As a year, 2016 was sometimes painful to get through, with all the celebrity deaths and the political turmoil everyone was forced to endure. But I think we came out of this year with a better sense of identity and where we want to go from here. We're learning from our mistakes and want a better future for everyone. It might take a while to get there, and it won't be easy, but someday we'll get to the place we all want to achieve.
Now let's talk about the 2016 for cinema and ask the same question we ask every year - Was this a good year for movies?
Traditionally, I say it is a good year for movies if there are three or four memorable or worthwhile films. Any fewer, and it was a bad year for movies, any more and it was a great year. Ones that you can watch over and over again, ones that stick with you long after you watched it, or movies that made you think or feel a little bit more than usual. Basically, the movies that will last beyond the first few months of being released to DVD.
I'll get into exactly which films did that for me in my look at the top films of 2016, but I feel there about four movies that have stuck with me since I saw them, and most of them have been out since August.
I thought 2013 was an okay year for movies, with the ones I remember loving being "her" and "The Wolf of Wall Street," while 2014 had definite improvements with movies like "Nightcrawler," "Gone Girl," "The Lego Movie" and "Birdman," but 2015 was the best year for movies in recent memory, giving us movies like "The Force Awakens," "Inside Out," "The Martian," "Creed," "Spotlight" and of course "Mad Max: Fury Road."
But 2016? With four initial standout movies, this has been a good year, but not a great year. There were a ton of good, but not great movies this year - "Ghostbusters," "Star Trek: Beyond," "Finding Dory," "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story," "Sully," "The Nice Guys," "Zootopia" and "Kung Fu Panda 3" were all within the C to B range. They were all fun or considerate when they needed to be, but they were flawed and didn't have much staying power. A couple of weeks after I watched these movies, I had forgotten about most of them. They were not bad experiences, just not necessarily memorable ones.
Keep in mind, I'm saying all this without watching films like "La La Land," "Manchester by the Sea," "Moonlight," "Lion" and a few others, so this is an incomplete analysis. But, for the time being, I felt 2016 was fine. It produced more than enough servicable movies, which might explain why most of the highest grossing films of the year were animated films meant for children, like "Finding Dory" and "The Secret Life of Pets."
But now let's take a look at the best (and worst) that 2016 had to offer. As always, here are the categories, starting off with...
Biggest Surprise - "10 Cloverfield Lane"
When I heard that "Cloverfield" was getting a sequel, I brushed this film off as nothing more than a stupid cash-grab of a fairly pretentious monster movie and didn't give it another thought until I read some reviews and realized it was worth checking out. And what I witnessed was one of the most claustrophobic experiences of the year that consistently racked up the tension through excellent camera work and a terrifying performance from John Goodman. This one is less about the monsters and more about what humans become in the face of monsters. Or perhaps there aren't any monsters at all. That's what gives "10 Cloverfield Lane" its staying power - how vague and ambigious it is about the aliens.
Granted, the ending does ruin that a bit by giving us a solid answer, which marked down the film a bit for me, but there's no denying the creepy factor to the first hour and a half of this great thriller.
Most Technologically Impressive - "Kubo and the Two Strings"
This year has been a bit of a downgrade in terms of techonlogical advancements. 2015 gave us a superhero that could shrink to the size of ant, BB-8, this most vicious bear attack of all time, and sent us to Mars. And while there some great sequences involving CGI in most of the major blockbusters of this year, films like "Ghostbusters" stumbled throughout.
So this year, I'm giving it to the most beautiful movie I saw, "Kubo and the Two Strings." Sometimes the most impressive movies are the ones that pour everything into their craft while making it look easy. "Kubo"'s backgrounds and use of paper are still stuck in my memory and gave us some haunting yet stunning visuals. Above all else, I will remember the style of "Kubo and the Two Strings."
Most Fun in Theaters - "Captain America: Civil War"
Marvel does it yet again. While this one is heavier on quieter moments and character-building scenes, the titular battle at the airport is the best sequence in any Marvel movie so far, blending together action and comedy perfectly, playing to the strengths of each hero involved, whether those are physical strengths or character strengths. I had a gigantic smile on my face throughout this sequence and if it weren't for a certain climax to a certain monster film, the airport fight would have been the best scene of 2016. But we'll get to that.
Sleep Inducer - "The Girl on the Train"
Looking back on this one, the mystery of "The Girl on the Train" is so forgettable that its hardly worth mentioning. Add in the lazy pacing, the uncaring performances and the lack of any real sense of danger, and you get probably the most boring movie of 2016.
Film I Need to See Again - "The Witch"
I didn't write a review of this one, but it certainly deserves another chance on my part. When I went to see this, I had overworked myself by putting too much on plate and forced myself to see it when I clearly wasn't ready for it. As a result, I fell asleep while watching "The Witch."
But it wasn't the movies' fault. It was my fault.
From the bits of the movie that I remember being awake for, I did enjoy the otherworldy atmosphere and the setting. So this is one worth checking out again and giving a fair shot.
Funniest Film - "Deadpool"
I think everyone can agree on this. Superheroes + Constant fourth-wall breaking + An R-rating + No fucks = A laugh riot. "Deapool" was a breath of fresh-air in the superhero genre, while mixing it up and giving us some of the best raunchy comedy since "The Wolf of Wall Street."
Biggest Disappointment- "The Magnificent Seven"
With the many big name actors involved in this film, especially Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke, I expected better from "The Magnificent Seven." I thought it was going to be a film that would honor the legacy of the original film, as well as "Seven Samurai," and show that they are films worth checking out. Instead, we got a film so full of western cliches that it is impossible for it to have any unique character or identity. There really is no reason for this movie to exist, and that's the biggest disappointment of all.
Most Forgettable - "Suicide Squad"
I realize there are plenty of people who either loved or hated this film, but I went in to "Suicide Squad" with zero expectations, and had a bad time where I didn't remember or care about anything that happened. If it weren't for the many complaints towards "Suicide Squad" and my review of the film, I would have completely forgotten about this one.
Most Overrated - "Doctor Strange"
Usually, this spot is saved for the film generating the most Oscar buzz that I feel doesn't deserve it. But considering I haven't seen many Oscar films yet, I'll go with the film that got way too many positive reviews.
"Doctor Strange" and "Zootopia" both did well with critics and audiences, but didn't always click with me. "Zootopia" was fun at times and had a bit more creativity, which puts it ahead of "Doctor Strange" for me. While the newest Marvel film isn't bad by any means, it is the most forgettable movie Marvel has come out with since "Thor: Dark World." There's a lack of comedy and the most memorable character, for me, was Doctor Strange's cape.
That's not a good sign when people like Benedict Cumberbatch and Mads Mikkelsen are being outdone by a piece of CGI clothe.
Most Underrated - "Don't Breathe"
I've talked to several people about their feelings on "Don't Breathe" and they have always been less than my own. Part of this might be due to the simplistic nature of the plot, while another part is probably the strange turn the film takes near the end and makes it all feel a bit comical.
But I had a blast with "Don't Breathe," and for a while I had considered putting this as the best film of 2016. It is the most basic movie of the year, but due to that simplicity it is also the most terrifying. This takes what "10 Cloverfield Lane" started and makes the stalker more intelligent and logical, but also at a disadvantage by being blind. It is wonderful to see that get turned into a strength throughout the film and watch as despicable people get hunted down by a twisted man.
Best Performance - Jeff Bridges in "Hell or High Water"
The best example of perfect casting in 2016.
Bridges plays a Texas Ranger who is about to retire and is looking for one last chance at glory, and sees that by stopping a series of small bank robberies. He is fully of bravado and ego, while still being intelligent and calm about his plans that it is impossible not to like him. Additionally, of all the characters in "Hell or High Water" he goes through the most change and realizes that life is more than just a series of accomplishments.
Bridges disappears in this performance and gives us a Texan that is keen on the old ways, but recognizes the changing winds. He may not like them, as with most people in this dying south, but he learns to bend with them without breaking.
Most Anticipated Film of 2017 - "Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2"
Lots of big name films coming out in 2017. We'll see DC spread its wings and try out different genre pieces with "Wonder Woman" and "Justice League," Spider-Man returns to Marvel, King Kong comes back to the big screen and we'll be getting a new rendition of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers, just to name a few that stick out to me.
But if I had to pick one, seeing more of the Guardians will be a blast. The trailer alone has me convinced that this will be just as much fun as the first one, except now more outlandish and expansive. You can't go wrong with that.
Best Scene - Yashiori Strategy/Climactic Battle from "Shin Godzilla"
This is a new category for 2016, but one that I had to bring in just to talk about how much I loved the ending to "Shin Godzilla" (again).
If there was one scene that I kept playing over and over again in my head from 2016, it was Japan's final stand against Godzilla from the most recent entry in the series. In most Godzilla films, the military throws bombs and missiles at Godzilla aimlessly, hoping that one will somehow leave a mark and bring him down, but we all know how well that works. It often gives off the impression that the military is useless in Godzilla movies. This is made even worse in "Shin Godzilla" with them fighting the most terrifying incarnation of the King of the Monsters to date, as well as a creature that is constantly evolving.
So imagine my surprise when this climax occurs and we get a military unit that is not only capable of keeping up with Godzilla, but utilizes his weaknesses and everything they've learned about him to their advantage. The military also uses the environment around them well, planting bombs in light-rail trains and dropping massive buildings on top of Godzilla. This is the most intelligent and strategic plan to stop Godzilla yet and it is glorious to witness, especially in a film that makes the country of Japan its main character.
Add in the classic military march by Akira Ifukube that kept my toes tapping the entire time, and you get the most action-packed sequence of 2016 that never gets old. I really wish a DVD would come out for "Shin Godzilla" quickly so I can watch this scene again.
This scene was triumphant, while still remaining terrifying like the rest of the film, to make for the most exhilirating scene of 2016.
Worst Film - "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice"
By far, the most insulting movie of 2016.
It almost feels cliche to pick on "Batman vs. Superman" at this point, since my inital review ripped the movie to shreads for being a boring, dull, non-sensical and off-putting mess. The film doesn't understand what makes Batman or Superman the endearing characters we all know and love and does whatever it wants with our "heroes" by making them idiot meat-puppets who are obsessed with either trivial matters or looking good for his girl. Outside of a few laughably bad moments (Bat Jesus, anyone?), "Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice" is best just forgotten and never mentioned again.
And that's it for my look back on 2016. If you're wondering what are my picks for the best overall films of 2016, stay tuned because in the next few days I'll be posting my top movies of the year and wrap up my look at 2016.
"Stage Fright" is one of the forgotten Hitchcock films, and usually for good reason. While the film has its share of twists and turns, the plot is something you'd see in a comedic Jane Austin novel and ends up being forgettable by the end, though is saved by some abstract cinematography and a performance from the always charming Alistair Sims.
Set in London, struggling actress Eve Gill (Jane Wyman) has to hide her crush, Jonathan, (Richard Todd) from the police after he is convicted of murdering his lover's husband. Jonathan is convinced that his lover, the famous actress Charlotte Inwood (Marlene Dietrich) actually killed her own husband and is framing Jon, so Eve sets out prove his innocence along with the help of her eccentric father (Alistair Sims).
The main theme of "Stage Fright" is to prove who the best actress is, as both Eve and Charlotte continue to hide behind the many personas they've built and how well they can keep up these lies with an active audience - the police. Eve continually has to create characters to gain information from a detective, the maid who supposedly witnessed the murder, and Charlotte herself by taking over for the maid. Charlotte, while being a world-famous actress, never seems bothered by her husband's death and has no problem framing her lover for the murder. Perhaps she never loved him and was only using him as a tool get out of a loveless marriage?
To prove Jon's innocence, Eve must continually show she is a better actress than Charlotte. In the end, it'll be the better actress that will prevail.
Unlike most Hitchcock films, "Stage Fright" opens up with the crime being committed, and the film convincing us there was a double-cross. Yet, there is room for doubt. We see the crime through a flashback from a man who is blinded by his love for Charlotte. But Eve is convinced that Jon is telling the truth, so we spend most of the movie believing that he is innocent and justice must be served.
It is too bad that most of the film is spent on the budding relationship between Eve and the detective investigating the murder, because any chemistry between the two comes off as forced and contrived, added to give "Stage Fright" a romantic side.
But the best part of "Stage Fright" is Eve's father and the performance by Alistair Sims. He starts off as this hardened sailor who doesn't take crap from anyone except his daughter who he would do anything for. This leads to a performance that is both stubborn yet caring, sarcastic yet loving. He gets sucked into his roles just as easily as Eve does and he has a blast solving his murder case.
Overall, while there are some original ideas for Hitchcock in "Stage Fright" the story is far from compelling and most of the side characters, outside of Eve's father, are forgettable. The cinematography is the usual-fare for a Hitchcock film, with some great manipulations of perspective and deep focus, but it does little elevate the plot. This is a pretty standard Alfred Hitchcock film.
Final Grade: C
Meet the definition of an art house movie, "Wings of Desire."
Set in 1980s Berlin, we follow two angels (Bruno Ganz and Otto Sander) who can only observe the world in black-and-white. They cannot be seen or heard, except by children, but they can hear everyone's thoughts. These two spend their days listening to the many thoughts of the German people of loose, regret, anger and confusion, but not being able to do anything about what they listen to. One of these angels eventually falls in love with a trapeze artist and considers giving up his wings to be with her.
When I think of an art house film, it usually involves a high concept idea with an extremely low budget, while attempting to say something deep and meaningful that the filmmaker believes everyone will understand. The idea of angels observing, but not participating, one of the most depressing cities in the world during one of the most depressing times, while everything being shot in black-and-white until they find someone who enjoys life, and then everything bursts into vibrant color, makes this classic art house.
Does that make "Wings of Desire" a bad film? Not at all. It has more perspectives than any other film I can think of, as we walk around aimlessly through apartment complexes, listening to everyone's inner monologue. Some are insightful, while others are depressing and over the top, but most of the time they come across as human - empathetic yet selfish. We try to understand the curves life throws at us and get the full picture, but we still only have this one life.
"Wings of Desire" tries to say about a thousand different things, but I feel that was its main point.
The angels say very little throughout the film, mostly because they're not allowed to feel pain or joy. Which means the first half of "Wings of Desire" is almost nothing but inner monologues, which can get tiresome or laughable depending on how long it goes on. There's one monologue where it is mostly this old man who had been through the Holocaust and seen the rise and fall of Berlin, and we see how much civilization and him have changed over the years. But then there are scenes where people are talking about their clothes or the weather and how it makes them feel. The longer these scenes go on, the more I lost interest.
There is also a fairly major role played by Peter Falk, playing himself, who is in Berlin to shoot something (it's never said if it is for an episode of "Columbo" or a commercial), and the angels are fascinated with him and his insights. He finds extras throughout the set and draws them, though he admits that he doesn't draw very well. His role is a nice change of pace, since he usually has something pleasant or uplifting to say, rather than the depressing thoughts nearly everyone else has to say.
Overall, I respect "Wings of Desire" more than I enjoy it. The idea of angels observing a rapidly decaying city and being unable to help save it is a fascinating idea and the film does everything it can with that in the most minimalistic way, but it felt like more than half the film was about hearing people complain about how much the world sucks which got grating fast. "Wings of Desire" is one movie everyone should check out to see an art house film done right, but also why art house films should be seen sparingly.
Final Grade: B-
You may not believe me, but it is nearly impossible to make a war film that truly stands out. Movies like "Apocalypse Now," "The Best Years of Our Lives" and "Full Metal Jacket" are rarities, because they stick out of the crowd in the war genre, filled with movies trying to be profound and sentimental when they're all trying to say the same thing - War sucks.
"Hacksaw Ridge" is another example of this, a war movie that is clearly trying to stand out, but ends up falling into the same traps as hundreds of war flicks that came before it, following a another hero in war time who made selfless sacrifices for his fellow troop members, of whom we learn only basic information and cute little nicknames so there might be some impact when they die. We see dead bodies struuned around the battlefield and nameless faces killing other nameless people to imply they are fighting for nothing.
We've heard this story a million times, and "Hacksaw Ridge" does very little to distinguish itself from its brethren.
Based on a true story, Desmond Doss (Andrew Garfield) is a devoted Christian who ends up being drafted into World War II. He leaves behind his angry father (Hugo Weaving) and his girlfiend (Teresa Palmer) whom he just proposed to. When Desmond is given a rifle, he rejects the opportunity and says that he'll go onto the battlefield without a weapon and will be saving lives rather than destroying them, despite what his commanding officers order him to do.
The one thing that stands out in "Hacksaw Ridge" is Desmond's father, Tom, and a tremendously subtle performance by Hugo Weaving. Tom served in World War I and saw everyone he ever cared about die before his eyes, and being powerless to stop their deaths. He constantly visits their graves and talks to them about how the world has changed, usually with a bottle of whiskey in his hand and on his breath. He berates his two sons about war and how it destroys everything it touches, including his own life. The mother admits that he was a good man before the war, and now all that's left is angry shell that will take that anger out on others.
But the best scene comes when the whole family sits down for dinner, and Desmond's brother comes in his new military uniform, silently admitting that he's going to war. And we see Tom's anger turn to sadness. He doesn't yell at his son or whip him, he weeps. All those lessons he had tried to teach his kids about war feel meaningless and he suddenly feels like a failure. His son is doomed to the same fate as his friends.
That scene not only came as a surprise, but was also different enough to keep me interested in the rest of the film.
Unfortunately, "Hacksaw Ridge" doesn't have many other scenes that stand out, other than ones that are gruesome and unforgiving (just like any other war film). Hugo Weaving comes back for one scene later in the film to defend Desmond which gives his character some great closure to show that he's not powerless in this ever changing world.
Overall, "Hacksaw Ridge" is an average war movie. While it has a couple standout scenes, it follows the formula of nearly every war film that has come before it, in an attempt to show humanity in the face of destruction. The film does this well enough that it isn't pretentious, but not so well that it is memorable. Hugo Weaving gives the most worthwhile performance and is the main reason to watch this film.
Final Grade: C
And so we come to the end of another year and a whole slew of movies, both old and new. While I did not watch 127 movies like I did in 2015, I still managed to watch 115 films I had never seen before. Some of them have not had reviews up on the site yet, like "Hacksaw Ridge," while others haven't even had reviews written yet, like "Moana."
There are still several movies from this last year that I desperately want to see, like "La La Land" and "Manchester by the Sea," and more from 2016 will be coming as soon as the Academy Award nominations are announced.
But in the mean time, let's wrap up 2016 with a look back at every movie I watched and/or reviewed this last year. Aside from a few movies, in particular direct-to-DVD animated films, you can find reviews to all of these on the site. The ones which appear later on the list should be up in the next few days.
1. "The Hateful Eight" - A-
2. "Moonrise Kingdom" - B+
3. "The Revenant" - B-
4. "The Big Short" - D+
5. "Room" - B+
6. "Brooklyn" - C+
7. "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" - A-
8. "Kung Fu Panda 3" - B+
9. "Dragonball Z - Resurrection 'F'" - C
10. "Mad Max" - B
11. "Hail, Caesar!" - A-
12. "Deadpool" - A-
13. "From Dusk Til Dawn" - B
14. "Sergeant York" - B
15. "Family Plot" - B-
16. "The Witch" - N/A
17. "Contact" - A
18. "The Caine Mutiny" - B-
19. "The Great Escape" - A
20. "Zootopia" - B+
21. "An American In Paris" - B-
22. "10 Cloverfield Lane" - B-
23. "Batman vs. Superman: The Dawn of Justice" - D-
24. "The Virgin Spring" - C
25. "East of Eden" - B-
26. "Doctor Zhivago" - B
27. "Torn Curtain" - B-
28. "Animal Crackers" - B-
29. "Hardcore Henry" - D-
30. "Marnie" - B-
31. "The Testament of Dr. Mabuse" - A-
32. "Mister Roberts" - A-
33. "Pandora's Box" - B
34. "Mission: Impossible III" - A-
35. "A Night at the Opera" - B+
36. "Captain America: Civil War" - A
37. "Seven Brides For Seven Brothers" - C-
38. "The Nice Guys" - B-
39. "Primal Fear" - B+
40. "Eyes Without a Face" - B+
41. "The Naked Spur" - A-
42. "The Story of G.I. Joe" - C
43. "Topaz" - C+
44. "The Crow" - B+
45. "The Running Man" - C
46. "Five Graves to Cairo" - B-
47. "Yankee Doodle Dandy" - A-
48. "Dark Knight Returns - Part 1" - B-
49. "Dark Knight Returns - Part 2" - B
50. "Finding Dory" - B-
51. "You Can't Take it With You" - A-
52. "The Spirit of St. Louis" - C
53. "Witness for the Prosecution" - A-
54. "The Sting" - A-
55. "Lethal Weapon" - A-
56. "Ghostbusters" (2016) - B
57. "West Side Story" - B+
58. "Bernie" - B+
59. "Tombstone" - B+
60. "Star Trek: Beyond" - B+
61. "Room 237" - B-
62. "3:10 To Yuma" (1957) - B
63. "Hitchcock/Trouffant" - B
64. "Batman vs. Robin" - C+
65. "The Magnificent Seven" (1960) - A-
66. "Fullmetal Alchemist: The Conquerors of Shambala" - C+
67. "Logan's Run" - B-
68. "Lady in the Lake" - C
69. "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" - C
70. "Broken Arrow" - B+
71. "Kubo and the Two Strings" - A-
72. "The Mummy" (1932) - A
73. "The Black Cat" - B-
74. "Black Sabbath" - C+
75. "Robin and the Seven Hoods" - A-
76. "Steamboat Bill Jr." - B
77. "Hell or High Water" - A-
78. "Don't Breathe" - A
79. "Blackboard Jungle" - C+
80. "Return of Godzilla" - B-
81. "The Bad and the Beautiful" - A
82. "Shin Godzilla" - A
83. "Suicide Squad" - D-
84. "Mr. Deeds Goes to Town" - B-
85. "Daimajin" - B
86. "Return of Daimajin" - B+
87. "Daimajin Strikes Again" - C+
88. "The Magnificent Seven" (2016) - C-
89. "Sicario" - B+
90. "Sully" - C
91. "The X From Outer Space" - C+
92. "Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde" - C+
93. "The Girl on the Train" - C-
94. "Leave Her To Heaven" - A-
95. "Only Angels Have Wings" - B-
96. "The Accountant" - B-
97. "The Wolf Man" - C+
98. "The Uninvited" - C
99. "The House of Wax" - A-
100. "Diabolique" - A
101. "Doctor Strange" - C+
102. "Seven Days in May" - C
103. "Arrival" - A
104. "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" - B
105. "Fantastic Voyage" - A-
106. "The Major and the Minor" - A
107. "The Jazz Singer" - C+
108. "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" - B-
109. "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" - B-
110. "Stage Fright" - C
111. "Nanook of the North" - C+
112. "Wings of Desire" - B-
113. "Hacksaw Ridge" - C
114. "Limelight" - B-
115. "Moana" - B+
I've met my goal for the last two years by watching at least 100 movies I had never seen before, but I will not be setting that goal for 2017. Instead, I am reducing that number to 60 in an attempt to watch more television programming. In the last few years, television has begun to produce content that is on par or even greater than movies. But since I've been so dedicated to movies, I have never had the time to watch all the great programming that is offered nowadays, until now.
I'm unsure if I'll write reviews of the shows I watch, but if I don't I will write more editorials, top 10 lists, pet peeves and opinion pieces, something that I felt was lacking on this site in 2016. And to give you a sneak peek into my biggest project of 2017 - I plan to do something massive involving my favorite film franchise.
Finally, in case you didn't know, I recently wrote novel-length editorial on the history of King Kong and it has been posted to Toho Kingdom. It details the history behind the Eighth Wonder of the World, how he was concieved, the legal battles over ownership, how all of the special effects were created, and the behind the scenes knowledge on every film from the 1933 classic through the upcoming "Kong: Skull Island," including Kong's appearances on television, theme park attractions and video games.
If you haven't already seen that, please go check that out on Toho Kingdom. The article is still being added to, and is currently up to the 1976 "King Kong" movie.
Thank you all for another great year and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did. I'll be sure to give you all more content in 2017. In the coming days, I'll be posting reviews of "Hacksaw Ridge" and "Wings of Desire," as well as the Best of 2016 and my top films of the year, so be on the lookout for that. Take care everyone, and happy new year!
One of the first things I learned about being a director is the main role that one must serve - to lead the actors into giving the best possible performance they can. Whether that is providing proper motivation, being their best critic or their best friend, a directors' first duty is to the actors. And while that role has expanded to encompassing nearly every aspect of filmmaking, the sign of a good director does ultimately come back to how well one can direct the actors.
Half of a great performance comes from the actor. The other half comes from the direction.
I bring this up because "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" has the same director as 2014's "Godzilla," Gareth Edwards. "Godzilla" is an great comparison piece to "Rogue One," since many of the same strength and weaknesses are present in both movies, evident by the same filmmaker.
In my initial review of "Godzilla," I talked about I adored the size and scope of the monsters and overall terror that Godzilla presents, but that the only notable performances were from Bryan Cranston and Ken Watanabe. Since then, my feelings have expanded to feeling that most of the human scenes were forgettable after Bryan Cranston's character is killed, but that the monster scenes were handled fantastically even though there weren't many of them.
After watching "Rogue One," I am convinced that Gareth Edwards is a master of handling size and scope to provoke awe and wonder, but his ability to direct actors leaves a lot to be desired. Unlike "Godzilla," which had many accomplished actors in it, "Rogue One" is lacking in that department (continuing the trend of Star Wars by hiring mostly unknown actors for their leads), and thus any good performances rely on the ability of the director. Unfortunately, we get some lackluster performances in "Rogue One" that involve a lot of staring off into nothing and lack of emotion.
Set after the events of "The Revenge of the Sith," the Intergalatic Empire now rules over most of the known galaxy with an iron fist and lots of blasters. The Empire wants to make sure there is no hope of defeat, even from the small group of rebels attempting to thwart their plans, so they begin work a super weapon that'll destroy an entire planet - the Death Star.
When the rebels stumble across the daughter of one in charge of constructing the Death Star, Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones), they use all of their connections to find out exactly what the Empire is planning and to find Jyn's father, Galen (Mads Mikkeleson). They construct a small team of rebels, including Captain Andor (Diego Luna), a former Imperial cargo pilot (Riz Ahmed), a converted Empire droid who has developed a sarcastic personality and a blind warrior who believes in the force (Donnie Yen).
Like in "Godzilla," this film is impressive when it comes to size and scale of the monster, in this case the Empire. Other than Imperial flags flying everywhere and Stormtroopers lurking around every corner, the Star Destroyers and Death Star dwarf everything in else in the film. There's a shot of a Star Destroyer hovering an entire city, casting everything in shadow. You really get the impression that the Empire is in control of every last corner of the universe and that makes the challenge of overcoming this threat seem all the more impossible for our heroes.
This is also the most beautifully shot Star Wars film so far, with a lot of the shots lingering on the backgrounds of these alien worlds. One of the opening shots is an orbital descent into this beach-like world with massive ring around the planet, and we spend what feels like three minutes watching the waves roll up and see the ring high in the sky. Or the aforementioned shot of the Star Destroyer lingering over the city. Some of the more memorable shots in "Rogue One" rely less on CGI and more of a natural beauty that I feel gets taken for granted.
So while the size of the Empire is on full display and the film takes full advantage of great backgrounds, the biggest complaints I have with "Rogue One" are the characters and the pacing. Outside of Jyn Erso, I don't remember any of these characters names, which is not a good start for these people when you can't even remember their names, let alone their personalities. These are the characters that are supposed to inspire hope in a task that seems impossible, and most of them can hardly show any emotion.
Part of this problem is the acting from our two leads, Felicity Jones and Diego Luna, who remain stoic and emotionless throughout most of the film, so focused on the task at hand that they don't take any joy in anything. Contrast this with the first Star Wars film where Luke, Han and Leia are in a similar situation, yet Luke is constantly thrilled by this exploration of space, Han is using his charm and wit to outsmart everyone and Leia is less than thrilled by the escapades of her rescuers. Those three were having fun with their performances, despite constantly being on the run and having a gun pointed at you every second.
Like Aaron-Taylor Johnson's performance in "Godzilla," the lead roles in "Rogue One" do very little with their performances that it teeters on boring. Everything the Empire throws at them is mostly meet with a blank stare.
But there are some memorable characters in "Rogue One," like their robot buddy K-2SO, who always says what's on his mind and isn't afraid to back sass the decisions of his superiors. He was the biggest source of comic relief, a nice change of pace from the other droids we've had in Star Wars. Also, Donnie Yen's blind warrior was different enough from any Star Wars character I've seen yet still enriched with lore, since he is devoted to the ways of the Force and constantly chants his mantra. Yen is a skilled martial artist, having previously displayed his talents in the "Ip Man" film series, and he uses his talents here as well, giving a fun hand-to-hand combat sequence between him and a gaggle of Stormtroopers.
Outside of those two and a kick-ass scene involving Darth Vader, I don't remember much about these group of rebels.
The other problem with "Rogue One" is its pacing and how long it takes before events are set into motion. The film spends the first third hopping from one planet to another, getting little bits of information that ultimately leads nowhere other than to get the whole gang together. It isn't until the rebels become aware of Galen's location that the film begins to move and get interesting, at which point the pacing picks up a bit. By the end, we're left with an exciting climax on a tropical planet that becomes a last stand for the rebels in an attempt to save thousands of lives, but it took a long time before things started getting good.
As such, the pacing for "Rogue One" is all over the map, with the first third moving as slow as a snail, the second part moving at a normal speed, and the climax going at a ridiculous speed to keep up with every character. Honestly, the first half almost feels pointless since it was all there to establish the rebels are trying to get the plans for the Death Star, which we all know because of the first Star Wars movie.
Overall, "Rogue One: A Star Wars Story" showcases the strengths and weaknesses of Gareth Edwards, both his ability to show how hopeless it is to oppose this threat, and his inability to give his leads proper direction. There are plenty of great moments, battles and characters in this movie, but the journey our heroes take wasn't always captivating. This is certainly not a bad film, but it is not up to the quality of the original trilogy or "The Force Awakens."
Final Grade: B-
Here's something you don't see everyday - A French melodrama with every line of dialogue in song. I give "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" points for being creative and one-of-a-kind, since this is something you never see outside of some plays.
When I say every line of dialogue is in song, I mean every single word. From casual conversations on the street between strangers to deep life-changing conversations on who people should marrying.
The film follows Genevieve (Catherine Deneuve), a young girl who lives with her mother in their umbrella store in Cherbourg, as she falls in love with a slightly older man Guy (Nino Castelnuovo) even though her mother forbids her from seeing him. Genevieve only seems happy when she's with Guy but that quickly turns when he gets drafted and will be away for the next two years. Afraid of being left alone, she must decide to wait for him or marry a wealthy jewel salesman.
The story starts out simple enough and turns tragic as it progresses, which makes the operatic music scenes feel far more grandiose. While I can't appreciate the French music offered in this film due to my lack of music knowledge and hardly ever hearing French music before film, I did feel the film benefitted from being done in song.
Without the music, this would have been a run-of-the-mill drama about choosing love and loneliness or happiness and wealth. But Deneuve's performance is enhanced by her singing as her decisions carry more weight when she's pouring her emotions out in song.
Imagine if "The Graduate" was entirely a musical, and you get a pretty good idea what this film is about.
I respect "The Umbrellas of Cherbourg" more than I enjoyed it. I won't remember some of the finer points of the plot or even entire characters, like Guy's aunt, but I will never forget the film that was a musical from start to finish.
Final Grade: B-
