The Hateful Eight (2015) ****1/2

Following in the steps of Sergio Leone and to a lesser extent Clint Eastwood, The Hateful Eight is a continuation of the spaghetti western idea that no one is totally good and no one is totally bad. There is no definition like the team dynamic where the good guys wear white and the bad guys wear black. Everyone is out for their own hide and if unscrupulous things have to happen, so be it. Guys may get shot in the back, much to the John Wayne ideology chagrin. That is the true code of the west and if you want to survive, you will need to follow that every moment of every day. Accept it.

In The Hateful Eight Quentin Tarantino gives us a collection of flawed characters, thrown together in the middle of a snow storm. In the center is the legendary bounty hunter (Kurt Russell) who is known for always bringing his bounty’s in alive, this time being a woman waiting to hand for murder (Jennifer Jason Leigh in a great performance). They happen upon a black Union Major (Samuel L. Jackson) who will eventually be the only person for the bounty hunter to trust. As they wait in the “haberdashery” they make acquaintances with the hangman (Tim Roth), the sheriff (Walton Goggins), a cowboy (Michael Madsen), and a famed for his viciousness Confederate General (Bruce Dern). Something is not right at this stop and causes paranoia from all sides.

The film plays out like a cross between an Agatha Christie story (ala 10 Little Indians) and Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs. Who’s in on it? Who isn’t? Who is going to turn the tables? Everything is there. Even though this film is more subdued than 2012’s Django Unchained, it maintains the ability to stand on its own as an addition to the Tarantino catalog. I had issues with the amount of dialogue in IB and this film as a ton of dialogue, but it flows more freely than in that previous film, possibly because these characters are confined there. The 3+ hour running time doesn’t harm the film either, giving you a full story without feeling fluffed up to get to such a massive running time. It’s not normal for a 3 hour movie to have a perfect running time, but this film really does.

It’s hard to believe that we have had Quentin Tarantino gives us stories like this for almost a quarter of a century. It really is an amazing achievement to take stories from genres that were at one time considered cult or B level and crafting masterpieces that have held up over two generations. I’m looking forward to seeing what he has up his sleeve next.

Vacation (2015) **

Vacation has a scene early in the film where Rusty (Ed Helms) and his family have a conversation where the main topic is a pretty much breaking the third wall, discussing how this Vacation will stand on its own and won’t need the previous vacation to work. While watching this scene the red flags shot up. And it turns out, those red flags that pop up from time to time are correct.

The plot of Vacation is exactly the same as its 1983 predecessor.  Rusty wants to take his family to Wally World to bring the family closer together. They run into comedic misadventures. They almost give up on the Wally World dream. There are notable changes, mainly in what the writers feel are upgrades from the original film. Instead of dog urine on a sandwich this film gives us swimming in raw sewage. Cousin Eddie has been replaced by the beefy weatherman brother-in-law. Of course most of these fall flat in the film, but they tried. Am I right?

Not really. This is pure paint by numbers that doesn’t have the heart of the original film. The biggest difference is between Ed Helms and Chevy Chase. Chevy Chase’s role of the family patriarch showed him as doing dumb things. Ed Helm’s version is playing him as a dumb individual. That’s the huge difference. Clark did some stupid things in the original film, but I don’t see him leading them to a swim in sewage. Which leads to a revelation during the last fifteen minutes of the film that just pops up, yet is fixed in the same scene. You could have made the film without this conflict and it would have been the same. The fact that this issue isn’t really presented during the film, even when dumb things are happening just insults the intelligence of the audience. It’s like introducing a character mentioned only in passing earlier in a mystery novel to play the villain. Bleh.

Vacation has a few laughs, put misses as a whole. Someone would be better off watching the original film in its place. There’s no real soul to this film. Probably the best part of the original film was that viewers could relate to going on vacations like the one shown in the film. This film is the exact opposite. It feels like a vacation that grew from a screenwriters head and not any kind of life experience. This is a flat remake.

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)****1/2

Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens is the continuation of the saga started by George Lucas almost forty years ago. Since then the franchise has grown beyond its beginning to crave itself out a huge place in popular culture not only in the United states, but across the globe. There have been dark times for this franchise when it has lost its way (Episodes I, II, and III), but it has continued to thrive with three generations. The Force Awakens signals the start of not only a new trilogy, but new creative forces and new ownership of the Star Wars universe.

The film follows a trio of new characters Poe Dameron, Finn, and Rey (Oscar Isaac, John Boyega, and Daisy Ridley) each coming from a different background, yet they all find themselves on the same quest. Along the way they encounter heroes from the previous films such as Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Leia Organa (Carrie Fisher), and Chewbacca (Peter Mayhew) as they come in conflict with The First Order, a resurgence of the ideals of the Galactic Empire. Led by the Force wielding Kylo Ren (Adam Driver) they continue terrorizing the galaxy in that classic Imperial way. There are many winks and nods throughout the film that doesn’t seem like blatant fan service except at a few points in the film.

The Force Awakens is the film that we had hoped the prequels would be. The audience genuinely cares about the new characters as opposed to Episodes I, II, and III. People in this film are not as wooden as they were in those films and there are many contribution factors that could affect that fact. Poor acting, poor writing, performing in front of nothing but a green screen probably all contributed to that fact. This film harkens back to nonstop action and adventure that doesn’t turn down at all during its 2 hour and 15 minute running time. The story is a great continuation of Star Wars lore that develops patterns in the story, just like human history. We all keep making the same mistakes over and over again. The question is did we learn from them? That will be seen as this trilogy plays out.

Return of the Jedi (1983)****1/2

After a cliff hanger ending in The Empire Strikes Back, the Star Wars (original) Trilogy concludes with Return of the Jedi, a film that while great and entertaining, doesn’t quite live up to the majesty of the previous two installments.

The film opens with our heroes led by Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) attempting to rescue Han Solo (Harrison Ford) from overgrown slug Jabba The Hutt. Meanwhile, the Empire have begun construction on another Death Star that will culminate in a three front battle on the forest moon of Endor, in space, and the final confrontation between father and son with the Emperor (Ian McDiarmid) as an active audience.

Return of the Jedi is a fine adventure film, full of fun and excitement. The problem really boils down to the fact that it seems that the story seems to rehash the previous two entries, especially the first one. The Cantina scene returns with the numerous alien creatures hanging around Jabba’s palace. The Death Star once again becomes the powerful weapon that can destroy the Rebellion. I would add the final duel between Luke and Darth Vader, but this time it feels different. Luke has matured into a contemplating Jedi, not a head strong young man just wanting to save his friends. There is a nice arc to each character in this film. Luke’s arc from farm boy to the last of the Jedi Knights. Han from smuggler to war hero. Leia (Carrie Fisher) no longer seeming as regal, but more revolutionary. It’s magnificent that this trilogy actually has character grow instead of being set personalities, never to change. Once again, praise must be heaped on writer Lawrence Kasdan. This may be George Lucas’ story, but Kasdan makes it a living piece. 

Even though the film isn’t as great as Star Wars or Empire, Return of the Jedi is a fitting end to the original trilogy and the saga up to that point. Conclusions usually aren’t the greatest things to see, but with Return of the Jedi the film makers do this franchise justice. A fitting ending for the adventurous characters created by George Lucas.

The Empire Strikes Back (1980)*****

Before I start I should let everyone know that this is my favorite film of all time. So I will probably be gushing for most of the following paragraphs.

It’s such a rarity for a sequel to be a better film than the original. The Bride of Frankenstein was probably the first. Recently The Dark Knight comes to mind. When it comes to The Empire Strikes Back that idea that a follow up could be a better film than the first one is expanded to another level entirely. Once again, the film is sprinkled with visions of the past on top of an already nostalgic ride.

The first act of the film follows out heroes from the first film being beaten by the evil Empire at their home base on the remote ice world of Hoth. Scattered for most of the film Han Solo (Harrison Ford) and Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher) along with their sidekicks attempt to outwit not only the Empire, but bounty hunters working for the Empire and Solo’s debtor Jabba The Hutt. Meanwhile Luke Skywalker (Mark Hammill) travels to a swamp world known as Dagobah to train with the Jedi master Yoda (Frank Oz). All the while Darth Vader (David Prowse/James Earl Jones) is working to capture Skywalker and turn him to the dark side as an ally.

Amazingly, director Irwin Kerschner and writer Lawrence Kasdan are able to squeeze more adventure out of the franchise in this installment. The film hits the ground running and doesn’t let up for the next two hours as a race across the galaxy, with slow down during Luke’s training that keep the audience engaged by the small Jedi master. There is a balance throughout the film of adventure, romance, intrigue, and tragedy. No spoilers, but this film does not end as happily as the last. Like a typical second act, it throws its characters in the worst possible scenario leaving the audience wanting to see if their heroes can get out of this one.

The question that will always be debated as long as cinema and Star Wars is relevant is whether Empire is superior to Star Wars. As an upgrade in storytelling and effects it truly is. Instead of milking the film and the mega franchise it created, Empire builds on the mighty foundations set by that film from the summer of 1977. The age old pieces of building a second adventure that plunges their heroes in danger is as old as fiction is itself. In a nutshell, we were introduced to these characters in Star Wars. The Empire Strikes Back is the film in which we learned to love them, with all their little quirks and all. This film is an unexpected triumph that really cemented the entire franchise into popular culture. Yes, it’s my favorite film. Yes, I do consider it a masterpiece. 

Star Wars (1977) *****

Star Wars changed everything. That could be the review of the film. Nothing else needs to be said, but I will. It changed how movies were made, merchandise, released, controlled. Everything. Film was going into a transition period that saw the collapse of the huge studio systems into small, independent, personal films. A summer blockbuster was a foreign animal. The 1970’s were a decade of sadness and disgust in far more than Hollywood films. Society dictated what film presented on the screen in 1977. Star Wars changed that. It was ok to escape. It is a watershed moment in film history, commercial history, and holds a place in billions of lives across the globe. Billions. Those are religion numbers and people actively practice it.

The scaled down plot of the film is simple. A princess in danger. A young farm boy with no sights of a future is wrapped up in an adventure with an old wizard, a scoundrel, and sidekicks to stop the evil that has engulfed the galaxy. It’s all there and it was so different in 1977. In a decade that gave us Straw Dogs, Taxi Driver, Dog Day Afternoon, and all of those disaster films Star Wars was a breath of fresh air. It was a turning point for the dark view of American society in the 1970’s. It harkens back to yesterday when heroes were heroes and villains were villains. A simpler time. Lines were not blended at that time.

The acting and the dialogue aren’t the greatest with Harrison Ford delivering the best performance, but director George Lucas creates a world out of nothing but ancient religious beliefs. It carries on more than it’s movie serial tradition, but an ideal of being one with the world. It wasn’t just the marketing that pushed this film from beyond the silver screen, but those universal ideas of accepting what is good and shunning the evil that we encounter in our lives. I’m getting really deep on this so bare with me.

Overall, Star Wars is a magnificent film that captures not just one spirit, but multiple ideals from throughout history. There’s thousands of years of beliefs rolled up into 125 minutes of intergalactic adventure. Of course Star Wars is a phenomenon, but when you get back to the basics of the film itself it stands on its own and has become a high standard that other filmmakers try to achieve

Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith (2005) ***1/2

 Revenge of the Sith is the last lap of the muddy track known as the Star wars prequels. The previous two installments had left so much to be desired that the bar was set very low when this film premiered over a decade ago. Ironically, this is the film that we knew most of the plot going in if you had seen the original Star Wars films. Would the film mimic what our minds had teased us with for the decades after the original trilogy ended? That was the biggest mystery of Episode III.

The film is set five years after Attack of the Clones with Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan MacGregor) and Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christansen) are heroes of the Republic in their fight against the Separatists led by Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) and General Grievous. The film opens with them heroically saving Supreme Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid) in an epic space battle that really does mesmerize as an opening scene, especially compared to the previous two films. The film  then follows Anakin’s fall from grace as he needs to protect his secret pregnant wife Padme (Natalie Portman) from the death he sees in his dreams.

As with the previous two films, Revenge of the Sith falls victim to Lucas not being able to connect the dots of his story. Where this film differs from them is that the dots are bigger and fill a larger spectrum of the narrative, making it more tolerable to enjoy. There are still cringe worthy moments of acting that either pain you or make you chuckle inside, but there have been improvements. Sadly, this comes during the final piece of the saga that is in Lucas’ hands. It’s an action packed story with a dual finish that sets up everything that comes after it (while leaving plot holes that makes us wonder if George has even watched any of the original films since their release). It is a better film than the first two, but is it the equivalent to the original three? No, not really. It’s more a nostalgia piece for those films as it bridges this vision to the original films three decades ago.

Of course one has to wonder whether this film is better because we had such low expectations after getting burned the last two times. It’s like a kid who is a straight D student scoring a B and being excited by it. Progress! Maybe there is hope, but this was the final film and we will never know if George Lucas found his way again. Of course this film is filled with CGI and it does distract from the story, but the audience has learned to block that out by now. The prequel trilogy does end on a high note… for the prequel trilogy. Revenge of the Sith serves as the bridge that brings everything together. It’s not the sturdiest structure, but it does the job and keeps the audience enthralled during most of the film. An improvement, but far below what the audience would have expected in 1999. In 2005 the audiences is pleasantly surprised by the film, in a good way. A decent film, but not a good Star wars film.