"Dark Passage" - review

“Dark Passage”

An interesting but ultimately humdrum journey.

Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall were one of Hollywood’s greatest pairings both onscreen and off.  Their love affair defied age, status and background.  When they met while shooting “To Have and Have Not”, Bogart was 44 years old, married, and already an industry icon.  Bacall was only 19, single and a complete unknown in Tinseltown.  “To Have and Have Not” was a major hit and was quickly followed by “The Big Sleep”, which also did very well.  “Dark Passage” was Bogart and Bacall’s third appearance together, but box office lightning did not strike again.

Bogart plays a man wrongly convicted of murder who escapes from San Quentin and gets plastic surgery to avoid detection while trying to prove his innocence.  Bacall is the artist who believes him and while trying to help Bogart find his accuser, they fall in love.  Bogart and Bacall’s crackling chemistry does justice to the romance, but everything that happens around the love story feels clumsy or cliché.

The first act of the film is unusual in that it’s shot from the POV of Bogart’s character since we never see his face pre-surgery.  Initially this choice is a fun visual variation, but once the bandages are off it gets dropped, so it ends up feeling more like more a sight gag than a story necessity.  While a new handheld camera was used to film the POV sequences, the movement is too slow and mechanical to feel natural, which breaks the immersion.

The cast of characters that Bogart meets are familiar archetypes, but unlike Bogart and Bacall, they are oddly paired.  First there’s the taxi driver who just happens to recognize Bogart’s character and also just happens to know a disgraced doctor who can fix Bogart’s face for a small fee.  The actor is great, but the character’s ghoulish bedside manner makes it very doubtful that any man, convict or otherwise, would submit his skin to the scalpel of a doctor who looks like Bela Lugosi channeling Henry Frankenstein!

How did the taxi driver and the doctor come to know each other?  What it is about their “working” relationship that works?  They seem to be from such totally different worlds, yet their dynamic suggests a history that might actually make a better story than the one being told!  Is there an underground specifically for escaped cons needing plastic surgery?  I’d like to see that!

Then there’s the character named Baker whom Bogart bums a ride from just after his jailbreak and whom we later learn is a small-time crook who wants to blackmail Bacall through Bogart.  How did Baker come to be driving by San Quentin that day?  This is also how Bogart meets Bacall’s character a little later after he knocks Baker out and steals his car.  These coincidences are too contrived, and no justifications are forthcoming.

Aside from Bogart and Bacall’s smoldering scenes together, part of what makes “Dark Passage” entertaining was director Delmer Daves’s insistence on actual location shooting in San Francisco.  This live-on-the-street style gives the film a visceral atmosphere that is quite welcome.  Many films shot on studio sets or backlots can feel quite claustrophobic due to the small number of locations and that sense of sterility can carry over onto the screen.  Being outside gives a real feeling of danger for the protagonist and his desire to remain undetected.

Another visually striking sequence is the psychological collage that occurs when Bogart’s character is sedated before his plastic surgery.  Many of the film’s players make an appearance, and the kaleidoscopic effect on their faces is used to great effect with the addition of some quite unusual images to establish the morose mish-mash of so many worries in his head.

“Dark Passage” is aptly titled, as it is a beautifully shot film with great performances, but the story is haphazard and the pacing erratic.  It feels like the narrative was written on the fly without considering any connections between the characters or developing an overall theme for the story being told.  It’s an intriguing puzzle at first, but it ultimately feels like many pieces are missing from the picture.

"First Man" review

A First Class Flight 

I was born on July 20^th, 1969, and as my feet touched the Earth for the first time in a hospital room in Southern California, so too did Neil Armstrong take his first steps onto the surface of the Moon.  Not surprisingly, I’m heavily biased when it comes to my appreciation of space exploration and all of NASA’s stellar accomplishments in the decades since that history-defining moment.  Despite how auspicious both events were (for very different reasons) Neil’s journey was much more perilous than mine!

Still, it is incredibly ironic that so much sacrifice should finally result is a perfect touchdown of the Eagle lander in the Sea of Tranquility!  I fully acknowledge the difficulty of contextualizing the motivations of the Apollo program within the fractious political tensions of the time, and one could easily and endlessly debate the merits of the various catalysts that launched so many men and machines into the last great frontier, but for me this does not lessen the magnificence of Apollo’s culminating achievement.

But why tell this story again?  There have been so many dramatic films and documentaries through the years that have thoroughly examined the vast and complex history of American space flight.  What pieces could still be missing from this puzzle?  The answer is obvious to an aficionado like me: the personal stories of the men and women involved and how the immense pressure from the maelstrom of world political debate affected them and their families, especially given the ever-present mortal impact if a mission should go awry.

I’ve not seen any of Damien Chazelle’s other films, but what most excited me about “First Man” was this young director’s decision to frame the story so that the experience of watching the film occurs mostly from the perspective of Neil Armstrong.  Through every training test, every launch and every escape from a seeming certain death, you are inside the vehicle with Neil.  As the metal creaks and the vehicle shakes to the point where it seems everything might suddenly disintegrate, you are shoulder to shoulder with him.  The film is an utterly immersive and at times harrowing experience that is terrifying and exhilarating in equal measure.

But what about the wives?  They didn’t have this unique experience, and their knowledge of what their husbands were going through came mostly through radio or television broadcasts as they were not allowed in Mission Control or anywhere near where their husbands were risking their lives.  I cannot imagine the stress that this would place on any relationship, especially in an era where introspection and emotional vulnerability were NOT looked upon as ideal characteristics for men or women.  Regardless of the weight of your pain, you were expected to carry it without utterance.

Talk about pressure!  And enduring all of this while trying to survive piloting yet another newly minted machine that had hardly been tested much less fully de-bugged!  I get stressed just thinking about it, and yet these men repeatedly cued up for the death-defying challenge while their wives bore the burden of waiting and hoping to never get that one phone call that would shatter their lives and families forever.  Those calls happened often during the years leading up to and after the Moon landing, and Claire Foy as Neil Armstrong’s wife Janet does a superlative job of presenting a woman who truly loves her husband but is deeply conflicted about his career path.

I’ve never been a big fan of Ryan Gosling, as he usually presents a placid façade beneath which roils potentially deep and turbulent waters.  For me, this gets repetitive quickly, but it makes Gosling a superb choice to play Neil Armstrong.  Neil was a very quiet and reserved man who spoke almost curtly and instead let his actions do the talking.  It is a welcome addition to this film that Gosling’s performance includes a few scenes in which he displays heartbreaking sorrow.  It makes his character seem much less robotic and more sympathetic.

The final mission to the Moon is a white-knuckle descent into beautiful desolation.  Again, the camera is rooted inside the vehicle, placing you directly alongside the characters.  You effectively become another crew member, watching in mounting anticipation and dread, fervently hoping for success against the seemingly illimitable odds.  The entire lunar sequence is nearly silent, and the lack of musical fanfare allows the enormity of this penultimate moment to breathe and deeply resonate within.  I’m always SO grateful when filmmakers understand the power of silence.

If only more audiences did, but that’s a rant for another time!

The Last Starfighter - review

Warp Speed to Nostalgia!

The eighties were the decade of my awkward transition from teenager to adulthood.  Video games, sci-fi movies, girls, acne and weird feelings, what a time to be alive!  I lived a good portion of that time in arcades because my raging hormones could be momentarily drowned out by the roar of 8-bit music and the rush of playing my personal favorite coin-op, Bally’s Wizard of Wor.

I loved video games, still do, and “The Last Starfighter” is one of the few movies that manages to successfully use video games as a jumping off point for a delightful story.

While not a Steven Spielberg film, “The Last Starfighter” certainly reflects his influence in its glorification of homespun nostalgia.  The story is absurdly simple and simply absurd, but it succeeds largely because of the earnest performances of the actors, who make the drama ring true and the comedy sparkle with a heaping helping of old-fashioned, aw-shucks enthusiasm.  This sentimentality is difficult to resist because “The Last Starfighter” is just so happy to be a movie!

Lanky but charming Lance Guest plays Alex Rogan, a young man who feels trapped in the trailer park where he lives with his mom and little brother, doing handyman chores for the aging residents.  Alex has a steady girlfriend, but he wants more from life than necking by the lake in a sleeping bag.  He dreams of escaping to college, but when Alex's school loan is denied, he is crushed by the thought of being consigned to replace fuses and erect TV antennas but never see the big wide world outside his little desert valley.

To distract himself, Alex plays a newly arrived video game at the trailer park’s general store.  The machine turns out to be a recruitment tool sent by an intergalactic huckster named Centauri, played by the delightfully hammy Robert Preston.  When Alex beats the game, Centauri appears and offers Alex the chance to actually escape the trailer park, but that choice involves risking his life as a real star pilot in an actual war!  At first Alex balks at this responsibility, but danger at home compels him to make the leap into the great beyond.

CGI was still in its nascent stage, but the visual effects in “The Last Starfighter” hold up quite well, due in large part to the brilliant production design by Ron Cobb.  Despite the modest computing power of this era’s processors, the Gunstar spaceship that Alex commands is a unique and nicely detailed design.  The dogfight action is very well-composed and edited, and Craig Safan’s rousing score soars through it all, keeping our spirits flying along with Alex as he battles seemingly impossible odds.

The supporting cast is wonderful across the board.  Catherine Mary Stuart plays Maggie, Alex’s sweetheart, and her girl-next-door looks, luminous eyes and sweet yet sexy demeanor make her instantly adorable.  Alex’s little brother Louis, played by Chris Hebert, adds a lot of humor without feeling one-dimensional, and all the denizens of the trailer park are distinct even though they don’t have much screen time.  These background characters may feel a bit stereotypical, but this kind of cinematic shorthand is still done with genuine affection.

“The Last Starfighter” is a mighty cornball of clichés.  An unabashed celebration of can-do attitude, romance and adventure which might seem mawkish to those with hardened hearts, but I find its schmaltz to be utterly appealing and infectious.  It’s a love letter to youth in all its optimism, aspirations and starry-eyed wonder.  If you have ever looked up at the night sky and dreamed of cosmic adventure, then “The Last Starfighter” is your ticket to a trip back in time for a vision of the future, eighties-style!

"The Last Jedi" review

The Last Straw

That's it.  I'm done.  "The Force Awakens" was a stumbling but earnest effort to recreate a Star Wars movie that felt right.  The look and the mood and the music in the first act perfectly captured the serious but fun atmosphere of the original Star Wars trilogy, and yet the new characters were fresh and different and interesting.  Then the old familiar faces began to appear and the snappy pacing stalled under the increasing weight of the reverence for Episode IV before the story finally sunk into a bog of nostalgia.

Both of you were lovely here. WTH happened?

While I could understand the desire to return to familiar territory, I didn't want a straight up remake of the first Star Wars film, and this is why I was looking forward to "Rogue One", as it seemed poised to offer director Gareth Edwards the chance to really break free from a lot of burdensome lore and expand the Star Wars universe.  He did, but the needlessly complex plot resulted in a confusing and boring heist movie with no emotional stakes due to the cardboard-thin characterizations.

No one really cares if ALL of you die.  Isn't that a problem?

I'd only seen Rian Johnson's first film "Brick", and I recall it fondly even though the contradictory combo of a neo-noir story set in a contemporary high school felt too disjointed to really gel despite the excellent mood and cinematography.  Still, I was hoping that his approach to "The Last Jedi" would answer some burning questions posed by "The Force Awakens", and that these answers, while satisfying, would not only help us to better understand the new characters, but deepen the mythology of this new story, and get us excited for its conclusion in Episode IX.

Emo is the new villainy?  I can almost buy that.  So scary!  So. . .so.

Rian Johnson failed.  Now, whether this is due to Disney demanding certain story or character elements or whether Rian understands Star Wars as well as George Lucas is beyond my ken.  All I can say is that "The Last Jedi" is the last Star Wars film that I will see in the theater.  Star Wars is no longer a franchise about myth, adventure and great heroes.  It's solely a product, and a recycled one at that.  A means to a merchandising end.  That galaxy far, far away is now just an Amazon one-click away.

Luke upon realizing that they were going to make him milk a land seal with massive breasticles.

I cannot go into all the details of why this film is a failure on nearly every level that is possible for a film of its kind, but its most prominent transgression is that it doesn't respect its origins.  It doesn't matter if the plot or the character's motivations make sense anymore.  I now understand why the trailers hammered the line from Kylo Ren about destroying your past because it's the only way to become who you truly are, as that's what Rian is trying to do with this latest film.  He's trying to "reset" audience expectations.

I'm Mary Poppins, y'all!

But you know what?  Those who forget the past are doomed to relive it, and so this has now become the doom of every Star Wars fan from this point forward.  Forget all that great storytelling and character development.  Forget all the intense emotional moments that were built up across multiple films culminating in a final battle between two characters which was resolved in the most heart-breakingly bittersweet way.  Forget all that.  Coherent narrative is no longer necessary.

FEED ME, FANBOY!

We've got Porgs and the giant racing rabbit horses and sea cows with massive lactating teats. Don't forget the gag shot of the close-up on the steam irons pressing on First Order uniforms that looked like a spaceship landing!  That was funny, right? We can make meta jokes and mock this franchise now, right?  No.  Not if you want your audience to take your film seriously.  Yet under the Disney yoke, Star Wars has now become a punch line.  Kyle Smith at the National Review nailed the fallacy in this wanna-be Edgelord thinking: "Get a cheap laugh poking fun at the mythology and its power won’t be there when you need it."

Mourning the imminent demise of the franchise.  Luke really could see the future!

Star Wars is dead.  Long live Star Wars.

"Logan" review

The Old Man finally gets his due.

It has been seventeen years since Hugh Jackman first suited up as the Wolverine, but in all the X-Men films that followed, one crucial element was always missing from his character: the guilt.  Logan has long been haunted by remorse for all the carnage that he has inflicted not only on his enemies, but also on his friends.  At his lowest point in this latest entry, Logan tearfully pleads with another character to not follow his path because bad things always happen to the people that he cares about.  While Logan’s mutant healing ability has greatly extended his lifespan and made him nigh-invincible, it has also utterly isolated him.  All Logan’s friends are now either dead or missing in action, so he has severed the emotional ties that time inevitably wears down and destroys.  Logan can no longer tolerate the wounds that never fully heal.

The weight and depth of Logan’s outcast existence suffuses every scene of this film with pain and regret.  The world seems to have largely forgotten about mutants, and Logan would appear to be just fine with that.  Yet he drinks relentlessly, and the decades of mental anguish and alcoholism have etched deep creases into his now craggy face.  This is because Logan's healing ability is failing, and he is barely able to care for Charles Xavier, who is also tormented by his own advancing age as his telepathic powers are spiking wildly out of control.  The perpetually setting sun and the lengthening shadows surrounding Logan’s decrepit desert hideout signal more slaughter, for some humans have not forgotten mutants, and seek to weaponize their powers regardless of the obliteration of the innocent.

Though Logan claims to be past caring about the lives of others, he gets pulled back into the final fray when he learns of a diabolical new plan to make literal super-soldiers by harvesting mutant DNA and then injecting it into children.  Logan also discovers that he has a crucial connection to this killer-from-a-crib program in the form of a young, seemingly mute girl named Laura who has powers much like his own.  Their lives become inextricably linked as Logan repeatedly leaps to Laura's defense against the ruthless mercenaries now pursuing them both.  Logan desperately desires to also rescue Laura from the misbegotten life that he has endured, while she finds in him the only positive paternal influence that she has ever known.  Thrown together in turmoil, they both rise to meet their fate with a familiar ferocity.

The R rating of this film has been much ballyhooed, and while there is certainly more blood and violence than in all previous X-men entries, it is not overindulgent.  To the contrary, the spurting jugulars and shattered bones are actually eclipsed by the lean, kinetic storytelling, the stunning cinematography and the superlative ensemble cast.  The vast majority of the film’s running time is instead devoted to investing the audience in the lives of these characters, which makes the brutal action scenes convulse with the kind of galvanic excitement that had me whooping and clapping at the intensity of the psychological catharsis rather than the physical butchery.   It must also be stressed that amidst all this chaos, there are a few terrific belly laughs to be had.  While much of the story is indeed harrowingly grim, it is not without a few precious moments of joy.

“Logan” is one of the best X-men films and also one of the best superhero films ever made.  This character’s sojourn across the silver screen mirrors his course through the comics: a long and lonely road fraught with continual peril, with only the solace of a few friendships and cold brewskis to set against the unrelenting assault of a mean and mistrustful world.  The final scene packs a serious gut punch, because it is not only a heartbreaking farewell, but also a stark and beautifully visual tribute to the duality of the Wolverine.  Logan is a tremendously tragic character, and yet the resolution of his story is so damn well done that I told my wife as we walked through our front door that we had just come home from a really good wake.

"Captain America: Civil War" review

Civil Spat

 “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”, directed by the Russo brothers, is one of the best films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  It developed all the characters introduced previously while adding new ones who were interesting and had integral parts to play.  The story became darker and more complex, but still felt lean, moved quickly and was SO much darn fun to watch!  “Captain America: Civil War” was also to be helmed by the Russo brothers and I was truly excited for it.  The Avengers battle the Avengers?  Black Panther?  Spider-Man? What could possibly go wrong?  Unfortunately, a LOT.

“Captain America: Civil War” finds the Avengers (most of them anyway) threatened with political sanctions due to the continuing civilian collateral damage from all their preceding battles.  The film does a much better job of presenting the severity of this subject than “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice”, but there is still something missing.  This fight should feel like an intimate and ideological world-shaking clash between our conflicted crusaders, but it comes off more like a neighborhood kerfuffle over parking in somebody’s driveway without their permission.  Sides are chosen arbitrarily, often in direct contrast to the particular character's worldview.  Most problematic as that critical decisions feel wholly plot driven instead of coming from the heart, and this significant lack of tangible stakes saps the strength from the story.

Marvel’s grand plan leading up to the end of Phase III is an incredibly courageous construct that has many merits.  All the individual films are intricately tied around a central storyline that will eventually culminate in the two part climax of the Infinity War.  However, the major drawback is that all this setup and foreshadowing does not leave the individual films with much room to maneuver as far as their own stories.  The original content that is present is often forced in between exposition that won’t be paid off for several years.  Furthermore, because certain characters must be present for the grand finale, nothing truly terrible can happen to them now.  If it does, it is not to be trusted as permanent.  Without real risk and lasting consequences, little emotional drama is possible regardless how much plot is present.

The result is that even with a two and a half hour running time, "Captain America: Civil War" is more overstuffed than a Thanksgiving turkey.  Despite the visual feast, satisfaction remains elusive because there is an aura of sameness hanging over every scene.  There are no peaks and valleys to the ride.  I like these actors and I love some of these characters, and clearly a LOT of genuine, earnest effort was put into this film.  The problem is that you can feel it.  The cinematic pry bar is being pushed to the breaking point under the weight of so many expectations.  While the film is enjoyable overall, it is so densely packed with information that it’s almost overwhelming.   The viewing experience is not unlike eating an entire chocolate cake without the accompanying glass of milk.  It can be done, and it is tasty, but by the time you’ve choked down the last bite you’re just glad that it’s all over.