Snowpiercer (2014)

Korean director Bong Joon-ho directs an English language science fiction film based on the French graphic novelLe Transperceneige. And the result is a brilliant, dark, a sardonic film for an international market. I loved this film. It takes place in the future after a new ice age pretty much wipes out the planet. The only survivors that we know of live on a super train that speeds around the globe nonstop at high speeds. Our hero, played by Chris Evans, lives with the poor in horrid conditions and must band together to fight their way up the train in a revolt against Wilford, the mysterious Engineer of the train. Tilda Swinton hams up the screen as the second in command, a tyrannical dictator who keeps the poor in check. I don’t want to ruin any surprises so all I will say is just watch it. It’s a cinematic gem with fantastic themes about those who have none and those who have a lot. It’s funny, it’s exciting, it’s visually poetic and it’s morbidly satisfying. Grade: A-

The Dragon Reborn by Robert Jordan (Novel) [Revisited]

Ironically Rand, who is the Dragon Reborn, isn’t a primary character in this book. Sure he’s very much a centerpiece of the story with Perrin and Moiranie chasing after him toward the Stone of Tear and Eqwana, Nynaeve and Elayne trying to protect him from the Black Ajah. But I found this book to be where Mat becomes his own hero. Mat is taken to the White Tower for healing and finds himself gifted with luck and on a quest to deliver a letter from Elayne to her mother Queen Morgase in Camlyn. It’s also fun to see Aes Sedi in training with Eqwana, Nynaeve and Elayne becoming friends before getting assigned a secret and dangerous mission from the Amyrlin Seat herself. This is such a satisfying book. Mr. Jordan really keeps upping the ante that you’d think he’d at some point fail to improve upon what he’s doing so well here, and that’s create a memorable and rewarding epic. This one also has the start of the book’s best love story with the introduction of Zarine Bashere (Faile). Another wonderful achievement in long form storytelling that just makes you want to keep on reading, no matter the size of the next book. Grade: A

The Americans (Season 1)

The premise of the show alone entertains. Two Russian spies live as an American couple during the ‘80s Cold War. Not even their kids know their true vocation. This might be the most complex love story on TV for even though they’re married they consider themselves coworkers more than lovers. Yet the sexual tension is very much present and as the FBI tries to find them, they do what spies do and that’s deceive, collect information and kill. Something tells me this show is only going to get better. Is this the show that’s going to take over for Breaking Bad? Only time will tell. Grade: A-

No Hellboy 3

I read some sad news today. Guillermo del Toro stated that he doesn’t believe a third Hellboy film will happen. I still hold out some hope, because anything is possible, but if true this would be one of the most disappointing things I’ve heard in movie land. I love the Hellboy films and with the way the second one ended it felt like a great epic ending was foretold. Now we’ll just have to use our imaginations. It irritates me to no end that del Toro doesn’t have the creative freedom to make the kind of films he wants to. I know making films is a business and his "works of art" aren’t bringing in lots of money but for me he should be allowed to finish this Hellboy trilogy. He should be allowed to make At the Mountain of Madness. I won’t state he’s a genius (for that term is overused a lot) I do consider him one of the most creative forces in the industry. And we need people like him to give our cinematic landscape bursts of inspiration. While it’s unlikely a conclusion to the Hellboy cinematic world will be delivered to us, I know Ron Pearlman wants to do it. Maybe, maybe if del Toro had a big hit (Pacific Rim 2?) the Hollywood moneymen will change their minds. Maybe. I will be crossing my fingers, always.

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

Based on the book All You Need Is Kill by Yoshitoshi Abe (which is a much better title by the way Warner Bros.) this might go down as the best film of the summer. Tom Cruise plays a major in the military charged with public relations during an alien invasion. Proving to be a coward unwilling to follow his orders and cover the front lines, he is shoved into an infantry squad about to storm a beach D-day style to assault the alien monsters. Without any training this is pretty much a suicide mission. Yet in the attack and ensuing death he discovers he’s stuck in a time loop repeating the same day very much like living a video game returning to the same moment when killed. [Funny how any story that has a time loop is now referred to as being like the great Bill Murray comedy Groundhog Day even though it wasn’t the only story to use the technique.] Now with the help of Sergeant Rita, a woman who knows what he’s going through, he must find a way to defeat the aliens even if it means being killed over and over again. What one might not realize from this film’s misguided ad campaign is how funny it is. It’s not some dark action movie but an entertaining alien busting romp with a solid love story entwined. Emily Blunt who plays Rita is the highlight of the film (not that Tom Cruise is bad he’s great actually). Her character is tough and complex and delivered with an intense vulnerability. It pains me that no one is seeing this film and that it might go down as being a box office bomb. It’s an excellent film deserving a bigger audience. I predict that years from now this will be considered a classic of science fiction action. Grade: A

Michael Bay (Commentary)

Who is the worst film director in Hollywood? For me it’s this guy. The reason he’s the worst for me is because he should be one of the elite directors in Hollywood, he has the talent to be making Oscar nominated films. His gifts for visual action and composition are beautiful, most of the time. Yet all of that talent is wasted on rushed, badly written scripts meant to generate big bucks by attracting 14 year olds to the theater. He’s certainly successful at what he does. There’s no debate there. But none of what he makes will stand the test of time. No one will be watching his films fifty years from now, unless it’s to laugh at what audiences found entertaining back in the 2000s. For me this is sad. For a guy with that much clout, he could hire the best of the best in screenwriting and be making classics. Yet I don’t think he’s interested in that. He just wants to blow things up, degrade women, celebrate offensive and unwitty buffoonery and make as much money as possible. I guess he’ll go to his grave with a big smile and a pocket full of coin but how does that benefit society? What is he going to leave for future generations? Maybe he’ll grow up someday. Maybe he’ll want to prove all this critics wrong and make a great film someday (I’m hoping he does, I really do). But until then he’s the worse director out there. Now for all his fans out there, it’s time to clobber me. I’ll admit that the last film of his I saw was Transformers. I tried to watch the second one but gave up after ten minutes. I haven’t seen Transformers 3 or Pain & Gain and I will not be seeing the next Transformers mess (the trailer of which inspired me to write this blog). How is it I can measure a man without seeing all of his work? I answer that by looking at the reviews he receives which are mostly bad to awful. I also have seen many of his previous other films (though I wish I hadn’t). Bad Boys was mildly entertaining but I saw it when I was a teenager so of course I was going to enjoy it somewhat, I was his target audience. The Rock is his best film. I’ll give him that as a success. Armageddon starts off well but ends into a dreadful melodramatic disaster, The Island starts off pretty good but quickly turns into a mediocre offering. Pearl Harbor was offensively bad and for an historical event that deserved so much more. I haven’t seen Bad Boys II (because I didn’t want to see a sequel to an average action film). Then there are the trailers for his films. Transformers 4: Age of Extinction for example looks like a face plant into visual effect manure. Why are these robots defending us still? If I’m in the mood for a headache I’ll go see it. Ultimately I am begging Mr. Bay to make a movie for everyone. Make a film that empowers teenage girls instead of making them feel they have to be second fiddle to the opposite gender. Make a movie that inspires humanity and stands the test of time. It’ll make you feel pretty good, Mr. Bay. And guess what; you’ll actually make even more money.