Movie Reviews: Sicario, What Love Is, Crime Story

Sicario
directed by Denis Villeneuve

Denis Villeneuve also directed Prisoners. And Sicario has more than a few of the same questions about moral lines being crossed or even drawn that were posed in that film. Both because of space and spoiler concerns this review of Sicario needs to be shorter than normal. I will say that although the marketing may have led one to believe that this film is yet another entry in the now overdone trope category of "slight woman beats up or intimidates men twice her size" that is quite deliberate misdirection. And that's no spoiler. This is a very serious movie with a lot of moving parts and gray areas. As we have discussed before there are a few people who will not let moral concerns get in the way of what they think needs to be done. Although many of us describe those people as "evil" it's not always that simple. If for example you are on a secret military mission to kill or capture say Osama Bin Laden and a child sees your team approaching the compound what is the correct decision to take regarding that child's life? Do you let that child survive and give a warning which will result in the slaughter of your team? Decisions, decisions.
The film's initial "heroine"and arguably its moral center is FBI SWAT team leader Kate Macer (Emily Blunt). You could use the cliche that Macer is tough as nails but that's not quite true. She's as tough as she needs to be but like most people she has bosses to whom she has to answer, people who could easily destroy her career with the click of a mouse. She's not so tough with them. Macer does believe in doing things by the book, a characteristic that is not necessarily shared by anyone in the FBI hierarchy besides her partner and second-in-command Reggie Wayne (Daniel Kaluuya). Both Macer and Wayne are gung-ho for their work but are young and considered idealistic by their bosses. We open the movie with Macer leading a SWAT takedown of what she believes to be a kidnapping situation. It turns out to be something much much worse. Afterwards, Macer is picked by her boss Jennings (Victor Garber) and a happy-go-lucky Department of Defense official named Graver (Josh Brolin) to assist in an interagency takedown of the people responsible for the atrocity that Macer discovered. 
And those responsible people are the bosses of the Juarez Cartel in Mexico. The cartels are not only transferring drugs to the US; they're setting up shop. Graver is a real jokester and rarely seems to take anything too seriously. But like some people I've known with that persona you wonder if he's just throwing the jokes out there to see who laughs because he's a boss and who is smart enough to know why he's telling bad jokes. I liked what Brolin did with this role. It could have been very heavy-handed but Brolin keeps it light. You never know right where he's coming from until the movie smacks you in the mouth with it. Graver wants Macer for this job. He doesn't want Wayne, although eventually Macer brings Wayne in on the action. The stated goal is to arrest big shots of the Juarez Cartel and use the resulting disruption to move up the chain and get the real leaders. However Macer soon realizes that the mission statement of the task force isn't reflected in what's actually happening on the street. How she deals with this is an important theme throughout the film.

One person who isn't shocked by the chasm between goals and actions is Alejandro (Benicio Del Toro), a dilatory cipher of a man who doesn't seem to report to anyone on the task force, sleeps through status meetings and is very sparing in his speech. When challenged as to what he actually does or who he works for he responds "That would be like trying to explain to you how a watch works. For now let's just look at the time." And that statement could well be a motto for this entire film. There's a shift about two-thirds of the way thru which alters the viewer's perspective and places a new person at the film's center. It's a measure of the film's skill that it's able to pull off this shift in perspective with grace. Let's be clear here without spoiling anything. This is a dark dramatic film. The violence, although rarely as explicit as Tarantino's work, is never far from the narrative. Even things that happen offscreen or are only shown in brief moments have huge impacts on the story and the viewer.  If you're someone who prefers films about bunnies, strawberries and butterflies, this is just not the film for you. Del Toro did wonderful work in this movie and may have stolen it. Winston Churchill said that "In wartime truth is so precious that she should always be attended by a bodyguard of lies." Nietschze wrote that "He who fights monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." Both of those quotes were quite relevant to this film and to the larger War on Drugs which this film examines. You could make an argument that everyone in this film acts in accordance with their training and experiences. You could also say that Macer represents the American people. It's ironic because both Blunt and Kaluuya are British.
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What Love Is
directed by Mars Callahan

What Love Is is an older silly romantic comedy directed by someone who at one point was going to be the next big thing in Hollywood. Unfortunately he ran into health problems and had to do other things besides directing films. Stuff happens. This is an ok film. Although it has a very limited setting, (most of it takes place in one home) it still has some interesting things to say about men and women and relationships. Actually, since one of the characters is gay, I suppose that the film's insights are not necessarily limited strictly to heterosexual duos.  The writing doesn't quite live up to the cast but again this isn't really a movie that you're supposed to think too deeply about. Because the settings don't change and the director is also the writer, this film feels like a play. People speak very quickly and always have rejoinders. Maybe you're in the mood for this sort of thing and maybe you're not. Tom (Cuba Gooding Jr.) is a successful man who is, after a great deal of time and supposed passive-aggressive actions from his girlfriend Sarah (Victoria Pratt), finally ready to settle down and pop the big question to the love of his life. He thinks the timing is perfect. He's happy in his career and guess what it's Valentine's Day. What better day to propose? Tom has thoughtfully invited over several of his and his soon-to-be-wife's friends to enjoy the big moment. Tom is just bursting with love! He's got the world on a string pal! He's ready to give sweets to the sweet. 

There's just one problem. Tom gets home to discover that his girlfriend has gotten tired of waiting for him to commit. She doesn't love him anymore. She tells him just that in the letter she has ever so thoughtfully left behind. She's already moved out all of her stuff but will be back later that evening to pick up the last two suitcases. Tom is devastated. When the party guests arrive they initially try to cheer up Tom but of course this doesn't really work. Many of the men and women have different ideas on what Tom did or didn't do wrong, what his next moves should be and who really has the upper hand in the eternal war of the sexes.  After some initial interaction both gender groups retreat to separate sections of the home and share war stories about the other gender. Some of the party guests are unattached or like to pretend that they are. Some of them show some interest in each other. Supposedly some guests want to wait until Tom's girlfriend returns just to give Tom emotional support while others want to give the girlfriend a piece of their mind. This is a very explicit movie in terms of subject matter and language. The actors/actresses featured include Anne Heche, Sean Astin, Mars Callahan, Andrew Daly, Gina Gershon, Matthew Lillard, Tamala Jones, T.C. Carson, Shiri Appleby and Jud Tylor. This is a decent film with a well hidden sweetness but not necessarily worth going out of your way to watch. There's too much dialogue. I liked Anne Heche's character. You'll laugh but this is not a super memorable film.
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Crime Story
created by Michael Mann

This mid eighties television series was created by Michael Mann, who also created Miami Vice. While Miami Vice became a fixture in American culture and spawned a film of the same name, Crime Story has not at this point inspired a movie. Nor has it as far as I can see become part of the American zeitgeist.  It only lasted two seasons, in part because NBC made the mistake of scheduling it against ABC's Moonlighting.  Each season ended on a cliffhanger. However Crime Story did provide a springboard for the great character actor and former Chicago police officer Dennis Farina to go on to bigger and better things. Crime Story was set in early sixties Chicago. Given Farina's strong Windy City accent it's inconceivable that the series could have been set anywhere else. Crime Story was one of Farina's first long running lead roles. You could see him grow into it. Of course given Farina's previous job, you also wonder if playing an irascible police officer occasionally struggling to contain his worst impulses was that much of a stretch. Farina's Lieutenant Mike Torello was very comfortable intimidating bad guys, lying on the witness stand or pointing a baseball bat at a sensitive part of someone's anatomy.  With what we know about the Chicago Police Department I am sure that Farina could have told some stories. And I'm equally sure I probably wouldn't have wanted to hear some of them. However if you're flying straight Mike Torello is on your side, no matter your race, creed or nationality. But if you're crooked, God help you because you'll need God's help once Torello takes a negative interest in you. Torello is head of Chicago's Major Crime Unit (or MCU), sort of a mini Untouchables/FBI within the CPD. As its name suggests MCU is the organization designed to deal with the worst criminals in Chicago, psychopathic killers and Outfit hoodlums.

Torello becomes aware of a rising force on the street and within the Outfit. That force is Ray Luca (Anthony Denison-seen here with a pompadour that makes Elvis and Ike Turner look bald). Luca is Torello's evil twin. Like Torello, Ray Luca is Italian and grew up rough in The Patch. Like Torello, Ray Luca doesn't suffer fools gladly and occasionally loses himself in temper tantrums. Like Torello he doesn't back down from confrontation. Like Torello, Luca can be singleminded and ruthless in pursuit of what he considers to be a worthwhile goal. Unlike Torello, though Ray Luca has no problem with murder, or a whole host of other scummy behaviors. Torello has trouble pinning anything that will stick on Luca even as Luca transforms from street thug to mob member to mob leader, casino mogul and international criminal with connections in the US Federal government. Torello's obsession with Luca will cost him his marriage, friendships and more.  Crime Story used a number of actors who were relatively well-known at the time but also obviously used up and comers who would go on to greater fame and fortune, including but not limited to Ving Rhames, Julia Roberts, David Caruso,  Kevin Spacey, David Hyde Pierce, Christian Slater, Michael Madsen, Michael Rooker, Lorraine Bracco, Gary Sinise, and many many more. Pam Grier had a recurring role as did Stephen Lang. Jazz legends Dexter Gordon and Miles Davis had cameos. John Santucci, a real life mob associated thief who played Ray Luca's number two, Paulie, had actually been arrested by Farina. This series was one of the first police procedurals to use recurring storylines, show the costs of police work and ponder that there might be more similarities between cops and criminals than either side would like to admit. It was a little before its time but was also harmed by not being on cable, where it could have pushed the envelope like its descendants The Wire and The Sopranos. If nothing else I enjoy this show for the clothes and cars. Everyone here is just as cool as they can be. And all the girls are crazy for a sharp dressed man.
Intro

Ned Stark Misses the Big Picture: Loras Tyrell

Ned Stark was a good father, brother, husband and son. But he was a maladroit political strategist. Even when he tried to plot his sense of honor and morality made him value other people's interests as highly as his own. Martin seems to be telling the reader that this is not only a mistake but is also on some level immoral, at least as judged by utilitarian standards. And an utilitarian approach, at least in part, might appear to be necessary for leaders. Rulers and leaders can't afford to live by rigid personal standards of honor. Unlike almost everyone else in King's Landing, Ned simply doesn't put his own well being first. That is an excellent characteristic for a traditional family man. It's not so good for a wartime political leader. Tywin Lannister sends The Mountain (Gregor Clegane) and crew raiding, raping, robbing and pillaging throughout the Riverlands, Catelyn's family's realm. Clegane and his dogs aren't under Lannister banners but The Mountain is so widely known and feared that everyone realizes it's him. Tywin's actions are a direct challenge to Ned's and therefore Robert's authority. Tywin wants to make it clear that Catelyn Stark's kidnapping arrest of his son Tyrion is not a cost free action. We learn later than Tywin intended for Clegane to capture Ned and trade for Tyrion. Ironically if this HAD happened Ned might have survived Joffrey's crowning since he wouldn't have been in a place where Littlefinger Joffrey could have ordered his execution. The canny Tywin would have recognized that a living Ned (even with a released Tyrion and crowned Joffrey) was more valuable to his family's interests. Perhaps war wouldn't have broken out as captive Ned would have been unable to complete his clumsy detective work and learn of the Lannister incest. Even if war erupts a living Ned means that Robb doesn't declare himself King of the North. If Ned (and Arya/or Sansa) are traded for Tyrion and/or Jaime the Starks would have been in a much better position. But of course Ned couldn't lead the excursion against the Mountain. Ned had a lame leg. So Ned sends the majority of his personal guard after the Mountain. Ned is actually upset that he can't lead the party as being a macho man of the North he won't ask anyone to do what he won't and so on. 
But Ned had other choices.
Loras asked Ned in front of hundreds of witnesses to lead the expedition to capture or kill Gregor Clegane. Ned refuses because as Loras is only a little older than Robb, Ned has trouble seeing Loras as a grown man. Loras lacks experience. Ned correctly perceives that Loras is motivated more by personal glory and revenge against Gregor Clegane than by honest outrage over lawbreaking and atrocity. Ned thinks that Loras would simply get himself killed. Instead Ned orders off most of his household guard and you know the rest. Ned just didn't think this through. Ned has already been attacked in public by the Lannisters and received no help from the City Guard. That's a pretty strong indication that neither Ned's status as Hand (although technically he wasn't Hand when he was attacked) nor the fact that he's Robert's best friend and Warden of the North deter the Lannisters. So Ned's first move should be to keep his remaining retainers very close as they are the ONLY people he can trust in King's Landing. Ned has no other allies at this time.

Ned may or may not know about the sexual relationship between Renly and Loras (I can't recall myself) but he must know that they are good friends. Ned also must know that Loras is Mace Tyrell's favorite son, albeit not the heir (in the book). Ned didn't know the depth of Stannis' and Renly's dislike for one another. Ned didn't know yet about the Lannister incest. Ned would have been much wiser politically to send Loras. If Loras is able to capture or kill the Mountain, then Ned gets credit for giving Loras the chance to shine. A happy Loras means a happy Renly and Mace. If events still occur later as they originally did then Renly might even help Sansa and Arya get out of King's Landing rather than only looking to save himself. 

If, as is much more likely, The Mountain makes Loras his hand puppet and kills him in a particularly gruesome and painful way both the Tyrells and the Renly faction of the Baratheons are out for blood. Renly is thinking less about crowning himself King and more about revenge against the Lannisters. If he still leaves King's Landing he doesn't waste time dillydallying with tourneys and games but immediately starts war. Even if Renly still decides to crown himself and is still murdered by Stannis, the Tyrells simply wouldn't join with the Lannisters afterwards. Even if it makes political sense it's almost impossible to do. The Tyrells probably just go home or (less likely) swallow hard and reluctantly support Stannis. So at the Battle of The Blackwater there is no Tyrell-Lannister joint attack. This means Stannis takes King's Landing. Heck without Loras to whisper sweet nothings into his ear (mostly an invention of the show) there's an outside chance that Renly doesn't declare himself king. Stannis and Renly remain unified. If Stannis declares himself earlier then Robb Stark never accepts the King in the North title. Because he's aligned with two of the most powerful Southern families and isn't seeking to secede, Robb doesn't need Greyjoy allies. He never sends Theon home which means Winterfell isn't burned nor are his younger brothers believed dead. Bolton and Frey don't have the guts or the inclination to start acting up because the Lannister position is MUCH weaker. Heck, Lysa might decide (or have it decided for her) to join the likely winning side and commit the Arryn legions to the Stark-Baratheon-Tully-Tyrell group. Even Tywin would have had to sue for peace.

If Ned still has his houseguard (assuming he still foolishly warns Cersei of his intentions and he probably would) there's a slight chance that Sansa and Arya get out of KL and a better chance that Ned WINS the showdown in the throne room. If that happens and Ned has Cersei and her children at his mercy Tywin would have to proceed much more carefully. Full war might never have broken out. It would still be tense though as Ned would not want the Lannister kids killed no matter what while Renly and especially Stannis would be very much in favor of that. Maybe Joffrey is sent to the Wall while Myrcella and Tommen are fostered in the North somewhere? Of course although Littlefinger wanted war and got it, Varys didn't want it yet. So who knows what moves they would have made to counter this. So small decisions like who to place in charge of a military expedition have huge consequences. Obviously no human can see how all the dominoes will fall, not even Littlefinger. You can't blame Ned for not foreseeing all that would happen. But even if Ned didn't appreciate the political wisdom of cynically binding the largest House to his cause, he should have understood the personal benefit of keeping his guardsmen close. So it goes.

Movie Reviews: American Ultra, The Gift

American Ultra
directed by Nima Nourizadeh

This is a fairly predictable action-comedy movie made more so by the fact that the film's main twist is revealed in the first ten minutes. The other twist, which I won't mention here is also not exactly hard to figure out. So your enjoyment of this film will depend on how engaged or amused you are by the conceit that small town convenience store clerk, artist, slacker, stoner and nebbish Mike Howell (Jesse Eisenberg), who has the musculature of a wet noodle and all the intense machismo of a neutered chihuahua, is in fact an extremely dangerous CIA killer. The hook is that Mike doesn't know any of this at first. All Mike wants to do with his life is get stoned and make love to his girlfriend Phoebe (Kristen Stewart). Phoebe is very patient dealing with all of Mike's fears, paranoia and quirks. Even so, there are a few times when she wishes that Mike would evince more typically masculine behavior patterns. But Mike is who he is. And Mike loves Phoebe. Mike also loves drugs, which are provided with a side of urban attitude and paranoia by the friendly hyperactive local drug dealer Rose (John Leguizamo). So life is pretty good for old Mike. This all changes when CIA agent Victoria Lassiter (Connie Britton) learns that her sexist energetic younger rival and boss, Adrian Yates (Topher Grace) has decided to take all the credit for his successful version of an Agency hitman program known as Tough Guy. Like most bosses Yates wants to scrub from existence all similar previous programs which he didn't oversee. In this case that means getting rid of the unsuccessful Ultra program overseen by Lassiter. And there's just one survivor from the Ultra program, Mike. So as far as Yates is concerned it's goodbye Mike. Yates is moving up the CIA ladder. He has no time for failed projects. Yates has all the restraint of an irritated rattlesnake and is about as venomous. Get in his way and he will make you regret it.

As Lassiter and Yates truly despise each other, Lassiter decides to throw a monkey wrench into Yates' plans by reactivating Mike. This will give Mike a chance to live and give Lassiter time to publicly expose Yates' wrongdoing. But Mike doesn't realize what happened. He has no memory of his past and doesn't understand why he's suddenly able to do remarkable things. And he's scared. Of course when people are shooting at you, you don't really have time for deep introspection. So this kicks off a series of setpieces in which Mike is horrified, surprised and intrigued to discover all manner of previously hidden talents. Both Lassiter and Yates try to take each other out, bureaucratically and legally if possible, violently otherwise. And in the down time when he's not being shot at, beaten, arrested or stabbed Mike tries to figure out who else in his life has been lying to him. This was an okay film but nothing special. Leguizamo's character irritated me, You'll see the twists and ending coming a mile away. The special effects are decent. Walter Goggins, Lavell Crawford (Huell from Breaking Bad) and Bill Pullman have roles. American Ultra does not contain anything near the ultraviolence of a Tarantino film. But it is bloody. However, with a few exceptions, I didn't think that the film's violence and comedy mixed that well. I've seen worse but I've also seen better. If you can just turn off your higher thinking capabilities for a while, the movie is entertaining enough.
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The Gift
directed by Joel Edgerton

Unless you happen to have a really interesting and furiously energetic private life, two is company but three's a crowd right? Aretha Franklin sang "I don't want nobody always sitting around me and my man." BB King sang "I don't want a soul hanging around my house when I'm not at home." Those emotions are often shared to a greater or lesser extent by most people in pair-bonded relationships. They do things together which aren't done with other people. Exclusivity is key to monogamy, especially when it comes to sex, time and emotions. Well what happens if someone else tries to attach themselves to that dyad? Usually it's nothing good. The Gift is a very well written, acted and directed psychological thriller that uses some classic film techniques to misdirect the viewer as to what's going on in the story. It also does this without reliance on violence or nudity, which is somewhat rare these days.  We open with a married couple Simon (Jason Bateman) and Robyn Callum (Rebecca Hall) who have just moved from the Chicago suburbs to the Los Angeles area. This is where Simon grew up and went to high school though he hasn't been back for decades. The Callums are well paid yuppies. Simon is a technology security sales executive who is on the verge of a promotion to a national position. Robyn is an interior designer who's going to try her hand at working from home part-time/online as she recently had a miscarriage. Simon is supportive of her in every way but still feels that he's primarily responsible for earning their keep. The two are very much in love. When they're at a high end store picking up some items for their new gorgeous home they have a chance meeting with an old high school classmate of Simon's, Gordon "Gordo" Moseley (Edgerton). Now from the very first you can tell that there's something a little off about Gordo. But you can't quite put your finger on it. 

Anyway Gordo is very friendly but he's friendly in the the manner that someone who has just read a book about being friendly is. It's clear that Gordo's elevator doesn't go to the top of the building. Simon claims not to remember much about Gordo, and quickly hustles Robyn away. The couple makes vague promises to stay in touch with the apparently needy Gordo. But it's obvious that for Simon at least such assurances are those polite lies you say to extricate yourself from an awkward situation. Simon wants to look forwards, not backwards. But the next day a gift from Gordo, complete with smiley faces and self-deprecating prose, shows up on the couple's doorstep. Well although the couple is a little concerned about how Gordo got their address, politesse requires that they invite Gordo to dinner. And the next thing you know Gordo is finding all sorts of semi-valid reasons to show up at their house when Simon's at work. Simon doesn't like this one bit even though Robyn initially finds it cute. Simon's attitude is "Get your own woman and stop hanging around mine!" At first Robyn is somewhat flattered by Gordo's attentions. After all Simon is away from home for ten hours or more each day. Some of Simon's reactions and tells make Robyn start to wonder if there's something else going on between the two men. The Gift has a lot of long silences, awkward moments and slow reveals that really amp up the dread, though as mentioned there is virtually no violence or sex. The couple's home has a lot of glass windows and doors which are used to heighten the sense of vulnerability. This film has a lot of surprises. It's not just your usual home invasion story. There are a lot of questions raised about what would you do to succeed or survive. What happens when someone outside a marriage steps, accidentally or otherwise, on a live wire within that marriage. I liked the three leads in this movie. I can't remember the last time I saw Bateman play someone who wasn't the frustrated straight man. So it was fun to see him do something miles apart from his work in Horrible Bosses. Bateman is not necessarily a tough guy in The Gift but he is serious about protecting his wife, his home and his career. The film is far from predictable. All of the people reveal some things about themselves that are to the say the least, unpleasant. Edgerton nails it as the occasionally sympathetic and oft creepy Gordo. This was a delicious little treat of a film which you should watch. You'll never know quite what's happening until the end of the movie. 
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Movie Reviews: The Hateful Eight

The Hateful Eight
directed by Quentin Tarantino

This is Tarantino's eighth directed film. It seems as if he's done more than that. This film has almost all of the stylings and quirks which you've come to expect from a Tarantino production. There are snarky one liners, sarcastic asides, wordplay, riffs on things that appear not to matter that much, black buddy/white buddy motifs, implied danger masquerading as excessive politeness and twisted sexuality. This film also impresses with the cinematography. The Hateful Eight was shot in Colorado and used widescreen Panavision. The effect is reminiscent of several old Westerns and classic seventies films. Tarantino loves film, and it shows. Even if you're not otherwise a Tarantino fan you might want to look at this movie simply for its visual feast. The colors are a treat. The film is broken up by title cards and even has a spot for an intermission. Legendary composer Ennio Morricone scored this film and allowed Tarantino to use previously unreleased tracks. So the film is also an auditory experience. The Hateful Eight features many actors who've worked with Tarantino before. This movie also finds Tarantino continuing his gleeful, irreverent and occasionally painful or offensive inspection of America's obsession with race and sex-particularly how those two baseline concepts intertwine. Thematically The Hateful Eight picks up after Django Unchained. It takes place in an undefined time period after the Civil War, probably the 1870s or early 1880s. But that's not really important. Although slavery has been outlawed and blacks are theoretically equal citizens, no one black or white, really believes that blacks have equality. The white conservatives of the time are openly hateful of the freed blacks while the liberals are just as prone to racist language and beliefs. Racial hostility suffuses the movie and is never far from the story. If you can't tolerate racial venom being expressed in fictional creations, this is not the film for you. Dialogue is very important in this film, occasionally more so than plot.

The Hateful Eight is Tarantino's tilted take on a locked room mystery. A number of people find themselves unexpectedly forced to share lodgings during a Wyoming snowstorm. Most of them don't know each other and those who do know each other don't appear to like each other very much. This group includes Joe Ruth (Kurt Russell) a bounty hunter known as The Hangman for his insistence for bringing in criminals alive so that they can face the noose. Ruth is a brutal if honest man. His idea of telling someone to shut up involves an elbow to the nose. His current bounty is Daisy Domergue (Jennifer Jason Leigh) a foul mouthed murderer. He's taking her to the town of Red Rock. On the road Ruth runs into Major Marquis Warren (Samuel Jackson) a former US Army officer (there actually were a handful of black officers in the Civil War) and Civil War vet who now also makes a living as a bounty hunter. As Warren is introduced to the viewer sitting on a pile of corpses, it's obvious, as Warren later cheerfully confirms, that he prefers to transport his bounties dead. Less trouble and less backtalk. As Ruth actually knows Warren from back in the day he's willing to give the stranded Warren a ride to the next lodging. When Ruth runs across the stranded Chris Mannix (Walter Goggins) a former Confederate soldier and Night Rider/KKK terrorist, he's a little less affable (not that Ruth is all that friendly to Warren) but when Mannix points out that he's actually Red Rock's new sheriff, Ruth decides not to take the chance of leaving the new sheriff to freeze to death. These men and their driver arrive at Minnie's Haberdashery, a lodge offering food and shelter. But Minnie's not around. The current inhabitants of the lodge are Joe Gage (Michael Madsen) a taciturn cowboy who claims to be writing his life's story, Oswaldo Mowbray (Tim Roth), the loquacious English born Red Rock hangman, quiet former Confederate General Sandy Smithers (Bruce Dern), and Bob (Demian Bichir), the man Minnie left in charge while she's off to visit her mother. All of these people, plus Ruth's driver O.B. (James Parks), must settle down for the night or as long as it takes the storm to pass.

As you might imagine the lodge's inhabitants very quickly notice things they don't like or trust about each other. A little thing like jellybeans on the floor can set suspicions aflame. Obviously a black Union soldier and two Confederates won't see eye to eye on very much. Tarantino effectively builds the tension in the lodge. I liked that the film did not (pun intended) whitewash the dedication to white supremacy which both animated the Confederate cause and flowed virtually unchecked through 19th century America. Nevertheless The Hateful Eight still has some deliberately anachronistic elements around race. The film also takes care to play with your perception of who the heroes are or even if there are any heroes. Ruth is presented initially as a good guy but has no problem putting hands or elbows or pistol butts on Daisy for any transgression, physical or not. Another character points out that women can kill you just as easily as men can but also die just as easily as men do. Not just content to dirty up the heroes a bit this movie also interrogates the techniques that black people use to avoid or survive confrontations with racist whites. Sadly, in the 19th century and today, it is often effective for a black person caught up in a confrontation to claim that powerful white people will be upset if anything should happen to him. Major Warren both upholds and subverts this trope. There are also shoutouts to previous Tarantino films, most uncomfortably Pulp Fiction's most disgusting scene. The film smartly avoids gore throughout most of its run time but lathers it on a bit too broadly near the end. This was a long film, almost three hours, but I didn't think it dragged much. I was a little irritated that the film explained some things I didn't think needed explaining and left some things a mystery which I thought were worth spelling out. Goggins really works the swagger while Jackson does the angry black man. Because Daisy is chained throughout most of the film and often threatened or beaten by Ruth for speaking, Leigh's acting is often quite subtle. Given that's she playing a crafty, racist but also somewhat stupid woman, this is a nice piece of work. It's never pointed out exactly who Daisy killed. If one were of a conspiratorial and/or feminist bent one might suggest that Daisy is being symbolically punished for violating traditional mores of femininity.  You could argue that in this one regard Leigh's work here hearkens back to her otherwise dissimilar role as Tralala in the excellent film Last Exit to Brooklyn. Despite her name, Daisy's no lady. And this lack of pedestal protection might well explain her fierce racist reaction upon encountering Warren. Why the hell is she in chains while this black man walks free? 

Ultimately I found the explicit violence over the top, but it's a Tarantino film. Who could expect otherwise? This is an amoral film without too much depth. Stuff happens. People die. Not Tarantino's best or worst work, this is an extremely well made and entertaining film that revels in a Grand Guignol ending. Channing Tatum and Zoe Bell also have roles. If you do see this you should do so in the theater. You'd be cheating yourself by waiting for VOD/DVD.
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R. Kelly and Scapegoating Black Men

Ok. There are a couple of things which I should point out before this short little post. (1) I am not an R. Kelly fan. I don't like or listen to R. Kelly's music. I know at most just two songs of his. There is very little modern R&B that I listen to as on balance I find the genre in its current incarnation to be about as soulful as Pat Boone and Lawrence Welk eating spam and mayonnaise sandwiches while riverdancing to Muzak. (2) Although in some states, including my own, the age of consent is 16, I don't have much respect for any grown man (i.e. over 21) who is doing anything with someone who is under 18. I think such action is distasteful when it's not outright criminal. Apparently R. Kelly has a new release and like any other musician in his position he wants to drum up interest. For some reason he or his oh so skilled top notch management/marketing team thought that it would be worthwhile for him to appear on Huffington Post Live with feminist Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani to discuss this release and other things. The interviewer wanted to get into the accusations of sexual misconduct. R. Kelly didn't want to discuss those allegations. So this interview went about as well as you might expect. You can watch it here. Basically R. Kelly lost his cool, made an ill-fated attempt to compliment Caroline Modarressy-Tehrani and then left the premises in a huff. R. Kelly knows his history. And he's old enough to know how America works. He must have been deluded to think this interviewer would not have asked questions about the past accusations against him. Let me reiterate that I don't give a flying fig newton about R. Kelly, his music, his pocketbook or his well being. He's meaningless to me. What I do care about though, is the ease with which the American media (both white AND black) can so easily and consistently make a black man the face of a larger public issue- in this case pedophilia/teenage groupies- and the self-righteousness which some people bring to bear on anyone who doesn't accept faulty logical premises about what makes good art.

Book Reviews: Soft Target

Soft Target
by Stephen Hunter

What do you do when your most impressive hero has finally gotten a little bit too old to be a believable butt kicker? Why if you're Stephen Hunter you bring in the next generation. Although they were introduced previously in a book I didn't read (I don't find it necessary to read this series in order), Soft Target finds USMC sniper Ray Cruz (despite the last name and half-Asian ancestry he is Bob Lee Swagger's son with all of the traditional Swagger skill at fast thinking and instinctive violence) and his half-sister news reporter Nikki Swagger caught up in a Black Friday terrorist attack on the Minneapolis Mall of America. Bad guys shoot Santa Claus and round up over a thousand hostages. Nikki is reporting on the incident. She also plays an important role in combating the attackers because after all, she has her Daddy's steel trap brain. Ray is caught inside the mall with his wife (or is it girlfriend, I can't recall and it is so not important) and her family. And Ray doesn't have any weapons with him. But Swaggers Die Hard (and yes this does read like a particularly bad ripoff of those movies) and Ray Cruz soon has a plan. He also has someone to help him, an Ebonics speaking black woman with a bad attitude. The bad guys are cartoonish Somalis who are more interested in rape, molestation and telling bad goat jokes than they are in the stated goal of avenging Osama Bin Laden. Their Imam is a conflicted and possibly gay man who tries to deny his tendencies by overindulging himself with Hustler magazine. But of course as you might expect in this sort of story the Somalis aren't even smart enough to pull this attack off by themselves. There's a shadowy mastermind. FBI Sniper Dave McElroy is watching the carnage take place. But he has no orders and no shot. As has seemingly become his practice now Hunter creates caricatures of liberals that read as if they are straight from Fox News. All the liberals in Soft Target are mushy she-men who dither and dally and get people killed. The primary and most offensive example of this is head of the Minnesota State police, Douglas Obobo, who is the son of a Black Kenyan Harvard graduate student and a White American Radcliffe Anthropology major. Obobo is a good looking charismatic Harvard Law Graduate who "despite the fact that he never broke a case, arrested a suspect, won a gunfight, led a raid, or testified in court" has risen inexorably to ever more lucrative and powerful jobs in law enforcement, helped along by an adoring media and his public affairs guru David Axelrod Renfro. 

There are rumors that Obobo will be the first black head of the FBI. Obobo (and I'm just guessing here that the name was chosen less for any Kenyan antecedents and more for the resemblance to the name Bozo) is a new kind of law enforcement official who believes in talking things out. He has an unshakable belief in his own abilities of persuasion and communication. He dislikes other cops much more than he does criminals. He has a smooth baritone. And he gets highly irritated whenever anyone questions him. Gee, I wonder who Hunter had in mind here. 

Hunter's conservatives are all virile square jawed heroes who try to do the right thing but are always hemmed in by the liberal backstab. This motif is very common in conservative politics and goes back at least as far as WWI era Germany. I wouldn't mind this political axe grinding all that much if the writing was still up to snuff. But it's not. Here Hunter is FAR more interested in taking shots at President Obama and the left than in writing a good story. His gushing political bile sunk the entire narrative. For example, the FBI will take over control of a case once there is a international, terrorist or inter-state aspect to the crime. Feds are superior to local law enforcement. This didn't happen in this story solely so Hunter could continue to show how incompetent Obobo is. And there are plenty of other plot holes throughout the novel. Almost every white man in this book is scared s*itless by the idea that someone might call them a racist for opposing Obobo. The problem, from my perspective, is that in lampooning what he thinks of as mushy headed thinking on the left, Hunter only reveals worse mushy headed thinking on the right. Although there is definitely a time where violence is the answer, there are also times where it pays to find out what's going on first and/or avoid violence. Too many people at both extremes view the other side's preferred approach as not only wrong tactically but wrong morally. In real life I think the most effective leaders are those who understand that there is a time to talk and a time to kick butt. Both approaches are tools worth using. Because Hunter can't even bring himself to investigate and write honestly about Islamic terrorist motivations his villains are flat and lifeless. Even his heroes don't notice obvious bad guy mistakes until the plot needs them to do so. This was sophomoric lazy writing and not at all worthy of Hunter's earlier work. Perhaps that is why it was on sale for $3.99. 

Movie Reviews: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

directed by J.J. Abrams

My Dad took my brother and me to see the first Star Wars movie all those years ago. That is a good memory. It was quite the event. Afterwards we had a great steak dinner at Flaming Embers. Good times. So I was interested to see the new Star Wars movie, even though I was a little leery of the director. Now I am unfamiliar with and don't really care about all of the expanded universe stuff that never made it to the canonical films. SO maybe some of those questions are answered there. But as far as I can tell at the end of the first trilogy, the good guys won. The Emperor and Darth Vader were defeated. The Republic was restored. Wasn't that the case? Apparently if that happened it wasn't for long. Because in The Force Awakens, the Empire or at least an Empire inspired bunch of counterrevolutionaries, has been reconstituted as The First Order. We know that these are the bad guys because they have storm troopers and prefer a Nazi inspired sartorial color scheme of red, black and white. Some of the crowd scenes also appear lifted from Pink Floyd's The Wall. The bad guys and bad girls all appear quite dashing if you're into that sort of thing. And what do these folk want to do? They want to do the same thing the bad guys and girls always want to do. Take over the world! Or in this case the Universe. Again, maybe this was all explained elsewhere but for me anyway a tiny little bit of exposition would have been helpful. The First Order has a tremendous number of soldiers and informers. They're armed to the teeth with the best military equipment. Where did they come from? How did they get so powerful? Are they all disgruntled ex-Empire soldiers who were dismissed from their positions? They are opposed by the Republic and The Resistance. At this point shouldn't The Republic and The Resistance be the same thing? But I guess none of that is really that important in the big scheme of things.

People I respect have threatened bloody murder should I reveal any spoilers. Hmm. Well that's actually pretty easy to do and easy not to do. This film is just a remake/reboot of the 1977 movie. If you've seen that film or are just familiar with it via cultural osmosis The Force Awakens not only won't have any surprises, it will also have damn near the exact same storyline and conflicts.
To wit:

• A white robed person grows up on a desert planet living hand to mouth.
• A droid has really important information that is critical to both sides of the conflict.
• The aforementioned droid fortuitously winds up with the impoverished white robed person.
• The bad guys include an officious general and a weird fellow in a black suit with Force abilities. They don't care for each other all that much.
• There's a weapon which can destroy planets.
• There are sinister junkmen/traders who will sell out the good guys for profit.
• There's a chubby guy in an X-Wing fighter who gets to say "I'm hit!" before his disintegration.
• An outsider is tricked/manipulated/guilt tripped into helping the good guys because deep down inside he's a good guy.
• Princess Leia gives off her trademarked non-nonsense aura.
• A wise mentor dies(or does he) at the hands of the villain in black

And so on. The only real differences are that the hero in The Force Awakens is not a man but a woman. Unfortunately this woman is a true Mary Sue. There is nothing that Rey (Daisy Ridley) can not do in the movie, raising the uncomfortable question of why she needed any of the other actors. This is not the fault of the actress. I think that she did well with the role. This is entirely the fault of the writer and director. In order to be the hero you need to have something to overcome-internally and externally. Rey is shown as hypercompetent at EVERYTHING. She has no flaws or weaknesses. So she's boring. There's no opportunity for growth or conflict. There was much media and online attention paid to the fact that Finn (John Boyega-last seen by me in Attack the Block) was black and presumably the hero or at least one of the heroes. That was pretty obviously bait and switch for some or perhaps trolling of others.. While Finn's not quite comic relief his role does come perilously close to that at times. He's more or less incompetent and has to be saved by many of the other characters. And you could argue that he plays the Sleeping Beauty role. All of this would have been tolerable if Finn was actually good at anything. But he's not. He's earnest, and that's about it. Perhaps his role will be expanded in the sequels. But much like Prince albums or Spike Lee movies I think I will wait to see what other people say of the sequel before I venture to spend my money on it.

If you were looking for a film with a black male hero, this wasn't the movie you were looking for. This is Rey's story all the way.  Again, I don't mind that all that much, but I can't help but think that this sort of thing was better done in Big Trouble in Little China. The white hero (Kurt Russell) saves the day but mostly by accident. His Chinese friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) is shown throughout the film as just as competent, if not more so. It's an alliance of equals. This isn't the case in The Force Awakens. Rey doesn't need Finn and lets him know that just about every chance she can. And she's right. Finn brought very little to the story. He's a renegade sanitation engineer. I didn't think it was necessary to almost make Finn a butt monkey in order to raise up Rey. Although the female character who screams and faints anytime anything happens is a useless stereotype better left to some late fifties Hammer films, it's also a useless stereotype when a female character is better at everything than her male counterparts.

Anyway, that aside this film had the normal special effects, swelling music and sound, duels and familial reveals that you've come to expect from the Star Wars franchise. But it just didn't reach me on the mythic level which the first film did. It's very well made with some enjoyable moments. It was good but by no means great. But I've just moved on in my life. Bottom line is that if you were too young to see the original Star Wars this will do nicely. But for me it felt like a pale imitation. It also bothered me a bit that every time a bad guy makes a Death Star, some plucky good guy blows it up. It would seem that after this has happened a few times, the bad guys would try to think outside the box and do something a little different. Don't they teach that in "Smashing your Enemies 301: Do the Unexpected" at Evil Overlord Academy?  Adam Driver is Kylo Ren, Darth Vader 2.0. Harrison Ford, Mark Hamil and Carrie Fisher all reprise their original roles. Oscar Issac is Poe Dameron, the Resistance's most skilled pilot. Gwendolyn Christie is Captain Phasma, a First Order devotee. Lupita Nyong'o is Maz Kanata, a thousand year old pirate/smuggler with information about the missing Jedi.
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