Monarch: Legacy of Monsters- Season 1

8/10

In this television spin-off of the Godzilla/King Kong theatrical Monsterverse on Apple+, Cate Randa (played by  Anna Sawai) travels to Japan to uncover questions about her missing father where she is drawn into a mystery involving Monarch, the agency that deals with giant monsters.

The plot does start a little tepid. Story is initially decent but doesn't feel like it is excelling. However, things really pick up during the second half. The plot becomes far more intricate and surprising and the character relationships really develop. (There's a lot you can't predict from the outset.) A lot of this also looks at the history of how Monarch first came to be (this doesn't do a half bad version of keeping steady with the movies' continuity) and it's pretty good and planned out.

Also, this is for you if you're looking for something for the whole family. The show maintains the audience level of the movies.

The monster effects are practically movie quality. This is still television, so they are always in short bursts, but you never get an episode without a monster.

Cast is good and the characters are distinct. I liked the main actors but to be honest I think the best performances are probably Joe Tippett as the likable everyman member of Monarch and Hell on Wheels' Christopher Heyerdahl as a general.

Be aware that this takes place approximately after the first Godzilla movie but before the second one. The show could've done a better job of making that clearer from the onset. I first thought it took place currently in the franchise. There a couple other nitpicks: one brief antagonist that is just too caustic and there is one plot point here that doesn't line up with what happened in Godzilla vs. Kong.

Highly recommended. This a popcorn movie made into TV form without feeling overextended.

ISS

8/10

In ISS, Dr. Kira Foster (the West Side Story remake's Ariana DeBose) becomes the newest crew member of the International Space Station (real thing if you're not familiar), which is manned by Americans and Russians. Nuclear war breaks out between their two countries and the Americans get a private order to take over the station by any means necessary, and they have to wonder if their compatriots got the same order.

This is an idea that makes perfect sense for a closed-space thriller, and I'm surprised no one has ever thought of this before. The movie does jump into the action a little faster than I'd like; would've preferred suspense about and the build up to who will make the first movie. However, once things are rolling, they never get boring. One is left guessing as to what will happen next. Also, helps that all the characters are distinct with differing moral viewpoints.

Fairly good cast. This is one of DeBose's few projects so far that don't involve singing, and she gets to show off her acting chops and why she won the Oscar. DeBose really knows how to become the character.

The look of the interior of the ISS feels authentic. (Course I don't have a lot of memories of space station footage, so what do I know?) Definite thought was put into putting the set together and the weightlessness effects. 

Highly recommended. I know that this isn't getting a lot of buzz or butts in seats, but this is a gripping piece.

Origin

9.5/10

Ava DuVernay's latest film Origin chronicles Isabel Wilkerson's research for her book Caste: the Origins of our Discontents, which looks at various examples of caste throughout the world, including slaver/Jim Crow laws, the Holocaust, and India's caste system, and how it underpins racism.

I only ended up seeing this because I took a chance on AMC's mystery movie, and I'm so glad I did. This is just a really well written film. You'd think a movie that is 60% a woman doing research and interviewing people could be slow and perhaps dull but this is an excellently paced affair with reliable dialogue.  

The subject matter is very moving and interesting. Usually a movie about racism focuses on how it affects a particular race/religion. Looking at the general aspect of it and shows the interrelations of humanity. This all results in a very emotional ending. 

The movie follows Wilkerson (played by King Richard's Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor) all of the way except for the occasional historical flashback. The focus wouldn't have worked if the script wasn't there and Wilkerson wasn't up to the performance. There's an understanding and strength to the author (who was dealing with personal struggles as well) that makes her very engaging. The cast is good all around including Reno 911/Claws' Niecy Nash as Wilkerson's cousin and The Punisher's Jon Bernthal as her husband.

At least part of this film appears to be shot on location in various parts of the globe, and I appreciate the effort.

If there are any nitpicks to this movie, it showcases the data of caste systems, but maybe there could've been more of a conclusion of how it all ties together and why the system occurs. Also, you do kinda get the feeling that the movie could only include the highlights of what was in the book and that there were other examples of caste that there wasn't time for.

Highly recommended. This is a very compelling work.

The Beekeeper

7.5/10

In this new David Ayer movie, kindly older woman Eloise Parker (played by The Cosby Show's Phylicia Rashad) is digitally scammed for all her life savings which results in a tragic event. Beekeeper Adam Clay, who was renting a barn from her, vows revenge. Turns out he's a retired agent from a super, super secret government agency known as the Beekeepers and he's got a skill set that's going to make him very hard to take down by the villains or law enforcement.

The Beekeeper is enjoyable in how over-the-top and action-packed it gets. I haven't seen Jason Statham go this hardcore in a while (in fairness, I haven't seen the Crank films). Action is hardcore, well choreographed, and violent with moments of creativity. Several villains are dressed more colorful than in your usual action flick, which makes for a nice change.

It also helps that the movie never dawdles. Plot points are introduced quickly and usually organically. Clay gets to visit different set pieces to fight in, and the many, many villains are really varied. One could worry that too many characters could be overkill, but it all works. The plot itself, while not too ambitious, is more thought out and interesting than you'd expect from a basic popcorn action film.

'Course this is is a David Ayer movie. He's the guy who wrote the script for Training Day but also created Suicide Squad's gangster Joker. As is often the case with the guy, he's got good ideas and bad ones. The setup with Parker felt a little too rushed. Clay makes way, way, WAY too many bee analogies. It's weird, and to be clear, he wasn't trained as a beekeeper as cover for his job, he decided to become an actual one after he retired. He's TOOOO focused on bees.

Parker's daughter and FBI agent Verona (The Umbrella Academy's Emmy Raver-Lampman) gets the worst dialogue here. She's got a few good lines, but a lot of stinkers. Also, she is dogged in her pursuit of Clay even though she knows he's avenging her mother and punishing the ones who wronged Eloise. She gives a reason about believing in the law, but it doesn't ring true. (On the other hand, I liked her partner played by Bobby Naderi. He's a quick-tongued fella). 

Statham delivers classic Statham, no more, no less. However, it's the actors playing the villains that have the most fun. The standout is Jeremy Irons as the consultant to the main baddie. He's like the mob boss in the first John Wick movie, he didn't have anything to do with what ticked off the protagonist and didn't want to be dragged into this. He's very watchable as the guy who knows he is trying to dig through solid rock with a spoon but doesn't see any option but to keep digging.

Recommended. The whole thing's kinda crazy and over-the-top but oh-so watchable.

Reacher- Season 2

8/10

In this second season, based on Bad Luck and Trouble, the eleventh book in the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child, Reacher (played by Ritchson, a guy who looks like a full brick wall magically came to life), former MP and current vagabond, teams up with his old Special Investigations Unit when one of their members is murdered.

This season feels like it moves quicker. Instead of Reacher mostly being stuck in one town, he gets to travel around and keeps things more varied. There is a lot more focus on action this time (and the show was already pretty action heavy). Violence is more creative. Though I do miss Reacher's rapport with his team mates last time (the whole point of Reacher is he is a lone traveler who doesn't have a constant team), the new guys are a pretty likable bunch.

Understand that this is blatant escapism. If you prefer a more grounded affair, don't expect any real world legal restrictions on Reacher's path of revenge. If you just want a tale of good guys with guns defeating the wicked then this is for you. (As with all Reacher stories, the villains are all super evil and killey). Reacher does feel a little too cocky, and it can get annoying. Also, this season the guy is a straight up executioner who doesn't only act in defense or to save people. He doesn't just want to beat the bad guys, he wants them DEAD. It gets a little weird. (Say what you will about the material, but one can't question Ritchon's soft-spoken self-assured portrayal).

Recommended. A fun, action-packed time, and Ritchson is very watchable.

Fargo- Season 5

9.5/10

In season 5 of the FX anthology series, housewife Dot Lyon (Ted Lasso's Juno Temple) finds her life and family under threat when a shadow from the past pursues her.

The last couple seasons haven't been as strong as the first two, so I'm proud to say that 5 is a real return to form. It both feels like the classic Fargo formula while also reinventing itself. (I especially appreciate that this has more of the main character's family life, which I felt really helped make seasons 1 and 2 work and juxtaposes well against the crueler aspects of the world of Fargo.) What ensues is a pretty well written look at the American political divide and the nature of debt coupled by an interesting story and characters. Creator Noah Hawley's gift for excellently crafted dialogue and monologues is at full speed here. The last three episodes may have been the most engrossing cap off to a season of Fargo there's been, and the very last scene of the entire show may be one of the best moments on television I've ever seen.

Going in though, understand that this is also the darkest season of Fargo (and that's saying something.) Sure, the show's always been about violent crime, but this one focuses on a pretty sensitive subject that may not be for everyone and DOES NOT shy away from the matter.

Visually, the show is also still top knotch with some film-quality shots. Plus, there's some of the best use of music the show's ever done.

I'm glad Temple's work on Ted Lasso really helped jump start her career in America. (Unlike the rest of the British cast on that show she'd already been working regularly in the US, but a lot of her films were flops or limited release.) She brings such a humanity and determination to her character (all with a pretty fun midwestern accent.) Rest of the cast is also great. Jennifer Jason Leigh excels as Dot's sarcastic, cold-blooded billionaire mother-in-law Lorraine Lyon, who inexplicably has an outdated transatlantic accent.

Mad Men's Jon Hamm is antagonist Roy Tillman, a constitutional sherriff and rancher from a line of sheriffs who rules his county like a fiefdom. He's different from previous Fargo villains. Most of them are the love to hate types. Tillman, however, is designed simply to be hated. Hamm is really pulling off the loathsome. (Most villains are honest with themselves in their criminality whereas Tillman clearly feels he's the hero of his story.) You don't watch because of fascination of the character, you want to see if he'll get his just deserts or not. But don't worry, the show still has its interesting villain. Ole Munch (Sam Spruell, who was the main baddie in Jodie Whittaker's last season of Doctor Who) is this season's contract criminal. The tall, kilt-wearing Danish man is a fascinatingly eccentric fellow who doesn't have a personal stake in the matters at hand and brings his own personal philosophy into the events.

Unfortunately, there are so many characters that some of them don't get enough screentime. Kids in the Hall/Newsradio's Dave Foley gets to be Lorraine's one-eyed lawyer/fix-it man Danish Graves who's got a flair about him. New Girl's Lamorne Morris gives the best performance I've ever seen him do as a kind-hearted cop caught in Dot's story. Both of them you truly wish you got more of. 

Highly recommended. This is peak golden age television.

Lift

6.5/10

In Lift, master thief Cyrus (played by Kevin Hart) and his crew are recruited by Interpol agent Abby (Belle/Loki's Gugu Mbatha-Raw), who was previously after them, in order to steal a large shipment of gold being transported via plane to terrorists.

This is a fairly basic heist film in terms of characters, dialogue, and set up, but it is still a light, breezy experience that managed to keep my attention. I particularly liked that this was trying to be an escapist film without civilian casualties, but the filmmakers also managed to make the villains fairly nasty/reprehensible enough within the PG-13 boundaries.

The most unique aspect of this is the flight-based heist. I won't spoil anything, but I hadn't a heist done this way before (haven't seen money plane, but I'm pretty sure they're going a different route than Money Plane). This is a popcorn film, and they make the exterior and interiors of planes in this (one of which is first class) pretty appealing with sleek and colorful modern design.

It's kinda apparent that Hart is doing this to prove that he can also be a dramatic/action star. Known for his particular comedic style, he plays it completely straight here without jokes, and he does a decent job. Wouldn't say he's become the most charismatic action star, but he sells the character. Vincent D'Onofrio plays the flamboyant member of the gang and as the actor has proven in The Magnificent Seven and Dumb Money he relishes whenever he can go over-the-top. Attention should also be given to Torchwood/Pacific Rim's Burn Gorman (who is unappreciated in my opinion) as the villain's right hand who brings a little bit of personality to the role.

Kinda recommended. Not the greatest heist movie ever but makes for a passable time waster.