Deep Cover

Grade: B+

In this new movie on Amazon Prime, improv teacher/failed actress Kat (Bryce Dallas Howard) and her improv students IT guy Hugh (Ted Lasso's Nick Mohammed) and struggling actor Marlon (Pirates of the Caribbean/Lord of the Rings' Orlando Bloom) are recruited for a minor sting operation. Events don't go as planned and they find themselves forced to pretend to be professional criminals. 

The setup makes this feel like it might be a groaner. The introduction to all the characters isn't particularly entertaining, and Hugh's social awkwardness and Marlon's obsession with method acting as a tough criminal initially feels awkward and too much. 

However, once they get involved in the crime world, things really pick up. The jokes work. It also helps that the movie doesn't overplay the scenario. They could've had the characters go really over-the-top and silly with trying to cover for themselves, but the were smart enough to not play the characters too dumb. I was also afraid that Hugh's social awkwardness and Marlon's going too deep into his character would be overplayed, but the script never overdoes these elements. The movie's basically getting themselves in deeper and into crazier and crazier situations, and the situations don't disappoint. 

The one major complaint people may have with Deep Cover is that some of the resolutions to the perilous situations the characters find themselves in are just cleaned up with "it's a comedy don't worry about it" plot devices that don't always track. 

Pretty strong casting in this across the board. Howard's playing the straight man, but she honestly is the most watchable of the main trio. She's the most grounded, and it's fun to see her think on her feet. Bloom, it turns out has great comic timing. I do believe Mohammed is typecast, basically playing a variation of the same guy he played in Ted Lasso. (Guy does have range. Ever see Maggie Moore(s); solidly plays a confident guy in that.) He does more of the same, but he's good at it. 

Credit should also be given to Ben Ashenden and Alexander Owen as a couple of detectives. They've got a good straight man/goofy guy dynamic going on.

Recommended. This was a pleasant experience with a good cast.

Titan: the Oceangate Disaster

Grade: A-

This new Netflix documentary looks at the inevitable in hindsight implosion of Oceangate's Titan submersible and the company's CEO Stockton Rush who ignored all criticism's of the ship's design and safety, did his best to avoid oversight, and died in his creation.

The Titan has been a morbidly fascinating story as it a tale of man's hubris mirroring that of the original Titanic disaster, which was the source of the sub's creation as it was created to perform tours to its wreckage. This movie follows the many issues with the sub's design, which used carbon fiber, which doesn't do great under extreme pressure. The documentary chronologically goes over the various people who raised issues and either left or were fired as it becomes clear that this was always going to fail and how sketchy Rush's entire operation was.

The movie really focuses on him. Rush comes clear as a stereotypical psychopathic rich guy who sounds very confident but will say and do anything to get what he wants rather than admit he failed.

The pacing, editing, interviews, and music all work smoothly. My only major complaint is that not a lot of time is spent looking at the victims.

If you've heard, another Titan documentary also came out (Implosion on Max). If you're wondering which one's stronger, I'd say they're both equal in quality (they have very similar direction, music, and tone, including no narrator). They actually compliment each other as Titan focuses more on Rush and has more audio/video from the inside goings of Oceangate, while Implosion focuses more on bigger picture info. and the design of the Titan.

Recommended. 

Predator: Killer of Killers

Grade: A-

This new predator film on Hulu/Disney+ is an animated anthology film in which we see different Predators hunting different human warriors throughout history.

This is helmed by Dan Trachtenberg (10 Cloverfield Lane), who directed the previous Predator installment Prey, and the guy's still got it. What with Prey taking place in the past, this movie whets our appetite for more of this by seeing Predator action in other parts of history. This results in innovative new set pieces. Plus, all the Predators have very different looks and techniques. 

As for tone, it probably comes the closest to going with the more serious one that Predators had, however I honestly thought this did a better job with story and drama. 

The animation is like that of Arcane, having a painterly look to it. Animation isn't as detailed as Arcane, but more fluid. The whole thing is really gorgeous to look at with some impressively choreographed action moments (you even have a tracking shot; rare in animation). KoK is able to pull stuff off that you just couldn't in live-action.

Sections-

The Shield- A

A viking warrior and her group go searching for their enemy and encounter a Predator.

Probably my favorite one. Has the best story, script and characterization and efficiently manages to set everything up in a short amount of time.

The Sword- B+

In feudal Japan, a Predator becomes involved in a fight between two men.

Has the best fight scenes out of the entire film. The Japanese setting makes for a distinct look and fighting techniques. However, you get the basic gist of the story, but there are a lot of follow-up questions that aren't answered.

The Bullett- B+

A WII aerial squadron fights... you guessed it... a Predator and its space ship.

This is really ingenious: the idea of a Predator aerial fight. This segment, though still full of death, also feels a little less earnest than the previous ones. However, the fight scenes are too rapid fire; and there are too many close-ups.

Final section- A-

Not spoiling this point. This is like The Sword in that the story has a lot of follow-up questions,  but it has the second best action and finishes off everything with a bang.

Recommended. There are a few plot nitpicks, but this is a real action-packed tour-de-force for the eyes and definitely something to see for Predator fans. I'd say this is my fourth favorite film behind P1+2 and Prey.