Atomic Blonde
Atomic Blonde
Director: David Leitch
Year:
2017
Rating: 7.5
Let me get to my main gripe about this film first because it is an insane
film that I enjoyed for the most part. It is full of action, exploding heads,
car chases, slicing and dicing, as cold blooded a female killer as you will
find this side of Hell but it made no sense to me at all. What the hell was
this about. When my parents were getting into their 80's and I watched a
movie or TV show with them I would occasionally have to pause the video and
explain what was happening and who was who. I got pretty good at this. I
may be needing a TV Whisperer myself fairly soon after seeing this. Part
of it was that there were more betrayals than circumcised penises at a Bar
Mitzvah. It was as if the directors were just gleefully saying - how about
one more betrayal to really make the audience go - what?
It all takes place in Berlin during the collapse of the Wall and all the
spies from every side near and far are after some McGuffin that must be very
important because everybody kills everybody - in very stylish ways of course
- the one shot to the head that then sprays blood all over the mouth like
lipstick of a picture behind it was quite artistic. But none of this really
holds together in the bright light of day. Or dark of night. But that is
not my gripe - I kind of expect that in a film of this sort - what really
bothered me was the constant pop songs of the period that played over all
the action, all the sex and probably eating too. Spy films and pop songs
do not go together. Ok - Bond films start with a pop song but that is it.
And it reminded me how much I disliked the pop music of the late 80's - most
of it synthesized crap. So basically I liked the film for Charlize Theron
who makes the term badass seem a polite term like a tea at your Aunt's -
she is just a freaky death machine and I would not mind seeing her again
in a sequel.
Red Sparrow
Director: Francis Lawrence
Year:
2018
Rating: 7.0
The other night at the Oscars I saw Jennifer Lawrence present an award alongside
Jodie Foster and I thought what the hell. She towered over Jodie as if Jodie
was a pygmy. Maybe she is but now after seeing Red Sparrow it is fairly obvious
that Jennifer Lawrence is a big woman as she is put on full display in a
bravura performance. I am not quite sure how she does it but she looks different
to me in every film I see her in. I quite enjoyed this spy film. It wasn't
at all what I was expecting. I am half way through watching Atomic Blonde
starring Charlize Theron as a female spy with a lot of killing chops and
I thought this would be similar. Far from it though. There is very little
in the form of shootouts or chases that is basic fodder for modern day spy
films - this is closer to John La Carre where wits are what matter but La
Carre does it with gentle subtlety and a fine scalpel - this is more of a
blunt instrument. It has a few scenes of torture and sexual situations that
really bothered me sensitive soul that I am. Brutal stuff. But it has some
great twists and turns and the Russian Sparrow out smarts everyone in a way
that is quite satisfying. This is based on the first novel of a trilogy by
Jason Matthews. I have read the first two and they are decent though at times
are slowed down by the tedious sex scenes. I wonder if they will be filmed.
