"Doctor Strange" Review
Another lesser-known hero is being introduced to the Marvel Cinematic Universe this weekend in Doctor Strange. As we near a decade of the super hero powerhouse charting unchartered territory, we can expect to see more heroes and teams of the sort. Doctor Strange is a visually captivating and entertaining installment that I’d place ahead of its similarly lesser-known Ant-Man predecessor.
Dr. Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) is a brilliant neurosurgeon with an ego to match his brains. When a car accident gives him nerve damage in his hands, he sets off to the Far East to find a solution after western medicine fails him. While in Nepal, he meets a group involved in mystic arts at a place called Kathmandu. This allows him to shift his focus and brilliance into studying under The Ancient One (a bald Tilda Swinton), the leader of the group. Strange learns quickly and is able to apply his photographic memory that once helped him retain information on the body, to retain information of various spells.
While there, Strange meets Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor) a master amongst the group, Wong (Benedict Wong) guardian of the library of spells, and eventually Kaecilius (Mads Mikkelsen) a disciple gone rogue to learn the darker arts. There is nothing too new here in terms of basic story and plot folks. Yet what is refreshing is the way in which we’re brought into this new side of the Marvel world. As Wong says “the Avengers save the world from physical dangers. We safeguard it against more mystical threats.” While this film does have a certain feel of Inception meets The Matrix, there is no set up as to how things work. We’re just thrown into it from the opening scene. And it’s awesome!
We go on the same trippy ride that Strange goes on as he learns about the mystical realms and multi-verse. The visual effects are stunning and director Scott Derrickson does a great job of keeping us aware of where things are happening in the frame without losing us due to them. Benedict Cumberbatch brings a swagger and arrogance to the role that rivals Tony Stark's, so I can’t wait to see the two of them (Robert Downey Jr.) in a scene together. This is a movie with tons of A-listers though, so the performances of Swinton, Ejiofor, Mikkelsen and Rachel McAdams as Christine Palmer (Strange’s work colleague and pseudo love interest) are all top notch.
This is a smooth installment in bringing in another Marvel character and revealing another side of the universe that is mind-bending. It keeps its light-hearted dialogue but well-rounded storytelling that we’ve come to expect. I’m looking forward to seeing Dr. Strange using his powers in a team up film. There’s no question that we’ll see that soon enough as you’ll find out in the film. Be sure to stick around to the end for 2 post-credit roll sequences. Due to the visuals, IMAX 3-D may be worth the upcharge if you’ve got a little extra in your pocket this weekend!
Rating: B
"Triple 9" Review
“Triple 9” is an adrenaline rush from start to ten minutes from the finish! That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It just means that this cop procedural, heist film with an all-star cast fell short of a homerun.
The film starts off at the beginning of a heist by a five man crew comprised of cops and former military: Michael Atwood (Chiwetel Ejiofor), Marcus Belmont (Anthony Mackie), Russell Welch (Norman Reedus), Gabe Welch (Aaron Paul), and Franco Rodriguez (Clifton Collins Jr.). By all means, it’s not a new way of kicking off a film, but the performances of the cast draw you in to their situation. As things take an unexpected turn, they have to adapt, showing their skills and technical precision.
We soon learn that Atwood has ties to the Russian mob in the form of his son’s mother Elena (Gal Gadot). Elena’s sister, Irina (Kate Winslet), runs the mob outfit while her husband is in prison. Irina has ice in her veins. She lures Atwood in for one more heist by hurting someone close to him and insinuating it could happen to his son. Atwood feels that the only way to pull off the heist is to create a 999, cop code for “officer down”, which will draw out all the cops in the city in response. Enter Chris Allen (Casey Affleck), Belmont’s new partner, and just the mark they need.
The film has a stellar cast, who truly do great work with the script they were provided. Director John Hillcoat immerses the viewer in the streets of Atlanta and creates a steady tension and sense of urgency throughout the film. The settings are gritty, the gang members don’t seem to be comprised of actors, and that realism makes the film that much more suspenseful.
“Triple 9” suffers from two big issues: the plot is overly complicated, and the film has no likeable characters except for Affleck’s Allen. It’s like watching three card monte; there are so many storylines to follow that if you check a text message in the midst of the film you may be confused as to what’s going on. Everyone is flawed and dirty accept Allen. Which makes it hard to root for any of the main characters.
It’s a shame that all the drama and tension leads up to an unsatisfying ending. It feels as though writer Matt Cook had to finish the film under deadline and decided to try to wrap things up quickly and cut off loose ends. But in a film where everyone’s dirty, a nicely tied ribbon on the end just doesn’t make sense or do the film and its cast justice.
Rating: C
"Secret in Their Eyes" Review
It’s hard acknowledging the appeal of murder mystery films. They tap into a dark, but ultimately curious side of their fans, and I admittedly will most likely always say yes to any crime related movie. Maybe it was a childhood fascination for the game Clue (and the film) or maybe it’s too many episodes of Law and Order, but there is something thrilling about watching the steps it takes to solve a crime. Secret in Their Eyes is the story of a heinous murder (cue Law and Order theme song), but it is not the murder mystery you might expect.
In 2002, post-911, counterterrorism was the name of the game — it was top priority. The film begins with a group of investigators tasked with fighting terrorism, and its domestic roots in Los Angeles. Their jobs and lives are forever changed when a call about a dead body, near a mosque under their surveillance, comes in. Their arrival to the scene is ordinary, but that quickly changes when one of the investigators realizes the body of the young woman in the dumpster belongs to Carolyn (Zoe Graham), the daughter of Jess (Julia Roberts), one of their team members.
Rather than focusing on evidence and clues, Secret in Their Eyes is a deeply personal look at the repercussions of the choices we do and do not make. Carolyn’s murder affected (and still affects) the whole team of investigators involved, and the film’s story revolves around each of the characters’ different attempts to either absolve themselves or simply get over the fact that the killer slipped through their fingers, despite their best efforts. The main crusader, Ray (Chiwetel Ejiofor), has spent the last 13 years working the crime after hours, obsessively combing databases for the killer’s current whereabouts. Then there is Claire (Nicole Kidman), a young lawyer when Carolyn was killed, who has worked her way to District Attorney while still haunted by the case. Even Jess seems to have pushed the dark days behind her, making her way to lead investigator. All of their best efforts to avoid the unsolved murder come to head when Ray announces that he has found the killer -- forcing everyone to dive back into the feelings they’ve run away from for over a decade. It’s an interesting approach for this kind of film, where one expects the majority of the time to be spent on street chases and DNA labs. Instead, the film is an ode to relationships and the mistakes we don’t realize we’ve made until it’s too late.
The downside to Secret in Their Eyes is it simply lacks the thrill of the expectations set by the trailer. For those looking for Kiss the Girls or The Bone Collector, this movie isn’t it. The pacing is slow and the crime is more of a backdrop, rather than a driving force. Julia Roberts delivers a notably visceral performance as a grieving mother — her ability to control even just minor movements in her body is both perplexing and commendable. Chiwetel Ejiofor gives a comfortable performance as a mission-driven man out to set things right. The duos acting chops would’ve been put to much better use within a more worthwhile story however. It’s not one worth spending money on folks, wait for the Netflix release.
Grade: C+
"Z For Zachariah" Review
When you’re out on the lake fishing, you have to be patient sometimes, but the wait is worth it when you catch one. “Z for Zachariah” is the type of slow burn thriller that slowly gets you invested in its characters and hooks you in without realizing it. With a stellar cast, and breath stopping tension, it’s certainly a film to see!
After an unknown disaster wipes out most of civilization, Anne Burden (Margot Robbie) survives on her father’s farm, an unaffected sliver of the world. She hunts, works the land and stays busy with her dog. As far as she knows she’s the only person alive, until a man named Loomis (Chiwetel Ejiofor) comes along in a laboratory made, radiation safety suit.
After mistakenly bathing in polluted water, Anne nurses Loomis back to health. It’s just the kind of kind act that can create a spark of romance in a world left to two people. Loomis is an intelligent man. He helps the pure hearted and deeply religious Anne around the house by doing things like getting her plow running. Just as their connection starts to grow into love, a mysterious wanderer named Caleb (Chris Pine) comes upon the farm.
As a love triangle starts to take shape, a competition between Loomis and Caleb does as well. The linchpin of the film is superb performances from its cast and pace. Director Craig Zobel is no stranger to unnerving tension. His 2012 film “Compliance” certainly was filled with it, and with “Z” he’s honed it. Zobel knows how to let a scene breathe and not only direct his cast, but his audience’s thoughts and emotions as well in what he chooses to show.
Robbie, Ejiofor and Pine bring three uniquely different and fleshed out characters to the film. It’s never about what they’re saying so much as what they’re thinking or omitting from their conversations together that really pulls you in. You’re left without a doubt that Margot Robbie is more than the beautiful face that recent blockbusters have sold her as. In this role, she looses the makeup and gives an excellent performance as a woman stuck between the world before disaster and after, and eventually the two men. Ejiofor brings his usual polarizing presence to the flawed Loomis. Pine has just the right amount of boy next door charm, sprinkled with just beneath the surface darkness that makes his character a worthy wrench in what appears to be a happily ever after between Anne and Loomis.
“Z For Zachariah” shows what you can do with a talented storyteller in the director’s chair, and an equally talented cast. It’s a good reminder that sometimes a simple, minimalist approach can entertain more than crowded, action sequences and explosions! The fact that only three characters make the story, should be an instant grab for any indie filmmaker. Yet, the film’s ability to entertain on various levels of complexity and evoke near tangible suspense, makes it one to see for anyone!
Rating: A