Movie Review: Lego Batman

This week I’ll be reviewing Warner Bros’ follow-up to 2014’s hugely successful Lego Movie: the Lego Batman Movie. Set in the same universe made entirely of plastic bricks, the film follows its titular character, originally introduced in the first movie, as he embarks on an emotionally fulfilling journey of his own. Much like its predecessor the Lego Batman Movie is a whip-smart parody, brimming with tongue-in-cheek references to pop culture, clever fourth wall breaks, and a simple but emotionally resonant message that viewers of all ages will find satisfying.

Plus lobster thermidor. So much lobster thermidor.

The film opens in true comic book fashion, with our hero’s internal monologue setting the scene. Lego Gotham is under attack from the Joker, who has gathered a who’s-who of Batman villains - both familiar and impressively obscure - to bomb the city. The Caped Crusader appears on the scene and manages to single-handedly defeat every bad guy and briefly capture the Joker, only to realize that he still has to diffuse the bomb that would destroy the city. Joker mocks him for having no one to help him save the city, but Batman stubbornly asserts that he doesn’t need anybody, releasing Joker and stopping the bomb on his own.

Joker took it well.

After receiving the city’s thanks and flying home, however, it’s clear that the Joker had a point. Aside from Alfred, Batman lives alone in his hilltop mansion, microwaving lobster thermidor and watching sappy romantic comedies in his massive home theater. Alfred himself has noticed this and encourages his master to let someone into his life for a change, but his pleas fall on deaf pointy bat-ears. The Caped Crusader’s life is turned upside down nonetheless when he attends Commissioner Gordon’s retirement party as Bruce Wayne. He unknowingly adopts orphan Dick Grayson, distracted by the arrival of Gordon’s replacement - his daughter Barbara. To complicate matters further, Barbara introduces an initiative encouraging Batman to work with the police, and Joker shows up to...surrender, helpfully delivering all the city’s other villains as well. Suddenly, Batman has a young charge, no support from the people of Gotham, and no crime to fight.

Certain that his not-archenemy is up to something, the Dark Knight springs into action, ignoring Barbara’s requests to work together and dragging along his adopted son in a harebrained scheme to banish Joker to another dimension of criminals. I won’t spoil the plan here, but suffice to say it involves a trip to Superman’s Fortress of Solitude and a hilariously depressing cameo by the Justice League. When his strategy backfires, Batman finds himself in such pinch that even he will need a little help getting out of it. Clocking in at just over 100 minutes, the film never drags or feels boring. Much like its predecessor, there’s no shortage of silly jokes and product placement, but thanks to a heartfelt message of dealing with loss and opening up to other people, it never comes off as a cynical cash grab. If all movies based on popular children’s toy properties were this fun, I’d never leave the theater again.

Movie Review: Imperial Dreams

This week I’ll be reviewing the Netflix Original film Imperial Dreams. Starring John Boyega, the story follows an ex-con turned aspiring writer who attempts to secure a better life for his son after being released from prison. Ghosts from his past and bureaucratic obstacles in his present conspire against him as he tries to break out of an endless cycle of poverty and violence in LA’s notorious Watts projects. Although it initially debuted to strong reviews at Sundance in 2014, the film is just now receiving a wide release on Netflix. The three year delay does nothing to diminish the film’s emotional power or its social relevance. In under 90 minutes, Imperial Dreams manages to touch on income inequality, police harassment and recidivism, all filtered through the lens of a father’s love for his son.

In its opening moments, we are introduced to Bambi Jones, a 21-year-old ex-con returning to his old stomping grounds after being granted parole. As he shuffles along the sidewalk, belongings in a bag, retrieves his keys from the bumper of his beat-up sedan, and reunites with a son who was barely an infant when he left, Bambi’s internal monologue narrates, reading from the pages of his journal. “You can’t splash back into the hood...you have to slide back in.” Bambi’s efforts not to make waves are short-lived, however, as he finds himself surrounded by people and situations that tempt him to return to the life of violence he once knew. There’s the amoral figure of Uncle Shrimp, a drug dealing slum lord and the only father figure Bambi’s ever known, who offers to let Bambi and his son stay in his house, but expects his former protege to contribute to his operation. Detectives Gill and Hernandez, the cops who landed Bambi in prison and are more than willing to send him back if he doesn’t stay out of trouble. Wayne, Bambi’s half-brother who has landed a partial scholarship to Howard, but still needs some funds to make up the difference and is increasingly drawn to Shrimps’ line of work. Not to mention the catch-22 of needing a license to get a job but also needing money to pay for said license, and a million similar pitfalls that the system sends his way. Through it all, Bambi must try to hold onto his dream of making it as a writer and providing a safe environment for his son.

This movie is no cake walk.

Boyega is electric as Bambi. Although he is still a year or so removed from his introduction to wider audiences in a galaxy far, far away, his talent and charisma already shine through in every scene. You feel his tenderness when he cradles his son to his chest, his delight when he is able to provide for him, and his rage when their chaotic surroundings threaten to tear them apart. Matching him scene for scene is Glen Plummer as Uncle Shrimp. Unlike Bambi, Shrimp is more than comfortable with his lot in life, and openly contemptuous of his surrogate son’s attempts to leave. He is toxic relationships personified, just as likely to shoot you as hug you. The rest of the ensemble turns in solid performances as well, including a turn from Anika Noni Rose as a no-nonsense social worker and an appearance by Kellita Smith as Bambi’s alcoholic mother Tanya that will be extremely jarring for anyone who remembers her from The Bernie Mac Show. During your short time with them, it’s almost impossible not to feel for these characters and become invested in their well-being. From its quiet beginning to its heartbreaking but hopeful conclusion, Imperial Dreams is a deeply affecting and emotionally rewarding journey. You can catch Imperial Dreams streaming on Netflix.

Movie Review: iBoy

This week I’ll be reviewing a Netflix Original movie about a boy who finds himself gaining special abilities after an accident. Based on the novel by Kevin Brooks, iBoy follows the exploits of Tom, a mild-mannered high schooler who gains control over electronics after a bullet lodges fragments of a cell phone in his brain. The movie embraces its identity as a lighter science fiction and runs with it, finding flashy (if not a tad bit unbelievable) ways to show off Tom using his powers. iBoy is somewhere between a serviceable superhero origin story and a gritty British crime thriller, mixing elements of both genres with varying success. The story follows a fairly predictable course, but the creative visuals and slick presentation should keep audiences from getting bored during its 90-minute runtime.

The film opens by introducing us to Tom Harvey, a teenager living in the projects of East London. Tom’s life is simple. He lives with his grandmother who writes bargain bin romance novels, hangs out with his morally flexible friend, a dropout-turned-street hustler named Danny, and pines after his classmate and neighbor, Lucy. Tom’s simple life comes to an end, however, when he stops by Lucy’s flat for a study date and walks in on a home invasion. The masked intruders pursue Tom out the door, shooting him in the head as he frantically calls for help on his cell phone.

Instead of dying, Tom wakes up in hospital 10 days later. The doctor informs him that he is fine, save for a few fragments of the phone that are still buried in his cranium. It’s not long before Tom notices his world is a lot noisier than before. He can hear people’s phone calls when he’s standing nowhere near them, surf the internet without a computer, even overload electronics, causing them to short out and shower their surroundings in sparks. After getting a grip on his newfound powers, Tom sets out to identify Lucy’s attackers and seek revenge. He adopts the pseudonym iBoy and gets to work ridding his neighborhood of crime. However, Tom’s crusade to run off the local thugs begins to attract the attention of bigger fish.

"Must...not...fap..."

Up-and-comer Bill Milner does a solid job as Tom, playing the wonder at his new powers and the righteous anger at criminals with a contained energy. Even more impressive is how he keeps up playing opposite heavy hitters like Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams as Lucy and Rory Kinnear. Likewise, relative newcomer director Adam Randall makes the most of what must have been a modest budget to showcase Tom using his powers to hunt down ne’er-do-wells. With such talented people in the mix, it’s a shame that the story itself doesn’t do more. Writer Joe Barton’s script would be a straight line if you mapped it out. Boy gains powers, boy hunts down criminals, criminals farther up the pecking order take notice, rinse and repeat. And the final confrontation between Tom and Rory Kinnear’s crime boss is downright baffling. I’m not sure which character makes the sillier choice, but neither of them ends the confrontation as quickly or efficiently as they could have. iBoy certainly won’t break any new ground, but if you can’t get enough of light sci-fi and have an afternoon to kill, it makes for an entertaining enough watch. Just be sure to turn off your phones beforehand.

Sing Street is 80s Nostalgia at its Best

This week I’ll be reviewing Sing Street, a coming of age comedy-drama about a boy, a girl, and a band. Set in 1985 Dublin, Sing Street introduces us to troubled teen Conor Lawlor. His parents, Robert and Penny, are spending more time fighting each other than paying attention to him. His older brother Brendan is a college dropout who rarely emerges from his room, and his sister Ann ridicules him for wanting to make music. After financial trouble forces his family to put him in a cheaper school, Conor’s life away from home doesn’t fare much better. He finds himself suddenly dropped into Synge Street Christian Boys school, a Catholic all-boys waking nightmare where he is bullied by faculty and fellow students alike. A brief reprieve comes in the form of Ruphina, a mysterious girl who stands on the front steps of the building across from the school every day.

Conor plucks up the courage to approach her and, with some convincing, gets her to agree to appear as a model in a music video for his band. There’s only one problem: Conor doesn’t have a band...yet. Classmate and aspiring entrepreneur Darren agrees to manage Conor and introduces him to multi-instrumentalist and songwriting partner Eamon. An ad on the school bulletin board soon produces a bassist, a drummer, and a black keyboardist to the outfit. After some starts and stops, the ragtag group is graduating from covers of popular 80s bands to original material, with Ruphina serving as Conor’s muse.

Writer-director John Carney folds a lot of big ideas into his tiny story of teenage romance and pursuing one’s dreams, each scene bursting with hilarity, angst, and a whole lot of heart. The film works on multiple levels - as a rallying point for misfits in search of community, as an achingly honest coming-of-age story about the unfairness of being a young adult, and even as a celebration of 80s punk and New Wave sound. But most importantly, it’s just a whole lot of fun to watch. It’s rare to see a film where every member of the ensemble delivers a solid if not star-making performance. There’s plenty to choose from, but top honors have to go to Ferdia Walsh-Peelo as Conor and especially Jack Reynor as his caustic-but-affectionate older brother Brendan. Nevertheless, I’m sure all of the newcomers will be appearing in new projects soon enough. If you are one of the many people who may have missed out on it when it was released last year, please do yourself a favor and track it down on Netflix, pronto. A heaping helping of bittersweet nostalgia is waiting for you.

The Wolverine Is More *Snore* Than *Snikt!*

Quick, name a list of the greatest X-Men. Who did you come up with? Beast, everyone's favorite blue, furry academic? Gambit, the ragin' Cajun with a penchant for sticky fingers and making things explode? Perhaps even Dazzler for some of you more flamboyant types? Whatever your choice, there is at least one name that should be on the lists of all people who consider themselves true X-Men fans. Here's a hint: he's short, he's Canadian, and he's the best there is at what he does (but what he does isn't very nice). I'm talking, of course, about Wolverine.

Pictured

He is one of Marvel's most ubiquitous faces (right up there with the Hulk and Spider-Man), appearing in almost every form of Marvel media, X-Men or otherwise, in existence since his 1974 introduction. He has long walked the halls of Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, as both student and instructor. And although he is a loner, he has turned up on an awful lot of Marvel's other flagship teams, including Alpha Flight, X-Force, and the Avengers. He's even been carrying his own solo title since 1988, which is not something any other X-Man can say (even Cable needed Deadpool). It made sense, then, that in the wake of their X-Men film trilogy Marvel would give everyone's favorite hard-drinking, murderous Canuck his own movie spin-off; after all, how bad could it be?

Never Forget. Ever.

In the wake of 20th Century Fox's cinematic abortion, their follow-up effort, The Wolverine, didn't have to do much to earn a stamp of approval. In fact, it seemed primed to delight.

In addition to featuring my favorite X-Man, it would be taking place in my favorite foreign country: Japan. The exotic setting was inspired by one of the character's most unique arcs, penned by comic book greats Chris Claremont and Frank Miller. Director James Mangold had drawn previous critical acclaim for writing and directing the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line, so depicting Logan's tortured soul should have been familiar territory. It couldn't possibly go wrong! Right?

Well, yes and no. At its best, The Wolverine is a dark, serious, character-driven work that follows a broken man on a journey of healing and self-discovery. At its worst, the sense of gravitas gets lost in ridiculous action sequences, boring, motive-less villains, and over-the-top CGI. The film can't decide which it wants to be, moody character piece or wacky actioner, and ends up slipping through the gaps instead.

And that dance number was completely unnecessary.

The Wolverine picks up after the events of X-Men: the Last Stand, when Logan was forced to kill a Dark Phoenix-possessed Jean Grey. Devastated by the death of the woman he loved, Logan has renounced the name of Wolverine and retreated into the Alaskan wilderness. Having settled at the summit of a nice, lonely mountain overlooking a small town, he passes his days in wary peace with his neighbor: a grizzly bear; he passes his nights in fitful bouts of sleep punctuated by nightmare visions of his murdered love.

After a violent confrontation with a few hunters at the small town bar, Logan is introduced to Yukio, an emissary of one of his old acquaintances from WWII. Yashida, a soldier whose life Logan saved during the bombing of Nagasaki, is now dying, and he wishes to see Logan and express his gratitude before passing. He offers the world-weary wanderer one last gift: to make Logan mortal once again, by taking his healing factor and transferring it to Yashida himself. Unfortunately, Yashida dies before Logan can call his bluff, and his funeral gets crashed by an army of yakuza. Around the same time, Logan's healing factor begins acting wonky, and he finds himself on the run with Yashida's daughter Mariko. It soon becomes apparent that more than one person is after both Logan and Mariko, and he makes it his mission to find out who and why.

All while removing his shirt as much as possible.

As previously mentioned, the film shines when it focuses on the character of Logan and his journey to forgive himself for Jean's death. This is largely due to the presence of Huge Jacked-Abs (aka Hugh Jackman), who shows off the experience that comes from playing Marvel's most popular mutant for over a decade. At this point the role fits him like a glove. He is to Wolverine what Sean Connery is to James Bond.

Hat tip: cracked.com

You really get a sense of Logan's endless grief over Jean's death, as he is repeatedly confronted with her image (played in a cameo role by Famke Janssen). But even at his most downtrodden, he is still Wolverine at heart. There are plenty of scenes, lines and moments that capture Wolverine's trademark bad boy vibe which launched a thousand copycat anti-heroes in the 80's. Whether he's slicing and dicing yakuza, throwing a man out of a window, or simply taking a bath, Hugh Jackman is completely believable as Wolverine.

In Huge Jacked-Abs We Trust

Unfortunately, that's where the praiseworthy aspects of the movie come to an end. In between the pretty moments of somber soul-searching are scattered several clunky, emotionally empty fight scenes that contribute little to the narrative. Even the much-touted bullet train fight sequence feels like a tacked-on gimmick that adds nothing to the story overall. The villain, a mutant named Viper, also feels underdeveloped. There is never much of a reason given as to why she has it out for Logan, and Svetlana Khodchenkova delivers her lines with an unintentionally hilarious wooden awkwardness. Another big bad is revealed in a third act plot twist so stupid it boggles the mind why they didn't stick closer to the plot in Claremont's source material.

It's Wolverine. Versus ninjas. How do you mess that up?!

I really wanted to give The Wolverine the rave review that a movie based on such an iconic character deserves, but instead I must settle for an "it could have been worse." Jackman turns in yet another inspired performance as comics' most famous fictional Canadian, but not even his adamantium claws can sharpen up this weak sauce plot and underwhelming CGI. The Wolverine has its moments, but not enough to warrant today's ticket prices.

Verdict: C-Rank

P.S. Stay after the credits for a special scene hinting at mutantkind's next film: the upcoming X-Men Days of Future Past. It turns out Magneto's powers have returned, Professor X is somehow back from the dead and there are several adverts for Trask Industries (i.e. the people behind the iconic Sentinels) are everywhere.

"Where is My Goddamn Shoe?" Pacific Rim is a Wild, Satisfying Ride

As you may have guessed, I, like most of those who appreciate anime and science fiction, am familiar with giant robots. Anime's very foundation is built on the likes of Astro Boy and Gigantor, and Adult Swim fostered my own appreciation for the likes of Big O and Evangelion. I've read a BattleTech novel or two. And I enjoy the musical stylings of MC Frontalot from time to time. So when Legendary Pictures released this trailer a few months ago:

I rejoiced...or had heart palpitations, I'm not sure (whatever happened it ended with me foaming on the floor). I had avidly followed the development of the project from initial pitch to post-production. The inclusion of the visionary Guillermo del Toro and his glowing track record did much to put me further at ease.  And yet my inner pessimist had convinced me to take it all with a grain of salt. I'd been burned by hype before, and no amount of flowery language was going to sway my heart without seeing it in action. And then two and a half minutes of video took away all worries, reservations and concerns; whether it was a visual triumph or a dud, I was all-in.

So now comes the (200) million-dollar question: does Pacific Rim deliver? Well, it depends on what you're looking for. If you came to see huge metal contraptions the size of skyscrapers punch it out with gargantuan reptilian beasts who come by land, air and sea, then Pacific Rim is sure to delight. If you were looking for a giant robot film that contemplates the complex moral nature of man and raises questions about what it really means to be a hero, then you're a glum individual who should dive back into those philosophy textbooks before attempting to over-analyze Evangelion again.

Pic unrelated.

The story of Pacific Rim is straightforward enough. For those who didn't click on the trailer above, the story takes place 12 years into the war with kaiju, mysterious creatures who emerge from an interdimensional rift in the the Pacific seabed. The common threat forces the nations of the world to put aside their differences and pool their resources to construct giant robots, called jaegers, to combat the beasts. The reluctant hero, Raleigh Becket, is a washed-up jaeger pilot who watched as the kaiju eventually turned the tides against mankind, losing his brother Yancy in the process. As the jaeger program suffers increased losses, the world governments lose faith, pull funding and begin building questionably effective coastal walls. All of this, which could easily have been a movie in itself, is summed up before the first title card. The narrative picks up here, as veteran jaeger commander Stacker Pentecost calls Becket out of retirement to mount one last desperate offensive and close the rift for good.

First the good: everything about the movie, the robots, the monsters, the musical score, the action (oh god, the action), looks and feels big. A film of this scale has rarely been attempted, and the ease with which del Toro executes these truly massive sequences is enough to fool anyone into thinking he's done nothing but make giant robot movies for his entire career. The jaegers really do come to life under his masterful eye, each with its own personality formed by unique weapons and abilities. The first time you see the three-armed Crimson Typhoon fight is a wonder to behold. And as impressive as the jaegers are, the kaiju are equally worthy of praise. Categorized by threat level, like hurricanes, the kaiju inspire a true sense of danger whenever they're on screen, and it is made abundantly clear that jaegers are the only thing capable of stopping the considerable havoc they wreak. This really is a movie that's meant to be seen on a big screen.

Paper beats Rock, huh? We'll see about that...

The bad is mostly a matter of opinion. Many of the negative reviews I read criticize the plot for its simplicity and dismiss the main players as one-dimensional stock characters. They are absolutely right. The story and the characters involved in it only work if they are straightforward and earnest. It's hard to be tortured and conflicted when literally everyone on the planet will die if you don't do your job. What more motivation do you need? That can-do attitude was exactly what del Toro wanted to portray. He, among others, is getting tired of these darker, edgier "heroes."

Pacific Rim is not entirely devoid of character, either. Raleigh and his co-pilot Mako are pretty cut-and-dry, but the supporting cast are able to inject some color into the proceedings. Idris Elba owns every scene he's in as Stacker Pentecost, a picture of undying will. Burn Gorman's Dr. Hermann Gottlieb is an annoyingly-written cane-walking caricature of a scientist - strait-laced, physically infirm and haughtily dismissive of his rival - but his fellow kaiju researcher Newt Geiszler, played amicably by Charlie Day, might just be my spirit animal (smart, tattooed, thinks of himself as a rock star? yes, please). And I'd die happy if I could achieve a tenth of the swag Hannibal Chau (portrayed with scene-stealing aplomb by Ron Perlman) has on display.

Seriously, what the fuck is that suit? The threads are spun from baby angel hair.

At the end of the day, Pacific Rim may not be a perfect film, but it does make for a perfect spectacle. The true characters of the movie, the jaegers and kaiju, are truly a technical achievement that will live on in the annals of pop culture history. Del Toro has given birth to a monster, and it is a big, fierce and beautiful reminder of why we go to the movies.

Verdict: SSS-Rank