Review #1,420: 'Incredibles 2' (2018)

The superhero genre has changed massively in the 14 years since Pixar and Brad Bird's spectacular The Incredibles. We now live in a world where a talking raccoon and sentient tree can make their way into the general audience's hearts and an African king can rake in over $1 billion at the box-office. The genre arguably reached its peak in terms of ambition, scope and pure spectacle earlier this year with Avengers: Infinity War, so a sequel to Bird's excellent and heartfelt 2004 romp was becoming increasingly unlikely - and unnecessary - as the years rolled by. Whether the creatives had a change of heart or Disney simply insisted, Incredibles 2 has finally arrived to try and prove that it's still relevant in a time when it feels like we get another superhero movie every month. With a heavy dose of visual pizzazz and a ton of heart, Incredibles 2 certainly hits the mark while naturally paling in comparison to its relatively flawless predecessor.

Completely ignoring the 14 years that have gone by in real time, this sequel picks up immediately after the climax of the first film, with the suited-up Parr family - Mr. Incredible (Craig T. Nelson), Elastigirl (Holly Hunter), Violet (Sarah Vowell), Dash (Huck Milner) and baby Jack-Jack (Eli Fucile) - facing off with the newest villain in town, The Underminer (John Ratzenberger). Their scuffle with the burrowing thief causes collateral damage throughout the city, and in response the government shuts down the Superhero Relocation Program, leaving the Parrs homeless and without financial support. They are offered a glimmer of hope when CEO and superhero fan Winston Deavor (Bob Odenkirk) reveals his desire to put the crime-fighters back in the public eye and remind the world of their importance. Helped by his tech genius sister Evelyn (Catherine Keener), Winston favours the clinical elegance of Elastigirl's powers over Mr. Incredible's destructive brute strength, so while she is out battling a mysterious new criminal called Screenslaver, he is tasked with tending to the kids.

Splitting up the central characters is a popular approach for many sequels, and here it seems like a natural way to further explore the themes of family bonds and individuality of the first film. Elastigirl savours her chance to shine, demonstrating a range of formidable powers which allow for some spectacular and beautifully-rendered action sequences. Most of the biggest laughs come from Mr. Incredible's struggle to handle his new responsibilities, as his face becomes increasingly haggard and grey with stubble. Dash needs help with his maths homework and Violet has boy troubles, but his biggest obstacle is ensuring Jack-Jack doesn't cause accidental mass destruction with his combination of laser vision, dimension-hopping and morphing into a literal flaming devil. Jack-Jack is usually the kind of animated character that has adults rolling their eyes, but his combination of wide-eyed innocence and clumsy displays of limitless power is utterly charming, in particular his encounter with a hungry (and soon to be sorry) raccoon. Incredibles 2 doesn't offer anything new to the genre or anything in the way of surprise, but it does its thing with style and care, allowing every character - including the returning Samuel L. Jackson as Frozone - their moment in the spotlight. 14 years after thrilling one generation, this sequel is sure to bring the next one on board.


Directed by: Brad Bird
Voices: Craig T. Nelson, Holly Hunter, Sarah Vowell, Huck Milner, Eli Fucile, Catherine Keener, Bob Odenkirk, Samuel L. Jackson
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,398: 'Sicario 2: Soldado' (2018)

Denis Villeneuve's Sicario was one of the most memorable thrillers of 2015, but it wasn't a film that exactly cried out for a sequel. Nevertheless, talk of a follow-up has been batted around ever since its release, with Villeneuve originally attached to direct. He dropped out to follow his childhood dream of directing Blade Runner 2049 however, with Italian director Stefano Sollima eventually signing on to helm the next chapter in the story of former sicario turned vengeful assassin Alejandro, played with a trademark steeliness by Benicio Del Toro. Original writer Taylor Sheridan was back on board to further explore the moral and social decay on both sides of the border, themes he had tackled before in the likes of Hell or High Water or his directorial debut Wind River. But there seems to be something missing from Sicario 2: Soldado, particularly the way Villeneuve questioned the ethics of the manner in which the US dished out its unique brand of justice.

The first Sicario brought us into this world of shady government agencies and barbaric Mexican drug cartels through the eyes of Emily Blunt's rookie, but she is nowhere to be seen here. This leaves us with cocky, flip-flop wearing CIA agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin), who is brought in by the Department of Defence to combat the drug cartels who, by definition, are now considered terrorists. Targets are easier to execute when they are distracted, so Graver suggests instigating a war between the two dominant cartels and profit from the ensuing chaos. Taking out the leaders will only breed more splintered cartels so, with the freedom to operate without rules, Graver employs black operative Alejandro Gillick to help him and his team kidnap the daughter of a cartel kingpin, Isabel Reyes (Isabela Moner). All goes to plan until the team are betrayed by the Mexican police, leaving Alejandro stranded in the desert with Isabel and Graver on the receiving end of a roasting from his incredibly pissed-off superiors.

Villeneuve and Blunt aren't the only ones who don't return: cinematographer Roger Deakins and composer Johann Johannsoon (who passed away earlier this year) are also absent. Thankfully, their replacements Dariusz Wolski and Hildur Guðnadottir are able to replicate the same sweltering, doom-laden atmosphere of the first, as well as injecting some of their own sense of dread and tension into the film's ambience. Del Toro is once again a dazzling presence, managing to find the shred of humanity left in a brutal character still emotionally devastated by his family's murder and hungry for vengeance. Brolin is a highly charismatic actor, but while we get to see the occasional twinkle in his eye, Sollima's questionable stance seemingly in favour of the gung-ho tactics employed by the American forces relegates Graver to a one-note character. Soldado misses Villeneuve's concern for the consequences of such careless tactics and the limits of American intervention overseas, but the action scenes are executed unflinchingly with nerve-shredding realism. Soldado chooses to end with an invitation for at least one more chapter in this story, and while the desire to tell a complete story with time and care is admirable, Soldado feels oddly unfinished as a result.


Directed by: Stefano Sollima
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin, Isabela Moner, Jeffrey Donovan, Elijah Rodriguez, Catherine Keener, Matthew Modine, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Shea Whigham
Country: USA/Mexico

Rating: ***

Tom Gillespie

Review #1,205: 'Get Out' (2017)

The warning comes early on in Get Out, comedian Jordan Peele's deliciously unsettling horror and directorial debut. As successful New York photographer Chris (Daniel Kaluuya) phones his best friend Rod (a hilarious LilRel Howery) to break the news that he is to meet his white girlfriend's middle-class parents at their countryside home, Rod immediately voices his concerns. He is adamant that there is bound to be some weird, sex-slave shit going down, but Chris laughs it off with no idea with what is in store for him. In years to come, I have no doubt that Get Out will be a key case study in trying to understand the racial minefield that is modern America. While many have convinced themselves that such medieval attitudes are now behind them, it's quite clear that tensions are as high as ever in the #BackLivesMatter, post-Obama world we live in.

On their journey, Chris and his girlfriend Rose (Allison Williams) hit a deer. When being questioned by the police, the white officer can't resist giving Chris a hard time, even though he wasn't the one driving. He receives a telling-off from Rose, but the tone is set. Chris shrugs it off because he is no doubt used to it. Upon arriving at the impressive home of the potentially future in-laws, father and neurosurgeon Dean (Bradley Whitford) insists they are 'huggers', and appears to embrace Chris. He nonetheless lets slip opinions about wiping out the race of pesky deer who roam their land and voices his frustration at his own father missing out on the Olympic Games due to Jesse Owens, but again this is nothing Chris hasn't seen before from middle-class, white Obama-voters. Rose's mother Missy (Catherine Keener) is more steely, but is a trained hypnotist and offers to help Chris rid himself of his nicotine addiction. So far, so uncomfortable, but things soon get seriously weird.

For such apparently racially-blind liberals, their household staff are all black. Not only that, but they are like dead-eyed robots, all smiles and pleasantries masking pleading and inner turmoil. When Chris tries to bond with groundskeeper and fellow brother Walter (Marcus Henderson), the conversation is awkward and stiff, and maid Georgina (the brilliant Betty Gabriel) seems to do little during her off-hours but stare at herself in the mirror. At a gathering at their home, the only black face in the large crowd seems unnervingly familiar, but he is dressed up like a trophy pet by his fat, much older white wife. When Missy finally gets Chris to sit down for a session and open up about the death of his mother, his worst fears are truly realised. Taking inspiration from, of all films, Being John Malkovich (which also starred Keener), Peele directs these moments with the eye of a horror maestro, proving to be truly uncomfortable, claustrophobic viewing.

Get Out wears its heart on its sleeve, with an almost complete disregard for subtlety. However, this works in the film's favour. It's hugely entertaining and frequently very funny, so it will appeal to just about any audience, reaching more people in the process. Word-of-mouth has already gotten around, so the message is clearly resonating. It's sharp and unique in a way that modern horror movies rarely are, and in no way feels like an elongated sketch from the Key and Peele TV show. Although I've seen relatively little of his work outside of sketches on YouTube and his appearance with Keegan-Michael Key in season 1 of Fargo, there is nothing in his previous output to suggest he was capable of crafting such an intelligent and engaging horror movie. Satirically savvy and edgy, Get Out is also creepy and thoughtful, proving that a black man alone in the white suburbs is just as terrifying as a pretty white girl lost in the woods.


Directed by: Jordan Peele
Starring: Daniel Kaluuya, Allison Williams, Catherine Keener, Bradley Whitford, Caleb Landry Jones, LilRel Howery, Stephen Root, Betty Gabriel
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #707: 'Captain Phillips' (2013)

Not a lot hinges on whether you know the outcome of Captain Richard Phillips' true-life run-in with a small crew of Somali pirates in 2009, as, like director Paul Greengrass's other tale of real-life heroism in the face of a terrorist threat, United 93 (2006), the film gathers up enough tension to keep you on the edge of your seat. It's not as good as United 93, as the film often struggles to keep things exciting in the long moments between the action, but Tom Hanks has more than enough presence to carry the film, and here gives possibly his best ever performance. Which makes it all the more surprising that Hanks - usually a darling with the Oscars with sentimental drivel such as Philadelphia (1993) and Forrest Gump (1994) - has missed out this year.

Captain Phillips (Hanks) is waved off at the airport by his wife Andrea (Catherine Keener in a one-scene cameo) as he flies to Oman to take command of the Maersk Alabama, that he soon realises will take him around the Somali Peninsula. Sure enough, on the Somali coast, they are chased by ambitious pirate Muse (Barkhad Abdi) in a skiff, with a crew consisting of hot-head Bilal (Barkhad Abdirahman), nervous Najee (Faysal Ahmed) and young first-timer Elmi (Mahat M. Ali). They protect the ship for as long as they can, but the pirates are soon on board demanding payment. Phillips offers them $30,000, but it won't be enough for the ruthless warlords who employ Muse, so they take Phillips for ransom.

One of the main reasons why Captain Phillips works so well is that Phillips himself comes across as a true hero. Not a gun-toting, vest-wearing action hero, but an everyday guy who probably enjoys a comfortable suburban lifestyle with his family when he's not at sea. He's over middle-aged, slightly portly and not particularly handsome, but most importantly he's real, and a underdog to truly root for. In the time spent in the lifeboat as Muse and his crew head back to Somalia with their prize - with Navy SEALS in tow - allows Phillips and Muse time to slowly share experiences. Muse, fabulously portrayed by the Oscar-nominated Abdi, is a simple guy as well. It's just that in his country, poverty doesn't allow for any legal trades to be a wise option, so rather than plundering the sea for the fish that American ships have already hoovered up, they steal and kidnap.

But Greengrass is wise enough not to over-egg these scenes, or even allow us to sympathise too much with the pirates. But he allows us to understand them, to see things from their perspective. What they do is wrong and evil, yes, but when your country is governed by violent warlords and your life depended on coming back with something of real value, it's no surprise that they do what they do. And as the gravity of the situation dawns on the pirates, the film becomes a treadmill of heart-pounding small moments, where every second could either offer up a small opportunity for Phillips to escape or fight, or it could mean that he will never see his family again. Muse and his crew have done this before, but they are ill-equipped, desperate and twitchy.

As exciting as all those moments are, the film's most powerful scene is at the end, as Phillips breaks down whilst being medically treated by the American military. Up to this point, Phillips is kept at a distance, seeing very little of his true character before the pirates arrive. Hanks gives a devastating, improvised performance in this moment, as he struggles to process and comprehend the ordeal he has just been through. For an action film especially, this is an immensely powerful scene, and it re-enforces the human tragedy of the story. A riveting film overall, and proves again that Greengrass can't be matched in portraying a real-life incident with such heart, realism, and thrills.


Directed by: Paul Greengrass
Starring: Tom Hanks, Barkhad Abdi, Barkhad Abdirahman, Faysal Ahmed, Mahat M. Ali, Catherine Keener
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #665: 'The 40 Year-Old Virgin' (2005)

After decades of being dragged to the cinema by our better halves to watch the latest Meg Ryan or Hugh Grant pap, it was only a matter of time until men fought back in the rom-com genre. Director Judd Apatow, along with co-writer and lead star Steve Carell, went the extra mile and actually created a rom-com that is both genuinely romantic and laugh-out-loud hilarious, but one that members of both sex can actually enjoy. But amongst all the sweetness there are four guys talking like genuine guys. So, this includes lines like "you need to put the pussy on a pedestal!" and "you know how I know you're gay? You listen to Coldplay." The language is filthy, but the script is heartfelt.

Andy Stitzer (Carell) lives a simple life alone with his collection of valuable (and still boxed) action figures and his gaming chair, working in the stockroom of an electronic store. He also rides a bike to work and never socialises, leading his co-workers to naturally assume he's a serial killer. When they find themselves a man down for a poker game, David (Paul Rudd), Jay (Romany Malco) and Cal (Seth Rogen) invite Andy. After swapping freaky sex stories, it becomes clear that Andy is in fact a 40 year-old virgin, and so they make a vow to get him laid. Amongst his options are the girl from the bookshop Beth (Elizabeth Banks), who takes a liking to Andy after he takes Cal's advice, his horny boss Paula (Jane Lynch), and the spunky Trish (Catherine Keener), a woman who's just opened a store across the street.

The thing that The 40 Year-Old Virgin achieves most is how accurately it portrays its men. Sure, these are extreme versions of people we have come across before in our lives, but men generally talk crap and half-truths to each other about women, movies and computer games. The advice that David, Jay and Cal give is hardly helpful, and is based on their own half-remembered experiences that lead to the assumption that they are the ones that truly understands women. But they are all screwed up in their own way that their advice just leads to some amusing scenes, including the most famous scene of Andy having his chest waxed (which Carell really did, and he's the hairiest comedian since Robin Williams).

The film also succeeds in its honesty and its attention to detail. Andy isn't the badly-dressed, bespectacled nerd that has been seen in the likes of She's All That (1999), that once he's given a makeover, he's a hunk. He signals when he's turning his bike on an empty street and his Monday-morning what-I-did-at-the-weekend stories involve making an egg salad sandwich. He's relatable because he's real, so his quest to get his leg over becomes something ultimately more important. The supporting cast are all excellent, especially Malco, who I'm surprised hasn't gone on to bigger things, and Keener, who is surprisingly adorable after years of playing the bitch. Like many movies churned out by the Apatow machine, it's goes on for far too long, but that's easy to forgive when the film is this funny.


Directed by: Judd Apatow
Starring: Steve Carell, Catherine Keener, Paul Rudd, Romany Malco, Seth Rogen, Elizabeth Banks, Leslie Mann, Jane Lynch
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie

Review #240: 'Cyrus' (2010)

John (John C. Reilly) is a desperately lonely man who still clings to his ex-wife Jamie (Catherine Keener), who has just announced she is to re-marry. She forces him to come to a party in order to meet women, and his drunken advances cause only embarrassment. While urinating in the garden, he meets the beautiful Molly (Marisa Tomei) who overheard one of his honest and open ramblings, and the two hit it off. Noticing she repeatedly sneaks off during the night, John follows Molly back to her place one night and comes across her strange son Cyrus (Jonah Hill). He seems pleasant in a strange way at first, but soon it becomes apparent that there's more to Cyrus than meets the eye, and he seems intent on breaking the new couple up.

While the trailers and promotional campaign billed this as a quirky comedy in the vein of Judd Apatow, the film came as a pleasantly different surprise. While it would be easy to mistake this for an Apatow film, it plays more as an indie drama, with some very funny moments. Reilly is one of the finest character actors of his generation, so we know what to expect from him. However, it is Jonah Hill that emerges from this film the best, as he puts in a quite amazing performance - creepy and horrible, tragic and dysfunctional, and conniving and evil. He pulls off a multi-dimensional character with a spectacular ease, which is something I would not expect from the guy who pretends to masturbate into a jar and drink it in the quite frankly brilliant Superbad (2007).

I just hope the advertising campaign doesn't bring in the wrong audience, as this is a film that deserves to be seen. Yes, it is very funny in the laugh-out-loud sense. But it is also tender, moving, highly engaging, and often profoundly moving. I've rarely been so engaged throughout every second of a film's running time. The film plot means it is always in danger of becoming soapy or melodramatic, but instead the film's characters are real, and they avoid the film going in the direction that you would expect it to. If there is a negative, it would be the annoying crash-zoom camera work which seems to be there for no other reason than to cry "this is an indie film!". But if you can see past this minor flaw, this is a beautifully rendered comedy drama.


Directed by: Jay Duplass, Mark Duplass
Starring: John C. Reilly, Marisa Tomei, Jonah Hill, Catherine Keener
Country: USA

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie