Displaying items by tag: Glen Powell

TWISTERS

US, 2024, 117 minutes, Colour.

Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos, Brandon Perea, Maura Tierney, Harry Haddon-Paton, Sasha Lane, Darrell McCormack, David: Corenswet.

Directed by Isaac Lee Chung.

By a happy twist of fate, Twisters is an entertaining crowd-pleaser. Anyone who buys a ticket, keen to see tornadoes in action as well as the human efforts to chase and combat them, will find a multitude of twisters here. The special effects of the tornadoes themselves, the visuals of their destructive force, the ruins and aftermath, are quite spectacular. And the editing keeps the action running at a very brisk pace, often edge-of-the-seat adrenaline pumping.

1996, the original Twister was a holiday entertainment, much the expected theme, two experts, despite divorce proceedings, working together to chase the tornadoes. The director of that film, Jan de Bont, had not heard that there was to be this kind of sequel, making a comment that a sequel could only succeed if the tornadoes were bigger. The filmmakers this time have absolutely taken notice of that observation, not only are they bigger, there are many more of them.

But, the screenplay here places quite a lot of emphasis on the science – whether the audience understands the details of it or not. In fact, the film opens with a young enthusiast, Kate, Daisy Edgar-Jones, leading a team that hopes to release chemicals into the eye of the twister to dissipate its force. There are some scientific explanations. But, the experiment is a tragic failure, the deaths of several of the participants.

Then we go five years later. One of Kate’s former colleagues, Javi (Anthony Ramos) enlists her help with his experiments, placing tracking machines around the tornado in order to get a three-dimensional reading. Again, scientific explanations. By contrast, there is Tyler (a grinning Glen Powell more gung ho at first and he was in Top Gun Maverick), a so-called tornado wrangler, with his own team of scientists (who, In All clothes, do not look like it), and filming his exploits, taking tornado tourists out to witness the phenomena, and a British journalist joining. in

Obviously, there is going to be rivalry. And there is. However, there are some jaw-dropping sequences of the tornadoes and their force, extraordinary destruction and ruin with the challenge to Kate and Tyler and Javi as to whether they pursue their research or go to help people in distress. (And in the background there are themes of corporate exploitation of those whose homes of livelihoods have been destroyed.)

In fact, Kate retires from the chasing and goes home, her mother urging her to do more research, Tyler tracking her down and collaborating – after they go to rodeo, also a tornado victim. Already magazine articles are being headed “whirlwind romance”! At first it is a battle of the sexes, but very strong on equality between men and women, and then scientific collaboration. Actually, there are some sequences during the final credits when audiences are stampeding for the exits, which actually show further plot developments.

Twisters sets out to be an action-disaster holiday entertainment. It succeeds well.

1. The reality of tornadoes, twisters in the United States, the Southern States? The weather phenomena? The impact on towns and populations, on the countryside?
2. The 1996 film and its popularity? Continued films on twisters? This sequel, many more tornadoes, much more devastation, much more scientific speculation, tornado wrangling, tornado tourism, experiments to understand tornadoes, physics and chemistry?
3. The film in the disaster movie tradition? Action, adventure, characters, crises?
4. The opening, Kate and her team, the scientific background, their personalities and interactions, the dangers of the tornado, the attempt to release the chemicals, winds, vehicles overturned, characters blown away? Kate and her relationship with Jeb, the driver, saving her under the bridge, his being blown away?
5. Five years later, Kate New York, her work, observation of storms? Javi and his visit, his story, the Army, experiments, technology to observe twisters, three dimensions? His sympathy, his participation in the early experiment and surviving? Asking Kate to come for a week?
6. Kate, meeting Javi’s team, professional, academic backgrounds, Scott and his hostility to her, his criticisms of her? The connection with developers and the later consequences? The chasing of the tornadoes, Kate and her expertise, the encounter with Tyler, rivalries, her missing out and Javi’s response?
7. Tyler, tornado wrangler, big grin, cowboy, his team, vehicles, theyir not looking scientific, their passengers for tourism, the risks of the dares, the British journalist, observation, anxious (bounced around, later sick, his seatbelt)? The audience later realising that they were scientific and skilled despite appearances?
8. The tornado sequences, the dangers, the twisting, the air, the wind, blasting vehicles, the placing of the machines for the three-dimensional picture?
9. Kate, her background in the state, Tyler underestimating her, the later going to the rodeo? The awareness of the towns in danger, the decisions to go to help, the visuals of the twister attacking the towns, the people, the aftermath? The businessman and his exploiting the survivors, allegedly with financial help? Kate and a sense of disillusionment with Javi and his team?
10. The destruction of the rodeo, the audience enjoying it, Tyler and his saying he used to ride the bulls, the wind, trying to rescue people, the movie theatre, survival, Tyler holding onto his associate? Kate going out, the experiment with the chemicals? Their rescuing her?
11. Kate, distance from her mother, going home, settling in, her equipment, the model village, her looking at her notes? Tyler tracking her down, interest, explanations? Her mother inviting Tyler to stay? Their working together, working out the chemicals, rain precipitation, lessening the impact of the twister?
12. The final opportunity, the tornadoes, going out, the battering, explosions, the dangers?
13. The final success, the release of the chemicals, lessening the impact of the twister?
14. Kate to get back to New York, Tyler the airport and his truck and its ability to dig into the ground and stay, the credits sequences and the photos, the clips, the development of the plot, working together, success, romance…?

HIT MAN

US, 2023, 115 minutes, Colour.

Glen Powell, Adria Arjona, Austin Amelio, Retta, Sanjay Rao, Molly Bernard, Evan Holtzman.

Directed by Richard Linklater.

With a direct title like Hit Man, we know what to expect. And, the expected happens, but, of course, with some differences.

This is a film by prolific filmmaker for more than 30 years, Richard Linklater, based in Austin, Texas usually, though this time in New Orleans. Linklater was able to explore relationships with his Before Trilogy, trace the development of a child to adolescence over 12 years in Childhood, and is always able to blend comedy with seriousness.

This time, in collaboration with his star, Glen Powell (emerging into prominence with Top Gun Maverick, Anything But You, Twisters), he has gone for offbeat comedy.

Powell is playing a character based on a real-life person (though Linklater emphasises that they have added the murders which didn’t happen in real life!). Gary teaches at the University, an academic who enjoys his work. However, he is also employed by the local police with their work in profiling as well as entrapment of a range of citizens who are searching to employ a hitman. He is open to change his persona, quite inventively, and an enjoyable collage of characters, men and women, old and young, rich and poor, make rendezvous meetings to hire him. Then the collage of them all being arrested, astounded, in prison.

But, this kind of story needs a femme fatale. She arrives in the form of Andrea Arjona, wanting to get rid of her obnoxious husband. Gary is in the character of Ron, tough, reliable hitman, but, he falls for her. Fans of crime writers may be on the alert, especially for film buffs, and though the work of James M.Cain and Raymond Chandler. Chandler adapted Cain’s novel, Double Indemnity, 1944, an archetypal story of the victim of the femme fatale.

This is all interestingly and entertainingly played out, scenes with the aggressive and jealous husband, a colleague of Gary who is not above some blackmail, some very pleasant police officers with integrity, and, then the death of the husband. Whodunnit?

Because of the complications when the wife he is the news of her husband’s death, when Gary has to unmask his hitman facade, will it be a happy ending?

That doesn’t happen in this kind of thing – but, spoiler alert, some unanticipated, surprising happy ever after!

1. The title? Expectations?
2. The New Orleans setting? Homes, police precincts, college? Clubs, the streets? The musical score?
3. The screenplay based on actual characters and events – but the screenplay adding the killings? Stability of the plot, the professor, schools in undercover work, consequences?
4. Gary, in class, the students, themes and studies? Is private life? His connection with the police? The set-ups, his skill in reading characters, the arrests?
5. The squad, setting up criminals, the variety of settings, the variety of characters, the collage of interviews, Gary and the various characters, the discussions, the entrapment? The consequences?
6. The squad, there were, confidence in Gary? Jasper, blowing his cover? Calling in Gary, setting up the character of Ron? Diffidence, his success, the performances, the affirmation? Jasper and his surliness?
7. The situation with Madison, his character, Ron, the meeting, listening to her, falling for her, her story? Giving her advice? The relationship? His cover? Do with her husband, the issue of divorce, his manic aggression, hatred for Madison?
8. The irony of his contacting Gary for a killer against Madison? The revelation? Jasper and his encounter, something of the situation, action, blackmail?
9. Madison falling in love with Ron, reaction to his being Gary? The death of her husband, Gary and his suspicions? The squad, the pressure on Gary to trap Madison? His going to the house, his double game, indicating answers for her, her getting away?
10. The epilogue, their being together, getting away with murder?
11. The blend of the serious and comic?

ANYONE ABOUT YOU

US, 2023, 103 minutes, Colour.

Sydney Sweeney, Glenn Powell, Gata. Alexandra Shipp, Hadley Robinson, Dermot Mulroney, Rachel Griffiths, Bryan Brown, Michelle Hurd, Charlee Fraser, Joe Davidson, Darren Barnett.

Directed by Will Gluck.

Romcoms! Their success depends on whether we want more romance or more comedy.

Shakespeare, over 400 years ago, offered a title, perhaps a definition: Much Ado about Nothing. (But he also offered a comedy of errors and stated that all’s well that ends well.) And, despite appearances and less than Shakespearian dialogue, Anyone but You is a contemporary, slight re-working of Much Ado, a Shakespeare quote to begin with and quotes turning up in all kinds of places to keep us on track.

Actually, Shakespeare had tried the basic plot but seems to have awarded the winner of the battle of the sexes with the less than equal macho title, The Taming of the Shrew. And there was a nine updated version called To Things I Hate about You, which it also serves as a title here.

It all starts in New York City and an amusing toilet-seeking disaster, one way of bringing Bea and Ben (as we remember Beatrice and Benedict of old) together, a quick bonding, then misunderstandings and hostility, or, rather, enmity. They are played with enthusiasm by Sidney Sweeney and Glenn Powell.

In fact, most of the action takes place in Sydney, all the characters are gathering for Bea’s sister, Halle and her wedding to Claudia. But Bea is something of a disappointment and her parents always intervening, making suggestions, wanting to control. So, in Sydney, multiple glossy appearances by the Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, the harbour and ferries – and a koala! And, heavens, there are Bryan Brown and Rachel Griffiths, he Claudia’s father, she Halle’s mother, with Gilbert Mulroney as her husband..

Writer-director, Will Gluck (comedies from Easy A to Peter Rabbit) tries to make the comedy broad enough for everyone (and does) but there are many jibes of antagonism hoping that this will be as you like it.

At one stage, a character remarks that something is “stupid but nice”. Yes, more or less.

1. Romantic comedy? American style? 2023? And action in Sydney? The Australian tone?
2. Based on Shakespeare, Much Ado about Nothing, the quotes and signs of themes throughout the film? Bea and Ben?
3. The introduction to Bea and Ben, Shakespearian expectations, New York in the 2020s? The situation, Bea and the toilet, at the counter, Ben and his intervention, smooth talking, their walking, going home, his cooking, chatting, the night, her stealing away, returning, overhearing Ben’s derogatory remarks, upset? Her contacting her sister and friends?
4. Six months later, the club, the party, the prospective marriage, Claudia and Halle, Halle as Bea’s sister, Peter and the connection, Bea and Ben meeting, immediate hostilities?
5. The marriage in Australia, the flight, the two on the plane, Bea getting the cake, tangled in the seat? At the airport, Peter driving? Taken to the mansion, Sydney’s northern beaches?
6. The insertion of location photography, the harbour bridge, the Opera house, the harbour, even the koala? Attraction for American tourists? But the difficulty of Beau, the rather dumb Australian hunk!
7. The introduction to Claudia’s family, her genial father, her mother, family relationships, Australian? The introduction to Bea and Halle’s parents, very American, concerned about their daughter, their ambitions, controlling and interfering, law, not certain, secretly withdrawing? Her relationship with Jonathan, the break, her parents inviting him to the wedding, his awkwardness, the parents pressure?
8. The sequences of tension between Bea and Ben, the taunts, the wisecracks, animosity? The plans to bring them together, Peter and Roger and their drama for Ben? Claudia and Halle for Bea? The couple realising what was being planned?
9. The decisions, to appear as a couple? Conversations, pretence and then back to reality? The expedition to the country, the koala, the spider in Ben’s pants, the naked episode? The contrivance about the sunglasses on the yacht, swimming out? Issues of swimming?
10. The portrait of the parents, the Australian laid-back, the interfering Americans? And Jonathan in the middle?
11. Margaret, the past relationship with Ben, her being with Beau, provocative, wanting to rekindle the friendship, the various interventions, her being cautious, kissing Ben and Bea seeing it and misinterpreting?
12. Beau, Australian slang, the shower sequence, uninhibited, sports, immoral not to go for the best wave to surf!
13. Preparations for the wedding, travelling to the boat, the party, the Titanic joke, Bea in the water, Ben diving in, the helicopter rescue?
14. The buying of the cake, returning home, the dog, the ribbon, the upset with the cake? The impact on Claudia and Halle?
15. The buildup to the wedding, Roger presiding, his words about love, the declarations? The celebrations?
16. Bea and Ben, getting closer, the kiss, the realisation, the night together, his sudden leaving, her misinterpretation? Hostility, leaving and going for a walk?
17. Ben, the promise of meeting at the Opera House, going into the water, the rescue, deliver to the Opera House, the various proposals, his proposing?
18. A happy ending all round, all’s well that ends well, Shakespearian ending, and many comedy of errors along the way, parents behaving well, the finale of a Romcom?