thesurrealityproject

The Name’s Firth. Colin Firth.

Young and old Kingsmen alike give the screen a stare down. (credit: http://www.themarysue.com)

I’m exhausted. Oscar season, with all of its lists, screenings and rushed reviews, has temporarily put me off movies. January rarely has anything worth watching anyway. Who cares about Jupiter Ascending and I’m only seeing Fifty Shades of Grey if you pay me.

Luckily, there’s always one film that jumps starts my film going year. Last year it was The Lego Movie and this year it’s Kingsman: The Secret Service. A stylishly kinetic nod to the super spy genre, Matthew Vaughn’s (Kick Ass, X-Men: First Class) fifth feature film is a well shaken martini of action, humor and genuine good times.

Beyond MI6 and the CIA live the Kingsmen, an ultra-secret espionage organization that operates between the cracks of traditional government. When one of their agents go down, it’s up to Harry Hart (codename Galahad, played by Colin Firth) to find his replacement. As Harry grooms a London thug by the name of Eggsy (Taron Egerton) for the role, world renowned philanthropist Richmond Valentine (Samuel L. Jackson) sets a plan in motion that threatens civilization as we know it.

Cue the obligatory “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” reference. (credit: http://www.indiewire.com)

As a super slick secret agent, Colin Firth is fantastic. Debonair yet deadly, it’s a wonder Firth hasn’t played this type of role before. He’s also adept at being Eggsy’s father figure as he shows him the ropes. As Firth’s young padawan, Egerton has a boyish charm to counteract his “chav lifestyle” edge. He’s a great fish out of water that gives us a chance to learn about the Kingsmen through his eyes. While a touch insufferable as a young hoodlum, Egerton’s performance keeps us interested in the slightly clichéd story.

The supporting cast runs the gamut from the always reliable Michael Caine as the head Kingsman to Mark Strong’s stern, solid portrayal of Merlin, instructor for the new recruits. The big headline is Samuel L. Jackson as the evil millionaire. With an ear splitting, unfunny lisp and typical over the top delivery, Jackson does what can with an overwritten character.

But this is a Matthew Vaughn movie. Everything, from the action to the language to the sudden, shocking violence, is over-caffeinated and, at times, exhausting. That said, despite his signature “look at me” slow motion action scenes and penchant for senseless shock, Kingsman jells together better than any Vaughn film to date. We didn’t really need a five minute church massacre scene but the execution (no pun intended) is fun enough to accept.

Colin Firth and Taron Egerton share a Matrix moment in Kingsman: The Secret Service. (credit: http://www.collider.com)

This is largely due to spot on humor and self-awareness. Kingsman is half serious, half spoof and spends a good amount of time parodying the clichés and conventions of spy thrillers. The goons all wear the same uniform, Jackson’s lair is inside a giant mountain and the agents all dress impeccably. While the dozens of Bond references are obvious and at times detract from the story, it’s still a lot of fun.

And that’s the keyword here: fun. I’ll take over the top over boring. I’ll take wonky tone over bland. I’ll take Colin Firth over Christian Grey’s handcuffs any day of the week. Matthew Vaughn is anything but subtle but his loud, brash style works well in the context of an energetic R-rated spy adventure.

Even with some annoying villains and Vaughn’s “look at me, I’m a filmmaker” overindulgence, Kingsman: The Secret Service is a cracking good time. Maybe it’s my Oscar hangover lifting or the benefit of living in a season of dreck, but Colin Firth in a suit doing cool things to bad guys is a welcome breath of fresh air.

Score: 8 out of 10

While 2014 is indeed a distant memory, let’s take a look back at my Top 10 favorite flicker shows of 2014! Click Steve Carell’s makeup enhanced mug to read my picks!

The title of the post says it all….recaps!

Episode 12

Episode 13

Episode 14

Ready for a rumbling tummy? Time to dive into seven (count ’em) SEVEN great places to eat fried poultry in the ATX. Click it, share it, love it!

A Fitting Tribute

Dr King stands arm in arm with his fellow protesters in Selma (image: selmamovie.com)

Historical figures got the royal treatment in 2014. Everyone from Alan Turing to Stephen Hawking to Chris Kyle had biopics celebrating their lives and accomplishments. Need proof? Four out the five nominees for Best Actor are real life characters.

Selma, the story of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s pivotal civil rights march to Montgomery, is the most historically important genre film this year. It’s also been the most snubbed. Driven by an impressive performance by David Oyelowo (The Butler, Red Tails), Selma is powerful yet slightly formulaic tribute to one of the most important men in American history.

The movie opens in 1964 as Dr. King receives his Nobel Peace Prize for championing nonviolent civil rights protests and driving the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But there was still work to be done. Using archaic red tape, Southern states were still making it next to impossible for African Americans to vote. No black vote meant no change in power. Dr. King, with members of the SCLC, head to Selma, Alabama to plan a march on the state capital that would bring America one stop closer to racial equality.

Choosing the march on Montgomery was a smart one by writer/director Ava DuVernay (I Will Follow, Middle of Nowhere). Rather than focusing on Birmingham or “I Have a Dream”, the town of Selma serves as a great setting to learn how the SCLC worked, from planning to protest. It also provides more tension due to its relative obscurity.

Being a lesser known event also gives the film more room to bring in the “other side” of the struggle. By this time, King was a regular at the White House and his interactions with Lyndon B. Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) and other governing bodies provide a unique perspective to the politics behind civil rights. Other than the nefariously racist town sheriff Jim Clark and Alabama governor George Wallace (Tim Roth), everyone is given a reason for their actions.

“No!! No!!! You CAN’T make me emote!!” (image: http://www.technologytell.com)

While the movie may be more about the events at Selma, David Oyelowo’s role as the good doctor is the star of the show. MLK is too big of a character to not be. Oyelowo nails every piece of King’s personality and mannerisms. From his signature speaking cadence to his facial expressions, Oyelowo portrayal is film reel perfect. His speech delivery, of which there are quite a few, is powerful and stirring. I felt like I was back in 1964.

Unfortunately, it’s really just a portrayal as Oyelowo never becomes Dr. King. While this is the fine line between great and exceptional, it’s probably the reason for the Oscar snubs. We see him triumph over evil with nonviolence and we learn about what he did for the state of Alabama but we never get a real sense of who he is as a person. The man behind the movement.

Much of this can be attributed to a solid yet uninspired screenplay. The dialogue between him and his wife (Carmen Ejogo) swerves into hammy territory and while attempts are made to showcase the effect his crusade has on his family, the interpersonal connections never quite click.

But this doesn’t hurt the movie from a narrative standpoint. There’s more than enough power in what Dr. King did to drive the story. Events like “Bloody Sunday” are heartbreaking and visceral while King’s roadblocks, both with other activists and local authorities, give the conflict depth and context. Visual flourishes like the occasional slow motion shot gives the standard cinematography some pop and the supporting cast ranges from good to serviceable. Sorry, but Oprah and Common need to stop acting.

Making a movie about the greatest civil rights leader in American history is a tough task. It carries impossibly high expectations. Despite its pitfalls, Selma is still a towering tribute to an important figure, even if it plays more like a high school filmstrip than a real drama. While many may argue the movie is a documentation of a historical event, Dr. King’s power and legacy is the pulsing heart, impossible to ignore. Still, an important story told with power and conviction.

Score: 8 out of 10

The deliciously evil lads at Solarcide were kind enough to publish another story of mine. Imagine that! The story is entitled Chameleon and is available in the feature “The Devil’s Variety Performance.” Very proud to be listed with four other outstanding authors. Click the sinister looking tome below to give it a read!

Criminal Minds keeps on rolling along and my recaps are rolling along with it. Oh, JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT. Just the mention of her name gets hits. Click it, read it, love it!

Episode 9

Episode 10

Episode 11