THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (2016)

Genre: Western / Action

Running Length: 2:12

Cast: Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, Ethan Hawke, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Byung-hun Lee, Vincent D’Onofrio, Martin Sensmeier, Peter Sarsgaard, Hayley Bennett

Director: Antoine Fuqua 

Screenplay: Richard Wenk & Nic Pizzolatto, based on the screenplay for “The Seven Samurai” by Akira Kurosawa & Shinobu Hashimoto & Hideo Oguni 

This updated version of THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN brings nothing new to the table except to literally update it for today's generation since the original is more than 50 years old (the 1960 version was also a re-imagination of Akira Kurosawa's The Seven Samurai (1954)).

To be fair, the first act was a good set-up where we witness the chief villain (deliciously played by Sarsgaard) struts into a church of a small frontier town with his men and forces the villagers to sell their land for cheap. Of course, things went south and helpless peasants were brutally killed. As a result, one of the widowed decided to go against these aggressors by recruiting a fighting force. The plot is simple enough to follow but yet when the credits rolled, the entire experience just felt like an exercise in futility. 

The "seven" characters were underdeveloped and thus I didn't care much at all when the odds were stacked against them in the loud and chaotic final act. One interesting thing the filmmakers could have focused on is to invest a little bit more time to give a proper backstory to our heroes so that their purpose of assembling together is more believable. It felt like Suicide Squad ie. what's in it for a bunch of misfits to get together to save the world?   

Washington is fine as the ringleader. Come to think of it, Denzel has always been playing a "cowboy" in his action movies eg Equalizer, Man on Fire, The Book of Eli. Pratt is as charismatic as ever. There are hints of the iconic score from the 1960s version (dum, dum, de-dum, dum dum dum da-de-dum) but you will have to wait till the closing credits to enjoy its full glory. 

Overall, despite its slick production, the diverse cast and fun shoot 'em up scenes, this popcorn western is forgettable. Towards the second half, I had this nagging voice in me that I should have just watched the original version or even the Japanese one.  

Rating: 6/10

GOOD KILL (2015)

Genre: Drama/Thriller
Running Length: 1:45
Cast: Ethan Hawke, January Jones, Bruce Greenwood, Zoe Kravitz, Jack Abel, Dylan Kenin
Director: Andrew Niccol
Screenplay: Andrew Niccol

GOOD KILL, the title of this movie, is also a term/jargon used when an efficient air strike carried out by drones dispenses off potential threats cleanly at minimal risk to the dispensers. In fact, at one point, a character in the films calls out “Splash!” when a target is hit. Think first person shooter games. And that's what makes this movie provocative and troubling because this is not a game. People (sometimes kids and women) actually die. But what's even more interesting is an attempt to study Ethan Hawke's character, a drone pilot (and former F-16 pilot), where his daily job is to blow off the enemies 7,500 miles away on a game console like device while sitting in the comfort of an air-conditioned small container office in Vegas. Afterwards, he would drive home to his pretty wife and adoring kids and throw some meat on the BBQ for dinner. Of course, overtime, the stress of his dehumanizing routine kicks in and just like any effects of war, it takes a toll on him. However, the drama and ethics surrounding his meltdown is unable to keep pace with the cold and chilling air strike scenes; when Hawke's character squeezes the button on his joystick, you'll find yourself holding your breath and counting down to impact. The disturbing and powerful images of people being blown into pieces still lingers in my mind.

Rating: 7/10

PREDESTINATION (2014)

 
Genre: Science Fiction
Running Length: 1:37
Cast: Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook, Noah Taylor
Director: The Spierig Brothers
Screenplay: The Spierig Brothers, based on "All You Zombies" by Robert Heinlein

I don't even know where to start with PREDESTINATION. If I can summarize it, it's one helluva of "mind-***k" movie - not in a controversial kinda way but the premise is still disturbing nevertheless. It's a low budget science fiction film which demands the audiences' full attention and concentration. There are no big action sequences as the narrative is built around ideas and its characters. The story unfolds slowly revealing one puzzle at a time and if you're patient enough, you'll be pleasantly surprised with several "holy crap!" moments. It's difficult to talk about the movie because there are just so many concepts the film makers try to cram into the slim 90+ running length such as time travel and free will. It actually feels like an extended short film which focuses on tight story telling and beautiful photography. Although this film didn't garner the "likes" from mainstream audiences, it should be destined for cult status. 

Rating: 7.5/10

BOYHOOD (2015)

Genre: Drama
Running Length: 2:45
Cast: Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Elijah Smith, Lorelei Linklater
Director: Richard Linklater 
Screenplay: Richard Linklater

"There are no grown-ups. We suspect this when we are younger...Everyone is winging it, some just do it more confidently." Pamela Druckerman

BOYHOOD was a deeply moving experience for me. When so many movies today are about nothing at all, this one is about real life itself. There's no melodrama as both adults and children are trying to figure out life. Is there more to life than getting through a series of milestones - going to school, getting a job, getting married, having kids, sending them off to further studies and finally die? Like one of the main adult cast remarked, "I just thought that there would be more."

In an era of immediate gratification, Boyhood is a game changer as it was filmed over a 12 year span with the same cast. So we literally see our main star growing up from a 6 year old boy to a young man right before our eyes. (This movie recalls Linklater's "Before" trilogy where we follow two lovers over an 18-year span, catching up with them at nine year intervals across three films). As a result, there's a documentary aspect of it as the filmmakers allow the natural aging process of its actors to organically enhance the portrayals of their characters. I initially thought this was a little gimmicky as it may distract the viewers from the story but thankfully, this coming-of-age screenplay is exceptionally well crafted. The characters in this film and the conversations they have are so easy to relate to. They could be people you know; family members, relatives, friends and even you. Linklater is a master in capturing the simplest story of everyday living; from the choice of clothes, dialogue, music used, backdrop, action and reaction. So much so when an adult loses their temper and smashes a few things in the house, I can imagine viewers who had similar experiences at home during their childhood will be shaken. It's that realistic.

The acting is overall solid. Our main "boy" star has a simple laid-back persona with a natural screen presence and throughout the movie, we can empathize and understand why he was shaped this way. The real standout here is Patricia Arquette's character, as with most moms today in urban cities, she's the one who has to take care of everything as she raised her kids as a single parent.

Because of the dedication and effort involved from the filmmakers, viewers would definitely feel something deeply after having gotten to know a family intimately (with warts and all) in a way most movies today are not capable of achieving.

Rating: 10/10