Movie Madness Week of 11/19/2017

MOVIE MADNESS

Justice League (2017): This and the following review will be light to avoid spoilers due to it being a new release.  The basic plot has been covered in the trailers: In the wake of Superman’s death, Batman and Wonder Woman gather a team of heroes to face a new threat.

                I really enjoyed this, probably the most controversial comic movie this year.  Is it perfect?  No.  Some of the CGI in the climax is not as transparent as I would like, and some of the world building like the Atlantis scenes didn’t have enough room to breathe.  However it has a lot going for it:

• Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot continue to impress in their roles.
• Eliza Miller, which I thought would fill the movies, was not bad.  Grant Gustin’s TV incarnation is a better Flash in my opinion, but Eliza was far better than I expected.  The costume has got to be improved thoug
• The best Superman portrayal from Henry Cavill, (and more importantly the script), yet.

While not as good, in my opinion as Wonder Woman or Avengers, which will be the immediate comparison for most, I still felt this was as good as most super-hero movies.  Easily as good as most of the Marvel single hero films and as good as Civil War or Age of Ultron.

Coco (2017): In the latest from Disney/Pixar, a young boy learns the importance of family and following your dreams.  This is a return to form for Pixar, which has been mired in sequel-itis and films that left me cold.  Good Dinosaur, like Wall-E, left me cold, and while I enjoyed Inside Out in the theater, on re-watches, the oppressive bullying of Joy makes it hard to watch.  Coco presents a relatable family, one that annoys and loves each other while spotlighting a cultural holiday, most will be familiar with but know little about: Dia de los Muertos.   The filmmakers should be commended for creating a film that discusses loss and death but from a non-threatening viewpoint.  I hope this holds-up on re-watch.   The negative to the film-watching experience was the Olaf’s Frozen Adventure Short at the beginning.  I am not a Frozen naysayer (on the whole).  Let It Go doesn’t drive me crazy.  That said this short has no point other than to drive more merchandising.  It lacks the heart and humor of the previous short, and is bloated in trying to cram 3 new songs into the short.  When Lassiter came to pre-eminence his first act was to shut down a lot of the direct to DVD features he felt was diluting the brand.  This short felt like a step back to that.

Robin Hood (1922): This silent Douglas Fairbanks led film defies expectations.  It clocks in at approximately 2 hours and 15 minutes, which makes it long for a silent film.  While engaging, those expecting a swashbuckling romp with the classic Robin Hood tropes will be disappointed.  This version is more Game of Thrones intrigue than swordfights and vine swinging.  Missing are the quarter-staff fight to cross the river where Robin meets Little John and the archery contest.  Over half of the film is the set-up.  Here all the main players know each other.  Robert, Earl of Huntingsford (later Robin Hood) is a friend of King Richard the Lion-Hearted.  On the eve of the Crusade, he embarrasses Guy of Guisborne at a tournament and a drunken Prince John at the feast later when John makes a pass at Lady Marion.  The prince already has plans to usurp control once Richard is gone and charges Guy of Gisborne to assassinate King Richard and Robert, the King’s second in command while on the Crusades.  The knights leave, Prince John begins oppressing England, and Little John, Robert’s squire, is sent with a message to inform Robert of what is happening.  Robert tries to leave and is framed as a deserter before he can warn the king and John tries to have Marion killed.  Once Robert becomes Robin Hood, the film barrels to the end.    This is worth watching, but as I said at the outset, if you’re looking for a swash-buckling action film, this isn’t it.