BlacKkKlansman

It’s like Spike Lee got sick of hearing how funny Tarantino’s KKK scene was in Django Unchained and decided to stick two fingers up at him. Again.

The Partially Educated Review

When it comes to reliability, Spike Lee is something of a loose cannon. For every great film like Clockers, you get something like the Oldboy remake; ranking somewhere along the lines of rectal implantation on the scales of desirability. So when he’s handed a concept as dynamite as that of BlacKkKlansman, it’s not hard to get nervous over the very real possibility that he could have messed it up. He absolutely didn't though.

Based on the true story of Ron Stallworth (John David Washington), a black Colorado Springs detective who manages to receive an invite to join the Ku Klux Klan (“you probably shouldn’t go to that meeting” is the pretty damned sage advice he receives). Teaming up with white Jewish cop Flip Zimmerman (Adam Driver), the two set about infiltrating the Klan (or “Organisation” as they prefer to be referred to); Stallworth by phone and Zimmerman in person.

Washington is currently at the stage of his career where every mention of his performances contains the term “son of Denzel” at least 276 times. It’s an unavoidable pain in the arse, though let’s not pretend like it won’t have helped him in more than a few ways. Fortunately though, it should only take a few more performances like this before he can be billed in his own right. Except maybe in voice, this Washington is a whole different performer from his heritage. There is little to no point discussing who’s better as the younger will need to build up his portfolio before that can be done. What he does have is a certain understated everyman quality to him that his father perhaps doesn’t, instead consuming the life of every living organism around him by sheer force of unbridled magnetism.

Driver also does well in his role, benefitted by some smart writing when concerning the subject of his Jewish heritage. There’s some solid supporting performances also from the various Klan members (Ryan Eggold and Topher Grace in particular) and Laura Harrier does well with a slightly under-written role, verging dangerously close to “the love interest” at times but at least bringing some character motivation outside of just “ooh, isn’t he nice?”

It is perhaps the concept alone that has helped to fire up Spike Lee, bringing some gusto that has been absent from many of his recent efforts (I should probably note that I haven’t seen Chi-Raq though). Lee’s stylistic touches can sometimes be a little too blatant, but they are more than compensated for when he unloads his razor-sharp wit. It’s dripping in snark at times (particularly when white characters are discussing the manner in which black people speak) and barbed jabs at certain modern day political figures are hidden about as well as a cow going undercover in a cattery. Though I’m pretty sure that’s the intention, lest it go over the curiously coiffured heads of those certain figures.

All you need to do is look at interviews with Lee around the time of the film’s release to see just how fired up he was over this one. You can rarely accuse him of lacking dare when it comes to the films he makes, but with a number of black directors really starting to make their names as of late (still not enough exposure for them, but at least it’s steps in the right direction) it’s as though Lee knew that he had to come out swinging here to show them he isn’t backing off any time soon. The key now is keeping it up.

NINE out of 10

The Front Runner

"He's quite scared to be seen

He makes a few apologies

This is Gary"

(Oh f**k off, it sort of rhymes)

The Partially Educated Review

You could have handed me a piece of paper and asked me to write down everything I know about Gary Hart and it would have looked a little something like this.

So it's annoying that my biggest problem with The Front Runner is that I don't really feel like I know a whole lot more about him after watching it. Hugh Jackman is the man himself, as we follow him over a 3 week period in 1987 that begins him with being the front runner (DING!) for the Democratic presidential nominee. The week then continues with a scandal...

…and then ends at a point that would technically be a spoiler if I put it here, though I imagine most of you will know whether or not there has been an American president called Gary Hart.

Jason Reitman (he who be making the new Ghostbusters film) is behind the camera for this. He's one of the many directors who has not managed to keep up the momentum that he built with his first few films, having gone from the likes of Juno to bona fide flops like Labo(u)r Day (apparently last year's Tully is very good though. I'm yet to see it). If we're going to place The Front Runner amongst Reitman's other films (qualitatively speaking) then we're somewhere in the middle.

The good pretty much lies in the performances. Support comes from the likes of Vera Farmiga, J.K. Simmons and Alfred Molina. While most of them would have felt the benefit of a little more to do, these are the sort of actors who could make Hodor seem like Hamlet. Jackman is also a naturally decent actor, but there's something different about this role; it's decidedly understated. Even in his more natural roles, Jackman has a habit of going hell for leather but, to his credit, usually charms us with the joy of song or punches something until we're too scared to argue with him. Neither would have worked here. With the necessity for Hart to contain his anger at some of the unfolding situations, Jackman is forced to avoid any great explosions of personality. For the most part, he pulls it off with only a couple of occasions where you see him having to restrain himself.

Sadly though, that also brings about the film's biggest problem. It simply failed to show me what it was that made Hart into a very real prospect for President. Perhaps it's me getting a little too accustomed to the horrific realities of larger than life personalities dominating the political spectrum, but I'd rather sit through 24 hours of BBC Parliament than spend an hour with this guy. That isn't down to Jackman though; it's down to how the story is presented. There's a lot of people talking about how great he is, but only fleeting glimpses of him showing it before he buggers off for a spot of (alleged) philandering.

The Front Runner should be commended for its refusal to sensationalise (though that's probably why Vice is getting the awards attention rather than this). If anything though, it needed something to liven up the proceedings. Being unflashy can be great, but while the film is diverting enough there are just those momentary forays into the dull that stop it short of memorable.

SIX out of 10

Aaaand, just because he's called Gary, I'll take any excuse I can to include this.

The Meg

I've seen bigger.

The Partially Educated Review

Whilst I don't have children of my own...

…I do have a nephew. And with that comes an at least partially developed (or even... educated, heh heh) awareness of the realities of being around a child. More viewings of The Boss Baby than any one person should ever be expected to handle within the grasp of sanity. The word “No”. And a constant stream of the latest smash-hit song that has been adapted into a Hollywood blockbuster.

(Though admittedly this shark could not be referred to as a baby)

The Meg sandwiches itself somewhere between Jaws and Sharknado. You're not going to see a shark eat an aeroplane, but you're also not to going to see anything that will make you properly fear going into the sea. Mostly because the shark is preposterously big and also because all are safe when Statham's on the case.

The Stath plays Jonas Taylor, a former rescue diver dubbed mad by all after his claims that a giant sea monster thwarted a past mission. Wouldn't you know it? He wasn't mad. After a group of scientists accidentally free a 70-something foot prehistoric shark (the circumstances are superfluous), Stath is the man for the mission. If you expected more plot than that...

Now I'm going to reveal a little secret. I quite like Jason Statham.

Yes, the man could appear wooden in the forest of Fanghorn, but I've always thought he comes across as a nice guy and (more importantly) when the films don't take him too seriously, he can make me laugh. By rights, The Meg should be one of those films that's played for laughs and the sight of Jason punching things. He's good at that.

That's where the weird problem arises (not the punching, that happens). While situations are very rarely shown to us with any sort of sincerity, there are huge swathes where all we're given is horribly stunted dialogue and it sort of feels like they think that's where the joke lies. Worse, the actual jokes they give us are all recycled with the notable exception of the film's very last and pretty damned funny one. There is a serious lack of worthy humour here, as if they think that stealing the script from Sharktopus is fine as long as they throw more money at the effects.

In fairness though, that higher budget does have one advantage. Director Jon Turteltaub (the National Treasure films) is no stranger to putting together a set piece and these are probably the strongest ones he's done. They're fun and there is some imagination on show at times. Whilst perhaps not quite good enough to make sitting through all the exposition feel entirely worth it, they at least leave you feeling as though you haven't completely wasted your time.

Let's be honest though. You already know your opinion of The Meg whether you've seen it or not. You either see Statham as this generation's Schwarzenegger or you think that The Expendables films work only because if they're all making the same film, they can't make as many. That is the factor that will determine your enjoyment of The Meg. That, or your enjoyment of big f**king sharks!

FIVE out of 10

Skyscraper

The following is a review of Skyscraper. I'd come up with a more imaginative introduction than that, but the film couldn't be bothered, so why should I?

The Partially Educated Review

Turns out it is possible for a film to be generic in an aggressive kind of way; as if to leave you affronted by it's very averageness. I left a recent of Skyscraper feeling as though I'd been beaten about the head with a baseball bat made entirely of mediocrity. Honestly, I may have spent the rest of the day in complete despondency had it not been for the excitement of the Chinese that followed it.

Skyscraper is never a bad film. It's just one that's quite clearly designed to pull punters in for yet more of Dwayne Johnson's action frolics. That in itself would be fine if it weren't for the fact that we're dealing with serious Dwayne; the one that bored us through the likes of Faster and Snitch. Johnson isn't meant to be serious and films always die when he's in that mode. At least with the aforementioned two, the subject matter dictated it. Here though, there really isn't any excuse for the barren wasteland of humour we're presented with when the concept would call for one-liners galore.

The plot is rudimentary. Johnson plays Will Sawyer; a security advisor on the largest skyscraper in existence. When terrorists take over it and set fire to the bajillionth floor, not only is he framed for this, but must also find a way to save his family in the penthouse suite.

Within the first 5 minutes, Johnson survives an explosion of such close proximity that it should by rights have made the walls into a Jackson Pollock made entirely of his innards, but instead he just loses a leg. Honestly, they could have called the character Manfred Manimal McMannfromuncle and they'd have still been underplaying the manliness.

Perhaps that would have yielded some interest to the film; an obvious vulnerability would be something that I can't recall Johnson playing before. Instead, it becomes a source for set-pieces or one of the film's annoyingly few jokes. Outside of that, he's still just The Rock.

Surely it's not just Dwayne though. There must be other things to discuss, but there really isn't. The villains are all generic terrorist types of varying European descent. The cops on the outside all display the sort of investigative intuition that you'd expect from a hedgehog taking an up close peek at a nearby motorway. His family are presented as a nice family that you definitely want to see survive and boast our only other recognisable presence in Neve Campbell (though some would potentially recognise Noah Taylor as well if it weren't for the fact that he doesn't stop gurning).

It's not that Skyscraper is an entirely negative film. Some well-shot sequences may genuinely put the shivers into vertigo sufferers. While I'm not one of those, I do have a slightly weird affliction where I get pins and needles in my left foot when I see someone come perilously close to dropping from a great height. It's safe to say that same foot hurt a little after this film. You don't create that without some competence, but director Rawson Marshall Thurber demonstrates little ability for creating any sort of action surprises. I'd say he should stick to comedy, but honestly, the guy's been coasting off the fact he made Dodgeball for far too long now. Still though, worth a reminder...

In the end, Skyscraper feels like the sort of film that would be created for the textbook How To Write An Action Film. If they came up with something great, they wouldn't use it for the textbook. So why did they commit the entirely ordinary idea to film?

FOUR out of 10

Guiltless Pleasures: Baywatch

Sometimes you just want to be entertained. You don't want Al Gore making you feel like shit for that time you threw an empty bottle of Fanta in with the normal rubbish (though I do feel guilty Al, I'm really, really sorry). Jean-Luc Godard? Terrence Malick? Well, they can f**k right off too.

At times though, that mentality can find you liking films you probably shouldn't. As far as I'm concerned though, guilt can go hang.

The Partially Educated Review

There was a time when adaptations of cheesy TV series were pretty much destined to be rubbish. Charlie's Angels and The Dukes Of Hazzard both yielded films which were less fun than a trip to a festival Portaloo and, while there have been exceptions, the over-arching problem of what worked then not working now was apparently lost on Hollywood. A surprising prospect, I know. Then, this happened...

...and the rulebook was rewritten somewhat. Then ignored. Yes, the Jump Street films were a lot of fun (and arguably Starsky And Hutch got there first), but since then we've had Chips, which was packed the exact same amount of laughs as you would get from inhaling armpit odour. The chances of something like Baywatch being any good are still slim. Guess what?

Is lukewarm too kind to describe the reaction to it? Possibly. Couple that with the fact that my mate who likes crap films likes it (he knows who he is) and things weren't boding well for my opinion of this. Yet there I sat, laughing consistently. Perhaps low expectations helped me with that, thought I. So I watched it again a couple of months later... and laughed even more. Honestly, I couldn't help it. I'm still slightly worried about it.

We're in juvenile territory with the humour here. Case in point: “There's your cot. Don't jack off on my sheets.” And no, that's not one of the lines I laughed at. It knows it's childish though and it isn't pretending to be anything else. This film just wants you to have a good time with it. If you're expecting more than that... I mean, really? It's based on a series that involves this guy.

Whilst we're on that subject, it is the only film where my rule of deducting one point for a Hasselhoff appearance doesn't apply. It's not like they had a choice.

Going into details about Baywatch involves spoiling the jokes which would be rather pointless. It probably goes without saying that a lot of people won't like it half as much as me, so for the sake of balanced criticism, I will say that Zac Efron is bloody awful in it. The guy is meant to be charming, not an arrogant airhead. He only just got away with it in Bad Neighbours. Let's move on from this phase of his career. 

Also, the action is fairly rudimentary with some of the dodgiest looking fire effects this side of the 50s. The film is flat out stolen by Dwayne Johnson though who oozes self-effacing charisma. Who'd have thought that 15 years later The Scorpion King would become one of Hollywood's most viable box office draws?

Oh my God! Vince McMahon was right about something!

SEVEN out of 10

Isle Of Dogs

And so Wes Anderson presents conclusive proof that people who think cats are better than dogs are quite clearly idiots.

The Partially Educated Review

Some perspective (if needed). The recent output of Wes Anderson has left me feeling rather cold. I particularly disliked Moonrise Kingdom and also couldn't entirely get into The Grand Budapest Hotel. I appreciate both of those are opinions in need of justification, but this isn't a review of those films.

I felt the need to establish that; mostly so that this doesn't seem like a review coming from an Anderson fanboy. That I definitely am not. I definitely am a fan of Isle Of Dogs though.

In a not-too-distant future Japan, a flu has spread through all dogs that leads them to be banished to the nearby Trash Island; away from all human population. This causes controversy for a number of reasons, not least of which being that a reported cure for the flu is being ignored by the corrupt, cat loving (so definitely evil) mayor. Said mayor's nephew Atari travels to Trash Island in search of his long, lost dog Spots where he is greeted by several other dogs who undertake to help him on his quest.

There are two things you are guaranteed not to be missing from an Anderson film; vivid imagination and a pretty dry sense of humour. He has, at times, risked becoming a pastiche of himself when you consider the fact that very little changes tonally from film to film. That's pretty much the root of my ambivalence towards some of his other films; making it incredibly difficult to explain why nothing's changed for Isle Of Dogs, but I couldn't stop laughing at it.

The only thing I can possibly nail it down to is the cast (or my love of dogs, but I'm trying to be artistic here damnit!). Much like many of Anderson's films, this is a big name cast with many taking on roles much smaller than they usually would. I guess that speaks volumes towards how much respect Anderson has conjured for himself. The star this time, however, is a newbie to the Anderson fold. Some bloke called Bryan Cranston. I think he did some inconsequential TV stuff.

As Chief, a rather grouchy and wholly begrudging member of our band of heroes, Cranston just about steals the film. His performance is layered with heaps of emotion; which I will refrain from going into lest I spoil some of the character developments. Credit is equally shared with the writers for this; particularly Jason Schwartzman who must have secretly been wanting this role for himself, but takes on another (still good) one instead. If anything, Cranston is so good that he does expose a bit of a flaw in how inconsequential a few of the other characters feel. When you make me fail to notice that Edward Norton's in your film, you've done something wrong.

The beautiful animation echoes that of Anderson's Fantastic Mr Fox adaptation (also brilliant), but still feels untraditional enough to capture the eye. The plot warms the heart, particularly the portrayal of Akira; taking the WALL-E approach to character development (though let's not get ahead of ourselves, WALL-E's still better). With a slightly trimmed running time and the better fleshing out of characters, this would have been one of the best films I've seen in a long while. Instead it falls just short of that mark. But only just.

EIGHT out of 10

Black Panther

Wait. Hang on a minute. You mean, a superhero film with black people in it can be just as good as the ones with white people. Well, bugger me silly!

The Partially Educated Review

I don't think there'll be a more important film released this year than Black Panther if only from a point of view of the impact this should (I don't trust the industry well enough to write “will”) have on blockbuster cinema as a whole. In the end though, the biggest trial facing Black Panther was always going to be the same as any other film. Making sure that it was actually good. 

Box office returns are all well and good, but if you're churning out the next Ghost Rider, then the fan reception is always going to overshadow any financial successes and those reactions can sometimes be brutal enough to derail a franchise. God knows that was the last thing we needed here. Not much need to worry there though, because Black Panther is one of the absolute best Marvel films released to date.

The key thing here is the cast. All of them are outstanding; from Chadwick Boseman to Michael B. Jordan and those who I had no familiarity with such as Danai Gurira and Winston Duke. If those names aren't being used as marquee names over the coming years; Hollywood, you have officially f**ked up! I feel kind of bad for not mentioning the rest of the cast, but cast lists are what iMDB is for. Safe to say, everyone pretty much kills it here and they do that whilst experiencing all the same emotions that white people do.

There's one more name that definitely needs mentioning though. Ryan Coogler. A man who I love and hate in equal measures. I love him because he has become one of the most deservedly respected directors working today. He's done that by knowing that the key to any great film is making sure that you put your performances at the forefront and create around them. I hate him because he's only a year older than me and has already released a film that's set the box office alight. Which kind of outweighs it for me. This one's for you, Coogler!

That aside; the world of Wakanda that he has created feels rife with possibilities. It's inevitably the culture change that makes Black Panther stand high when you realise that the plot isn't straying that far away from the Marvel template. You know the action sequences are going to be spectacularly brilliant, just as much as you know that Stan Lee's going to appear at one point (and let's not be mean to a 95 year old man having a bit of a laugh). With the amount of these films coming out seemingly increasing every year, it's always the ones which give you something different that will rise to the top. The real test now is whether they can keep this going.

EIGHT out of 10