Game Night

Game Night (2018)

Starring Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Billy Magnussen, Sharon Horgan, Lamorne Morris, Kylie Bunbury, Jesse Plemons, Danny Huston, Michael C. Hall, and Kyle Chandler

Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein

Written by Mark Perez

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: B+

Wonder Woman

Wonder Woman (2017)

Starring Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Elena Anaya, and Connie Nielsen

Directed by Patty Jenkins

Written by Allan Heinberg
***This film is currently streaming via HBO***

Summary (in 500 words or less):  The origin story of the titular super hero, we follow a young Diana who as a child admires the warrior women with whom she lives on the island of Themyscira.  Trained by her aunt (Robin Wright) in the ways of the Amazonian females, a grown Diana (Gal Gadot) rescues American pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine) after his plane crashes in the waters off of her island home.  He tells Diana that World War II is ongoing and Diana leaves Themyscira in hopes of finding Ares, the God of War, who ages ago caused chaos amongst the gods.  It's decidedly more complicated than that...but long story short, Diana wants to seek revenge on damage Ares caused the Amazonian women years ago.

• While Wonder Woman is the best DC comics film so far, it really didn't need to be all that good in order to achieve that title.
• Much was made about how this was the first female-fronted superhero film and while that's an admirable feat, in my opinion the film was overpraised simply because of that.  At its heart, Wonder Woman is an origin story and most superhero origin stories lack excitement overall and that's the case here.
• Gal Gadot is fine as Diana, but she lacks a bit of nuance.  I think in subsequent films (see Justice League which will be reviewed soon), her character grows in appeal, but here she's a bit too stalwart which at times is a bit off-putting.
• Although directed by someone other than Zack Snyder whose stamp has been on nearly every DC movie thus far, this film still carries his aesthetic at times.  Most of the opening act taking place on the Amazonian island looks so fake and computer-generated that it's tough to really buy into what we're seeing.

The RyMickey Rating:  B-

Movie Review - Pressure

Pressure (2015)

Starring Danny Huston, Matthew Goode, Joe Cole, and Alan McKenna

Directed by Ron Scalpello

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

In the Somali Basin, the DSC Lorimer sailing vessel has discovered a leak in an oil pipeline nearly 650 feet below sea level.  Of course (seeing as how this is a suspense movie), there's a storm on the way, but four men are told to head down in a diving bell to fix the issue.  Needless to say, things go awry and the bell becomes separated from the ship.  Running low on oxygen and with their communication seemingly gone, the quartet must muster all their energy to make it back to the surface alive in Pressure.

Essentially taking place all within the confines of a small diving bell, Pressure is a low-budget thriller that had me completely interested for about fifty minutes before overstaying its welcome for another forty.  Ultimately, the repetition of the whole thing -- "Will we have enough oxygen," "Can anyone on the surface hear us," etc. -- wears thin after a while.  The cast does a decent job of making the most of what they're given, but attempts at fashioning backstories seem silly rather than impactful.  While director Ron Scalpello is adept at creating some tense moments, you can't help but think if there's a reason Pressure received such an extremely limited release in theaters this past summer.

The RyMickey Rating:  C

Movie Review - The Congress

The Congress (2014)

Starring Robin Wright, Harvey Keitel, Danny Huston, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Jon Hamm, and Paul Giamatti

Directed by Ari Folman

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

Robin Wright plays a version of herself in The Congress set in an immediate future in which movie studios have perfected a method of digitizing images of stars and sending the real-life actors packing, creating new movies and media personas out of these fully lifelike computerized images.  Known for being a bit of a difficult actress (in the film, that is), Robin is also an aging woman -- something Hollywood is not overly fond of it seems.  Eager to spend a little more time at home with her two kids particularly since her son (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is suffering from the early onset of Usher Syndrome in which he is gradually and irrevocably losing his eyesight and hearing, Robin agrees to a contract that allows Miramount Studios to digitize her and use her image however they see fit.

I must admit that despite the somewhat slow pace, I was mildly intrigued with what The Congress was giving me during its first half with Robin Wright giving a surprisingly nuanced and understated performance as an actress struggling to have to let go of her family's source of livelihood and income.

And then the film jumps twenty years ahead and we see Robin driving down a desolate desert road only to be stopped at a checkpoint where she is given an ampule of liquid which she sniffs...and then turns into a cartoon.  Yep.  Although the animation in the film's second half is vivid, colorful, and steeped a visually impressive 1930s/40s style, the storyline of this segment of the film was much too difficult (and/or uninteresting) for me to follow.  With a whole bunch of metaphysical gobbledygook being spewed about one's real self and true being, I found myself zoning out way too many times for the film's own good.

With about thirty minutes left, I said aloud, "Why are you doing this to yourself?  Just stop watching."  And I almost gave in to that temptation, but I continued.  In the end, I'm glad I did as The Congress did become a little more comprehensible to me by the time it concluded, but it's still much too weird and dull for it to be even remotely recommendable which is a shame because the promise of the first half and the intriguing questions it raises about ageism and sexism in Hollywood are actually quite relevant.

The RyMickey Rating:  D+

Movie Review - Big Eyes

Big Eyes (2014)

Starring Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Krysten Ritter, Danny Huston, Jason Schwartzman, and Terence Stamp

Directed by Tim Burton

The aesthetics of Big Eyes are certainly Tim Burton-esque in their 1950s/1960s stylizations although the quirky director has scaled back his trademark oddness, crafting a somewhat bland story out of the rather interesting true tale of Margaret Keane and her conniving husband Walter.  The weird lack of balance between comedy and drama causes Big Eyes to falter and an odd performance from one of the leads disappoints and further exacerbates the notion that this actor is a one-note performer.

That actor just so happens to be two-time Academy Award-winner Christoph Waltz who plays the aforementioned Walter.  When Margaret (played by Amy Adams) divorces her first husband, she runs to San Francisco with her young daughter.  Shortly after her arrival, she meets Walter who proposes to her mere weeks after meeting.  Walter purports to be an aspiring artist much like Margaret, although Walter's paintings all focus on the streets of Paris, whereas Margaret creates portraits of big eyed children who often look forlorn and saddened.  This initial artistic kinship Margaret feels is quickly diminished when Walter takes it upon himself to act as if Margaret's paintings are his own since female painters have such a tough time moving product.  Walter becomes a world-wide success, while Margaret is forced to paint images that she can't even call her own.

Unfortunately, the Walter character is oddly portrayed throughout in the kind of maniacal comedic manner by Waltz that we've seen him undertake in flicks like Inglourious Basterds and Django Unchained.  Waltz has seemingly proven himself to be as one note an actor as Melissa McCarthy as of late (although Ms. McCarthy changed her tune a tad with this year's St. Vincent).  Another Oscar nomination for his role here would prove that the Academy lacks any kind of ingenuity as this is likely the worst role I've seen from him.  His Walter starts so cloyingly sweet and turns so quickly on a dime into a conniving jerk that his transformation seems implausible.  I'm sure, in all likelihood, there's truth behind this real life man's shift into deviousness, but Waltz (likely admittedly getting "help" from Burton and screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski) fails to give Walter any emotional arc from the film's onset to its conclusion.  The two distinct personalities we see that the beginning and the end feel like two different people rather than just one.

Adams fares better, although I also feel like she's simply playing a part we've seen her tackle before.  As the quiet and inwardly emotional Margaret, Adams hides her character's feelings, putting up walls to try and keep her husband from damaging her.  This doesn't allow us to fully connect with her, making the audience feel a bit distant from her desire to make herself be publicly known.  When she finally pushes herself to achieve this goal, it feels much too sudden and a bit uncharacteristic for her subtle character.

Granted, I'm making accusations about characters above who are REAL PEOPLE.  It's entirely possible that these REAL PEOPLE acted just like Adams and Waltz portray them.  However, in the grand scheme of movie, this keeps the audience at a distance because we can't latch on to their stories.  I will admit that despite my review full of qualms above, I wasn't ever bored during Big Eyes as I found its overarching story an intriguing one.  The film was actually better than my seemingly horrible review makes it out to be.  It's just unfortunate it wasn't better as I think there was potential here for something great.  Tim Burton, however, simply isn't able to determine what type of movie he wanted to tell -- light-hearted, serious, comedic, dramatic, biographical, fantastical, courtroom drama.  All of it is there -- just none of it is done up to par.

The RyMickey Rating:  C