Just Mercy

Just Mercy (2019)

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Foxx, Brie Larson, Rob Morgan, Rafe Spall, O'Shea Jackson, and Tim Blake Nelson

Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton

Written by Destin Daniel Cretton and Andrew Lanham

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: B

Creed II

Creed II (2018)

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Florian Munteanu, and Dolph Lundgren

Directed by Steven Caple, Jr.

Written by Juel Taylor and Sylvester Stallone

Summary (in 500 words or less): Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) is approached by a wrestling promoter to take on a bout against Viktor Drago (Florian Munteanu), son of Ivan Drago (Dolph Lundgren) who defeated and killed Creed's father in the ring decades ago.

Click here for my Letterboxd review

The RyMickey Rating: C

Black Panther

Black Panther (2018)

Starring Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Guirra, Martin Freeman, Daniel Kaluuya, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Forrest Whitaker, and Andy Serkis

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Written by Ryan Coogler and Joe Robert Cole

Summary (in 500 words or less):  Following the death of T'Chaka (which occurred in Captain America: Civil War), his son T'Challa (Chadwick Boseman) rises to the throne of Wakanda, an African country that has secretly created a wide array of high-tech weaponry and science-based technology thanks to a metallic substance called vibranium which arrived via a meteorite centuries ago.  A black-market arms dealer Klaue (Andy Serkis) teams up with Erik Stevens AKA Killmonger (Michael B. Jordan) to steal some Wakandan artifacts in order to use the weaponry on the Wakandan people.  Upon his arrival in Wakanda, Killmonger sets out to take down T'Chaka and change the mindset of the Wakandan people.

• Black Panther is obviously a ground-breaking film as it places black superheroes front and center for the first time.  It's certainly heavily steeped in African culture, yet it's also inherently a Marvel movie.  It strikes a nice balance between the two.
• The stars of the flick are actually the women, with Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Guirra, and especially Letitia Wright mixing the right amount of charisma and strength.  The titular character as portrayed by Chadwick Boseman is certainly fine, but he's honestly a little bland.  
• Ultimately, the film is held back a bit by the typical origin story problems that plague any initial superhero flick.  While this one isn't quite a tedious as other origin flicks, it still is building a universe and oftentimes the building blocks aren't quite as exciting as what will inevitably be the final product.
• In addition, the flick's story structure feels like two separate tales -- the first dealing more with arms dealer Klaue and the second with Killmonger.  While the two are certainly appropriately pieced together, by the end of the film, the first half almost feels unnecessary when you look back upon it.
• I do think the film actually carries some deeper political meaning...and I'm not quite sure I can agree with its statements.  However, Black Panther as a film brings a solid new addition to the Marvel pantheon.  One may think that the rating below is low, but it's actually in the upper half of Marvel movies to me.

The RyMickey Rating:  C+

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 - Creed

***Rocky Week -- Day 7***
***Note:  Spoilers may appear in all Rocky Week reviews.***
Creed (2015)

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Tony Bellew, and Phylicia Rashad

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Without any shred of doubt, Creed is the best made film in the Rocky franchise.  Does that make it the best film overall?  Not quite, but it's definitely up there in terms of quality, acting, story, and direction.  While staying true to its roots with simple homages to the past, Creed introduces us to a new lead character to whom we in the audience admittedly don't quite have as much connection which hampers things a little bit.  Fortunately, though, Creed doesn't abandon all that made Rocky so successful, giving us a touching performance from our former title character in what may be the best role of Sylvester Stallone's career.

As a young boy, Adonis Johnson lived his life moving from foster home to foster home and eventually landed himself in a juvenile detention facility.  At the age of 13, Adonis is visited by Mary Anne Creed (Phylicia Rashad) who takes the young boy in and tells him of his true lineage -- that he is the result of a extramarital affair between her husband (the late Apollo Creed) and Adonis's mother.  Seventeen years pass and despite Mary Anne's wishes that he hold down a good job, Adonis (played as an adult by Michael B. Jordan) feels a passion for boxing and travels to Philadelphia to train with the man who helped to shape Apollo into the name that he was -- Rocky Balboa.

Rocky himself is a bit more weathered, a bit more weary of jumping back into the boxing world.  His pace of everything -- the way he talks, the way he walks -- has slowed as time and his boxing past has taken its toll on him.  Stallone plays Rocky vulnerable here -- and while we maybe saw tinges of that in Rocky Balboa, this adds huge layers of depth to a character we've long known.  Smartly (and perhaps this is due to the fact that this is the first Rocky film to not be written by Stallone), Rocky doesn't steal the spotlight.  Director Ryan Coogler has made this Adonis Creed's film, but Rocky and Stallone's portrayal are the reason the film succeeds as well as it does.

There's a visceral, in-your-face style that director Ryan Coogler and cinematographer Maryse Alberti bring to the table that we haven't seen in previous Rocky flicks.  Moreso than ever, we feel a part of the action -- we're in the ring fighting with or against Adonis, close enough to feel his pain and comprehend the pain he inflicts.  One scene in particular showcases Adonis's first "real" fight and it's completed in one take that is so blissfully choreographed and amazingly shot that I found myself awestruck.  But Coogler also allows for quieter moments to shine, particularly in some rather touching scenes between Michael B. Jordan and his love interest Bianca played by Tessa Thompson.  Jordan carries many of the same characteristics as Stallone in the first Rocky film, but there's a bit more of an innocence within the tough exterior -- an innocence that probably stems from a sense of hope and heartbreak (both stemming from his difficult, fatherless childhood) that Rocky himself never really experienced.  Thompson also does a nice job of bringing out the softer side of Adonis, obviously playing the "new Adrian," but she's certainly a captivating presence.

As mentioned, there is no doubt that Creed is the best made film in the Rocky franchise.  However, were I to choose to watch another Rocky flick, I'd go with Rocky Balboa first, followed by the original, and then give Creed another go (despite giving Creed a higher grade than the original Rocky).  In time, with inevitable subsequent Creed releases, I'll get to know Adonis a little better as a character and my opinion of this movie will likely only increase in its positivity.  As it stands now though, Creed succeeds for not only introducing us to a new title character, but giving tribute to the iconic Rocky.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+

Movie Review - That Awkward Moment

That Awkward Moment (2014)

Starring Zac Efron, Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Imogen Poots, Mackenzie Davis, and Jessica Lucas

Directed by Tom Gormican

At least Miles Teller has given the cinematic world his performance in Whiplash because his character of Daniel in the purported comedy That Awkward Moment rehashes the same fast-talking frat boy we've seen from him so many, many times before.  Mr. Teller isn't alone, however, as Zac Efron takes on Jason, the pretty boy sleaze bag ladies' man -- a character that he tackles in any comedy in which he partakes.  But Mr. Teller and Mr. Efron being carbon copies of former acting roles are just the beginning of the problems in That Awkward Moment -- a flick that has no idea whether it wants to be a raunchy comedy, a relationship drama, or a coming-of-age tale and this melange of ideas fails to allow any one of them to work.

I understand that movies need to relay the broad spectrum of personalities that are evident in the world, but when you choose to place conniving, manipulative man-whores as your main characters, I have a tendency to check out right away.  Maybe it's because I'll never understand how women fall for a-holes like these, but I can't get behind caring for characters whose only goal in life is to get a woman into bed as soon as possible.  I know these types of guys exist in real life (and I know for some otherworldly reason some women are drawn to them), but they're not the type of friends I'd like to hang out with, so when I see them onscreen, I get a little disgusted.  That Awkward Moment attempts to appease my concerns with the character of Mikey (Michael B. Jordan), a smart married doctor who discovers his wife is cheating on him.  Mikey is the polar opposite of Daniel and Jason -- longing for meaning in a relationship and not searching for a one night stand.  This, in turn, however, makes me ponder why in the heck Mikey would be friends with guys like Daniel and Jason which therein defeats the purpose of even having him in the film.  Not only am I disturbed by Daniel and Jason's womanizing, but I'm ticked off that Mikey simply shrugs it all off and coddles their infantile shenanigans.

As far as a plot goes in That Awkward Moment -- there isn't much of one.  "Hey guys.  Let's make a pact to not have any meaningful relationships.  Just sex and that's it," says one of the guys at some point at the beginning of the film.  "Okay," say the other two guys.  Does it come to any surprise that all three of these guys will find themselves falling in love and then trying to hide it from their buddies?  Does it come as any surprise that these guys will end up being pricks to their women in order to hide their burgeoning relationships from their bros?  Does it come as any surprise that these women will accept their guys back after they do horrible things to them?

Predictable, obnoxious, unfunny (I didn't laugh once), and a bit repulsive are the words I'd use to describe That Awkward Moment -- care to watch it?

The RyMickey Rating:  D-

Movie Review - Fruitvale Station

Fruitvale Station (2013)

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Melonie Diaz, Octavia Spencer, and Ariana Neal

Directed by Ryan Coogler

Fruitvale Station isn't the most innovative or original film of 2013, but in its simplistic telling of a basic (though quite sad) story, first time feature director and screenwriter Ryan Coogler successfully encapsulates the true story of a tragic day in the life of California Bay Area resident Oscar Grant who was wrongly gunned down by a police officer on New Years Eve 2008.  While the movie could've easily turned into a "black story" (a term shunned by star Octavia Spencer in an interview regarding the film), Coogler and his performers instead make this a story about love -- a mother's love for her son, a father's love for his daughter, and a family's love for one another -- which makes the horrific ending to Oscar's tale all the more depressing.

Oscar Grant (Michael B. Jordan) wasn't a perfect guy.  On New Years Eve in 2007, he was in jail, but now a year later, he's trying to right his wrongs despite the difficulty that brings.  Having been fired from his job at a supermarket, Oscar's shifted towards selling weed, but it doesn't make him happy as he wants to provide a better life for his girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz) and his daughter Tatiana (Ariana Neal).  His mother Wanda (Octavia Spencer), though perhaps slightly overbearing, wants him to straighten himself up and Oscar desperately desires to make a better man out of himself.  After spending the day preparing for his mother's birthday party, Oscar and Sophina take the subway to San Francisco to ring in the New Year, but through a series of unfortunate events, Oscar finds himself in trouble with the law and things don't end well for him.

The unfortunate thing about Fruitvale Station is that knowing what happens at the end of the film -- the first scene "gives away" the ending and the rest of the film is essentially told in flashback -- makes us more anticipatory for the movie to get to that pivotal moment.  While it's all good to see Oscar's flaws and struggle to get better (the latter of which does come off as slightly "corny" as opposed to "inspirational"), we're waiting for the payoff and this makes the first half of the film a little draggy.  The second half of the movie, though, works and it actually makes the film's first half with its small moments focused on the mundane aspects of daily life really resonate more than I expected.

Although there was a lot of buzz around Michael B. Jordan's performance -- which is definitely good, though not particularly original or mindblowing -- the ladies in Fruitvale Station are where I found the story's heart.  Melanie Diaz takes a small, seemingly throwaway-type role as the beleaguered girlfriend and gives us a well-rounded picture of a young woman who sees potential in Oscar, but also feels the tiniest bit trapped because of the fact that she has a daughter with him.  She loves him and she loves his family, but she struggles with the fact that he's not living up to his best potential.  The same could be said for Oscar's mother, portrayed by Octavia Spencer.  Spencer absolutely mellows it down here from her Oscar-winning role in The Help and it's welcomed.  While her role is perhaps written a tiny bit too "saint-like," her interactions with Oscar and Sophina feel as natural as you can get.

The RyMickey Rating:  B+