Anna

A fun, silly film that was an entertaining jaunt of escapism. At 118 minutes it was perhaps just a tad too long, but writer/director Luc Besson, for all his faults and same-ness throughout the years, knows how to tell a good story. Mix in an interesting narrative structure and the predictability of the unexpected became fun and engaging. Then again, Anna is no Leon, Nikita or The Fifth Element, but at least a step (or two or three) up from Lucy and Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (granted, the latter was campily fun).

But, as with any Besson films, stylistically you know what you are getting. The action sequences are always smoothly choreographed, clearly shot and exudes a sense of possible impossibility which makes it exciting to watch.

Whereas the story almost always certainly take on a secondary role and almost always cliched, overly-dramatic, falsely elevated stakes and misogynistically feminist. And therein lies Besson's genius, he populates his films with great supporting actors to support the usually not-so-well-respected lead actor(s). Just like Gary Oldman in Leon and The Fifth Element, Ethan Hawke and Clive Owen in Valerian and Morgan Freeman in Lucy, here we have Dame Helen Mirren who was almost unrecognisable and yet still acting circles around Sasha Luss and the two boys, Luke Evans and Cillian Murphy.

Mirren, in a role that seemed modelled after a Russian Edna "E" Mode, seemed to be having much fun camping up in her role here.

If Luss is lucky, her career might take off like Milla Jovovich, or it could just bob along like Cara Delevingne's.

Evans and Murphy was good enough in their roles as the love interests, although as pro-feminist as it is to think that for once the men are the pawns, a little deeper thought will just show that men still treat women like objects to be manipulated and the only way that they can be manipulated is when a woman weaponises her sexuality.

Although something could be said for Besson's casting decision of having Mirren, Evans and Murphy play characters not of their nationality, and only having the Russian Luss - our protagonist - remain Russian. Especially in the context of a spy thriller, confused identities and matryoshka dolls.

Given the current climate of prestige television and event series, Besson should seriously consider turning his talents to that medium. With Anna narrative structure, this would play well as a 30 - 50 minutes, 4 - 6 episodes, limited series. It even has a built in seasonal or anthological potential. Think: Russian Dolls or Orphan Black or Henna.

Men in Black: International

This was another bland and uninteresting summer sequel. The only saving grace was the undeniable chemistry between Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson. And even then, director F. Gary Gray failed to capitalise on it, resulting in a supposed action/buddy-comedy that was lacking in both excitement and laughs.  The story, written by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, was predictable, uninspiring and silly with such minimal stakes for a planet-saving organisation that the possible dire outcome never felt important or threatening. It started promising with the introduction of Thompson's character, but thereafter, the writing just got lazy.

Usually for such summer blockbusters, if they know the script is weak then they would obfuscate the lack of quality with lots of kick-ass action sequences and CGI extravaganzas. But strangely enough, even with the director of The Fate of the Furious, at the helm we had no adrenaline-rushes or awe-struck moments. That one chase-sequence felt unpolished and un-exciting.

Hemsworth and Thompson already proven they had excellent chemistry in Thor: Ragnarok and this entire film should have leaned into it. A buddy-cop comedy with an alien twist. That was what made the first film with Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones so darn good! And the frustrating thing is that we all know Hemsworth can do comedy, see Endgame and Ghostbusters. Not only can he rock a suit, but he can also deliver the laughs. Thompson can then be the straight-lady. Perhaps a reboot rather than a sequel should have been the way for this franchise.

Liam Neeson had the best line, a callback to his own franchise that re-launched his career. but sadly it was the first line of the film and the next 114 minutes after that was forgettable.

Maybe, except when Hemsworth also self-referenced the caped-character that catapulted him to fame.

You know the film is in trouble when the best bits are only two moments when the actors make fun of their own - read: better - shows.

Kumail Nanjiani is a good comedian, but this whole talking/wise-cracking animated side kick trope has always been annoying and brings back undesirable flashbacks to Jar Jar Binks. And here, it is no difference.

Lastly, we need more Emma Thompson. She makes everything that much better just by being in a scene. Gosh, an Emma and Liam MIB would be brilliant!

This was clearly a cash-grab by Sony to keep the MIB IP going, but surely, they could have tried a bit harder and make a good film. It is not like they had bad actors. Maybe just the wrong script and the wrong director for the project.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix

When you go into a film with extremely low expectations, even a terrible film can be acceptable. And, boy, this was a bad film. 

The writing and directing, both by Simon Kinberg, were bad. They were not necessarily the worse ever, but really, it was amateurish. The screenplay was clunky and cringe-worthy, with so many bad lines that any chuckling was more from the eye-rolling hilarity of it all than genuine comic relief.

Then we have Kinberg’s directorial debut. Granted, it was a decent job for a first timer, but he lacked vision and an eye for details. Scenes and narrative moved along with no sense of purpose other than to reach the end; action sequences were messy and hard to follow. Not one scene in the 114 minutes really stood out other than the prologue (sadly, the rest of the film failed to maintain that level of showmanship). 

But at least Kinberg had the decency to keep the film under 2 hours. Then again, it cannot be too difficult when the film itself lacked a clear narrative arc, the supposed climax failed to even ignite and lift-off and all your characters are squarely one-dimensional and uninteresting. 

The one singular problem with this Dark Phoenix was that it had no tie-in with the rest of the franchise; not thematically nor narratively. Its sole reason to exist appeared to be an attempt to reboot the Dark Phoenix saga, rather than maintaining the larger X-Men franchise.
 
Nonetheless, the one good thing to arise (hah!) was how fascinating it was to see and admire how great actors can elevate a mess just through their sheer talent, presence and being. And by that I am referring pointedly to Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain, and to a lesser extent in this case James McAvoy (too similar to his Split persona) and Nicholas Hoult (he was brilliant in The Favourite). 

Fassbender and Chastain should have had more scenes together. Their presence was a masterclass in body language and tonal adjustments (not much you can do otherwise with bad writing and an inexperienced director). 

Then, in comparison, you have everybody else, including leading lady Sophie Turner, who existed purely in service of the narrative and nothing else. They were just chess pieces being moved around to advance the story. The difference was stark and at times it felt like two different movies were going on at the same time. 

On one hand, we have this cache of Oscar-caliber actors doing their utmost to lift the script from the doldrums of mediocrity, and on the other hand, were a bunch of whippersnappers still trying to make it in Hollywood. Sorry Tye Sheridan, at least you were better in Ready Player One, whereas Turner was not even close to late-seasons Sansa Stark here, much less original-Phoenix Famke Janssen.

Oh and let us not forget about Jennifer Lawrence. She could not possibly have appeared less interested to still be in this franchise, and it was blatantly clear to the extent that Mystique's arc, so crucial to the story, ended up being such a non-event. Makes one miss the brilliance and potential of X-Men: First Class where it was a Lawrence, Fassbender and McAvoy trifecta.

When will Hollywood ever get Dark Phoenix right? Will they even try again? Obviously it has to start with casting, but even Janssen then could not save a bad (Kinberg) script. 

If Marvel does go for Round Three, hopefully they keep Hans Zimmer on for the music. At least the score was a constant comfort throughout.

Rocketman

Disclaimer: I'm an Elton John fan. Actually flew to NYC to catch his Farewell Yellowbrick Road Farewell World Tour at MSG. He was amazing!

This was a fun film. As a jukebox musical, Rocketman was top-rate. Elton John's songs are iconic and catchy and really helped to hold the story together. It will really translate well to a stage musical. However, as a biopic - and dramatically speaking - it was weak. The emotional beats were absent and the actual narrative too thin.

Dexter Fletcher directed an energetic, if otherwise formulaic, musical film that was clearly an "authorised" depiction of John's public persona. In truth, there was nothing deep nor personal about John that was gleaned from the film.

Nonetheless, the execution was good. The costumes and music were brilliant, and the actors were great. Taron Egerton gave his best performance so far and did bear a close resemblance to John himself; Jamie Bell and Richard Madden were also perfectly cast. It was almost impossible not to tear up when Your Song comes on. But unfortunately, such emotional resonance was rare in this film.

Egerton always had that cheeky, charming quality that effortless exudes out of him, but in this film, he managed to imbue in his portrayal a sense of emotional vulnerability. It is a pity that the script did not support him to further explore John's emotional landscape vis a vis his relationships with his mother and father, his professional partner Bernie Taupin and his one-time lover John Reid. Such a wealth of drama that was not mined.

In particular, John and Taupin's friendship was a major missed opportunity, given Egerton and Bell's great chemistry together. That first act when they first met was possibly the strongest act of the film.

Madden looked great and similarly, he and Edgerton had a palpable chemistry. It was only a pity that his route to villainy was so boring and linear.

Bryce Dallas Howard was unrecognisable as Sheila, and she was actually rather good in her limited role.

Kudos to Julian Day for the fabulous Costume Design. If anything, this might get an Oscar nomination.

And also maybe a Best Song nomination for John for the end credits song (I'm Gonna) Love Again.

This had been an utterly enjoyable 2 hours. The songs used were definitely all recognisable and catchy so even the casual pop-music fan would be drawn into that and appreciate the film for that. However, it would have been more fun if they had gone to Across the Universe or Mamma Mia route and used Elton's songbook and set it against an original narrative. That would have been awesome and provided more dramatic and emotional possibilities.

Aladdin

Aladdin was entertaining and yet, inoffensively bland. There was nothing shining, shimmering splendid about the film except, surprisingly, for Will Smith's Genie, and Alan Menken's timeless score/music. Smith - as terrifying as it was to see him all in blue - both honoured Robin William's indomitable Genie and absolutely made it his own. He was a constant highlight.

Sadly, the rest of the film failed to deliver a fantastic point of view or showed us a a dazzling place that we never knew. The overall production value looked cheap, with CGI and production designs that would not looked out of place on network TV (too much budget spent on Smith's Genie?). Seriously, at times, it felt like I was watching a slightly glossier version of the late (and under-appreciated) Galavant.

Actually Galavant might actually have been more fun in total.

Guy Ritchie was an odd choice to direct this live-action musical. He excelled in the action sequences but failed to effectively capture the dramatic and emotional beats. The first act was a slow drag of exposition and it did not help that Ritchie's two leads, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott, had barely any chemistry together which just made that first half-hour or so very tedious.

Massoud was bland and lacked the charisma and wide-eyed charm which was so abundant in the animated Aladdin. The Aladdin here just did not feel like he deserves to get the girl.

Scott fared better with a meatier role now updated for the millennium and was also blessed with the better voice. However, her new solo felt shoehorned in as a blatant attempt to be relevant. Although, that being said, this film still grossly failed the Bechdel Test.

The film picked up considerably when Genie appeared. Phew! Smith was brilliant, and this was perhaps his best role in years! He did the impossible with his iteration of Genie: the spectre of Robin Williams was not to be seen; Williams influence his undeniable but Smith's Genie was all his own.

It was great to see a Disney and Hollywood film with a representative cast where the only white dude was Billy Magnussen (who seems to be the go-to actor when casting for a handsome white himbo). However, the diversity ended right there. It would have been more appropriate to have a non-white director at the helm (and co-writing in this case) especially if there were going to be even more cultural misappropriation with the Bollywood-esque sequences and overall aesthetics.

Imagine what this film would have looked like if Gurinder Chadha (of Bend It Like Beckham and the upcoming Blinded by the Light) or Mira Nair (Monsoon Wedding and Queen of Katwe) were directing it instead of Ritchie.

Nonetheless, Menken's music was superb. The timeless tunes with Tim Rice and Howard Ashman remained timeless, although Massoud's vocals did his tunes no justice (and honestly neither did Zayn Malik and Zhavia Ward's over-wrought version of A Whole New World over the end-credits). And the new tunes, written with Pasek & Paul (of La La Land fame) fitted well into the musical framework.

In the end, Aladdin never really transported you to Agrabah. It was a 128-minutes entertainment that just makes you feel a bit nervous about Lion King and even more terrified for The Little Mermaid.

Godzilla: King of the Monsters [IMAX/3D]

This film was the definition of bad writing, illogical plotting, over-acting - on top of bad acting! - and  terrible directing, but if you go in expecting all that, accept it and then embrace it, the monsters will make it worth it. The kaiju fights were spectacular, loud, exciting, dynamic - if only a touch messy (which could also have been aggravated by the 3D-induced dimming) - and actually satisfying. Take away the distracting humans and their nonsensical, boring storyline, cut the running time by 20% and it might actually give Pacific Rim: Uprising (not the original!) a run for its money.

Michael Dougherty directed and co-wrote Godzilla: KOTM and maybe they should have let Gareth Edwards, who directed the 2014 Godzilla, continued on the franchise. Dougherty, and his cinematographer Lawrence Sher, had some great shots, especially when they go wide, but otherwise, his penchant for extreme close-ups were bordering on comical and ridiculous. He ain't no Barry Jenkins.

And as the director/writer, there should absolutely be no excuse for the total disregard for logic and sensibility on translation from script to screen. Furthermore, it was inexcusable to execute, and edit a film, to the point where the suspense of belief becomes so stark that it takes the audience out of the experience.

There really was no reason why we should be interrupted from a massively entertaining kaiju fight to indulge in some hollow, over-wrought, predictable, badly written and over-acted excuse for human drama.

Which then brings us to the actors.

Kyle Chandler is a treasure, but it seems that his talent may be more suited to the small screen than the big. This was possibly one of his worse acting showcase ever. He deserves a Razzie for this. Absolutely over-acting in every scene and moment, with nary an ounce of believable emotion. Come on, this is the guy that gave us Coach Taylor! He deserves way better than this.

Then we have Vera Farmiga. She got lost after Up in the Air, was briefly shining again in Bates Motel, but after that series ended, she seemed to have gotten lost and misplaced again. What a waste of another talent here. Although Farmiga did not overact, and did her best with the material, her character was too thinly written for her to really sink her teeth into.

Lastly, of the main cast, was Millie Bobby "Eleven" Brown who simply reprised aspects of her Stranger Things character. Also, her character just make narrative - rather than logical - choices. Why?!

Asian superstars Ken Watanabe and Zhang Ziyi were relegated to supporting roles that served purely as expository vehicles. But the former at least had a more defined purpose, whereas poor Zhang was relegated to the now-ubiquitous, token China actor. Worse still, a scene with her and Chandler at the end of the third act was so painfully misogynistic that it actually felt rude - bordering on vulgar - and should put Dougherty on every feminist's blacklist.

And, are we seeing a trend here about the female characters in this film? Female actors take note.

Oh, and Sally Hawkins too (not going to say much here...cos spoilers). Just because Aisha Hinds is a colonel and leading the military charge does not make everything else right.

Bradley Whitford and Thomas Middleditch brought the laughs - more like sniggers - and Charles Dance brought some English villainous flare. The pay checks definitely helped.

But the stars of the film were really Godzilla and King Ghidorah. Godzilla definitely had more screen time here than in Edwards' original, and ironically that film's problem was it spending too much time with the humans. And King Ghidorah truly did look and feel scary.

The CGI effects were great and made it worth watching on the big screen. If it was filmed for IMAX it would have been even more spectacular. Coupled with Bear McCreary's propulsive score, the fight sequences really stood out. They were exciting and involved. But then, once we cut to the human drama sides, the large difference in film quality was even more painfully obvious. We really did not care for the humans.

So, in short, this film was not really worth the IMAX or 3D extra, but if you are looking for something silly and brainless but loud and entertaining, Godzilla: KOTM will be worth a watch. Do stay till the end for a post-credits scene!