Charlie's Angels

With a reboot of the Charlie's Angels franchise hitting theaters recently and performing pretty poorly (at the time I'm writing this the film currently holds a 3.9/10 on the IMDb and likely won't turn a profit), it got me thinking about the two previous films that were released in the early 2000's. Charlie's Angels and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle were released in 2000 and 2003 respectively, and starred Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu as the titular 'Angels'. Now, I hadn't seen either one of those films in over a decade but, they were box-office successes and I remember thinking that they were fun action flicks. So, I decided to rewatch them both and see if they hold up...

They do not.

Let's start off with 2000's Charlie's Angels. This one is probably the better of the two, but not by much and some of that is just because it's about 10 minutes shorter. The basic premise of this first film involves the Angels being hired to rescue a computer software genius named Eric Knox who has been kidnapped. Along the way they encounter a strange and mysterious assassin they call the "Thin Man" (played by Crispin Glover). Of course, in a twist anyone could see a mile away, Knox and his business partner who hired the Angels are in cahoots with the "Thin Man". It's a pretty funny movie, although I think most of the things that had me cracking up were not intended to do so. One thing that I had forgotten over the years was the stellar cast that was assembled for this film. Starring along side the Angels are the likes of Bill Murray, Tim Curry, and Sam Rockwell who just the year before was in The Green Mile. Unfortunately, the film is poorly written and the plot seems to only serve as a means to get the three attractive leads from one scenario in which they wear sexy outfits to another. Additionally, most of the stunts are beyond ridiculous and it's directed by McG, who has never directed a good movie. 

Moving on to 2003, and we got the sequel Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle. This one is also directed by McG and, much like the first film, is mostly eye-candy with very little plot. Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, Crispin Glover, Matt LeBlanc and Luke Wilson all reprise their roles from the previous film. However, interestingly enough, Bosley (played in the first film by Bill Murray) was recast with Bernie Mac taking over the role. The Angels' mission in this film is to recover two titanium rings that, when put together, reveal a list of people in protective custody. The rings are eventually acquired by former Angel Madison Lee (played by Demi Moore). Madison's plan is to gather several different criminal organizations and sell the rings to the highest bidder. 'Full Throttle' is a great way to describe this movie, as the unconvincing special effects and impossible stunts have definitely been kicked up to another level in this entry. Likewise, the plot is just a bit dumber, the acting is just a bit more over-the-top, and the musical selection is just a bit more on the nose. 

Overall, these movies are kind of fun, the characters seem to exist in an absurd world that is completely free of logic, and I laughed a lot rewatching both of them. That being said, I think they are bad films. I'm glad I sat down and rewatched them but, I don't think it's something i'll be doing again anytime soon. 

I give both Charlie's Angels and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle a 1.5 out of 5

Today's Movie: Moon

Released in 2009 and directed by Duncan Jones, Moon is easily one of my all-time favorite sci-fi films.

In the movie Sam Bell (played by Sam Rockwell) works alone at a mining station on the far side of the moon, with only the station's artificial intelligence system named GERTY (voiced by Kevin Spacey) to keep him company. The station exists as a way to mine a fuel source known as helium-3 from the moon's soil by Lunar Industries. Sam is nearing the end of his three-year contract with Lunar and is all set to return home to his wife and daughter back on Earth. One day when making a routine visit to one of the remote helium-3 harvesters, Sam becomes distracted and crashes his rover. He wakes up in the stations infirmary unclear as to how he got there. Curious to find some answers, Sam eventually decides to head back to the crash site. When he opens up the rover and climbs inside, he finds that there is someone inside... himself!

Without giving away the other twists and turns of the plot, I'll just say this; I think Moon is a fantastic movie and I and even placed it on my Top 100 Favorite Films list. Sam Rockwell, who I think is a phenomenal actor, turns in one of the best performances of his career in this one. It's also a very well written, well directed, and engaging film. I'm a bit surprised that I never hear anyone talk about it, as it currently holds a score of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 7.9/10 on the IMDb. If you've never seen Moon, I highly recommend checking it out. 

5 out of 5.

The Way Way Back

2013's The Way Way Back features a pretty typical coming-of-age story, and hits some very predictable beats. What makes the film stand out it the tight, efficient script and the cast. Sam Rockwell in particular is enough reason to watch this film.

The film tells the story of a 14-year old boy named Duncan (played by Liam James) who is forced to spend the summer with his mom, her boyfriend, and her boyfriend's daughter at a beach house. Already a kid at a socially awkward stage of his life, spending the summer in a seaside town he's unfamiliar with his mom's boyfriend that routinely belittles him is less than ideal for Duncan. One day Duncan ventures into town where he meets the Manager of the local water park, Owen (played by Sam Rockwell). Not long after that, Owen offers Duncan a job at the water park and takes the young man under his wing. There he finds a place where he fits in, makes friends and gains confidence. He also soon befriends the girl who lives next door who is also unhappy with her home life. 

For me, a lot of the drama at home doesn't completely work. Toni Collette plays Duncan's mom and Steve Carell plays the boyfriend. They're both fine in the movie but, much like Duncan, I want to get back to the cast of characters at the water park; Sam Rockwell, Nat Faxon, Maya Rudolph, and Jim Rash offer the up the films most memorable moments.

I hesitate to call this movie great. It's not a 'must-see' or some kind of groundbreaking masterpiece, but it is very good and a film that I recommend checking out.

4 out of 5.