Her Smell

 Her Smell (2019)

Starring Elisabeth Moss, Amber Heard, Cara Delevingne, Dan Stevens, Agyness Deyn, Gayle Rankin, Ashley Benson, Eric Stoltz, and Virginia Madsen

Directed by Alex Ross Perry

Written by Alex Ross Perry

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: B+

Movie Review - Suicide Squad

Suicide Squad (2016)

Starring Will Smith, Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Joel Kinnaman, Cara Delevingne, Jai Courtney, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Ike Barinholtz, Ben Affleck, and Viola Davis

Directed by David Ayer

***This film is currently streaming on HBO Now/GO***

After the disaster that was Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, there was an inevitable sense of dread as I began to watch Suicide Squad, the next film to unfold in the DC Universe.  Yet somehow, despite the horrid reviews (or perhaps because of them lowering expectations), I found this irreverent comedy-action piece a tiny bit better than the film that preceded it.

***SPOILERS from Batman v Superman below***

Notice that I just said "a tiny bit better" because in the end Suicide Squad is pretty bad as well.  However, at least writer-director David Ayer tries to inject a little bit of fun into the proceedings as it introduces a motley crew of imprisoned criminals brought together by government intelligence officer Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) in an attempt to help America fight big-time criminals following the death of Superman.  Unfortunately, bringing this whole group together in a single film gives little time to develop backstories beyond those of ace sniper Deadshot (Will Smith) and psycho criminal Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) who happened to be the love interest of the criminal mastermind Joker (Jared Leto) prior to her incarceration.  There are other folks that make up the squad including an alligator guy, an Australian bloke, and some Asian girl, but they are so disturbingly pushed to the sidelines that their existence in the film ends up being laughable by the time the credits roll.  And let's not even discuss the villain -- an evil spiritual entity that enters the body of archeologist June Moore (Cara Delevingne) and then proceeds to create zombie-like creatures that run rampant.

Despite the music video-esque series of introductions we get to each member of the Suicide Squad (which became immediately ridiculous by the time Ayer introduces his second or third character), I was onboard during the film's opening act.  As Amanda Waller rounds up the criminals, something was working for me and then it all devolves into the horrible dark and dreary DC Universe aesthetic with an hour-long finale that isn't the least bit compelling.  Unlike many I've spoken to about this disappointing flick, I didn't dislike Jared Leto as the Joker (although I'm obviously not attached to these characters in any shape or form) or Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn (who at least injected some light humor into the darkness that surrounds her), and I actually think Will Smith plays a nicely grounded character in Deadshot.  Still, Suicide Squad isn't good and it continues the rather abysmal track record for DC.

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Movie Review - Paper Towns

Paper Towns (2015)

Starring Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Austin Abrams, Justice Smith, Halston Sage, and Jaz Sinclair

Directed by Jake Schreier

***This film is currently streaming on HBO Now***

I'm unashamed to say that I was a fan of The Fault in Our Stars, with the film garnering a top 15 spot on my list of 2014's best of the year.  When another one of author John Green's novels, Paper Towns, was adapted for the screen last year, my expectations were somewhat high, although its trailer and reviews were significantly weaker-looking.  While Paper Towns doesn't aspire to be the emotional teenage drama that is The Fault in Our Stars, it also doesn't really succeed at being much of anything, crafting a film's plot around a character who is unappealing and egotistically self-centered which makes other characters' fascination with her irritating as opposed to compelling.

As young kids, Quentin and Margo were great friends, with the adventurous Margo drawing out the more timid Quentin to fun times outside the confines of their respective yards.  Now seniors in high school, Quentin and Margo (Nat Wolff and Cara Delevingne) have drifted apart socially over the past few years despite still living across the street from one another.  Quentin's a little geeky (not overly so, mind you) whilst Margo hangs with the cool kids, but one evening, Margo knocks on Quentin's bedroom window like old times asking him to cause some crazy havoc on her friends who have betrayed her.  Quentin agrees and they have a great night together putting saran wrap on cars and shaving off eyebrows of Margo's former friends.  The next morning, however, Margo is gone...and it's not the first time the now eighteen year-old has run away from home.  Quentin, still reeling from his reunion with Margo, begins to see clues the clever Margo has left behind in order to reveal her location to anyone who may care enough to investigate and Quentin sets out to find her.

Nat Wolff and the two actors playing his buddies - Austin Abrams and Justice Smith - do a lot to make Paper Towns watchable with their witty repartee, as does Halston Sage as Margo's best friend Lacey who can't understand what she did to make Margo so angry, but Lacey's confusion over Margo's sudden departure is part of the biggest overarching problem with the film.  Why exactly does Margo leave?  Why exactly did she turn on her friends after so long, particularly Lacey?  Why exactly does Quentin feel this need to go and find her?  None of these questions are answered satisfactorily in any way and Margo herself as a person seems like someone who doesn't give a damn about whom she hurts or leaves behind.  Yet, despite spending two-thirds of the movie searching for this gal, Paper Towns fails to make me care about or understand why any of the characters care about finding this girl.  Paper Towns was never meant to have the emotional impact of something like The Fault in Our Stars, but I at least hoped it'd resonate as a nice coming of age teen flick which it unfortunately does not.

The RyMickey Rating:  C-