Over the last few years I’ve had a bit of a messy relationship with director Christopher Nolan. I in general enjoyed his films without feeling the reverential devotion most of his fans seem to feel. Then he came out with Tenet and I was completely turned off by the entire film. Aside from the impressive visuals I couldn’t stand the pretentiousness of the character and story choices and the blaring score and unintelligible dialogue made for one of the most unpleasant movie experiences I’ve ever had. The ego that it took to put that basically arthouse piece in theaters at that point in the pandemic really offended me and lowered my estimation for the director quite a bit.

All that said I go into every film with a fresh set of eyes and so I went into his new film Oppenheimer hopeful he would win me back into the fold and after seeing it I’d say I’m partly there. It’s a mixed bag but I do recommend the film and fortunately the 35mm cut I saw had understandable sound design and a score that for the most part didn’t dominate the dialogue. That said, the film is mostly effective as a historical teaching device more than it is a moving, emotional character study. It’s impressive but not something I will ever be drawn to watch again or feel connected with on a deeper level. It felt like a clinical exercise and in the end left me cold and unaffected.

Like I said, the strengths of the film are the impressive attention to detail movie making capturing the 1930s setting and Los Alamos. Also the detonation scene was very well done and I kind of wish the movie had stopped there because the next 45 minutes felt repetitive and full of expository moralizing. Especially when you have such a simple concept of a right and wrong for atomic weapons scores of witnesses and dialogue begin to try our patience as viewers.

What’s interesting about Oppenheimer is I wasn’t ever bored, which is saying something for a 180 minute movie. It was interesting to see what was going to happen and to learn about these events of history. I felt the same way about Nolan’s Dunkirk, but I think that movie moved me more emotionally with the simpler linear narrative and community spirit. Plus Dunkirk was a lot shorter at only 106 minutes.

A big miss for me in the film was the female characters especially Florence Pugh’s Jean Tatlock who I have learned since watching was not portrayed accurately but even Emily Blunt’s character Kitty Oppenheimer exists only to provide motivation for Oppenheimer. Literally it is implied if he doesn’t value and love them they have no reason to live. The nudity was also unnecessary and frankly given the time and context made the female characters look silly.

Most of the other cast is good, but I didn’t see a lot that wowed me including Cillian Murphy as Oppenheimer and Robert Downey Jr as Lewis Strauss (the Strauss side of the story was less compelling and I did not care for the non-linear format inserting his scenes in black and white into the Oppenheimer story. It broke up momentum for the more interesting Los Alamos storyline.)

Still, I would recommend Oppenheimer. It’s impressive a studio would spend $100 million on such a methodical, serious historical epic that many mainstream filmgoers might have trouble connecting with. I left the theater feeling like I’d learned something and it was awe inspiring to watch but Nolan did not develop his characters or story in a way that moved me or left me with much other than a clinical exercise in historical moviemaking. Take that for what you will.

7 out of 10

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Anyone who reads my reviews regularly knows I’m usually all about story. Is the narrative gripping? Am I invested in the characters? These are questions I demand answers to in most films. Recently I wrote a whole piece about how Pixar is making movies based on concept pitches more than narratives or stories and how that was a problem.

Well, there are exceptions to every rule and Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part 1 is such an exception. I am not now nor have I ever been invested in the story or characters of this franchise or this film, but the set pieces are so thrilling and achieved with such flair that I am entertained.

In a certain respect it’s more like watching a reality show than a movie. I can practically hear the announcer saying ‘This week on ‘Will Tom Cruise Die? he jumps off a cliff while riding a motorcycle.” This shouldn’t be enough to satisfy me, but I’ve seen the film twice and left with my jaw on the floor both times. They are just that good.

They do try to sprinkle in mumbo-jumbo about AI, magic keys and “the entity” but I could care less. Some of my friends who are actually invested in this universe were a little disappointed in what happens to the characters, particularly a fan-favorite I won’t spoil, but I barely remember what happens from movie-to-movie in this franchise let alone be invested in current characters. Last year’s Top Gun Maverick was way more impactful character and plot-wise than any of the Mission Impossible movies including this one.

I did enjoy the overall team spirit to the action Dead Reckoning Part 1 had that some of the other MI films haven’t had. This one was more than just the Tom Cruise show. A friend of mine felt it was a little cult-like in the call for unity and loyalty to the group, and I suppose that’s fair, but creating a sense of family goes along with the territory for this type of action film these days (I probably would have been less generous to Fast X if I had seen this film first. They even both have similar chases in Italy. This film being the far superior of the two with perhaps one of the best car chases I’ve ever seen on film.)

There are definitely times in this film where the exposition becomes too much, and I become anxious for the next stunt and then they give it to us and I’m happy. I suppose everyone is allowed to have a stupid movie that they like, and Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part 1 is mine for this summer. It’s dopey but thrilling, and I recommend seeing it on the biggest screen possible while you still have the chance.

7 out of 10

Smile worthy

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Hey everyone! I hope you are doing well. I have a few films to catch you up on. You will have to let me know if you’ve seen these films and what you think of them.

Sound of Freedom

There aren’t that many movies that premiere in Utah but the new film from Angel Studios, Sound of Freedom, did and I had a great time going to the premiere last week.

Fun as it was to walk the red carpet that experience of course wouldn’t impact my view of the film so what did I think? It’s definitely a tough watch and I have my reservations but overall I found it well made and a gripping story.

Now we should always watch these ‘based on a true story’ films with a grain of salt and this is no exception. It paints Operation Underground founder Tim Ballard with a near-superhero brush and it would have been nice to become invested in a more flawed protagonist. It’s like it was written by Ballard and he didn’t want the tiniest doubt of his dedication and machismo to be expressed.

That said, Sound of Freedom is extremely well made and you can feel the money that went into every frame. The acting is also excellent from the whole cast including Jim Caviezel as Ballard. It is a tough watch at times delving into human trafficking, pedophilia and child sex work. I do not know how they got away with a PG-13 rating on this one but I was definitely disgusted and repulsed which made the heroics a bit more palatable even if they leaned too much into propaganda territory for my comfort level. Still, Sound of Freedom will inspire you to take action and do some good yourself like Ballard has tried to do even if it is on a smaller scale in your own community.

6 out of 10

Smile Worthy

Simulant

A lot of times I feel like sci-fi films become too much style over substance. They get so caught up in the world building and real world allegories that they forget to tell a compelling story. This is why I enjoyed director April Mullen’s tight little thriller Simulant. In this refreshingly 90 minute film she takes us into a world where we can have androids made with the memories of our past loved ones. In fact, FAYE (Jordana Brewster) has done just that with her husband EVAN (Robbie Amell). This obviously does not solve her grief and things get more complicated as a programmer named Casey (Simu Liu) becomes involved and an investigator played by Sam Worthington.

There are elements of Simulant where you can feel the small budget in the cinematography and action but the overall story is tightly told with a compelling message about love and grief. It’s not a masterpiece by any means but I think worth 90 minutes of your time.

6 out of 10

Smile Worthy

Nimona

I must admit I first saw Nimona way back during a press screening this April, so I have been sitting on my thoughts for nearly 4 months. And now after the nearly completely positive reviews online I watched it again to make sure I agreed with my initial response and I did. I’m sorry folks but I found Nimona to be bit of a slog. I’m happy for all involved that it got made but I wish they had given our lead character a more interesting story.

I am also willing to admit that high fantasy is almost never for me, so I’ve struggled with whether I should even write this review. However, on the off chance that others reading were underwhelmed by it perhaps its worth putting my opinion out there…

Nimona is a shapeshifter in this world of knights and heroes.  One day she meets a man named Ballister who has gone into hiding after being framed for murdering the Queen Valerin. The two then go on a mission to clear Ballister’s name and get revenge on the duplicitous Director.

Much has been made about the representation in Nimona and I’d agree that is a refreshing aspect. It’s nice to have fully fleshed out queer relationships and not just the token representation we’ve gotten in other animated films like Strange World. I just wish I found the story more compelling. It’s as basic a high fantasy revenge saga as it gets. However, at least it is only 90 minutes (which like with sci-fi in Simulant, most fantasy epics feel so stretched out these days.) The animation is also impressive with the beautiful hybrid style I love so much.

5 out of 10

Frown Worthy

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The Summer 2023 movie season started with a lot of surprises. I enjoyed The Little Mermaid way more than I thought I would. Fast X was entertaining with Jason Momoa’s performance. Guardians vol 3 was better than its predecessor. However, since then with the exception of Across the Spider-verse and Joyride I’ve seen nothing but a bunch of meh movies. A few I’ve gone smile-worthy on like The Flash or Transformers: Rise of the Beasts but just barely so. Now unfortunately we have another mixed entry to add to this summer of mehness- it’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. It’s another film that’s not bad. You can go and have a decent time with some of the action and spectacle but much of it feels as tired as its beleaguered lead character.

Dial of Destiny is the first in this series to not be directed by Steven Spielberg. James Mangold takes the helm here and I’m mixed on his work. There are some impressive sequences particularly the opening act on a train. Some will complain about a de-aged Harrison Ford, but I personally thought it looked incredible. I suppose your mileage with the technology will vary. Still especially with the John Williams theme it’s a great sequence.

Then our embattled professor gets involved in the main part of the story when his god-daughter Helena shows up looking for an ancient dial of destiny from Archimedes. Mads Mikkelsen and Boyd Holbrook play serviceable Nazis and antagonist to Dr Jones but Antonio Banderas is completely wasted as his longtime friend.

One problem the film has is it fails to capture a sense of mystery about the dial making most of the action feel more perfunctory than exciting. I particularly was baffled by how much time is spent in car chases and races here. I don’t think of Indiana Jones as a chase heavy franchise (there’s the memorable sequence in Raiders but that feels more one-on-one fighting that happens to be on a vehicle rather than zipping around the city racing each other.)

Even if you like the car chases it can’t be denied that they go on for way too long, and we start to lose our investment as an audience. We are also given a young boy named Teddy (Ethann Isidore) who never really builds much of a bond with Indy (they are separated for a portion) so I’m not really sure why he was needed in the movie except to provide motivation for the plot and to give the villains someone to kidnap.

The previous entry, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Scull, was one of the most disappointing movies of my lifetime with its failed attempt to bring Indy into the 1950s pulp storytelling. This is more successful than that film as far as tone and style but it is less memorable so pick your poison as far as which is worse. Dial of Destiny does get pretty silly, which again your mileage with the choices will vary.  I didn’t hate it but it just felt really long, and I was ready for it to be done as the plot kept piling more contrivances for poor Indy to deal with.

In a way it reminds me of the Jurassic World movies- all the iconography and production values of the original film but none of the memorable stories or characters that made them special. It feels like we are checking off boxes rather than making something truly memorable. Sometimes that can work like with Star Wars: The Force Awakens but that had the hope of new characters and what they could mean. This is like they had an Indiana Jones kit and made something vaguely looking and sounding like what we know and love. In the end, it should have been better even though I’m sure many will be entertained by it.

5 out of 10

Frown Worthy

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Hey everyone! I hope you are all doing well. I thought I would give you a quick update on what I’ve been watching lately at the theaters before I head to Kansas for Christmas Con (make sure you are following me on social media to get updates on all the fun.)

So here goes!

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

There are some movies that are just ok blockbusters- nothing more, nothing less and that’s what I would say about Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Anthony Ramos is a big step up as far as leads in this series and I loved the relationship between him and his little brother Kris (Dean Scott Vazquez.) Dominique Fishback is under-used as an exposition dump museum curator character (her whole role is to explain stuff to Autobots and dudes.)

Speaking of the Autobots they are enjoyable here particularly Pete Davidson as Mirage and Peter Cullen as the beloved leader Optimus Prime (I think every Transformers movie has to have a scene where Optimus plays a Messianic role and this is no exception.) These movies always take themselves too seriously but at least this film saves us from the racist and sexist jokes of the Bay movies (and it’s mercifully short at 127 minutes.) The ending will probably be divisive (it honestly made me groan) but overall this is a serviceable blockbuster and I’ll take that all day from this normally dismal franchise.

6 out of 10

Smile Worthy

The Country Club

It’s hard to find a winning comedy these days but fortunately sister-duo Fiona and Sophia Robert have made a pretty fun one with The Country Club. It might not be the next Caddyshack but it is inspired by the broad comedies of the 80s and I had a lot of fun with it.

The film tells the story of a young female golfer who is working at a posh country club and gets invited by mistake to participate in a big golf tournament. As she and her sister keep telling lies the screwball antics grow bigger and broader and they are helped by comedic veterans like Elaine Hendrix and Steve Higgins.

If you are ready for some silly shenanigans than The Country Club will fill the bill. It will be available June 23rd on VOD so turn it on for a hole in one of comedy.

6 out of 10

Smile Worthy

Asteroid City

I know a lot of people are huge Wes Anderson hive members but I’d consider myself more of a casual fan. He’s more hit and miss for me but when he hits I find his films to be charming and enjoyable in all their quirkiness. Unfortunately I can’t put his latest, Asteroid City, on that level. While it looks absoloutely amazing with an incredible attention to period detail the story felt completely random and all-over-the-place with nothing to bring the various scenes together in a satisfying way.

The cast is of course unbelievable with the likes of Tom Hanks and Steve Carrell joining Anderson’s usual players like Jason Schwartzman, Tilda Swinton, Jeffrey Wright and more. They all do a good job with what they are given but again every scene felt random like they were making it up each day when they got to set. The structure of it being a play also made no sense and actually added to the randomness instead of providing a coherent story.

Honestly if I wasn’t a critic I probably would have left because it the longer it went on the more annoyed the randomness became. I believe instead I’ll just watch Moonrise Kingdom– a movie with an actual plot and charming characters- over whatever this is.

4 out of 10

Frown Worthy

If you get to see any of these films let me know what you think!

If you like what I do please consider supporting me on patreon. There’s some great perks and I sure appreciate it https://www.patreon.com/hallmarkies