Trumbo (2015)

Director: Jay Roach*

Cast: Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren, Louis C.K.

Have I Seen it Before: Oddly enough, never. You’d think it would be right up my alley, but I just missed it. I’d say the way I eventually saw it was an odd way to finally take it in, as the climax of the Santa Fe International Film Festival nine years after the film was released. Bryan Cranston himself seemed to be a little confused by the choice, and he was there receiving a lifetime achievement award. I mean, sure Cranston’s connections to New Mexico are unassailable, and Roach hails from the Land of Enchantment, but can a pointedly political film from shortly after the golden escalator mean much in the here and now?

Did I Like It: There’s plenty in the film that is catering directly to me. Hollywood lore. Typewriter porn. Political contrariness. Cranston swinging for the fences without an ounce of ego in tow. These are the kind of things I like to see in movies.

Glossy and inherently abbreviated in the fine tradition of award-hunting biopics, I’d actually venture to say that as the film played at the Lensic concert hall**, the film means more to 2024 than it probably did to 2015. In 2015, we had what we thought was unrelenting political polarization, but we didn’t know how good we had it. One can’t help but watch Trumbo now and dwell on the possible sacrifices we may just have to make in the years to come.

*Remember when that guy had a whole career of doing whatever Mike Myers told him to? Kids, ask your parents.

**A concert hall is always, always a weird venue in which to see a film. Although, I think most large scale venues should probably be re-committed to movie screenings. Who really wants to see live music? Not I.

Power Rangers (2017)

Director: Dean Israelite

Cast: Dacre Montgomery, Naomi Scott, Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Banks

Have I Seen It Before: Oddly, yes. One of those moments where I had to get an oil change, the oil change was going to take longer than two hours, and my lube place was within walking distance of a theater, all at the same time.

Did I Like It: I apparently liked it well enough to watch it again which I’ll admit surprised me a little bit. The movie is, at it’s core an incredibly average and occasionally cheap superhero affair. I’m sure that Bryan Cranston and Elizabeth Banks managed to quite effectively remodel something in their houses but accomplished little else. The actual rangers are fine enough, understanding the assignment of bringing a pinch of modern* The Breakfast Club (1985) to the convoluted mythology that launched a thousand action figures.

It would be damning praise, one would assume, to say this is probably the best one could hope from for a big screen adaptation of Power Rangers, but as I watch this for what I imagine would be the final time, I’m struck by—despite all of its profound pandering; indeed, because of that pandering—just how effective an adaptation of the old TV show this is. This is filled with warmed over material from other—if not better—more successful films, but have you ever actually watched an episode of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers? If you haven’t, I wouldn’t say I blame you, but the show is actually built around footage from another (it sort of shames me to admit) Japanese TV show, Kyōryū Sentai Zyuranger. It wouldn’t be Power Rangers if it wasn’t sort of disappointing and essentially the cinematic or televisual equivalent of leftover casserole.

*Would a modern audience have genuinely been unable to handle a genuine 90s (or even 80s?) energy to the proceedings? If you’re going to go for homage, follow through does count for something.

Batman: Year One (2011)

Director: Sam Liu, Lauren Montgomery

Cast: Bryan Cranston, Ben McKenzie, Eliza Dushku, Jon Polito

Have I Seen it Before: Yeah… I mean, I know that I’ve read the source material a couple of times, and I’m, like, 75% sure I watched the movie at some point.

Did I Like It: This really should have worked. Other animated DC films have attempted the unenviable task of translating—that should probably read jamming—stories of epic scope into runtimes which can only be feebly called a feature-length runtime. Here, a four issue miniseries seems apt for the adaptation. One could conceivably read the entirety of the series in the time it would take to watch a movie.

And yet, this one doesn’t work for me. Maybe I’m just fundamentally underwhelmed by the level of animation available for a direct-to-DVD release. Maybe I blanche at the idea of fully going along with anything Frank Miller does anymore, after he wrapped himself up in fascism and rationalizing it away as libertarianism, and the book itself wouldn’t hit the same way any more (to say nothing of revisiting The Dark Knight Returns or any other Miller-Bat-book). Miller might have chilled out a bit again in recent years. The jury is still out on that assessment, but in any event, damage to his reputation has already been done.

No, the real flaw is the casting. McKenzie never feels like Batman, which is probably right on the money as the first line of his obituary is likely going to be his portrayal of Jim Gordon in Gotham*. Miscasting the central role is bad enough, but even the casting decisions which are right on the money feel like they are poorly served. Both Cranston as Gordon to Dushku as Selina Kyle could have easily played their roles in a live action production, but instead feel like they are phoning in their performances. I honestly don’t blame them. The only performer who manages to pull off anything resembling magic is Polito in the relatively small role Commissioner Loeb. While watching, I would have sworn Ed Asner was actually playing the role, much to the late Polito’s credit.

*Which, even as of this typing is a show for which I have tried desperately, but continued failing, to amass any affinity.