Gemini Man

Gemini Man (2019)

Starring Will Smith, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen, Benedict Wong, Ralph Brown, and Linda Emond

Directed by Ang Lee

Written by David Benioff, Billy Ray, and Darren Lemke

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Movie Review - 10 Cloverfield Lane

10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

Starring John Goodman, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and John Gallagher, Jr.

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg

***This film is currently streaming via Amazon Prime***

Taking place within the same world of its predecessor Cloverfield released eight years prior, 10 Cloverfield Lane is a different beast altogether -- a horror film where monsters take a backseat to the frightening nature of humans.  Distraught over what she sees as a falling out with her fiancé, Michelle (Mary Elizabeth Winstead), leaves her apartment in New Orleans for somewhere, anywhere.  Her departure is halted, however, when her car is blindsided by a truck causing her to spin out of control and crash.  When she awakens, Michelle is in what appears to be some concrete bunker, the captive of Howard (John Goodman), an ex-Navy officer who claims that above ground chaos is reigning in the form of some apocalyptic event.  Howard is seemingly a bit nutty, but after a few scary events, Michelle and her fellow bunker mate Emmett (John Gallagher, Jr.) grow to believe that what Howard spouts is actually real, and instead of being a "captive" as she initially thought, Howard's the only thing keeping her alive.  However, there's still hints of distrust amongst the trio because human nature is a fickle and funny thing.

Director Dan Trachtenberg creates a claustrophobic environment enhancing the uneasiness that's already present in both the script (co-written by Academy Award-winner Damien Chazelle) and the characters portrayed by the trio of actors, all of whom hold their own against one another as their allegiances shift scene by scene attempting to figure out who they can trust.  While taking place in the same time period as Cloverfield (presumably, this occurs on the same day as the event in New York City), this 2016 film doesn't really connect with that initial film until its final minutes which does do a little bit to enhance and add to the "Cloverfield" mythology.  (Although, admittedly, these final minutes are actually the least successful aspect of the film.  Despite being well lensed, they stand in too much of a stark contrast to the eighty minutes that came prior.)

Although I think this is an unpopular opinion, 10 Cloverfield Lane is slightly less successful than its predecessor.  It doesn't quite ratchet up the tension in the same way Cloverfield does despite the fact that overall it's a better acted, better produced, and better directed film.  It's a worthy flick and an intriguing addition to what producer J.J. Abrams says is going to be an ever-expanding "Cloverfield" film saga, but it's surprisingly not quite as edge-of-your-seat thrilling as Cloverfield.

The RyMickey Rating:  B

Movie Review - Alex of Venice

Alex of Venice (2015)

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Don Johnson, Derek Luke, Katie Nehra, Chris Messina, Skylar Gaertner, Reg E. Cathey, and Timm Sharp

Directed by Chris Messina

***This film is currently streaming on Netflix***

There's a simplicity to Alex of Venice, the directing debut of actor Chris Messina, that adds charm to the titular character's (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) newfound struggles following the leaving of her husband (Messina), the possible Alzheimer's diagnosis for her father (Don Johnson), and the arrival of her sister (Katie Nehra) who comes to the titular California town to look after Alex's son Dakota (Skylar Gaertner) while Alex works on an important environmental law case.  While that charming simplicity makes Alex of Venice innately watchable, it also doesn't provide much of a backdrop for what should be a slice of life story that feels as if it's trying too hard to cram too many "big" life moments into its short running time.

Winstead is captivating as the beleaguered mother who has spent so much time dealing with work that she's abandoned her family.  Her character feels grounded in reality as do most of the inhabitants of the film including Don Johnson's understated portrayal of an actor coming to grips with the onset of memory loss.  However, the flick -- the first screenplay for two of three credited screenwriters -- feels too kitchen sink-y to really resonate.  Divorce and abandonment and environmental protests and medical issues and even playwright Anton Chekov feel as if the writers just didn't know where to draw the line when it came to editing.  The Chekov inclusion, in particular, feels much too "final college thesis" rather than theatrical film to be anything other than laughable.

Admittedly, I'm making Alex of Venice sound worse than it is.  It's a watchable indie drama with decent performances that unfortunately is hampered by a script that doesn't do its cast any favors.  While it wouldn't necessarily be a bad watch, there are better things to stream on Netflix.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - Kill the Messenger

Kill the Messenger (2014)

Starring Jeremy Renner, Rosemarie DeWitt, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Oliver Platt, Ray Liotta, Tim Blake Nelson, Barry Pepper, Michael Sheen, Paz Vega, and Andy Garcia

Directed by Michael Cuesta

For full disclosure's sake, I nearly stopped Kill the Messenger at the forty minute mark, thinking that this true story about journalist Gary Webb's uncovering of CIA involvement in drug trafficking from Nicaragua to the US was a tad too slow moving and a bit too by the book in terms of the way it was handling Webb's investigation into the government conspiracy.  However, I'm actually quite happy I stuck it out because as the film progresses, it becomes much more than an investigative journey and instead begins to live up to its title as Webb (played by Jeremy Renner) becomes the target of news reports aided by CIA leaks (or lies?) that strive to bring him down by revealing secrets from his past.

The problem with Kill the Messenger is that the film's first half isn't all that interesting.  As Gary moves from location to location meeting a variety of characters uncovering minor details concerning the CIA's cover-up, the whole affair feels very rote and bland.  Fortunately, the change in tone in the second half works to the film's advantage creating a much more well-rounded character in Gary Webb who is essentially hung out to dry by his employers after the CIA and other media outlets go on a mission to discredit the reporter and the tiny newspaper for whom he works.

The performances here are all fine, but there aren't any real standouts which also doesn't help elevate the otherwise boring start to the piece.  In the end, Kill the Messenger tells an interesting story that I was certainly unaware of, but it doesn't quite elevate to a point of consistent interest.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Movie Review - The Spectacular Now

The Spectacular Now (2013)

Starring Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larson, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Bob Odenkirk, Kaitlyn Dever, Masam Holden, Dayo Okeniyi, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Kyle Chandler

Directed by James Ponsoldt

In this day and age when teens flock to movies like the Twilight and Divergent series that supposedly tell stories to which they can relate, I can't help but think we're also in the midst of a great era for dramas focused on the regular everyday stories of American youths -- you know, without vampires, werewolves, and dystopian governments.  I may not have loved 2012's The Perks of Being a Wallflower, but it was a film I could appreciate for what it brought to the table in its surprisingly dark and somewhat depressing look at teenage angst.  2013 ushered in The Way Way Back which proved to be another solid piece that gave new energy to a coming-of-age tale.  

Towering over both those films, though, is The Spectacular Now, a flick that earned significantly less dough at the box office than either of those aforementioned flicks, but is a gem that absolutely should be seen.  Led by two fantastic performances from Miles Teller and Shailene Woodley, The Spectacular Now is a touching look at young love and how early relationships can shape us into the person we grow up to be.  Teller is Sutter Keely, a hard-partying high school senior whose mixture of class clown-ish/cool guy demeanor masks the fact that he can't make it many hours throughout the day without sneaking a drink from his secret flask of alcohol stashed in his pocket.  His girlfriend Cassidy (Brie Larson) has just left him for Marcus (Dayo Okeniyi), the quarterback of the football team and the class president, in the hopes of finding a more serious relationship as she heads off to college.  While this upsets Sutter and certainly was a blow to his esteem, it doesn't stop him from partying even harder in an attempt to find a lady to latch on to even if it's just for a night.

After a night he can't remember, Sutter finds himself sprawled out on some unknown yard, discovered by Aimee (Shailene Woodley), a mousy, smart, yet certainly attractive senior at Sutter's school as she performs her morning paper route.  While the two had maybe seen each other in passing, they definitely belonged to different social cliques.  However, with Sutter woman-less, he sees an opportunity to perhaps make his ex feel a little jealous that he's moved on from her.  Although their relationship begins thanks to a somewhat deviously selfish notion on Sutter's part, he begins to find himself falling for Aimee's simplicity and mild-mannered nature -- the complete opposite of his lifestyle.

Director James Ponsoldt previously directed 2012's Smashed and my complaint about that film was that Ponsoldt didn't allow his camera to linger long enough in certain scenes in order to gain the full emotional impact that the story inherently had going for it.  Ponsoldt has certainly learned his lesson as The Spectacular Now is rather beautiful in its usage of simplistic long takes, taking its time to allow the story to unfold.  There's a naturalness to the dialog that almost languidly and off-the-cuff transpires between leads Teller and Woodley that gives you a sense of improvisation, never feeling forced and creating an incredibly believable world these two characters inhabit.

While I knew Shailene Woodley from her role in The Descendants, Miles Teller was a new face to me -- although I'd apparently seen him before in a film called Rabbit Hole.  What a breath of fresh air Mr. Teller is.  First, it should be mentioned that nearly all of the main actors playing teens here are in their mid-to-early twenties, yet they all believably jumped back into the roles of high schoolers.  That's what took me by surprise first as I found myself checking Teller's age while watching the film to see rather selfishly if I could place him on my Best Younger Actor/Actress list at the 2013 RyMickey Awards.  Second, Teller lands on a perfect mix of smarminess, cockiness, and angst-i-ness for his character of Sutter.  Sutter outwardly seems to have it all, but his constant drinking obviously hides an inner disappointment in himself and Teller captures that wonderfully.  When he finally is able to open up to Aimee, the more mellow side of Sutter rings just as true as the "bad boy" side.

Admittedly, upon her introduction, I was slightly disappointed by the obvious way the filmmakers decided to portray Shailene Woodley's Aimee.  She was given more homely clothes, wore significantly less make-up, and had more tussled hair than Sutter's ex-girlfriend Cassidy.  It just seemed like too obvious a set-up for the audience -- "See!  Aimee is the nice girl!"  However, as the film progressed, I appreciated the fact that Aimee as a character didn't change.  She stayed the down-home, sweet, and calming presence that we first witness from her.  Yes, Sutter opened her eyes to love, but she was strong enough to recognize that she didn't need to change for him.  For some reason, this felt rather refreshing and Woodley's performance was subtle and gentle, lacking a showiness that we so often see.

The script isn't quite flawless -- there's a subplot involving Sutter's estranged father that plays out a little too melodramatically to work with the rest of the film, as an example -- but the relationship between Sutter and Aimee and the camaraderie between the two actors that play those characters more than makes up for it.  The Spectacular Now is one of those under-the-radar films that you may not have heard of, but is absolutely worth seeking out.

The RyMickey Rating:  A-

Movie Review - Smashed

Smashed (2012)

Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Aaron Paul, Megan Mullally, Nick Offerman, and Octavia Spencer

Directed by James Ponsoldt

I didn't dislike Smashed, but as I watched, I couldn't help but think that the potential for so much more was possible with this story.  The writers let down their lead actress, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, who was certainly game for expanding the acting chops we'd previously seen on display from her.  Winstead is Kate, a first-grade school teacher who can't make it through the day without alcohol.  Things seemed bad enough to me when she woke up in the morning and couldn't get through a shower without sipping on a beer, but after a night at a bar, she gives a ride to a drunken young woman who shares some cocaine with Kate.  When Kate wakes up the next morning on the city streets next to some homeless folks, she gets the feeling that she may have taken things a step too far.  With the help of a colleague from work, Kate begins going to AA meetings despite the fact that her husband Charlie (Aaron Paul) -- who also happens to imbibe way too much -- frowns upon the idea.

There were moments throughout Smashed that were so close to reaching real emotional levels, but unfortunately director and co-writer James Ponsoldt never allows things to get to that gut-wrenching level that a story like this needs every now and then.  As an example, when Kate attends her first AA meeting, she stands up and gives a speech in which she finally comes to the realization that she might have a problem.  Had the scene gone on for maybe two minutes longer giving Kate a little more to say, it would have been emotionally perfect.  However, as it stands now, Ponsoldt snipped the scene a bit too short therein losing the powerful resonance it could have had.

Mary Elizabeth Winstead does a nice job and she captures the necessary emotions a role like this requires, but the script just does her a bit of a disservice.  Nick Offerman and Octavia Spencer as Kate's AA sponsors provide the nice, gentle voices the struggling Kate needs at this difficult time in her life but they, along with Aaron Paul's Charlie, felt like characters that could have all been developed a little more.

Those who frequent the blog know that I'm not a fan of movies that simply extend their run time for no valid reason, but Smashed (which clocks in at under ninety minutes) is a movie that should've been longer -- and I'm not sure I've ever said that on this blog.  It needed a bit more time to flesh out the characters in order to have a greater emotional impact for the audience.  Smashed isn't a bad movie, but it had the potential to be much better.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

Movie Review - Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (2012)

Starring Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Rufus Sewell

Directed by Timur Bekmambetov

It's always nice when I can finally watch a movie and call it the worst I've seen all year.  There's a little bit of a thrill that is unleashed when I finally get one of the worst under my belt.  I feel like the pressure's off.  If someone were to ask me "What's your least favorite film of 2012?," I can at least answer with conviction and say "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," a horrendously painful mix of history and horror filmed with ludicrously gimmicky camerawork by "visionary director" Timur Bekmambetov.

The title of the film tells the story for the most part.  As a child, Abe Lincoln witnesses his mother being attacked and killed by a vampire and as he grows older, he vows to fight the evil monsters who somehow or another are a driving force to keep slavery enacted during the Civil War -- or at least I think they are.  I'll admit to losing interest multiple times, but with a wooden performance by Benjamin Walker as the title character and a director who attempts to do anything he can with his camera -- slow motion, sped-up motion, close-up kills -- I found myself fighting back the yawns.  None of the action sequences look remotely real.  Everything is either too computer animated or too choppily edited to either look believable or make sense.

But the biggest problem is that for a film called Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter there's zero fun on display.  Everything feels incredibly heavy-handed and overly serious.  This movie is about a really tall president killing a bunch of supernatural beings.  There should be some modicum of unabashed fun...and there's not the slightest to be found.

The RyMickey Rating:  F

Movie Review - The Thing

The Thing (2011)

Starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Joel Edgarton, Eric Christian Olsen, and Ulrich Thomson 

Directed by Matthijs van Heijningen, Jr.

I had seen the John Carpenter's original 1982 The Thing a few years ago and found it to be a perfectly acceptable monster movie.  This 2011 prequel falls again into that "perfectly acceptable" category and may have even ventured into the "good" realm had it not been bogged down by a rather ridiculous third act.

I must be honest here -- I didn't realize that I was watching a prequel at all and only discovered that information when I was looking up a bit of research for this review.  The reason I wasn't aware of that is because this movie is essentially telling the same plot of the original (or at least it seemed to be the same plot to this moviegoer who hadn't seen the original in years).  It's simple -- an alien life form wreaks havoc on a research crew in Antarctica.  There's really nothing else that needs to be said.  We're not reinventing the wheel here.  And that's perfectly fine.  There are some scares here and there -- too few, though -- and the acting is fine although all the characters end up blending together because they're given no discernible personalities.  (Although kudos to Mary Elizabeth Winstead for giving her scientist gal role a strong edge that proved to be compelling to watch.)

Unfortunately, unlike the original which knows what it sets out to be and is admittedly just an alien attack flick, this prequel foolishly (SPOILER ALERT) takes us onto the alien ship in the final act -- a plot point which feels incredibly forced and ultimately unnecessary since what happens on the ship is decidedly pointless in the long run.  (END SPOILERS)  This screeches the film to a halt at the exact point it should be ratcheting up the tension and ends things on a sour note to be sure.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Starring Michael Cera, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Alison Pill, Mark Webber, Johnny Simmons, Ellen Wong, Kieran Culkin, Aubrey Plaza, Mae Whitman, Anna Kendrick, and Jason Schwartzman

Directed by Edgar Wright

I'm not a video game guy.  [When I was younger, those gaming systems weren't allowed in my household...until my brothers came along.  The first child was more protected, I guess.]  They're simply not my cup of tea.  Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is (of course) a movie, but it's also like a giant real-life video game that, much to my pleasant surprise, is packed with visual pizzazz and style that makes this film a unique experience.

All you need to know about the film is that Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) falls in love with really cool chick Ramona (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) who just happens to have seven evil exes with superpowers.  In order to be with Ramona, Scott must utilize his knowledge of comic books, indie music, and video games to defeat the exes and win himself the girl.

What makes the film ingenious is director and co-screenwriter Edgar Wright's visual style.  No ifs, ands, or buts about it, Wright has created a movie version of a video game/comic book complete with pop-up high scores, split screens, and old school Batman-esque "THWAP!"s and "BAM!"s running across the screen whenever someone gets hit.  At first, I thought maybe the film would fall into the problem I have with a movie like 300 which I felt looked too fake and screamed "LOOK AT ME!  DON'T I LOOK AWESOME?"  However, somehow Wright manages to make the flick never be just about the visuals because the characters are actually pretty darn nifty, too.

There isn't a single character or actor that I disliked in this film.  From all of Ramona's exes to all of Scott's friends, the characters are surprisingly unique (even though many are based off of standard "indie/grunge" clichés).  To accompany the characters, the acting across the board is top notch, with Wright bringing together one of the best acting ensembles this year.  There's not even really a point in delving into any specifics because I really liked every single person in the cast.

I'd like to say that Scott Pilgrim vs. the World isn't all that ingenious simply because it has a basis in video games -- an entertainment genre that just doesn't do a thing for me.   But there's no denying that I found the whole film incredibly clever and a joy to watch...even with the presence of Michael Cera whom I typically despise.  Even though this review falls into my typical "I don't know how to write incredibly positive reviews" posts, don't let my lack of adequate words deter you from watching this flick.  

The RyMickey Rating:  A-