"Ready Player One"*** (out of ****)
It's that 80s show with Steven Spielberg!
"Ready Player One" (2018) may be the most crowd-pleasing movie director Steven Spielberg has released since "Catch Me If You Can" (2002). Depending on your perspective, that may mean different things.
Steven Spielberg is not a filmmaker I regard as one of America's finest filmmakers, even among his generation. I much prefer the work of Martin Scorsese, Robert Altman, Francis Ford Coppola, Woody Allen and Stanley Kubrick. Although Spielberg is better than George Lucas.
I have seen Spielberg movies I have enjoyed a lot. Of course, there are the usual suspects; "Schindler's List" (1993) and "Saving Private Ryan" (1998) but I also enjoyed "Munich" (2005), "A.I." (2001) and "Minority Report" (2002). The last movie Spielberg has released of merit I would say was "Munich" even though last year Spielberg released "The Post" (2017), which was nominated for a best picture Academy Award. Despite being praised by the Observer movie critic, Rex Reed, as the year's best movie, it seemed to lack the oomph of a Steven Spielberg release, a "must see event". In fact, I would argue the passing years haven't been so kind to Spielberg. He is no longer the wunderkind of cinema. He really hasn't made a movie of late that has had a great impact on the culture as he was once able to.
That brings us to "Ready Player One". Will it get a best picture Academy Award nomination? I doubt it. But, it was the most fun I have had at a Steven Spielberg movie in years. It is the kind of movie the public can and will get excited about and will create a lot of positive buzz as moviegoers recommend it to their friends. That enthusiasm has been missing from Spielberg's work of late. "Ready Player One" is a welcome return. Rather conveniently also the movie is loaded with 80s references, a time when Spielberg achieved his greatest success financially at the box-office.
The movie is based on a novel written by Ernest Cline, of the same title, which takes place in the year 2045 in Columbus, Ohio. Making a social commentary on today's society, nearly all of this futuristic society is immersed in an on-line world know as OASIS, where people create avatars and live out all their desires and can create their own identities. The recent news involving Facebook nicely coincides with the movie's theme.
The creator of OASIS, James Halliday (Mark Rylance) has died. In death, he reveals he created an Easter egg (a hidden message) in his game. Whoever finds it will get ownership of OASIS.
Our hero is a teenager, Wade (Tye Sheridan), who proves to be the biggest obstacle in the company's IOI way to finding the Easter egg. Wade is also able to find love with a fellow gamer searching for the Easter egg, Samantha (Olivia Cooke).
Among the many movie references found in "Ready Player One" are "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" (1971), "Back to the Future" (1985), "King Kong" (1933), "Jurassic Park" (1993), "The Shining" (1980), "WarGames" (1983) and "The Iron Giant" (1999).
"Ready Player One" tells us society spends too much time in a virtual reality and not enough time in actual reality. Life may be a miserable experience but there are some things that can't beat our bond with other real-life humans.
"Tyler Perry's Acrimony" ** (out of ****)I am not familiar with the work of Tyler Perry but I am familiar with his name and acknowledge he is a force to be reckoned with. It seems each movie he directs is a box-office smash (this movie debuted in the number two spot). His "Acrimony" was my second experience with his movies. I can't say I am a fan.
My biggest disconnect with "Acrimony" may come from the fact I am a man. The movie deals with the fury of a woman, an angry ex-wife to be exact. For a majority of the movie, I could not relate to her anger and thirst for revenge.
Taraji P. Henson stars as Melinda. When we meet Melinda she has a very angry expression on her face as she sits in a courtroom, listening to a judge order her to see a therapist to deal with her anger issues.
Melinda was married to Robert (Lyriq Bent) for many years after the two met while in college. They are now divorced. Melinda believes Robert used her and has been unfaithful to her. When the two met, Melinda's mother had died, leaving her the family home and $350,000. Little by little Melinda gave it all the Robert eventually leaving the two struggling to get by. Robert has held on to a long belief that his invention, a rechargeable battery, will bring him great financial success. It is because of this invention Melinda has squandered her money.
The financial problems have caused a rift in their marriage. Melinda has also never been able to get over an incident that occurred when the two first started dating. She caught Robert with another woman. In a fit of rage, Melinda decided to drive her car into Robert's trailer park home, while he and his lover were in it. Could Robert still be cheating on her?
After the two divorce, Robert's ship comes in. A major company buys his invention, making him a multi-millionaire. He is now able to live the life he long told Melinda they would lead. Only now Robert is living that life with his new wife. Knowing of Robert's success drives Melinda off the deep end as regret and bitterness fill inside her. That could have been her if only she hadn't asked Robert for a divorce and believe his pleas that he never cheated on her after the first incident.
Perry doesn't seem to side with Melinda and by extension has the audience see her as angry, bitter and entitled. Since I am not familiar with the work of Perry, I don't know if this is a common theme among his movies but "Acrimony" seems to be a movie telling people, you aren't entitled to anything in life. Don't go around believing people owe you something or you deserve the "good life". That was the moral I came away with watching the movie.
Henson does what she can with the role and is always able to command our attention but Melinda isn't a "real" person. She is much too broad a caricature. That makes her difficult to play. Henson has her moments on-screen that seem realistic but far too often the character becomes a stereotype of an angry black woman and feeds into the cultural stereotype suggesting women are rather revengeful minded when relationships end. Have you ever heard of a woman slashing a man's tires?
I have never understood this mentality. Why seek revenge because a relationship has ended? And in the case of Melinda, she demanded the divorce. She through Robert out of the house and warned him he better leave or she would turn into a devil. After he accepts her demands she then criticizes him for not fighting for her. Huh?
Another problem with the movie is Perry doesn't write good dialogue and doesn't understand women. Yes, I've only seen two movies directed and written by Perry, but neither had good dialogue. Little rings true in his words. He seems to use dialogue to make social commentaries instead of having it sound natural. This wouldn't be a problem but his commentaries aren't very interesting or thought-provoking.
I am willing to watch more Tyler Perry movies but not because of anything in "Acrimony". I would hate to believe this is one of Perry's better works. That would just make me angry.
"A Quiet Place" *** (out of ****)The sound of terror!
"A Quiet Place" (2018) is an intense movie experience.
Rather minimal on plot, this is a survival tale, with heavy emphasis on survival.
Aliens (or monsters) have attacked New York, at the very least. The scope of the attack isn't made clear but we do see headlines from NY newspapers. The monsters are blind and sensitive to sound. The slightest noise will send the monsters on the attack.
The movie follows a single family and the viewer has no real way of knowing how others are dealing with this, which may have been interesting.
The movie was directed by John Krasinki, who also stars in the movie along with Emily Blunt as his wife.
Although it is rather modest in its narrative it does hit on some themes regarding family and father-daughter bonds.
To Krasinki's credit the movie does, at times, go into detail attempting to explain how it would be possible to live in such a world. He also gets the most suspense I can ever recall out of the sight of a nail.
Not really an exceptional movie but fun to see on the big screen with a large crowd.
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