Film reviews

Argylle Review

Leave a comment

This film by Matthew Vaughn is close but no cigar. The premise of Argylle appears to involve a captivating sense of an adventure. Somehow the movie falls off topic and does not deliver to the extent that its audience expects. The film opens with an author imagining her book franchise’s main character like a movie. The author is Elly Conway, and she is played by Bryce Dallas Howard. The character she creates, Argylle is played by Henry Cavill. The story is about an accomplished author who cannot figure out a cliffhanger. The writing about the adventure she embarks upon is inconsistent throughout Argylle.

The plot focuses on Elly wanting her next Argylle novel to have a perfect conclusion. She is struggling with ideas, so her mother Ruth, played by Catherine O’Hara, encourages her to take a trip. Elly gets on a train, and then realizes that there are henchmen after her. The man who saves her is Aidan, played by Sam Rockwell. Elly’s experience makes her feel like she is in her own story, a perilous adventure that she created is nowhappening right in front of her. Aidan must guide Elly on her journey and protect her from the many underground enemies that are after her. It is a film full of misdirection where the concept and the title both cause some confusion about the author and the target. Is what is happening around Elly real? Is Argyllereal? The movie creates a world where the cliffhangers lead to many tangents and colorful espionage abounds. Overall, it is a true Vaughn adventure.

Argylle is two-sided adventure in which the blurred lines do not fade as the story progresses. The suspense takes its audience to France, London, Chicago, and Colorado in an unconventional thriller with a healthy blend of diversity. Despite its strange misdirection, the movie remains exhilarating. Argylle goes into the shadowy depths with interesting discoveries. The enemy is Ritter, played by Bryan Cranston. His role causes the espionage tends to grow. The film then jumps to yet another questionable character, Alfred Solomon, played by Samuel L. Jackson. As these dangerous characters impact Elly’s safety, her writer’s block seems to unfold in mysterious ways. There are more realizations about her personal life and more background revealed about the various theories surrounding her Argylle novels.

Even though the film tends to jump around all over the place, the performances of Bryce Dallas Howard and Sam Rockwell made watching this film a real blast. Argylle is a unique experience from the creative mind of Matthew Vaughn. The story of an author having to deal with suspenseful scenarios is where the curiosities unfold in Argylle. While the film’s writing shifts gears too frequently for my taste, the storyline and overall experience still sells.

In the end, Argylle is a bumpy ride of misconception and deceit. It is also full of weird tendencies and strange behaviors duringtense moments. Argylle is not that great overall, but its creative direction is still invigorating. Two-and-a-half out of four stars for Argylle.

MAX series Reviews, Tokyo Vice

Tokyo Vice Season 1 Review

Leave a comment

As a critic invigorated to become a stronger writer, the MAX series Tokyo Vice blew me away. Each episode has a new truth and a new puzzle. Everything in Tokyo Vice comes together. The series is based on the true story of the American Journalist and crime reporter Jake Adelstein. Adelstein spent his life during the 1990s in Japan. Adelstein became the first non-Japanese journalist at the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper. Today he writes for The Daily Beast, Vice News, The Japan Times, and other outlets. Adelstein wrote the novel Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the police beat in Japan and just published The Last Yakuza.

Tokyo Vice is Adelstein’s journey as he uncovers the dark underworld of crime bosses in Japan. Ansel Elgort plays Jake Adelstein, Ken Watanabe plays Hiroto Katagiri, Rachel Keller plays Samantha, Rinko Kikuchi plays Eimi, Sho Kasamatsu plays Sato, Shun Shugata plays Ishida, and Ayumi Tanada plays Tozawa. All these characters play a crucial role in portraying the realism in Tokyo Vice. They all carry a piece of the puzzle in the uncharted territory around them. Jake is taking risks to find the hidden truth which is hard to unfold as it lies deep in the infrastructure of Japan’s political scene.

The first episode begins establishing the foundation of what Jake is doing in Japan. He is fluent in Japanese and is questioned since he is an American Journalist. The episode jumps back totwo years earlier when Jake is teaching English to Japanese students and going through the steps to become a journalist. Jake has adapted to the culture of Japan. He does karate and often lacks sleep due to making Japan his playground. Jake says to himself, “Giving up and going home is not an option.” The story of Tokyo Vice is set in motion once Jake becomes a journalist.

The show gets more intriguing as the episodes get deeper. Jake’s boss Eimi feels that he is not doing the stories he is assigned. Jake is determined to do a real story as a journalist in Japan not fake news that is otherwise common. Eimi insists that Jake go by the book and report what is assigned to him. Jake is still determined to follow his own tracks where he meets Sato who isassociated with crime bosses. Jake realizes that Sato is considered a Yakuza which is an organized crime syndicate that is correlated to the mafia. Once Jake puts this piece together, there is a murder with no leads or evidence. The world of corruption in Japan becomes Jake’s guide for reporting on pieces that uncover the reality he discovers.

Jake then meets Samantha who is working in night clubs while also living in Japan. She puts up with shady clients day in and day out. Jake gets to know Samantha as well as her routine.Samantha’s goal is to start her own club but faces some obstacles. Another character is Detective Hiroto Katagiri who is Jake’s guide and connection for his crime reporting. The people Jake meet serve a purpose as leads which help Jake have a stronger voice. In addition, these contacts help find the places and resources to dive deep into the infrastructures behind criminal activity in Japan. The revelations in Tokyo Vice are endless and engrossing because they are both true and thought-provoking.

Tozawa and Ishida are crime bosses who give off protagonist and antagonist vibes. They help Tokyo Vice to connect the dots of hidden business being done so criminals can make money, while also maintaining their risky reputations. They are also connected to the authorities. The story that Jake is tempted to tell is the fact that criminals and authorities are working together. If he tells it, however, his story, his career, and his life will all face consequences.

Is Jake falling into a deadly trap? Is the story worth his life? How deep will his connection be with the bad people he comes across? Tokyo Vice is one of the most spellbinding and triumphant series on MAX. It is a true story where the pieces of the puzzle all matter. There is going to be more for Jake in Tokyo Vice Season 2 coming in February. Don’t miss it!

Film reviews

American Star Review

Leave a comment

This film could be classified as mellow suspense because there is a deadly task waiting to be completed. To buy time in the film, the focus is on a man of solitude who is assigned to do the mission. American Star was a unique experience, but I didn’t truly love or hate it as a thriller. Director Gonzalo Lopez-Gallego directs this project from the sole perspective of the hitman played by Ian McShane. McShane is known for his role of superiority as Al Swearengen in HBO’s Deadwood and is also known for playing the big boss in the John Wick franchise. McShane is a British actor who can play a range of roles and always displays a distinct bad attitude that sets him apart. His seriousness shines through as the discrete hitman in American Star.

McShane’s character, Wilson, is spending his time on an island called Fuerteventura. He is awaiting the time to assassinate someone. With the vast and scenic landscapes on the island, he tends to get distracted. Wilson keeps to himself, wears nothing but a black suit, smokes constantly, and observes his surroundings. His nephew Ryan (played by Adam Matthew Nagaitis) works with Wilson’s assignments as well. While Wilson is eager to go home and put an end to his deadly career, it’s not as easy as it looks. Wilson is told, “The less you know…the better!” This causes Wilson to let his guard down.

The film’s transitions to Wilson trying to connect more in social settings. He meets Gloria (played by Nora Arnezeder) and starts to build a friendship with her. The film’s writing about Wilson’s disconnect takes on a larger focus than the assassination-mission. American Star gives audiences the sense that Wilson’s leniency will have a bigger impact on him…once he completeshis mission. Hiding and aborting mission is not an option. While the story moves along slowly at times, the discreet ways that the tension unfolded had me sold.

Wilson’s frustrations are caused by having to hide the truth and wishing he could enjoy life. The barrier is huge between the possibility of living in a positive atmosphere and completing an assassination mission in American Star. The portrait of Wilson shows how good one’s life could be…if he did not have such a deadly job. In one scene, Gloria asks Wilson if he is an ex-cop, and Wilson asks her if he looks like one. Writing like this remains steady and flows with the pacing of Wilson while he covers his tracks.

Continuous hiding of the truth creates anxiety-provoking tension in American Star. The film is slow in fragments, but still intriguing. McShane’s performance is effective in portraying how complicated truths hide inner consequences. American Star is much more of a mental thriller than an action thriller. In fact, there is hardly any action, but the intensity is strong. Audiences will feel the tension rising during scenes where time is of the essence. Three out of four stars for American Star.

Treating cinema in many forms of art!