Alpha

Year: 2018

Director: Albert Hughes
Starring: Kodi Smit-McPhee, Johannes Haukur Johannesson, Natassia Malthe, and Jens Hulten 

Tagline: Leaders are born from survival
Synopsis: Around the time of the last ice age, a young man gets separated from his tribe.  In order to survive he befriends man's best friend.

Review

There's something wonderful about a well-told story.  Even if it is a simple, familiar story, when it is told with skill and sincerity, it can be a thing of beauty.  That's the case with Alpha.

The story takes place during the last ice age, when men were hunter/gatherers in tribes.  Keda is a young man on the cusp of adulthood and has finally earned the right to journey with his father and others of his tribe to an annual bison hunt.  Far from home, Keda gets separated from his father and friends and is left for dead.  The rest of the story follows his journey home.  On his way, he takes in, cares for, tames, and befriends an injured wolf, who he names "Alpha."  Together they face what nature throws at them during their quest to survive.  Thus is forged the bond between men and dogs (well, future dogs).

Is Alpha historically or scientifically accurate?  Probably not, or at least not entirely.  Did I care while watching the film?  Not in the slightest.  Instead, it is the almost mythological version of boy meets dog that all dog-lovers want to believe in.  Alpha is emotionally accurate and thus emotionally satisfying.

Alpha is also beautiful.  If the cinematography doesn't get nominated for an Oscar next year, I'll be seriously surprised and disappointed.  It's not just that the scenery is gorgeous, the framing of the shots is beautiful too.  There's also a shot with a masterful use of slow motion.  But my favorite shot is a sort of split screen moment.  Part of the scene is in the trailer, so I'm not spoiling anything here.  The bottom of the shot is underwater, with Keda trapped under the ice of a dark blue lake.  The top of the shot is Alpha on top of the ice surrounded by wintery white.  I don't care if the shot required green screens and/or CGI; the shot is epic and amazing.

The filmmakers made an interesting choice for the language of the film.  Instead of being in English, the dialogue is in an unknown foreign language, one that sounds sufficiently prehistoric.  The movie is then subtitled.  As a former film student, reading subtitles is no big deal to me.  I thought it was a neat touch really.  And there's not a lot of dialogue in the story to begin with.

There was only one thing in the film that I found fault with.  For all the realism of the settings, the clothes, the way of life, and the language, Keda has absolutely perfect teeth.  It is only in a few shots where there is a close-up that includes his teeth, but they are so bright white and straight that it is jarring.  It was enough to throw off my suspension of disbelief for a moment.  The makeup team dropped the ball there.

The film is rated PG-13.  Alpha is a survival story, which means our heroes must survive all sorts of peril from both beasts and the elements.  There are deaths.  There are injuries.  Nothing is ever graphic though.  I only looked away when Keda was eating still squirming bugs.  Bleh.

If you love dogs and the role they play in our lives, I recommend seeing Alpha.  And even if you are a cat person, you can still go and enjoy a beautiful, well-told, well-acted, survival/coming-of-age story.

*** Spoiler Section ***

In case you are worried, Alpha lives to become part of Keda's tribe (because he lives too).  The film's final shot is pretty epic: the tribe of hunters - in silhouette - walking forward, joined by Alpha and her grown pups.  Man and man's best friend: united.

Quotable Quotes

• "Raise your head and your eyes will follow." -- Tau to Keda
• "You are my tribe." -- Keda to Alpha

ISFS

Christopher Robin

Year: 2018

Director: Marc Forster
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Jim Cummings, Hayley Atwell, Bronte Carmichael, Mark Gatiss, and Brad Garrett

Tagline: Sooner or later, your past catches up to you.
Synopsis: Winnie the Pooh helps a now-grown Christopher Robin set his priorities straight.

Review

After the non-stop action of Mission: Impossible - Fallout, the quiet, gentle pace of Christopher Robin was quite the change.   I've actually seen it twice at this point.  Upon the first viewing of Christopher Robin, I liked it.  Upon the second viewing, I liked it a lot.  Maybe it was because I was prepared for the slower pace and the (at times) bittersweet mood.

Winnie the Pooh has never been one of my favorite characters.  He's likable enough.  But I always found Eeyore, Rabbit, and Owl to be more amusing (and perhaps more relatable).  So I'm very glad that the whole gang is back in this tale.  Yes, it is mostly Pooh, but Piglet and Tigger also get their moments to shine.  It's Eeyore, though, who steals the show.  His self-deprecating, deadpan humor perfectly suits the tone of the film.  I love Eeyore.

Of course this movie isn't about the inhabitants of the Hundred Acre Wood.  It's about Christopher Robin, who is all grown up.  He is perhaps too grown up.  Through a montage (told in a chapter style reminiscent of the books), we see highlights from Christopher Robin's life and see how he has come to his current state.  Through that, we also meet his wife and daughter, both of whom are missing Christopher Robin as much as his old childhood friends.

The story that follows is very much what you'd expect.  And that's OK.  We know the path Christopher Robin will take, because it's the path we want him to take: first back to the Hundred Acre Woods, then to his happier self, and at last back to his family and a re-prioritized life.  There's nothing new or unexpected in the journey, but that doesn't make it any less enjoyable or charming as we tread familiar ground with familiar friends.

One thing I appreciated about the film, it never tries to explain things.  Christopher Robin never questions Pooh's existence, just how he came to be in London.  The only explanation for anything that happens is Pooh's comment regarding the tree passage that leads to the Hundred Acre Woods.  He simply says it is where it is needed, which Christopher Robin promptly dismisses as silly.  It is amusing that he should find that silly, while never questioning that such a tree portal exists in the first place.  But that's part of the magical charm of these stories.  They need no explanation.  They just are.  Just like Pooh Bear.

The film is rated PG.  I've been puzzling over why.  There is one short montage scene that shows Christopher Robin as a soldier in a very dangerous situation with explosions in the background.  Or perhaps it is because the theme of finding your inner child again goes over the heads of actual children.  There was certainly nothing offensive in the film.  But its tone has a certain melancholy to it at times.  You might say the film is more an Eeyore than a Tigger.

If you are looking for a sweet and gentle film to top off your summer, I recommend Christopher Robin.  The story may not tread any new or surprising ground, but it's still a charming "expotition" [expedition] and adventure with lovable and funny friends.  As the film ended, I had a smile on my face.

*** Spoiler Section ***

There's a quirky little mid-credits scene featuring the Winslow office workers on holiday at the beach.  Also at the beach is a fellow singing and playing the piano.  That fellow just so happens to be Richard Sherman, of the Sherman brothers.  They wrote countless classic Disney songs, including "Winnie the Pooh" and "The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers."

Quotable Quotes

• "I've cracked!"  "I don't see any cracks.  A few wrinkles, maybe." -- Christopher Robin and Winnie the Pooh
• "Doing nothing often leads to the very best kind of something." -- Winnie the Pooh
• "I suppose [the tree's opening is] where it needs to be."  "That's a silly explanation."  "Why, thank you." -- Winnie the Pooh and Christopher Robin
• "I don't remember being cheery." -- Eeyore
• "[singing] The most wonderful thing about tiggers is ... I'm the only one!"  "He does that a lot." -- Tigger and Eeyore
• "Thanks for kidnapping me, Heffelump." -- Eeyore to Christopher Robin

ISFS

Mission: Impossible - Fallout

Year: 2018

Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Henry Cavill, Rebecca Ferguson, Simon Pegg, Ving Rhames, Alec Baldwin, Sean Harris, Angela Bassett, Vanessa Kirby, and Michelle Monaghan

Tagline: Some missions are not a choice.
Synopsis: After a mission goes wrong, Ethan Hunt and his team must race against the clock to prevent a greater disaster orchestrated by old and new enemies.

Review

Wow.

If you were to look up "blockbuster action spectacle" in the dictionary, I think you'd find a picture of Tom Cruise and the IMF (Impossible Mission Force) logo.  Because seriously.  Wow.

I love superhero movies.  And I know that the only way they are feasible is through the use of digital effects.  And certainly those actors put a lot of time, effort, and energy into their roles.  But when you watch Ethan Hunt do a HALO jump out of an airplane, you know perfectly well that Tom Cruise did many, many, many such jumps in order to practice and perfect the scene.  When Ethan Hunt is zipping around the Arc du Triomphe on a motorcycle going opposite traffic, you know Tom Cruise was really there, really doing that.  Yes, in a controlled environment.  But a real environment.  Digital effects just can't mimic the visceral feel of practical stunts.  And that is the Mission: Impossible franchise's bread and butter.

Of course Fallout, like its predecessors, is more than just one action sequence after another.  I mean, it is.  But there's also a thought out plot, with clever twists and misdirects.  There's humor.  There's some heart.  But mostly, there's terrific characters.

I've never liked James Bond.  I could never get into Jason Bourne.  Napoleon Solo was fine.  But Ethan Hunt is terrific.  I love his on-the-fly, figure-it-out-as-we-go-and-hope-it-works style.  Maybe that's because it reminds me of a certain fedora wearing archaeologist's style.  In some respects, Ethan seems superhuman.  But most of the time we see that he is very, very human.  And Fallout does a great job showcasing that side of Ethan.  He doesn't win every fight (perhaps even most fights) all on his own.  He gets battered and banged up and needs the assistance of his team.  He has to improvise and switch from plan B to plan C to plan D.

Also returning for this mission are Luther (who gets a couple of surprisingly serious scenes), Benji (who ever lightens the tension with his humor), and Ilsa (who is as beautiful, dangerous, and enigmatic as ever).  Joining them is Secretary Hunley, who seems to have fully embraced his switch from the CIA to the IMF.

New to the scene are the White Widow (an amoral woman focused primarily on profit and self-preservation) and a "it's nothing personal" CIA operative (played by Henry Cavill).  Yes, Superman has grown a mustache and joined the CIA.  But not really.  August Walker is a far cry from Clark Kent.  And apparently the prep work for the two characters is also quite different.  To be Superman, Cavill had to look ripped.  To do the stunts required for Fallout, he had to truly be ripped.

Ghost Protocol is still my favorite in the franchise.  I'd say Fallout is neck and neck with Rogue Nation (which Fallout is a follow up to).

The film is rated PG-13 for violence and swearing.  The violence is the same as the previous films.  Annoyingly, one character in Fallout does shout the F-word.

I thoroughly recommend Mission: Impossible - Fallout.  The action alone is jaw-dropping and worth the price.  But the film also has the same humor, clever twists, and relatable characters as its predecessors.  I hope another mission comes to the IMF in a few years.  Although how they can keep topping the previous film's stunts is beyond me.

*** Spoiler Section ***

That Julia (Ethan Hunt's former wife) is in the film is revealed in the trailers.  But the trailers nicely don't reveal what her role is.  Not that it is a big surprise as the story unfolds, but it works so much better that way.  And I loved what her role in the film was and how things played out in the climax.  The final scene between Ethan and Julia was, in my mind, perfect for this franchise and true to the characters.

Quotable Quotes

• "What's the plan?"  "Hope they've never met."  "Hope is not a plan!"  "You must be new." -- Walker, Ethan, and Ilsa
• "That was Ilsa."  "Shut up."  "Very interesting.  It's good to see you again, Ethan." -- Lane and Ethan
• "What are you waiting for?"  "I'm jumping out a window!"  "Oh.  Sorry.  I had it on 2D." -- Benji and Ethan
• "What's he doing?"  "I find it's best not to look." -- Ilsa and Benji

ISFS