Planetary Belly Laughs
March 2, 2015
Jupiter Ascending (2015).
D/W: The Wachowskis. DP: John Toll. Starring: Mila Kunis/Channing Tatum/Eddie Redmayne/Sean Bean/Douglas Booth/Tuppence Middleton/Maria Doyle Kennedy/Gugu Mbatha-Raw/Nikki Amuka-Bird.
First success is oftentimes like a hot air balloon. Full of performance and awe at the sendoff then you are just up in the sky waiting for the scenery to change. The Wachowskis brothers, now known as just The Wachowskis due to Laurence now living as a transgender woman named Lana, must have experienced this after the conclusion of their trilogy of Matrix films. Their new film Jupiter Ascending appears to be literally and figuratively chasing Neo and Morpheus down the rabbit hole.
Jupiter Ascending follows working class Russian immigrant Jupiter (Mila Kunis) who cleans toilet bowls with her mom all day and resolutely exclaims “I hate my life.” Yet frankly she never seems to do anything about changing it. Enter wolf human hybrid stud Caine Wise (Channing Tatum) to save her from near death and help her ponder the size of the universe. Apparently, Jupiter is the reincarnation of a dead ‘entitled’ queen whose children are now battling over their inheritances. Just some basic sci-fi Shakespeare for the masses. But what this leads to is long action sequences with a plot woven in that carries more humor than you would expect, frankly the whole film is a superb accidental comedy.
What works in Jupiter Ascending are some the action sequences, as laughable as the gadgets may seem. Wise’s hovering surfing boots are a charming way to allow Tatum to move wherever he pleases. The first Chicago action sequence is shot remarkably well, but by the time we get to the third long sequence it feels like a bore. Especially when Kunis is involved as there is a straight from video game moment where she must attempt to escape a burning planet. She doesn’t know where to go so the building tells her, oops not that way there’s flames and so on.
The lead couple’s chemistry leaves a lot to be desired and it’s sadly thrust to the forefront of the film towards act three. Kunis is rather wooden and resolute for the majority of the film until a few scenes where she turns it up a notch. At least she gets the humor right, especially with some moments with grunting Tatum whose physique seems to be his only tool here. A tool better served in Magic Mike. Tatum is a bit better alongside Sean Bean whose clear purpose is to provide back story for Caine Wise (could his name be more obvious). This is no Ned Stark however, be warned.
Eddie Redmayne has the unfortunate luck that this is the film that follows his Oscar winning performance in The Theory of Everything despite it being filmed over two years ago. His Balem Abrasax whispers commands and yells like a petulant child as he seems to have crept into this film from a failed gender swap production of King Lear. By the end he is practically begging reincarnated Mummy to tell him how much she really loved him, inheritance and all. Maybe it could have worked in a different film where his siblings, played by Douglas Booth and Tuppence Middleton, had more scenes with him.
Jupiter Ascending despite all its flaws addresses complex issues of consumption, greed, and the obsession with youth and time. The parallels between these themes and modern culture today are admirable. It shows the strength in the Wachowski’s core writing that was unable to deliver in the dialogue here. Sadly all the effects swallowed this project whole, but it is good for laughs.
Unsettling the Olympic Dream
January 19, 2015
Foxcatcher (2014).
D: Bennett Miller. W: E. Max Frye & Dan Futterman. DP: Greig Fraser. Starring: Steve Carell/Channing Tatum/Mark Ruffalo/Sienna Miller/Vanessa Redgrave/Anthony Michael Hall.
Slated to be released in 2013, Foxcatcher was delayed for more editing time then did a festival circuit this past year. The film follows the American Schultz brothers, 1984 Olympic wrestling gold medalists looking to continue their success. Specifically, Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) who wants to break out from his big brother’s Dave (Mark Ruffalo) shadow. He is offered sponsorship and a training facility by rich patriot John du Pont (Steve Carell) in preparation for the 1988 games.
Bennett Miller (Moneyball, Capote) delves into true story space again as he investigates a sensational headline that ends his film. Without delving anymore into the plot, the film’s culmination will certainly depend on the audience’s knowledge of these events. However, Foxcatcher is ultimately a study of performance. Without music or a score introduced until around thirty minutes in, Miller’s world is stark and tense.
Ruthlessly physical and sporting a wrestler’s gait, Tatum is great here. His constraint of energy and chemistry with Ruffalo are a wonderful core anchoring for the film. Their physicality with each other is full of emotional expressions, with Ruffalo’s tenderness nearly heart breaking. Amidst this brotherhood lurks Carell who is unsettling in every frame. Not only due to his facial transformation, but his stillness and sly sickness that oozes from his scenes. These three men create such a layered environment, no one knows who is thinking what anymore. Sadly the women are relegated to the sidelines, specifically Sienna Miller is a waste here.
In the end what is memorable about Foxcatcher is it’s ambiguity. Not a single element of the film alludes to a conclusion or provides answers for the character’s choices. Compared to other biopics or tragedies this feels refreshing, unsettling, and discomforting. In a way the filmmaking generates a sensory experience that mimics the baffling events, or what they might have been like to see unfold. Miller’s refusal to take the film down other tangential plot lines saves Foxcatcher and allows the performances to burn.
The Second Time Around Slump
August 10, 2014
22 Jump Street (2014).
D: Phil Lord & Christopher Miller. DP: Barry Peterson. W: Michael Bacall, Oren Uziel & Rodney Rotham. Starring: Channing Tatum/Jonah Hill/Ice Cube/Amber Stevens/Wyatt Russell/Jimmy Tatro/Nick Offerman/Jillian Bell.
Every summer the American box office seems heavy with sequels. This summer is no different with 22 Jump Street coming in fast and hard after the success of its original.
This time the unlikely duo of Jonah Hill’s Schmidt and Channing Tatum’s Jenko are being sent to college to find another drug mule. Immediately the film embraces and exploits the notion of sequels. Used as a humor device throughout 22 Jump Street, the joke surely gets old after it’s beaten to a humorless pulp. However, the beginning of the movie is strong with its set up and casual bromace bravado between its leads.
Channing and Hill, who both executive produced this installment, have a clear repertoire. Most of this chemistry comes from their clear physical dissimilarities and different types of masculinity. What is admirable here is that ultimately the pair do not force each other to change or conform. Rather, in this film, their strengths are from their differences, which allows their partnership to work. This is not a new concept in the cop genre, but it is a positive element of 22 Jump Street.
Amidst all the fraternity shenanigans, is a weak storyline with a girl, Amber Stevens, who distracts Hill for a moment. Unlike in 21 Jump Street, this romance sub plot is jumbled together and is such a clear narrative device rather than a character one that it halts the flow of the film. Directing pair, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, make use of lots of split screens and montages which skews the film younger, but also creates a sillier atmosphere than in the original. What is most memorable is Jillian Bell as former roommate of dead girl the duo is investigating. She nearly steals the film with her crazed eyes, she got the best writing from this team.
Ultimately, this sequel lacks the laughs and scale of the original though this one clearly tried much harder. Using New Orleans as its no name city, there are sequences of fun action that have flashes of originality. Somehow the college experience came off as more hackneyed than the high school one, a rare feat for any movie.
Summer Stripper Madness
July 3, 2012
Magic Mike (2012).
D/DP: Steven Soderbergh. W: Reid Carolin. Starring: Channing Tatum/Matthew McConaughey/Alex Pettyfer/Cody Horn/Joe Manganiello/Olivia Munn/Matt Bomer/Adam Rodriquez/Kevin Nash.
The newest tagline for this weekend’s new movie is…tell your boyfriend you’re going to book club, and meet me at the movies for Magic Mike. Really? Are American women so repressed that they must lie in order to get out of the house to see a little movie about some men who take their clothes off for a living? Why the double standard? If they were going to an actual male strip club would anyone care as much? Or is it the fact that its on a big screen, with name actors, and in the daylight for all to see?
Without getting all my feminist feathers in a ruffle about marketing, Magic Mike will be a success not only because of women, but because of gay men. Let’s face it, there are just as many men out there drooling over the prospect of Channing Tatum’s waxed bum as the next lady. And there’s nothing wrong with that. At my screening alone I would say half the cinema was men, and there wasn’t any shameful book club con aimed at them. But let’s put our money where our mouth is and be honest about the quality of this film.
Magic Mike tells the lenient biographical story of Tatum’s time in Florida as a stripper and up and coming “entrepreneur.” The story predominately focuses on Tatum (Magic Mike) and his new friendship with Alex Pettyfer (Adam/The Kid). Tatum takes on mentoring Pettyfer as he indoctrinates him into the stripping world and all the many perks it has to offer. So at its heart, the film is a story of friendship and drive. But it looses this focus many times. Tatum continuously and tirelessly tries to woo Pettyfer’s sister, played by newcomer Cody Horn. Horn is unfortunately miscast here. Although it is great to have a girl next door looking lady, she ends up coming off as boring, stiff, and will make the audience wonder what Tatum is so entranced with.
Tatum and Pettyfer are better, though never really given a meaty (pardon the pun) scene to work with. Regardless, the true star is (of course) Matthew McConaughey as aging, club owner Dallas. McConaughey is the only man who seems to give any color or layer to his character. Very disappointingly, White Collar star Matt Bomer and True Blood beef cake Joe Manganiello, have about ten lines split between them. But I guess they weren’t hired to act? Rather it seems they were hired to illicit the hoots, claps and hollers I heard in the cinema during the whole film. Honestly, it was just as entertaining to see what people shamelessly clapped at than watch the film.
Even worse than its muddled story, Magic Mike maintains no sense of balance between stripper performances and the actual story. Director Steven Soderbergh’s touch is only evident with certain transitions and shots. Other than that I felt like he didn’t really know how to tell a story with this material. How do we tell a story while also getting everyone to strip as that is probably why they’ll see the movie anyway? Maybe a better script? Just a thought. So what is ultimately frustrating about Magic Mike is it probably could actually have been better. If the characters were more important than the clothes they took off, then maybe the movie would be an even bigger success. That being said it is greatly entertaining. Don’t feel ashamed. Go with your girlfriends or boyfriends, have a few drinks and help remind this business that people still go to the movies. Even if it is to see some good gyrating.