The Reel World

"If you expect disappointment, you will never be disappointed."

That's the trouble with sequels. The filmmakers feel this great responsibility to give us more than they've given us before with no thought to the idea that more is often less. There has never been a truly great comic book hero film that had extra villains. It just doesn't work. You can't give enough time and back story to everybody, so you have to cheat somewhere and cut a few corners. Those corners are things like characterization and heart. But what if you could? I mean, seriously. What if it were possible to do a multi-villain comic book movie that was really good? Until just now, I would have thought it was impossible. But isn't that what the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) has been doing for over 20 years now?

"Step right up and behold one of the unexplained mysteries of the universe! Is he a man or beast? This creature has been examined by the foremost scientists and pronounced, unequivocally, a man. I am prepared to offer you folks one last chance to witness this supreme oddity. Where did it come from? Begotten by the same and threat that got us all walking on this earth, but gone wrong somehow in maternal womb. Not fit for living. Is it a beast, or is it a man?" 

Guillermo del Toro knows how to deliver atmosphere. His love for the horror films of the 1930's shows in his use of shadows and lighting to build a world that's always uniquely belonging to each of his films. He makes these worlds a thing unto themselves while leaving all the familiar markers that keep his worlds from appearing too alien.

You could say that West Side Story goes back to 1957 with the iconic collaboration of composer Leonard Bernstein and the very recently deceased lyricist Stephen Sondheim. But that isn't exactly true. The play was a modern retelling of William Shakespeare's equally iconic Romeo And Juliet. Instead of Capulets and Montagues, we have street gangs from 1950's New York City. All of the beats are there and then some. The legendary Robert Wise adapted the play as a film in 1961, which has deservedly gone on to classic status. And there it all sits for 60 years outside of the expected revivals and local productions of the work. Along comes Steven Spielberg who wanted to create a film as homage to his father.

"It was a name that sounded so sweet ... Synonymous with wealth, style, power. But that name was a curse, too."

If you've ever seen me show up for a movie screening in my sweats and t -shirt, you will know instantly that I'm not going to ever be confused with a person of high fashion. I dress for comfort, and accessorizing usually means I've got shoes and socks on. The jargon of the industry is Greek to me, and I guess sometimes it really is. I've certainly heard of Gucci, but the extent of that knowledge is along the lines of those famous patterned bags that they sell on the street downtown for $20 with no questions asked. Of course those bags often appear to have misspelled the name, so I know a few folks walking around with a Gutchi on their arm and a Rolax on their wrist. I'm guessing that's not exactly dressed for fashion. Ridley Scott rides to the rescue. I still can't tell the bags apart, but I now know a little bit about the famous family that those guys are ripping off.

Good story, unique characters, and original music. I’d say that Disney delivers on its 60^th animated movie. In recent years, Disney has taken us all over the map as they introduced characters (formerly known as Disney princesses) from all different walks of life. From a Norwegian-inspired kingdom (Arendelle) to the Polynesian island (Motunui), this time taking us to the mountains of Colombia. That has always been something that I appreciated about Disney’s film: their wide-reaching landscape. It’s like the cinematic version of Epcot. Another thing I’m grateful about this film is the fact that I was about to make it a family affair, as my wife and daughter joined me for this experience. It’s been a while since we’ve had a film where we could seek the Nalyce stamp of approval, and now we finally have a candidate. Bottom line up front: it did get her stamp of approval, as well as mine.

“Venus Williams is going to be the number 1 tennis player in the world. Absolutely. But you are going to be greatest of all time.”

He was a man with a plan. A 78-page plan, if you want to be exact. We’ve heard the story of Venus and Serena Williams, two sisters from Compton who went on to become two of the greatest tennis stars in the world. Now we will learn the story of the man behind the two tennis legends. Their father, Richard Williams, or as the title says, King Richard. But who could we trust to properly represent the story, and more importantly, who could embody the man? A man who is rapidly becoming a legend in his own domain. In fact, his name and legacy were recently solidified on a soundstage at the Tyler Perry Studio in Atlanta: Will Smith. Now, Will Smith is not a character to be disregarded.

"So now that Captain Rogers and Iron Man are both gone, who do you think's gonna lead the Avengers?"

After over a decade of ruling the feature film comic book universe, I have to ask the question that no one really wants to ask or answer. A lot of things have happened in the real world since the release of the two-part Avengers coda to the last phase of films. In over 22 films, there were only a couple I would have called sub-par and less I would have called stinkers. That hasn't been the case with the start of the post-pandemic Marvel Cinematic Universe. It started with Black Widow, which I have argued doesn't belong here. It works as the third film in a trilogy that includes the last two Captain America films. It has the same feel and much of the same style. I liked it but felt it was horribly mistimed. Things being what they are, that might be expected. Then came along Shang-Chi And The Legend Of The Ten Rings, which brought an interesting new dynamic to the MCU but still fell somewhat flat with fans.

"Can anyone give me an example of a myth or a story They're afraid of?"

Look at every element of Searchlight's new horror film Antlers and you see nothing but the promise of an extraordinary horror film. Guillermo del Toro is one of the producers and he's got a reputation for building some of the best horror atmosphere you'll ever see. He's one of those visual geniuses that has been inspired by the black & white classics of the genre and his imagination is truly amazing. The film is based on Nick Antosca's short story The Quiet Boy which itself has some pretty incredible imagery. The film also sports a pretty sweet cast starting with Keri Russell known for the Cold War series The Americans. There's Jesse Plemons who blew me away on Friday Night Lights and hasn't disappointed yet. Young Jeremy T. Thomas has a pretty good career if his performance here is any indication of what he can do. The kid does one of the best deadpans I've seen since Christina Ricci's wonderful Wednesday Addams. The British Columbia locations are truly stunning. This looks like a truly great film. And it's certainly not a bad film. But it's far from great. It's an okay film and often that would be fine with me. I enjoy an average horror film as much as the next guy. The trouble is this should have been great and that's a huge disappointment.

“A great man doesn’t seek to lead, he’s called to it. But if your answer is no, you’ll still be the only thing I need you to be. My son.”

Given that this was most likely the most anticipated movie of 2020, I must say that I expected much more from it. Especially given the who’s who list of Hollywood stars who were brought together for this production. Names like Timothee Chalamet, Zendaya, Jason Momoa, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, and the list goes on. I suppose another thing that somewhat worked against the film was the long wait, as this was a movie that was slated for a year earlier, and then the pandemic complicated that, so anticipation for this film was high. Not to mention that this is a reboot of a beloved series that has already been adapted and garnered a large cult following. It is also my understanding that previous adaptation had the benefit of having the creator of the franchise on set to help guide it. That sounds like a recipe for success, if you ask me.

Totally immersive, the movie The Last Duel takes you into 14^th century France where it deals with wars, the plague, and an economical decline for the kingdom.  Entwined, during that period, is a true story of misogyny, a power struggle, and a rivalry between squires. Powerful acting, direction, and cinematography deliver a compelling story that makes the two and a half hours fly by. In the 1300’s Europe has been wrecked with war and plague, and France has had a good share of the death and destruction. As the story begins, find notable squire and knight Sir Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) returning to his castle from a vicious battle in defense of his king. Having lost his wife to the plague, he marries Lady Marguerite de Carrouges (Jodie Comer), the daughter of a landowner with a vast amount of territory.