Battle of the Sexes

Battle of the Sexes (2017)

Starring Emma Stone, Steve Carell, Andrea Riseborough, Sarah Silverman, Bill Pullman, Alan Cumming, Elisabeth Shue, and Jessica McNamee

Directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris

Written by Simon Beaufoy

Summary (in 500 words or less):  In 1973, former professional tennis player Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell) challenged the popular Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) to a tennis match.  This battle of the sexes received much media coverage with the outspoken and braggadocios Riggs certain he'd prove victorious against the quiet, resolute King who was battling her own demons at the same time as she contemplated her sexuality when she begins to fall for a hairdresser (Andrea Riseborough) traveling with the ladies' pro tennis tour.

• Great performances from both Emma Stone and Steve Carell are the highlights of Battle of the Sexes.  Together, they lift this otherwise generic biopic to a greater level.
• The flick works very well during its first half as we get to learn about the private lives of Bobby and Billie Jean, but the actual Battle of the Sexes tennis match which makes up a large chunk of the final third feels a bit anticlimactic as most in the audience will already know the ending.  Tension never really mounts and the film unfortunately suffers because of the (admittedly necessary) emphasis on the titular match.
• Nice production design definitely creates a 70s aesthetic that proves quite charming

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Avengers: Infinity War

Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Starring Robert Downey, Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Benedict Cumberbatch, Josh Brolin, Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Don Cheadle, Tom Holland, Chadwick Boseman, Paul Bettanny, Elizabeth Olsen, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Tom Hiddleston, Idris Elba, Benedict Wong, Pom Klementieff, Karen Gillan, Danai Guirra, Letitia Wright, Peter Dinklage, Benecio del Toro and Gwyneth Paltrow

Featuring the vocal talents of Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel

Directed by Anthony and Joe Russo 

Written by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Seemingly every single character from every single Marvel movie (with the exception of the Ant-Man cast for some reason) teams up to fight Thanos (Josh Brolin), a being who longs to collect six Infinity Stones scattered the universe in order to gain great power which he plans to wield in order to destroy half of the universe's population in order to create what he believes will be order across the galaxy.

• I've watched every single Marvel movie, but I've got to be honest -- when it comes to these Infinity Stones that are front and center in this flick, their importance never registered a lick for me when I watched the flicks.  Fortunately, it's not difficult to catch on -- and likely through some type of unknown osmosis, I must have somewhat understood things about this concept in the multitude of other Marvel movies despite never really paying attention to them before.  Nevertheless, the six stones -- Mind, Soul, Space, Power, Time, and Reality -- would allow Thanos to be seemingly unstoppable in his quest and this flick, despite carrying the "Avengers" moniker in the title is really a "Thanos flick."
• Interestingly enough, while Thanos is most certainly a "villain," his intentions carry much depth and by having this film focus so greatly on him, the audience is able to oddly connect with him in ways that we never really have done before with the baddies in the Marvel universe.
• The flick is a ballsy one, quite frankly.  Much has been made about how no one is safe...and that's certainly true.  Multiple deaths pepper the film and a few of them even carry some surprisingly emotional resonance.  Whether the sequel to the film changes the path of these now-deceased individuals, we will have to wait to see, it still packs a visceral wallop at moments.  You won't be on a high after watching this one...in fact, it'll likely be just the opposite.  And for a big budget motion picture that's a risky move...but it does pay off for the most part.
• Unfortunately, the film starts to drag after about an hour.  Action scene is stacked on top of action scene in the flick's final ninety minutes and the nonstop loud noises, explosions, and chaotic nature grow wearisome.  Yes, we get the standard Marvel humor peppered throughout -- which helps to make this company's films so much better than the dreary, "unfun" DC brand -- but it's not quite enough to boost this upward ratings-wise into the top five Marvel films for me.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Split

Split (2017)

Starring James McAvoy, Anya Taylor-Joy, Betty Buckley, Haley Lu Richardson, Jessica Sula, Sebastian Arcelus, Brad William Henke, Izzie Coffey, and Neal Huff

Directed by M. Night Shyamalan

Written by M. Night Shyamalan

***This film is currently streaming via Netflix***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Three teenage girls are kidnapped as they leave a shopping mall outside of Philadelphia.  Their captor is Kevin Wendell Crumb (James McAvoy), a man with dissociative identity disorder -- he has split personalities.  Some of these entities are kind, but some are much more malicious...and the most evil of all is a man known only as "The Beast" whose strength is unmatched by normal man.

• Unfortunately, it's that last sentence of the summary that makes Split falter because up until "the Beast" is introduced in the film's final twenty minutes or so, this film was utterly exciting, thrilling, and had me on the edge of my seat.  Writer-director M. Night Shymalan had returned to much of his former glory crafting a tense flick.  Unfortunately, things fall apart a bit at its conclusion.
• That said, Split works for the most part.  This flick is all about the acting and Shymalan directs a great performance from James McAvoy anchoring the film.  He's buoyed by three nice turns from the teens whom he captures -- Anya Taylor-Joy, Haley Lu Richardson, and Jessica Sula.  
• The claustrophobic sense created by Shymalan is felt by the audience and I will admit that I didn't necessarily see things ending the way they did.  SPOILER ALERT -- That said, Shymalan's insistence to tie this in to one of his prior films hurts it more than it helps it.  Perhaps in his upcoming film Glass things will come together a bit more, but as for now the ending of this film disappoints.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Black Panther

Black Panther (2018)

Starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Guirra, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forrest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Written by Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Following the death of T'Chaka (which occurred in Captain America: Civil War), his son T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) rises to the throne of Wakanda, an African country that has secretly created a wide array of high-tech weaponry and science-based technology thanks to a metallic substance called vibranium which arrived via a meteorite centuries ago.  A black-market arms dealer Klaue (Andy Serkis) teams up with Erik Stevens AKA Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) to steal some Wakandan artifacts in order to use the weaponry on the Wakandan people.  Upon his arrival in Wakanda, Killmonger sets out to take down T'Chaka and change the mindset of the Wakandan people.

• Black Panther is obviously a ground-breaking film as it places black superheroes front and center for the first time.  It's certainly heavily steeped in African culture, yet it's also inherently a Marvel movie.  It strikes a nice balance between the two.
• The stars of the flick are actually the women, with Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Guirra, and especially Letitia Wright mixing the right amount of charisma and strength.  The titular character as portrayed by Chadwick Boseman is certainly fine, but he's honestly a little bland.  
• Ultimately, the film is held back a bit by the typical origin story problems that plague any initial superhero flick.  While this one isn't quite a tedious as other origin flicks, it still is building a universe and oftentimes the building blocks aren't quite as exciting as what will inevitably be the final product.
• In addition, the flick's story structure feels like two separate tales -- the first dealing more with arms dealer Klaue and the second with Killmonger.  While the two are certainly appropriately pieced together, by the end of the film, the first half almost feels unnecessary when you look back upon it.
• I do think the film actually carries some deeper political meaning...and I'm not quite sure I can agree with its statements.  However, Black Panther as a film brings a solid new addition to the Marvel pantheon.  One may think that the rating below is low, but it's actually in the upper half of Marvel movies to me.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Theater Review - Twelfth Night

Twelfth Night

Written by William Shakespeare

Directed by Maria Aitken

Where: Thompson Theatre at the RoselleCenter for the Arts

(University of Delaware, Newark, DE)

When:  Thursday, April 19, 7:30pm

Photos throughout by Nadine Howatt / REP

Yes, it's purportedly uncouth to review a play before it opens, but unlike Broadway where previews last upwards of a month, there are only two previews of the University of Delaware's Resident Ensemble Players' production of Twelfth Night, so one has to imagine that things are pretty much as locked in as they're going to be.  Add to that, the average number of readers per post here is a measly seven people and there's not a whole lot of need to hold back a review.  Since this is likely going to be the first review posted of this production -- which will transfer to Brooklyn's Theatre for a New Audience with the entire cast and set intact immediately following its run at the REP -- I wish I could heap huge plaudits upon it, but I can't quite go that far.

Perhaps the REP spoiled all future Shakespeare productions for me with their gloriously magical A Midsummer Night's Dream in 2010 and their equally powerful 2013 Hamlet, but Twelfth Night just didn't quite hit the mark.  Tony-nominated director Maria Aitken makes her third appearance at the REP and, as a director, I think she succeeds here most of the time, although a few directorial flourishes cause the production to falter a bit.  Surprisingly, these flourishes are probably what make the play most like a production that would have occurred during the era of the playwright and yet in the modern era, they didn't quite click for this viewer.

The bulk of the play revolves around a case of mistaken identity.  Viola (Susanna Stahlmann) washes ashore on the island of Illyria after a horrific shipwreck that seemingly has left her twin brother Sebastian (John Skelley) presumably drowned at sea.  With the help of self-professed fool Feste (Joshua David Robinson), Viola disguises herself as a man named Cesario and gains work at the feet of Duke Orsino (Matthew Greer).  Orsino is pining over Olivia (REP's Elizabeth Heflin), but she wants nothing to do with Orsino especially since she is grieving over the death of her brother.  Orsino sends Cesario to try and woo Olivia for him, but Olivia ends up falling for Cesario who in turn is slowly falling for Orsino.  This love triangle causes a bit of chaos that is only amplified when Sebastian arrives in Illyria and his similar look to the now-dressed-as-a-man Viola creates much confusion.

This particular plot thread of Twelfth Night is still likely as much of a success today as it was in Shakespeare's time.  Misses Stahlmann and Heflin and Misters Greer and Skelley all prove captivating and manage to make this far-fetched plot seem believable somehow.  Stahlmann in particular holds our attention as Viola wavers in her attempts to be masculine, capturing comedy in her awkwardness and making us feel for her plight of being stuck in this foreign land unable to let her true self shine.

The problem here lies in the subplot revolving around a cadre of fools and their attempt to make Olivia's strict and self-righteous steward Malvolio (REP's Stephen Pelinski) pay for his uppity attitude.  Malvolio, you see, is also secretly pining for Olivia, and because of this, Olivia's maid Maria (Kate Forbes), Olivia's uncle Sir Toby Belch (REP's Lee Ernst), and family friend Sir Andrew Aguecheek (REP's Michael Gotch) hatch a plan to embarrass Malvolio and cause him to think he is slowly losing his mind.  This storyline is most certainly one that appealed to the lower classes in Shakespeare's time -- the underlings usurping the upper classes through silly ingenuity -- but it simply feels like padding in this day and age.  Forbes, Ernst, and Gotch go all in on the humor aspect and what makes this whole complaint sad for this reviewer is that they all do an excellent job in bringing their characters' seedy motivations to light.  Unfortunately, this tedious plotline leads to very little payoff despite sharing nearly equal stage time with the aforementioned love triangle.  In defense of Aitken and the production, I'm not quite sure what could've been done here to make this anymore successful.  The cast is game...it's just that Shakespeare's plot doesn't resonate.

I do think Aitken falters a bit with how she presents the fool Feste.  Feste's minstrel-like songs that pepper the theatrical production certainly would've been successes in Shakespeare's time, but feel oddly out of place here.  Similarly, a second act scene involving an imprisoned Malvolio and a disguised Feste comes off almost uncomfortable with Feste taking on an over-the-top reverend persona that doesn't jibe with everything else that we've seen heretofore on the stage. 

The Mediterranean-esque set by Lee Savage is beautiful to look upon and the costumes by Candice Donnelly also add much to the proceedings.  I also must admit that I enjoyed the co-production aspect of this in that it brought some new blood the REP's standard troupe.  I've been longing for years for the REP to get back to its roots and return to being a theatrical training program for students.  While that seemingly won't happen, at least bringing in some fresh faces in this way added that sense of newness I've hoped for.

While Twelfth Night wasn't quite the success I'd hoped it would be, it's certainly not the Shakespearean tragedy (in more ways than one) that was the REP's ill-conceived 2014 production of Macbeth.  I do think the bigger issues I have with this piece stem from Shakespeare's words themselves rather than anything created for this particular production.  Yet, as is often the case with what the REP brings to us, I appreciate seeing things like this for the low price that the REP offers simply because it opens my eyes to things I wouldn't typically pay to see on a much more expensive Broadway stage.

Chappaquiddick

Chappaquiddick (2018)

Starring Jason Clarke, Kate Mara, Ed Helms, Jim Gaffigan, Clancy Brown, Bruce Dern, and Olivia Thirlby

Directed by John Curran

Written by Taylor Allen and Andrew Logan

Summary (in 500 words or less): On Friday evening, July 18, 1969, Senator Ted Kennedy (Jason Clarke) was driving a car with Kennedy secretary Mary Jo Kopechne (Kate Mara) as his passenger.  The car ran off a small bridge on the island of Chappaquiddick and overturned, slowly sinking into the water.  Kennedy escaped, but Kopechne did not, perishing in the car.  Kennedy's actions after the accident along with those close to him prove that politics is an ugly game -- it seemingly always has been and always will be.

• Solid, adult-centric drama detailing a scandal that shockingly didn't affect the political aspirations of Senator Ted Kennedy who managed to become a long-standing representative for his state.
• While the public will never know the inner workings of the Kennedy clan on that fateful weekend in July 1969 following Kopechne's death, Chappaquiddick details the likelihood of what went down.  We know that multiple stories were coming out of the Kennedy camp attempting to paint Ted in a better light -- many of them contradicting one another -- and the rapid-paced actions of a clan of lawyers set into motion the events that helped turn the public back into Ted's good graces.  
• At its heart, Chappaquiddick displays just how horrid, underhanded, and truly seedy the game of politics is and we can certainly draw comparisons to both candidates from our last Presidential election to see that nothing has really changed in nearly a half century.
• Jason Clarke delivers a captivating performance as Ted Kennedy, balancing the emotions of a man who knows he did something horribly wrong with a man who desperately wants to please his family and keep the Kennedy name shining in a positive manner.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

The Mountain Between Us

The Mountain Between Us (2017)

Starring Idris Elba, Kate Winslet, Dermot Mulroney, and Beau Bridges

Directed by Hany Abu-Assad

Written by Chris Weitz and J. Mills Goodloe

Summary (in 500 words or less):  When their flight to the East Coast is cancelled due to bad weather, strangers neurosurgeon Ben Bass (Idris Elba) and photojournalist Alex Martin (Kate Winslet) decide to pool their money together and get a local private pilot (Beau Bridges) to fly them to their destination.  Midflight, however, the pilot suffers a deadly stroke and their plane goes down in the mountains of Colorado.  Desperate to survive in the frigid landscape, Ben and Alex band together to make it to safety.

• The Mountain Between Us is unfortunately about forty-five minutes too long...and it's not all that long to begin with at 110 minutes.  
• Despite being anchored by two very strong and capable performances from Idris Elba and Kate Winslet, the film pushes a romantic chemistry between the duo which the survivalist pic didn't really need.  
• Director Hany Abu-Assad's film works best in its first act in the lead-up and immediate aftermath of the plane crash and then falls apart when it pushes Elba and Winslet to fall for one another which just ends up coming off as laughable.  It leads to one of the silliest and foolishly shot sex scenes I've seen in a while.
• It's a bit of a shame the film's script takes this flick where it eventually goes because there were pieces at the beginning that made this seem more promising than it ended up being.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Coco

Coco (2017)

Featuring the vocal talents of Anthony Gonzalez, Gael García Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alanna Ubach,  Renée Victor, Ana Ofelia Murguía, and Edward James Olmos

Directed by Lee Unkrich

Written by Adrian Molina and Matthew Aldrich

Summary (in 500 words or less): Twelve year-old Miguel (Anthony Gonzalez) is passionate about music and he dreams of being famous like his idol, the late musician/actor Ernesto de la Cruz (Benjamin Brett) who was one of the most popular Spanish icons in his grandmother Coco's (An Ofelia Murguía) era.  On the Day of the Dead in which homage is given to family members who have passed away, Miguel discovers a picture of Ernesto standing next to his departed great-grandmother and he immediately believes that he is related to his idol.  Miguel visits the mausoleum of Ernesto and breaks in, grabbing Ernesto's prominently displayed guitar.  However, when Miguel strums a note on the instrument, he is transported to the land of the dead...and the only way to escape is to find his deceased family members to assist him.

• Coco is a return to form for Pixar, capturing the heart that feels as if it's been absent for a few films.  This film is all about the importance of family and it touched me.
• The vibrant colors are pleasingly eye-popping, creating a visual landscape that never disappoints.
• The Hispanic vibe is a new look for Pixar and comes across much more stylistically appealing than the somewhat similarly themed Book of Life from a few years ago.
• The Academy Award-winning song "Remember Me" is ingenious in its simplicity, able to be reworked into multiple versions as the film progresses, ending with a heartbreaking rendition by Miguel and his grandmother that nearly brought a tear to my eye.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+

Star Wars: The Last Jedi

Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi (2016)

Starring Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Andy Serkis, Lupita Nyong'o, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern, and Benicio del Toro

Directed by Rian Johnson

Written by Rian Johnson

Summary (in 500 words or less):  The Star Wars saga continues in this eighth installment of the original series.  Here, Rey (Daisy Ridley) trains with a forlorn and unpleasant Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) on a secluded island where she tries to learn how to utilize the Force for good.  Meanwhile, Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) is becoming more powerful among his ranks, utilizing his commanding of the Force to communicate with Rey to try and convince her that the Resistance headed by General Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher) is a group she should want no part in.  

• I'm a relative newbie to the Star Wars films and I've yet to see Episodes I-III, but I wholeheartedly enjoyed Episode VII upon its release a few years ago.  The Last Jedi doesn't fare quite as well, but it still adds pieces to the overarching story that I found believable (even if several of the long-time fans were extremely disappointed).
• That disappointment stems from a development with Luke that many found antithetical to his character, but I found a welcome character trait that adds legitimate depth to his character.  Some found this plot twist casting quite a pall over this heretofore "flawlessy" good character, but I thought it worked quite well.
• Unfortunately, several other aspects of the film didn't work quite as well.  A ridiculous "space scene" involving Leia was laughable even for this Star Wars newbie.  Several characters introduced in the last film -- Finn (John Boyega) and Poe (Oscar Isaac) -- are given very little worthwhile to do and their subplots just unnecessarily pad the runtime.
• The final battle sequence is a powerful visual experience and ends things on an up note, but this film -- much like my apparently sacrilegious opinion of the original trilogy's middle film The Empire Strikes Back -- takes a downturn.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

My Cousin Rachel

My Cousin Rachel (2017)

Starring Rachel Weisz, Sam Claflin, Iain Glenn, Holliday Grainger, and Pierfrancesco Favino

Directed by Roger Michell
Written by Roger Michell

***This film is currently streaming via HBO***

Summary (in 500 words of less):  Orphaned as a young boy, Philip is adopted by his cousin Ambrose.  When Philip gets older, Ambrose leaves for Florence, Italy, where he meets up and begins a relationship with his cousin Rachel.  Now 24 years old, Philip (Sam Claflin) begins to receive letters from Ambrose stating he is distrustful of the medical care that Rachel is giving him.  Soon after, Ambrose dies, and although Philip is bequeathed Ambrose's estate, Rachel (Rachel Weisz) pays Philip a visit in England where Philip, initially convinced that Rachel murdered Ambrose, begins to fall for the older women.  Is Rachel playing Philip simply for his wealth?  Did she murder Philip's adopted father?  

• Unfortunately, My Cousin Rachel is a bit too stodgy and bland to be truly successful.  
• The source material was written by Daphne du Maurier, the author of Rebecca and The Birds - two stories masterfully crafted into films by Alfred Hitchcock.  Unfortunately, the same can't be said here.  I don't know if the material just lacks substantial tension, but in the hands of writer-director Roger Michell, this flick doesn't quite click.
• Yes, Rachel Weisz imbues the title character with a mysterious quality that has us questioning all the way to the end whether her intentions are good or bad, but it isn't enough to captivate and the slow pace bogs things down.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

mother!

mother! (2017)

Starring Jennifer Lawrence, Javier Bardem, Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Domhnall Gleeson, and Kristen Wiig

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Written by Darren Aronofsky

Summary (in 500 words or less):  A woman known only as "mother" (Jennifer Lawrence) has recently moved into a large under-renovation home with her husband, a struggling poet known only as "Him" (Javier Bardem).  When a man (Ed Harris) shows up on their doorstep, Him invites the man only much to the chagrin of mother.  The man overstays his welcome, in fact inviting his wife (Michelle Pfeiffer) to the home where their sexually charged repartee doesn't sit well with mother.  Eventually more members of the man's family show up causing much chaos.  Eventually, mother becomes pregnant...which opens up a whole other can of beans and sets the story reeling in all kinds of directions.

• Had I not known the allegorical nature of this piece prior to watching it, I would've undoubtedly hated it.  However, knowing what writer-director Darren Aronofsky was going for made me appreciate it much more.  So then that begs the question -- if the writer/director hasn't explained things enough that you need background before you go into a movie, is the movie a success?  My rating below showcases that I'm not sure I know the answer to that question.
• mother! is an allegorical retelling of Earth's creation, Adam and Eve, and how temptation changes the landscape of all our lives.  Not exactly a story that would appeal to the masses in a cinematic manner and the film proved to be an epic failure at the box office in part because it was marketed as a horror film -- while it certainly has all the markings of a horror film, it's not "scary" in a jump-out-of-your-seat kind of manner.  What's scary is Aronofsky's tension-filled direction as we see this story unfold through the eyes of "mother" and the chaos that's slowly tearing her world apart.  
• Jennifer Lawrence is by no means my favorite actress -- in fact, I think she's a bit overrated -- but she's perfectly capable here and held my attention throughout.  It's also quite nice to see Michelle Pfeiffer onscreen again in a surprisingly sultry, sexy role that she more than adequately tackles.
• mother! is the type of movie that I may watch again a few years down the line and appreciate even more in large part because I think that what Aronofsky is trying to do here is utterly unique.  That said, it certainly isn't going to appeal to the masses and it gets a bit too messy in its final act to really pull me in completely.  However, for those who call themselves cinephiles, I'd give this one a go if you passed on it in theaters like I did.  You're in for, at the very least, an interesting experience.  My recommendation, however, is to google "darren aronofsky mother allegory symbolism" before you do so and prep yourself with what each actor is signifying.  It'll be tremendously beneficial if you do.

The RyMickey Rating:  either a B or a D