Summer approaches! How do we know? Because the first Marvel film of 2016 has arrived. The Captain won’t have a great deal of competition at the multiplex, but there are more than enough strong indies unspooling in local art houses and independent cinemas this weekend to satisfy any moviegoer.
Captain America: Civil War
Cap (Chris Evans) and his besties battle their own in a fight to save the Avengers. In-fighting is rarely this entertaining.
Civil War manages to succeed where most superhero sequels fail by squeezing in a fully ridiculous number of characters without over-burdening the narrative. Minimizing the number and presence of villains helps, because, while there is a baddie in Civil War, the majority of combat appears Hero V Hero.
The film begs comparison to the much maligned DC superhero standoff Batman V Superman for obvious reasons. Our heroes are mad at each other; collateral damage and the need for oversight are to blame; mommy issues run deep. Certainly, Civil War handles the material better, but part of that is because of the film’s affection for established characters.
Are there flaws? Sure. I mean, you and I know that it’s pointless to disbelieve or distrust Captain America. Of course he’s right – he’s the conscience of the Marvel universe. So why doesn’t Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) know it?
Civil War stands out as certainly the biggest of the stand-alones, and among the best because of what it has in common with the better films in the Marvel universe: the conflict is deeply human, told humorously, and best enjoyed if you don’t overthink it.
Grade: B+
Tale of Tales
The concept of the fairy tale has been sterilized over the centuries. They began as oral entertainment benefitting adults, their lurid magic often aimed at critiquing the powerful and finding absurd amusement in the helplessness of the majority.
Director Matteo Garrone returns to these early principles with his moody, atmospheric film based on the work of 16th Century Neapolitan poet Giambattista Basil. The yarns he spins are about narcissistic royals, unwise subjects, dark magic, and human brutality.
Cinematographer Peter Suschitzky, David Cronenberg’s regular collaborator, brings that elegant chill to certain frames, rarely but effectively punctuated with scenes boasting an especially flamboyant and lush look. The imagery meshes with another brilliant Alexandre Desplat score, aurally and visually supporting Garrone’s absurdist rethinking of the classic fairy tale structure.
Certain moments lumber along, making the film feel longer than it is. Tale of Tales also comes up mildly lacking when compared to Garrone’s blisteringly brilliant Gomorrah. But the filmmaker deserves credit for bringing a delightful bit of madness, in character and filmmaking, back to the fairy tale.
Grade: B+
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9ETi804w-E
The Family Fang
The endlessly talented Jason Bateman flexes his directorial muscles in this darkly comic take on novelist Kevin Wilson’s tale of eccentric, artistic familial dysfunction.
Bateman plays Baxter Fang. Baxter and his sister Annie (Nicole Kidman) were raised by a duo of performance artists (an amazing Christopher Walken and a tender Maryann Plunkett). It would appear that being the object and subject of their parents’ art throughout childhood has had an adverse effect on the pair as adults.
If you’re worried that you cannot sit through another indie film about the sins of the parents visited on their self-indulgent and/or damaged offspring, fear not.
A murder mystery of sorts, The Family Fang surprises and engrosses without ever feeling like the sleight of hand that made the Fangs famous. Credit Bateman for ably maneuvering tonal shifts with an understated approach that keeps the film from ever veering into quirkiness or maudlin bitterness. His sophomore effort keeps you guessing – at how things will work out for the Fangs, and at what may be next for this impressive filmmaker.
Grade: B+
Also opening this week:
- THE AMERICAN SIDE (NR)
- BITE (NR)
- DOU KYU SEI CLASSMATES (NR)
- ELSTREE 1976 (NR)
- MOTHERS AND DAUGHTERS (PG-13)
- PHANTOM OF THE THEATER (NR)
- SING STREET (PG-13)
- SOLD (NR)
- CZECH THAT FILM FEST (Gateway Theater):
- HOME CARE (Domácí péče)
- THE WAY OUT (Cesta ven)
- SCHMITKE
- INVENTION FOR DESTRUCTION (Vynalzed Zkazy)
- GANGSTER KA
- FIFTY (Padesátka)
Read more from Hope at MADDWOLF and listen to her weekly horror movie podcast, FRIGHT CLUB.
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