Monday Media Musings: Style and Substance

     I saw three films last week for the first time. All three films had a lot of style. To me only two of the films had substance to go along with it.

     Last Sunday, Sam and I caught Thor: Ragnarok

     It was a fun ride, kind of eccentric and quirky, and excellent in it's characterization. Surprisingly the character who stole the show for me was Korg, who was a good-natured stonegladiator who befriends Thor on Sakaar. It was interesting to see Thor being in his own way as manipulative and duplicitous as Loki. It was also really nice to see Hulk have more lines than "Smash". All in all, an excellent film.


     The second film was Baby Driver, a film not even on my radar until Sam rented it.

     A highly entertaining crime thriller about Baby,(real name Miles) a getaway driver who uses his MP3 player to block out his Tinnitus. Excellent performances all around. Kevin Spacey, whose delivery is almost poetic, is the boss who recruits crews to pull heists, and baby is his getaway driver every time. The films use of action choreographed with the soundtrack in Baby's ears gives it an added touch of Charm.

     And then there was the film I really wanted to like...

     You ever see a trailer and know that you have seen the best parts of the film? Have you ever seen a trailer and not realized you have seen the best parts of the film? This was example 2...
     What I liked:

• the action scenes; there was no problem with those at all. 
• Every time Idris Elba was on screen. The man has a stage presence that is awesome. 
• Matthew McConaughey was fun to watch as the man in black, even if I was still picturing him in  Dallas Buyers Club

     What I didn't:

• A muddled story that relies more on action sequences than character to drive it.
• A mix of western, fantasy and sci-fi that doesn't really make sense. There was so much material here, as there is in most King novels that they could have built a more convincing mythology. 

To paraphrase the movie...

I do not Make a film with my marketing crew.  He who Makes a film with his marketing crew has forgotten the face of his father. I direct with my heart.