Category Archives: Cinema Sit-Down

Cinema Sit-Down, Movies/TV

Bond’s Best: My Review of ‘Spectre’

A poster for the film, which was released November 6, 2015.

Move over, Hydra! After a nearly 45-year absence, the original, evil terrorist organization makes a grand return in Daniel Craig’s latest James Bond adventure. In a year that saw an inundation of espionage films (Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation and The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), can the super-spy granddaddy rise above them?

James Bond (Daniel Craig) goes rogue to destroy a secret international terrorist organization that plans to create a worldwide surveillance system that will let them monitor everyone on the planet.

(SPOILER WARNING!)

First, I must confess that until recently, I was only passingly familiar with the James Bond franchise. I played a few Bond video games like GoldenEye on the Nintendo 64 and caught a few of the old movies when they were on TV, but that was it. Now, I did keep up with reboot films starting with Casino Royale, but that was the only Bond film I saw in the theater. With the release of Spectre looming, I spent my summer watching all of the pre-Craig films, especially when I found them all on Blu-ray at my local library. (True confession time: I only made it up to the Pierce Brosnan era before seeing Spectre). I’m glad I did because it gave me a greater appreciation for what this film did in re-introducing Bond’s oldest enemy.

Much like the classic Thunderball starring Sean Connery, Spectre has everything you could want from a Bond film: exotic locations, exciting action, beautiful women and terrifying villains. It has arguably the strongest script out of any of the Craig films. The pacing is perfect, never getting boring even when nothing is exploding. Unlike the original franchise, which had a loose continuity, Spectre builds heavily on what came before, but not so much so that a newcomer would be lost. However, it does reward those who have followed the new films. Unlike most Bond outings, this one is strangely character-driven. Bond’s mission quickly becomes a personal one once he realizes the leader of Spectre orchestrated every tragedy that befell him—most notably the deaths of his lovers—in the previous three films. It added layers to the story and made it more compelling. Surprisingly, there’s a fair amount of humor in the script, but it’s strategically used to give the audience a breather and never veers into the ridiculous, a common fault in the Bond films of yesteryear (I’m looking at you, Moonraker!). The silliest it gets is Bond landing on a couch after the roof he’s standing on collapses.

While Spectre had fewer action sequences, from what I can remember, than the previous Craig films, the set pieces were superb, the action exhilarating, and the suspense intense. For a franchise that’s done everything (and has overdone a few things like ski chases), this film manages to find new ways to thrill. The most impressive is a sequence where Bond is flying in a small airplane to chase down three Land Rovers. After some fancy flying, the plane’s wings get clipped, but Bond manages to somehow direct the plane down a snow-covered hill, taking out one Spectre vehicle, and crashes through a barn. Best of all, the filmmakers made the wise move of not overusing CGI and instead focused on using practical effects, as evidenced in this plane sequence.

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Blofeld’s henchmen are equally as memorable. Former pro-wrestler Dave Bautista plays Mr. Hinx, a mostly silent assassin whose violent actions speak louder than words. While Bautista speaks only one word the entire film, his presence is felt in every scene he’s in. Director Sam Mendes intended him to be something of a callback to Jaws, though minus the steel teeth. Andrew Scott, most famous for portraying Moriarty on BBC’s Sherlock, plays C, an MI6 operative spearheading an initiative to create a global surveillance system. He brings a similar quirky, off-putting nature to his character like he did as Moriarty. I must confess that as a fan of his work on Sherlock, I half-expected him to be Blofeld. It would’ve been cool.

Something I wouldn’t have noticed had I not watched most of the previous Bond films are the several subtle homages to franchise’s past. Besides the return of Blofeld and Spectre, the most notable ones are to 1973’s Live and Let Die, the first Bond film to star Roger Moore. Bond wears a skeleton costume similar that worn by a voodoo shaman in that film. Also, Bond has a fight on a train with Mr. Hinx that’s similar to one he has with hulking henchman Tee Hee (Julius Harris).

Spectre features some of the most artful cinematography of the recent Bond films. The opening scene in particular is an impressive sweeping single shot with the camera floating down and following a disguised Bond and his woman through the streets of Mexico City into a hotel, wherein they ride the elevator up several floors and enter a room.

But for all my gushing, I do have a few minor nitpicks. The film’s theme song, “Writing’s on the Wall” by Sam Smith, is fine but a far cry from the Oscar-winning “Skyfall” by Adele (though the title sequence was excellent). I’d also hoped for a fight between Blofeld and Bond at the end, but instead the climax was a chase scene. The film also succumbs to the overused trope of having the hero choosing not to kill a defenseless villain who insists the protagonist pulls the trigger.

While Mission Impossible is more my style of spy film, Spectre is Daniel Craig’s finest outing as Bond, and it ranks as one of the best in the franchise. If Craig hangs up his Walther PPK after this, he’ll go out on a high note.

Final Grade: A-

Cinema Sit-Down, Movies/TV

‘The Sand’ Will Make You Afraid to Go to the Beach, Sorta

The DVD cover for the movie. (Image courtesy of www.snrfilms.com/thesand
The DVD cover for the movie. (Image courtesy of www.snrfilms.com/thesand)

In 1975, Jaws made audiences scared to go into the water. The Sand (released October 13), however, wants them to be scared to even walk on the beach. But does this independent horror film stand firm like a rock or collapse like a, well, sand castle?

The day after a night of drunken revelry at a seaside graduation party, a group of twenty-somethings awake to discover the beach devours any living thing that touches it.

(SPOILER WARNING!)

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JNe6iBWcwI]

The movie's spoiler-ific trailer

I’m a tough critic when it comes to the horror genre, especially in film. Horror has, unfortunately, gotten inundated with the dumbest clichés, the worst tropes and the most idiotic characters. It’s rare to come across a modern “scary movie” that isn’t full of cheap jump scares and gratuitous gore. There are reasons why many, including myself, often equate horror movies with schlock.

I went into The Sand unsure of what to expect. It was described to me as being similar to the 1990 cult classic Tremors, a film I liked. It also had a good concept: take an innocuous everyday object—in this case, sand—and make it terrifying. (It works for Stephen King and Steven Moffat). So, I kept an open mind.

And what I got was…okay.

On the plus side, there are some truly suspenseful scenes where characters try to avoid touching the sand since doing so is instant death. Attempts are made to cross the sand using objects like surfboards and wooden posts. Similarly, using either a towel or a rescue line held by her friends to precariously steady herself, one girl attempts to climb the back bumper of a car to open the trunk and get cell phones. These scenes are allowed to play out, utilizing close-ups of the characters feet to show how close they come to touching the ground.

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The dire situation forced said characters to survive by their wits with limited resources. The aforementioned weaknesses are discovered by trial and often deadly error. I recently heard about “try fail cycles” on the Writing Excuses podcast, and this movie is certainly replete with them, which keeps the tension high. The tension did break whenever I thought the movie might stoop to cliches, but was otherwise effective.

The characters, unfortunately, like the movie itself, are a mixed bag. They certainly start off cliché enough since they seemed to be drunk spring break partiers. One of them even ran around recording their revelry like this was a found-footage film (which, thankfully, it isn’t since those are overdone now). I found all but two of them—the heroine and one other guy—to be boring and annoying for at least the first 20-30 minutes. Most of the actors tended to overact, shouting profanities and screaming, but once the characters realize they are on their own, they become smarter and oftentimes clever. Except for one guy. He got so drunk the night before, his friends stuffed him in a trashcan and drew a penis on his face. He did nothing but whine and complain the entire time. In other words, he’s useless. Surprisingly, he isn’t the first to die, but I kind of wish he did since he contributes nothing to the plot. I suppose he might’ve been intended to be comic relief or someone to rescue, but he fails at both.

Speaking of comic relief, Jamie Kennedy (who ironically stars in the recently released Tremors 5: Bloodlines) cameos as a beach patrol officer who shows up halfway through the movie, and he’s an unprofessional idiot. He struts around assuming all the kids are on drugs, refuses to listen to them and does nothing to help. His scene isn’t funny and is a letdown because he could’ve fixed everything. The only good that comes of his scene is showing that the tendrils can’t grab anyone if they’re wearing shoes (something I thought of at least 20 minutes before that).

Despite its simple premise and monster, the movie belies its low budget with its special effects. Like with many such horror films, its CGI gore, while infrequent, looks more laughable than horrifying. The actors’ over-the-top performances don’t help it. For whatever reason, it’s also inconsistent. Some characters have gruesome deaths where they’re shredded while others are simply dragged under the sand. I saw no reason for this other than as a cost-cutting measure. Consistency: look elsewhere for it.

The movie jumps the shark—no pun intended (but perhaps a Jaws reference)—the last 20 minutes when the “sand” suddenly and inexplicably grows into a full-sized tentacle. The creature goes from unique to cliché. More baffling is the fact that the tentacles attack only when the plot demands it and somehow doesn’t overturn the vehicles the protagonists hid inside. Perhaps it is just as dumb as some of the characters.

However, the ending almost makes up for it. Almost. I think it squanders an opportunity to be different. Only three characters—the heroine, her best friend and the heroine’s ailing boyfriend—survive. One girl remarks that nobody came to save them (a preposterous set-up that stretches credibility so far it snaps), to which the other girl says, “Maybe tomorrow,” before the scene fades to black. I actually would’ve liked that as an ambiguous ending. Yes, it would’ve been a bit depressing, but it would’ve been different. Instead, a surfer finds them the next day and the girls learn the creature has moved on. Now, the surfer’s reaction to the passed out boyfriend—who is off-camera—is a bit odd, but it’s never explained. I don’t know if he’s dead or if he’s mutated into some inhuman monster (yes, I sort of expected that to happen).

In the end, this is an average horror flick. It lacks the stellar characters of Jaws and the campy humor of Tremors, which seem to be its immediate influences (though I use that term loosely). Much like its hungover protagonists, you won’t remember much of the movie the morning after watching it.

Final Grade: C

Cinema Sit-Down, Movies/TV

Sicario (2015) Review

**SPOILER ALERT**

It’s been a long time since I’ve been so invested in a story while watching a movie, but Sicario certainly ended that streak. There wasn’t a moment I couldn’t feel my heart beating in my chest. I’d say that’s quite a feat for a two-hour film.

Siciario tells the story of FBI agent Kate Macy (Emily Blunt), who, after discovering a house filled with corpses in Arizona, is roped into a shady government mission to “bring down” the Mexican Cartel. At first, Kate jumps at the chance to catch the people who committed such a terrible crime, but she soon starts to question the validity of the mission her new acquaintance Matt (Josh Brolin) is pursuing.

From the initial scene in the house to the very last moments of the film, I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen. There’s an immediate sense that no one in this film can be trusted, except for Kate’s FBI partner Reggie (Daniel Kaluuya). It was equally frustrating and intriguing to struggle alongside Kate, just trying to figure out what’s going on. Each time Matt or his partner Alejandro (Benicio del Toro) reveal a “truth” about their mission, it’s clear that they’re purposely excluding important information. In fact, they won’t even tell Kate why they’ve even recruited her; they just keep telling her to watch and stay out of the way.
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If for no other reason, you have to see Sicario for Emily Blunt’s performance. I must admit I am extremely biased and I will never speak a word against her, but Emily Blunt truly steals the show. It’s great to see a woman in a kick-ass role who’s not also fighting the same cliche fights: like trying to balance her work and family life or  seeking a new love. Kate’s determined to do her job well and by the book, and her only mission in the film is to find out why she’s being used in this suspicious operation. My heart broke every time Kate tried to stand up for herself and her beliefs only to be shot twice, punched in the face, nearly strangled to death, and finally held at gunpoint. I wanted so badly for her to defeat Matt and Alejandro and for her to take over the mission and set things right. Alas, we can’t always get what we want.

Which leads me to my next point….I was really much less interested in any part of the film that didn’t feature Kate. Eventually it’s revealed that Kate and frenemies have really just been tracking down the Mexican Cartel so that Alejandro can exact revenge on its leader for murdering his family. Honestly, I did not care that Alejandro had suffered such a loss. Not really. He was causing as much pain (and murder) as his enemy had, so it wasn’t such a satisfying moment when he achieves his goal. I was more curious about what Kate was up to during that whole sequence. Alejandro was neither sympathetic nor interesting enough for me to care about to watch him murder a bunch of people who probably didn’t deserve to get murdered in the first place. But I guess I get it. He’s the hitman of the title (shrug).

Sicario’s one of the best films I’ve seen so far this year, and I hope Emily Blunt gets the recognition she deserves for her performance (and collectively for all her performances) this awards season.

Cinema Sit-Down, Movies/TV

But I Digress… Episode 31: A Review of ‘Fantastic Four’ (2015)

In case you didn’t see this in my updated Terminator: Genisys review, writing for GigaGeek Magazine is just one of the many hats I wear (one of which I plan to be Indiana Jones’ Stetson, but I digress).

See what I did there? An obvious but clever segue!

I also run my own YouTube channel where I have my own show called But I Digress. . . I usually talk about creativity/writing/storytelling, but I also do movie reviews and comedy sketches. What I’m sharing with you today is my latest episode: a review of the new Fantastic Four movie. It’s not quite as entertaining as my Terminator video, but it was a great discussion with my buddy and occasional co-host, Sergio Garza. Enjoy!


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“But I Digress…”
Hosted by Nathan Marchand

I wasn’t planning on doing this, but since people kept asking me what I thought of the new Fantastic Four, I decided to make an impromptu video review of it. I invite my buddy Sergio Garza to join me as we–no surprise–riff on the movie and say the Roger Corman version is better. No joke.

Title card/thumbnail by Jarod Marchand (commission available at his DeviantArt page).

Please subscribe, comment, and share!

www.NathanJSMarchand.com

Cinema Sit-Down, Movies/TV

‘Minions’ are fun but not quite as ‘Despicable’

One of the posters for ‘Minions.”

(My apologies, Giga Readers, for the lateness of this and my previous movie review. I’ve been quite busy of late).

Gru’s pill-shaped, banana-colored henchmen steal every scene in the Despicable Me films, so it was only natural that they’d get their own movie. The question is whether their gibberish-fueled antics could be stretched out to a full-length feature. Surprisingly, it works better than even I expected.

After years of boredom and ennui, Kevin, Stuart and Bob leave their Minions tribe in search of a new boss for them all. They soon find themselves entangled with supervillainess Scarlet Overkill, who wants them to steal Queen Elizabeth’s crown.

Minions could be classified as a spin-off or a prequel. Perhaps “spin-off prequel” (or vice versa) would be the best description. It details the origin of the Minions tribe early on, but it mostly focuses on a harrowing adventure that brought the titular goofballs to the (somewhat) civilized world and introduced them to supervillainy. What makes it a little strange is the Minions seem to be ageless. It shows them attempting to help previous bosses throughout history—including a T-Rex and Napoleon—yet it’s implied these are the same Minions seen later and not descendants. For children this probably won’t mean much, but for everyone else it begs crazy questions like, “Are these guys immortal?” It would explain their comical durability as seen throughout the Despicable Me movies.

Unlike the Minions, though, their bosses don’t live as long. A running gag—one that borders on being bit dark for a family film—is how the Minions accidentally get their masters killed. A T-Rex falls into a volcano. A rock crushes a yeti’s head. Now, these deaths aren’t gruesome and are often off-screen, but it does seem a bit weird that an otherwise kid-friendly film would play death as a joke as frequently as it does.

However, this sort of edginess has been a staple of the series since the beginning. It manifests itself in other ways. One Minion uses a gadget called the “hypno-hat” to, well, hypnotize some British guards into doing a Full Monty-esque dance routine. It’s yet another example of a joke that, hopefully, goes over kids’ heads and hits their parents in the funny bone, yet I must admit it did seem a bit inappropriate.

Thankfully, most of the comedy is the usual Minions antics we’ve all come to love. Their seemingly nonsensical gibberish is in full swing as well as their penchant for getting into slapstick-fueled trouble. The stars in this one are the Three Stooges-like trio of Kevin, Stuart and Bob. Each of them have distinct personalities and quirks that not only play well off one another and others, but also generate much of the comedy. Kevin is the responsible one, always trying to do the right thing and help others; Stuart is a loyal musician; and Bob is a naïve but enthusiastic animal lover. That’s a recipe for shenanigans, if there ever was one. It also gives kids different characters to relate to, since the Minions have always been child-like.
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The film’s greatest achievement is making these antics work for a feature-length film. Essentially, it takes the Minions’ scenes from both Despicable Me movies, which often served as colorful respites from the story, and stretches them to 100 minutes. Yet they never become boring or annoying. It’s a testament to the filmmakers and the strength of the Minions as characters.

I was once again struck by an unusual element of the world of these films: it’s full of supervillains (including a few new ones introduced in this story), but there doesn’t seem to be any superheroes in it. Perhaps it’s better that way. It helps to prevent it from becoming too cliché, since superheroes are all the rage at the moment. Although, an interesting story I could see for the inevitable Despicable Me 3 would be to have Gru and the Minions face a superhero.

Speaking of supervillains, Sandra Bullock almost steals the show from the Minions as their new “boss,” Scarlet Overkill (which is one of the best villain names I’ve ever heard). Equal parts funny, likable and homicidal, Scarlet is a loose cannon of a character who’s predictable and yet not. She always seems to be teetering on the brink of madness (I’m talking an almost Joker-like insanity). As with any good villain, she has a tragic backstory where she was bullied as a child, constantly told she was ugly. It compelled her to prove them all wrong by becoming the best supervillain(ess) of all time—and the queen of England. Yep, she wants the Minions to steal the crown so she can become queen simply to inflate her fragile ego. Hilarious and sympathetic.

Speaking of the Queen, she’s funny in her own right. Plucky and tough, she seems only slightly outmatched by the combined forces of the Minions and Scarlet. (SPOILER WARNING!) After she’s dethroned and Bob is inadvertently crowned king, she’s seen at an English pub arm-wrestling patrons. I was expecting she’d join the Minions in battling Scarlet for the climax, but she doesn’t appear again until afterward. It was an unfortunate missed opportunity.

Another expected but delightful guest star was a young Gru (voiced by Steve Carrell), who appears at the end and steals the crown from Scarlet after shooting her with his freeze ray. It was love at first sight for the Minions, who immediately chased after him despite him not warming up to them at first. It was a wonderful bow to tie onto the film. (SPOILERS END!)

While it isn’t quite as good as Despicable Me or as deep as Pixar’s Inside Out (which I wish I’d reviewed for GIGA, but I waited too long), it’s still a fun and hilarious summer flick for both kids and kids-at-heart.

Final Grade: B