'Bad Boys For Life' - Some Old School Comedic Duo Never Die

Almost two decades have passed since the last entry of the Bad Boys franchise, so it's easy to say that the younger generation might not be familiar of them. But it won't be a problem since Bad Boys For Life pretty much established from the get-go, that the "Bad Boys" themselves, Mike Lowery (Will Smith) and Marcus Burnett (Martin Lawrence), are a fun, dangerous, and unpredictable crime-fighting comedic duo, only they're older and questionably wiser.

Photo: Columbia Pictures

It starts with a dangerous threat that emerges to endanger Mike's life which automatically pulls back Marcus in their life as cops after trying to step back and spend more time with his family. But now that they're a little less capable, they're joined by the elite new police unit Advance Miami Metro Operations (AMMO), which has introduced high-tech investigative tactics to the Miami P.D, and let's face it, some fresh spunk, energy & muscle, which brings out a little bit of insecurity from the veterans. The old school versus new school dynamic is highlighted in the guys' dealings with this state of the art. It's noisy and fun, but the mini rivalry rightfully didn't last long.

Old school comedy and action are expected in a Bad Boys film. It's essentially what Bad Boys is about apart from love-hate brotherhood. But what sets this apart from its previous outing is a grounded plot, almost telenovela complete with "bruha", that works and balance the daddy jokes and whatnot. Think of what Empire Strikes Back did to the Star Wars franchise. It's almost the same, except that the additional layer ended when this threequel's end credits start to roll.

In short, it's a complete film with a plot that works only for this film but broadens the background of the titular "Bad Boys". Not to mention, this film is also well-acted. This might be one of Will Smith's best performances, in both comedy and drama. Martin Lawrence, on the other hand, is hilarious as always without trying too hard. Their accustomed theatrics still work to this day, and if we are being honest, we only want this film to be funny and action-packed. And it is. The comedy works and the action blasts. And it's even more. And it's really entertaining.

'1917' - An Explosive Fusion of Excellent Craft

To start, 1917 has Richard Deakins as its cinematographer, Thomas Newman as its composer, & Lee Smith as its editor, and it's directed by a craftsman who made films like American Beauty, Revolutionary Road, and Skyfall, a director who knows how to combine all of these elements to create an excellent film whatever the genre is, it just so happen that 1917 is a war film which involves a lot of technical skills to achieve near perfection. Director Sam Mendes did this and it's nothing short of marvelous.

Photo: United International Pictures

In the last few years, some war films flopped and there were some that excelled. One of those that excelled is Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk whose gimmick only elevates the time constraint of the film's plot. Sam Mendes' 1917 can be considered a gimmicky war film, as well. It's a bold one-take style by the magician of light, Deakins. Although it's very much a flex of one's capabilities, his style undeniably heightens the intimacy, tension, and danger of a war zone. At the same time, it knows it could make the audience marvel by its technique. Add Thomas Newman's always elegant score, it blends well with the film's action and drama.

Then there's George Mackay, who convincingly looks like a past century soldier. He's engaging as he tries to survive the dangers of war, avoiding bullets and bombs left and right, dodging dangerous terrains of rivers and woods. He does a terrific job at making his character captivating even if we barely know anything about him until the final moments of the film.

All of these elements are vital as to why 1917 is a technical marvel. My personal favorite would have to be the burning ruined village at night, where Deakins captured immaculate images through moving lights. It makes "visually stunning" a legitimate term only this film deserves to be called one.

It only falls a little short of its full potential because of its lack of story progression. The story is simple, but the mission is difficult. This has always been about the journey. Like Alfonso Cuaron's Gravity, it heavily focuses on the excitement of the danger, the difficulty, and the hardship of reaching the end. Its journey is always rough but some of its quiter in-betweens don't mesh well with its previous and subsequent scenes including the lady in the ruined village. It felt like a filler and didn't add much to the destination.

Then again, films are allowed to have gimmicks. Whether it works or not, it really depends on what the viewer is looking for in a film. On one hand, 1917 can be seen as an immersive war adventure, and on the other, it can be looked as a vapid and thinly-plotted film that never fully fleshes out the situation. It really depends on what a viewer looks for in films.

'Just Mercy' - Death Row By The Numbers

Much of Just Mercy is spent on the investigation of Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx), an African American wrongfully convicted for the murder of an 18-year old teenager by a young lawyer, Bryan Stevenson (Michael B. Jordan). In the process, it showed a lot of injustice against the poor, the condemned, and the disfavored. It’s pretty straightforward, narratively told by the numbers, but it is hair-raisingly powerful and its message about injustice is vital. It's nothing we haven't seen before but its message never gets old in a world where communities couldn't seem to defeat racism.

Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

Emotionally, however, it didn’t quite hit the bulls eye. The film is focused too much on the lawyer's journey in finding the truth rather than focusing on the accused. Make no mistake, after all, the movie is based on the true story of Stevenson but there's a bigger emotional angle whenever Walter is on screen. It’s very much a Michael B. Jordan movie than a Jamie Foxx, who are both superb in their roles. But it would have been more effective if it's the other way around, or at least if their relationship was highlighted like Susan Sarandon and Sean Penn in Dead Man Walking. Couldn't help but relate the two films which both dealt with death row.

But they got their message across clearly so even with my minor quibbles, it’s really fine as it is. Powerful, important, beautiful even. It could have fleshed out more of the supporting characters though, like Walter's family, Brie Larson's character, Eva Ansley, an Alabama local advocate of those who are wrongly condemned, and most especially Ralph Myers, portrayed outstandingly by Tim Blake Nelson, whose pivotal testimony against Walter McMillian put the latter in jail.

In spite of the storytelling focus and approach that is considerably conventional, Just Mercy grabs its audience with an intense emotion and understanding towards those who are always the receiving end of injustice. It's unfortunately always the condemned, but thankfully, we have films like Just Mercy to reiterate what's always been forgotten.

'The Grudge' is a Little Too Serious for Ju-on

Nicolas Pesce's The Grudge is filled with dread and horror, that it forgot to inject a little fun into it. Instead, it has a prestige dramatic story based on its origin, Ju-on. It focuses on three families, almost like an anthology, except that each of them is connected with each other. One very important aspect of Pesce’s storytelling, which he brought along from the original, is his play with time. Though the flick begins with two detectives, Muldoon (Andrea Riseborough) and Goodman’s (Demian Bichir) discovery of a decaying corpse in the woods, the story cuts between the current time and the bits and pieces of the other stories that lead to this frightening discovery. Pesce knitted these stories together so well that its drama and its detective feature are almost the only two good things that's going for it.

Photo: Columbia Pictures

Where it falls short is the horror, and unfortunately, it's a horror film first before any other genre. It relies a lot on jump-scares which unfortunately are not that scary. They're surprising but the fact that they look like ripoffs from other scary movies make the jump-scares predictable and less impactful. Probably a good thing that the film doesn't dwell too much on its origin, but it also removed the horror and tricks that fans love from Ju-on and completely barred it with fun. The Grudge is about rage, death, grief, and revenge. This one has these but only in a minimum dose.

Ju-on has always been about campy horror and Pesce is obviously not interested in that. Narratively, it's a competent film as Pesce weaves each stories in a non-linear structure and made it interesting. But the throaty, scary sound or Kayako is sorely missing. It would probably work better if it's tagged as a True Detective story.

On a positive note, it's a well-acted film by an ensemble consisted of talents like Andrea Riseborough, Jackie Weaver, Lin Shaye, Jon Cho, and Demian Bichir. They make it as interesting as possible, especially that their characters are also distinct, each have their own purpose and baggage. It also helps the narrative a lot that they're from different stories so their great talents are scattered throughout the film.

In short, it's a well-knitted narrative with a great ensemble, and only falls short in its horror.

'Richard Jewell' - An Earnest Look at an Unlikely Hero and a Compelling Critique of the Law Enforcement and Press

To be one of the oldest directors in Hollywood and be one of the most consistently hardworking filmmakers there is, we gotta give Clint Eastwood some kudos for that feat. His career varied from Western films to even romance and drama. But lately, he's been into championing America. What it means to be an American--from heroes to the authority, from press to the society.

Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures

In his latest, he puts one of the most unassuming heroes of the recent generation. Richard Jewell, a security guard who reports finding the device at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games bombing, saving countless lives in the process, only to be hunted by law enforcement as their suspect.

Richard Jewell is one of Eastwood's more competent outing after some of his slightly forgettable ones like The Mule and Sully. The subject is way more fascinating, and the narrative is lightning fast. The ensemble consisting of Paul Walter Hauser, Kathy Bates, Olivia Wilde, Jon Hamm, and Sam Rockwell are all terrific.

The film also tackles several themes. While earnestly painting Jewell as a hero, Eastwood also magnifies the imperfections of law enforcement and media in handling this tragedy during its time. Its depiction of media, however, is a bit excessive especially in how it portrayed the real-life journalist Kathy Scruggs, who's not alive to tell her side of the story. For a film that critiques the way the press, specifically Scruggs, handled their information, screenwriter Billy Ray isn't also that modest in taking way too many liberties with the character.

In the end, its strengths overshadow its major flaw. Eastwood clearly is about expressing the value of good intentions. Richard Jewell's argument about focusing in protecting the community rather than persecuting someone for the sake of reputation is a big and valuable resolution. It's the one that sticks out and it's the film's most important lesson.

'Cats' is Tom Hooper's Half-Human-Half-Kitty Galore

If there's one thing to say about Tom Hooper's Cats, is that it's incredibly watchable. A head-scratching, mysteriously fascinating watch that would hook you in right off the bat mainly because of its weirdness. It starts right away without any warning. From the get go, we see Victoria (Francesca Hayward in her feature film debut), a stray cat thrown away in a dumpster, finding herself surrounded by a gangster of cats. She then eventually serves as the audience's guide into their strange world meeting other distinct furry creatures who share the same goal of performing at the Jellicle ball where the wise and beloved elderly cat Old Deuteronomy (Judi Dench) chooses which cat deserves another chance at a different life in the Heaviside Layer.

Photo: United International Pictures

Cats' appeal is inexplicable. For someone like me who doesn't know anything about the story, my head kept on wondering--what's going on, why are they dancing ballet as cats, and why do they look like cats but not entirely like one--and I kind of enjoyed it? It's almost like experiencing an acid trip, which I haven't experienced, but watching Cats might have shown me a glimpse.

Part of its strangeness is how the songs and the way they're sung are a bit incomprehensible. Not to mention all the dancing, the props, the background are really chaotic, neon-lit colorful, and overall festive. There is also a handful of characters, as distinct as they all look, could be quite overwhelming to be familiar with. So all of the senses, while watching everything unfold, is turned max up. Hooper also doesn't give way for cathartic moments. After one number, the next one comes right away. It's a chaotic hullabaloo, but it's part of the package.

What also pulls this one down is that it demands to be vivacious but Tom Hooper's vision couldn't match its energy and creativity. For a film adaptation of Cats, this feels limited when it shouldn't be because it's not nailed to the stage of a theater. Uninspired steady shots and close ups bring nothing to elevate its material so some of its big moments do not soar. There are obviously numbers that are given more effort, specifically Taylor Swift's Macavity but the rest feels like Hooper doesn't know what to do with the songs and numbers. 

The good thing is that Andrew Lloyd Weber's songs are good, and even Taylor Swift's Beautiful Ghosts is beautiful. The latter doesn't quite mesh well with the harmony of the other songs, but the whole soundtrack is a variety of speed and tempo so it's all good. The cast are also very committed to their roles. Jennifer Hudson as Grizabella, Ian McKellen as Gus, and Idris Elba as Macavity are the standouts but the CGI and their look could have been better.

For me, Cats isn't the catastrophe that everyone expects it to be. I didn't not like it, but it's also obviously not the best musical out there. Still, it's very easy to enjoy it.