Malignant and Eastwood's Cry Macho

 Malignant

Gillipedia Official Rating: It’s time to cut out the cancer!

          That is not something I came up with. It’s a line said about 4 times throughout the film, including the very first scene. Malignant was a film I knew next to nothing about. I had seen a 15-second spot of a lady running around a house with the camera from the perspective of a high ceiling, it advertised the film as the new vision from James Wan who truly is behind the most popular mainstream horror films of recent years, and I had seen the poster. And honestly, the marketing was pretty bad for the film, but I think it makes sense because describing this film is a weird thing to do.

          The film starts with a mental hospital at night along a cliffside. Then, without showing the culprit, most of the staff is murdered, and we get a quick glimpse of some… thing, and we get that line. The film then switches over to our main character Madison, played by Annabelle Wallis. I was not familiar with her, but she is the best actor out of the cast. She gets in an argument with her boyfriend, and that night a malevolent force terrorizes them. After this incident most people think that Madison is crazy, but as the movie goes on, she starts realizing that she is connected to this malignant creature and has to figure out why and how to stop it.

          Before going any further, I really have to address something. At the 15-minute mark, I was ready to stop watching. The film was so campy. And I wasn’t expecting that—I was settling in for The Conjuring or Insidious with some creepy thrills, but instead was being treated with overacting and bad dialogue. And it was a strange combination because director Wan still had some cool camera tricks he was showing off (like the shot from the trailer). But I kept with it, and as the real story started to unfold, my interest grew.

          I’m not going to say too much more to avoid surprises and spoilers, but I do want to mention that this film has one of the coolest effects of recent memory. You’ll see it a couple of times, but Madison starts to realize her connection to the supernatural killer thing because of what I'll call the morphing effect. She’ll be in a room but then is paralyzed by fear, and the camera moves around her 360 degrees as the room melts away and a new room appears in a morphing fashion. I have an idea of how they did it, but one reason I really enjoy the shot is the fact that I’m not 100% sure on how they pulled the shot off and that always intrigues me.

          Also, this film is bonkers. The villainous presence is a cool character with some basic motives, but there are some gnarly kills. As the film goes on, so does the entertainment value. You’re given some puzzle pieces to solve, but the film goes in an unexpected direction. The acting aside from our protagonist is still atrocious, but at least the film gets better.

          Once the final act arrives, expect a bunch of nutty R-rated gory fun. And, unlike many horror films, the ending is satisfying. I started off the film expecting to do a scathing review, but I ended up enjoying myself in one of the most unique films of the year. It doesn’t excuse the really rocky start, but it does make it stand out from a typical horror film with slightly supernatural elements. I enjoyed it, but it’s not a film for everybody.

 

Cry Macho

Gillipedia Official Rating: Clint Eastwood goes from The Man With No Name to The Man Who Can’t Remember His Name

          Yo, Eastwood is old. This man has no business doing anything besides rocking in a chair and napping to the golf channel. He was already super old for The Mule a couple years ago, but it fit his character. Here, I hate to say it, but he truly is too old for the role.

          Taking place in the late 70s, Eastwood plays Mike, a widower who spent his life dedicated to taking care of horses and other livestock. His egotistical boss lets him go after his string of shirking duties and being late. Add insult to injury, the boss comes by later because he needs to hire Mike to rescue his half-gringo, half-Mexican son from his ex-wife across the border. There’s no mention of Eastwood’s slow pacing, softer voice, and hunched back. They just play it off like this guy really has the capability of traveling across the border and kidnapping a tween boy back.

          The opening is exposition heavy, the boss is a really bad actor, but at least the story is at a relatively brisk pace. Eastwood makes it to Mexico and meets the crazy ex-wife that attempts to seduce him and admits that if he’s not cockfighting, she has no idea where her son is. First off, she lives in a huge house and Mike strolled right in. Then, in the next scene, Mike is (slowly) strolling along, and happens across a cockfight where the son is. Conveniences like this push the story along, but it ruins some realism in how this should really play out. Anyways, the son too proves to be a subpar actor, and it isn’t too long before Mike has convinced him to come along. But after taking him to be a bit of a punk, the son then has to convince Eastwood to take him along. But that only lasts a scene.

          The bulk of the film is basically Cars where their car breaks down, and they have to find shelter in a small town. Characters bond, Eastwood meets a Mexican widow that doesn’t speak English and is much too young for him, it’s all good.

          Eastwood both directs and stars as he has done in multiple projects before. I think he should’ve stuck to directing. We see a compassionate side to him we haven’t really seen in his films before, but he’s still not the right actor for the role; despite some good lines, his delivery is a little slow for maximum impact. Plus, I believe if he was able to focus on directing, he would’ve been able to catch some of the bad acting (even if Eastwood is infamous for using the first take he gets and moves on).

          Watching this film really only made me think about better Eastwood films, in particular Gran Torino and even a bit of Unforgiven. If you want a film that will affect you emotionally, you have to watch Gran Torino. Cry Macho is a sweet film. There aren’t egregious errors to it, but you don’t fall in love with any of the characters, except possibly Marta (the widow) and her family. There are a couple plot holes, some of the acting is pretty poor, and the formulaic story has some of Eastwood’s deft directing touch, but it’s not all there. I have seen this man in front of and behind the camera in so many films, and some of them are right near the top of my list of GOAT. I feel a slight tinge of pity as I say that Cry Macho is not on that list.

 

In Brief:

 

• I watched the very European film In Bruges. Highly critically praised, it was fine. Some clever stuff, but the humor hasn’t aged well and took a while to get going.
• October is looking to be full of films I’m excited for. Lots in store.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

 

Gillipedia Official Rating: Sonic approved.

          There are still 3 more Marvel movies to release this year including both a Venom and a Spider-Man movie, but for now at least, this is the best Marvel movie of 2021. And that’s not to discredit my true love Scarlett Johansson and her contract-disputed Black Widow (from my understanding, ScarJo has a really solid case in her lawsuit) which was a pretty good, mid-tier Marvel film. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is quite good and rises above a standard origin story.

          This movie is a family affair. We start in a really cool sequence centuries back where Shang-Chi’s (who will subsequently be referred to as Shaun) father conquers using the rings in a battle mixing ancient warrior weapons and the power of the rings. He later seeks entrance to a fabled village but is denied passage by a graceful and powerful woman that shows him a different side of life he never knew before. We flash forward to Shaun being taught and trained by his parents and then to present day where he is simply living his life with his ride or die Awkwafina (Katy). Believe it or not, the rings come back into play, and Shaun is attacked by his dad’s army for reasons unknown; and convinced that he’s after his sister next, he and ‘Fina head to Macau to thwart whatever plans his dad has.

          One of the first action scenes is when Shane-Chi is first attacked while taking the bus and fights henchmen including Razor Fist (almost as bad a name as Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2’s Taser Face) and his razor saw arm. Prominently featured from the trailer, this scene is awesome. The martial arts action reminds me of 80’s Hong Kong action films, and how Shaun has to avoid Razor Fist is choreographed perfectly. There’s even a shot I’m convinced is an homage to a famous fight scene from Oldboy. Already introduced as an adrenaline chasing valet, it’s good to see Katy is able to get in on the action as the bus driver after the first guy passes out.

          There’s another adrenaline-filled action scene when they head to Macau, and then the movie slows down a bit to build up the stories and relationships more. The way the stories are revealed are well done if ever slightly predictable, and you really have to start getting nitpicky to find issues with the film. For instance, the main star is great, but some of his acting wasn’t the best. Like, whenever he has one line where it’s a reaction shot where he has to say something like, “Whoa what was that,” it comes off as unnatural and a little cheesy. He also looks more like a regular dude than an actual superhero, but there’s also a humble and charming quality about that. And he handles the action scenes so well, so I’d be very happy to continue to see his story continue.

          It feels like at this point it’s close to impossible to be a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and not have any characters from the other franchises show up in some shape or form in order to avoid the “But where was everyone else?” question. Without saying too much, the film does a great job where the rare soul that knows nothing about the extended universe can still fully enjoy this film, but there’s nods both small and large that will appease the impossibly difficult die-hards. I personally don’t know the comics plot lines or had any prior knowledge to Shang-Chi’s story, but I’ve become a fan.

          I did enjoy the first half a little more than the second. The first half has that classic martial arts action to it and is elevated by all the production and modern technology, but then the second half does feel a bit more Marvel-like and features more typical CGI action. And I’m also sure 6^th grade Gill would disagree and argue how much cooler the climactic action was, but fully developed, extremely mature -lol nah- Gill was more indifferent toward the finale.

          Dasani’s Katy is a good role and is charming. There’s a couple things during the climax that didn’t make much sense, but she has a solid character overall. It’s not her best role, but ah well. Shaun’s sister had some good action sequences, but her character was kind of flat.

          This film isn’t going to win the Oscar for Best Visual Effects, but the visuals are solid. Actually, they’re only good; however, they’re elevated by the way the film is shot. Like in the opening scene, the camera is planted square in the action, so everything that happens around it feels so dynamic. I still remember a shot from Captain America: The First Avenger where they sneak on top of a speeding train through a snowy mountainside. The camera was static, and it was so obvious that the mountain background was just the backdrop of a green screen. This film never has that issue.

          My initial reaction is to place this as a mid-high tier Marvel film. I was really impressed by the quick action, and the origin story holds more depth than other entries. Some of the recent series—Loki in particular—are afforded more time to develop some things than a 2-hour film like this, but the film moves along at a brisk pace. I enjoyed myself from start to finish. And also after finish since you already know there’s end credit scenes to look forward to (one quite reminiscent to The Mandalorian). Don’t wait the 6 months or whatever it might be for this to start streaming on Disney+. Go enjoy yourself and have a good time at the theater. I saw it standardly, but if 3D is an option, there were noticeably parts that I’m sure standout well in the upgraded format.

 

In Brief:

• I got around to The Old Guard on Netflix, a superhero film of sorts. I think the name is terrible, and the film is all over the place. Despite being a Charlize Theron fan, there’s no heart in this film. I think a sequel is being made, but I have zero interest in it.
• As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been making full use of the films simultaneously releasing in theaters and on HBO Max. Malignant is next, and I hold great skepticism because of how much it feels like this film has been under wraps, but I’ll probably give it a watch. Clint Eastwood comes up after that!

Reminiscence

 

Gillipedia Official Rating: I’m about to write a 1000 word review just to tell you, “I mean, yeah, it’s good.”

          I actually have a slight personal tie to this film. About 5 years back my oldest brother had a connection who was a producer looking for film scripts and had the script for this film. He passed it along to my brother who in turn gave it to me. The simple idea that I had access to a script that went on to both become a feature film and star Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson blows my mind. This was a script by Lisa Joy—co-creator of Westworld and wife of Jonathan Nolan—whom I’m sure we’re all well aware is the brother and sometimes writer for my favorite director Christopher Nolan. I don’t remember all that much of the script, but I do remember finding the idea very intriguing but didn’t impress me enough to leave a lasting impression. It’s very hard to say if this film was a financial bomb or not because it streamed simultaneously on HBO Max (how I watched it), but it did not have an impressive box office haul at the very least. Is this an underrated gem, or is this a high-concept, poor execution film? We’ll find out after a word from today’s sponsor.

          I accept donations in forms of Bitcoin. Now back to the review.

          I liked this film. It’s the near-future Miami, and the setting is a grimmer version of the San Antonio river walk where buildings are mostly underwater and travel by taxi canoes is commonplace. The heat is unbearable during the day, so most people go about their business at night. Either way, our protagonist Nick (Jackman) struggles to sleep while he runs his own business with assistant and Westworld showrunner Thandiwe Newton. They own a machine where you have to strip down to your undies and enter a clear tub of a water-like substance. And that’s it. That’s the business model… No, not really; they inject a relaxant into the customer and place a headset on them. Nick talks to them in a low, sexy voice in a mostly great American accent, and he travels with the customer through their memories which become projected as an interesting hologram looking thing in the room.

          Most of his customers are regulars. There’s an amputee veteran that likes to remember his days before the wheelchair, and a lady who can’t move past her ex-lover. If you remember that scene in Inception with the people that dream all hours of the day, then the dangers of this machine presents itself. Not a perfect human himself, Nick doesn’t judge. And his life takes a spin when the mysterious Mae (Ferguson) shows up because she can’t remember where she left her keys. Nick becomes infatuated with Mae, and after their encounter, he’s determined to find her again.

          Without going into spoilers, I’ll say that I’ve really only touched about the first 20 minutes of this film. The best way to describe things is that this is a film noir with the sci-fi twist of memories that touches the surface of the concept of time the way films like Inception have. The most interesting part of the film is the memory machine. Otherwise, the story isn’t bad, but it’s familiar territory. It’s also fortunate that Nick is written as an ex-soldier himself because there are a couple action scenes thrown in.

          I believe this is Lisa Joy’s directorial feature film debut, and I’ll be honest, she does a great job. All that time working on Westworld prepped her well for how to cinematically approach a scene and incorporate practical and visual effects seamlessly. Everything from the sci-fi to the action is well filmed. But the film also takes itself too seriously. I hope you’re prepared for narration throughout like the whole film. The darker tone would be fine with a more compelling story, but it just feels excessive and you wish Jackman would crack a smile once in awhile or sing about the greatest show. With that said, we all know that Jackman knows how to deliver intensity, and all the leads perform admirably.

          With a rotten 38% on Rotten Tomatoes, I think the critics came down a little harsh. I wouldn’t necessarily bother traveling to the theaters for this one, but if you and your couch are in the mood for a mystery thriller, feel free to stream it. Although the dialogue needs work, the film is still good. But just like the script from years back, you’ll probably end up forgetting about the film soon after. Only to be remembered in your memories. Ahaha…. But really, if this film is what you’re using your memories to remember, then you need to go to the beach. Go tip some cows. Find something at Dollar Tree priced over $1. I don’t know, make some memories.

 

In Brief:

• The Suicide Squad is also on HBO Max. I probably should’ve done a review for this one honestly. The best way to describe this film is James Gunn pitched this film as a joke, but then the studio greenlit it, so he actually gave his best effort. This film is vibrant, gory, hilarious, and stock full of random characters including Polka Dot Man which IGN constantly likes to remind me is a real Batman villain. I would say John Cena was amazing, but I didn’t see him the entire time.
• If you’re looking for something older, I finally got around to Weekend at Bernie’s and it didn’t disappoint. Very irreverent, but even to this day it holds solid jokes. I also watched Al Pacino in Serpico and that was pretty good.
• There’s multiple films coming out in September and October that I’m looking forward to streaming as well as seeing in theaters, so hopefully I manage my time well to make some reviews.