Movie Review: Atomic Blonde (2017)

Atomic Blonde
2017
Cast: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Eddie Marsan, Sofia Boutella
Genre: Action Thriller
Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $100 million

Plot: An undercover MI6 agent is sent to Berlin during the cold war to investigate the murder of a fellow agent & recover a missing list of agents 

''All Style, Some Action & Little Substance, But Held Together By Blonde Theron''

Atomic Blonde is a stylish - yet uneven action thriller that is made watchable by the set pieces and is punctuated by a strong performance by Charlize Theron - yet it is hamstrung by an uninspired script and not very enticing story that leaves something to be desired. It operates on a standard level for an actioner, but the film doesn't attempt to offer anything new and is basically a female version of John Wick, starring Keanu Reeves. Which isn't that much of a surprise as the director of this film, David Leitch, was the co-director of Wick.

Taking place during a time of the collapse of the Soviet empire, a female C.I.A agent finds herself double-crossed, as she tries to escape from Berlin, Germany with a dossier that the bad guys want to get their hands on. 

The story is told in flashback, but the flipping and flopping of storylines and some uninspired scenes also makes it dull in places to endure. 

Atomic Blonde is also undone by lacking any emotional investment in the characters and the complicated and messy plot that is difficult to untangle, and thus making it difficult to fully engage myself in. With a more streamlined approach that feels less anaemic, it would have suited the film better, as well as make it more accessible, entertaining, as well as compelling. 

Yet its strong merits lie in the form of Theron herself and the action sequences: much like in Mad Max and Aeon Flux, she has proven her worth in capably carrying an action film on her shoulders, more than competently and thus, she is a worthy addition to the genre. & if ever anyone, or be it Nintendo fan needed further convincing as to why Charlize Theron would be the ideal/my choice of actress to play the lone intergalactic bounty hunter heroine, Samus Aran in a proposed live-action Metroid film, based on the sci-fi video game series, it is exemplified here, in Atomic Blonde, as well as similar outings in Prometheus, Aeon Flux and Mad Max, as she shoots, fights and battles her way on screen. Lorraine is tough, strong and Theron is thoroughly believable in her role that she manages to do most of her own stunts & that she isn't afraid to give it her all. The best moments of the film revolve around her character managing to take down the bad guys and gaining the upper hand over them (probably the scenes that best illustrates this are the ones that take place on a staircase and in the kitchen). Of all the supports, James McAvoy fares better - if not as much, as Percival and playing against type and he charismatically revels in his role. It may not be his best performance, but McAvoy is head and shoulders above the rest of the supporting cast; however, it also felt as though the writer and director didn't do enough with his character and to give him more screentime. 

The film bounces around and struggles to find any consistency and balance and it felt as though it lacked a good chunk to make it land with real impact and to blow me away. The film kicks into gear, during several action setpieces - ranging from unrelenting to brutal, but Atomic Blonde never ignites or explodes, due to the pacing, which for me, was what really affected my overall enjoyment of the movie and to maintain its momentum all the way through. 

The main fault is Leitch opts for style over substance; coupled with a tedium and predictable story that acquires little depth and range, he cannot manage to establish and flesh out a plot and a set of characters fully. Luckily, the film's saving graces are the action and Theron herself, whose efforts were impressive to see, and she just about salvaged it... but even she deserved a better and more potent and explosive story to the one that we got here. 

Final Verdict:

A spy thriller that doubles up as an actioner, with its 1980s influences, there isn't a sense that there is anything significant at stake for Lorraine, and with that, it lacks tension when the film needed it. It could have been and should have been incredible... but instead, it was and is all right.

Regardless, Atomic Blonde outweighs its negatives in the story and in through Charlize Theron's portrayal offering and presenting a female lead, who is not only beautiful but also smart, driven and utterly fearless in a way that is both refreshing and welcoming to see. 


Overall:

Movie Review: Southpaw (2015)

Southpaw
2015
Cast: Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker, Rachel McAdams, Naomie Harris, Curtis 50 Cent Jackson, Rita Ora
Genre: Sports Drama
Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $91 million

Plot: A champion boxer fights to get his daughter back from child protective services, as well as revive his professional career after a fatal accident sends him on a rampant path of destruction 

(*this review may be a day late, but hey, better late than never - Waiching)


'Nearly Packs An Almighty Punch'

Southpaw was originally going to star rapper, Eminem, but after Cowboys and Indians bombed, it got shelved by Dreamworks - only to be picked up by Antoine Fuqua, who wanted to make a boxing movie. It's no different to many of the other boxing movies that came before it & although it tries to go down a darker, grittier route - and then become melodramatic, the film hinges entirely on Jake Gyllenhal and the manner of his performance and physical presence (and highlighted during 4 months in training & gaining 15 lbs of muscle to transform himself into a lean, mean boxing machine), but it is drowned out by Jake's characters' dialogue, which at times is inaudible and the rest of the story feels underwhelming with its potential and Billy's eventual redemption not being exploited to its fullest. It is an exploration of masculinity, brutality and a riches- to- rags- to riches again story, but outside of that, its melodramatic approach is so lukewarm it almost kills whatever momentum the film had going for it at the beginning.

It also features an appearance by pop star, Rita Ora, before she became really famous, as a dishevelled junkie mother. Forrest Whitaker, one of the best actors of his generation, makes do with the underdeveloped script, rapper 50 Cent, who can show he can act, is sadly underused, whilst the female roles, as much as Oona Lawrence, Rachel McAdams and yet another underutilized Naomie Harris do their best, could have used more weight. As such, if they, but more so the latter two, weren't treated as throwaway characters, Southpaw would have been a showcase for female representation & femininity, as much as male representation and male masculinity.

Billy is at the height of his career, but his wife, Maureen is gravely concerned about his health and wants him to slow down and for him to spend more time with his family. After a tragic death, Billy becomes a widower to his daughter, Leila and thus, he is left to raise her. Possessed by grief and anger, he loses control, loses everything and things get worse for Billy. That is until he turns to a new trainer to help him bounce back by teaching him the skills and tricks of the trade & reclaim not only the championship against his adversary, as payback, but also the happiness that he once had. 

Sons of Anarchy screenwriter, Kurt Sutter underplays everything and with that, I sensed that therein lurks a much daring, explosive and riskier film, one that deserves to be told onscreen- and minus the boring filler that takes up the majority of act two -, and one that goes all out and in providing a highly entertaining, far more powerful-driven revenge act piece. But as the story went on, just when I was about to give up, the better and more engaging the film became as it finally turns the corner, and the third and final act redeems the film, after an okay first act and middling and somewhat barren second act.

The boxing scenes look brilliant and are well-shot by HBO fight-night veterans, who manage to convey and capture that in-ring experience authentically by giving extra weight & propping up the film than to some of the so-called obligatory scenes when people are not punching each other.

Gyllenhaal could be easily mistaken as Amy's (Oona Lawrence) older brother and he immerses himself into the role of Billy Hope. Even if two-thirds of the movie, I couldn't make out what he was saying. & along with it his journey from success and failure, and his retribution in the end.

Final Verdict: 

Southpaw leans more towards Rocky territory than so Raging Bull, due to its melodramatic stance and human interest aspect. And yet the movie doesn't quite match the intensity and visceral of Gyllenhaal's committed performance that it so copiously deserves. Its run-of-the-mill formula wouldn't be oh so as predictable, had Kurt Sutter been more inventive and audacious when it comes to the writing.

Regardless, this is still worth a watch for the fights and Gyllenhaal alone. 


Overall: 

Movie Review: Walking Out (2017), #badmovies

Walking Out (Film 4)
2017
Adventure Drama 

This film lacked any kind of suspense and urgency and the sense of danger the plot and story was alluding to amounts to nothing. The boy wasn't someone I could root for, whilst Matt Bomer tries in the role of the dad and the film lacked any sort of character development, depth and sympathy. This is a low budget The Reverent, only long, slow and tepid with none of its charm and not enough bear/survival scenes, along with its jarring score. As it went on, it became more depressing and the pay-off wasn't rewarding. A wild woods adventure that is neither wild nor adventurous enough. Oh and Bill Pullman is in this one, go figure. Style but no substance, with better different leads and had it been given the big-budget treatment, Walking Out would have stood a chance. But alas, it fails to make any impact it is set out to do. Sitting through the 115 minute run-time throughout one would feel the urge to walk out on this one. As survival movies go, Walking Out was anaemic. It looks nice though. 


Is It Worth Watching?

Sadly not


Overall:

Retro Review: The Wedding Planner (2001)

The Wedding Planner
2001
Cast: Jennifer Lopez, Matthew McConaughey, Justin Chambers, Kathy Najimy, Bridgette Wilson, Kevin Pollak, Fred Willard 
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $94 million 

Plot: A wedding planner whose singular dedication to her work has kept her from finding the man of her dreams. When she finally meets ''Mr Right'', he turns out to be the groom from one of her upcoming weddings 

'Drab Rom-Com Best Left At The Altar'

This early 2000s romantic comedy was directed by Adam Shankman (Bringing Down The House, Hairspray, Rock of Ages) and was produced with the help of Meg Ryan and Peter Abrams, of whom the latter gave us Point Break, Wedding Crashers, another rom-com in Serendipity and Old Dogs. The plot also draws similarities to My Best Friend's Wedding starring Julia Roberts; if you have seen that film, then, well, The Wedding Planner is pretty much in the same vein, as far as plot goes. But it lacks that film's charm and, but for say J-Lo/McConaughey's characters', the remaining characters don't amount to much & the story is feebly executed. 

Jennifer Lopez, - a Hispanic - plays a wedding planner, Mary whose character is of Italian descent and her career is on the up, yet she is unable to find the perfect guy. Her father desperately wants her to tie the knot, he even goes to lengths to set her up with an Italian guy, much to her displeasure. One day, she bumps into a medic in Steve (Matthew McConaughey) & Mary becomes attracted to him. However, the following day, she is stunned to learn that the wedding she is planning turns out to be for Steve & Fran's (Bridgette Wilson-Sampras), with Fran being his fiance and bride & wife- to- be. 

Much like with many of these types of films, but for the romance part, the reason why most of these movies aren't great or good, is because the story doesn't hold up to the end and the pairing of Steve and Mary doesn't heat up. The last 20 mins or so felt so implausible with a plot twist that was so left-field, it didn't make a lick of sense as to why Steve did what he'd done. The script was the one and major hurdle the film couldn't get over, and not once was there a major revelation or huge plot twist that truly made The Wedding Planner a good rom-com. McConaughey and Jennifer Lopez tried, but their onscreen efforts were clearly stifled by then (and still are to this day) first-time writers Pamela Falk and Michael Ellis's generic and vapid screenplay that falls short. 

Part- My Best Friends Wedding, part - Runaway Bride, its execution, like so many other films of this type is bland, atypical and so predictable it doesn't do enough to keep me glued throughout, let alone to separate itself from the pack. Yet also, this film is proof that even with the casting of Jennifer Lopez, who at best is competent, and Matthew McConaughey, if the romance element especially doesn't come through, many of these romantic comedies and dramas are a bust. Which The Wedding Planner is. 

Chemistry is also key in romantic comedies, and I suppose that even with a weak script, some of these films manage to get away with it, due to the casting of the two leads. J-Lo and McConaughey, on the other hand, is sadly an exception. Their romance is so underdeveloped, but also there were no signs throughout that convinced me that they deserved to be together. Shankman, Falk and Ellis all fumbled with the execution, as tamed it was and is, that in the end, their characters' journey from A to B, storywise, was a waste of time. Adam Shankman's directorial debut turns out to be ill-advised, and as such, he isn't able to manage to get the best out of Lopez and McConaughey.

Final Verdict: 

As the film went on and on, the sooner I lost interest and that I didn't care what actually happened. I switched off altogether. When you have a movie, and also a romantic comedy that does that, you can sense how you will feel about it in the end. 

Had the story been better developed and more was added to the mix, we or I could have viewed this offering as a pleasant but also lively affair. By the halfway mark or 20 mins after, boredom seeped in, there were no major twists or surprises thrown in and with that, The Wedding Planner played things too safe, that it made for a boring (& forgettable) rom-com that is not up to par with My Best Friend's Wedding.


Overall:

Mini Movie Review: Predators (2010) #badmovies

Predators
2010
Action

Predators comes across as a rehash of the first film with an identical setting (in the jungle) and with a set of characters, who but for the main hero, gets bumped off. Adrian Brody doesn't convince as the lead in an action movie (Dolph Lundgren, Scott Adkins would be better suited), Topher Grace looks out of place here and he plays a douchebag, the female crew member looks like a cross between Michelle Rodriguez and Vanessa Hudgens & one wonders what Laurence Fishbourne (The Color Purple, Matrix, Boyz N Da Hood, What's Love Got To Do With It?) is doing here. Aliens and Predators have one thing in common: they both end in 'S', but that is all there is to it when the former is the better movie, and the latter isn't. Predators attempts to do the same things as the prequel (jungle setting, the Japanese guy in place of the Native American Indian, Billy as the token ethnic character), and yet it feels nothing like the original Predator and doesn't feel as believable and real. The kills felt scarier in that film than here, it takes up almost half the film's runtime for the action scenes to manifest, and I felt nothing for the characters (who are mercenaries but lack any traits for me to have any sympathy for them when they get attacked). Oh, and it fares well below the much-maligned Predator 2 of 1990 in my book. Gets a half an extra mark for the last 10 mins though. 


Is It Worth Watching?

For die-hard Predator fans who enjoy the franchise only 


Overall:

Mini Retro Review: Like Father Like Son (1987) #badmovies

Like Father Like Son
1987
Comedy

A body-swapping comedy that came out before the similarly- themed, Vice Versa starring 'The Wonder Years' Fred Savage and 'Beverly Hills Cop' Judge Reinhold, I had reasonable hopes that this would be okay. But instead, this was a tedious watch from beginning to end and seems to be nothing more than a vanity project for Kirk Cameron, who was pretty big at the time and existed to capitalise on his popularity. Dudley Moore is awkwardly utilised and isn't given much to work with, script-wise that because in terms of genuine comedy, it is so lacking and his efforts aren't enough to elevate or salvage it by means of making it funny. I barely laughed. Kirk Cameron tries, but his character is charm less. The plot at the beginning makes little to no sense in relation to the main characters and how it ties in with the story. Aerosmith's 'Dude Looks Like A Lady' plays in the background, a song that featured in Mrs Doubtfire and one that makes far more sense than in Like Father Like Son. I'm pretty sure (and hoping) the remake of Freaky Friday with Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan of 2003 is better than this. 


Is It Worth Watching?

Even with the negative reviews, I had an inkling that this would surprise me and that I'd enjoy it, but I didn't. Worst still, it was bland and didn't provide anything that was and is remotely amusing for a comedy.


Overall: