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

Movie Review - Fantastic Four

Fantastic Four (2015)

Starring Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kate Mara, Jamie Bell, Toby Kebbell, Tim Blake Nelosn, and Reg E. Cathey

Directed by Josh Trank

***This film is currently available via HBO Now***

The claws came out upon the release of Fantastic Four last summer with the film garnering the worst reviews of any film in the Marvel canon.  (Granted, this isn't part of the Disney Marvel canon, but it's still Marvel nonetheless.)  I was hoping for a heinously bad film that proved to be enjoyable to watch.  Instead, I just got a bad film that never dipped into campy territory and while it isn't the worst film I saw from 2015, it will certainly find a spot in the bottom tenth of the flicks I watched.

Yet another superhero origin story, Fantastic Four spends over half of its short 100-minute runtime telling us how Sue and Johnny Storm, Reed Richards, and Ben Grimm became the titular fantastic quartet harboring super powers like invisibility, fire control, stretchability, and superhuman strength.  While I'm not usually a fan of origin tales - and Fantastic Four doesn't reinvent the wheel in this department - this part of the film isn't as awful as it could have been...particularly when compared to the film's second half which is a muddled, confused mess.  The film's conflict rears its head when Victor Von Doom decides to take on the title crew in some unknown alternate universe in an effort to destroy Earth.  (I mean, I think that's Von Doom's intention, but it's so unclear that I may just be guessing.)  The climax is so shoddily cobbled together (and so quickly resolved) that one has to wonder how anyone thought this would be a positive addition to the Marvel universe.

With characters underdeveloped (although played as well as they could by the young cast), Fantastic Four is a huge disappointment.  Don't be fooled by the awful reviews thinking you're going to get something laughably enjoyable, however.  It would've been better had that been the case.

The RyMickey Rating:  D 

Movie Review - The Martian

The Martian (2015)

Starring Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Kristen Wiig, Jeff Daniels, Michael Peña, Sean Bean, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, Aksel Hennie, Mackenzie Davis, Donald Glover, and Chiwetel Ejiofor

Directed by Ridley Scott

A huge success this fall, I avoided The Martian until the final week it was in theaters (heck, it's being released on Blu-Ray in less than a month) because of a lengthier running time in a genre that I don't dislike but isn't particularly my favorite.  Science fiction flicks oftentimes feel so heavily bogged down with jargon or "deep thinking" that they just don't seem fun.  (I'm talking to you, Interstellar - a film that I didn't mind, but at times felt like a chore to watch.)  While The Martian certainly has hefty scientific details running through it, director Ridley Scott's film is surprisingly witty, full of some charming performances, and has a story that is briskly paced and immensely enjoyable.

Matt Damon is, for all intents and purposes, the title character.  In 2035, botanist Mark Watney is left behind on Mars by the crew of the Ares III after he is struck by debris during a gigantic dust storm and unable to be found.  All indications according to the life support systems in Mark's suit point to him being dead so the crew (Jessica Chastain, Michael Peña, Kate Mara, Sebastian Stan, and Aksel Hennie) -- forced to make a difficult decision as the huge storm will soon make their ship unable to function -- start their three year journey home saddened for Mark's apparent death.  After the storm dissipates, Mark wakes up to find his suit impaled by an antenna which took out his biometer, but also, when mixed with Mark's blood, formed a seal on the suit keeping Mark alive.  Mark returns to the Mars astronaut base and begins to analyze his next moves.  Unable to communicate with Earth, Mark figures out a variety of ingenious ways to keep himself alive in hopes that at some point, he'll be able to get back in touch with NASA.

Meanwhile on Earth, satellite analyst Mindy Park (Mackenzie Davis) notices that there is movement on Mars in the area where the Ares crew lived while on the planet and determines that Mark is actually alive.  She immediately informs NASA director Teddy Sanders, NASA media relations head Annie Montrose, and Mars mission director Vincent Kapoor (respectively Jeff Daniels, Kristen Wiig, and Chiwetel Ejiofor) and plans are put into place to attempt to get Mark back.

Undoubtedly, The Martian is one of director Ridley Scott's best films -- and certainly his best in over a decade.  Quite frankly, I'm amazed at how involved I found myself in the story.  While not as solitary as a film like Cast Away in which Tom Hanks was essentially the only character onscreen, for huge portions of The Martian Matt Damon is the only actor onscreen.  Rather cleverly, screenwriter Drew Goddard has crafted a device where he has Mark talk to a computer screen in a video diary-type set-up which allows the audience to get into Mark's head and allows for quite a few comedic moments as Mark contemplates how to survive.  Combined, Scott's direction and Goddard's script keep things moving at an incredibly solid and tremendously surprising clip, creating a film that's hugely pleasant to watch.

While I certainly don't have anything against the actor, Matt Damon has never been a favorite of mine, but I must admit that the actor is quite captivating here.  There's a charm he brings to Mark that's intensely watchable, handling the humor and drama quite well and balancing both with ease.  The rest of the cast is also quite solid with not a bad egg in the bunch, but even though folks like Jeff Daniels and Chiwetel Ejiofor figure in quite a bit story-wise, this is really Damon's film and he holds our interest much more than I ever thought he would.

Admittedly, the film's big set piece that makes up the conclusion seems a little far-fetched, but despite the ridiculousness of it, I still found the denouement quite compelling and excitingly lensed.  Quite honestly, though, what's most intriguing about The Martian is how the science of what keeps Mark alive is placed so squarely front and center and seems shockingly plausible (with the exception of that seemingly ludicrous conclusion).  Not only is The Martian funny, but it's also surprisingly smart...and somehow it's still enjoyable.  Kudos to the entire team behind this one as I wasn't expecting to enjoy this one nearly as much as I did.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+

Movie Review - Transcendence

Transcendence (2014)

Starring Johnny Depp, Rebecca Hall, Paul Bettany, Cillian Murphy, Kate Mara, Clifton Collins Jr., and Morgan Freeman

Directed by Wally Pfister

Conceptually, Transcendence is probably one of the more interesting films I've seen as of late.  Will Caster (Johnny Depp) is the mastermind behind a sentient computer which he hopes will outpace the human race in terms of intelligence.  While Caster and his wife Evelyn (Rebecca Hall) see potential in such technology, there are large swaths of people who fear such work will bring an end to humankind.  One such group -- R.I.F.T., or "Revolutionary Independence From Technology" -- goes to terroristic means in order to get their point across, and after a conference in which Will Caster touts his opinions, Will is shot by a RIFT member who then kills himself.  After a few days, it's discovered the bullet shot into Will was laced with plutonium, thus causing Will's bloodstream to be contaminated with radiation leaving him with less than a month to live.  Desperate for Will's dream about sentient technology not to die with him, Evelyn thinks up the idea to place Will's entire consciousness inside the computer he's developing so that his "spirit" will never die and his intelligence can continue making technological advances.  Unfortunately, things go a bit awry with this plan, creating a bit of havoc and a battle between man and machine.

I don't know about you, but I kind of dig that Terminator-esque Man v. Computer battle being set up. Unfortunately, first-time director Wally Pfister languidly paces the film so that we can't help but be bored by what we're seeing unfold.  It certainly doesn't help matters that Johnny Depp doesn't even appear to be awake -- if he can't be bothered being interested in what he's doing, how in the world are we going to care?  After a promising start, the flick written by first-time screenwriter Jack Paglen begins to unravel and its climactic moments fail to resonate despite the captivating premise.

It's possible that in more experienced hands Transcendence may have been a success, but as it stands now with first timers behind both the lens and the scripting with neither behind-the-scenes aspect able to convince the film's leading actor to appear alive onscreen, the flick falls flat.

The RyMickey Rating:  C-

Ramblings on House of Cards

I don't usually discuss television at all on this blog, but I just wanted to throw a few thoughts out there about Netflix's House of Cards.  Anchored by a fantastic performance by Kevin Spacey, much has already been said about this being Netflix's first foray into series television and if this is the type of show the company bankrolls, I'll have to check out everything they bring to the table (except Arrested Development -- I tried...I just don't get it).

Spacey is Francis Underwood, a Democratic senator from the South who despite being promised a big position within the new presidential administration finds himself passed over for the job.  This doesn't sit too well with Underwood who sets out to do all that he can to enact revenge and better his position in the process.

What I truly enjoy about House of Cards is that it doesn't ever stoop to the lowest common denominator in any area.  Foul language is used when necessary, but not overly so.  Violence is depicted, but not in any graphic manner.  Sex and nudity sometimes make an appearance, but not to any exploitative degree.  Instead, the producers allow the story to naturally unfold rather than hit us over the head with "THIS IS NOT NETWORK TV!!!" like pay cable stations HBO or Showtime (or even fX) seem wont to do.  We're still being treated to a drama aimed squarely at thinking adults, but it's not risqué just because it "can be."

There are great performances across the board.  Spacey is fantastic.  I loved how they decided to have him speak directly to the camera at times allowing the audience to see the character's true personality amidst the façade he's putting on for those around him.  Robin Wright is also very good as Underwood's wife and I must say that I was truly shocked that her character Claire is given the weight and importance that this series grants her.  As the head of an environmental group, Claire isn't just a trophy wife and the tricky relationship that she shares with her husband is one of the reasons this show proves to be unique.

We're also given some great turns from Michael Kelly as Underwood's right-hand man, Kate Mara as an intrepid reporter, Corey Stall as a senator from Pennsylvania who is being manipulated unbeknown to him by Underwood, and Kristen Connolly as the PA senator's girlfriend/chief of staff.  Quite honestly, there wasn't a bad actor cast here from the top to the bottom.

I worry a little bit that this show will be able to sustain itself as I wonder just how many manipulative moves a character like Underwood can make without subjecting himself to the wrath of his fellow politicians.  I also question whether a surprising turn of events in episode ten was a too-much-too-soon moment for Underwood.  What he does isn't necessarily surprising given what we'd come to know about him, but it does seem like it may have come a tad early in the series.

Still, House of Cards has me rooting for the "bad" guy and the complex life he leads.  Part of me wishes the thirteen episode first season would've ended on a bit more of a cliffhanger note, but I'll still be pulled back in for season two which I'll likely binge watch over the course of three days much like I watched season one.