Better Late Than Ever Vol. 7

Adam Driver dominates much of my watchlist as Netflix and Amazon Prime provide several flicks that are becoming the talk of the town and potential award contenders. In addition to several streaming movies is a sequel to a sequel from Sony still in cinemas.

The Report (B+) (Available on Amazon Prime)

Known for writing screenplays for several Steven Soderbergh movies like The Informant! and Contagion, Scott Z. Burns makes his directorial debut with The Report, starring Adam Driver as Dan Jones, a U.S. Senate Investigator who looks into the CIA's history of using torture as a means of interrogation. Where other political thrillers like All The President's Men and The Post had journalists on the front lines, The Report shows us from the inside of a government worker doing all he can to uncover and release this evidence legally to the public. An appalling watch as we witness with Jones all that he comes across: the horrifying tactics that were employed on prisoners, the way it was granted permission, seeing many agree with these methods, and how they try to justify that it works. Even worse is how many tried to stop the report from being released and even then are walking free and still have high-ranking jobs to this day. All taking place in the aftermath of 9/11 and continuing for more than a decade long (watching the story jump from date to date, had my mind reel back to my high school and college years). Driver continues on being my favorite actor and delivers another great performance along with Annette Bening whose screen presence towers onscreen. Rounding the rest of the cast are television veterans Micheal C. Hall (Dexter), Ted Levine (Monk), and John Hamm (Mad Men). Cameos include Tim Blake Nelson (The Ballad of Buster Scruggs), Corey Stoll (Ant-Man), Joanne Tucker (Adam Driver's wife) and Matthew Rhys in his second role as a journalist after A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood. Moral judgement, corruption and harsh realism make this movie a captivating watch, reminding us that some lines whether in the name of justice or democracy should never be crossed and just because there are things we can do, it doesn't mean that we should. Something that many of us, regardless of parties can agree on.

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote (D-)

Don't go in expecting a another retelling of the classic tale by Miguel de Cervantes, as this film runs with its own wacky logic, which can be expected with Terry Gilliam behind the camera. Adam Driver plays Toby, a delusional director who comes across an old acquaintance (Jonathan Pryce), a shoe cobbler who acted the part of Don Quixote de la Mancha in his student film; only this time he actually believes to be the chivalrous knight and that Toby is his faithful squire Sancho. Adventure awaits them, in present-day Spain with a dumbfounded Toby losing his mind on all that occurs. This movie took nearly seventeen years to make with many terrible setbacks from bad weather, equipment being destroyed, losing the main leads, etc. Was this a sign that film was not meant to be? Many at the time believed so, but now that it's here, I'm just wondering why we couldn't it have stuck to the original story instead of deviating so much from the source material. So many scenes of potential such as the famous windmill scene showcase what could have been, instead of this dull mess. I've seen more faithful adaptations from Wishbone and Veggietales. As much as I love Driver, his talent is wasted along with Pryce. From a temptress, Russian thugs, sleazy Hollywood workers, this feels like one of those parody clip shows shown on The Critic that all of a sudden became a movie. It's cute for quick gag but not a feature length film. Monty Python and the Holy Grail had a method to its madness and a punchline that payed off; wish I could say the same for The Man Who Killed Don Quixote, which seems to have been dead to begin with.

Marriage Story (B-) (Available on Netflix)

Once in awhile, there is that one movie that is loved by everyone but me. From Lady Bird to Manchester By the Sea and now Marriage Story, inspired by director Noah Baumbach's own divorce. Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver are Nicole and Charlie. She is an aspiring actress and he is a Broadway director, up until now their marriage has reached a tipping point. She wants to try something new like moving back to California, but he is content on where he is like living in New York. Pretty soon the divorce papers are delivered, the lawyers are hired and the emotions spiral out of control. Marriage Story is a depressing movie that does a good job on showing the ugliness emitted from humanity as seen through divorce but if it really wanted to go that further, it would  have been better in seeing these characters years later and seeing them reflect on all that has happened and where they are like regret, anger, confidence. Maybe even show the prolonged affect on Nicole and Charlie's son who wishes both would be together again. We get a smidgen of it, but settles for an "Oh Well, that's that" mentality. It doesn't help that at times it seems to side one over the other and then back again. I will agree that the performances are top notch from Johansson and Driver giving their all especially in one heartbreaking scene that takes place in an apartment room. Neither of their characters are in the right and after the turmoils and maneuvers, especially from  their lawyers (Laura Dern and Ray Liotta are deviously slimy) they can't help but still harbor feelings with each other and you see how it pains them both. Neither aren't willing to let go. Marriage Story is a depressing watch that hits the hard points of a broken marriage but only scratches the surface of what further could be explored.

The Irishman (A-) (Available on Netflix)

At the time that I'm writing this, I've seen only three of Martin Scorsese's movies (Hugo, Silence and The Last Temptation of Christ) but have yet to see his most iconic work (The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street, and The Aviator).  After watching the The Irishman, I can't wait to get to watch the rest of his filmography. Robert De Niro is Frank Sheeran, a once feared and respected hitman for the mob, now all alone reaching the the end of his life. We see him recount his story from his humble beginnings as lowly truck driver and his first encounter with mob boss Russell Bufalino (Joe Pesci). From there he begins his reputation of "painting houses," getting along with other crime lords, and grabbing the attention of Jimmy Hoffa (Al Pacino) where a friendship is formed between the Irish hit-man and the Irish mob boss. But is it enough as their sins start to catch up? Your movie has to be this good in order to get Joe Pesci out of retirement. How about a reunion with Robert de Niro in their fourth Scorsese collaboration and working with Micheal Corleone himself Al Pacino? Then we wouldn't have such an engrossing and thrilling picture. After years of humiliating themselves in awful comedies, The Irishman reminds us why De Niro, Pesci and Pacino are legends in the first place. Each of them command the screen with Pesci being the huge stand-out in a calm and controlled performance. Even with its nearly four hour run-time, Scorsese is able to captivate my interest to the very end, proving why he is one of the best filmmakers working today. Working with an excellent cast that also includes Ray Romano (Everybody Love's Raymond), Bobby Cannavale (Ant-Man), Harvey Keitel (Reservoir Dogs)  and Anna Paquin (X-Men) as Frank's mostly mute daughter representing the morality that has been silenced. For a movie that deals with deceit and murder, it finds time to incorporate religious themes as seen Frank and much of his companions in their later lives. The Irishman is a complex crime thriller that showcases filmmaking at its finest.


Jumanji: The Next Level (C+)

Three years has passed since the events of Welcome to the Jungle, Bethany (Madison Iseman), Fridge (Ser'Darius Blain) and Martha (Morgan Turner) still keep in touch; Spencer (Alex Wolff) on the other-hand, has been distancing himself. As the group reunite during winter break, they discover that Spencer has been tampering with what's left of the Jumanji game console. The gang are sucked back into the jungle world dragging along Spencer's grandfather Eddie (Danny DeVito) and Milo (Danny Glover) an old acquaintance of Eddie. While Martha retains her avatar of Ruby Roundhouse (Karen Gilliam) everyone else is mixed-up; Fridge is now Professor Shelly (Jack Black), Grandpa Eddie is Dr. Smolder Bravestone (Dwayne Johnson) and Glover is Mouse Finbar (Kevin Hart) to name a few changes. Once again the gang must survive the treacherous world of Jumanji in order to get back home. It may be The Next Level but this fourth installment of the Jumanji world, based on the books by Chris Van Allsburg (which also includes Zathura), retreads familiar terrain of Welcome to the Jungle. A group of people are sucked into a video game world, cool looking avatars, ferocious wild animals, a big boss baddie, a player who has been stuck longer than the characters, etc. A few welcome elements are added such as switching the character's video game counterparts, Johnson and Hart imitating DeVito and Glover add to the comedy, Nick Jonas and Colin Hanks reprising their roles once again, and the addition of Awkwafina as a new playable character. Jumanji: The Next Level, isn't as exciting as its predecessor but provides mindless and harmless fun on a rainy day. May I recommend for the sequel to bring the video game world into the real world and have the main leads pull a Shazam! in order to beat the game and possibly bring together the worlds of 1995's Jumanji and Jon Favreau's Zathura in a cinematic crossover event? After that tease seen at the end of this film, it seem's to be the only way to go. If Mary Poppins Returns, Jurassic World, Star Wars: The Force Awakens and upcoming Ghostbusters movie can do it, why not Jumanji?