The Cloverfield Paradox

The Cloverfield Paradox (2018)

Starring Daniel Brühl, Elizabeth Debicki, Aksel Hennie, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Chris O'Dowd, John Ortiz, David Oyelowo, Zhang Ziyi, Roger Davies, and Clover Nee

Directed by Julius Onah

Written by Oren Uziel

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

Click here for a link to my Letterbxd review

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 - Pioneer

Pioneer (Pionér) (2014)

Starring Aksel Hennie, Wes Bentley, Stephanie Sigman, Jonathan LaPaglia, Ane Dahl Torp, Jorgen Langhelle, André Eriksen, and Stephen Lang

Directed by Erik Skjoldbjærg

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

During the early 1980s, the Norwegian government was in the midst of beginning its program for oil harvesting.  During a test dive, Petter (Aksel Hennie) and his brother Knut (André Eriksen) are involved in a terrible accident.  Upon resurfacing, Petter discovers that this accident may not have been coincidental and may be the start of a large conspiracy involving the Norwegians and Americans' attempts to gain control of the massive amount of oil below the ocean's surface.

While a little slow moving at the start and quite a bit repetitive in the middle, Pionér is intriguingly based on a true story and this reality carries an inherent interest that makes even the dullest moments more watchable.  Aksel Hennie -- so good in Headhunters which is also streaming on Netflix (watch it!) -- more than ably anchors the film and creates a character whose paranoid demeanor following his brother's accident never seems forced or over-the-top.

Unfortunately, Erik Skjoldbjærg's film meanders, hitting much of the same dramatic notes over and over.  While the director more than adequately crafts the underwater scenes with tension, his surface-based suspenseful moments don't land as well.  Pionér is a worthy film with an interesting true premise, but it's not as successful as it probably should be.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - Headhunters

Headhunters [Hodejegeme] (2012)

Starring Aksel Hennie, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Synnøve Macody Lund, Eivind Sander, and Julie Ølgaard

Directed by Morten Tyldum

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

The joy of the unexpected surprise.  Headhunters is a Norwegian thriller that is far-fetched beyond belief...but it's a helluva lot of fun and the unadulterated amusement makes all the absurdity seem almost plausible.  Roger Brown (Aksel Hennie) is a headhunter who seeks out qualified candidates for upper management positions at various companies.  But that's only his day job.  In his spare time, he steals priceless works of art in order to maintain the extravagant lifestyle he leads along with his incredibly attractive wife Diana (Synnøve Macody Lund).  One day, however, Roger messes with the wrong guy and finds himself in an ever-escalating set of predicaments that have him doing things he could never have imagined.

While it's true that the film's summary perhaps sounds basic with a "been there-done that" feel, Headhunters feels 100% original and I think a huge part of that has to do with the excellent lead performance from Aksel Hennie.  Hennie, by no means, has the "movie star" looks -- and the first lines of the film told in voiceover by Roger himself actually poke fun at his humdrum visage -- but he's incredibly engaging onscreen.  Roger's not an angel.  He is, in fact, kind of a pompous, arrogant jerk, but thanks to Hennie's portrayal we give a damn about this guy...a very tricky task that is admirably achieved.  As Roger's life slowly begins to unravel, we want him to succeed and that's a testament just as much to Hennie as it is to the ingenious writers who have crafted quite a fun piece of entertainment.

Kudos also must be extended to director Morten Tyldum who has a keen eye for lensing both action sequences and the more subtle moments necessary to make a film like this succeed.  In addition to getting a great performance from his lead actor, Tyldum also gets nice turns from the whole supporting cast especially Ms. Lund as Roger's wife who manages to achieve quite a bit of depth in her character, much more than I ever could have expected in what is her first and, as of yet, only film role.  [And she's stunningly gorgeous...but that's not really relevant in a movie review.]

Headhunters is a film that Alfred Hitchcock would be making were he making movies today (and Ms. Lund would've been his trademark Hitchcock Blonde).  There's a North by Northwest vibe crossed with Sleuth crossed with Deathtrap going on here and it's just a whole lot of fun.  Admittedly, it's far-fetched and ridiculous, but sometimes going so far over the top proves to be successful.  A Hollywood remake is apparently in the works...I can't imagine it being nearly as good.  Do yourself a favor...get over your aversion to subtitles and watch this one with your streaming Netflix subscription.

The RyMickey Rating:  A-