Cannes Palme d’Or winner of 2019, “Parasite” offers unexpected twists and turns into what humans are capable to do to survive. I was truly amazed by the acting, I think everyone was superb in this film, especially Cho Yeo-jeong (Mrs.Park) and Jang Hye-jin (Mrs.Kim). Directing is also top-notch. Bong Joon-ho builds up on the experience from previous films and offers an engaging film that sucks you in from first second and doesn’t let go all the way till the end. Impressive cinematography, coupled with equally notable editing, creates almost majestic effect. And while pacing could have been a little more dynamic, overall it doesn’t hinder the experience.

What does tho is actual writing. All his life being called “Hollywood director,” Bong Joon-ho makes a complete U-turn and tries to rid himself of all Hollywood cliches. And while one might argue it is for a greater good, I would say that it actually strips the script from certain magic. There are multiple metaphors, but very minimal foreshadowing and almost no “Checkhov’s gun”. Which normally I would say is a plus, but taking into account multiple twists and turns the story takes, this leaves viewers not only shocked but also somewhat confused by progression of certain totally unexpected events. And as such it loses some poetic aspects that could have potentially made “Parasite” a definite masterpiece.

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Casting is just AMAZING! You could just lay back and enjoy EVERY SINGLE PERSON on screen go crazy doing what they do best. DiCaprio blew my mind with everything he put in his character. Pitt still got all his magic and then some. Robbie shines encompassing wild and carefree, yet very accessible Tate. I literally could write a whole post about each of them and the rest of the stellar cast this film has.

My only complaint is with portrayal of Manson Family. Tarantino, known for giving his characters in-depth backstories, gives them almost nothing. We are to know that they are bad. Why? Even in “Inglourious Basterds” Tarantino shows Nazis do horrible stuff. Atrocities of slavers in “Django Unchained” are painted vividly. These are the characters far better known to everyone to be bad already, yet he still spends time to establish them as villains. Same doesn’t apply for Manson Family in “Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood”. He shows them as a bunch of hippy, dumpster-diving, free-spirited girls who might have some weird tendencies. I mean I do know they are bad people and the whole ordeal, but only because I googled where Marilyn Manson took his stage name. Because of that for me the ending seemed to be a little off.

Overall, I REALLY enjoyed this film and would urge you to watch it, if only for MIND-BLOWING acting. And shirtless Brad Pitt.

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Story

Nels Coxman works as a snowplow driver in Colorado mountain resort town. He is just doing his job, keeping roads open during heavy snow season, says Nels, while humbly accepting Citizen of the Year award. Right at that time, his son Kyle is kidnapped by some shady characters. Next morning police calls Nels to inform him that Kyle has been found dead from heroine overdose. Nels’s life is shattered in a moment. He doesn’t want to believe that Kyle would ever use heroine! Then Kyle’s friend shows up at his shop. He tells Nels that Kyle was actually mistakenly murdered by local dealer “Speedo” who thinks he stole drugs from him. Nels is furious, but one name is enough to set up a man to a path of revenge and destruction.

Not even snow can stop Neeson

Writing

Of course, there is a certain variation to the formula of Neeson’s Revenge. Nels is not a special agent, he is not anyhow proficient in martial arts nor has he acquired skills during his tenure as a snowplow driver that might be useful in killing and tracking people. He is an everyday man (though, honestly, I couldn’t quite make it out how a regular snowplow driver can afford a lavish mountain villa). Nels is broken and aimless when he learns about his son. But what brings him back to life is immense desire to bring justice to people who killed Kyle.

Whereas most of the films would have gone full action, “Cold Pursuit” takes different approach. In what can be considered as best homage to Tarantino and post-Pulp Fiction era crime cinema, film takes us deep into dark humor and irreverence territory. Secondary and tertiary cast is humongous. People talk random stuff, that has very little to do with the plot, other than give an (at times completely redundant) insight into minds of members of crime organization and what not. Script introduces characters, gives them several lines to say or do, just to have them die in a weird and gruesome manner. And though it might seem annoying, this trick actually brings much needed fresh air into the film and, I will have to agree, is extremely fun to watch.

What do you do with the body of dead drug dealer?

Directing

“Cold Pursuit” is a remake of Norwegian film “In Order of Disappearance”. In fact, both films have same director – Hans Petter Moland. He approaches the subject not with action film in mind, but philosophically. And when I say philosophical, I don’t mean “You Were Never Really Here“, but “In Bruges” and “Seven Psychopaths“. Film is full with beautiful landscape shots of snowy mountains and winter sky, complimented with sudden blood splatter of brain and guts. And the more I think of it, more I see comparison of styles of Moland and Martin McDonagh. In fact, towards the ending, “Cold Pursuit” definitely steps into “In Bruges” territory with all the weirdness and chaos.

Problem is – Moland is not McDonagh. Film somewhat loses itself in transition from reality to surrealism. Final confrontation, that was supposed to be grandiose and explosive, feels rushed and kinda incomplete. Not anticlimactic, just incomplete. And while watching it, I constantly was thinking that something is missing.

Enemies meet face to face

Acting

Since this is nth revenge film for Liam Neeson, he brings nothing new to the character. He is still same old man, who despite his calm appearance and demeanor is ready to choke people and knock their brains off using a shotgun. Even in “Widows” he was mostly the same. There is a huge supporting cast, naming all of whom would be pointless, but to name few who stand out despite given limited screen time – Tom Bateman (as drug lord Viking), Domenick Lombardozzi (his bodyguard Mustang), Tom Jackson (White Bull) and William Forsythe (as Wingman).

Summary

“Cold Pursuit” is classic Liam Neeson revenge film with a twist. Dark humor and irreverence of the tone does make it stand out from similar action films and will surely entertain fans of this genre. Others, probably not so much.

The post Cold Pursuit appeared first on Kino-AZ.

Story

In 1979 young Ron Stallworth is walking on the sidewalk when he notices a banner informing that Colorado Springs Police Department is looking for applicants, specifically from minorities. And while he knows that wearing big afro on his head and the fact that he will become first African-American to work for local police department will make a lot of people anxious, he still decides to take the risk. But soon he is fed up with bureaucratic work he has been assigned and urges his management to have him do undercover work. He is then reassigned to narcotics division as a detective. But instead Ron gets a brilliant idea – he will call up local Ku Klux Klan chapter, pose as aa racist white man and infiltrate the network. As ridiculous as it sounds, he is able to successfully establish contact. He can’t of course attend the meetings, so his fellow detective Flip Zimmerman will act as a stand in during meetings in person.

Stallworth (Washington) and Zimmerman (Driver) can’t believe their eyes

Writing

For what it is worth, the fact that this story is not a brain child of Tarantino but is what actually happened elevates “BlacKkKlansman” to next level. I mean how unbelievable it is that black detective can successfully fool Klan into believing he is a white person? And while it is not inconceivable that one might trick a person to anything over the phone, but level of sophistication that went into work of real Ron Stallworth is amazing. Not only he had to pose as a racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic person, he also had to become somebody he totally despises. Big help also arrives from the fact that he got support from his fellow detectives and his bosses. And how about Zimmerman, who had to stick out and pretend to be the fake person that Ron has created in his mind?

That being said film does feel like a lecture, unfortunately. Dialogues constantly use phrases and slogans that are too familiar with modern geopolitical events. There are direct parallels into what Klan members are saying and what modern politicians are pushing for. And these instances are not subtle. They are extremely direct and in-your-face (“Make America, umm… the Greatest” or “America First!”). Lee could have you used intricately sophisticated ways of delivering his message, but instead he goes to jugular and just screams that at you. And while, I am sure, this was his intent, not to have the subtlety, honestly, I felt that he was just preaching. I would have instead preferred to derive to the point myself.

David Duke (Grace) leads Klan meeting

This is especially a big issue for me since “BlacKkKlansman” has a lot of comedy. But unlike other two releases of last month dealing with racial issues, “Sorry to Bother You” and “Blindspotting” it fails to use comedy as a tool to get that message to audience. Then again, “BlacKkKlansman” uses situational comedy more in style of Tarantino than satirical tone of “Sorry to Bother You” or allegorical “Blindspotting”.

However, DESPITE this “BlacKkKlansman” actually does deliver a message. An extremely powerful, intimidating, strong and influential message. Lecture might bore you, but point that Lee wants to get across will get there and will stay there even after you leave the theater and you will understand that despite forty years passing since the events of “BlacKkKlansman”, nothing much has changed. And it surely will scare you.

Directing

From the lecture tone to the sheer ridiculousness of the situation, “BlacKkKlansman” could have gone so wrong so fast has it been in the hands of none other than Spike Lee. Instead, Lee offers something that very few directors could have brought to the project – extreme passion for the topic and unique directing craft. From swift camera angles to amazingly well-placed soundtrack, from intricate editing to intricate reveals, from steady pacing and building tension, “BlacKkKlansman” offers a viewing experience only Lee could deliver.

There are several instances where minor characters are delivering a speech/telling a story and the way Spike Lee presents and handles the crowd is just incredible. In first instance, he focuses on the individual faces listening to strong words of encouragement. In the second, he juxtaposes Klan members conducting ceremony on top of witness account of lynching. Both sequences are extremely powerful.

Then there is an ending. Ending and epilogue, actually. Initially I felt that ending was weak, but the way Spike Lee transitions to epilogue ties whole movie up and delivers punch so strong, so raw, so powerful and so profound and you will hear it reverberating the whole movie theater.

Stallworth (Washington) just received an interesting note

Acting

Despite John David Washington delivering strong performance as Ron Stallworth, I actually found him a little bit one-dimensional. Yes, there is a struggle in him to come up with terms of him being a police officer and at the same time having issues with his girlfriend, Patrice (played by Laura Harrier), who is civil rights activists, but I felt that it could have been written better. But that is hardly Washington’s fault. I did like how he portrayed “white” Ron and “black” Ron separately, both equally believable. Instead, Adam Driver‘s Flip Zimmerman offers much compelling glimpse into a Jewish detective, who despite never accepting being Jewish, has to become person who hates his own heritage to infiltrate Ku Klux Klan. This role and his portrayal in “Logan Lucky” makes him so much better than mediocre Kylo Ren in “The Last Jedi“.

I did also enjoy supporting cast of Laura Harrier as Patrice, Topher Grace as KKK leader David Duke, Jasper Pääkkönen as violent KKK member Felix and Ryan Eggold as KKK chapter leader Walter. All of them, especially Jasper Pääkkönen, deliver a very strong performances and create incredibly vivid characters.

Summary

Despite lecturing tone of “BlacKkKlansman”, Spike Lee is able to deliver across a very strong message. Combined with unique directorial work he is able to make “BlacKkKlansman” one of most powerful and important social and racial movies.

The post BlacKkKlansman appeared first on Kino-AZ.

Story

Collin has been on probation for 11 months and 27 days. Now with only three days left, Collin is counting minutes to become a free man. Free convicted felon, that is, because once a felon, society will always think of you as felon. Even if you try to leave all your past behind. And to be fair, Collin tries his best to stay away from trouble. He knows that any illegal activity, any run-in with police will send him back to jail. For all it takes, he wants to change. But that is nearly damn impossible because Collin’s best friend is ghetto gangster wannabe Miles, who likes instigating fights, smoking weed, buying stolen guns and literally doing EVERYTHING that might land Collin in jail. Collin can manage Miles though, what he can’t manage is something that happens on the end of third day – he witnesses police officer gunning down unarmed African-American young man. And suddenly two days that are left of his probation turn into infinity.

Collin (Diggs) and Miles (Casal) on their day jobs

Writing

Daveed Diggs and Rafael Casal wrote the screenplay and star as Collin and Miles, accordingly. Childhood friends in real-life, both spent several years writing and fine-tuning the script. In the end, we have “Blindspotting” – a perfect combination of comedy, drama and tragedy. And script not only literally takes you on roller coaster of emotions but offers something different. While most of independent films concentrate on personal drama of heroes, “Blindspotting” channels global drama into a personal drama for the hero. We have Collin trying his best to behave, but whatever he personally does might not be actually enough. It’s like society itself wants him to fail badly.

Then there is a problem of race. Collin is big muscular African-American with braids. His image automatically instigates people to stay away from him. Convicted felon he is or no, it doesn’t matter. From standpoint of police and society he will always be the bad guy. On the opposite end there is Miles. He is white American who acts more like a person that Collin tries to not be compared to. But Miles is Collin’s best friend from childhood. Despite his explosive character he has always watched Collin’s back and he even visited Collin twice a week while he was in jail. So despite the fact that Collin knows that Miles will most likely have him either thrown to jail or killed, there is nothing he can do about it.

Miles (Casal) tries his best to ignore Collin’s (Diggs) requests to keep it down

All this drama is intertwined with funny dialogues and freestyle rapping. There are a lot of jokes about Collin trying to stay clean and healthy, in the expense of hipsters, veganism and Whole Foods. Rap specifically plays a very strong role in the film. Collin and Miles entertain themselves freestyling at first opportunity. I did enjoy that at first their rhymes were broken and kinda pointless, but as the film progresses it gets more mature until it culminates in one single amazing sequence.

Directing

Good script is only a part of the film. To translate the intricate details and complexity of the plot to the screen you need to have a talented director. Carlos Lopez Estrada directs “Blindspotting” in his big screen debut. He manages to turn the script to equally awesome spectacle. I did enjoy how he made the film about Oakland. The city is the middle of the action. There is a constant musing about what is going on with Oakland, in what direction is it heading. Hipsters and gentrification is one of the side plots of “Blindspotting”. On every corner there are evidences of old city being torn down and new values being established. There is another level of conflict that Miles specifically has with hipsters taking over the “hood”.

But what makes “Blindspotting” work is that despite all these diversions and subplots, film still remains on track. Estrada masterfully builds tension by setting Collin on a collision course with his past, present and future. And you know that whenever the ending crawls in that it will not be pretty.

Collin (Diggs) witnessing a murder

Acting

Daveed Diggs kills it as Collins. He is extremely believable in his portrayal. He is a likeable hero. And despite him being a felon we truly believe in that he wants to change. Diggs manages to bring so much dimensionality into the character that viewer has no other choice but to root for him. Yes, everything that happens to him are direct consequences of his actions, but why not give him a second chance, especially if he wants to change and be a better self? Rafael Casal plays complete opposite, extremely one-dimensional Miles. He just wants to be gangster, hustler. But what I did enjoy about his performance is that even though he wanted to be one-dimensional character, “Blindspotting” does its best to change him. And, boy does he fight back!

And same applies to supporting cast. Janina Gavankar plays Collin’s ex-girlfriend who wants to see Collin change. Jasmine Cephas Jones is Miles’ baby mama who wants him to grow up and Ethan Embry plays police officer who shot an innocent man. Their roles are not just a blank space filler. There are there to elevate and truly support the main heroes and they deliver a very good performances.

Summary

With amazing script that offsets global drama into a personal one, incredibly believable performances by Diggs and Casal and masterful directing by Estrada, “Blindspotting” is one of the gems of modern independent cinema and surely is one of the best films of 2018.

The post Blindspotting appeared first on Kino-AZ.

Story

In reality where borderline slavery company WorryFree offers employment for freedom. But Cash Green is more than that. He might be broke, living in the garage of his uncle, for which he owns four months’ worth of rent, drives a car that looks more like a wheelbarrow, but he is proud. He wants to find his voice and laments to his girlfriend – eccentric street artist Detroit – about what kind of legacy he will leave on Earth. But in the meantime, he has to make ends meet, so he is super excited to start a new job of telemarketer at RegalView company. And maybe, if he does a lot of sales, he can be promoted to be enigmatic telemarketer VIP, called “power callers”. But in the beginning, he struggles with the job. Until an old man in the company tells him to use his inner “white voice”. And suddenly Cash becomes the best employee of the company, quickly rising through the ranks. But success, doesn’t come easy.

Cash (Stanfield) in his horrible car

Writing

The whole premise of the film is a social message. From the opening scene all the way to the end, everything that happens occurs for this particular reason. And writer Boots Riley does strike a gold mine here. Main premise of the film is that no one listens to an African-American man, his voice is not something that incites trust. So he resorts to use his inner “white voice” – voice of a person who has no debt and was never been stopped by police. And once he starts using it, Cash sees how doors automatically opens in front of him.

And social messages are not exclusively situational. There are numerous instances of social message slipping through just visuals of the film. From Detroit’s weird earrings and t-shirts, to subtle jokes like best whiskey, etc. film is full of these little nuances, that I am sure would make rewatch a wonderful experience. But unfortunately, these subtleties are sometimes ruined by the big picture, which is too much on the nose. In some instances, it feels like Riley is force feeding us his ideas. It just doesn’t feel that natural and even acts as a deterrent.

Langston (Glover) explains Cash (Stanfield) wonders of “white voice”

Film also struggles from identity crisis. “Sorry to Bother You” walks on the edge of being surreal and real, but it just doesn’t stay there. Events become farcical, but then jump back to being all serious. And when you expect for film to become comical and ridiculous, it makes a turn and becomes weird and awkward. Film bounces from being “too satirical” to “not enough satirical” in a matter of seconds. This constant shift in the tone I found a little confusing and at times just pointless.

I also didn’t enjoy the plot evolution. “Sorry to Bother You” fills like a collection of short films, hastily stitched together. Multiple plotlines, though complementing each other, don’t have much in common. In the middle, story shifts from personal perspective to global and then suddenly back to personal. Taking into account the tone of the film, it was quite unexpected to me.

Directing

Though I did enjoy directing of Boots Riley, I think he missed a great opportunity to deliver truly revolutionary film. “Sorry to Bother You” uses several editing and style techniques of weird cuts for surrealistic effect. For a while, film reminded me works of Terry Gilliam, Charlie Kaufman or Michel Gondry. Going back to the tonal shifts I mentioned earlier, Riley never capitalizes on that. Instead of making cuts and storytelling crazier and weirder, he resorts in making it actually calmer and more classical as film progresses. I wish instead he doubled down.

Detroit (Thompson) and her shirts

Acting

Lakeith Stanfield plays Cash. He feels so natural in that role that I am not sure if he is an amazing actor or just acting department did a great job. Nevertheless, he is totally believable, likeable, relatable character that you just want to root for. Tessa Thompson plays a free-spirited and independent Detroit and is equally a wonder to watch. She is no stranger to strong female roles, but she manages to bring something quite different from her roles in “Thor: Ragnarok”, “Annihilation” or “Westworld”. Supporting cast includes Jermaine Fowler, Omari Hardwick and Steven Yeun in quite one-dimensional characters, who they play satisfactorily. I was quite perplexed with Armie Hammer‘s character, whom he either overacts or underacts.

Summary

Full with social commentary and satire, “Sorry to Bother You” is a film that will make you laugh and think at the same time. With strong performances by Stanfield and Thompson, compelling characters and surrealistic plot, film still struggles with identity crisis and weird plot evolution.

The post Sorry to Bother You appeared first on Kino-AZ.

Story

Thirty years ago, Janet van Dyne sacrificed herself by jumping into quantum realm to stop nuclear bomb. For all these years her husband, Dr. Pym, has believed she died. But after Scott Lang returns from quantum realm in first film, Dr. Pym realizes that there might be a possibility that his wife is still alive and stuck in quantum realm. So, with help of his daughter, Hope van Dyne, he tries to create a device that will help him find Janet. Unfortunately, this device attracts attention of several individuals, namely a criminal Sonny and mysterious creature “Ghost”, who is in constant “phase shift” and can pass through walls. They could have asked for help of Scott Lang, but he is unfortunately indisposed, due to his involvement with Captain America. And more than that, he is preoccupied with having quality time with his daughter. But even if he could help them, this work might be too much for Ant-Man. Maybe it is time for Hope to don her superhero costume and become Wasp!

Writing

What strikes out from the opening of the film is tonal shift in the narrative. For the first time in MCU history we have a pure comedy on our hands. Action scenes is complimentary, just there to spice things up. And though some elements of the story do get dark towards the end, film still manages to stay on the lighter side. In that sense, “Ant-Man and the Wasp” might remind you of “Deadpool” just without any shenanigans.

Ant-Man (Rudd) and the Wasp (Lilly)

And there is a lot to laugh at. For a certain amount of time, film explores slapstick comedy to a very good results. Back-and-forth jabs between Lang/Ant-Man and Dr. Pym have more sarcasm to it than the original film and is very funny to watch. Then of course, Lang/Ant-Man’s man-child is offset by always serious Hope/Wasp. And to draw comparison with “Deadpool” again, Lang uses same technique of questioning film logic by borderline breaking the fourth wall. Lang’s friend Luis is back as a comic relief and he is even funnier than first film. I liked how writers incorporated his fast talking and highly stylized retelling of events and it was truly the highlight of the film. Overall, I think the comedy was very well written.

Which is what saves “Ant-Man and the Wasp” because the plot itself is ridiculous even by Marvel standards. And I am not talking about the scientific part of it. Film throws at us bunch of smart “sciency” words in fast succession, trying to mask and present everything as something plausible, hoping audience is stupid enough not to question the story. And questions I have. A lot actually. So many that the question whether Pym’s wife would be still alive in the “quantum realm” for thirty years is the least dubious one.

One thing I’d like to compliment is the bad guys. I can’t call them villains, because technically they are not traditional villains. And big applause to writers for trying something new (maybe not very successfully, but still) and not shoving a standard, cliché villain in our face. Writers at least tried to make them multi-dimensional. They have desires, motivations, conscience and doubts. They are not there to make good guys stand out, there are there to make film stand out.

It’s hard to run away from pursuit when you are tiny. Or is it?

Directing

Peyton Reed returns to direct “Ant-Man and the Wasp” and this time he has reins from the start. This makes “Ant-Man and the Wasp” feel much better than first film, which had that weird hybrid taste to it. Overall, Reed delivers a very enjoyable product. He manages to shoot both comedy and action scenes with equal enthusiasm. Taking into account the constant shift in the sizes of the heroes and extensive CGI that have been used, I just have to commend him for delivering a film that is not lost under its own weight. This specifically is seen in the restaurant scene. And most importantly, film flows very naturally and never feels like dragging.

But there are, of course, some problems. While “Ant-Man and the Wasp” is very watchable film, this is maybe the least cinematic of any MCU films. There are no heavily decorated, color graded beauty shots. Cinematography is there just to tell the story, nothing more, nothing less. But, maybe that is what is needed? Why complicate a light film with over-the-top sunsets, experimental framing and weird editing?

Ghost (John-Kamen) trying to steal the tech

Acting

I am not a big fan of Paul Rudd, but in “Ant-Man and the Wasp” he truly shines. He is a wonder to watch, no matter of the scene he is in. His comedy and jokes never feel fake. Evangeline Lilly plays her role with determination and brute force to show that she is not a damsel in distress, but, on contrary, is there to actually fight. Michael Pena returns as Luis and he steals all the scenes he is in. I also enjoyed Laurence Fishburne as Bill Foster. However, I was not really happy with Hannah John-Kamen, who plays Ghost. I don’t think she was able to show the tragic side of the character she played. Not sure if it’s her fault or director’s choice. Also film underutilized Walton Goggins, who basically gets same treatment as in “Tomb Raider“.

Summary

“Ant-Man and the Wasp” works really well, because tone of the film is firstly a comedy and then action. By using talented cast, film gives us a lot to laugh at and forces us to suspend our doubts against dubious plot.

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Story

The Parr family has a problem. While trying to prevent another villain from bank robbery they not only let him escape, but also inadvertently destroy half of the city. Public outcry over the actions of Mr. Incredible, Elastigirl, and their children – Violet, Dash and Jack-Jack – leads authorities to shut down all superhero activities and force all superheroes to live their secret identity lives forever. Bob and Helen are devastated by the idea of going back to pretending to be regular people, when they are contacted by a billionaire Winston Deavor, who is a great supporter of superheroes. He has a plan to make superheroes legal again. For that they will have to change people’s perception about superheroes. And the ideal candidate for this PR campaign is Elastigirl. However, Helen is reluctant about leaving her husband and kids. Albeit his frustration, Bob persuades Helen to accept the offer, promising to take care of the kids while she is out, saving the World. After all, how hard is it looking after the kids?

Elastigirl rushes to save the World!

Writing

Of course, Bob is wrong. Film takes two distinct separate paths after this. We follow the adventures of Helen as Elastigirl, trying to regain superheroes their name and fighting a mysterious villain. The other storyline is Bob realizing the true meaning of parenting. Not only he has to deal with teenage Violet, but also keep troublemaker Dash at bay. All while taking care of infant Jack-Jack, who turns out to have incredible superpowers. Plot constantly shifts between these two narratives. While Helen’s narrative is full with action scenes and adventures, Bob’s storyline has comical and down-to-Earth approach.

With regard to specifics, I found the comedy part very well written. The jokes didn’t feel forced or fake. They were genuinely funny and I also specifically enjoyed the fact that jokes were situational and totally kids oriented. None of the jokes were due to any obscure pop culture reference, a witty remark or some sarcastic whip. This is what the family movie needs. Also, I think first time in a long while in a Pixar/Disney movie I didn’t see any mentally challenged comic relief pet/animal. I have no clue what the fascination of Disney is with having those animals around (rooster in Moana, dog in Coco, etc.), but “Incredibles 2” doesn’t need such a devise.

Mr.Incredible tries to keep his sanity.

I also enjoyed that film stays light by not pushing a heavy social message onto a viewer. There are no fake drama moments, no artificial tearjerkers. And while I am sure a lot of viewers are expecting “Finding Nemo” or “Coco” like emotional connection, “Incredibles 2” will most likely disappoint them. But why should Pixar include these moments into every film? Why not make a truly enjoyable film that doesn’t rely on anyone dying or losing memory or what not?

One more thing that is worth mentioning is that “Incredibles 2” is one of very rare superhero films that don’t concentrate on a villain. So many superhero movies these days thrive on bad guys (see “Avengers: Infinity War“, “Wonder Woman” or even “Dark Knight Rises“). Instead, the main plot of the film is about being a family.

Directing

Brad Bird returns to directing Pixar movie, first time since “Ratatouille”. And what a return that is. Since his brief stint as a live action director (which also included his debut film “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol“) we can assuredly say that he learned new tricks and perfected old ones. While his old animated films had satisfactory action scenes, they were never masterful. In “Incredibles 2” Bird’s action sequences are precise and full of excitement. Fights are well choreographed and neatly edited. As a matter of fact, I think “Incredibles 2” have the best action sequences in history of Hollywood animation.

The constant shift of narrative from Bob to Helen and back is what makes “Incredibles 2” work. Of course, two narratives eventually diverge into one, but for the majority of the film we have balanced action/no action staging which doesn’t bore the viewer. This all despite the fact that film is whooping 118 minutes long (longest for any Pixar film). I was pleasantly surprised that the long runtime never actually affected the experience.

Summary

“Incredibles 2” is a rare family movie that will satisfy every single family member, old or young. By masterfully pacing comedy with action sequences, Brad Bird gives us a truly enjoyable experience that never bores during a long runtime. And while film doesn’t have a big emotional reveals or tearjerker moments, that has been so over-utilized by Pixar and Disney, “Incredibles 2” shows that you don’t need formulaic gimmicks and tricks to make the film entertaining.

The post Incredibles 2 appeared first on Kino-AZ.

Story

Ex-mercenary turned mutant Wade Wilson, aka Deadpool has been busy. Very busy actually. Hunting various domestic and international criminals, executing their entourage in the most extensive way and making his targets regret they were born. That’s just what he does. But then he saves young mutant Russell, who calls himself Firefist. To his surprise he then realizes that a man has traveled from future to kill Russell. This man has a robotic arm (“just like Winter Soldier”) and calls himself Cable. Why he wants to kill Russell, he doesn’t tell, but Deadpool decides that he will not let Cable kill Russell at any cost. But for that he needs to assemble a superhero group called X-Force!

Deadpool (Reynolds) is rolling his eyes

Writing

This film is a total steroid sequel. Everything that we loved in the first film are not only taken up one notch, but been dialed all the way to 11. Film is non-stop flow of comedy and laughs, action and overall insanity. You forget time when watching it, there is just so much happening and so fast. On top of that, there are a lot of unexpected twists, turns and sudden plot changes through the whole film. Also using self-reflection and self-parody film pushes the boundary of the film perception to the limit.

But there is also some drawback to the comedy. There are several very dramatic scenes, that we shouldn’t be laughing at. And recovering from laughter hangover into these scenes was sometimes difficult. The dramatic effect thus sometimes was lost. The amount of self-reflection and parody actually pushes “Deadpool 2” into a different genre. In fact, there is so much overall slapstick that it reminded me of “Airplane!” and “Naked Gun” at times. It is not a bad thing at all, but when first film was trying to stay a little serious, “Deadpool 2” doesn’t give a rat’s ass about it.

Deadpool (Reynolds) tries to dodge bullets from Cable (Brolin)

What sets “Deadpool 2” apart from most of the films of this genre is actually deep story and evolution of the heroes. Writers give us a respectable villain, in the eyes of Cable, introduces new characters like Domino and Firefist, and develops old ones like Colossus. On top of this, film gives Deadpool a new motivation, new reason to evolve, move forward.

Directing

David Leitch, director of “John Wick” and “Atomic Blonde“, proves once again how amazingly good he is at making high-octane action films. I was a little worried after “Atomic Blonde”, but Leitch has a great comeback. He delivers his signature choreographed action sets in “Deadpool 2”. There is a very interesting slow-motion montage in the beginning of the film, that is purely insane. Chase sequence will totally blow your mind. Leitch even excels in the direction of CGI on CGI fight, making it believable and watchable.

What Leitch also does good is that he is able to keep this all the madness coherent. With constant one-liners and jabs from Deadpool character threatening to bring total chaos to the film, he is able to deliver a good story and keep us on track of what is happening. He also shows that he can handle dramatic scenes, though as I mentioned earlier, sometimes they get very diluted by the fits of laughter preceding these scenes.

Domino (Beetz) uses her superpower – luck

Acting

Ryan Reynolds is ballsier and crazier than first film. Despite that most of the time he spends behind the mask, he makes Deadpool a believable and relatable character. And though his moral choices are extremely weird and at times borderline wrong, audience connects with the character purely through Reynolds’ performance. Josh Brolin delivers Cable who is basically a human version of Terminator, literally in everything. And I know people will hate me, but he is much better Cable than he is Thanos. Supporting cast has a new addition of Zazie Beetz as lucky Domino. She totally smokes her role and I think will become a fan favorite. Special credit goes to Julian Dennison who plays young mutant Russell. His character is basically everything that Deadpool isn’t and Dennison plays him with a specific charm. Also, be on a watch-out for multiple cameos.

Summary

“Deadpool 2” delivers everything that fans of original movie were hoping to see and more. It has a lot of comedy, solid action sequences and even dramatic scenes that will make you forget the time and just enjoy the show.

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Story

It’s the last days of summer break and parents of Maddie – Deanna and Dan – are dropping their daughter at her dorm. Deanna is very emotional, Maddie after all is college senior. But she will be even more emotional when she’ll find out minutes later that Dan wants a divorce after so many years together. Deanna is heartbroken and devastated. While trying to figure out what to do and how to live her life, she remembers one thing that she didn’t have a chance before getting married – she never graduated from college. And now after so many years, Deanna decides to re-enroll and complete her last year and get her diploma! And wouldn’t it be even cooler if she enrolls in her daughter’s college?

Writing

“Life of the Party” tries a lot to be a good comedy. It sets up a nice and heartfelt story for hero. Deanna is caring, emotional and lovable character. We feel for her emotional struggles. Her husband leaves her and by all means, she should just cry herself to death, but instead she concentrates all her strength in doing something completely opposite, that is build her career from scratch. We truly root for her.

Deanna (McCarthy) and her new gang

But that where good things end for the film. Comedy part is very mellow and dry. “Life of the Party” misses a great opportunity with the setup. Whereas one can envision hundreds and hundreds ridiculous things that could have happened to sweet, but completely out of place person like Deanna, we get some extremely mediocre laughs. And there is a reason for that – McCarthy herself wrote the script. So none of the laughs are diminishing or humiliating her character. And while it is good, this also is completely in opposite with the setup of the film. Deanna must have been ridiculed for being in the school and hanging with her daughter and creating a gang, etc. Instead we get everyone cheering and welcoming her, and Deanna even gets a young stud to fall for her.

Acting

Melissa McCarthy lives for her roles and Deanna in “Life of the Party” is no exception. McCarthy totally embraces her on-screen persona. There is not a hint of under or over-acting in her performance. It is heartfelt, relatable and extremely lovable. She is also backed by solid supporting cast, but among them Maya Rudolph just outshines everyone. Including McCarthy. She steals every scene and is probably the best thing in the whole film. My only complain to her performance is that there is not enough of her.

Summary

“Life of the Party” has an interesting setup and very lovable hero, but the film is just not that funny. Really feels like a lost opportunity for everyone.

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