It starts off nicely tho. Film is presented in a lively manner, interjecting narrative with explanations a-la manual on what are shell accounts, fake corporations and how rich people can avoid legally paying taxes. I was really intrigued by this. We dive into a story of a widow who tries to unravel the mystery behind non-payment of her dead husband’s insurance claim which takes her into a firm in Panama. Then suddenly plot shifts to China, with new characters coming and new story taking over the main plot. Then we go off somewhere else (I honestly can’t remember where) and new story pops out that has nothing to do with the previous two stories. And then suddenly it all finishes with a weird lecture on how USA has allowed this tax shelters to exist blah blah.

I was quite surprised that Soderbergh did take this project and for the first part “The Laundromat” it actually works well. There is a HUGE cast, with big names (do me a favor and look it up, it’s just a very long list of wasted talent) who keep appearing and disappearing almost instantaneously and suddenly I felt myself to be in the middle of sinking boat that doesn’t even know it is sinking. It was a very weird feeling, I’ll be totally honest. 

I am not sure of artistic license behind the project. Maybe it did sound better on paper than making it into a regular documentary. Whatever was the reason, “The Laundromat” really disappoints with weird choices of Soderbergh. I consider him as one of the great visionaries of modern cinema, but this movie just sucks.

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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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Yet, when I heard that Vince Gilligan was making a sequel about Jesse Pinkman’s fate, I was thrilled, to say the least. Not because I cared about Jesse, but because Gilligan is one of my top 3 most favourite directors. Actually, top 2. Well, since Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s failure with “Wild Pear Tree”, Mr.Gilligan is my most favourite director. A kind that you’d queue up for hours and blindly throw your money at.

Now, the 2 hours of El Camino is over and I am not as enthusiastic as before.

El Camino is a finely directed and produced movie. It is thoroughly well-written, too. Murad argues that it does not contribute to the overall story line, but maybe it was never about the story line. I could easily write a dozen of very decent quotes from El Camino. People from all walks of life could talk about Jesse’s situation and decisions for hours. And that is the art that Gilligan delivers, which he usually magnificently weaves into a superb story line. So, no matter how perfect, the story line has always been secondary. Therefore, it could very well be that Gilligan didn’t seek to contribute to the overall story with El Camino, hence why he failed in that department (read Murad’s opinion on why and how he failed).

But this failure was not what made me uncomfortable watching Jesse driving off in Alaska and the credits rolling.

Let me go back to saying that Vince Gilligan is my favourite director and I adore his work like no one else’s. Every time I say this, tho, I pause for a second and think about Hancock.

Until now, that feature was his only mediocre work in the past two decades. I gave him the benefit of the doubt, as he was not the one who wrote the original script, it was his first feature, etc. But El Camino completed “the Gilligan puzzle” for me.

Vince Gilligan has a peculiar story-telling technique. He sets up the scene carefully and sweats every detail, gives us insight into the characters’ emotional situation, provides the necessary background (isn’t he big on flashbacks), and then triggers the action. No wonder that action ends up making perfect sense and leaving a lasting impact. And apart from being a genius writer and a skillful director, he needs one essential ingredient to achieve these – time. Which he usually has plenty of. Take Better Call Saul – four seasons in, and it is only just stepping into what the story is really about. Long story short, it is Gilligan’s signature to roll a slow introduction into the action.

He does not have that luxury in a feature film.

If you tried to elevator-pitch Breaking Bad, it would have sounded mediocre at best. Unlike Inception, Slumdog Millionaire, Catch Me If You Can, et. al. Yet, Breaking Bad is a masterpiece that made a bold mark in the history of cinematography. This paradox is rooted in the fact that its storyline is secondary. Thinking of El Camino, that is the one phrase that comes to my mind – an elevator pitch of upcoming series.

Murad said that El Camino felt like three movies squashed into one. I claim that each one of those three could be made into a season, especially considering Gilligan’s narration techniques. That’s exactly what I watched in those 2 hours of Netflixing – an abridged supercut of 3 seasons of a brilliant series that will never exist.

Going back to “the Gilligan puzzle” – the missing piece is his elevator-pitching skills.

Now that Jesse Pinkman sorted his vacuum cleaner, are we back to Saul Goodman’s path to his Hoover MaxExtract 60? I certainly hope so, and I want to see my favourite director back at doing what he does the best.

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Show is very well done. It is obvious that Amazon has not kept the budgets tight and production thus is very impressive. Acting and writing is very good. I really enjoyed how much show spends time developing minor characters and giving everyone a certain evolution arcs (kinda reminded of another show that did that for 7 seasons and then managed to magnificently screw it all up in 8th). Thus just like in Watchmen, there are not good or bad guys, there are light gray or dark gray guys (whole 50 shades of… damn, nevermind).

Show is not without faults, as usual with streaming shows pacing slumps in the middle, but then explosively picks up. I also didn’t like the ending much. It seemed more like an end of episode and not a certain full stop of season finale.

And if you are not convinced that this show is awesome – I watched all episodes over a weekend, with last 6 of them in one single day. Last time I binge-watched a show like this was first season of Stranger Things.

4.7/5.0

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But aside from nostalgic points, film doesn’t bring that much to the table. Let’s start with that it would be impossible for anyone who hasn’t seen the show to even understand what is going on. Film doesn’t even try to establish known characters, and why would it? In the end, “El Camino” is essentially, just a 3-episode miniseries edited into one single film. Yes, the storyline is engaging and exciting, but I didn’t see anything grandiose akin to explosive “Breaking Bad” plot progressions or even close to what my expectations were. Weirdly enough it feels like film embraces this whole motion of serenity. Then again, maybe, just to quote one character “quiet is all that you (Jesse) needs right now”.

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Joaquin Phoenix though just kills it all with mind-blowing performance. It is a tremendous challenge to try to build on performances of Nicholson and Ledger, but unlike Leto, Phoenix decides not to create a new Joker persona but tread a thin line right in between Nicholson’s slick mobster and Ledger’s psychotic anarchist versions. Thus his Joker is a very successful amalgamation of both characters and it is what makes this movie work on a grand scale. 

I decided to split the difference and call it 3.0/5.0

PS: People applauded, laughed and cheered in the most bloody, gruesome, weird and inappropriate moments in the film. Are they as messed up as Gotham citizens depicted in the film? Or is it just me who finds murders not funny? How f%$&ed up is that?

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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

John Wick has one hour before his “excommunicado” verdict kicks in. In exactly 60 minutes the bounty on his head will attract every single member of crime family and will make him a living target. Wick knows how difficult his task to survive has become. So, he rushes across town to his old “friends” hoping they will fulfill their duties and provide him safe passage overseas. But his path is riddled with people who want to collect bounty and so Wick has to do the thing he is best at – hunt. Meanwhile, two people who helped him in Chapter 2 – Winston and Bowery King meet a mysterious figure The Adjudicator. She informs them that since they have helped John Wick they have seven days to vacate their posts or face the wrath of High Table.

Writing

On one side, there is very easy task for screenwriters of “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum”. Just put the character of Keanu Reeves into a corner where he has to fight his way out. Then repeat that over and over until “The End”. Nothing fancy, right? Wrong. In the best tradition of previous films, “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” doesn’t take an easy route. Yes, essentially Keanu does fight his way out of corners through the film, but setup for each skirmish is different. Interwoven with intricate details on previously established glamorous world of underbelly of society, film takes it one step further. We find out (if only briefly) the history of John Wick, who he was and who he became. What exactly drives him and why he actually wants to stay alive, despite losing everything and being on edge of mental and physical breakdown.

We are introduced with new locales and new supporting cast. He travels across the sea to find the only person who owes him and would be ready to face consequences of helping him. In this kind of film, new characters usually go in and out, because the main star is John Wick. They do the same in “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum”, but how they go out is completely different story. And every single supporting character has a backstory, motivation, story arc and a appropriate exit. Yes, we are here to watch Keanu kick ass, but also why not see others do the same?

Where screenwriters specifically excel is in having a coherent story that takes John Wick from point A to point B, while maintaining the overall logic and not drowning in the absurdity of what is happening. I mean how else can you explain that I can ignore the fact that according to film there is apparently more assassins on the streets of New York than tourists? Or that John Wick is able to ride a bike, while fighting with horde of other bikers. Or that he can sustain multiple deadly injuries without collapsing into agony. This all happens because film manages to put us into such a deep trance of storytelling that we are ready to forget and forgive all this glaring details and just enjoy the action instead.

Directing

And action we have! Chad Stahelski returns as a director, but again this time without David Leitch. Stahelski has John Wick fight anything the he can lay his hands on. Everything is deadly in his hands – guns, knives, swords, axes, bike helmets, even horses and dogs. You might think you have seen it all, but Stahelski still manages to surprise us with more elaborate choreography, crazier opponents and wilder kills. And he does that all while maintaining the intricate plot and keeping viewer totally invested into the film. And while “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” is not as emotionally heavy as previous films, it instead embraces the fun aspect of it.

It is fun maybe because of multiple homages to different movies that “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” provides. In one scene, John assembles a revolver, just like Tuco in Sergio Leone’s “The Good, the Bad and The Ugly”. In other sequence, John has to fight with swords and background music is extremely similar to Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill”. How about the scene where John has to fight an assassin played by NBA player Boban Marjanovic? Isn’t that direct reference to famous Bruce Lee fight with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? By using all this small details, Stahelski basically assembles a very solid action film.

Acting

That Keanu Reeves was born for this role leaves absolutely no doubt. If someone didn’t believe that in previous films, in “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” that is beyond obvious. He is a very talented actor that has shined in hundreds other roles, but in John Wick he finds his true self. With Nicolas Cage-like dedication he delivers such out-of-this-world performance, that for a long amount of time you just continue seeing him exactly as John Wick and not as an actor who plays the role.

Supporting cast includes already established characters played by Ian McShane, Lance Reddick and Laurence Fishburne. I did enjoy new additions, even though Halle Berry was surely included only to up star level of the film. But even her character doesn’t appear too superfluous and she has her fair share of action. It was also very nice to see Mark Dacascos again on big screen. My only complaint was about the character Adjudicator played by Asia Kate Dillon, who was supposed to be all business and no fun, but somehow felt too fake.

Summary

“John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” continues tradition of previous films, giving viewers wall to wall action and endless fight sequences, all while maintaining very interesting plot and expanding on the previously established rules of the world that heroes live in.

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Story

Veronica is happily married to famous thief Henry Rawlings. She knows what he does and how they can afford live in luxurious apartment and have a chauffeur. She stays away from details of his job and accepts all risks coming from his profession, because in his thirty-year-old career Henry never made a mistake. He uses same experienced crew every time, meticulously planning his next heist. But something does go wrong. Henry and his team are assaulted by police during their latest heist and are killed in a fiery explosion. Veronica is in deep sorrow, but she has no time for grief as local crime boss Jamal Manning pays her a visit. Apparently Henry was stealing from him when he was killed. See, this was the money he set aside for his political campaign. And Veronica has just one month to return what Henry has stolen from him. Veronica realizes that her only chance to maybe survive all this is to gather a team and execute the next heist on Henry’s list. And she knows who to turn to – widows of Henry’s teammates.

Veronica (Davis) explaining her plan

Writing

Let me just stop you there. If you think that it turns into “Ocean’s 8” you are very deeply mistaken. In probably the only realistic way possible, “Widows” show these poor woman not as random professionals who have heist skills that complement each other as jigsaw puzzles, but as broken individuals who have to deal with aftermath and consequences of their husbands’ deaths. You will be surprised how well each of them is defined. Veronica is a teacher who is used to posh life Henry provided her with. Linda’s husband lost all his and her money on gambling and even pawned her clothing store. Alice was constantly beaten and abused by her husband. Amanda is left with 4-months-old baby to look after.

These women are against Veronica’s proposition. But they know that the won’t be able to survive on their own. Each and one of them are so intricately written that it is almost impossible not to feel for these women. And pretty soon we understand why they agree to execute the heist. Yet, they understand they know nothing and possess no skills. But unlike guys in “American Animals” they don’t sit and watch heist films to find out how to operate. Instead, they solve one problem at a time. Or try to solve.

Linda (Rodriguez) and Alice (Debicki) contemplating whether to join Veronica

Tensions gradually increase and reach peak at the final heist, which you also might expect to be a big bang deal. But you keep forgetting that heist is not the main plot of the movie. Heist is fast, brutal and feverish. Nothing like fun and intricate adventure of “Logan Lucky“. No sir, you will witness completely different action. After all it is all about characters.

Speaking of characters. There is so many characters, maybe the only movie that had bigger list would be “The Departed”. But unlike Scorsese’s masterpiece, “Widows” spends time with each of them, defining them, showing who they are, what motivates them and what they want. These characters are so colorful, so vivid and so dimensional that they will not leave your mind long after film ends.

Jack (Farrell) offering “help” to Veronica (Davis)

Directing

I am a little on the fence about Steve McQueen‘s direction. On one side, he does an impeccable job. Shots are well filmed, cinematography is amazing, editing precise, acting flawless. There were several shots in “Widows” that surprised me in intricacy and attention to detail. One shot is a continuous shot of Jack jumping into his car with his political aide and driving through town to his house. Other shot is a tracking crane shot that starts with a train on a railroad and then pans to the driving car. Both of them just made me want to stand up and applaud McQueen right there in the cinema. You can feel that he has total and complete control over the artistic aspects of the film.

And here is where I had some reservations. McQueen spends incredible amount of time on deliberations and problem of main heroes and exploration of secondary and tertiary characters. This drags overall pace of the film at times to total halt. Don’t get me wrong it works well, but you can feel that maybe he could have sped things up and get to the point faster. Sometimes even best directors need to have someone to oversee what they are doing.

Jamaal (Henry) scouting Veronica with Jatemme (Kaluuya)

Acting

Attention to each and every character implies that each actor portraying said characters need to perform on top level. And this what makes this film shine. Viola Davis is a national treasure and role of Veronica is just made for her. She steps into her shoes and never even once give an impression of falseness. It is so spot on that actually even gets creepy, to be honest. Supporting cast doesn’t fall behind from her. Elizabeth Debicki, who is usually reserved in her performances is almost unrecognizable as simple, but determined girl. On the other hand we have Michelle Rodriguez who seems to be eternally stuck in “Fast/Furious” franchise finally get a proper role to shine and does that brilliantly.

Then we have a supporting cast of such heavy-hitters like Colin Farrell, Robert Duvall, Liam Neeson, Daniel Kaluuya, Brian Tyree Henry, etc. This list goes on and on. And you might think are there just for sake of being there, but “Widows” gives each one of them something to do and showcase their acting range.

Summary

“Widows” is very well made heist film which redefines the whole concept of a heist film. With incredible attention to characters and surprising performance by whole cast, film captivate throughout but slow burn ultimately affects the overall pacing.

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Story

But story of Neil Armstrong becoming the person uttering iconic phrase while touching the surface of the Moon has been everything but easy. We find him in the cockpit of the X-15 rocket plane exiting atmosphere. But while returning to Earth his plane fails to enter. Armstrong makes a risky decision and manages to enter atmosphere with great danger to himself and plane. His bosses are not happy and he is grounded based on his dangerous behavior. But there is a reason for that. Armstrong’s 3-year-old daughter has a tumor. She passes away soon, leaving Neil totally broken and in despair. But being a person he is, instead of facing his emotions he decides just to turn the page. Right at this moment he notices that NASA is recruiting astronauts for Project Gemini, program that intends to put Americans to space. Neil doesn’t think twice before he signs up for it. After all what a better way is there to distract oneself than to sign up for potentially deadly task?

First Man on the Moon

Writing

Neil Armstrong has been a secretive, quiet person who didn’t like the spotlight that being the first man on Moon brought him. There was a reason he was selected as a first person to step on the Moon ahead of his much accomplished, decorated and esteemed fellow astronauts. It was that Neil Armstrong was humble, selfless, emotionless person. He earned respect for his ability to act cold-bloodedly under immense pressure. It was all these that made him make timely decisions in extremely dangerous conditions that lead to success of his missions.

Thus, filmmakers had to base a lot on deductions, interpretations and assumptions about his life. And while most of the stuff seem to fit right, there were some choices that didn’t. One of these choices is the emotional drive that Neil had. Without much spoiler, it is assumed that Armstrong’s biggest drive in his life was emotional attachment to his daughter Karen and her untimely death. That might not be a big stretch, but the way film exploits this idea paints Neil as a broken man who is constantly driven by his inability to save his daughter.

This could have worked with an imagined character, but in case of “First Man” it seems like filmmakers just wanted to instill empathy and tragedy, thus overdramatizing the real events. Chazelle again plays on viewer’s emotional state and tries to make Neil a relatable hero.

And while film concentrates on inner state of Neil, it completely misses opportunity to explore anyone but him. Supporting characters are very one-dimensional and raw. Even Janet (Neil’s wife) is not given much to do than just react to actions of Neil. What is surprising is that film is about her, just like it is about Neil. Instead, she is just an obedient wife who sits at home, smoking cigarettes and waiting for Neil to return. Sure.

Armstrong (Gosling) and Co. watching Saturn V take off

Directing

Damien Chazelle’s choice of cinematography and editing almost drove me nuts. I viewed this film in IMAX and it was one of the worst decisions I have made. Camera framing is impossible to bear, especially on a huge IMAX screen. Chazelle uses very extreme close-ups of main and supporting cast. There is literally very few establishing shots. Framing either consists of telescopic lenses or macro lenses.

And then there is constant camera shake and jitter. I understand, you have an emotionless character and you want to give some life into otherwise stale scenes, but why do we need camera shake through whole film is beyond my understanding.

Now, I have to admit this works amazing during rocket launch sequences, because it gives us point-of-view effect, concentrating on the feelings and emotions of Neil during takeoff instead of some glorious sequence of CGI rocket emitting CGI flames, taking off from CGI launchpad into CGI sky. That was all fine with me. This is exactly how it feels to take off with a bomb behind your back, but why use the technique to achieve same effect in the rest of film? Do we need to see insides of Neil’s nostrils or see pimples on his wife’s face?

Armstrong (Gosling) waits for launch

Editing also suffers greatly because of Chazelle’s decision to use shakes and framing. In some shots it is almost impossible to establish what is happening, especially in flight sequences, where everything turns into one big blur akin Transformers and you just don’t comprehend what is happening.

But there is one thing amazing about this film and that is soundtrack by Justin Hurwitz and Chazelle’s decision to use certain music in certain places. Soundtrack plays an extremely important role in understanding this film and elevates otherwise mundane scenes into another level. Soundtrack peaks during Moon flight and turns this section of “First Man” into an operatic masterpiece.

Unfortunately, it is only at the end of the film, and you will have to sit almost 2 hours of it before you see this epic ending.

Janet (Foy) has nothing else but to react to Neil’s actions

Acting

Ryan Gosling is not a stranger to quiet, emotionless roles. He is amazing in “Drive” where he portrays silent and enigmatic heist driver. It works in “Drive” because “Drive” is an arthouse film. His character can stare 5 seconds at his opponent before he answers, because we accept that just how it is. That is not real life. We accept it just like we accept that everybody is an assassin in John Wick. In “First Man” it feels fake, reused and not interesting.

Claire Foy plays Neil’s wife, Janet, but screenplay doesn’t give her anything much to do. So, she just concentrates on smoking cigarettes and waiting for Neil. Which is a shame because she was exceptional in “Unsane”. Same goes of greatly underutilized supporting cast including Jason Clarke, who shined in “Chappaquiddick”.

Summary

With one of the best rocket launch sequences ever to be filmed and invigorating soundtrack, “First Man” disappoints with overdramatization of events, long runtime and Chazelle’s extremely annoying decision with framing and camera shake.

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