ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA (USA 2023) ***
Directed by Peyton Reed
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA is the long awaited and much anticipated sequel to ANT-MAN that entertained Marvel fans in 2015 with action combined with much comedy.
As in all MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) films, there is little story but a simple premise to go on. Scott Lang (Paul Rudd) and Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly), along with Hope's parents, Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) and Janet van Dyne (Michelle Pfeiffer) , and Lang's daughter, Cassie (Kathryn Newton), go on a new adventure exploring the Quantum Realm that pushes their limits and pits them against Kang the Conqueror (Jonathan Majors).
The action super hero here, in diminutive size in Ant-Man , (Rudd) an Avenger and former petty criminal with a suit that allows him to shrink or grow in scale while increasing in strength. After the events of Avengers: Endgame (2019), Lang has become a well-known celebrity to the public, as well as the author of an autobiographical book titled Look Out for the Little Guy, which tells a different version of how he helped save the universe. When the film opens. Lang is signing copies of his book, a task that Cassie frowns down upon. Cassie wants to save the world. But she lands her family and the multiverse in grave danger instead.
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA can be considered the most family friendly Marvel action franchise. In this film, family values are stressed. Even the grandparents (on the mother’s side) are brought into the picture. It is all about the daughter growing up right with solid values. The film is also funnier and often quite cartoonish, making the film suitable for little kids. Noticeably too, is the lack of swearing and violence.
The funniest and most winning creature in the film is MODOK (an acronym for Mental/Mobile/Mechanized Organism Designed Only for Killing), a character with an enlarged head and baby limbs. He is Pyn’s old friend Darren. When MODOK first appears on the screen, Scott or ANT-MAN’s first reaction is “Darren?” to which he replies: "I am now known as the ultimate weapon.” Vassie tells him: “Don’t be a dick.” later on in the film, words that the ultimate weapon then takes to heart to redeem himself. Not only is MODOK ridiculous to look at with his skinny arms and legs, but the character is given the funniest lines. One can forgive a string of film faults when given the good laughs provided by MODOK, the character that saves the movie.
QUANTUMANIA is likeliest the funniest of all the Marvel super action hero movies - no complaints about that. Lead actor Paul Rudd is also a comedian and director Reed has basically directed all comedies, such as BRING IT ON. Special effects, action, sets are typically what is expected from a Marvel film, but best is to see QUANTUMANIA for its humour.
ANT-MAN AND THE WASP: QUANTUMANIA opens widely in theatres on February the 27th.
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BOY FROM NOWHERE (Canada/Philippines 2022) ***
Directed by S.J. Finlay
The Philippines has been given a bad rap by Hollywood lately. In Jennifer Lopez’s SHOTGUN WEDDING, her character’s wedding is hijacked by supposedly Filipino pirates and in the Julia Roberts and George Clooney vehicle TICKET TO PARADISE, Filipino rebels descend on their daughter's wedding. Both films ended up being filmed in Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic respectively. BOY FROM NOWHERE is based on true events with Filipino rebels. This film was shot in the Philippines.
Shot guerrilla style in dangerous parts of the southern Philippines, BOY FROM NOWHERE is S.J. Finlay’s feature film debut. It features a cast of non-actors whose lives closely mimic the tale of a boy caught up in a chain of events beyond his control. After losing his father and home when his fishing village is burned down in an attack, a lost and gentle young boy named Gary sets off inland to find his mother and her tribe. “Why is my skin not as dark as the others?” Gary is curious and wonders of his origins and he asks his father the question. Vulnerable and malleable, he battles hunger and solitude, drifting into the wrong crowd as he is brainwashed into becoming a child soldier for the local rebel faction until further loss leads him to find a more meaningful purpose for his life.
The film is beautifully shot showing the beauty of the Philippine countryside. But Gary ends up in the city of Malaybalay, far from home. Malaybalay, officially the City of Malaybalay is a 1st class component city and capital of the province of Bukidnon, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 190,712 people.
The underwater shots of Gary swimming (his tribe is fishermen) and of Gary playing basketball are well executed and worthy of mention.
It is obvious that the topic that director Finlay wishes to bring to the audience's attention is the existence of child soldiers. Gary is recruited through a young friend slightly older than himself, who ends up being shot into film. The film is based on real life characters and the friend actually survived.
Finlay’s film is sympathetic to the rebels, despite their guerrilla tactics and acts of violence to further their cause. The audience gets to hear their arguments and disgruntling against the government, one-sided that they may be. But it is the peaceful way of rebellion that director Finlay wishes to make known. It is farming to put food in the mouths of families, a fact more important than fighting and killing. The climax of the film has Gary decide whether o go with the guerrillas or the farmers.
Director Finlay pays tribute to quite a few classic movies in his film.. Gary sings during a karaoke session THE SOUND OF MUSIC Roger and Hammerstein song “Climb Every Mountain” which symbolizes his quest to succeed beyond all odds.
The film is shot in Basaya & Tagalog (English Subtitled) and opens on Amazon on February the 17th, 2023.
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CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (aka SWORD OF DESTINY)
(Taiwan/Hong Kong/USA/China 2000) Top 10 *****
Directed by Ang Lee
Hailed by critics and audiences alike, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON the martial-arts sword saga has been on the list of many’s top10 films of 2000. 22 years later and February the 17th sees the 4K restoration on the big screen where epics such as this, should be seen and experienced.
The star of the piece is the legendary Green Destiny sword in which the bearer is able to wield exceptional power. The trouble and the story begins when a thief that turns out to be young Chinese warrior steals this sword from a famed swordsman and then escapes into a world of romantic adventure with a mysterious man in the frontier of the nation. Set against the breathtaking landscape of ancient China, the story is of two women whose fates intertwine. Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) is a warrior who, in the name of honour, has long suppressed her feelings for legendary fighter Li Mu Bai (Hong Kong action star Chow Yun Fat). Jen (Zhang Ziyi), on the other hand, is a young aristocrat who longs for a life of crime and passion. When a famed sword belonging to Mu Bai is stolen, Shu Lien and Jen come face to face – not only with each other, but also with their destinies.
The film has everything an epic has to offer - adventure, action, romance (times two), a journey, the fight between good and evil and all in a period backdrop of beautiful ancient China with excellent cinematography by Peter Pau, of the bamboo forests where the climactic fight takes place and the barren desert and mountains. The musical is composed by Dun Tan with cello solos by world famous Yo-Yo Ma. The stunning fight cinematography is by Yuen Wo Ping (The Matrix).
The cast is excellent, especially a younger Michelle Yeoh who is nominated this year for her performance in EVERYTHING EVERYWHERE ALL AT ONCE. But the prize performance belongs to Martial Arts film veteran star of many Shaw Brothers sword fighting action films, Cheng Pei-Pei as Jade Fox, the villain of the piece. Cheng Pei-Pei wowed audiences in her debut film, the Shaw Brothers production COME DRINK WITH ME directed by the legendary King Hu who went on to make classics like DRAGON INN, LEGEND OF THE MOUNTAIN and A TOUCH OF ZEN. Ang Lee’s film clearly pays a wonderful tribute to King Hu’s action films. It is Ang Lee’s first action film and he manages a feat that Chinese director Zhang Yimou failed in his Martial-Arts epics like HERO and HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS. Lee combined the fight choreography with edge of the seat excitement, the latter being lost in Zhang’s films. The flight of the combatants across the roofs and the tops of the bamboo trees are perfect examples of Ang’s and his team’s mastery.
In case one has forgotten, CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON went on to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Film now known as the Best International Feature. The film is definitely worth another viewing, especially after 22 years.
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MARLOWE (Ireland/USA 2022) **
Directed by Neil Jordan
When it was announced at Cannes that Neil Jordan (THE CRYING GAME) would be directing a new Philip Marlowe movie with Liam Neeson in the titular role, there was much commotion and hype. Added to the top cast were heavyweights Diane Kruger (INGLORIOUS BASTERDS), Jessica Lange, Alan Cumming and Danny Huston. The question is whether the film will meet up to expectations.
Based on the novel The Black-Eyed Blonde, the 1939’s-set film in Bay City, California with the oil and movie businesses in full swing, sees private detective Marlowe (Neeson) hired to find the ex-lover of a glamorous heiress. Initially it looks an open and shut case, but Marlowe soon finds himself in the underbelly of Hollywood’s film industry and unwittingly drawn into the crossfire of a legendary Hollywood actress and her subversive, ambitious daughter.
Who is this Marlowe character? In the words of Marlowe himself in the film: “I am just an ordinary Joe trying to earn a buck while staying out of jail.” The script also steals from other movies as in the scene when Marlowe says: “I am too old for this,” taken from the LETHAL WEAPON franchise.
Director Jordan plays it safe with the production values - sets, props as well as dialogue and references. Perhaps too safe! This film lacks punch! He pays homage also to film noir films kill Roman Polanski’s CHINATOWN in which a character (played by Faye Dunaway) is seen with a damaged eye shot with a bullet on the film set. There is always too much said that happening and it does require a lot off audience concentration to follow- a case of too much concentration paid by the audience for little reward.
The one positive aspect of the film is the creation of the Raymond Chandler atmosphere. “I have never ever seen a sober driver” says the owner of a drinks club in the city. At the film’s beginning , the audience first sees the femme fatale at Marlowe’s office, complete with silhouette. There is much dialogue that illustrates the precision of Marlowe’s detective skills.
Neeson’s Marlowe is an ok portrayal for all that it is worth. It is a far cry from his TAKEN franchise. His character is often referred to as a big man, and Marlowe does gets his fair share of beating up the baddies. As in all the Marlowe films, Marlowe will get himself beaten up.
The best Raymond Chandler Marlowe film remains Robert Altman's THE LONG GOODBYE with Elliot Goulding he title role followed by THE BIG SLEEP and FAREWELL MY LOVELY. Other films like Roman Polanski’s CHINATOWN and the Humphrey Bogart films put this one to shame. The ingredient missing in Jordan’s MARLOWE is the shock (or surprise) element. The big twist in the plot at the end (for example when the villain tuned out to have raped his daughter so that the Faye Dunaway’s daughter was also her sister) or the lesbian dancing partying neighbours in THE LONG GOODBYE were what made the old film noir films different Jordan uses action as an alternative in his film..
MARLOWE will open in theatres on Wednesday, February 15th.
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OF AN AGE (Australia 2022) **
Directed by Steve Stoleski
OF AN AGE comes with the heading ‘one of the most romantic films ever seen’. Whether the words are true to anyone is up to the individual. But there are a lot of darkly lit scenes in which faces are hidden and cannot be seen.
OF AN AGE is a gay falling in love film, sort of Harlequin-style. There is a slight obstacle though one could do with a stronger one, which obviously will be overcome for the two star crossed immigrant Aussie lovers to come back together again. Audiences have seen all this before. There is nothing really new in the film and director Stoleski takes his time with his film just trudging along without much happening. Stoleski begins his film with a 5 - 10 minute solo dance sequence in which the audience is introduced to the main character, Kol (Elias Anton) where the actor gets to display his talent, not so much in dance but for showing off his body, with lots of twists, turns and grinding.
One wonders the reason this mediocre film got made and picked up by Universal and Focus Features. The film is born and bred in Melbourne, Australia and the director had won a few talent awards and given money to do the movie. Goran Stolevski was born and grew up in North Macedonia before migrating to Australia as a teenager. He completed a Bachelor of Creative Arts at the University of Melbourne and a Masters in Film and Television at the Victorian College of the Arts. He won the Ruben Mamoulian Best Director Award at the 2016 Sydney Film Festival with You Deserve Everything, before attending the Berlinale Talent Campus and MIFF Accelerator as well as receiving the $50,000 Lexus Fellowship for his short film My Boy Oleg. Stoleski appears to be a Melbourne prodigy. OF AN AGE is Stoleksi’s second full-length feature, his first being a horror drama.
Set in the summer of 1999 as an 17-year-old Serbian born, Australian amateur ballroom dancer Kol experiences an unexpected and intense 24-hour romance with a friend's Ebony (Hattie Hook) brother, Adam (Thom Green).
The film begins with the girl, Ebony waking up on a beach not realizing how she got there and what had happened to her. She scrounges a coin to make a telephone call to Kol, who happens to be dancing and showing off his body to the audience. She is in quite a state and wants him to borrow a car to pick her up immediately. The car he borrows ends up to be from her brother, Adam which is how the two meet. Yes, they meet in the car. Apart from these sequences, that have nothing much to do with the story but wasting time. The film is generally a slow trudge with nothing much really happening. It does not help that Stileksi’s camera is always up close with closeups of faces and objects. If only he would pull back the camera more often. This kind of film creates a false sense of urgency, making the audience often more uncomfortable than not. It also does not help that Stoleksi plays with the sound editing so that it is often not easy to decipher the words uttered by the characters. They, speaking with an Australian accent does not help North American audiences either.
Focus Features and Universal releases OF AN AGE on February the 10th, and exapns on the 17th just after Valentine’s Day.
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