AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR

Josh Brolin   Tom Holland   Chris Pratt   Chris Evans   Chris Hemsworth   Robert Downey, Jr.   Zoe Saldana

Tom Hiddleston   Benedict Cumberbatch   Chadwick Boseman   Letitia Wright   Danai Gurira

Mark Ruffalo   Peter Dinklage   Bradley Cooper   Vin Diesel   Don Cheadle

     Marvel Comics has gone all out in seeing to it that this rendition of the Avengers franchise thrills, chills, and awes. Surprising plot turns and awesome special effects while keeping the well-known players’ characters doing their thing, are sure to seize audience attention and keep it spellbound. It’s always best to be familiar with the comic book stories, but for those who have only a foggy notion about them and haven’t kept up, there is still much to entertain.

     The essential conflict in this story is Thanos’ (Brolin) attempt to collect all the Infinity Stones so he can rule the world.  He has an agenda; and it’s another case of someone thinking they know what’s best for all mankind.  Thanos has decided that there are too many people in the world relative to the number of resources, so his simple solution is to destroy half of them. That way, the world’s limited resources won’t be depleted.  Keep in mind that he is utterly convinced that this is the only solution.

     It’s rather fun to see all the Marvel superheroes uniting together in their commitment to save the universe from a seemingly invincible monster.  And Brolin plays Thanos with just the right mix of power-hungry deluded, admiration of strength and bravery, and slight vulnerability to love and affection.  He is an ideologue who has supreme confidence in his belief of what is good for all mankind.  One of the creative twists of the writers (Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely), is in showing his deep emotional attachment to Gamora (Saldana), his adoptive daughter, whom he rescued from poverty when he was destroying her world. His love for her and subsequent disillusionment is one of the few emotional pulls in the film, which is mainly concerned with the battles among super-heroes. 

     Disillusionment is shown once again when Thanos’ forces are attacking Wakanda, the pristine realm of Black Panther (Boseman).  At one point, the Panthers’ warrior in command, Okoye (Gurira),  states, “When we opened up Wakanda, this is not what I imagined”, to which Panther asks, “What did you imagine?”  Her reply: “The Olympics, maybe a Starbucks…” illustrating the movie’s subtle references to practical and more lofty ideals.

     This is a film for action movie aficionados, and it delivers all to be expected in that sense.  The story, special effects, and cinematography meet these expectations.  But for those who prefer a more subtle, nuanced plot and refreshing character development, it will come up short.  

Action?  Adventure?  Exciting fantasy? You got it with this film. There are other choices if action and extended battle scenes are not for you.

Grade:  B                                                 By Donna R. Copeland

EARLY MAN

Voices of:  Tom Hiddleston     Maisie Williams   Eddie Redmayne   Timothy Spall   Nick Park

     Nick Park and the Aardman Animation Studios bring us another enchanted story that entertains while it inspires hope and the achievement of dreams.  Dug (Redmayne) is an aspiring young man who tries to convince Bobnar (Spall), chief of the cavemen, that they should go beyond being a tribe of rabbit hunters and start searching for big mammoths instead. Unrealistic expectations, perhaps?  Bobnar indulges him by saying he will think about it, but in the meantime, Lord Nooth (Hiddleston), whose tribe has advanced to the Bronze Age and are deep into mining, is driving them out of their precious valley to get to the rich ore deposits lying beneath it. 

     Then an element of fanciful story telling is inserted into the drama.  Dug has found cave drawings that indicate that their ancestors played some kind of game with a ball similar to one he has stumbled upon near the mines.  (The “Bronzios” are the champion football team at the time).  Dug and his friends kick the ball around playfully for a time, but through strange coincidences they encounter someone who actually knows about the Bronze Age people’s game of football (soccer to Americans).  Who is this someone?  She is a girl(!) named Goona (Williams) who is barred from her people’s team because she is a girl.  But she is passionate about the sport and spends many hours watching the game and playing it in her imagination.  When she sees an opportunity to coach the cavemen and transform them into a disciplined team, she jumps at the chance to get back at the Bronzios who were never very nice to her.

     Much excitement and intrigue follow when Dug negotiates with Lord Nooth to get back their land.  The outcome of these negotiations will be determined by the winner of a football game between the scrappy “Brutes” and the expert “Bronzios.”  (Lord Nooth is not being magnanimous; he plans to reap more entry fees at the gate from the cavemen.  Little does he know that his wife Queen Oofeefa will have a role to play in the contest.)

     This movie is up to the quality of the famed “Wallace & Gromit” TV series and video games and The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Chicken Run feature films, as well as other awarded productions by the same filmmakers.  It is beautifully animated and the story is full of humor, clever puns, and substance (story by Park, screenplay by Mark Burton and James Higginson.  An added bonus is that the story incorporates critical roles played by females—an issue close to our current political preoccupations.

     The voices of Hiddleston, Williams, Redmayne, Spall, Brydon, Margolyes, and even Director Park himself fit perfectly with their characters. 

From Nick Park and Aardman Animations fans, a new release à la “Wallace & Gromit”, The Curse of the Were Rabbit, and Chicken Run.

Grade:  A By Donna R. Copeland

THOR: RAGNAROK

Chris Hemsworth     Tom Hiddleston     Cate Blanchett     Mark Ruffalo     Tessa Thompson

Anthony Hopkins     Benedict Cumberbatch     Idris Elba     Jeff Goldblum     Karl Urban

     Thor has seen rocky times in two previous versions (Thor, 2011; Thor:  The Dark World, 2013), but in the hands of the gifted director Taika Waititi, Thor:  Ragnarok is deemed much more successful.  Additional factors contributing to quality are the writers (Eric Pearson, Craig Kyle, Christopher Yost, and original Marvel comics); the diverse, finely talented cast; the imaginative cinematography by Javier Aguirresarobe; and the special and visual effects. 

One of the distinctions of this action film is the inclusion of emotional elements (sibling rivalry, family issues, friendship, loyalties, humor) and depth of story, along with the stronger roles given to women, more so than almost any other action film, except for Wonder Woman.  Cate Blanchett as Hela and Tessa Thompson as a Valkyrie have special powers and hold their own in physical combat with the men. 

    In searching for the Infinity Stones, a holdover from the Avengers franchise, Thor (Hemsworth) is captured by the fiery demon Surtur (voice of Clancy Brown) who prophesies the end of Asgard (Odin’s realm) in an apocalypse called Ragnarok.  Thor is not about to let that happen, and escapes the demon, thinking he has prevented Ragnarok from happening.  But his father Odin (Hopkins) is missing, so he enlists the help of Dr. Strange (Cumberbatch) in locating him, which he does with a number of flashy demonstrations.  Thor talks to his father, and learns that his sister Hela (Blanchett), who has been in prison, will be released, will be claiming the crown, and will implement Ragnarock as the Goddess of Death.  It turns out that she has higher ambitions than her father, with wishes to control the whole world.  Thor decides to take her on, and goes to Asgard.

     But the black-clad Hela with a gorgeous body and an antler headdress is formidable, and not only does Thor lose his hammer, he is banished to the world of Sakaar, ruled by the weird Grand Master (Jeff Goldblum).  He finds his brother Loki (Hiddleston) already there, and sees that he has gained the confidence of the Grand Master.  The brothers are as competitive as always, and Thor winds up being made a gladiator scheduled to fight the current champion—none other than The Hulk (Ruffalo).  Thor is delighted to see him, but soon discovers that Bruce Banner is no longer present, and The Hulk fully intends to destroy him.  Eventually, Thor, Loki, the Valkyrie, and The Hulk wriggle out of the confines of Sakaar, and rally the support and arms they will need to thwart Hela’s ambitions.

     Back on Asgard, the people are unhappy with Hela’s merciless rule and destructiveness, and under the leadership of Heimdall (Elba), attempting to avoid Hela’s soldiers and escape to a safer place.  Thor and his team of “Revengers” will be fighting the battle of their lives when they arrive.

     Balancing out the action scenes are many allusions to a wry kind of humor.  Calling their team the “Revengers” is one; the Grand Master insisting on calling Thor the “Lord” of Thunder, rather than a god, rankling Thor, is another; and key people refusing to join the Revengers because they “don’t want to get into a family squabble” still another example.  Many of these jokes were sprinkled throughout the action sequences late in production, increasing the run time twenty minutes, but Waititi considers it well worth it.  I would agree.

Thor:  Ragnarok easily entertains with adventure, challenges, family fights, and humor. 

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

KONG: SKULL ISLAND

Tom Hiddleston   Samuel L. Jackson   Brie Larson   John C. Reilly   John Goodman   Richard Jenkins   Corey Hawkins

       This movie begs the question of why it was made at all.  The story of King Kong has appeared in various media since 1933, when the original film King Kong appeared.  In addition to remakes in 1970 and 2005, there have been countless take-offs of some kind or other ever since.  This tale is not much different from most—a feared, gigantic monster turns out to have a heart after all.  Perhaps it is related to the age-old mythological theme of something that we have feared turns out to be something we treasure.  At any rate, the film also shows very clearly the destructiveness of invading lands that belong to others without even learning something about them before blustering in with guns a-blazing.  This part of the film really hurts those of us who don’t feel entitled to have full rein on the rest of the world.

      Kong casts aspersions on science in the form of Bill Randa (Goodman) who has learned of a hitherto unexplored island in the south Pacific where whole ships and their crew have disappeared.  Now, he presents his proposal for a scientific expedition to his Congressman (Jenkins) who “owes” him.  He sells it with the potential of discovering geological and other information that scientists know nothing about.  In truth, his motives are not so pristine.

       He is granted the funds to go, with—oh, by the way—a military escort.  The war is just ending in Viet Nam, and one character at least, Packard (Jackson), is wondering what on earth he is going to do without a war.  He is only too happy to lead the military escort.  “Thank you”, he says at the end of the phone conversation engaging him in a rather dangerous mission.  He has more than enough hubris to be confident he can take on anything.  The team does have the foresight to recruit an experienced tracker in the wild, James Conrad (Hiddleston), who should be able to get them out of threatening situations.  Because the movie needs a woman, a wartime photographer, [cleverly misleading name of Mason Weaver (Larson)] has applied and is given permission to go along.

       Of course, you know they encounter Kong, King of Skull Island, now 328 feet tall, who snatches helicopters out of the air like they were toys.  But note that this is after the “scientists” have dropped bombs into the terrain to ascertain its makeup.  Not only does this bring out Kong, who is trying to protect his island, but other much more sinister creatures.

Cinematography (Larry Fong) and special effects are impressive, but scenes of fighting with the monsters go on far too long, with too many characters rapidly flitting on and off the screen to keep track of.   Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and editor Richard Pearson could have easily trimmed the two-hour production and/or focused on more character development.  Back-stories of the main characters would help us care more about them and understand their motivations for what they do.

       We do get that for John C. Reilly, a consummate actor for oddball characters.  His story is interesting and (mostly) plausible, and the way he relates to the native humans and animals is interesting as well as admirable.  The roles of Samuel L. Jackson, Tom Hiddleston, and Brie Larson are familiar and ones they do very well.  Jackson is a hardheaded military man with a black-and-white view of the world and people.  Hiddleston is a quiet, modest hero with considerable clout.  Larson acts bravely and speaks out for a feminine point of view in a testosterone-laden story.

If you never tire of the oft-repeated King Kong story, then this one is for you.

Grade:  C-                                    By Donna R. Copeland

I SAW THE LIGHT

Tom Hiddleston     Elizabeth Olsen     Bradley Whitford     Cherry Jones

          When the movie first opened, I was captured with Hank Williams (Hiddleston) singing “Cold, Cold Heart” without accompaniment and the chiaroscuro effect in the scene.  The mood was just right, and it was deeply moving.  Unfortunately, two basic flaws in I Saw the Light emerged soon after, which I attribute to Marc Abraham’s screenplay and direction.  He has primarily worked as a producer without much experience in writing and direction, hence, the movie sags almost every time there is dialog.  It doesn’t matter whether the conversation is between husband and wife in intimate moments or band members talking to one another or to agents—he puts the audience to sleep.  I marveled at how such an interesting person’s life could be made boring.

       The other problem I had with the film is the number of scenes where neither the issue nor the personalities involved are explored; they’re simply left unresolved.  A particular example is Hank and his agent Fred Rose (Whitford) visiting the MGM Studio, and their host wants Hank to take off his hat.  Hank refuses, and we don’t know why it’s so important to the MGM producer or to Hank.  We don’t even know whether he actually took it off or didn’t.  And we don’t know whether the incident ruined Hank’s chance to be supported by MGM.  With so many of such scenes in a film, it becomes unsettling.

      Hank Williams was decidedly a fascinating, complex person with a markedly eventful life, and whatever interest is maintained in the movie is because we’re curious about him and want o understand him and because Hiddleston aced the role.  Even though we’re presented with event after event in his life, it’s more like a chronicle; there is not much exploration into Hank’s character in the larger sense of the word that would essentially help us understand him. 

      On the other hand, Tom Hiddleston has done the seemingly impossible, converting his British accent into American country, learning to sing on pitch and play the guitar (tutored by Rodney Crowell), and moving his body like a person with spina bifida—all for this movie.  I had to smile when in an interview he said that he had heard a few Hank Williams’ songs before he got the role, but was more intrigued with the word ‘honky tonk’; he had no idea what it meant, but he loved the sound of it.  Hiddleston put on the Williams persona so completely and convincingly, it fit like a body suit.

      The talents of other main actors were fine supports:  Elizabeth Olsen as the disillusioned but shallow wife; Bradley Whitford as the agent-like-a-father Fred Rose; and Cherry Jones as the cloying, possessive mother of Hank.  I had anticipated seeing I Saw the Light, so was disappointed that it contained so little “fleshing out” of the characters. 

     On the other hand, Tom Hiddleston’s performance is worth the price of a ticket to the movie theater.  The last song, “Your Cheatin’ Heart” is a perfect ending.  After seeing important events in his life, he could just as well be singing the song to himself as to someone else. 

A reminder that good writing and direction are essential, although sometimes an actor’s performance is worth a viewing.

Grade:  D+                                    By Donna R. Copeland