Fury (2014) ***1/2

 

There will probably come a day when we are not so obsessed with World War II, but that day has not arrived. Almost 80 years after WWII ended, we are still living in the world that war created, the political themes behind the war are still relevant, and storytellers are still mining it for material.

One aspect of WWII that I never knew much about was tank warfare. Of course, everyone has heard of General Rommel, the German tank commander known as “the Desert Fox.” I was vaguely aware that German tanks were better armored and more powerful than allied tanks, but I never really knew the specifics of how tanks are used on the battlefield or what it looks like for a couple of tanks to battle it out. “Fury” is a fascinating deep dive into tank warfare, taking us inside an American Sherman tank near the end of the war, when the Germans were putting up their desperate and deadly last stand.

Brad Pitt plays tank commander Don Collier, a grisled veteran well-versed in fighting the better-armored German tanks. His crew are absolutely loyal to him, and they are naturally suspicious of a new, green recruit sent to replace a dead comrade. Private Ellison (Logan Lerman) is trained as a clerk and hasn't handled a gun since basic training, but the need for more men at the front lands him in one of the most dangerous jobs of the war.

“Fury” has incredible action. The film takes us inside the cramped confines of the tank, showing us what battle looks like to the men inside. Protected from regular rifle fire, the men inside have nowhere to run when anti-tank weapons are brought to bear, and they become a very easy target. In one gripping sequence, a single German Tiger tank ambushes four American tanks, and Collier must use all of his knowledge of tank fighting to survive.

While the action is amazing, the characters are not very well-written, and some of the scenes are downright confounding and annoying. The movie is also long, at 2h 14m. It doesn't feel that long during the battle sequences, but it drags during some of the interpersonal scenes. Still, this view of the war from the inside of a tank is a perspective I have not seen before, and “Fury” presents it with respect for the history and technical details. If you like war movies, it's worth buckling up for the ride.

3.5 stars out of 5

Ricky Stanicky (2024) ***

 

When I was a certain age, a hot topic of conversation was, “Is wrasslin' real?” Early on, I was in the “Wrasslin' is fake” camp, but I realize now that I was wrong. Professional wrestling isn't exactly fake; it's staged. Sure, all that stuff about good guys and bad guys is scripted, but those dudes and gals really are jumping off the top rope, doing flips and such. You shouldn't call it “fake” any more than you would call a production of Shakespeare fake. Pro wrestlers are actors who do their own stunts, which is why it should be no surprise that so many of them succeed in Hollywood. John Cena is the latest wrestler to break into movies, and I gotta say, the guy is entertaining, with good comic timing.

In “Ricky Stanicky,” Cena plays a fictional character come to life. Dean (Zac Efron),Wes (Jermaine Fowler), and JT (Andrew Santino) are childhood friends who get into a scrape. To deflect the blame, they invent a fictional kid whom they name Ricky Stanicky. As silly as the rapidly-contrived name is, the scheme works, and the kids proceed to grow up and go through life using Ricky as a go-to excuse. As adults, Ricky and his fictitious fight with cancer serve as an excuse to miss baby showers and other family obligations, until they almost get caught in the lie and are obliged to produce this mysterious friend. Desperate, the guys hire a down-on-his-luck Las Vegas performer (Cena) to portray Ricky and meet their wives and families. You can pretty much figure out the rest from there.

This is not a memorable film. It's a silly movie with only two points in its favor: 1) a fun name and 2) John Cena. Everyone else in the film, including Zac Efron, is forgettable, but Cena exudes enough charm to carry the movie. As Ricky, he worms his way into his new friends' lives in ways they didn't anticipate, inviting us and them to re-consider what is real and what is fake.

3 stars out of 5

Dune: Part 2 (2024) ***** Warning – Contains Spoilers for “Dune: Part 1”

 

It's kind of hard to believe that there was ever any question that Denis Villeneuve would get to complete his film adaptation of Frank Herbert's classic novel Dune. But that's how it was. Legendary Pictures and Warner Brothers committed enough money for Villeneuve to make Part 1, and part 2 was contingent on how that went. I suppose it's understandable, considering how some previous attempts at a Dune adaptation have gone. Fortunately, Villeneuve's “Dune”, released in 2021, was a masterpiece and a critical and commercial success.

“Part 2” picks up right where the first film left off. Paul and his mother Jessica have joined the Fremen in the desert. The Harkonnens have retaken Arrakis and control of spice production. Paul and the Fremen become guerrilla fighters, sabotaging the spice harvesters at every opportunity.

Where "Dune: Part 1" was slow-moving, spending a lot of time world-building, introducing us to the Bene Gesserit, the Great Families, the Fremen, and so forth, “Part 2” allows us to revel in that world. There is more action, and the story builds rapidly. We see romance bud between Paul and Chani. We also eventually see Paul morph from the hero into more of an anti-hero, as he gains his full prescient skills and begins to seek revenge, power, and even godhood. “Part 2” takes us through the end of Herbert's first novel.

Dune, the novel, is an amazing book, but as Herbert's series continues, the books start to become less and less compelling. I think the reason is that as Paul becomes a less and less sympathetic character, Herbert fails to give us another character to identify with. Director Denis Villeneuve seems to be angling to do something different with his series, giving Chani a more substantial role than she has in the book. Perhaps he hopes to give her a bigger role in a sequel.

Whether Villeneuve gets to make another Dune movie or not, he has done something special here, finally giving the first and best Dune novel the film adaptation it deserves.

5 stars out of 5

Poor Things (2023) *****

 

Based on the 1992 novel by Alasdair Gray, “Poor Things” is a remarkable exploration of feminism and social mores through the conceit of a sort of Frankenstein's monster named Bella (Emma Stone). Willem Dafoe plays Dr. Godwin Baxter, who calls himself God for short. He has perfected Victorian-era surgical techniques to the point where he has grafted the head of a duck onto the body of a dog and created other hybrid creatures reminiscent of “The Island of Dr. Moreau.” Godwin gets access to the body of a young, pregnant woman who has just died by suicide. In a ruthlessly amoral experiment, he takes the brain of her unborn child and implants it into her body, which he re-animates, naming the result “Bella.”

We meet Bella as a mental toddler, uncoordinated and without speech. In a grown body, however, her brain matures rapidly. She soon develops sexual feelings, and is delighted to discover the ability to “make happy when I want.” An unethical rake of a lawyer (Mark Ruffalo) discovers Bella, and, enticed by such unrestrained sexuality in the body of a beautiful woman, whisks her off to the continent for a few weeks of sexual debauchery. As Bella matures through the stages of adolescence and young adulthood, however, she proves too much for the lawyer.

Bella moves beyond her obsession with sex to develop an interest in philosophy and books, hoping to improve herself and the world. That's a big theme of the story, whether someone can intentionally make themselves a better person. We eventually learn that Bella's mother had been married to a cruel man and was not a great person, herself. Indeed, Bella displays cruel tendencies in her youth, but she finds in herself a desire for self-improvement.

The story really isn't about Bella, it is about all of us. With her unique circumstance, growing up in an unconventional household and doing so very quickly, Bella is a person untainted by social expectations and conventions. Whether she is whoring herself out, experimenting with lesbianism, or simply rejecting the efforts of all the men in her life to control her, Bella does everything with a refreshing innocence. She was never taught that she had to submit to others or be ashamed of her body, and she reaches mental maturity so quickly that no one has the chance to pound those ideas into her brain.

The title, “Poor Things,” might refer to Bella, Godwin, and their bizarre household. It might refer to the poor underclass whom Bella discovers and wishes to help. Or, it might refer to all of us, hung up as we are on sexual shame and social niceties, wishing we could be free like Bella.

5 stars out of 5

The Thomas Crowne Affair (1968) ****

 

In this extremely stylish crime thriller, Steve McQueen plays investment banker Thomas Crowne, a guy for whom making money comes easy. He spices up his life racing cars, flying planes, bedding women, and, as the film begins, planning the perfect bank robbery. Crowne assembles a team of thieves who never meet each other until the robbery begins, and they never see his face or hear his real voice. Crowne doesn't need the money, mind you; pulling off the perfect crime is just another adrenaline rush for him.

For an adventure-seeker like Crowne, things only get better when the bank's insurance company brings in a brilliant, beautiful investigator (Faye Dunaway). Vicki Anderson is the perfect foil, just as stylish and clever as Crowne, and she is immediately onto him. Crowne gets to play a sexy cat-and-mouse game with the investigator, while Vicki winds up having to reconcile her job with the feelings she develops for Crowne.

In Steven Soderbergh's 1998 film "Out of Sight", the George Clooney and Jennifer Lopez characters, a bank robber and a cop respectively, discuss movies, including another Faye Dunaway film “Three Days of the Condor.” It's a clever Easter egg, because the cop/robber sexual tension that develops between Lopez and Clooney is very similar to what happens between Dunaway and McQueen here.

Unlike “Out of Sight,” “The Thomas Crowne Affair” doesn't have an ensemble cast of colorful supporting characters. This movie is all about Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway, who, fortunately, have enough charm to carry the thing. It's a delightful, sexy story of two beautiful people circling each other in a perfect storm of crime, punishment, and sexual tension.

4 stars out of 5

Out of Sight (1998) ****

 

If we were to rank writers based on how many of their novels have been adapted to film, Elmore Leonard would have to be fairly high on the list. It seems like every time I see a slightly-hard-edged-yet-funny crime movie, it turns out to be based on an Elmore Leonard book. Classic films like “Jackie Brown” and "Get Shorty" come to mind. 1998's “Out of Sight” deserves to be mentioned in the same breath.

George Clooney plays bank robber Jack Foley. During a prison break, Jack kidnaps sexy Federal Marshall Karen Sisco (Jennifer Lopez), and the two hit it off. On the run with his best friend Buddy (Ving Rhames), Jack pursues his next big heist, with Karen and the FBI in hot pursuit. Karen, meanwhile, tries to reconcile her professional obligations with the undeniable chemistry between her and Jack.

During the prison break scene, while Jack and Karen are locked in the trunk of Buddy's car, they talk about movies (I told you they hit it off.) Jack brings up the film “Three Days of the Condor,” and Karen says she thinks it is unrealistic how quickly Faye Dunaway and Robert Redford hook up. It's great foreshadowing for how quickly Jack and Karen fall for each other.

I can't remember if Jennifer Lopez started out as an actress who got into singing or a singer who got into acting. I don't really care, as she isn't that great at either. She's drop-dead gorgeous, though, and she has never been cuter than in “Out of Sight.” The role doesn't really demand much from her, acting-wise, and George Clooney is a good enough actor for both of them.

One thing about an Elmore Leonard story is that there are no placeholder characters. Everybody has a backstory, and everybody brings some sparkle to the tale. The supporting cast here is up to the job, with outstanding actors including Ving Rhames, Don Cheadle, Steve Zahn, Luis Guzman, Catherine Keener, Dennis Farina, and Albert Brooks.

Director Steven Soderbergh puts great source material and a great cast to good use. “Out of Sight” is sexy, funny, gritty, and ultimately satisfying.

4 stars out of 5

Unfrosted (2024) **1/2

 

Jerry Seinfeld is an interesting fellow. For his directorial film debut, the comedian probably could have done anything he wanted. What he chose to do was tell a mildly humorous version of the 1960's battle between cereal giants Kellogg and Post as they raced to develop a toaster pastry. The result of that battle was Pop-tarts, “the greatest pair of rectangles since the 10 Commandments.”

The story is based loosely on the very real rivalry between Kellogg and Post. The companies have always stolen each other's ideas. As a character says in the movie, “We're like Ford and Chevy. We sell the exact same thing; the difference is marketing.” Post really did start out ahead in the pastry race, but timing and marketing are everything, and their Country Squares proved no match for Pop-tarts.

When a guy of Seinfeld's comedic stature calls, people in Hollywood are going to answer, and sure enough, a ridiculously high-octane cast of A-list personae showed up for this farce. The list includes Melissa McCarthy, Hugh Grant, Amy Schumer, Jon Hamm, Peter Dinklage, and way too many B+-listers and character actors to name here. You will spend the whole movie saying, “Hey, that's so-and-so!”

And you will watch the movie, assuming you have Netflix and are of an age to know who Jerry Seinfeld is. There is simply no reason not to watch this silly celebration of breakfast food. There is also no reason to pretend that it is anything more than an amusing vanity project. In the 90's, “Seinfeld” pushed boundaries with episodes like the “master of my domain” one and the one with the wooden Indian. He took risks and ruffled feathers. “Unfrosted” does neither. The movie is one big Dad-joke. It has laughs, but they are gentle, family friendly, even. Like the breakfast pastry that the film celebrates, it is a bunch of empty calories that you will forget about soon after consuming it. (Not that there's anything wrong with that!)

2.5 stars out of 5

No Hard Feelings ***

 

It has been obvious that Jennifer Lawrence is an amazing actress since 2010's "Winter's Bone." The 20-yr-old displayed a range and level of maturity beyond her years in that film, and she has confirmed her genius in follow-ups like "Silver Linings Playbook," "American Hustle," and the "Hunger Games" films. It should come as no surprise, then, that she is able to take a silly, forgettable comedy like “No Hard Feelings” and elevate it above its genre.

Lawrence plays Maddie, an irresponsible, hot mess with limited career prospects who has burned through all the available men in her small town. She responds to an ad from a couple of concerned parents looking for someone to “date” their shy, virginal, adult son. Maddie promises to “date the shit” out of the young man in exchange for a car.

You can pretty much guess the rest of the story. There have been a million of these “nerdy guy dates hot girl” movies. “No Hard Feelings” doesn't really distinguish itself from the other offerings in this genre, but it does manage to be entertaining, largely on the charms of Jennifer Lawrence. She has good comic timing, and with the help of a supporting cast that is at least competent, she turns a hackneyed story into a fun bit of comedy.

3 stars out of 5

The Holdovers (2023) ***

 

From director Alexander Payne and star Paul Giamatti, the team that brought us the brilliant “Sideways,” we now have “The Holdovers,” a thoughtful, funny, sometimes overly-sweet film about a bunch of misfits forming an unlikely family.

Giamatti plays Paul Hunham, a grumpy, cross-eyed antiquities teacher at the toney Barton academy, a New England boarding school for boys. Unpopular with the students, faculty, and administration, Hunham gets stuck with the job of staying at school over the holidays to look after the handful of boys who have nowhere to go over the Christmas break, the “holdovers.” You might think that Hunham wouldn't mind the job that much. He lives on campus, and with no family, he has no travel plans. In fact, Hunham has never really gone anywhere. He went from being a student at Barton (on scholarship) to teaching there, and he seems destined to live out his lonely life being grumpy there.

Hunham sees a bit of himself in one of the boys. Angus (Dominic Sessa) is bright but socially awkward. He is also unpopular at Barton, and his status as a holiday holdover is extra painful because he was dropped at the last minute from his family's beach vacation. The other holdover boys are a mixed bag of various ages and backgrounds. With frigid weather outside, and an unsympathetic Mr. Hunham inside, the boys prepare to spend an unhappy holiday.

Director Alexander Payne is known for his clever, often darkly funny, character studies, including “Citizen Ruth”, “Election”, and “Sideways”. “The Holdovers” is interesting not because exciting things happen, but because of the glimpse it gives you of characters you might not normally pay attention to: the grumpy teacher, the awkward student, and the quiet cook who lost her son to Vietnam (Da'Vine Joy Randolph).

There are people of a certain age for whom “Dead Poets Society” was their favorite movie growing up. Now that they are adults, “The Holdovers” should be their new favorite. Like “Dead Poets”, “The Holdovers” is about a teacher whose integrity gets him into trouble, but who winds up inspiring at least one of his students. “The Holdovers” does not get as melodramatically dark as “Dead Poets”, but its tone throughout is more melancholy, its characters more complex, and its hero harder to warm up to. Like “Dead Poets”, “The Holdovers” crosses the line from emotional to treacly at times.

The film is worth seeing for the excellent performances by Paul Giamatti and young co-star Dominic Sessa, and for the Oscar-winning supporting performance by Da'Vine Joy Randolph. Still, Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti have done better. If you saw”Sideways,” you know that wine-themed movie was like a fine pinot noir - subtle, complex, something you want to revisit again and again. “The Holdovers” is more like a merlot - pleasant but basic.

3 stars out of 5

Burn After Reading (2008) ***

 

Like every spy story, “Burn After Reading” is convoluted. CIA analyst Osborne Cox (John Malkovich) loses his job and decides to write his memoirs. His shrew of a wife, Katie (Tilda Swinton) accidentally copies his manuscript along with their financial information while secretly preparing to file for divorce. A copy of her files gets left in a gym locker room, where a couple of dim-witted gym employees, Linda (Frances McDormand) and Chad (Brad Pitt) mistake it for actual intelligence data. Linda and Chad figure this stuff must be worth money to someone, and they proceed to try to cash in on their find. Meanwhile, Linda starts dating a married cad named Harry, (George Clooney), who also happens to be Katie's secret lover.

Each character in this black comedy is dumber than the last, and this confederacy of dunces circulate around each other, spinning towards a conclusion that, in Coen brothers tradition, is funny and violent. The thing is, “Burn After Reading” was just a little disappointing. For a Coen brothers movie, it just does not have a lot to it. It's funny, but not nearly as funny as “Fargo” or “The Big Lebowski.” It's a convoluted tale of lies and deceit, but coming from the guys who wrote “Miller's Crossing,” the twists and turns in this story feel pedestrian. The movie is reasonably entertaining and funny, but in the end, this is a massively-talented, A-list cast paired with a legendary writing/ directing duo for a story that just does not amount to much. It's like I ordered a big, juicy, Coen brothers cheeseburger and got served a vegan burger without a bun.

3 stars out of 5