21 Bridges

Chadwick Boseman. Sienna Miller, 

Stephan James, Taylor Kitsch,

J.K Simmons

"The Only way Out is Through him"

The first scene is the funeral service for a cop who died in the line of duty. His wife and son are distraught. Next scene, his son Andre Davis (Chadwick Boseman) is now a detective and is under investigation by Internal Affairs for being trigger happy against criminals. He is remorseless and maintains they were all clean shots. 

Meanwhile, two bad guys, Michael and Ray are hired to steal 30 kilos of packed cocaine from the vault of a fancy restaurant. To their surprise, they see 300 packs not just 30 kilos but before they can put it all into their bags, uniformed cops are knocking on the door. A gun fight breaks out leaving the manager of the restaurant and 8 cops dead with the criminals on the lam. 

Detective Davis arrives at the scene, along with the main brass of the NYPD, headed by Captain McKenna (J.K Simmons). They are shocked and saddened at the high number of fatalities, and are dead set on capturing their killers. Davis, together with the vice mayor decide to close all the 21 bridges in New York for the night to prevent the criminals from escaping. With the clock ticking because the lock down will be lifted at 5 A.M, Davis team up with Narcotics Detective Frankie Burns (Sienna Miller) to go on a manhunt for the cop killers. 

The criminals are always one step ahead yet as the pursuit continues into the dead of the night, Davis is getting suspicious. He is wary of the NYPD cops who also seem to show up at the crime scenes ahead of him as carnage ensues wherever Michael and Ray go. The suspects also want answers from their dealer about their discovery of the huge stash of cocaine in the restaurant.

Action filled scenes, gun fights, bloody and violent confrontations, along with slow paced scenes pack this rather mediocre crime drama. The rogue cops premise has been done more times than necessary and unfortunately "21 Bridges" fails to offer anything new. 

Chadwick Boseman as Detective Andre Davis is a far cry from his splendid performance as the Black Panther. Here, he is a sad caricature of the righteous detective trying to fight the corrupt system. Sadly, he could not rub off on his Black Panther powers to save this average movie from falling into an abyss.

1917

Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay,

Colin Firth, Andrew Scott, Mark Strong,

Benedict Cumberbatch, Richard Madden

"Time is the Enemy"

As far as war movies go, this Sam Mendes film has to be one of the simplest I've watched, so far. Yet it doesn't take away the fact that war is still an armed conflict between nations, innocent soldiers just following orders had to bear arms and heroically fight for their countries.  

As the title suggests, it focuses on the first World War in France where British troops are preparing to go on an offensive attack against the Germans. General Erinmore (Colin Firth) receives news that the Nazis (Germans) are planning to ambush the British contingent. Yet there is no way, General Erinmore can warn them as their communication equipment are down from a night of endless fighting. He then orders two soldiers, Lance Cpl Blake and Lance Cpl Schofield to race against time, cross enemy territories, to convey this message to save an entire troop from being slaughtered. Among them, Blake's own older brother.

It is a daunting task and an impossible mission yet they have no choice but to follow General Erinmore's very urgent orders. Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) and Schofield set off in broad daylight, making their way through the now abandoned enemy trenches, through no man's land, rotting with dead bodies, dead horses with rats feasting on the corpses. Yet after a tragic incident, Lance Cpl Schofield (George MacKay) is now alone to carry out the message. Does he make it on time? Is he able to shield his fellow 1,600 comrades from the trap?  I won't reveal any more spoilers, better watch till the end.

The main cast is composed of two young actors whose inspiring performances will certainly boost their career. George MacKay layered his character with depth by his ashen faced, stoic demeanor. It also has cameo roles from well known British actors who gave some star quality to the movie.

This war drama is filled with intense sequences, as we follow the two soldiers journey into the unknown. Great aerial shots of monochromatic emptiness, of destruction and lost lives. You can almost smell the decaying flesh. Ewww. Some of the scenes were shot with a single frame, not the entire movie because that would be impossible. But these one shot sequences are visually attractive and added much appeal of this otherwise rather simple yet complex tale. A story of a relentless soldier whose tenacious fervor, never say die attitude lent a needed air of gravitas, saving "1917" from becoming just another war movie.

We tend to condemn wars but we also tend to forget soldiers fought valiantly, even losing their lives so we, the present and future generation would enjoy the freedom, we often take for granted. Kudos to Sam Mendes for giving us an emotionally well crafted and passionate chronicle which was narrated to him by his grandfather who fought in the first World War.

Parasite(Gisaengchung)

"Misplaced Familyhood"

I don't watch Korean movies or their TV dramas which are all over the boob tube, or online. 

BUT.

With all the fuss about "Parasite", not to mention it winning all the best movie awards from Europe to America, I got curious! 

It is only now that the world is opening up to Director Bong Joon Ho but it seems he has been actively making movies in his native land, South Korea. This tale of two families from very different spectrum of society tackles class conflict and discrimination which the audience no matter our social standing, can totally relate with on many levels.

The Kim family are bottom dwellers, for lack of a better word but they embody it in every sense of the word. The family of 4 - middle aged parents, Ki-woo, their son and their daughter Ki-jung - live in a sub basement of an apartment, getting 'free' pest control (even if they are bathed in toxic chemicals), leeching off the wifi connection of their neighbors, yet they do earn from folding pizza boxes for a small company.

Ki-woo's friend will be studying in the US so he asks Ki-woo to replace him as the English tutor of Da-hye. She is the naive yet smart daughter of the Park couple. She, together with her younger "troubled" brother and parents live in this beautiful house which was designed by Namgoong, a famous architect. The builder of the house had a housekeeper Moon gwang who now works for the Park family. Through a conniving plan, the entire Kim family are also employed by the affluent family as their art therapy tutor, driver and housekeeper.

One rainy night when the Parks are out of town, their former housekeeper shows up at the residence and all hell breaks loose. This occurs about one hour into the film, a twist is revealed through very clever film editing. This otherwise ordinary film suddenly evolves into a morbid and violent tale, a twist of fate which adds more layers to an already complex story line. In this regard, I believe this twist + the "did.it.happen.or.did.not.happen?" ending sets the perfect stage for "Parasite" getting all its accolades, and deservedly so.

It was filmed in some Seoul shanty town depicting the very bare existence of the Kim family. Yet the luxurious mansion of the Park family was built from scratch in the studio. Great visually vibrant sets (the poor district & the upscale neighborhood hidden behind high walls) that highlights the huge social and economic divide between the two families. 

To end - if you ask me, who does the title refer to? I believe, all of them are parasites. The Kim family conniving their way into the household and the good graces of the Parks. The wealthy yet lonely and snobby employers looking down on their 'servants' like insulting their smell. The real bottom dwellers, 3rd part of the equation, yes there are more characters. They are also free loading off the totally clueless Park family. So yes, I get where Bong Joon Ho got the idea behind his award winning critique on the socio-economic barriers between the haves and the have-nots.

The Two Popes

Anthony Hopkins, Jonathan Pryce

"Inspired by True Events"

NETFLIX

As a now practicing Catholic, I say 'practicing' because it was in 2008, the year I got married that I truly became a Catholic in every sense of the word. But this post is not about my Catholicism, it is about a heartwarming movie. "The Two Popes" captures an imagined yet intimate scenario between two very different Cardinals who are tasked with the daunting job of steering the Catholic Church of 1.2 billion people into these 'modern' times. 

It starts in 2005 when Pope John Paul II dies, and Cardinals from all over the world are summoned to Rome to elect a new Pope. German Cardinal Ratzinger is elected and now known as Pope Benedict XVI, while Cardinal Bergoglio of Argentina came in second. Then in 2012, the Catholic Church under Pope Benedict is besieged with numerous issues (Vatican Bank bankruptcy, priests embroiled in scandals, close aide of the Pope releasing a book revealing Vatican State secrets) which rock the very fabric of the religious institution. 

Meanwhile, Cardinal Bergoglio (Jonathan Pryce) wants to retire and is summoned to Rome. At the papal summer house located in the beautiful Italian countryside, the two start an introspection. They clash over their differing preaching styles, and intently discuss opposing views about what should be the priorities of  the Church. In the process, they both realize, they are just human and are susceptible to misgivings, and shortcomings. Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins) keeps ignoring Cardinal Bergoglio's request letter to retire, as we shortly find out, he has his own plan of leaving the papacy. Much to the chagrin of Cardinal Bergoglio, who must now be the one to convince the Pope to reconsider his shocking plan.

The Vatican scenes were shot in the studio, replicating the breathtaking Sistine Chapel as the backdrop for the election of a new Pope. One of the highlights is a visually stunning sequence showing the procedure of counting the votes cast by the Cardinals, then adding something to the burning votes so it can emit either a black or white smoke from the chimney. The color of the smoke signifies whether, we, Catholics have a new Pope or not.

Another highlight is the excellent casting of Hopkins and Pryce. Both veteran actors in their elements, playing off each other. Brilliant portrayal of opposing yet equally formidable figures each setting their unique mark as head of the Catholic Church. 

In some parts, it is a biography of Cardinal Bergoglio through flashback scenes, some in black and white, in his native Argentina. How he even had a girlfriend before becoming a priest, how he answered his priesthood calling, his guilt in not condoning the brutalities under a ruthless military regime. His style of preaching among the impoverished masses, preferring to bike to be more accessible to his flock, shunning the trappings of a Cardinal - a very down to earth cleric.

Yet there are no flashback scenes depicting Pope Benedict's past. But it is well known that he is a radically conservative, traditional priest/Cardinal who would spend hours reading dogmas, encyclicals and doctrines. In fact, he introduced several changes in some of the prayers we recite during the Holy Eucharist or the Mass and it is still in effect, today. Pope Benedict's 'retirement' was a very big, drastically shocking move but watching this movie made me better understand his painfully valid and difficult reason to 'quit' the papacy. 

Thus, we do have two Popes now and Brazilian director Fernando Meirelles (The Constant Gardener, City of God) does a great job in humanizing these two leaders of the Catholic Church. And as a Catholic, I am 100 percent confident in Pope Francis' ability to lead his flock in the right direction.  Amen.