UNDERWATER

Kristen Stewart     Vincent Cassel     T. J. Miller     Jessica Henwick

     I could empathize with characters in this film being trapped underwater, with the creaking of the ship, periodic explosions, and rushing water blasting through the halls.  I felt the same way in the theater, being trapped in a movie where I couldn’t see much of what was happening, couldn’t hear what little dialog there was other than, “Can you see me?”  “Can you hear me?” “Are you OK?” and got sick of hearing underwater sounds and the creaking of the ship.  Major things, like death, occurs, but you might miss them altogether.  I can’t remember when I wanted to walk out of a movie more than I did at this screening.

     The setting is a deep-sea drilling ship, with researchers on board.  We get a little glimpse of Kristen Stewart’s character, Norah, in the beginning, brushing her teeth (which has come to be a motif for filmmakers these days), and pondering about her life, including the thought that, “there’s a comfort to cynicism; there’s a lot less to lose.” These musings are interrupted by an earthquake, which sends ocean water flooding down the halls.  Hundreds of people are killed, but Norah barely escapes with one other member of the crew.  They manage to get to another part of the ship where the captain (Cassel) and two others have survived, but it’s clear the ship is sinking, and the captain decides they will don sea-diving gear and walk to the main station, hoping they have enough oxygen to last.

     But the elements are not the only threat.  It seems there are huge sea monsters that have appeared, all too ready to toss them about like rag dolls.  The audience is petrified, waiting to see whether they’ll reach their destination.  

     The actors play their parts well, albeit on mostly one note:  panic, with little variation and without much dialog. Director William Eubank has chosen to make the picture very dark, so that it’s difficult to get a good look at the monsters.  Perhaps this was intended to make it even more scary?  

Unless you’re into horror movies with little character development or dialog and a lot of creepy sounds, you’re not likely going to want to see this film.

Grade:  F                                    By Donna R. Copeland

DEADPOOL 2

Josh Brolin     Ryan Reynolds     Morena Baccarin     Bill Skarsgard     T.J. Miller     Zazie Beetz     Julian Dennison

Eddie Marsan     Leslie Uggams     Brianna Hildebrand     Lewis Tan     Stefan Kapicic     Jack Kesy     Terry Crews  

     Deadpool is back, loaded with heroics, physically impossible altercations and gun battles, just as before in the first Deadpool, mixing in even more jokes and references to other movies.  He seems to be living a contented life with his beloved Vanessa (Baccarin), and they are discussing baby-making when his past re-emerges in a way that will make him do something that will plague him for all time to come.  

     Now, he is out for revenge, which lands him in jail (the “icebox” for mutant offenders), where he is paired with a mutant orphan (Russell, aka “Firefist”), who idolizes Deadpool and pleads for friendship, to no avail.  But after Deadpool has repeatedly rejected him, he learns more about him, and at Vanessa’s urging, decides to protect the orphan from two forces out to get him.  One is the abusive head of the reformatory where the child had been living; and the other, the formidable Cable (Brolin), a time-traveling super-hero from the future who is worried about what Firefist might do that could affect him in some way.  He serves as the new villain.

     To go after these foes, Deadpool realizes he needs to form a band of warriors, which he will name X-Force.  Many apply for the job, some of which are Zeitgeist (Skarsgard), Bedlam (Crews), and Domino (Beetz).  The interviews of these characters are fun to see, not the least of which is Peter (Rob Delaney), who has no special talent and just comes along for the ride. Seeing their special powers in action provides additional entertainment.

     The film, directed by David Leitch, a former stuntman who, as in Atomic Blonde, has created well choreographed fight scenes, does not really break new ground, and actually becomes tedious in its endless self-commentary staged battles, and endless references to other films. The fight I enjoyed most was on a hijacked urban train with Deadpool stopping Cable’s bullets with his twirling ninja swords.  Reynolds and Brolin are standouts in their respective roles of two distinctly different characters—one, a motor mouth who goes after bad guys, and the other a true villain without mercy.  The actor from New Zealand who plays Russell, Julian Dennison, first won international fame in Taika Waititi‘s Hunt for the Wilderpeople,  He is just as good here as in the previous film, and manages to steal your heart.

     Tyler Bates’ music is a good part of the entertainment, as is Jonathan Sela’s cinematography.  When X-Force parachutes down into a city, the scene set against a bright blue sky, is humorously reminiscent of Magritte’s painting, “Golconda.”

Deadpool 2—not dead in the water, but a sequel only diehard Marvel fans will appreciate.

Grade:  B                                By Donna R. Copeland

READY PLAYER ONE

Tye Sheridan     Olivia Cooke     Ben Mendelsohn     Lena Waithe     
T. J. Miller     Simon Pegg     Mark Rylance

Philip Zhao     Win Morisaki     Hannah John-Kamen

      Are you ready for the world of 2045?  Steven Spielberg’s vision is that everyone will be so absorbed in virtual reality (VR) games they’ll be spending most of their time there, rather than in the work-a-day real world.  We get a striking picture of how that will be by watching Ready Player One.  Unfortunately (for me), most of the action is like a video game with car chases, fights, and wars.  But there is a story underlying all the racing around, plotting, and attempts to figure out a master gamer’s clues leading to a lot of money and ownership of the Oasis, the ultimate gaming organization of the time.

    Humble Wade Waits (Sheridan) lives in the “Stacks”, a slum in Columbus, Ohio, consisting of house trailers (rather then apartments or condos) stacked upon one another (a visual masterpiece reminding of the favelas up a mountainside above Rio de Janeiro, Brazil), and right away we get to watch him traverse down to the street level by jumping, leaping over balconies, and sliding down a rope.  Wade’s parents died, and he lives with his sister Alice (Susan Lynch) and her current boyfriend, an abusing lout. 

     Now, Wade has an avatar, Parzival, and he is hell-bent on solving the riddles left by the mischievous creator and owner of Oasis, Halliday (Rylance), who—by the way—has died.  But whoever solves his riddles for three keys will become rich and gain the power of ownership of Oasis. 

     Parzival manages to develop a kinship with other avatars, and they form a party of five:  Wade/Parvizal, Samantha/Art3mis (Cooke), Aech/Helen (Aech), Sho (Zhao), and Daito (Morisaki), working together to find the keys; but they are thwarted by the unsavory giant corporation led by Sorrento (Mendelsohn) and his minions, foremost of which are I-ROk (Miller) and F’Nale Zandor (John-Kamen).

    A matching of wits and devices follows, with the occasional appearance of Halliday/Anorak making the keys available as they are won.  Sorrento has developed a corrupt organization that is determined to out-smart anyone else in vying for the keys by hook or by crook—mostly crook.  The scenes switch back and forth between the virtual reality and real worlds, which becomes frightening when you realize that what happens in VR can affect people and events in the real world. 

     The story is engaging, acted out so well by the two leads, Sheridan and Cooke.  It was rewarding to see them as a real team, with one and then the other taking on a critical role in saving each other.  Usually, it’s Art3mis who is the quick wit figuring out the clues after Parzival’s initial win.  It’s nice to see the breaking of stereotypes in this and in their personalities, with the Cooke character being sharp and canny, and the Sheridan character being more naïve, but still solid in values and character.  Ben Mendelsohn is perfect as the charming, conniving villain Sorrento.  Other noteworthy performances were rendered by Lena Waithe, T.J. Miller, Hannah John-Kamen, Philip Zhao, Win Morisaki, and Simon Pegg.

     This is fairly typical Spielberg with impressive production, substantive story, and well-defined characters.  It’s fascinating (and humorous) as well in its multiple references to other films (not necessarily Spielberg’s), and it does a good job in having appeal for both younger (technology, videogames) and older audiences (references to other films).  Janusz Kaminski’s cinematography, Alan Silvestri’s music, and Adam Stockhausen’s production design make this a first-rate production.

     As much as I loved watching this film, it is primarily aimed toward fantasy enthusiasts who will revel in the special effects and references to previous iconic films.

Catch a futuristic ride into the world of virtual reality where “you can be anything you want to be.”

Grade:  B+                                                By Donna R. Copeland

OFFICE CHRISTMAS PARTY

Jason Bateman   Olivia Munn   T. J. Miller   Jennifer Anniston   Kate McKinnon   Courtney B. Vance   Rob Corddry

          This is a movie for people who like silliness and absurdity, who think heavy drinking, drugs and major destruction are funny—and there were certainly those present at the screening I attended.  The more outrageous the comment or behavior, the more they laughed.  So if this is your cup of tea, the way you relax during a stressful time of the year, then Office Christmas Party is for you.

         The father of Carol (Anniston) and Clay (Miller) left them his successful IT company, and Carol, Miss Goody-Two-Shoes in the family, runs it with an iron fist (no velvet glove).  Her biggest irritant is her brother Clay who was always favored by their father, despite his messing up and his sister being the much high achiever.  The situation right before Christmas is that Carol intends to lay off 40% of the employees in Clay’s branch because although they earned a profit, it wasn’t high enough for Carol.  And above all there would be no Christmas party and no end-of-year bonuses.

         Leave it to Hollywood to solve the problem with the biggest party blowout ever, one that will host a major athlete, as well as a potential billionaire partner.  Of course, it won’t go smoothly, and most of the story chronicles the mayhem and havoc that will ensue, ending up with the, nowadays required, car chase.  You will guess ahead of time how it will all turn out.

        The movie is so formulaic, not only will the viewer be able to figure out the conclusion, but from moment to moment, he/she will be able to anticipate what will happen next, given a stereotypical set-up.  The major flaw in the film is the script from six(!) writers drawn from who knows how many previous movies.  The direction (Josh Gordon and Will Speck), music (Theodore Shapiro), cinematography (Jeff Cutter), and acting are of reasonable quality; it’s just that with a story this lame and without any creativity whatsoever the whole show is doomed.

        If there is any weight to this picture at all, it is in its depiction of sibling rivalry and how parents might script out their children’s lives unfairly.  Unfortunately, the siblings are shown to be so one-dimensional, they become caricatures, and while change takes place, it’s not plausible from what came before.

This is a Christmas party you probably won’t want to go to.

Grade:  F                                    By Donna R. Copeland