Atomic Blonde

This is a movie that should have been a slam dunk. A couple big stars, some 80s nostalgia, based on a solid graphic novel, and a lot of high-octane action from a noted action director. So why did it end up with a lukewarm reception? In my opinion, it's going to be hard to pinpoint, because it wasn't any one thing. It had all the right parts, but couldn't get the alchemical magic going to rise above merely parts.

Cars 3

Pixar has a pretty staggering track record of amazing movies. The first Cars movie was where I decided that I should always trust them. The premise looked thoroughly stupid, but the movie ended up being very good. Then Cars 2 came along and really betrayed that trust. To the point that I never saw Planes, or the Fire and Rescue sequel (and I've never heard word that I missed much). So I had VERY low expectations of Cars 3. To the point of not planning to see it.

But then we got free tickets (because we are giant Disnerds), so we went. And I'm very glad we did. This movie got right back into the groove that Cars set up, and took the story to the logical-but-surprising next step. It didn't blow my mind, or make me cry, or knock any of my favorites out of their place. But it was a good, solid movie that was fun, touching, real, and had some good messaging.

Trolls

If you have seen the trailers, you know what kind of movie this is. If you haven't seen the trailers, do yourself a huge favor and watch them first.

If the trailers didn't make your ears bleed or make you throw things, then you will enjoy the hell out of this movie. It is a pixie stick movie. Pure sugar rush, with nothing really substantial underneath. Yet somehow, when we're done, we just want more.

WW: The Twelve-Fingered Boy

This week's Writing Wednesday is The Twelve-Fingered Boy by John Hornor Jacobs.

This book can be easily classified as a superhero book. It is, after all, about people with powers in the modern world. But it lacks a number of the elements that really define the superhero genre. There are no costumes or capes. There is no fight for truth and justice. And there is no clear victory with a simple morality. This might be better classified as horror, and shelved right next to Carrie and Firestarter.

Victor Frankenstein

Are you a fan of the book, or of the movies? If you're a fan of the book, you should know that the writers chose to go with the movie version of Frankenstein. This is pretty immediately obvious, as Daniel Radcliffe plays Igor, who doesn't even appear in the book.

And yet, you should watch this anyway. I'm not sure that old Mary Shelley would be proud of this adaptation, but it certainly explores many of the themes she was getting at. It's Gothic horror as it should be. We explore questions of identity, redemption, purpose, and playing God. And we do it through the eyes of two tortured young men, and against a lovely industrial backdrop of nineteenth-century London.

The Scorch Trials

Short version: Not as good as the first movie, and I think probably suffers more from adaptation blues. The effects were strong, though, and the acting was decent. I really do wish someone had warned me that the middle bit was a goddamn zombie movie, though. I hate zombie movies.

Ricki and the Flash

Meryl Streep has, in short, done it again. She has used her incredible talent, and the incredible talents of those who are drawn to work with her, to illuminate an otherwise lackluster movie. The plot is simple, the characters are crudely drawn, the philosophical and emotional points are never subtle. But because of the cast, you can't help but be drawn into this painful family drama, and eventually to rejoice at the reconciliation.