Movie Review: Venom: Let There Be Carnage (PG13 – 97 minutes)

 

I enjoyed the 2018 Venom movie. It did require some mental gymnastics in accepting a Venom movie without Spider-Man in it.  Why is that so difficult? Well, I recommend checking out the series of Venom episodes from the 90s Spider-Man animated series – they explain Venom better than I could. 

But here’s a summary - Essentially Spider-Man picks up an alien symbiote that happily bonds with him – changing his costume black and enhancing his more dark & dangerous impulses.  Upset when he realizes what the symbiote could empower him to do, Peter Parker separates himself from it using sonic vibrations (really loud noise).  The symbiote falls to Eddie Brock – a reporter who has recently developed a world class hatred for Peter Parker for various reasons. So together, Eddie hates Peter, the symbiote hates Spider-Man, and they become Venom, united in their hatred of your friendly, neighborhood hero.  Since he’s the focus of their hatred, they pretty easily shift into anti-hero territory, willing to help out others as long as they can continue to hate Spider-Man.  So, if you can set aside all that backstory and cut out the Spider-Man from it (it’s really hard to do that), you can enjoy the movie. I particularly loved the bits of Venom just Venom-ing around San Francisco and being a ‘lethal protector’.  Plus, Tom Hardy embraced the over-the-topness of the Jeckel and Hyde bit of the story, creating a very watchable Eddie Brock.

Once the symbiote reproduces/splits, and a bit lands on insane serial killer Cletus Kassady, he bonds with the symbiote, causing pure chaos.  A bit I always liked was that Kassady bonded so completely, Carnage always uses “I” to refer to himself and Venom uses “we”, since Eddie and the symbiote remain individuals.

In this movie, we pick up with Venom doing what they can to protect the city as Eddie struggles to keep the symbiote fed – but they are getting on each other’s nerves.  After all, they do share the small living space of Eddie’s body.  Eddie gets to write a story on killer Cletus Kassady, and the symbiote helps him be observant enough to figure out where some additional bodies are buried. This pissed off Cletus, who requests one more meeting with Eddie prior to being executed.  In said meeting, he bites Eddie, picking up a bit of symbiote, which gets angry about the attempted execution and breaks them out of prison.  Carnage then goes to pick up his lady friend from the institution in which she has been staying and they set about on a very Natural Born Killers type rampage of chaos and revenge – forcing Eddie and the symbiote to patch up their differences so that Venom can try to save the day. 

The story is simple and straightforward and honestly, I liked it even more than the first – because here, we skip the origin part and get right to the adventure.  Since the origin is the iffy-est bit of the first, this was great. Adding Andy Serkis as director is a good thing because he understands how to help actors with the physicality of tangling with something that is not there. He kept the action swift, light, and maintains a sense of fun through the whole piece. The fight scenes are really entertaining even if they get a little CGI-heavy, and watching Hardy again embrace big and crazy as Brock argues with the symbiote is fantastic. Hardy gets a writing credit on this one and has already said he’s looking forward to what he can do in the next one and now – so am I.

Woody Harrleson goes to gleefully crazy, which he is very good at, and let loose as Cletus. I didn’t need all the justification in his backstory for his lunacy, but hey, I suppose it provides a why. It doesn’t make him any less of a threat. The Carnage effects are fine, but I do wish he was a little more red. And, not having Peter Parker around to deliver some science-y exposition about the differences between the two symbiotes is not something most will miss (I did, a little).

I appreciate Michelle Williams as Anne and how she is both patient and irritated with Eddie. I also like that she is willing to help when necessary and admits that occasionally bonding with the symbiote is fun.  Reid Scott as her fiancée Dr. Dan is still hilarious and unprepared for the situation – although he certainly steps up here when needed.

Naomie Harris plays Frances Barrison – Shriek – who in this version grew up with Cletus and is in love with him. She’s a mutant with big scream powers – interesting since the one thing the symbiotes hate is big noises. 

Peggy Lu’s Mrs. Chen provides a wonderful stable base for Venom to hangout.  Stephen Graham plays Detective Mulligan who may or may not at some point become Toxin – here, he’s the guy who shot Shriek years ago and is still dealing with that trauma.

Overall, I really enjoyed this one and the run time is fantastic!  At just over an hour and a half, it’s a reminder that not every movie needs to be two and a half hours long!  Trim it up and deliver in the time you have.  The post-credits sequence certainly has me intrigued for what is next – perhaps they will find a way to solve all the issues of the first movie? Because I really enjoy Hardy’s Venom and want him to be around for a long time.

8 out of 10

Movie Review: Cop Shop (R – 107 minutes)

 

My goodness it is fun to see a quick little action flick.

Boss Level on Hulu earlier this year was great and raised Frank Grillo to a new level (check it out if you haven't seen it yet). Here, he reunites with director Joe Carnahan in Cop Shop.

The movie begins by introducing us to Officer Valerie Young, working at a police station in rural Nevada. Teddy Murretto is on the run from the mob and punches her in the middle of a wedding brawl to get thrown in jail, figuring he will be safe there.  Over the course of the evening, she gets to know Teddy, his pursuer, Bob, another hitman, Anthony, and has to figure out what the right course of action is to make it through the night.

This movie was such a pleasant surprise to me. The story is very straightforward and the setting is nearly claustrophobic. Everything happens in one night in the police station. Characters are given background and development through early conversations and actions.  Carnahan knows how to direct action and where I have seen him go a little over the top before, everything in this movie mostly stays contained and helps push the story. The cast is wonderful.

Frank Grillo continues to have a strong string here as Teddy Murretto.  Teddy is a little different than what I have seen him do in the past. First off, the wig is terrible, but whatever – it’s a choice.  And at no point does he lose his shirt to demonstrate his 3% body fat, which I feel like he started Boss Level doing.  He does seem to be maturing a bit and this role is a little more actor-y rather than action-y. It is certainly within his skillset and he manages to make Teddy layered with a shift at the end I was not prepared for.

Gerard Butler is better in this than I have seen him lately. Probably because he is playing an assassin who will not stop in terms of getting Teddy.  He gets himself thrown into jail so that he can get close enough to take him out and then both he and Teddy work on convincing Valerie to take their side.

Speaking of which, this movie is definitely an Alexis Louder vehicle and I cannot wait to see the next one. While the trailers try to make it seem like Butler or Grillo are the stars, Louder is the centerpiece. She is perfect as a wild west gunslinger who is too smart to fall victim to any nonsense the bad guys throw at her. She is dealing with their stupid and the stupid of some of her co-workers throughout the whole evening, bound and determined to keep doing her job well. She’s a fantastic lead, great in the action, better in the quiet parts, and really steals the show.

Toby Huss plays the crazy killer Anthony Lamb and while he is a real threat, he also managed to bring some comic beats to his scenes. Ryan O’Nan and Jose Pablo Cantillo play other police officers, along with a cameo from Keith Jardine. 

Overall, the movie is quick, contained, and very entertaining. It feels like a throwback action movie with just enough think-y bits to keep you guessing. Certainly good for an evening and big bowl of popcorn.

8 out of 10

On Daniel Craig’s Bond – or, He Knows What He Did.

 

A video surfaced recently and went viral of Daniel Craig thanking the crew of the latest Bond, appreciating them, and the movies they have made together – it was very touching, and a nice moment of genuine-ness from him.  He also mentioned a bit about how they ‘may have heard him say some things about these movies’... I wrote this post nearly two years ago when No Time To Die was first about to come out. I figured I would post it now. Just my opinion and some ranting – feel free to ignore!

 You may have heard me state that I don’t care for Daniel Craig and when asked why, I typically reply with, “He knows what he did.”  The short version of ‘what he did’ is that he has seemed ungrateful.  The long version is below.

In an interview in 2015 when asked about continuing to play the character of James Bond, Craig replied that living up to the image of Bond is “onerous”, that he had put everything he had into Spectre, and stated “I would rather slit my wrists than play that character again” (Reuters, 2015). I have three reasons why that statement is upsetting enough to me that I have carried a grudge about it since then. The reality is that it doesn’t matter – certainly my opinion of Daniel Craig does not matter to him and shouldn’t matter to you either. If you love his work and his performances as an actor, that’s wonderful! I am sure he will continue to make a variety of interesting choices in roles going forward. Knives out was incredible and very entertaining – his accent in it was not, but hey – whatever!  If you find him off-putting and could not put a finger on why, perhaps one of these reasons can clarify it for you?

Reason 1 – The fans.

                I have long believed that an actor’s only purpose is to entertain the audience. I once heard Ian McKellan say something to that effect and I have never forgotten that idea. From the first caveman who stood up and regaled his tribe with tales of their hunting party earlier in the day while the group relaxed around the fire - the purpose of the storyteller is to entertain the audience, or to put it more crassly – to put asses in the seats. In this context ‘entertain’ can take different forms and might be better served with ‘engage’ the audience, but you get the drift.  The instant an actor believes they are more than that purpose, or that they do not need the audience, that the audience does not matter, or that the ‘work’ is more important than sharing it with the audience – I believe they have lost the main goal of the occupation.  Now, this can be interpreted in various ways, and often there are actors who state they are there to elevate the material, rather than engage with the audience. That may be, but in that case, why are you performing it? Why not simply do that alone in a room?  Certainly performing on stage is the purest form of performance for an actor as they have one chance to take the material and execute it properly.  I feel like the stage is the actor’s medium. In that vein, TV is the writer’s medium, and films and movies are the director’s/editor’s medium.  This is why someone like Tom Cruise (as arguably crazy as he is) gets bonus points from me for always putting the audience first. He knows what the fans want and goes to ridiculous lengths to achieve it. That said, in general, Craig seems to have little engagement with the audience and does not care what they think of his interpretation of this character.

                In 1953, Ian Fleming wrote the first of his James Bond series of short stories and novels. Fleming was a former naval intelligence officer and used the character of Bond to tell many stories of the gentleman spy over several years through 1964. The first Bond movie was Dr. No starring Sean Connery as Bond and was released in 1962. Since then, there have been 24 films with a combined gross of over $7 billion. The movies have varied from silly to serious and drift from overtly racist and sexist to charming and fun (and more subtly sexist). As expected with a franchise that long-lived, there is a massive fan base that enjoys the films.  This is why most actors take the role very seriously and are thrilled when presented the opportunity.  Craig took the role in 2005 and stated he was aware of the challenges that came with it but wanted to bring more ‘emotional depth’ to the character. The fans were not thrilled with his casting, but other actors were.  Clive Owen was another name thrown around at the time and he praised Craig’s casting as a ‘proper actor’ – whatever that means.  Badmouthing the role and the experience disrespects the fans who enjoy the series. If he does not want to play the character, he doesn’t have to, there are plenty other actors who would love the opportunity. Which brings me to point 2.

Reason 2 – Sidelining others

                While Craig seems to spend the majority of time during Bond promotional tours bitching and moaning about being Bond, there are other actors who would love the opportunity.  Personally, I think Henry Golding would be fantastic. The last two movies I saw him in both included Bond mentions around him (Last Christmas and The Gentlemen).  David Harewood would be another excellent choice. Idris Elba has had rumors swirling around him for the last several years. After Craig first stated he never wanted to do it again, Elba said he would be happy to do it. There were comments from those around the product that Elba was “too urban” for the role.  If you’re confused by what “too urban” means, it means they are racist and didn’t want to be caught saying he’s “too black” to play James Bond.  Bond should be cocky, confident, capable, charming, fun, action-packed, and British. All things that Elba is and maintains.  In any case, many fans pushed for him to take the role and just as it looked like it might happen, Craig suddenly agreed to do another film. Which is mystifying for so many reasons.   Elba has shifted into other interests (he spends a lot of time DJing) and now may be too old for the role. There are other options. After seeing The Man From U.N.C.L.E., I think Henry Cavill would be a great Bond. Whoever gets the role next, there are hundreds of other British actors who would love to take the job and would not constantly complain about having it, so hopefully the next Bond will love being Bond.  At the very least, perhaps they won’t state they would prefer suicide to playing Bond again, which brings me to point 3.

Reason 3 – Suicide is not an appropriate analogy for your mild discomfort – ever.

                This reason is the most personal to me and not necessary a Craig issue but a more general one.  I lost my youngest brother to suicide in 2007 and it completely destroyed me. He was my best friend and losing him was devastating. That is one of the most heartbreaking side effects of suicide, it ends the pain for the person but it eviscerates those who remain leaving boatloads of unresolved guilt, anger, depression, and anxiety. It is fairly common to hear things like “I’d rather kill myself than do that” or see someone gesturing a gunshot to their own head, or mimicking hanging themselves. People who do this have never experienced a suicide of someone near them. Of course you wouldn’t actually rather kill yourself that do the action in question, and no doubt Craig would not rather slit his wrists than be handed piles of cash to put in the effort to play Bond again, especially since he decided to play him again shortly thereafter.  The use of suicide as an analogy for not wanting to do something is disgusting, horrific, upsetting, and needs to be removed from colloquialisms. Again, not specifically a Craig issue, more of a critique on those who do it in general. Hopefully eventually folks will find a different way to express their displeasure.

Overall, Daniel Craig is a gifted actor – that’s been demonstrated time and time again. He’s good, and he’ll continue to be good. For me personally, I love a big-budget, gigantic, summer tent-pole type movie. And I prefer actors in those that are well-aware of what they are making, enjoy that level of silliness and do not take themselves too seriously.  One step further, they understand how much the entertainment means to the fans and want to do right by them.  See: the Rock, Cruise again, or anyone working in the MCU.  If you only want to make gritty, deep, emotionally riveting art-house think-pieces that elevate the material and you truly do not care if anyone sees it, great – more power to you.  There is a place for that, and actually, a fairly large audience for it.  Let those who enjoy the big nonsense make the big nonsense. Keep your grumpy ass at home.

Reference:

Reuters. (2015, October 8). Daniel Craig says he would ‘rather break this glass and slit my wrists’ than play Bond again. Retrieved from: https://www.businessinsider.com/daniel-craig-says-he-would-rather-slit-his-wrists-than-play-bond-again-2015-10