The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (6/10): Visually stunning but lacking substance.

“America teaming up with Russia. That doesn't sound very friendly.”

In-between his work with the Sherlock Holmes franchise, Guy Ritchie has decided to adapt The Man from U.N.C.L.E., a TV series that aired in the mid 60’s during the height of the Cold War. In a year where we were already getting the releases of the James Bond and Mission Impossible franchises it was quite a risk and one that didn’t pay off as well as it could have. In order for the film to stand out from these and other similar spy thrillers, Ritchie put the emphasis on the style giving the film a unique and cool 60’s look. Unfortunately the film doesn’t have the substance to go along with the style. There are not many thrills, the villains in this movie are forgettable, and the pacing at times becomes monotonous. The style however is so invigorating and cool that it deserves to be seen for its visual appeal alone. It doesn’t hurt that you have the likes of Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer, and Alicia Vikander in the lead roles, all actors who undoubtedly benefit from the stylish fashion of the film. More mature audiences might enjoy the film for its nostalgic and retro value, but most were probably not around that time to be familiar with it. In order to stand out from other spy films it needed a unique approach, and that is what we get from Ritchie here, but at the same time it was also its downfall because the film became all about style leaving it with very little substance.

   

The story takes place in the 60’s during the Cold War as two secret agents are trying to locate the daughter of a German scientist in hopes of finding her father that has gone missing. CIA agent, Napoleon Solo (Henry Cavill) gets to her first at her garage shop in  West Germany. Gaby Teller (Alicia Vikander) hasn’t seen her father in decades, but Solo offers his help to get her out of the country and set up a meeting with her uncle so they can find him. He believes that the Nazi’s are holding him captive and forcing him to build an atomic bomb. While they are trying to escape, Solo discovers he is being followed by a mysterious man who we soon discover is a KGB operative. Illya Kuryakin (Armie Hammer) tries to intercept them before they escape and the two turn out to be an equal match. Solo barely escapes with Gaby thanks to the help of his team who are awaiting them. Later on, he is being briefed by his superior, Sanders (Jared Harris) where he is informed that he is going to be teaming up with Illya to go to Rome with Gaby to search for clues of her father’s whereabouts. Neither of the agents are pleased with having to work with one another after having nearly tried to kill each other, but that is where most of the fun comes from for the audience. It is basically the origin story of The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Thanks to its unique style the film stands out from other thrillers, but I’d still recommend Rogue Nation over this. The cast here is great and they have an incredible chemistry. The story borderlines on conventions since you have your typical buddy comedy where two opposite characters are forced together and a bromance ensues. The spy elements aren’t very exciting here although there is one great action sequence involving a chase through an island in the final act of the film that looks stunning. The comedy works, but the thrills don’t as much, so even Spy is a better bet in that department. The cast makes this a much more fun experience than it should’ve been. Cavill and Hammer play off each other extremely well. I still think Hammer is a talented actor, but he hasn’t been able to prove himself after that stellar duo performance in The Social Network. Alicia Vikander is always a treat to watch and despite not getting to do much she always delivers her characteristic charm. If you want to see her in a better film than you need to see Ex-Machina. Hugh Grant also delivers quite a surprisingly charming supporting performance and there are a few twists in this film that kept me interested. Other than that this film is a bit forgettable but still an entertaining ride. Ritchie still hasn’t been able to match the success of his earlier works, but he still delivers a unique visual style of his own.  

My Review: Cloud Atlas (8/10)

¨I´m just trying to understand why we keep making the same mistakes over and over again.¨

Many critics have called Lana and Andy Wachowski´s new film, Cloud Atlas, ambitious and pretentious, but in my opinion it is a well made sci-fi film that is ahead of its time. Probably on a much lesser scale than 2001 or Blade Runner, but this film seems to have all the elements needed to become a cult film over time. Cloud Atlas is one of those movies you have to pay close attention to in order to understand where the plot is heading; it is definitely not for the casual viewer. It requires your time and patience, but if you stick with this film you will be rewarded by the end. This is by no means as good as Wachowski´s The Matrix (although it tries to remain philosophical), but it is much better than their recent work. Tom Tykwer (The Perfume) co-directed the film with the Wachowski siblings and it is without a doubt his best work yet. The film is unlike any other movie you´ve seen before as it connects six different stories over several centuries and connects them in some way or another. You could say it is kind of like Magnolia, but those stories take place during a similar time period, here the connections take place during the past, present, and future. Two parallel filming units were required for this monstrous production as the siblings directed three stories and Tykwer the other three. Cloud Atlas is based on David Mitchell´s award winning novel, and it was no easy task adapting it for the big screen. I think that their effort will be rewarded over time as it has the potential to become a sci-fi cult film.

The plot is a little difficult to explain as there are six separate stories happening over different time periods and in a way every story connects and overlaps with each other. The movie switches between one scene that can be taking place in 1849 to another in the post apocalyptic future. The first story takes place in the Pacific Ocean in 1849 as Adam Ewing (Jim Sturgess) is keeping a journal of his voyage while battling some sort of illness and being attended by Dr. Henry Goose (Tom Hanks), and at the same time helping a former slave, Autua (David Gyasi), escape from his oppressors. The next story takes place in 1936 as the composer Robert Frobisher (Ben Whishaw) is corresponding with his former lover, Rufus Sixsmith (James D´Arcy) about his experience working for the world famous composer Vyvyan Ayrs (Jim Broadbent). In 1973 the story centers around a journalist named Luisa Rey (Halle Berry) who is investigating a murder that took place in a nuclear power plant. In 2012 a publisher named Timothy Cavendish (Jim Broadbent) gets hoaxed by his brother and is forced to live in a nursing home while he makes plans to escape. In 2144 a clone known as Sonmi-451 (Doona Bae) participates in a revolutionary underground movement in New Seoul under the guidance of Hae-Joo Chang (Jim Sturgess). And finally in 2321 Zachry (Tom Hanks) is living somewhere in post apocalyptic Hawaii in a tribe that is being threatened by the blood thirsty Kona Chief (Hugh Grant). Every story is interconnected with each other as the actions of each individual impact one another in different time periods kind of like in a ripple effect.

The complexity of each story is the reason why the film is almost three hours long, but if you pay close attention and don’t get lost with all the flashbacks and flash forwards you might just enjoy this film. Cloud Atlas is pretentious for many because it is a little philosophical as it explains how we seem to cross our paths over and over again. Every actor in this film plays several different roles (as many as six) and we can see how each one shapes his or her future depending on the actions they take. The way the film was shot allows for the audience to experience a little sci-fi action (2144 segment), some comedy (2012 nursery home escape), some retro mystery (1973), and even romantic tragedy (1936). That is why this film is one of its kind. The sci-fi scenes were spectacular and the designs quite visionary in style. The film, although very exhausting, is exiting; and I had a great time. I understand why this is such a divisive film considering it is so complex and epic at the same time. The film does feel a bit disjointed and disconnected at times, but when it seemed to lose me it got right back in track again. I think this film was quite original and is worth your time if you are willing to put your mind to it. The performances weren’t as strong as I would have liked, but it is a difficult task to play six different characters at once. By all means check Cloud Atlas out; you will either love it or hate it.

    

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My Review: The Pirates! Band of Misfits (8/10)

¨You´ll see I will be Pirate of the Year! And then you´ll be laughing on the other side of your faces.¨

I was pleasantly surprised with this movie as I was catching up with the nominated animation films. I hadn’t really heard of it before the nominations, but was glad it received the recognition it got because this really is a fun and silly movie that the entire family can enjoy. My favorite animated film of the year continues to be Wreck-it Ralph, but this is still much better than Pixar´s Brave. The Pirates is one of those rare animated movies that will appeal to a diverse audience thanks to the subtle and clever jokes and puns that the British have us all familiar with. The animation is very detailed and skillful here considering this isn’t a computer generated animated movie; it´s stop-motion and was produced by Aardman, the same production company that brought us such great animated films as Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run. Directors Peter Lord and Jeff Newitt also worked in Chicken Run; and in my opinion have perfected their craft here. You can´t make a movie about pirates without having some sort of exciting adventure, and this movie delivers a real fun and clever adventure that adults and kids will enjoy alike. It has the typical silly and dry British humor that we all love so much. The screenplay was adapted by Gideon Defoe from his own novels about the pirates. I had a really fun time with all the jokes and puns, and really loved these funny characters. They were as luxuriant as the Pirate Captain´s beard.

The Pirate Captain (voiced by Hugh Grant) dreams of becoming Pirate of the Year but has failed to do so for the past twenty years as he isn’t considered one of the favorites to take home the prize. His crew loves him and remains faithful to him, but are as quirky as he is and are not taken seriously by other pirates. The favorites are always Black Bellamy (Jeremy Piven), Cutlass Liz (Salma Hayek), and Peg Leg Hastings (Lenny Henry) who have a great amount of booty and treasures. The Pirate Captain knows that in order to win the prize he will need to find a great treasure so he begins his quest with his crew by raiding several ships unsuccessfully. Right when he´s about to give up, the Pirate Captain encounters a ship where a young Charles Darwin (David Tennant) discovers that his beloved pet, Polly, is not actually a parrot, but a rare bird that was thought to have been extinct decades ago. He convinces the Pirate Captain to travel to London with the dodo where he promises him great riches for his discovery, but Charles has a hidden agenda of his own and everything is not what it seems. The Pirate Captain´s Second Assistant (Martin Freeman) warns him about the dangers of traveling to London, but he insists on finding these riches. In London, the Pirate Captain and his crew must avoid being discovered as pirates because Queen Victoria (Imelda Staunton) is known for hating pirates. Thus the adventure begins. Arrr.

This is the first time Hugh Grant voices an animated character, but he does it masterfully creating one of the most enthusiastic and beloved characters of the movie. David Tennant, Martin Freeman and Imelda Staunton all stand out in this film, but Salma Hayek, Jeremy Piven, and Lenny Henry really don´t have much screen time here. I really had a fun time with this stop-motion animated film and laughed several times at the clever gags and jokes. I hope more people get to watch this fun adventure because it is a movie that the entire family can enjoy and that is just a commodity that is rare to find these days. So if you have the opportunity to see this don’t hesitate and check it out.

    

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