Action

“Free Fire” Attempts Farce, Ends Up Boring and Haphazard

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In a strange paradox, executing a proper farce demands preternatural planning.  Stray but a little from the knife’s edge, and the tone can spiral out of control as the conflicting elements of the film separate like a broken sauce.  Ben Wheatley’s Free Fire suffers such a fate, though it isn’t for lack of effort or … Read more

Why “The Terminator” (1984) is the Greatest Terminator Film

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The Terminator (1984) is a better film than Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991).  The other movies in the franchise are utter garbage and will not be discussed further.  And, if you’ll lower your pitchforks for long enough, this piece will provide several arguments asserting the superiority of The Terminator.  I’ll compare three aspects of the … Read more

“John Wick: Chapter 2” Honors the Original and Extends Its Aesthetic to New Heights

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The sequel to the wildly surprising gun-fu action flick John Wick picks up right where the original left off, both in terms of plot and aesthetic.  The signature stylistic elements of the original are all here:  extensive worldbuilding, lengthy camera shots, and heavily-choreographed fight scenes more reliant on stunt work than on CGI.  The sequel … Read more

Trailer Hype: “Free Fire” and “Baby Driver” Boast Peculiar Aesthetic Gimmicks

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I’ve got a pair of sweet trailers here, and they both look like high-octane, shoot-em-up action flicks, though they have wildly different tones.  Free Fire is going to be the first to hit theaters, and features an insane collection of talent along with a humorous concept.  Baby Driver is similarly stocked, and an Edgar Wright … Read more

“Jack Reacher: Never Go Back” to This Parched Well

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Can a well be dry after a single successful trip?  Because if Jack Reacher:  Never Go Back is the best this franchise has to offer after its surprising debut, then we might as well be drinking sand.  None of the new characters are likable, the acting is hollow, and the writers deprive Jack Reacher himself of any real interest.  The plot is derivative and full of generic bad guys that make Jai Courtney look like Anton Chigurh.  The screenplay is written by three people, none of whom are named “Christopher McQuarrie”, and is populated by wooden groaners and extreme plot conveniences.  The plot is generic, and its associated “twist” is lazy and telegraphed worse than the death of Han Solo.  This is a film that is completely bereft of technique, subtlety, and intrigue.

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“The Accountant” Merges Dry Comedy and Calculated Action to Solid Effect

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Gavin O’Connor’s The Accountant is an entertaining thriller that sports a peculiar mix of black ops action and wry humor.  It focuses around a high-functioning autistic man named Christian Wolff who handles advanced ballistics just as well as he does advanced calculus.  The story is told through multiple flashbacks, and follows multiple characters in the present day as they interact.  Not everything gels together perfectly, and the underlying themes are fairly under-developed in favor of a simplistic action sequences, but The Accountant does far more right than it does wrong.

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David Mackenzie Dazzles with “Hell or High Water”, a Deliberate and Astonishing Western Heist Film

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David Mackenzie’s Hell or High Water is a wonderful modern Western film with the added flavor of a noir-heist.  It is also wildly funny in subtle and smart ways but isn’t above low-brow pot shots, either.  The performances from all four leads are superb and myriad character actors flesh out the environment.  Finally, the film sports a fantastic plot that unravels at a deliberate pace and has a lot of surprises up its sleeves.  It is like a slice of West Texas on screen, from the cattle wranglers to the gun-toting vigilantes.  Hell or High Water is a potent piece of cinema, and will likely end up as one of the strongest films of 2016.

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“Kubo and the Two Strings” Sports Gorgeous Animation and Weighty Themes, but is Marred by Sub-par Voice-Acting and Pacing

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Stop motion animation giant Laika consistently produces alluring and powerful films.  Kubo and the Two Strings, directed by Laika CEO Travis Knight, continues this tradition.  Kubo may be the best-looking stop-motion film ever produced, complete with fantastical creatures, awe-inspiring landscapes, and even action sequences that shame actual action movies.  In addition, unlike some of the animated films this summer, Kubo and the Two Strings packs significant thematic punch, deftly handing complex issues and ideas.   There are serious issues with the film, mostly revolving around the uneven pacing and lackluster vocal performances (which may actually be poor dialogue writing – it is hard to say).  In the grand scope, the result is an absolute treasure, but one in which you have to slog through some needlessly slow and awkward moments.  Fortunately, it is just so damn pretty and cool that, for some people, that won’t matter too much.

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“Suicide Squad” is Doomed from the Start by a Lack of Focus, Clarity

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With Suicide Squad, writer/director David Ayer has accomplished little beyond kicking the can that is the DC Extended Universe (DCEU) down the road another ten months, leaving us all to hope that maybe, just maybe, Wonder Woman will be the first good DCEU film.  Between a crowded cast of thin characters, a banal and cookie-cutter plot, and a confused jumble of non-themes and stylistic choices, the film is bereft of quality in almost every sense.  Though some top-level performances generate intriguing characters, they are utterly squandered by the surrounding issues and ultimately leave Suicide Squad with a very scattered, up-and-down feel.  While it may not be as unintelligible or frenzied as Batman v. Superman, Ayer’s film possesses the greater flaw:  a bland story.

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How to Improve “Suicide Squad”: Reduce Character Count and Add Zombies

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So, Suicide Squad is a flaming heap of garbage, but how do we fix it?  That’s the focus of this piece.  I have a more standard review of the film as a companion piece to this, which is linked above, but in the meantime I decided to present this piece as a reasonable means to improve upon the film.  Suffice to say, this post will contain spoilers for the film beyond what is normal for a review, as I have to discuss intricate plot details.  So, if you’re sensitive to spoilers, you’ve been sufficiently warned.  If you’re still game, what follows will be my humble proposal for how one could avoid the pitfalls that befell Suicide Squad and ultimately arrive at an overall superior film.

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