2016: The Year in Film: "Dr. Strange" Review

Hi! Remember me?? I used to review all of the movies I saw back in the halcyon days of 2014ish. Well, I've decided that I need to return to this important public service in time for awards season, so I plan on reviewing the movies that I see and have seen in some kind of haphazard fashion for my own satisfaction more than anything else. If you enjoy them, awesome! If not... oh. By my count I'm 14 movies behind at the moment, so we'll see if I ever ACTUALLY get current or if I just abandon the Spotlights and Revenants of the world to the abyss. Time (and my own laziness..) will tell.

So, if you're new here, allow me to reiterate, as I do roughly twice a year, that I'm an unabashed Marvel fan boy and have been for as long as I can recall. I fully recognize that your mileage may vary as far as Marvel's cinematic universe goes, and that's entirely your prerogative. However, I feel that the magnitude of Marvel's (and Disney's) achievement with the shared movie universe cannot be understated. Through 14 films and counting now, these films share characters, settings and interconnected events to greater or lesser extent with greater or lesser effectiveness all in the name of creating the comic book experience on the silver screen. When it's good, it's great, as Civil War and Avengers demonstrate, and when it's bad or even "meh", as in Iron Man 2 & 3, this shared structure can be an anchor which ultimately drags down the enterprise, but the shared universe allows for levels of characterization and narrative depth that simply aren't possible in a single film or even a franchise. One thing that Marvel has managed to do effectively over the last 18 months or so is successfully expand its shared universe into heretofore untouched areas that really enrich the enterprise as a whole - Ant Man managed to fit effectively into the larger narrative while introducing people and events that neatly fit within its own narrative and Guardians of the Galaxy took Marvel into the weird and awesome wider cosmos.

Enter: Doctor Strange. As a confession, I've never read a single Dr. Strange comic in my life and I don't know much about him other than that he exists and that he's a sorcerer of some kind. This one promises to expand Marvel's film universe into magic and mysticism and all sorts of new weirdness that can hopefully expand the entire endeavor. Dr. Stephen Strange is a wildly successful and arrogant neurosurgeon who finds himself lost and desperate for answers following a horrible accident. These answers lead him to a mysterious mystical teacher where he discovers that the world is a much more complicated place than he could have ever imagined.

The Good: if there's one thing that Marvel has consistently nailed, it's the casting. Starting with Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark, Marvel has signed actors who allow the sometimes formulaic and familiar plots to rise above typical superhero dreck through the strength of their charisma and performances. Marvel simply could not have cast a better Dr. Strange than Benedict Cumberbatch. He manages to effortlessly express extreme competence and yet shock at the mind blowing situations he find himself in. The supporting cast is equally strong, and Tilda Swinton as "the ancient one" was inspired casting. Her otherworldly look combined with her Tilda Swinton-ness created a one of a kind character who really adds to the air of mysticism and... strange-ness underlying the entire affair. Other than the cast (Chiwetel Ejiofor - I still have no idea how to pronounce his name - is strong as always and rises above the role which easily could have been one of forgettable sidekick) the main strength of this film both as a standalone work AND within the larger Marvel pantheon is just how strange and trippy the visuals and plotting are. I know that Dan Harmon (my man) of Community and Rick and Morty fame was brought in to consult on wacky sci fi issues, and it shows in that the narrative is crazy - hopping dimensions and realities - but also crisp and tight - managing to pack an origin not only of a character but of an entire corner of the world in under 2 hours. This short run time is refreshing in our era of 30 minute fight sequences, and it's to be commended. The sci fi/magic/mumbo jumbo is Inception meets Harry Potter meets The Matrix but somehow it works and it's refreshing and smart and new in a superhero genre that sometimes can consist of nothing more than people punching each other large distances.



The Bad: ultimately, even with the trippy visuals and weird pseudo-science/magic, it feels like the movie plays it safe and doesn't go the extra weird mile that could have made this film something special. That's not necessarily a bad thing in that this is simply an origin story - but there are pieces here that could have made this flick a standalone classic on its own accord. Additionally - as has unfortunately been the case more often than not in the MCU - the villain (a perfectly cast Mads Mikkelson) feels underdeveloped and wasted. It feels like a shame to bring in an actor of his caliber and use him as nothing more than a throwaway foil. Speaking of wasted, Rachel McAdams could be completely cut out of this movie and it wouldn't change a single plot point, theme or substantial element. I'm not sure if most of her role was cut out of the final film or if she just wanted a paycheck, but it seems bizarre to case a "love interest" with such a known quantity only to have her twiddle her thumbs throughout.

Ultimately, this is a worthy addition to the Marvel Canon. I'd put it somewhere in the 2nd tier of Marvel films, below the GREAT movies like Avengers, the first Iron Man and Guardians of the Galaxy, but it stands proudly on its own accord and solidly establishes a perfectly cast and entertaining new member of the Marvel world. Horror writer/director Scott Derrickson wrote and directed, and he establishes himself as a potentially unique voice and visual eye to look out for. This film subverts expectations and employs some truly unique and trippy visuals - it's definitely worth a watch.

As always with Marvel, there's post-credits scenes - 2 of them.

7.5/10

2014: The Year in Film: "A Most Wanted Man" Review

So, the overdose/death/suicide of Philip Seymour Hoffman was one of the truly sad premature deaths of the last few years. One of the truly great and distinctive talents of his generation, he was only 46 years old when he passed... and I'm legitimately still a little sad about it. Other than his crowning achievement, his Best Actor Oscar for Capote, he turned in particularly memorable roles in The Master, Doubt, Boogie Nights, Charlie Wilson's War, and so on and so on. He was the type of performer who left his mark on every single role, no matter how small (hell, he was even pretty great in Along Came Polly) and who elevated otherwise forgettable films into great, memorable works just by the sheer force of his talent. I was, and remain, incredibly sad to see him go, as I feel that his best years may have been ahead of us, but as a small consolation he left us a few more films to remember him by. In addition to the final Hunger Games flicks, which are 'meh' as far as PSH goes, he left us with A Most Wanted Man, an adaption of a John le Carre spy novel. (le Carre, who had worked for British intelligence during the Cold War also wrote "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" among numerous other books)

In A Most Wanted Man, we're introduced to Hamburg, Germany, where a mysterious Chechan man swims to shore and attempts to hide with the local Muslim community. German and American intelligence services take an interest with this man - who may have ties to terrorism - and the spies on the ground struggle to discover the truth before its too late.

The Good: like a good spy novel, quality TV drama or 70's-era film, the plot unfolds gradually, choosing to focus on character points and narrative tension over James Bond-style action and car chases. I'm under the impression that this film paints a realistic picture of what spycraft and intelligence work are really like focusing on the bureaucratic, political elements, although of course I have absolutely zero perspective on what is or is not "realistic" when it comes to such things. Rather than painting its characters as "good" or "bad", more or less everyone exists in a shade of grey, and it remains a legitimate question for most of the film as to whether the "most wanted man" in question is a legitimate target and potential terrorist or a political refugee and victim. Philip Seymour Hoffman is, in a word, brilliant. His Gunther Bachmann is understated, intense, and driven despite the failures of his career, and his posture, mannerisms and every move belie a man determined to fight for his beliefs even as he's nearly been defeated by the demands of his chosen profession. Even though the performance is more subtle than what's typically considered "great", this film is a great encapsulation of what made PSH such a tour de force on the screen. If it's not an ideal farewell, it's a suitable one. The rest of the cast doesn't quite keep pace with him, but Willem Dafoe, Robin Wright and newcomer Grigoriy Dobrygin are bright spots.



The Bad: the plot is at times a bit melodramatic, and some of the character motivations don't quite make sense. Rachel McAdams is miscast, as she's simply not up to the task of matching PSH in a serious film, and her character's motivations seem to miss, as she's simply not believable as a crusading immigration lawyer. Additionally, this film falls into the personal pet-peeve trap of having American actors playing Germans talking to each other in English with German accents. I have always thought that is just absurd, and I know that it's an old Hollywood trope, but I simply cannot abide it and think it's always ridiculous. We're all adults. We can read a movie. Film it in German or adapt it so that it's set in an English-speaking country.

In all, you're coming to this film for one reason and one reason only: to see one of the greats in his last performance as a leading man. Even though the film is subtle and understated, it's done well, and PSH for his part does not disappoint. So if you're a PSH fan, or feel like watching what's basically a very good extra-length episode of Homeland, you'll like what you see.

7.5/10