple mask, but you may put aside that question at least for a while as amused by how he executes a series of risky actions before finally reaching to the top of the waterfall. All these actions are surely drenched in rather obvious CGI, but they are presented on the screen with considerable spirit and humor at least, so we can gladly go along with that.

Not long after he reaches to the top of the waterfall, our hero soon gets involved in an ongoing political conflict between a certain big and powerful kingdom and a bunch of rebels fighting against its mean and cruel ruler. When he comes across a young female rebel fighter played by Tamannaah, he instantly falls in love with her, and we are soon served with several humorous scenes where he conveys to her his love and existence in a certain indirect way, which I will let you see for yourself.

By the way, I must point out that the most interesting thing in the story is happening among that vicious ruler of the kingdom and several figures around them. When he is not occupied with brandishing his physical prowess and political power over others, this mean dude, played by Rana Daggubati with scenery-chewing intensity, enjoys tormenting a certain slave soldier bound by his loyalty oath to the kingdom or a certain noble woman who has been his most notorious prisoner for more than 20 years. Despite being imprisoned for so many years, this lady, played magnificently by Anushka Shetty, is still boiling with pain, resentment, and determination, and her big moment of righteous anger toward to our chief villain takes me back to that famous line furiously uttered by Katharine Hepburn’s banished queen character in “The Lion in Winter” (1968): “I could peel you like a pear, and God himself would call it justice!”

Around the point where our hero comes to realize that he is actually the son of a powerful and respectable prince who was loved and admired by many people of the kingdom before his death, the screenplay by director S.S. Rajamouli, which is developed from the story by V. Vijayendra Prasa, goes back to many years ago for showing us the life story of our hero’s father, who is incidentally also played by Prabhas. Although he became an orphan due to his widow mother’s death right after his birth, the prince grew up under the benevolent care of his aunt who had overseen the kingdom on the behalf of him and her son, and he soon finds himself competing with her son over the throne as both of them grow up to become the two best warriors in the kingdom.

When their kingdom later comes to confront a great big danger represented by millions of savages who somehow remind me of those orc soldiers in Peter Jackson’s the Lord of the Rings trilogy, his aunt decides to use this situation as the ultimate test for both the prince and her son, and we accordingly get lots of thrillingly overblown action scenes as expected. Many of them look and feel quite preposterous in my humble opinion, but Rajamouli and his crew members gleefully push the movie to the full-throttle stage while his two leading actors keep playing straight amid all those deliberately supercharged actions.

On the whole, “Baahubali: The Beginning” is basically a teaser which simply sets the ground for whatever will come next in the following film “The Baahubali: The Conclusion” (2017), but it is still a fairly competent first half which will probably make you have some expectation in the end, and I admired its uninhibited sense of fun and excitement even though I rolled my eyes during some of its broadest moments during my viewing. Although it is shamelessly pulpy indeed, it is made with enough skill and enthusiasm nonetheless, and it is certainly worthwhile to check it out before watching the next film.

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C’mon C’mon (2021) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Stuck with his nephew

Posted on July 3, 2022 by kaist455

Mike Mills’ new film “C’mon C’mon” is a simple but intimate family drama which will grow on you more after you watch it. As observing the bumpy relationship development between its two engaging main characters, this seemingly melancholic but undeniably sweet movie gives us a series of small touching moments to be appreciated, and it is also supported well by the unaffected good acting from its principal cast members.

At first, the movie looks into how a New York City radio journalist named Johnny (Joaquin Phoenix) and his two colleagues work together. As often moving around different cities, they interview a bunch of kids for asking about their life and their thoughts on the future, and each of these kids in the film gives each own interesting response to these questions as being recorded by Johnny and his colleagues. They are all bright enough to be perceptive about their present and future, and their unadulterated responses, which are incidentally unscripted, give considerable realism and spontaneity to the film.

While he is in Detroit, Michigan for another series of interviews to handle, Johnny calls his sister Viv (Gaby Hoffmann), who is living in LA. As shown from several brief flashback scenes, they have been estranged from each other since their personal conflict involved with their senile mother who suffered dementia during her last few years, and their phone conversation is rather awkward to say the least, but Viv happens to need Johnny’s help right now. Her husband recently moved alone to Oakland, California, but he is still struggling with his serious mental illness, so she has to go to Oakland while her 9-year-old son Jesse (Woody Norman) is being taken care of by someone else in the meantime.

Johnny is understandably reluctant at first, but he eventually agrees to babysit his nephew during his sister’s temporary absence, so he subsequently comes to LA to meet his sister and nephew. Although they still feel considerable estrangement between them, he and Viv try to be nice to each other in front of Jesse, and Jesse has no problem with being with his uncle during next several days.

However, of course, Johnny soon comes to realize that Jesse is rather difficult to handle at times. Besides being a bit willful from time to time, this little boy also often does his own odd role-playing, and Viv does not mind this at all as a caring mother who has always tried her best, though, as she admits to Johnny at one point, she still cannot help but feel frustrated with her son’s eccentric sides sometimes.

Anyway, Johnny and his nephew gradually come to get along fairly well with each other during next several days. While he later comes to lose his patience with Jesse, Johnny apologizes to him in addition to talking about that with Viv on the phone, and Jesse comes to lean more on his uncle as spending some fun time with him. When he is allowed to use his uncle’s recording device, Jesse is certainly excited, and we get a little interesting moment as he tries to use that recording device in public under his uncle’s guidance.

Meanwhile, the movie also pays some attention to what its main characters are respectively struggling with. While Johnny is still haunted by his conflict with Viv over their mother’s welfare, Viv also feels bitter about what happened between them during that time, and now she has to deal with another person who needs her help and support a lot just like her mother did. In case of Jesse, he remains mostly cheerful on the surface, but, not so surprisingly, he has been well aware of what is going on around him, and we come to gather that his rather unruly behaviors is just his own way of coping with those personal issues of his.

Instead of pushing its main characters into clichéd big emotional moments, Mills’ screenplay gently and thoughtfully rolls them from one small precious moment to another. While often quoting the excerpts from several notable books including “The Wizard of Oz” by L. Frank Baum, the screenplay slowly builds up its main characters as well as their complicated human relationships, and a number of gorgeous black and white shots by cinematographer Robbie Ryan adds extra poetic quality to the overall picture.

Mills also draws excellent performances from his three main cast members. Joaquin Phoenix, who looks quite subdued here, demonstrates that he can be gentle and sensitive in contrast to his darkly intense Oscar-winning turn in “Joker” (2019), and his quiet nuanced acting is complemented well by young British performer Woody Norman, who does a lot more than holding his own place besides Phoenix. Besides effortlessly interacting with Phoenix throughout the film, Norman did a splendid job of balancing his role well between vivacity and poignancy, and he is particularly good when his character comes to have a cathartic moment of emotional release at one point later in the story. Around the fringe of the story, Gabby Hoffman brings some warmth and personality to her seemingly thankless supporting role, and I especially like how she looks constantly engaging even though she is usually demanded to be merely on the other end of the phone line.

In conclusion, “C’mon C’mon” is another superlative work from Mills, who already impressed me with his two previous films “Beginners” (2010) and “20th Century Women” (2016). While these two previous films of his mostly look at past and parents, “C’mon C’mon” mostly looks at future and kids, and now I see how they come to make a sort of big picture together. To be frank with you, I am willing to revisit all of them together someday, and I am sure that I will admire them and Mills’ talent more than before.

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Decision to Leave (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Another twisted work from Park Chan-wook

Posted on June 30, 2022 by kaist455

Park Chan-wook’s latest film “Decision to Leave”, which won the Best Director Award when it was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in last month, is often enthralling thanks to its masterful storytelling coupled with a distinctive sense of twisted humor. While it initially seems to be your average film noir mystery tale on the surface, the movie delves deeper into its two different characters than expected as they are doing a sort of morbid romantic dance along the story, and it is really satisfying to observe how it eventually pulls out a neatly sublime ending from its increasingly complex narrative.

The movie opens with the police investigation of a seemingly simple case. A middle-aged man died due to falling from a high rocky summit, and this incident seems to be a merely unfortunate climbing accident, but Hae-jun (Park Hae-il), a detective assigned to the case, comes to have some doubt after examining the scene for a while. Although there is not anything definite enough to prove his suspicion, he begins to suspect Seo-rae (Tang Wei), a young and beautiful Korean Chinese woman who is incidentally the wife of that dead man.

When she comes to see the body of her husband, Seo-rae does not express much shock or sadness, and it also turns out later that she has a possible motive behind her back. Quite determined to get anything to incriminate her, Hae-jun begins to spy on Seo-rae, and, what do you know, he cannot help but attracted to her alluring elusiveness. At one point, the movie gives an amusingly voyeuristic moment as he imagines himself closely watching Seo-rae in her little apartment, and this moment effectively conveys to us how he becomes more obsessed with her day by day.

Of course, it does not take much time for Seo-rae to notice Hae-jun’s steady surveillance on her. She catches him off guard as gradually approaching to him, and Hae-jun cannot possibly say no to her like those flawed heroes of many other film noir flicks. As shown from the early part of the film, he has a fairly good wife who has no problem with his busy police work as she is also busy with her own job, but he lets himself more associated with Seo-rae against his better judgement. He ends up revealing more of himself to her, and there is a little humorous scene where Seo-rae give him a bit of insight on one of his several unsolved cases.

Around that point, the screenplay written by Park and his co-writer Jeong Seo-kyeong becomes a lot more interesting. Although the movie will not surprise you as much as, say, Park’s fellow filmmaker Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” (2019), I will let you appreciate a series of delicious narrative turns for yourself, and I can tell you instead that you will probably need to pay extra attention to the plot development. As it changes its direction a little too often in my humble opinion, some of its story elements are presented so suddenly that it may take some time for you to gather how everything in the story logically fits together.

Nevertheless, the movie still holds our attention under Park’s dexterous handling of mood and details. Like many of his previous films including “The Handmaiden” (2016), the movie is commendable in its technical aspects, and Park’s crew members including cinematographer Kim Ji-young and editor Kim Sang-bum certainly deserve to be praised for their top-notch efforts. Every shot in the film is handled with considerable precision and consideration, and I particularly enjoy how the camera confidently moves around Hae-jun and a certain desperate criminal figure while never drawing attention to itself.

Above all, we come to care about what will happen next while more emotionally involvedly in what is going on between its two main characters. While we are often not so sure about what they exactly feel and think, we are drawn more to their complicated emotional interactions nonetheless, and we are alternatively touched and amused as they pull or push each other along the story.

Everything in the film depends a lot on the fascinating chemistry between its two lead performers, who ably complement each other via their different acting styles. While Park Hae-il, who has been known for several notable South Korean films including “The Host” (2006) and “War of the Arrows” (2011), diligently holds the ground as demanded, Tang Wei, who has been more notable since her breakthrough turn in Ang Lee’s “Lust, Caution” (2007), is simply superlative in her playfully ambiguous performance, and, as a South Korean audience, I willingly assure you that she handles her Korean lines as well as demanded by her role. With her unaffected foreign accent, she makes an entertaining contrast with Park’s deliberately stilted line delivery, and this contributes extra tension to several key scenes of theirs.

In case of several supporting characters of the film, they hold each own place well around the two lead performers. While Go Kyung-pyo and Kim Shin-young are colorful as two different cops working under Hae-jun, Park Yong-woo and Park Jeong-min are also effective in their respective brief appearances, and Lee Jung-hyun brings some life and personality to her functional character.

On the whole, “Decision to Leave” is another masterwork from Park, who has never disappointed me and many other audiences since his third feature film “Joint Security Area” (2000). I must confess that I do not think I understand everything in the film after I watched it at last night, but I was entertained a lot as gladly devouring those superb cinematic moments in the movie, and I am willing to watch it again soon for appreciating more of what Park and his cast and crew members achieve here. In short, this is one of the major highlights of this year, and I urge you to check it out as soon as possible.

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Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Michelle Yeoh in the Madness of the Multiverse

Posted on June 28, 2022 by kaist455

“Everything Everywhere All at Once” is definitely one of the most wildly imaginative films of this year. While its story premise involved with multiple alternative universes is not exactly new to many of us due to several recent films such as “Doctor Strange in the Madness of the Multiverse” (2022), the movie is willing to push its story promise as much as possible for more awe and entertainment, and the result is often dazzling and enthralling while also firmly held together by the strong performance from its lead actress.

Michelle Yeoh, a Malaysian Chinese actress who has been known well to us for a number of various films ranging from “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000) to “Crazy Rich Asians” (2018), plays Evelyn Quan Wang, a plain Chinese American lady who has struggled to run her laundromat along with her husband Waymond (Ke Huy Quan) for many years. So busy with handling a recent big trouble with Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Evelyn cannot pay much attention to Waymond and other family members, and that certainly frustrates her daughter Joy (Stephanie Hsu) a lot. Joy really wants to present her girlfriend formally in front of her family, but Evelyn prevents her from doing that because she believes that will not be approved at all by her aging father.

After another busy period at her laundromat is over, Evelyn goes to a local IRS building along with her husband and father for meeting an IRS inspector assigned to their auditing, but then something strange occurs not long before the meeting. Waymond suddenly acts oddly as if he were someone else, and then he gives Evelyn a weird instruction on what to do next during the meeting. As understandably bored and frustrated during the meeting, she casually follows that instruction, and, what do you know, quite an unbelievable thing happens to her within less than one second.

While Evelyn subsequently tries to grasp what is happening around her, the movie quickly establishes its story setting via a series of hurried explanations. Among millions of alternative universes, there is the one which is called ‘Alpha Universe’ because of its ground-breaking technological development for exploring those other alternative universes, and Waymond from the Alpha Universe, who can control Waymond in Evelyn’s universe from time to time, has been looking for the right version of Evelyn who may stop a huge threat to the entire multiverse once for all.

Because she is just an unremarkable woman without any particular set of skills, Evelyn is naturally flabbergasted about her ongoing circumstance, but the situation quickly becomes quite more serious and dangerous than she can ever imagine. Regardless of whether she is really the one to stop a certain figure behind the plot against the multiverse, she is now placed at the center of the multiverse, and that figure in question is already coming to confront Evelyn.

Now I should be a bit more discreet about describing the plot because most of fun stuffs in the film come from a bunch of unexpected moments of wild imagination and a wacky but inspired sense of humor. For example, when a certain black object is shown at one point early in the film, you may wonder whether this object actually comes from a sex shop, and you will be both surprised and amused by how this object is used later in the story.

Relentlessly and breathtakingly throwing lots of comedy and action into its increasingly loony narrative, the screenplay by directors/writers/co-producers Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, who previously drew my attention for their decidedly offbeat debut feature film “Swiss Army Man” (2016), also brings enough gravitas to its story and characters. As briskly shuffling between many different moods and elements as demanded, the movie sometimes becomes surprisingly introspective and touching while never becoming less funny, and I particularly enjoyed a part which is virtually a comic homage to the works of a certain famous Chinese filmmaker.

Above all, Yeoh is simply superb as dexterously gliding across many different versions of her character. While playing her character as straight as possible in front of many absurdities in the film, she also gives some sly humorous touches to be savored, and I do not think I will ever forget a part where she casually acts with rather outrageous prosthetic limbs. Besides being quite hilarious, she ably grounds this part with enough seriousness just like she did in the other parts of the film, and that is why the main reason why this part comes to show much more emotion than expected.

In case of several other main cast members in the film, they all have a ball in each own way as bringing extra spirit and personality into the movie. While Stephanie Hsu does more than holding her own spot well during her several key scenes with Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan and James Hong are delightful in their colorful supporting performances, and Jenny Slate and Jamie Lee Curtis are also equally enjoyable in their respective supporting roles.

Overall, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is worthwhile to watch for many reasons including Yeoh’s commanding presence, and Kwan and Scheinert surely advance a lot from what they demonstrated in “Swiss Army Man”. Although I must point out that it is a bit too long besides occasionally feeling overstuffed, the movie is a lot more ambitious and imaginative than those soulless Hollywood blockbuster flicks, and that is more than enough for me at present.

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The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): Cage goes wild again…

Posted on June 28, 2022 by kaist455

Nicholas Cage has been one of the most interesting actors working in Hollywood during last four decades, and there are good reasons for that. Sure, he appeared a bunch of bad films during several recent years just because of his difficult financial status, and he is understandably ridiculed and criticized a lot for that, but he has seldom phoned in his performance while always prepared for any interesting challenge for him. Yes, we all shook our heads as watching him appearing in crummy flicks like “Left Behind” (2014), but then, as shown from “Joe” (2013) and “Pig” (2021), he has always demonstrated that he is still a good actor to watch and enjoy.

In case of “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”, Cage is often required to be quite silly and outrageous as its main target for comedy, and, not so surprisingly, he magnificently rises to the challenge for our entertainment. As deftly juggling many different comic elements hurled at him from here and there, he gives one of his better recent performances here in this film, and the movie cheerfully bounces along with him as generating many uproarious moments to be appreciated by millions of his fans and admirers out there.

The early part of the film quickly sets how things have been difficult for Cage’s fictionalized version in the story. Like many other performers in Hollywood, he tries hard to get good roles, but nobody is particularly interested in working with him due to his fading star status. Feeling quite frustrated and disillusioned, he accordingly begins to consider quitting his acting career for spending more time with his adolescent daughter, but he has been estranged from her for years, and he only comes to ruin her birthday party in front of her and others including his ex-wife.

And then there comes an odd offer via his agent, who is wryly played by Neal Patrick Harris. Some rich foreign guy named Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal) wants Cage to spend some time with him just because of his birthday, and he offers no less than one million dollars. While naturally flabbergasted by this offer, Cage eventually accepts it mainly because he really needs to pay off a considerable amount of debt right now.

Cage subsequently arrives at a foreign area where Gutierrez’s big mansion is located, and he is soon greeted by Gutierrez, who turns out to be a huge fan of all those notable movies in Cage’s career. While the more famous ones including “The Rock” (1996) and “Con Air” (1997) are naturally mentioned, I must tell you that I laughed hard when Gutierrez later tell others about how he became closer to his recently diseased father via a certain forgotten comedy film in Cage’s career (No, it is not “Vampire’s Kiss” (1989)).

Although he does not regard his rich employer that highly at first, Cage comes to like Gutierrez more than expected as spending more time with Gutierrez. At one point, they happen to discuss about which is the greatest film of all time, and we surely get a big laugh when Gutierrez tries to persuade Cage to change his opinion on a certain popular film which is absolutely great in Gutierrez’s viewpoint (My opinion: this film in question may not be great, but it is quite likable to say the least).

Of course, as shown from the opening scene, the situation surrounding Cage and Gutierrez is a lot more serious than it seems on the surface. As a matter of fact, Cage was already approached by a couple of CIA agents played by Ike Barinholtz and Tiffany Haddish, and these agents expect him to extract some certain information from Gutierrez, who turns out to be on the top of a big criminal organization.

The screenplay by director Tom Gormican and his co-writer Kevin Etten comes to lose some of its comic momentum during the last act where the movie shifts itself on action mode, but Cage, who also served as one of its producers, ably keeps supporting the film while gleefully oscillating between absurdity and seriousness. In case of several comic where his character talks with an alter ego as wild as he was in “Wild at Heart” (1999), he surely has lots of fun as going back and forth between two different comic modes, and my only complaint is that they did not provide him that snake skin jacket from “Wild at Heart”.

Around Cage, several main cast members in the film have each own small fun, though they are relatively under-utilized in comparison. Pedro Pascal, who has been more prominent since his supporting turn in the fourth season of HBO TV drama series “Game of Thrones”, plays his character as earnestly as demanded, but I think he could be a little more menacing for extra laughs for us. In case of Haddish and Barinholtz, they surely know how to be funny as seasoned comedians, but they are often limited by their thankless supporting roles to my little dissatisfaction.

On the whole, “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent” is an enjoyable showcase of Cage’s comic talent, which has unfortunately not been explored that often except a few notable cases including his brilliant Oscar-nominated turn in “Adaptation.” (2002). I have no idea on how he actually feels about his immense talent, but I can say that his talent has been a treasure for me and many other movie audiences for decades, and I am sure that he will keep entertaining us as before during this decade.

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Rise (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): A wholesome family sports drama

Posted on June 27, 2022 by kaist455

“Rise”, which was released on Disney+ on last Friday, is a wholesome family sports drama based on the inspiring true story of one Nigerian immigrant family. While it is often quite predictable in many aspects, the movie is balanced well between enough realism and those feel-good moments, and you will surely come to root for its main characters more than expected while also touched a lot by how they stick together for a better life.

In the beginning, we are introduced to Charles Antetokounmpo (Dayo Okeniyi) and his wife Veronica (Yetide Badaki), and the opening part of the film depicts their difficult journey to Greece in 1990. After leaving Nigeria together, they stay in Istanbul, Turkey for a while, but then they almost get caught by the police along with many other illegal immigrants at one night. Even after they manage to pass the border between Turkey and Greece, they remain quite nervous, because there is still the big possibility of getting arrested and then deported at any moment.

Anyway, Charles and Veronica subsequently come to settle in Athens during next two decades. While their first son still remains in Nigeria, they come to have no less than four more sons, and they keep trying their best for giving a good life to their sons, though both they and their sons still cannot get legal citizenship in Greece. As shown from one sudden tense moment, they may get promptly arrested if they are not very careful outside, and Charles and Veronica become more frustrated when they belatedly come to learn from their local lawyer that they have been systemically blocked from their goal from the very start.

Meanwhile, two of their sons, Giannis (Uche Agada) and Thanasis (Ral Agada), happen to become interested in playing basketball as discovering their considerable athletic potential. They eventually attempt to join a local basketball team later, and Charles is not so pleased about this mainly because this will possibly expose them more to the police, but he comes to support them anyway as a guy who had to put aside his professional football career in the past.

Of course, things do not look that hopeful for Giannis and Thanasis at first. While their team coach is quite supportive from the first day, they are often disadvantaged in many aspects besides still being quite inexperienced, and there is a little painful personal moment between them when one of them has to take off his sneakers for the other during a practice.

Nevertheless, Giannis and Thanasis do not give up at all under the full support and encouragement from their parents, and then there eventually comes a point where they begin to draw the attention of local scouts. Although they are frustrated again due to their status as illegal immigrants, they later get an agent at least, and their agent turns out to be much more loyal and resourceful than he seems at first.

While being a bit too conventional, the screenplay by Arash Amel constantly maintains its narrative momentum, and it also imbues enough life and personality to its main characters. Several small intimate moments between Charles and Veronica show us more of how enduring their relationship has been for many years, and it surely helps that Dayo Okeyniyi and Yetide Badaki click well with each other throughout the film. In case of Charles and Veronica’s four sons, we can discern why they brighten up their parents’ life everyday, and it is also engaging to watch how Giannis and Thanasis often lean on each other as they hone their athletic skills more and more along the story.

Under director Akin Omotoso’s competent direction, the prevalent optimistic spirit of the movie is counterbalanced by the harsh and dangerous reality surrounding Charles and Veronica and their sons. While they are usually happy together, their life also frequently goes through many ups and downs, and that aspect of their hard life is exemplified well by when they are suddenly prevented from entering their little residence due to failing to pay the rent in time. When Giannis comes to get an opportunity of lifetime later in the story, he and his family are certainly well aware of the considerable risk accompanying it, but they eventually decide to take a chance because they all know how important that opportunity is for Giannis.

In the end, everything in the story eventually culminates to the point where Giannis and his family desperately hope for the best, and the movie deftly handles this part on the whole. Even if you do not know that much about its main characters than me, you can easily see what will happen in advance, but the movie still holds our attention up to its expected dramatic moment, and it surely earns all the cheers and tears accompanying this moment.

Overall, “Rise” is a standard feel-good Disney flick, and I can think of several better basketball films such as Steve James’ great documentary film “Hoop Dreams” (1994) right now, but its story and characters are presented well with enough skill and emotion at least. Because Giannis Antetokounmpo serves as one of its executive producers, I was not so surprised by its positively clean-cut presentation of his family story, and I still wonder whether the movie can be improved via more realism and honesty, but I could put aside my small complaints while appreciating the good efforts from its cast and crew members – and that is fairly enough for me, folks.

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Dog (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): His journey with a military dog

Posted on June 27, 2022 by kaist455

“Dog” is a simple road movie which handles its story and characters with enough care and sensitivity. Right from when its two main characters begin their journey, you can instantly discern how much they will be changed via their rather bumpy journey, but this little modest movie still engages us mainly thanks to not only its solid storytelling but also its believable depiction of the dynamic relationship development between its two main characters along the story.

At the beginning of its story, the movie succinctly establishes the troubling status of Jackson Briggs (Channing Tatum), a US Army Ranger who has apparently been struggling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to his recent combat experience. Despite his problematic mental condition, Briggs applies for a rotation position in Pakistan, but he is not accepted due to some serious brain injury, and then he becomes more depressed when he is notified that a close comrade of his died due to a car accident.

Not long after that, Briggs’ commanding officer gives him an offer he cannot refuse. He is instructed to take over a military dog working along with that dead comrade of his, and all he will have to do is taking this military dog, named Lulu, to the funeral of that dead comrade in Arizona before eventually having it euthanized at a nearby military base. Because it is apparent that Lulu has serious behavioral problems due its combat experience, Briggs is initially reluctant, but he comes to accept this little mission because his commanding officer promises that he will help Briggs getting that rotation position in Pakistan if Briggs accomplishes the mission.

Of course, once he hits the road along with Lulu, Briggs soon discovers that Lulu is quite a problematic dog in many aspects. Besides frequently barking a lot, it ruins the interior of his vehicle without hesitation, and that certainly annoys and frustrates Briggs, who has no choice but to handle its problematic behaviors as much as he can.

Anyway, he and Lulu continue their journey as going through one spot after another, and the movie accordingly gives us a series of episodic moments to amuse us. At one point, Briggs drops by a bar during one evening, and, after several failed attempts to seduce young women, he finds himself getting associated with a couple of ladies who are somehow charmed by Lulu as dog owners. When they later take Briggs to their cozy residence, they turn out to be quite willing to do a little sexual experience along with him, but, not so surprisingly, things do not go that well thanks to an unexpected happening involved with Lulu.

The most amusing part in the film comes from when Briggs and Lulu happen to run into a little farm located in the middle of a remote forest. Although his subsequent encounter with an eccentric couple living there is not exactly cordial at first, it does not take much time for both Briggs and this couple to bury the hatchet thanks to Lulu, and Briggs and Lulu find themselves a bit more relaxed than before.

While they spend more time together, Briggs comes to care about Lulu more than he expected. As looking into a scrapbook dedicated to Lulu’s battlefield activities, he becomes more connected with Lulu, and Lulu seems to appreciate Briggs’ sincere companionship – especially when they attempt a little naughty thing together at a posh hotel in San Francisco.

Around the point where these two main characters are approaching to the end of their journey, the screenplay by co-director Reid Carolin, who wrote the story with co-producer Brett Rodriguez, becomes more sentimental as expected, but it still makes us care about how its two main characters will arrive at the end of the journey. Yes, there eventually comes a dramatic moment when Briggs must decide on what he should do for Lulu as well as himself, but this moment is presented with tactful restraint at least, and we become more aware of the growing sense of healing between Briggs and Lulu.

While serving as the co-director of the film along with Carolin, Channing Tatum diligently holds the ground with his earnest acting, and his performance here in the film reminds me again of how he has matured as a good actor during last several years. On the opposite, three different dogs who play Lulu in the film are convincing as one character, and their effortless interactions with Tatum on the screen is one of the main reasons why the movie works. In case of several notable performers in the film including Jane Adams, Kevin Nash, Q’orianka Kilcher, and Ethan Suplee, they dutifully provide extra personality to their respective scenes, and Suplee, who has recently looked quite thinner compared to his goofy supporting turn in TV sitcom series “My Name Is Earl”, demonstrates a more serious side of his talent as a comrade who manages to become more well-adjusted to normal life than Briggs.

In conclusion, “Dog” is pretty familiar to the core in terms of story and characters, but it has some sincerity and personality to distinguish itself a bit from many other similar films out there. I exactly knew what I would get, and the movie does not exceed my expectation much, but it did its job as well as intended at least, so I will not grumble for now.

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Civil: Ben Crump (2022) ☆☆☆(3/4): A lawyer against racial injustices

Posted on June 24, 2022 by kaist455

Netflix documentary film “Civil: Ben Crump”, which was released on last Sunday, mainly revolves around one African American civil rights lawyer who has fought against the racial injustices in the American society for many years. As observing how he handled a number of cases, the movie gives us close glimpses into his considerable professional dedication, and it is certainly nice to see that his tenacious efforts of many years actually lead to some significant social progress in the end.

At the beginning, the documentary introduces to us its titular hero Ben Crump, and then we listen to the recorded conversation between him and a close family member of George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man who, as many of you know, was asphyxiated to death due to the unjustly harsh response from a local police officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After listening to this close family member of Floyd with real care and empathy, Crump comes to represent Floyd’s family, and then he gives some advice on all those slanders to be hurled against Floyd and his family sooner or later.

While observing how he prepares for his case, the documentary lets Crump talk about his past as well as several notable cases which brought more prominence to his small but respectable law firm. Although he was born to a poor family living in Lumberton, North Carolina, he grew up fairly well under his grandmother’s care, and he eventually went to a law school thanks to her steady encouragement. Shortly after he graduated, he came to establish his law firm along with his close friend/colleague, and Crump reminisces with some amusement about how willing they were to take any injury case good enough for financing the law firm during those years.

In the meantime, he also put considerable efforts into many civil rights lawsuits coming into his hand. Before the Floyd case, he already handled a lot of similar lawsuits associated with police brutality such as the one involved with Breonna Taylor, and he also represented the family members of Trayvon Martin, who was shot to death by a guy named George Zimmerman in 2012. As many of you still remember, Zimmerman was eventually acquitted at the following trial, and this exasperating injustice was certainly another devastating blow to Martin’s family members, though they received a considerable amount of settlement thanks to Crump’s efforts at least.

Crump has been criticized by some people for usually demanding a high amount of settlement for his clients, but he argues that it is a right thing to do for not only his clients but also the legal system itself, which has inherently been biased against African American citizens for years. Through those big settlements from his lawsuits, he intends to give some hard lessons upon the system, and this strategy of his has actually worked because many cities around the country come to start the reformation of their police departments.

However, there are always considerable possibilities of danger around Crump as he becomes more prominent in public. Not so surprisingly, he and his law firm have frequently received numerous anonymous death threats, and he surely takes some necessary cautions. During his many business trips around the country, he is always accompanied by his longtime bodyguard, and this dude later tells us a bit about the long history between him and Crump, who willingly gave him a second chance despite his criminal past.

The documentary also shows many other cases to be handled by Crump besides the Floyd case. While some of them are as serious as the Floyd case, others seem less significant in comparison, but every case feels important to Crump nonetheless. In case of one African woman, she experienced a small but undeniably infuriating case of racism at a local bank, and that surely reminds us of how millions of African Americans have been disadvantaged in many aspects.

As busily handling all these and other cases day by day, Crump often finds himself separated from his dear wife and daughter, and he naturally regrets not being there for them many times. At least, both his wife and daughter understand and appreciate what he has tried to do outside everyday, and we get some sweet intimate moments as he talks with his wife and daughter via video call.

Meanwhile, the documentary comes to focus on the Floyd case again. When the Floyd case was eventually going through its last chapter, Crump and his colleagues worked harder than before for getting the best result, and, to their surprise, the outcome turned out to be much better than they cautiously expected. While the city council of Minneapolis unanimously agreed to a historical amount of settlement for Floyd’s close family members, the jury of the trial on that police officer found him guilty of all charges, and Crump and everyone around him rejoiced at that.

Overall, “Civil: Ben Crump”, directed by Nadia Hallgren, is an engaging documentary for anyone who has paid attention to its important social issues. I must point out that it becomes rather scattershot at times as trying to handle a bit too many elements within less than 100 minutes, but it still holds our attention with Crump functioning as its strong human center, and, in my humble opinion, he is surely one of admirable figures which remind me that there is still hope in the American society. Even at this point, he is working on a bunch of cases as shown at the end of the documentary, and I sincerely hope that he will keep going as before.

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I am More (2021) ☆☆☆1/2(3.5/4): Meet More

Posted on June 24, 2022 by kaist455

I like documentaries presenting people different from me with care and empathy, and South Korean documentary film “I am More” is one of such cases. While its transgender heroine surely draws our attention right from the beginning due to her cocky flamboyance on the surface, we also come to see her hard-earned will and resilience behind her showy appearance as following her little human story, and you may come to respect and like her more than expected – if you are open to more tolerance and acceptance.

At first, the documentary looks into a certain club located in the middle of the Itaewon-dong neighborhood of Seoul. To be frank with you, I actually passed by this club more than once as looking for any suitable gay bar for me in August 2016, but I never entered this club although it is still there, so I was a bit intrigued as watching the camera gliding into this club and then showing here and there inside it.

We soon see several drag queen performers dancing on the stage one by one, and one of them is a transgender female named “More”. It is apparent that she is pretty popular among those club customers, and we are accordingly served with several exciting moments as she goes through a series of dynamic dance performances on the stage. At one point, she presents herself as a beautiful ballerina, and we are not surprised when we come to learn that she actually studied ballet many years ago.

After that, the documentary observes her daily life outside the club. More recently applied for the audition for a certain important stage performance to be held in New York City, and we subsequently observe how much she prepares once she gets a role. Although she is around 40, her lean body is a lot more agile and flexible than my chubby (and clumsy) body, and I was actually impressed by how easily she can lift her leg above her waist.

When the camera looks into More’s little residence, it seems that a pet cat is her only companion, but it soon turns out that she has been in a relationship with a Russian guy for around 20 years. Although they still cannot get married legally, they look pretty much like a married couple as they bicker with each other a bit over a bad habit of More’s boyfriend, and we later get a little sweet moment as they try to sleep on the bed together. Although the past between them was a little complicated, they have loved and understood each other a lot during those many years, and I must confess that I envy and admire their relationship as a dude who have failed to have any serious romantic relationship in his private life during last several years.

While More and her boyfriend do not have any problem in showing their relationship outside, More is well aware of how hard and difficult things can be for her and many other sexual minority people out there in South Korea. She still remembers how she was cruelly bullied by one senior student during the first days at his art high school just because she looked too feminine, and she actually attempted to commit suicide once a long time ago, though she luckily survived in the end.

After that, More became more determined to be alive as herself, and we are served with a number of bold and colorful moments as she bravely shows off her colorful sexual identity. In case of one certain moment, she boldly marches alone as a part of the annual queer parade in Seoul, and even those hateful bigots gathering around the parade, most of whom are incidentally Christians, cannot rain on her parade.

While the documentary never directly points out, it is clear that More’s longtime endurance partly comes from how her family has accepted her sexual identity without much objection. When she visits her family living in her rural hometown, her mother greets her dearly, and her father has no particular problem with her even though he did not say much. After all, he supported young More’s artistic passion from the very beginning, and he is certainly much better than many South Korean fathers cruelly rejecting their sexual minority kids.

In the meantime, More’s life happens to have several small ups and downs. When she meets a certain famous American queer figure in person, she is quite excited for good reasons, and she surely feels honored when this figure later pays a personal visit to where she practices dance moves for the upcoming New York City performance. When she subsequently comes to New York City, she and this figure come to have a brief private meeting, and, though not being able to see her performance due to the busy schedule, this figure gives her a very special gift which means a lot to her (Hint: It was released by Criterion several years ago).

In case of More’s boyfriend, he is surely delighted about More’s little success in New York City, but, sadly, he cannot be there for her because his labor visa happened to be expired and had to go back to Russia after that. The documentary later gives us a very poignant personal moment between them, and you may find yourself hoping that everything turns out to be all right for this loving couple in the near future.

Overall, “I am More” is a lively and touching documentary to be appreciated, and director Lee Il-ha did a superb job of vividly presenting the vibrant humanity and personality of his interesting human subject. Although I am quite different from More in many aspects, I was often touched as closely observing his private thoughts and feelings from the documentary, and that is more than enough for my wholehearted recommendation.

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