Avengers: Endgame (2019)

Avengers: Endgame is the serviceable capstone on a decade's worth of serviceable movies worth billions of dollars. There are millions of superfans all around the world. And this is for them. This movie is 100% fan service. One last hurrah for the old guard of Avengers. I'm unfortunately not one of those superfans. I think I missed a lot of the references to the older films. I think they didn't have as much of an emotional impact for me because I am not attached to the characters and I don't recall the details of the old movies. The explanation of time travel from The Hulk is brushed over really quickly and I didn't catch it. But I think there are some significant plot holes that I'm willing to overlook. The movie runs way too long. There are a lot of subplots they could have cut out that serve only to prolong the movie. And to top it off, I fell asleep during the climactic battle scene. We can blame jet lag, but also, I have a tendency to fall asleep during battles.

The Mule (2018)

I admit I missed the first ten minutes. But I think I got the gist. Clint Eastwood plays Earl, an old man who was never there for his family. As a result, he is estranged from his family. His good driving record allows him to become a drug mule for the cartel. And no one ever suspects this crazy old gringo that's just trying to enjoy life. His family wasn't what gave him joy in his earlier years. And he realizes he was wrong. The movie is actually quite enjoyable. Clint Eastwood is intense. His acting is effortless; he basically variations of the same character in all of his later movies, but you suspect that's just him playing himself. He's not charming like Robert Redford, he's more stereotypical old white guy. Nonetheless, the story is engaging as we just wait in anxiety for the law (or the outlaws) to catch up to him.

A Star Is Born (2018)

Bradley Cooper can direct in this movie easily accessible to the masses! After multiple collaborations with actor's director David O. Russell, Cooper has learned the art of direction. The movie serves as an acting showcase for himself and Lady Gaga, who proved she can act. Part of the point of the movie is that Cooper's character, the fading Jackson Maine, hogs her spotlight out of jealousy, but at times the same goes for Cooper the actor (at the direction of Cooper the director?). Both performances are Oscar-level. Maine's voice is so deep (he emulates co-star Sam Elliot unironically, who is also very good), Cooper must have been in so much pain straining himself. When Lady Gaga gets to shine, the movie really shines. She is a star in every sense of the word. And her distinctive voice is powerful as ever. Dave Chappelle makes a curious appearance. I like Chappelle but his character sort of comes out of nowhere almost inexplicably. Is he just some friend that happens to live in Memphis? And I happen to quite like Anthony Ramos of Hamilton fame.

Lady Gaga can act, but can Bradley Cooper sing? He's actually pretty decent. He can act drunk and he can act drunkenly sing in tune AND he can act soberly sing out of tune. That's range. The original music sticks with you. Lady Gaga has been experimenting with different genres lately, and she makes it all work. Her new song Shallow is sure to win the Oscar. And of course Lady Gaga starts out singing in a drag bar. The cinematography is striking. I wonder how much Bradley Cooper had to do with the look of the movie. And the screenplay is strong. The first act of the script is actually perfect. It perfectly balances comedy, romance and drama. The initial courtship between Ally and Jackson is convincing and engaging. And the musical makes powerful use of silence.

Lastly, I want to ask what Cooper is trying to say? This is obviously a remake done no less than 3 times before. In 2018, why do we need more of this? What is the commentary on our times? Easy message number 1 is the music producer/manager is unequivocally bad. The music industry does things to you making it difficult to retain your unique authenticity. But more interestingly what about gender? Does she need him, or he-her? What is he saying about masculinity? About successful women? What are we to make of Ally's final sacrifice, the lie she tells for Jackson's sake? And what about Jackson's ultimate sacrifice, an act of love? I don't have all the answers, but he raises some interesting questions for our contemporary society.

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017)

I was largely unimpressed by the second installment of the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. The first one was novel, unexpected and knowingly poking fun at itself. The second one has some similar humor, but it doesn't land. It is more annoying and not as witty. We have Kingsman and Deadpool and the Lego Movie--the self-deprecating humor isn't new anymore. It does some things really well though. The music supervision is spot on. The special effects and production design is fantastic. I appreciated the movie's boldest statement, it's depiction of the video game-ification of drone warfare. I did not appreciate Mantis, a dangerous stereotype of a subservient and submissive Asian woman. Drax insults her throughout the film, insults her appearance and her personality. She seems relatively unimportant to the plot, only serving as the butt of a joke. 

Burnt (2015)

What I really dislike about this movie is that it preys on our love of food. That's how they get you to watch the movie, but it is not worth your time. Bradley Cooper is entirely unlikable as an irrational and erratic chef. It is one thing to be mean in the kitchen--we can watch Hell's Kitchen. But Bradley Cooper's chef is really unbearable, as are most all of the other characters. I don't think that's the fault of acting, rather poor development of already uninteresting characters.The beginning especially is just a series of short vignettes that seemingly come from nowhere, introducing a series of supporting characters to dislike.  I found it hard to pay attention or care. 

Joy (2015)

There are a lot of good things going on in this movie. David O. Russell has partnered again with his muse Jennifer Lawrence for another stellar performance. Joy is the strongest woman Lawrence has played thus far in her career. She is a divorcee who is constantly putting out fires at home (the opening scene is a showcase for Lawrence), but she wants to do more with her life. She is an inventor by nature and she takes control of her own destiny and pursues her passion. It kind of reminded me of The Good Wife-- a strong female lead who takes hold of her own life. And she is authentic as herself; that is Lawrence's biggest selling point. The characterization of Joy's mother is also well developed. And in the first half of the movie, there is this surreal back and forth between reality and the soap opera world that she lives in.

There is a great scene in which Bradley Cooper is showing Joy around the QVC studio. The studio is a magical place that elicits awe (and joy) from Joy and lets Cooper show off a little too. The scene moves forward at an anticipatory pace. There is a fantastic use of music in this scene that actually reminded me of The Good Wife, which commonly uses instrumentals to build excitement in the lead-in to the titles.  The entire film actually uses music very effectively, including the guitar solo from Alabama Shakes's "Gimme All Your Love" and the piano introduction from Bruce Springsteen's "Racing in the Street." Some of the orchestral bits give it a fairy tale feeling, and the snowfall helps feed that aura.  It is a really good soundtrack ranging from rock to Latin jazz, and when it comes to music I expect nothing less from Russell.

The moral of the story is that business is hard. It's not a glamorous movie. Business (and much less mops) rarely is. I get that. But there is one terrible scene that I felt really detracted from the movie. Robert De Niro and Isabella Rosselini are deriding Joy for not having what it takes to be in business. And she just takes it. Maybe this is how the actual events went, but she accepts that they are right. And they're not. The way I understand it, from a legal standpoint, Joy was in the right. It was the very people chastising her (for simply being herself) that messed up. And Russell makes very clear that Joy's father is not a nice or supportive-type person; but I think this scene was overkill and really contrary to the entrepreneurial spirit that the film seems to endorse.

American Sniper (2014)

The opening scene of American Sniper is intensely suspenseful. We have already seen the opening in the trailer and still I sat at the edge of my seat.  However, I was a little disappointed when the scene abruptly cut to a flashback before Chris Kyle enlisted and then the movie works its way forward in time till it returns to the opening scene.  I admit the second time around was not as suspenseful.  But every scene in the war zone of Iraq is suspenseful, not knowing what awaits behind the door or when the sniper is going to pull the trigger. Including a battle scene in the middle of a sandstorm, in which at times its even a little difficult to tell what is going on. Much like the soldiers, all we see is sand and can barely make out shadows.

War takes a harrowing toll on the human body and mind.  Kyle does several tours in Iraq and the scenes in the United States between tours give the audience a glimpse at the suffering returning soldiers face. Even those physically unharmed are haunted by post traumatic stress.  It ends back at home away from the battlefield, but these soldiers haunted by PTSD bring the war home.  And in war, anything can happen in an instant.  The ending is just as abrupt as the beginning.  This is very much an anti-war movie, highlighting the destruction, physical and mental, wreaked by war.

Bradley Cooper plays Chris Kyle, the deadliest sniper in US military history. He nails the Texas drawl and does a good job showing his post traumatic stress emotionally.  The scene in which he sits in a bar alone speaking on the phone with his wife is surely the reason for his Oscar nomination.  The movie also takes us into the mindset of Kyle.  Despite many protests from his wife Taya, Kyle keeps going back to Iraq.  Kyle is not alone in his mentality. Many soldiers, dare I say most soldiers, go to battle to protect their brothers in arms.  Though they may fight in the name of democracy and freedom and protecting the USA, their true motivation and core desire is to protect their fellow soldiers.  Clint Eastwood captures this mindset of a killing machine and thoughtfully asks his audience to ponder: why do we go to war?

Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)

Unlike Marvel's other offerings,  this movie runs like one long joke.   Lucky for Marvel, it's very funny.  In the theater that I went to,  there was no pity laughter; it was all genuine riotous laughter.   Being unfamiliar with the comics,  I'm not sure how seriously it is supposed to be taken. This proves that action movies can be more than just special effect.   The writing can still shine (talking to you,  Transformers).  The out of place 70s/80s music in an outer space saga adds to the joke feeling.   It really shouldn't work, but it does.  It is mixed into the film well in the form of a mix tape taken from Earth.

The casting of Chris Pratt was perfect,  not too serious at all and so funny.   Probably best known for playing dim witted Andy in Parks and Recreation, who knew he could pull off the hero type (albeit not your conventional hero)? Personally,  my favorite character is Bradley Cooper as Rocket the genetically modified racoon.  The scenes in which I laughed the hardest were funny because of Rocket.