Blackhat (2015)

If you look at my trailer review for Blackhat you’ll see that I was on the fence about this film. But yesterday I decided to give it a chance. I knew when I entered the theater I had made a mistake. It was Tuesday, cheap night. And there were 4 people in the theater. Everyone else must have been seeing American Sniper.

A still from the only good scene in the film in which Chris Hemsworth does NOTHING.

I had some hopes for Blackhat despite it opening in January and being a Michael Mann film. I wanted it to be a smart cyber thriller. Which it is for the most part. It just isn’t very exciting. I don’t really like Michael Mann’s movies, and I don’t like his techniques for the most part. I saw Heat once (a film that everyone else loves) and I didn’t like it. Admittedly I was tired at the time and not fully paying attention to it though. I do like Public Enemies though (a film that everyone else hates). The first time I saw it I hated it, but on the second viewing it was quite good. Mostly because of Marion Cotillard, but there are other things to like about it as well. I hate the shaky camera thing Mann always does, it takes me out of the movie and makes me feel a little nauseous. Also the gunfire in his films is always so loud it’s almost deafening.

Well, at least Viola is looking gorgeous.

While I don’t like Mann for the most part, he is able to do a great action scene. There are two action scenes in Blackhat that are great, really absorbing. And the whole shaky camera, slow-mo, loud gunfire works. Amazingly. If only the whole movie could have been more like that. But it’s hard to make a movie about hacking exciting. I think having a more present score would have helped (it felt like there was nearly no music in Blackhat). The score is an integral part of creating tension and here it is very absent. A more charismatic leading man would have also helped things. Chris Hemsworth is fine, he just doesn’t bring any drama or excitement to things. I read another review that said something like “imagine Tom Cruise as the lead instead.” Someone with that kind of leading man quality would have greatly enhanced the film. The other big fault with Blackhat is the villain. He is boring. He has no motivation at all. He doesn’t even “want to watch the world burn.” The stakes don’t feel high because the villain is a non-entity for most of the film and when he and his big plan are revealed it is extremely anti-climactic.

Seriosuly??? Maybe if they were phone books, but thin magazines???

There are a few good things about Blackhat. It isn’t dumb (except for bullet proof magazines???). The diverse cast was also quite refreshing (Leehom Wang and Wei Tang are good). Viola Davis is a standout, bringing humor to the film (Chris has a few funny lines too). But overall Blackhat is a disappointment. There’s about 10 excellent minutes and the rest is mediocre. 5/10

Leehom Wang and Chen Tang.

Trailer Review: Avengers: Age of Ultron

You might think I live under a rock when I say this, but I’ve never seen The Avengers or any of the Iron Man flicks or either of the Captain America films. The only Marvel film I’ve seen is Thor. And I really liked it. But that was mostly because I loved Kenneth Branagh’s direction and Norse mythology. Oh, I guess I have also seen Guardians of the Galaxy (and loved it), but I’m not sure how or when it will tie into the rest of the Marvel cinematic universe. So me reviewing the Age of Ultron trailer might seem a little dumb. I know generally about the Avengers and their powers, etc. It’s hard in this day and age to not hear a few tid bits here and there. But otherwise, I have no previous opinions or feelings. So maybe I can have a bit of a fresh perspective on this trailer. Or I’ll just reveal my ignorance 😛
20 seconds into the trailer: this reminds me of Man of Steel and Zod. I guess with so many comic book movies out there they will inevitably start to resemble one another.
25 seconds in: “You want to protect the world, but you don’t want it to change.” Another inevitable thing with basically all super hero movies is that the main goal is always to save the world. And frankly, I’m starting to find that quite boring. I enjoy the more personal nuances of these films, like how in The Dark Knight trilogy Batman is trying to figure out the man he wants to be. Or in Man of Steel, Superman has to try to find his place on Earth and figure out how he belongs there. Does The Avengers have any of these kind of nuances to it? Or is it mostly just saving the world with cool action sequences?

Ultron puts on a puppet show.

30 seconds in: I do find the voice over of Ultron (James Spader) throughout the trailer quite effective. “You’re all puppets, tangled in strings” was a particularly good moment.
1:00 minute: Black Widow looks pretty cool. This is important to me since as a woman I find myself most interested in the female member of the Avengers. She doesn’t really stand out though, which is a little disappointing. I don’t particularly like Scarlett Johansson and I probably would have watched more Marvel films if someone else had played Black Widow.

Ultron or a Sentinel?

1:02: they show a robot, whom I presume is Ultron. But he looks way too much like the Sentinels in X-Men: Days of Future Past to me. It takes away from this film, at least for me.
1:10: OMG Thor drops his hammer! As Tony Stark says, it really is the end! I guess all trailers over dramatize little things, but I found this moment particularly melodramatic.
1:15: OMG Black Widow speaks! Of course she says the most clichéd line ever: “Nothing lasts forever.” She’s doing better than Hawk Eye though.
1:20: Scarlet Witch screams for some unknown reason and looks kind of dumb while doing so. I’m very intrigued though by her and Quicksilver in this movie. I’m curious as to their roles in the Marvel cinematic universe and whether they are good or bad. Or maybe a bit of both.

The Hulkbuster.

1:26: Is this actually a Transformers movie?
1:28: Okay, Black Widow jumping out of that plane while on a motorcycle is pretty badass.

Aaron Taylor-Johnson makes his debut as Quicksilver.

1:29: Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch’s super powers are blue and red lights? I kid. Kind of. The slow-mo obviously means Quicksilver is actually running super fast.

It should be a rule that Thor has to be shirtless in every movie.

1:34: Thor naked in some water screaming. Kind of hot.

A Blulk romance? (lame name, I know. I challenge you to come up with something better).

1:35: Is this the start of a Hulk/Black Widow romance? In the comics, isn’t she with Hawkeye? That guy cannot catch a break!
1:36: Some random ballet dancers. Alrighty then.
1:38: Hawkeye! Finally! Oh, now he’s gone again.
1:39: Thor choking Tony Stark! The cliché of teammates turning on one another when things get tough. Didn’t see that coming.
1:58: “But now I’m free. There are no strings on me.” Okay, maybe Ultron is cooler than I thought. And he even kind of rhymes too!
Despite this tongue in cheek review, I kind of like this trailer. Its action packed and the stakes feel quite high. I’m intrigued by Ultron as well as by Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. I think I will be seeing this one in theaters. But I guess I should try catching up with some other Marvel films first. Avengers: Age of Ultron will be in theaters May 2015.

Note: Images courtesy of Collider.

Trailer Review: In the Heart of the Sea

Chris Hemsworth is a very busy guy these days. Not only is he busy as Thor in the Avengers films and Thor 3 (not sure when that will be out), but he’s also starring in Michael Mann’s Blackhat as well as in Ron Howard’s next flick In the Heart of the Sea. Chris seems to be making a conscious effort to break out of the super hero/pretty roles. Until the films come out it’s hard to say how well he will do, but it seems that high profile directors respect him and want him in their films. This is Chris’s second film with Ron Howard after last year’s Rush. In the Heart of the Sea is based on the incident that inspired the novel, Moby Dick. Acting alongside Chris is Cillian Murphy, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw, and Charlotte Riley.
I think this film looks pretty good and interesting. I don’t know much about Moby Dick, but I like the idea of a crew of men having to face such an incredible obstacle. It isn’t the most original idea though. I recently reviewed the trailer for Black Sea and while it takes place in a totally different time and place the two films are similar in terms of a crew of friends at sea eventually turning on each other. So if In the Heart of the Sea is to be successful, it will have to be told in an original way, even if the story itself is not. The film already has a solid cast. I’m not convinced Ron Howard is up to the task as while his films are generally good, he isn’t very inventive and not one to take any risks. The visuals look quite nice and are probably the thing I like the most about the trailer as well as the montage at the very end.
In the Heart of the Sea hits theaters in March 2015. I think I will go see it if I happen to be bored that weekend. It looks good, but not good enough to really excite me.

Trailer Review: Blackhat

Blackhat is Michael Mann’s first film since 2009’s Public Enemies. It stars Chris Hemsworth as some kind of hacker who is released from prison to track down another cyber criminal. I’ll be honest, I don’t really get it. This kind of stuff just goes over my head sometimes.
Some people are complaining that Chris Hemsworth doesn’t look like a hacker. I think that’s a pretty shallow criticism to have and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Not all hackers have to wear glasses and pocket protectors. I would have preferred someone a bit older in the part though, someone a little more weathered, like James McAvoy. This may be Chris’s chance to show some range outside of Thor, I think he looks alright so far.
A minor thing, but I don’t like Viola Davis’s wig. That thing looks ridiculous and distracting. Another thing, I hate the name of the film. Blackhat? What the heck does that mean?
The subject matter doesn’t interest me much, but I like the feel of the trailer. You can tell that it’s a Michael Mann film what with the cinematography and the filter. I like Public Enemies and Heat, so I’ll probably see this film. But I think I’ll wait for the DVD. This trailer doesn’t convince me to spend a lot of money at the theater opening weekend.