Predatory Cinema

When John McTiernan’s ‘Predator’ dropped in theaters back in 1987, Austrian bodybuilder-turned-movie star Arnold Schwarzenegger was just entering his prime as an A-list action hero to turn this otherwise unremarkable sci-fi/Vietnam War B-movie mash-up into a veritable blockbuster hit. Always ready with catchy one-liners, who can forget his defiant comeback “You’re one ugly motherfucker!” to Predator even as his team-mates died gruesomely one after another by the claws and exotic weaponry of the badass alien hunter? Forgotten in the midst of all the alpha-male chest beating is the tidbit of trivia that Rick Hawkins, the geeky bespectacled radio operator of the mercenary team played by Shane Black, was the first to die.
 

30 years, two sequels (‘Predator 2’ and ‘Predators’) and two ill-advised cross-overs with ‘Aliens’ (‘AvP’ and ‘AvP: Requiem’) later, the dreadlocked trophy (usually a head attached to a severed spine as shown below) collector preys on a new generation of moviegoers in Rick Hawkins', I mean director Shane Black’s ‘The Predator.’  Set in the present day, a ragtag band of rejected brothers led by a disgraced Ranger sniper (Boyd Holbrook) is pitted against predators and nefarious government agents, aided by scientist Olivia Munn and an autistic boy (Jacob Tremblay).  Not that there’s much of a story here, but keep your eyes open because a lot of things happen in this rather messy movie throughout its compact 107-minute running time.

‘The Predator’ aims high, delivering fast-paced near non-stop action, heroic deeds galore, all-hell-breaks-loose mayhem, generous doses of Shane (black) humor and a healthy (or maybe I should say unhealthy) amount of blood and gore to satisfy the most jaded gorehounds among us.  Alas, the $88-million dollar movie’s ambitions proved to be beyond its limited reach, as all the heroes in the movie (most of whom died vainly like in the original) combined could not hope to match the sheer presence and macho manliness of “The Governator.”

Grade: B

Peppermint, Peppermint Revenge

Like most of you, I first discovered Jennifer Garner in her role as the “kicks ass and looks good while doing it” superspy Sydney Bristow in J.J. Abrams’ sci-fi/espionage TV series ‘Alias,’ which ran for five seasons from 2001-2006.  And perhaps like many of you, I was immediately captivated and “fell in love” with this gorgeous femme fatale who’s so good at doing what she does without sacrificing an ounce of sex appeal and feminine vulnerability.  While ‘Alias’ obviously owed its origins to ‘La Femme Nikita,’ it was so much better in so many ways.

 

After Garner married some guy named Affleck and ditched action for rom-coms and Capital One commercials, I did not expect her to ever go back.  So imagine my surprise when I saw that her latest offering is a little movie called ‘Peppermint,’ the latest garden-variety, female-driven revenge flick in the tried-and-true tradition of ‘Colombiana,’ ‘The Brave One’ and ‘Kill Bill’ Volumes 1 & 2.  The story of a loving wife and mother driven on a single-minded mission to make the bastards pay for what they did to her and her family (or something similar) is a timeless one that never gets old and satisfies our deepest urges for vigilante justice.

 

As its 11 percent Rotten Tomatoes score would attest, ‘Peppermint’ isn’t a great movie by any objective measure (or even a particularly good one for that matter), but that’s really beside the point.  Jennifer Garner always looked good kicking butt in ‘Alias,’ regardless of what she’s wearing or what color wig she puts on.   12 years later nothing has changed.  While Garner looks dirty and grungy for the most part living in a beat-up van down by the river, ahem, among the forgotten homeless in ‘Peppermint,’ she’ll forever be Sydney in my heart.

Grade: B

Desperately Seeking Margot

I always find it exciting to see new and promising young filmmakers at work.  Former Google creative talent and aspiring director Aneesh Chaganty’s debut feature, ‘Searching,’ puts a fresh spin on the familiar missing person tale with devastatingly effective results, giving the audience a tightly plotted, twist-filled and riveting nail-biter tailor made for water cooler conversation.

 

You may have seen the trailer.  Korean-American actor John Cho (Harold) ditched Kumar to take on the role of an anguished widower and father who desperately seeks his 16-year old daughter, whom he thought he knew, when she didn't make it home after an AP Biology (she’s Asian, big surprise) cram session at a friends' house in what could only be a parent’s worst nightmare come true.  At its most basic level, ‘Searching’ is just another typical run-of-the-mill missing persons thriller but it is so much more.  What’s refreshingly different is that the story is almost exclusively told through the POV of modern electronic devices like computers and smart phones, as the tech-savvy Cho follows the bread crumbs of his daughter’s digital trail through her social media networks using all the tools and resources he can muster via the World Wide Web. Oh, did I mention with the help of a detective played by Debra Messing from ‘Will & Grace’?

 

I can’t praise this movie enough.  'Searching' is a masterfully crafted thriller that won't let go once it grabs our attention with its real-life, breaking news feel.  While it's gimmicky like all those other gimmicky "social media" movies (e.g., ‘Unfriended,’ ‘Unfriended: Dark Web,’ ‘Friend Request,’ ‘Nerve’) it isn't one-dimensional like those films, and it had so many twists and red herrings that I didn't see the WTF! ending coming until it was too late, even though looking back there were hints that I missed or ignored.  Chaganty cited his fellow Indian M. Night Shyamalan as an influence and inspiration, and I can certainly see that here. 

Grade: A

Capturing Eichmann

Over the decades Israel’s infamous intelligence agency, the Mossad, has rightly earned a reputation of ruthless efficiency.  As much as the Israeli Defense Forces, the Mossad is Israel’s shield, a “necessary evil’ for a small Jewish island amidst a sea of hostile Muslim neighbors.  ‘Operation Finale,’ director/producer Chris Weitz’s first foray into serious historical drama, mined another well-known and daring Mossad exploit for fodder, the apprehension of one of the key architects of the Holocaust, SS Lieutenant Colonel Adolf Eichmann, on foreign soil.

 

Based on the memoirs of the late Mossad operative Peter Malkin (played by Oscar Isaac), ‘Operation Finale’ is a blandly procedural, by-the-book account of how a hastily assembled team of Israeli operatives put together an ad hoc plan to nab this key figure behind Hitler’s “final solution,” who managed to flee Germany during the last days of the Reich and disappear into South America, specifically Argentina.  As Eichmann, Ben Kingsley delivered yet another one of his theatrically dramatic performances, proving that he’s equally at home whether he's portraying an angel (Gandhi) or a monster (Eichmann).

 

As compelling as the true story of Eichmann’s capture in 1960 may be, ‘Operation Finale’ is hampered by a snail-like pace and an overall lack of tension and suspense that had nothing to do with the fact that we already know how the ultimate outcome is going to play out.  Even when things invariably go wrong as plans often do and the team had to think on their feet and improvise, there was little sense of peril or urgency that would keep us on the edge of our seats.  I nearly nodded off at various points throughout the movie so my only conclusion is that, as much as I hate to admit it, ‘Operation Finale’ simply became ‘Operation Boredom.’

Grade: C