Movies this Weekend: Full of Terror and Testosterone

Alien: Covenant Review- Ridley Scott renews faith in the franchise

You know when those genre movies that you can’t imagine fans not liking? Despite what will likely be some displeasure of critics saying, on the one side, that it is too much like the original and therefore lacks invention, and the other side saying it expands the mythology of the franchise too much, this review experienced the perfect balance of old and new in Ridley Scott’s latest, Alien: Covenant. Not only are the multiple permutations of the iconic alien design represented, the haunted ship theme is leveraged while at the same time as bringing new symbolism and villainy to bear, making this film easily the best since the first two in the franchise. What a surprise after the muddled, philosophical mess of Prometheus. It’s like Scott himself performed xenomorphic C.P.R.

At this point, the director has been creating Alien films longer than many of its fans have been alive. It’s a testament that so many new action, sci-fi and horror fans come into the fold. Alien: Covenant is a film that will bring even more followers to the franchise, while thrilling diehard fans, many of whom, out of loyalty, tried in vain to explain the plot intricacies and vagaries behind Prometheus.

In an opening that echoes moments from 2001: A Space Odyssey, the synthetic created by Weyland genius discusses with his maker what it means to be human, to die, and to create. This sets up the movie as a whole, and it’s subtext, that deals with faith, life, good and evil. Michael Fassbender plays an upgraded version of the synthetic David from Prometheus, who is handling the technical and custodial duties on a colony space vessel called Covenant, that is carrying over 2000 passengers and 1100 embryos who rest in cryonic sleep till they land on their new home, a planet called Origae-6. The crew too is headed for a new start, and as such are all matched sets of partners, who are also expected to help build and populate the new world.

When an accident occurs on the ship that leads to some loss of life, including the captain, first officer Oram (Billy Crudup) makes a fateful decision to veer off course and investigate a nearby planet that appears to be the equal of Origae-6, and instead of seven years, is only a few weeks away. Oh dear. Against the protest of new second in command, the newly-widowed Daniels (Katherine Waterston), he takes Covenant into orbit of the unknown planet, and heads down to the surface with most of the crew. What a gorgeous planet it is. It looks like the wilds of New Zealand (for good reason, that’s where they filmed) and seems tailor-made for colonization. Cue the scary music, as a birthing of an altogether unsavory sort quickly starts happening.
That’s more than enough plot to get fans going, although it’s essential to say there is an evil that is far beyond what you’d expect, lurking about and waiting to take advantage of these unsuspecting victims. Indeed I contend Alien: Covenant gives birth to one of the biggest villains in recent cinematic history, and a terrifying one at that.

The movie isn’t without its flaws. The crew, which fights valiantly against the threat at hand, is comprised of fairly stock characters recognizable from other Alien films, including a pilot named Tennessee (Danny McBride) who makes a very bad judgment call that may temporarily lose some viewers. Damian Bichir and Carmen Ejogo, as other crew members, are definitely underutilized. Crudup’s Oram mentions he’s a man of faith, but that aspect of his personality gets largely dropped from the storyline, instead of being folded into the larger theme of the film. Maybe there’s something of it on the cutting room floor.

None of the weaknesses derail the spectacle. Ultimately, it’s Michael Fassbender’s movie, who appears to have a field day playing out the script, alternately nuancing it and chewing it up. He is certainly one of the highly entertaining elements keeping the audience in thrall for the movie’s 2 hour running time. The aliens themselves, of course, are another. They are very scary, and there’s no shortage of bloodletting. As a fan, though, seeing the facehuggers once again, which Scott reintroduce here, felt like greeting an old friend.
B+

The Wall Review: Well built, but has some chinks

The new indie release, The Wall, by Edge of Tomorrow director Doug Limon is really the ultimate vehicle for star Aaron Taylor-Johnson, who is by far the lead star in a film that only stars three people, one of whom is only a disembodied voice.

The story is taken from first time screenwriter Dwain Worrell. It was on 2014’s infamous black list, which is an annual survey of the most liked motion picture screenplays not yet produced. It involves two soldiers in Iraq, (Taylor-Johnson as Isaac, and John Cena as Matthews) who are gunned down and trapped by a sniper. Matthews is exposed to the elements and the sniper’s target, and Isaac is protected only by a crumbling wall. As time goes on, and the two soldiers wait for rescue and continue to bleed out, they discover the sniper actually has control of the com system, and they must survive with their wits.

Brit actor Taylor-Johnson shows he can once again do a southern accent, as he did in Nocturnal Animals, but beyond that, he displays his arguable acting chops, through the considerable dust, sweat, and heat. It’s been said online that Taylor-Johnson is just another Jai Courtney and there’s a hilarious article about himbos that includes Taylor-Johnson, Courtney, Taylor Kitsch, and Garrett Hedlund, all of whom have failed to reach the star status their multiple starring roles should have offered them. At least, in The Wall, Taylor-Johnson takes risks. It’s not easy to carry an 81 minute film where you speak almost all the lines while your character is potentially bleeding to death.

The trouble is in the cliched speeches on both sides. Laith Nakli, who plays Iraqi sniper Juba, has to exchange political diatribes with Isaac, and that’s where the film grinds to a halt. Juba represents the face of the Middle East, and yet he is a faceless boogeyman, never to be seen, only to be feared. That he is a former teacher is a throwaway line.

In the theatrical or cinematic world, when the cast is only comprised of a duo or trio of actors, the themes or messages are more palatable when offered outside most of the dialogue, and certainly only after the lion’s share of it has occurred. The Sunset Limited, starring Tommy Lee Jones and Samuel L. Jackson, is a great example of that. If conversation gets around to politics, it had better be after we really know the characters, otherwise the words are empty of meaning. In the case of The Wall, It’s an anti-war film built around a cat and mouse game played with assault rifles, in a war zone, and as such, it requires an extremely light verbal tread.

Still, Lyman manages to wring out white-knuckled suspense on par with to that created in last year’s The Eye in the Sky, with much fewer players, and only one location. The twist ending is not only brave, but thought-provoking, and highly disturbing. It’s going to leave some viewers scratching their heads, and still others unsatisfied. To my mind, it’s always better to potentially alienate your audience and take a risk.
Though overall it may be better to wait for the home viewing, for those looking for tension-filled distraction on film and in a darkened theater, The Wall is for you.
C+

King Arthur: Legend of the Sword Review-Hunnam and Law enliven this legend

New release King Arthur: Legend of the Sword has about as much in common with The Once and Future King or any other retelling of the classic legend of the knights of the round table as the book and movie of World War Z do to each other: that is to say, nearly nothing. The latest by director and Sherlock Holmes helmer Guy Ritchie is attempting to bring a new, successful franchise to the screen, by throwing together a beloved story of loyalty and betrayal with a lot of special-effects heavy action, some rapid fire edits, and a bunch of epic battle scenes to create something new. While the end result does garner a fair amount of entertainment, it also leads the audience through a muddled, almost non-existent plot, visually dark sequences that cause eyestrain, and more disappointment at the underutilization of star Charlie Hunnam.

As to the entertainment, it is largely the cast that drags the audience into caring about or connecting with the proceedings. Charlie Hunnam plays Arthur, who as a child was spirited away from danger of a supernatural sort, only to rise above growing up in squalor. The threat comes from throne-usurper and uncle Vortigern, played with broody relish by Jude Law. He’s made a deal for power with a demon? or the devil? or some indeterminate magical baddie who promises his rise to the head of the kingdom. He does have to try to kill anyone who could take that position away from him, which includes Arthur. There’s a sword involved, that adult Arthur surprises himself by pulling out of a stone (one of the few references to the actual King Arthur legend) and that sword appears to give Arthur not only great strength, but also Post Traumatic Stress Disorder-inducing flashbacks. There’s a “mage”, played by French actress Astrid Berges-Frisbey who aids Arthur and his loyal crew in staying alive, and in their seemingly one-and-only purpose to kill Vortigen, but calling flocks of crows and such. She’s like a goth Doctor Doolittle. There are some great co-stars given too little to do, including Djimon Hounsou and Aidan Gillen, the former of Gladiator fame, the latter of whom is known for a far superior representative of the sword and sorcery genre, Game of Thrones.

Hunnam has had a number of leading roles in films meant to be blockbusters or grow into franchises, with greater and lesser success, including Crimson Peak and Pacific Rim. He can be seen in a much better movie at theaters right now called The Lost City of Z. It must be mentioned there is a screenshot worth the price of admission to King Arthur, of Hunnam’s spectacularly muscular back, which should really have given rise to the far better subtitle, “Legend of the Sinew”. I had to be told, having not seen him on Sons of Anarchy, that his shirtless form is seen frequently on that show. In any case, that moment in King Arthur ranks third in the all-time best for muscled back shots, behind and Hugh Jackman in Australia and Christian Bale in Reign of Fire. Gorgeous, yes, but it’s not a great sign about a movie that I spent the next five minutes feeling compassion for the amount of gym work Hunnam had to do for just one scene.

The edits at the beginning of the film, the interaction between characters, some fun dialogue, and the acting work by both Hunnam and Law, as well as, for those interested, the momentary display of back muscles, are reasons to lay down your money for King Arthur. Also, if you’re a fan of the art of Frank Frazetta, it’s clear people in the concept or production design department were heavily influenced by his work.

King Arthur is an entertainment for those of you who are forgiving and passionately love all things both magical and action packed. For the rest of you, if you’re trapped at a mall or near a theater where Guardians, The Fate of the Furious, or The Lost City of Z, all better movies, aren’t playing, you could open yourself to the sword-swinging fun it legitimately offers. Ultimately, though, It’s time for us all to root that Charlie Hunnam’s next release, a remake of 1973’s Papillon, is the most successful of vehicles.
C

I am Leslie Combemale, otherwise known as Cinema Siren, at www.cinemasiren.com, and am a movie lover and aficionado who aspires to get more people back into the beautiful alternate worlds offered in the dark at movie houses across the country. I am also the owner of ArtInsights Gallery of Film and Contemporary Art. I interview actors, directors, and production artists from all over the world, and often I’m invited to present at conventions such as the San Diego Comic-Con, where I have been a panelist and host for The Art of the Hollywood Movie Poster, Classic Film History, Disney & Harry Potter Fandom discussions, and now have a new panel at SDCC called "Women Rocking Hollywood". Visit my film and contemporary art gallery at www.artinsights.com and see more of my reviews and interviews on www.cinemasiren.com.