Long Shot Review

Long Shot

Dir: Jonathan Levine

Starring: Charlize Theron, Seth Rogen, June Diane Raphael, Ravi Patel, Bob Odenkirk, and O’Shea Jackson Jr.

Cinema has demonstrated many visions of love at first encounter, on first sight. When Forrest meets Jenny on the school bus in “Forrest Gump”, when Jack finds Rose gazing into the ocean in “Titanic”, or when Tony and Maria dance into one another’s lives in “Westside Story”; these examples display the complicated encounters of love in their romantic, tragic, and one-sided forms.

“Long Shot”, the new romantic-comedy from talented director Jonathan Levine, focuses on a first encounter of love between two unlikely people who have more in common than they actually realize. Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen are the two characters leading the charge into a tumultuous environment while trying to hold their newfound feelings intact. If you feel like you’ve seen this before, you have…still, “Long Shot” has a completely charming and raunchily hilarious heart that keeps its fairytale sensibilities in line. 

Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron) is the Secretary of State for the United States, she is a born leader with a work ethic that keeps her one step ahead of her counterparts. Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) is a struggling investigative journalist, he is ambitious in the most reckless ways and impulsive in behavior that often gets him into trouble. Charlotte and Fred both attend a swanky party, their eyes meet across the dance floor and, for one of them, emotions blossom again. Charlotte, needing a speech writer, hires Fred and the two begin a worldwide political tour of private jets, fancy dinners, and lots of conversation. 

What separates “Long Shot” from other romantic stories like them? Not much, but it does one thing that detaches it significantly from other rom-coms, it constructs a female character who possesses all the power, in all its forms, in the relationship. It’s surprisingly refreshing to see this dynamic work itself out between the characters, and for it to remain throughout a majority of the film. 

Charlize Theron is fantastic, without her this film would lose its charming and genuine portrayal of relationships when the cliched melodrama or the raunchy comedic elements take over. Seth Rogen may not be the most talented dramatic actor but he is offered a few quiet, contemplative moments where he shines. But this film belongs to Ms. Theron, a force of screen presence but also a complimentary performer for those who share the space with her. Ms. Theron’s character is the smartest, strongest, and most confident character in the film. It creates an interesting dynamic for a film that starts in the residence of white supremacists spouting hate rhetoric and trying to convince newcomers to brand themselves with hate symbols. It’s establishing a world where even the smartest, strongest, most confident female character would still be looked upon as a long shot for every position men feel entitled to, which is sadly still not to far from the reality we are currently living. 

The narrative writes itself into somewhat of a corner, as the fairytale of the relationship builds towards a reality that is more complicated to portray, more complicated when real life reveals its complex pathways. While it’s not completely unsatisfying, it does feel like the easiest, but also laziest, route towards a conclusion was taken in order to retain its foundation as a comedy.

“Long Shot” may not be the best first date film, but it may be the best third date film. You’ll get the romantic sentiments while also challenging how far your significant other’s comedy threshold is for uneasy situations and sometimes crude conversation. It’s a film that has charm and heart at its core, a film that tries its very best to have you leave the theater with the same feelings you might feel when you encounter that special someone across the room.

Monte’s Rating

3.50 out of 5.00

 

Tully Review

Tully

Director: Jason Reitman 

Starring: Charlize Theron, Mackenzie Davis, Mark Duplass, Elaine Tan, and Ron Livingston

“How did we do it?” The common question anyone who has young children proclaim when reminiscing about those precious days, possible months depending on how lucky you are, when you slowly lose your mind trying to maintain the backwards schedule of caring for an infant. And if you are honest, you’ll understand that the answer to the question of how one gets through these arduous moments of parenting is complex, which is why most parents strip it down to simply calling it “love”. And for mom, it’s even more complicated. 

In “Tully” director Jason Reitman takes a detailed analysis of what it’s like being a parent, specifically a mom, with three kids and all the responsibilities that come along with maintaining a sense of normalcy amongst the chaos of everything. Who has time to clean the house, make a well balanced meal, or exercise when one child is crying, another is asking their one hundredth question, and the third child is nowhere to be found? Reitman and writer Diablo Cody, who also wrote 2007’s “Juno”, taps into these emotions in a raw, desperate way.

Marlo (Charlize Theron) and Drew (Ron Livingston) are parents of two young children with one on the way. Drew works a busy job that leaves Marlo with the primary responsibility of taking care of every aspect associated with the children. It’s stressful and Marlo is struggling to stay above water. Help arrives in the form of a night nanny named Tully (Mackenzie Davis), a free spirited young woman who helps Marlo rest and make sense of everything that is going on around her. 

“Tully” has an interesting quality of being authentically tragic while also trying to be a humorous comedy at the same time. The surprise is that it actually accomplishes this extensive balancing act early in the film. The shifting tone operates in one moment as a call of despair for the lead character Marlo then in the next moment a steadfast battle cry that the gender roles that have come to identify the responsibilities women are “suppose” to occupy are no longer pertinent. 

Things operate in standard fashion in the beginning, Marlo is doing her best to spin all the plates but when she gives birth to her third child, the plates come tumbling. And as Marlo begins to come undone by everything, a savior named Tully wanders in from the night. Tully is like Mary Poppins, she takes care of the children, cleans the house, and has time to make nicely decorated cupcakes while expelling a few thought provoking ideas about life. It’s hard not to appreciate the free spirited nature of the young woman, but the arrival of the character introduces some complications to the story. 

Marlo and Tully are extensively constructed characters, which unfortunately renders the remaining characters as scenery late in the film. Also, the interesting aspects that concern Marlo’s struggle to maintain her identity as more than just a mother and wife is lost for a story that focuses on female friendship with pop music in tow. It’s a strange turn considering the film makes exceptional progress towards tackling the subject matter of postpartum depression in a honest yet humorous way. A late narrative shift in the third act almost derails the entire story, it’s a choice that will undoubtedly determine whether the film works or doesn’t work for the viewer. 

Still, even when the film makes the occasional odd turn, everything remains fairly enjoyable partly because Charlize Theron and Mackenzie Davis are so good in their respective roles. 

The wave of emotion for Marlo is easily achieved by the skillful talents of Charlize Theron who completely owns the role. Ms. Theron’s comedic timing is also well utilized during moments when the mom strikes a comment or glare in the direction of those that make assumptions about her many roles. Mackenzie Davis is also very good, playing Tully with charm mixed with a little bit of attitude. 

“Tully” is an interesting character piece, proving that Charlize Theron is still at the top of her game. However, the shifting quality of the tone seems to dilute the power of the message that is trying to be proposed. Still, even when “Tully” strays, the film remains engaging, honest, and humorous about parenthood and more specifically motherhood. 

Monte’s Rating

3.50 out of 5.00

Atomic Blonde Review

Atomic Blonde

Dir: David Leitch

Starring: Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman, Eddie Marsan, Toby Jones, Sofia Boutella, and Bill Skarsgård

Actress Charlize Theron commands your attention whenever she is on the screen. It’s more than just her stunning beauty however; Ms. Theron has always had a unique, mysterious quality about her. It would seem that by this time in her career, considering her extensive filmography, that she should have tackled, punched, kicked her way through a cool, hard-hitting, spy film. However, this is one role that Ms. Theron hasn’t portrayed, it’s odd considering she would seem to be the perfect female version of James Bond. 

Director David Leitch took the simplistic, crowd-pleasing appeal of a revenge film called “John Wick”, starring Keanu Reeves, and turned it into one of the best action movie surprises of recent memory. Mr. Leitch’s blend of swift editing and detailed choreography turned his action fight scenes into something akin to early John Woo films. “Atomic Blonde”, based on a minimalist, black-and-white graphic novel by Antony Johnston, has a whole lot of style, fun characters, and some impressive fight scenes unfortunately mixed into a hallow, meandering script.

It's 1989 and British secret agent Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron) is sent to Berlin on a mission before the fall of the wall. Her job is to infiltrate an espionage ring that has recently killed an undercover agent. Lorraine is assigned to work with the local station chief, David Percival (James McAvoy), to investigate and amend by any means necessary the threat to British and American intelligence agencies. However, from the moment she arrives in Berlin there is a target on her back.

Director David Leitch understands how to compose an action sequence, they are stylized, edited with an emphasis on continuity, and ingeniously choreographed. Early in "Atomic Blonde" Ms. Theron fights a group of bad guys with a garden hose in a tight apartment space set to the George Michael's song "Father Figure". It's an impressive scene that operates with an aggression that you can feel; all the hits, all the crashes pulse off the screen. 

Based off the graphic novel "The Coldest City", Mr. Leitch makes the most of the late 80's setting. Lorraine's style and costume are sleek and bold examples of runway fashion for the period, making every scene that Ms. Theron walks into look like she is sauntering for a fashion magazine. Her wardrobe also seems to be a nod to the artistic and character design of the graphic novel. Lorraine is in mostly black and white wardrobe, a highlight of how she was drawn in the comic but also displaying the nature of her character which in one moment can be passive and and in another aggressive. Most of these fashionable moments, along with some action moments, are set to an 80's soundtrack that features hits from The Clash, Public Enemy, Nena, and A Flock of Seagulls. 

Unfortunately all the style can't substitute for the lack of substance. Between the action scenes and fun music moments is a narrative that just doesn't do much. It's a story about spies and double agents, we know double crosses and twists are coming, but it never seems to pay off the way it would in other films like it. The problem lies with the composition of the lead character Lorraine, who isn't afforded an ambition to really pursue. In "John Wick" the character is out of vengeance, in "The Bourne Identity" the character is out for discovery, these small character motivations move the film from scene to scene. In "Atomic Blonde" the lead character may be operating for numerous reasons, which is fine, but it's never focused clear enough. Add to this a plot that wanders incoherently at times, utilizing a flashback narrative design that suffocates any momentum that it may be building.

Charlize Theron is fantastic when given the opportunity. This mostly happens during the action which displays an unshakable demeanor that is always cool, calm, and collected. In other small moments Ms. Theron's dominant presence is felt loud and clear, specifically when Lorraine is under investigation by a CIA Agent played by John Goodman and her MI6 higher-up played by Toby Jones. The highlight performance of the film comes from James McAvoy who oozes confidence, walks with an undeniable 80's punk swagger, and gives that devilish grin that adds mystery to his motivations. 

"Atomic Blonde" has impressive style and great action, and that's unfortunately about it. Still, even a few days after watching the film, the impressive action sequences and utter coolness of the characters still weighed positively. That alone may be worth the price of admission for some.

Monte's Rating

3.00 out of 5.00

Mad Max: Fury Road Review

Mad Max: Fury Road

Dir: George Miller

Starring: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Zoe Kravitz, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, Riley Keough, Josh Helman, and Nathan Jones

“Mad Max: Fury Road” starts off going one hundred miles per hour, stops to drink a few energy drinks, and continues going even faster. Director George Miller, who directed “Mad Max”, and “Road Warrior”, and co-directed “Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome”, crafts one of the most visceral, frenzied, and energetic action movies of the year, if not the last few years. The beating, bursting pulse of this film is the exceptional George Miller, who without much dialog or extensive story constructs a violent dystopian world that consumes and swallows the viewer, and then promptly asks for seconds.

The location is a harsh post-apocalyptic landscape; the dust that carries in the wind devours remnants of cities long forgotten. The people are broken, ruled by merciless leaders who destroyed humanity with greed and war. Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) is a survivor and loner road warrior of few words who is haunted by visions of his deceased family. Max is captured, tortured, turned into a transfusing “blood bag” for other vicious warriors, and forced into a brutal chase lead by a tyrannical leader named Immortan Joe (Hugh Keays-Byrne). The task is to recover Joe’s five wives who were stolen/saved by a tough-as-nails woman named Imperator Furiosa (Charlize Theron).

George Miller builds an immersive world here, one that doesn’t depend on detailed scenes of exposition or complex character developments. Instead the director utilizes subtle expressions, purposeful gestures, and crafty camera pans and editing cuts to drive the story forward; a look or movement into a certain direction is sometimes all the story needs to communicate danger, approval, or uncertainty. Whether the smirk and thumbs up from Max during a tense moment on a speeding tanker or Furiosa’s long gaze into a desolate horizon, the audience understands everything that is being said without words. This type of storytelling has the potential to go terribly wrong, especially with the vast amounts of action being thrown at the screen, however in the brilliant hands of George Miller the film feels more suited for the art house than the grindhouse. It’s a visionary director bringing the world of his mind onto the silver screen, a seemingly uncompromised film of near flawless execution.

The film takes a linear path, one clear direction of mayhem in flame throwing, gas guzzling beautifully designed vehicles; one even having the towering amps of a heavy metal concert with a guitar wielding animal attached to the roof. The movement of the story is secondary, it’s very easy to recognize where the group will end up, but the decisions of characters push the film forward, bringing to light themes associated with revenge, reward, and rebellion.

The cast is outstanding as well. Tom Hardy speaks volumes with his subdued actions but, as the film displays during a scene between the two actors, Hardy sits passenger seat to Charlize Theron’s stunning Imperator Furiosa. Theron matches Hardy’s screen presence, even at times shadowing every other actor on the screen. Bringing back Hugh Keays-Byrne, who played Toecutter in 1979’s “Mad Max”, was also a nice touch for fans. Nicholas Hoult is good as a crazed “wardog” of Immortan Joe’s army. Hoult’s wild-eyed portrayal fits the characters kamikaze-like devotion to the rewards of the afterlife.

It’s interesting that a film like this exists in the current summer box office scramble. “Mad Max: Fury Road” is a hardened, no-holds-barred genre film from the creative mind of George Miller, who exhibits that after thirty years of waiting, the dust that settled on the “Mad Max” franchise was only waiting to be furiously blown off again.

Monte’s Rating

4.50 out of 5.00