The Spy Who Dumped Me (2018) - Review

Speak up and say it loud – Kate Mckinnon is a star and has been under used in every film she has appeared in. She is constantly the best thing in unfunny comedies; Rough Night and Office Christmas Party are both forgettable and the Ghostbuster remake was unloved by the masses (not me, I think it was unfairly judged). What all these films have in common are that she is really funny in all of them. Mckinnon, known mostly for her work on SNL (Saturday Night Live) has been waiting for that break out film, the one that puts her on the map to every man, woman and child on the planet. The Spy Who Dumped Me on paper doesn’t look like that film. First off, it’s coming out on the back end of a summer of huge blockbusters. Secondly, it is helmed by a first-time (feature) director and thirdly, the marketing has been slow and quiet. I don’t think this will be on many people’s radar. It has had very little buzz and traction.

Mila Kunis plays Audrey who has been dumped by her boyfriend Drew (Justin Theroux) on the eve of her 30th birthday. Comforted by Morgan (Kate Mckinnon) her childhood best friend, Audrey is struggling to move on. Shock horror, it turns out that Drew isn’t all that he makes out to be and he is in fact a spy for the CIA. What follows is Audrey and Morgan unexpectedly end up on the run from all kinds of generic bad guys. The pair end up having to leg it all over Europe just to survive.

First time director Susanna Fogel has spotted a gap in the market. We have had dozens upon dozens of male buddy comedies but very few female led comedies. Girls Trip in particular showed what could happen when you get the balance right. Geniune friendship and strong chemistry with funny people can make a really good movie. What TSWDM does well is mix decent action scenes with good comedic moments. Kunis and Mckinnon clearly share a bond. Sometimes it isn't even clear if the laughing is acting or if they actually enjoying each other's company. 

Most surprising was the level of violence.  What I thought was going to be a kid friendly, harmless comedy with a few jokes here and there, turns out to be a real surprise. Be warned, there is blood (more than in 'The Meg'). One particular scene in unlocking a phone will really make you wince. The fights are well devised and pull no punches. 

Does this all meld together to make a coherent film? Just about. It does have issues. The pacing in places does suffer from too much jumping from country to country and not every joke lands. The plot is pretty predictable (some of the casting doesn't  help with that). Thankfully the film has Kunis and Mckinnion. I would quite happily sit through another film with this paring. 

A surprise package of a film. Funny and violent! A comedy movie is hard enough to get right, a comedy action movie is even harder.  Female led comedy action movies are a dime a dozen and don't normally get made. The Spy Who Dumped Me is helping to break down barriers. Hopefully this is just the start of a new genre.

⭐⭐⭐

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018) - Review

I like to imagine it is fun being in meetings when coming up with ideas for the next ‘Mission Impossible’ film. Tom Cruise sits quietly in the corner staring out the window. The director and writer, Christopher McQuarrie, paces around behind him.

CM: Right Tom, with ‘MI:5’ we hung you off the side of plane?
TC: That was fun, I love planes!
CM: We tried to drown you already didn’t we?
TC: That was easy, I can hold my breath for ages.
CM: How are you with heights, maybe we have you hanging off a tall building?
TC: Seriously, Did you not watch Ghost Protocol? I was on top of the highest building in the world!
[Chris scratches his head….]
CM: So what I’m hearing is that you want to go higher.
[Chris joints down higher on a pad on paper. ]
[Tom spins around on his chair and jumps on it.]
TC: Not only do I want to go higher, I want it be fucking crazy. How about you throw me out of a  plane this time?
CM: Like on green screen or something. I don’t think the producers would like us to drop you from the sky?
TC: Tom Cruise doesn’t fake action… he is action!
CM: Have you ever skydived before?
TC: Please. How hard can it be, I’ll just learn how to –
CM: OK!
[Chris writes down skydive.]
TC: I’m also learning to fly a helicopter at the mo so maybe we can do something with that?
CM: Sure…
[He writes down helicopter.]
CM: Anything else?
TC: I really like Paris.
[Chris writes Paris down.]
CM: Well this already sounds great TC we’ve done it again!

[Chris and Tom high five.]
** End scene.**

‘Mission Impossible – Fallout’ is insane…

The franchise so far has come be to known for its big set pieces and the chance to watch Tom Cruise run, jump, shoot, drive, climb and nearly kill himself in increasingly dangerous situations. As IMF’s best spy, Ethan Hunt, Tom Cruise is still trying to save the world the only way he knows how. He pretty much makes it up and hopes for the best. It seems he is a very lucky man.

The returning director and writer Christopher McQuarrie (the first director to return to the franchise) brings back all the familiar faces – Simon Pegg, Ving Rhymes and Alec Baldwin (No Jeremy Renner, he was busy on another small film). This is also a direct of sorts sequel to ‘Rogue Nation’ (‘Mission: Impossible 5’) so Rebecca Ferguson as the mysterious Ilsa Faust and Sean Harris as the villain Solomon Lane return.

As ever the IMF team are on race against time and somewhere a clock is ticking. Hunt and team are trying to locate the remaining members of the ‘Syndicate’, who now call themselves the ‘Apostles’. He isn’t sleeping well, thoughts of Solomon Lane fill his dreams. Maybe his past is catching up with him. Lane wants Ethan to see the world he protected for so long be destroyed and lose what he loves the most.  This isn’t the Ethan Hunt of old, he is a man on the edge who seems to carry more weight on his shoulders. He is at breaking point. Lane himself, the movies MacGuffin (like the rabbit foot in ‘MI:3’), is a villain of few words and seems to be pulling strings even when behind bars. Sean Harris brings his normal intensity to role. He is even given some action scenes, but he does still feels a bit under-cooked and not as interesting as the film wants to you to believe.

The IMF crew also have Henry Cavill’s CIA agent August Walker (great name) joining them for company. Walker is a black ops assassin who is assigned to get the job done by any means necessary, whether Hunt likes it or not. Their mission, if they chose to accept it, is to retrieve some black market plutonium and stop Solomon Lanes master plan. What Cavill lacks in personality he makes up in sheer physical presence. The fight scenes feel brutal and Walker’s more heavy handed approach to Hunts more delicate touch makes for bone breaking and more believable fights. The stand out fight is the bathroom scene, it’s up there with ‘True Lies’. Cavill looks like he is enjoying playing a more questionable character and his moustache is there and accounted for, no CGI needed there.

Other new additions to the franchise such as Vanessa Kirby’s White Widow and Angela Bassett’s head of  CIA, Erica Sloan, slot in nicely. Kirby’s underworld broker shines. She is not in it much but she steals every scene. Bassett’s head edge manner also brings Erica Sloan to life, this is not a woman to cross. She’s badass to the bone. What was once a man’s franchise brimmed to the rim of testosterone, ‘Fallout’ is so refreshing. Rebecca Ferguson’s MI6 agent Ilsa Faust once again nearly steals the film from everyone. She is still a match for Tom Cruise’s Ethan Hunt. Gone are the lingering shots of her legs. This time it’s all about her and the mission.

To be honest the ‘Mission Impossible’ films have never really been about plots and characters. It’s all about the big set pieces, the unbelievable stunt work and Tom Cruise being Tom Cruise. The plot does just about make sense, but the film really comes alive when Tom Cruise is doing some kind of death defying stunt. There are car and bike chases through the tight streets of Paris, the halo skydive (which Cruise trained a year for), crazy rooftops chases (that’s where he broke his ankle) and a helicopter pursuit which needs to be seen to be believed. Why does he do all this? It’s because he loves to entertain. He knows the audience want to see him in these situations. I also think he enjoys it. It seems Christopher McQuarrie and him enjoy pushing each other and seeing how far they can take it.

Not only is ‘Fallout’ fun to watch, it is also technically brilliant. From the score to the cinematography and the stunt work, it’s amazing to think about the hours of hard work the crew have had to put in to make a movie like this. They are the real MVP’s. I salute them.

‘Mission Impossible – Fallout’ is hugely entertaining. It is a proper popcorn flick which only has a few minor flaws. To think this franchise has been going for 22 years and it still feels this fresh and new is a testament to the director and star. I can’t imagine what they have in store for Mission Impossible 7.  Surely only outer space beckons now.

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The Meg (2018) - Review

You know it, I know it, heck even Jason Statham knows it - The Meg is not to be taken seriously. Tongue firmly in cheek, the director Jon Turteltaub has put together a surprising summer blockbuster which tries to be as big as 'The Meg' itself. What it lacks in genuine scares and jumps it makes up for in entertainment and enjoyment. 

Loosely Based on Steve Alten’s 1997 novel of the same name ‘The Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror’ which came hot on the heels of Michael Crichton’s smash ‘Jurassic Park’, it seems prehistoric creatures were hot property back then. Sadly, the plot of the 2018 feature film was written from the 101 manual of disaster movies and follows the guidelines which are all so generic. The Stath plays Jonas Taylor, an ex deep sea diver who is dragged back into action to help rescue a submersible dive team who are stuck at the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Battling his past, he must face the mysterious monster that cost him his career and his reputation. It seems he wasn’t that crazy after all. 

Frankly, films like this never match the buzz that surrounds them. If its a crazy plot, (looking at you Geostorm) or just from the name *cough Snakes on a Plane cough*, often the marketing is the best thing about them. Cool posters and clever tag lines can only go so far and thus 'The Meg' was pretty much built around the idea of Jason Statham fighting a giant shark. It's as simple as that. Surprisingly 'The Meg' just about rises above those low expectations that come with B-movies, I mean its no Jaws (but what is). Think more along the lines of Deep Blue Sea. In a less safe and ensured pair hands this could be rubbing shoulders with the likes of the 'Sharknardo' films. Luckily Jon Turteltaub is a director who has helmed some big films (National Treasure 1 & 2) with big set pieces and has a history of working with CGI (The Sorcerer Apprentice) . These are all important factors because he set out to make a proper movie, not just a  film about a muscly action star punching a shark on the nose. Does he succeed? Not really, but it is a great attempt. What really lets the film down is the run of the numbers script. It truly has some dire dialogue. Luckily the willing cast attack it with gusto and conviction. Cliff Curtis looks like he is really enjoying himself. 

The PG-13 rating does hamper and weigh the film down. It's never really allowed to be let loose. The deaths are bloodless and get a bit samey after a while. (Its a big shark and one bite normally does the job). The problem with the shark is that it just doesn't seem to impose a serious threat. For such a big shark it really should be more scary. Not that The Meg doesn't look good. The visual effects work is better than expected. Time and money has been spent to ground the shark in reality, to try and make it believable. 

The Meg really shines when Jason Statham is taking centre stage. Whether he is being dragged behind a boat while the shark chases him (they use him as bait!) or interacting with the international cast, he really is at the forefront of everything good about the film. It really takes a certain type of actor to sell this kind of movie.  

The Meg is a huge guilty pleasure which bounces along at a nice pace. More enjoyable than imaginable and in a summer of sequels, superheroes, and remakes The Meg is most shockingly quite refreshing. Yes it is very dumb and stupid but come on, what did we really expect?

⭐⭐⭐

Terminal (2018) Review

Terminal

Terminal is a strange experience and not in a way that is totally enjoyable. The film is based in and around a dingy train terminal where some unpleasant characters dwell. Two hitmen (Dexter Fletcher and Max Irons), a depressed teacher (Simon Pegg) and a simple janitor (Mike Myers) skulk around the un-named city train terminal. At the terminal's dirty cafe a mysterious waitress (Margot Robbie) involves herself into the men's lives. 

Director Vaughn Stein must be a big fan of Guy Ritchie's early work because 'Terminal' reeks of 'Lock Stock Smoking Barrels' and particularly 'Revolver'. The dialogue has that gangster twang that made Ritchie's films so recognisable in the late nineties and early noughties and sadly so ridiculed in the last decade. Somehow scripts like this no longer feel fresh, they feels dated and unimaginative. Just like 'Revolver', Terminal is based in an unnamed city which seems to revolve around a dingy underworld full of scummy characters. It's trying to be arty and different but it ends up feeling like a expensive student film. I mean its a very well made student film (one that loves neon lights) but it does feel a little amateur. Vaughn Stein is clearly a director with big ideas and has a strong eye for visuals. He has put in the hours being a assistant director to big feature films and good directors, but he has aimed too high with his first feature film. The script and some of the performances are real drawbacks. 

It was nice to see Mike Myers back on the big screen but his casting here is just bizarre. He is caked in latex and comes across as one of his characters from Austin Powers or The Love Guru. Margot Robbie plays Annie who is central to the plot. Her British accent (I think it's meant to be British) is very questionable, but maybe that's the point. Robbie looks like she is having fun and she commits to the role. It is great that she is getting leading lady roles, but she can't even save what on paper looked like a interesting character but on the screen it just doesn't work. Dexter Fletcher (one of the nicest men in the biz) returns to his 'Lock Stock' roots and spends most of the run time bickering with Max Irons which is more annoying than entertaining. 

Overall 'Terminal' is a strange film with a bizarre cast (Mike Myers!), it means well and aims very high but it just doesn't all gel together. The shocks and twists can be seen from a mile away and the Guy Ritchie type script just feels dated. Overall a confident but flawed first film from Vaughn Stein but his second film must be a lot better.

⭐⭐

Journeyman (2018) Review

Paddy Considine's first film 'Tyrannosaur' was not only a great debut as a director but it was also a stunning piece of film. Released in 2011 to a shower of praise from critics, it proved that Considine was a true talent in front of and behind the camera. It has taken nearly 8 years for his second film 'Journeyman' to reach the screen. So how does it fair up to his stunning debut? Directors second films are notoriously difficult to get right.

Paddy Considine this time writes, directs and stars in this gritty boxing drama. Considine plays Matty Burton; a veteran middleweight boxing champion who in a championship fight suffers a serious head injury which affects not only him, but those closest to him. Jodie Whittaker plays Matty's loving wife and rock Emma.  This isn't your average boxing flick, this is no Rocky 4 or 5. The fighting in  'Journeyman' is not done inside the ring but outside of it. This isn't an underdog tale or redemption story, which is truly refreshing. This is a story about going to the darkest place physically and mentally and then the journey back to recovery. 

The gift that Paddy has as director is that you can feel his passion for filmmaking and the subject of boxing. You can tell that he has a love for the sport and the boxing community. The injury that Matty endures is never laid at the feet of the sport. Rightly or wrongly his injury is just paved over as a terrible event. As a director who is still reasonably new to his craft; Paddy Considine has kept this a pretty simple looking picture. It feels unfair to compare 'Journeyman' to his first film 'Tyrannosaur' but every director gets compared to his last piece of work. It's clear that he is a very talented director whose future work will be interesting to watch. But this could easily have been made for TV, like a really good ITV drama which would win loads of awards. It's a shame that it just doesn't feel very cinematic because the performances all round are outstanding and the script is nearly flawless.

Strong casting is the selling point to 'Journeyman'. Both Paddy Considine and Jodie Whittaker put in stellar performances. Great chemistry goes a long way and both these leads carry the film. Paddy Considine has seriously been underrated on these shores and in Hollywood for far too long, he should have been given a role like this year ago. Maybe that's why he wrote the part for himself. Considine is believable as an aging boxer and he does a descent job playing a character with serious head injuries. In the wrong hands it could have gone very wrong.

Jodie Whittaker stock continues to rise. Here she carries the film. As Matty's wife Emma, she plays the role with so much heart, the viewer feels exactly what you should be feeling. Her life has been turned upside down and it's down to her performance that grounds the whole film. The tears and sadness seem so real, my tears definitely were. For Doctor Who fans it's very exciting to see such a great actress about to play such an important and iconic TV character.

Journeyman gives a punch right to gut. A film that will take you to the darkest areas of your mind but leaves you with hope and love. Considine and Whittaker's strong performances are reminders that we have some great talent in British cinema. Hopefully it doesn't take another 8 years to get Paddy Considine behind a camera again. That would be a shame.

⭐️⭐️⭐️

Phantom Thread (2018) Review

On the 11th of May 1997 one the greatest footballers, Eric Cantona played his last competitive game of football for Manchester United. At the end of that season he announced his surprise retirement at the relatively young age of 30 years old. Having won countless trophies and awards he decided to call it a day because he no longer had the passion for the game. I was gutted. He was a hero of mine. My favourite player, I could watch him play for hours. The thought of not being able watch him play the game I loved for the team I supported was unthinkable. Of course over time I grew up, I got over it. Other favourite players came and went. I got used to that feeling. I thought nothing would surprise me anymore.

Just over 20 years later on the 20th June 2017 it was announced that one of greatest actors of their generation was making one more film before retiring. Daniel Day-Lewis, the winner of 3 'Best Actor Oscars'  appeared to have fallen out of love with his profession. It took me back to that day in 1997 when King Eric hung up his boots, back to way I felt when I was 12 years old. Back to that feeling that I had in my gut that day; disappointment and sadness. So be prepared, this may be the last 130 minutes to watch a new film from a real life icon. Day-Lewis may not have done as many films as De Niro and Pacino but the standard of his work can't be questioned.

Phantom Thread is another team up from director Paul Thomas Andersen and Daniel Day-Lewis, the pairing that gave us 'There Will Be Blood'. The premise is pretty simple. Set in the 1950's post-war London, well renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock (Day-Lewis) and his sister Cyril (Lesley Manville) who are at the very centre of the British fashion industry, dress the elite with the styles of The House of Woodcock. Reynolds lives a bachelor life style, many women have come and gone until he comes across a young waitress, Alma (Vicky Krieps), who soon becomes a fixture in his life.

As always, a PT Andersen film is an experience. His work has always stood out, for better or worse his films are always talked about. He is a master craftsman whose attitude and work has always had a whiff of an older generation filmmaker about himself, but yet he is always on the edge of doing something new and different. Here with 'Phantom Thread' he has created a very British gothic romance which is extremely funny. The film is layered in rich visceral storytelling which uses every tool of cinematic magic to add a sense of wonder about it.

Like the suits he gets to wear, Daniel Day-Lewis instantly stands out. He never goes into a project where he isn't completely prepared. He embodies every character he plays. This is a less bombastic performance compared to Bill Cutting in 'Gangs Of New York' or Daniel Plainview in 'There Will be Blood'. Reynolds is much more soft spoken and a refined man, but is he also very fierce and always straight to the point. He is very much a man who likes things done his way and on his terms, like the way he works or his breakfast routine. Another Oscar nomination is high praise and no body can question if he deserves it or not. Very few actors can portray an array of different emotions with the way they look or the way they handle themselves quite like Daniel Day-Lewis can.

As good as Daniel Day-Lewis is, it's the woman in Reynolds Woodcock's life that really make 'Phantom Thread' stand out. Lesley Manville and Vicky Krieps both hold their own against one of cinema's finest. Krieps a relative newcomer shines as Alma, Woodcock latest muse. The evolution of Alma from the quiet waitress to Reynolds main lady is handled beautifully in her hands. It's strange that her performance hasn't attracted more award talk. Unlike Manville, who has been nominated in a number of different awards including best supporting actress at this years Oscars. Manville plays Reynolds sister Cyril; the one woman is his life that he listens to. Manville brings a touch of class and heart to a character that could quite easily be portrayed as a stone cold cartoon villain.

Sight and sound are equally important and thanks to Johnny Greenwood's score (also has a Oscar nom) this film is given life that many films just miss out on. His work here not only enriches each character, it provokes emotions that enhance the visuals to another level.

When it comes down to it, Phantom Thread is surprisingly quotable, cinematically very pleasing and a joy to watch. The cast all share strong chemistry and with a little help from Johnny Greenwood, Paul Thomas Andersen has created another excellent film which sits very nicely with his back catalogue.

If this is Daniel Day-Lewis' last ever film, then I will happily watch his old films with a smile on my face, just like I do with old Eric Cantona clips on YouTube, but I do hope he changes his mind. He is just too good. He has loads left in the tank.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️