Quick takes on The Suicide Squad and other films

A Quiet Place Part II follows up from the wildly successful film from a couple years ago. It begins with a flashback, to “Day 1,” that is, the day the aliens came to Earth and started killing everyone. That first 15 minutes left my heart pounding, and thankfully it settles down just a bit for a little while afterwards; I’m not sure the old ticker could have taken it otherwise. With her husband dead and the farm in tatters at the end of the first movie, Evelyn and her three children (two kids and a baby) head off to find a new place to live. They are armed with the secret of how to kill the monsters, but they are still very much alone. They are able to stumble upon an old friend of Evelyn’s husband, Emmett, who is himself alone now after his kid and wife have died. The group of them end up separated through various means, and the rest of the film is the heart-stopping adventures they have before the end. It is all very exciting, but I couldn’t help but think it has the feel of “been there, done that.” The first movie was so fresh and different, and while this one is certainly good (I know, I’m making it sound like it isn’t), it isn’t *as* good. I looked up my rating on the first, 4 1/2 according to my letterboxd, so I’m going with 4 here. ★★★★

Recently read the book (and the first sequel, with more to follow), and with a new film version on the horizon, I thought I should revisit the heavily reviled Dune from 1984, directed by David Lynch. I saw this movie as a kid in the late 80s, at a time when I thought nothing was better than Star Wars and was big into anything sci-fi, and while I didn’t remember much, I remember hating it. But I really liked the book when I read it back in February, and wanted to give the movie another chance. I’m glad I did. The story of Paul Atreides and his prophesied rise to God-like status over the desert world of Arrakis, this movie has Lynch’s strange, otherworldly fingerprints all over it. I can see why die-hard fans of the novel might not like it, as there are plenty of changes. To give Lynch a pass, you have to admit that the book is nearly impossible to show on screen the way it is written, with so much internal dialogue driving the story (Lynch chooses to give us the thoughts through whispered narration, which is weird at first but I got used to it). While I’ll wait to see how the new movie handles it, I can’t say this wasn’t done horribly. While I did like the book, I’m not a super fan, and the changes made didn’t bother me all that much. How else do you fit a long, complex book into a 2 hour movie? A cast chuck full of recognizable names from the 80s and today helps for sure. And the look and feel of the picture is definitely alien. I really liked it. Not cinematic perfection by any measure, but it is enjoyable and definitely better than all the hate it received when it came out. ★★★½

The opening scene of The Killing of Two Lovers has a man, with a gun, standing over a bed with two sleeping adults, and the viewer thinks, “Oh man! The title is going down right now!” It doesn’t, as the man puts the gun away and flees the house, running a couple blocks down to his own house, where he is living with his aging father. The man is David, and his story unfolds as the movie goes along. We learn that the couple in bed was David’s wife, Nikki, and her new boyfriend, a man she has not told David about. David and Nikki are on a trial separation, and while David has been led to believe that they can work things out and get back together, both for their previous love and for the well being of their 4 kids (which David obviously cherishes, and is a good father), you get the feeling that Nikki isn’t as willing as David to make things work. The film is a quiet portrayal of a marriage on the rocks, with many of their spats going down in public in their tiny rural town, where everyone knows everyone’s business. The suspenseful scenes, like the one that kicked off the film, happen here and there, and when they come, they hit the viewer just as hard as any action film could. Really nicely done indie film with wonderfully subtle camerawork. New writer/director Robert Machoian has a good eye for setting up long steady shots and letting the actors flow in and around the scenes, with the camera being merely a spectator. I liked this one a lot. ★★★★

The Green Knight is a new take on the old (14th century) tale, with actor Dev Patel in the role of Sir Gawain. I have some knowledge of this story, having read Tolkien’s version many years ago, and I was excited to see it on screen. Gawain is the son of King Arthur’s sister Morgan le Fay, and has dreams of joining the round table with the other knights of Arthur’s court. When a mysterious Green Knight comes to the hall and asks for anyone to challenge him, Gawain jumps at the chance to prove himself. The Green Knight promises to give Gawain the opportunity to hit him without retaliation, but that in a year, Gawain must meet him at the Green Chapel for the Green Knight to return the hit in kind. Thinking he has a clear victory, Gawain beheads the Green Knight. To his chagrin, the Green Knight rises, picks up his own head, and reminds Gawain to meet him in a year. The film of course jumps over that year, and the rest of the movie is about the journey Gawain takes to his supposed death. His travels are the stuff of myth and legend, full of dreamlike encounters and fantastical adventures. As such, the movie is a bit out there. There are moments that I found spell-binding, and others that dragged on a little too long for my taste. Overall, I did enjoy it, but I suspect the average moviegoer would be bored out of their mind. It’s a very esoteric, thoughtful picture. ★★★

The Suicide Squad is the latest DC film in their (continued? Seems like they don’t even know anymore) universe. It is a standalone film, semi-related to the first Suicide Squad film, in that it has a few of the same characters/actors, but has a new director at the helm in James Gunn. The move was the right one, as he righted this ship. After very quickly rehashing the concept of a super team of villains and crooks brought together to do good, or else the government explodes a micro-bomb implanted in their brains, the bad guys head out. Their mission is to infiltrate the South American nation of Corto Maltese in order to destroy the site of some top-secret experiments, now under some bad control after a military coup in the country. The team is made up of one military hero, Colonel Rick Flag, who is there to keep an eye on the baddies: Harley Quinn, Blackguard, TDK, Javelin, Cpt Boomerang, Weasel, Savant, and Mongal. They get to the beach and are immediately attacked by an awaiting force. Lots of blood and death later, where it doesn’t go good for our anti-heroes, we see that there is a second team who arrive to a different beach down the coast. The first being just a distraction, this second team is made up of Bloodsport, Peacemaker, King Shark, Polka-dot man, and Ratcatcher 2. With the first team taking all of the attention, the second group is able to infiltrate the nation and continue the mission. This movie is a riot. Heavy on the not-for-family laughs, with the gore way over the top, I laughed throughout and enjoyed the story too, even if it is a bit expected. After almost being cancelled, Gunn is back on track, and this film is fun even if you don’t know anything about superheroes/supervillains or any of the other previous DC films. ★★★★½

• TV series currently watching: Star Wars The Clone Wars (season 5)
• Book currently reading: One Rainy Day in May by Mark Z Danielewski