Captain America: Civil War: An Embarrassment of Riches

By now you're already aware that Captain America: Civil War is a critically acclaimed, audience-approved movie. So the point of this blog post is merely to elucidate what makes this movie so great, and convince any stragglers that it is definitely worth the price of admission.

First off, do not let the title fool you. This is not a Captain America movie, this is an Avengers movie that couldn't be named as such due to delicate contract negotiations. This movie treats us to a plethora of superheroes that we have been accumulating over the course of several years as part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). If it wasn't enough to include familiar figures like Captain America, Bucky Barnes, Iron Man, Falcon, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, Vision, Ant-Man, and War Machine, Marvel has the gall to toss in two brand new characters, Spider-Man and Black Panther, who are soon due for their own standalone movies in the MCU. And yet somehow, this profusion of characters doesn't remotely bog down the proceedings. Instead, the script magically whips through the introductions, seamlessly integrating all these heroes and heroines into a truly fascinating showdown over the need for government oversight. Trust me, it's a lot more fascinating than it sounds.

None of the actors disappoint and they all seem to relish lobbing one-liners and punches off each other to create something that is greater than the sum of its parts. This is a funny movie, it is an exciting movie, and it is also a thought-provoking movie. The screenplay by Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely is a masterclass in how to weave together multiple storylines and create a tapestry instead of a tangle. Much credit is also due to the Russo brothers, who have clearly cracked the code on how to direct a pitch-perfect Marvel movie and ensure that weighty topics are counterbalanced with levity and death-defying action sequences.

Given the timing, it is inevitable to compare this film to Batman v Superman and wonder at how the Marvel and DC universes continue to do things so incredibly differently. The key point appears to be their treatment of superheroes and consequences. Marvel understands that the idea of men and women dressing up to fight bad guys is inherently ridiculous and never shies away from poking fun at the characters and their foibles. But it takes the consequences of their actions extremely seriously, and every movie has been increasingly preoccupied with death tolls and collateral damage, leading to this film's fundamental conflict amongst the Avengers about whether they should be beholden to governmental bodies instead of taking matters into their own hands. On the other hand, the DC movies glorify their heroes, treating them like paragons of superhuman prowess who must not be mocked; but the shocking devastation that they wreak in the course of their adventures doesn't make anyone bat an eyelash.

Captain America: Civil War is a multi-faceted marvel of a Marvel movie. It showcases everything that we have come to expect from a superhero movie - spectacular action, wit and verve, seriousness of purpose that goes hand-in-hand with self-deprecating humor, and overall, a unique cinematic experience. I keep waiting for the day when I will be bored by a Marvel movie, but somehow they find ways to innovate and reinvigorate the franchise every year. Yes, these are superhero movies, but it seems lazy to say they are "just" superhero movies. Underneath the costumes and gadgets, they are exploring deeply human stories and conflicts. The MCU has infinite possibilities and thirteen films in, it feels like they're only getting started.

The Night Manager: Spectacular Spy Games

Hugh Laurie, Tom Hiddleston, and Olivia Colman. With a cast like that, how could anyone doubt the final product would be anything less than glorious? Directed by Susanne Bier, The Night Manager, a six-part miniseries based on the novel by the always-thrilling John Le Carre, is a decadent televisual feast. Featuring a talented cast, a whip-smart script, and beguiling locations, this is a seductive and scorching thriller, filled with cliffhangers that keep you on the edge of your seat till the final scene.

Hiddleston stars as Jonathan Pine, a former British soldier who served in Iraq but is now the eponymous night manager of a Cairo hotel during the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. He stumbles across the details of a secret arms deal and sends word to UK Intelligence. That act results in a personal tragedy, so five years later, when intelligence officer, Angela Burr (Colman), asks Pine to go undercover in the inner circle of Richard "Dickie" Roper (Laurie), a wealthy industrialist who is responsible for these arms deals that are destabilizing the world, Pine sees this as his opportunity to serve his country and wreak his personal vengeance.

What follows is a tense and escalating game of cat and mouse where Pine is forced to gain Roper's trust by sacrificing many of his principles, and going in so deep that he may never find his way out again. In the meantime, Burr faces a series of political machinations with the UK and American Intelligence services and rapidly realizes that Roper has friends in high places who have been shielding him from the law all along. Everyone is in danger, no one knows who to trust, and a sense of kill or be killed permeates the proceedings, resulting in many deaths before the six episodes are done.

Hiddleston is unsurprisingly perfect as the noble Pine who has to be both suave and violent to win Roper's trust. Reminiscent of her powerhouse performance in Broadchurch, Colman is righteous and awe-inspiring as Angela Burr, a woman who is confidently conducting a high-stakes intelligence operation and toting a gun whilst sporting a very pregnant belly. And Hugh Laurie is a chilling revelation as the utterly evil Dickie Roper, a man with money, power, and no morals. In addition to the main trio of actors, Tom Hollander is magnificent as Roper's right-hand man, Lance "Corky" Corkoran, who harbors suspicions of Pine but doesn't have enough proof to prevent the man from worming his way into Roper's good graces. I could spend all day watching him deliver delicious lines like, "Chief, is it OK to baptize the princeling in the ways of the grape?" which is exactly the kind of dialogue one expects from the BBC. And Elizabeth Debicki is incredible as Jed Marshall, Roper's American girlfriend who tries to play dumb because she desperately needs his money, but starts to realize the stakes might not be worth it.

The Night Manager is sumptuously shot in beautiful locales, but it tackles ugly subject matter that packs a punch. It is a spy thriller that covers all the angles, from bureaucracy and duplicity at the highest levels to the brute violence and subtle tradecraft that are needed to keep an undercover agent alive in the field. It is scintillating stuff that exposes what happens when you allow corruption to take over the highest echelons of government and let money override morality. 

She Loves Me: Prepare to Be Swept off Your Feet

Charming and delightful. These are the two words that best describe everything about the Roundabout Theatre Company's Broadway revival of She Loves Me, from the actors, to the music, story, and set design. Watching this show is like eating a delicious truffle - it looks tempting and manages to both satisfy you and leave you wanting more.

She Loves Me is an adaptation of Hungarian playwright Miklos Laszlo's play, Parfumerie. But the more relevant description (to me, at least) is that it is the musical version of The Shop Around the Corner, one of my all-time favorite movies starring Jimmy Stewart and Margaret Sullavan (which was subsequently re-adapted as the similarly beloved You've Got Mail, with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan). So obviously, the story is beyond reproach. Here's a quick summary of the plot: Amalia and Georg both work as a sales clerks in a parfumerie in 1930's Budapest. They quarrel all the time and are not fond of each other, but unbeknownst to them, they have been exchanging anonymous letters for months after answering a lonely hearts newspaper ad. So while they fight in person, they are falling in love via mail, and you can see where this is all headed.

Deftly directed by Scott Ellis, the revival stars Laura Benanti and Zachary Levi and they are simply magnificent. Benanti is an established Broadway star with a fantastic voice and incredible comic timing - her reactions and interpretations of every song are a wonder to behold. Levi was always affable and wonderful in Chuck, but now I know the man is also divine on stage and makes a worthy partner for Benanti. If it wasn't enough to have two dazzling leads, the supporting cast has the fantastic Jane Krakowski as Ilona Ritter, a role that showcases her astonishing singing, dancing, and comic chops. Gavin Creel is a worthy foil to her as the sexy but duplicitous Steven Kodaly, while Byron Jennings, Michael McGrath, and Nicholas Barasch round out the cast as the other colleagues who bring the bustling parfumerie to life. Peter Bartlett also has a memorable interlude as the much put-upon Headwaiter in a restaurant that specializes in a "romantic atmosphere" but can't quite pull it off.

We spend a great deal of time with these supporting actors, as this is a story about all of the joys and mishaps that take place in this little parfumerie over the course of a year. While Georg and Amalia are ostensibly the leads, you find yourself caring about every member of this store and hoping that as Christmas approaches, they all receive a happily ever after ending (except Kodaly, of course). David Rockwell's set design is whimsical and twinkly, with the storefront opening up like a Polly Pocket toy (as aptly described by my friend Katie) and revealing a store filled with charming people and possibilities where various subplots can percolate and unravel to keep you entertained for the best two and half hours of your life. Jeff Mahshie's costumes are sumptuous and evocative, transporting you to the 1930s and making you loath to return to the present. And lest I forget, this is a musical, stuffed to the gills with hilarious, romantic, and catchy songs that are guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a swing in your step. I dare you to watch this clip of Laura Benanti singing "Vanilla Ice Cream" and not buy a ticket to see this show immediately (or at least buy a pint of Ben & Jerry's).

She Loves Me is the perfect romantic Broadway musical. It has brilliant actors, an engaging plot, a sublime score, and overall, a whirling sense of wonder and whimsy that makes the world feel like a brighter place. It is soul-satisfyingly good, a reminder that people can never have enough of silly love songs.

Hail, Caesar! An Homage to Hollywood

As someone who adores classic cinema, and also adores the Coen Brothers, Hail, Caesar! is right in my wheelhouse. A lighthearted series of vignettes that delve into the random craziness of the studio system and getting pictures made in the golden age of Hollywood (though I doubt things have changed that much), this is a movie that has something for everyone but is particularly tailored to delight film lovers.

Set in 1951, Hail, Caesar! follows the busy life of Eddie Mannix (Josh Brolin), a Hollywood executive who needs to clean up the various scrapes the stars and directors of his motion pictures manage to get into. It's his responsibility to keep their scandals out of the press, ensure the movies are running on schedule and on budget, and make both the temperamental artistes and the general audience happy. This proves to be a challenging job indeed, because over the course of two hours, he has to deal with the kidnapping of his main leading man, an unwed starlet's pregnancy, placing a clueless Western star into a posh English film, consulting ministers and rabbis about the potential offensiveness of a picture about Jesus Christ, and a random conspiracy involving Communists and Nazis. On top of all this, he has twin gossip columnists dogging his every move in search of a story. This is a busy man.

Joel and Ethan Coen have kept the tone of this movie snappy and breezy. Nothing gets too serious and there are so many random plots that you need to simply suspend your disbelief and enjoy the ride. It doesn't feel like there is one overarching story - ultimately this is an homage to the movies that lightly pokes fun at the tropes of the various film genres that were (and still are) churned out with monotonous regularity by the big studios. A standout scene involves British director Laurence Laurentz (Ralph Fiennes) trying to coach Hobie Doyle (Alden Ehrenreich ), a young American actor who has only worked in Westerns. We get to watch Hobie suffer as Laurence forces him to enunciate the words, "Would that it were so simple?" and is given the complicated direction to embody ruefulness with a "mirthless chuckle." It feels like something out of Monty Python, a delicious sketch among many others. The movie features a stellar cast, including George Clooney, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Channing Tatum, Jonah Hill, and more Coen favorites. Through it all, Josh Brolin centers the film, as the competent yet hapless Eddie Mannix tries to untangle the constant stream of crises he is presented with on a daily basis.

Hail, Caesar! features His Girl Friday-esque snappy dialogue, bewildering plot, comic setpieces, and a magical musical number from Channing Tatum featuring fancy footwork that would make Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire marvel. It is a charming movie, a loving satire of all the things that were great and terrible about the golden age of Hollywood. They don't make movies like that anymore, but thankfully we have the Coen Brothers to remind us.

Sisters: Fey & Poehler Bring Down the House

I put off watching Sisters because it did not get stellar reviews. However, having finally watched it, this movie is right up my alley. Two of my all-time favorite comediennes spending two hours delivering one-liners and making fools of themselves: what's not to love?

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler play Kate and Maura Ellis, sisters who are very close but very different. Kate is the screw-up, a single mom unable to hold down a job and a complete disappointment to her extremely responsible daughter, Haley (Madison Davenport). Maura is the good sister, the designated driver and mother hen who thinks it's her job to help everyone she meets. When their parents decide to sell their childhood home, the sisters reunite in Orlando to clean out their bedrooms and read their diaries, which reveal the very different lives they led as teenagers. Kate decides they need to throw one last epic party so Maura can finally have the fun she never had in high school and make out with James, the hot guy who lives across the street (Ike Barinholtz, playing the romantic lead in a role that is very different from his usual shtick on The Mindy Project).

It's not a revelatory concept, and the script follows every movie you've ever seen where a party goes out of control and a house gets trashed. What is hilarious, however, is that this is a rager being thrown by a couple of women in their forties, and when they realize all their friends are responsible adults who show up on time at 8:30 for a party, drastic action is called for. Directed by Jason Moore and written by the brilliant Paula Pell (an SNL writer of long standing), the movie feels like a series of SNL sketches strung together in perfect harmony, featuring cameos from favorites like Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch, Samantha Bee, Horatio Sanz, and John Cena, who is making quite the name for himself on the comedy circuit.

Unsurprisingly, Fey and Poehler are hilarious and in sync, dancing, bonding, and arguing like a genuine pair of sisters who both love and annoy each other. Sisters features every kind of humor you can think of - one-liners, pratfalls, drunken folly, and a particularly unfortunate incident with a music box featuring a ballerina dancing to Fur Elise. It is over-the-top, profane, and hilarious, exactly what you need when you just want to laugh for two hours. It's nothing new but it's familiar and fabulous and you will find something quotable and memorable by the time you're done. I could watch Poehler  learning how to pronounce her Korean pedicurist's name all day long - is it a joke we've seen a million time before? Sure. Does that make it any less funny? Nope. 

Deadpool: Marvel Makes Merry

From the grim ghastliness of Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, we come to the marvelous merriment of Deadpool. Marvel has a reputation for making fun superhero movies that don't take themselves too seriously, but Deadpool is in a class all its own. A self-referential, fourth-wall-breaking piece of comic wizardry, this movie is not as concerned with plot as it is with making sure you are laughing every second.

The movie begins mid-action and then is one long flashback to give us Deadpool's origin story. And what a raucous tale it is. Ryan Reynolds stars as Wade Wilson, an ex-special forces operative, currently working as a mercenary in New York City. He falls in love with the beautiful and sassy Vanessa Carlyle (the inimitable Morena Baccarin), they get engaged, then he finds out he has terminal cancer. He decides to try an experimental treatment to save his life, and ends up becoming an indestructible superhero. Unfortunately, while saving his life, the treatment also left him horrifically disfigured, so he runs around as a vigilante in his spandex Deadpool costume that covers him up completely and lets his fiancee think he is dead and gone. Hey, no one said superheroes can't be vain.

As that description might illustrate, this is a pretty thin premise, and frankly, I didn't pay any attention to this movie's plot. Instead, I was riveted by the joke density and the sheer joy of watching Reynolds and Baccarin banter (and more) on screen. This movie delights in its filthy silliness, and doesn't let any scene play out for too long because there are too many jokes to cram into the tight 108-minute runtime. Of course, there are many action sequences, villains who have to get their comeuppance, and peripheral X-men characters who show up to populate the ever-expanding Marvel Cinematic Universe. They are all funny and entertaining, but this is really a one-man show with Reynolds never letting up for one instant.

Director, Tim Miller, and writers, Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick, have taken something that doesn't seem like it would work on paper and made it sizzle on the screen. While I think voiceovers and breaking the fourth wall can be entertaining when used sparingly, I never imagined a movie that talks to the audience the entire time could be this much fun. And yet it never feels gimmicky. You are simply included in the proceedings and have full license to laugh at the goings-on without feeling like you need to suspend your disbelief and clap if you belive in superheroes. Deadpool is a movie that fully acknowledges that this is an escapist fantasy genre, not a serious moral fable. It is irreverent and wonderful, an R-rated piece of rowdy ridiculousness. Turns out, if you make the movie the fans were clamoring for, it will be a crowd-pleaser. Who knew? 

Batman v Superman: D(Y)awn of Justice

Given the terrible reviews and my dislike of Man of Steel, I watched Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with absolutely no expectations. Thus, the movie was not able to disappoint me, because it was exactly what I thought it would be. Perhaps there is an audience out there to which this kind of filmmaking appeals. Unfortunately, I'm not the target demographic.

Batman v Superman picks up where Man of Steel left off. As Superman (Henry Cavill) proceeds to smash up most of Metropolis, Bruce Wayne/Batman (Ben Affleck) drives across the harbor from Gotham, trying to save one of his office buildings from impending destruction. He fails, and thus, this gives our two protagonists their reason to distrust each other. Other than that, I can't pretend I understood anything else that happened over the next two and half hours. There are multiple plots that go nowhere, and there's no point in pretending this movie is about anything except Batman and Superman eventually punching each others' lights out.

The movie is a relentless series of action sequences with people whaling on each other and making things explode with numbing frequency. Jesse Eisenberg is entertaining as Lex Luthor, but I'm hard-pressed to explain what his reasons were for antagonizing Superman and Batman and demanding they fight each other to the death. Perhaps it's unreasonable to expect a supervillain to have reasons for his evil, but it's usually necessary to feel like all this wanton destruction is in the service of something. However, director Zack Snyder continues to feel no compunction about toppling the world around his heroes so that an action sequence can have an epic scale. There are some occasional throwaway lines to say a building was empty and no one was harmed, but that's about all the lip service you can expect after the criticisms of Man of Steel's body count.

However, one element of this movie did appeal to me - the heroines. Amy Adams continues to be an unexpected Lois Lane, managing to save Superman as often as he manages to save her. And Gal Gadot languishes on the periphery of this movie for a long time until making a startling appearance in the final minutes that proves Wonder Woman is the only superhero worth rooting for in the entire movie. Cavill and Affleck are gamely doing their best as world-weary superheroes, but they are exceedingly violent and tiresome in their quest for justice. Even the costumes are heavy and dour, a metaphor for these two heroes who are fighting each other for vague reasons that seem to be fueled by a myriad of incomprehensible dream sequences. And of course, they resolve their dispute through some mommy issues, which tells you just how mature these men are after all their posturing.

Batman v Superman is thoroughly lacking in levity and chock-full of religious symbolism and big moral ideas. The color palette continues to be a bleak wasteland with everything black and grey and despondent. The Marvel model is not the only way to make a superhero movie - Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy was no laugh fest, but it was a cinematic marvel that took both story and spectacle seriously. Sadly, Zack Snyder only cares about action and explosions; compelling story telling is a nonexistent concern. If you want the image of cities on fire burned onto your retinas, you will love Batman v Superman. Otherwise, move along, there's nothing to see here.