Tag Archives: True Grit

Bumblebee (2018): The Transforming Giant

Looking to expand the reach of their most popular franchise, Paramount has created a standalone prequel to Transformers. Set in the 80s, Bumblebee is the origin story of how the yellow robot came to Earth and how that led to the presence of other transformers. The film stars Hailee Steinfeld (True Grit) as Charlie, a high school senior who gets an old Beetle only to realize that it is a transformer. The spinoff also has a new creative lead with stop-motion animator Travis Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings) taking the reins from Michael Bay in his first live-action feature.

Despite its connection to the larger Transformers universe, Bumblebee does not make any attempt to imitate Michael Bay’s style. The film is closer to The Iron Giant than anything else. When Bumblebee first meets Charlie he is innocent and scared, with no recollection of where he is or why he came there. The change is a little jarring since the prologue on Cybertron sets him up as a formidable fighter yet on Earth he has a puppy-like demeanor, but this allows a series of cute scenes where Charlie tries to explain how he has to behave, similar to training a new dog. The quest to return him back to his home also recalls E.T. and there is even a scene where he makes the well-known pointing gesture towards Charlie. Bumblebee becomes her only friend and their relationship provides the film’s heart.

Their relationship can be a little cheesy, but it makes Bumblebee more than just a fighting machine.

The action is much clearer than previous films in the series. Bay has always been known for creating massive, hectic battles with a shaking camera that can be disorienting. Knight prefers a cleaner look to the action. Fights between Decepticons and Autobots and the military are more plainly choreographed which makes the combat more digestible if a little ordinary. Knight adds a few flourishes especially in a chase scene where Bumblebee, in vehicle form, outruns a police officer in a tunnel using his transforming powers. The robots are mostly identical to Bay’s designs but because the majority of the film only features three transformers, each clearly marked by a single primary color, it reduces the issue of not being able to distinguish between robots during battle.

Being set in the 80s means Knight pulls out all of the required references. Charlie starts her morning by eating a bowl of Mr. T branded cereal, listens to a Walkman, and has an extensive tape collection. Unfortunately the movie does fall into some 80s high school clichés when it comes to bullies. Charlie is not in the popular crowd and the way a group of girls comes by just to make a mean joke about her deceased father stretches belief and is a cheap shortcut to sympathy. The musical references end up being the best part of the setting. Bumblebee’s reactions to different tunes and his timely playback of songs as a means of communicating are always entertaining. The chosen tracklist is mostly filled with the expected 80s artists like Steve Winwood and Rick Astley, but while the song choice doesn’t necessarily innovate, its earnest use prevents the music from feeling trite. The film doesn’t have high ambitions, but Bumblebee is a warm, pleasing story of friendship between two outsiders.

3/5 stars.

Hell or High Water (2016)

While most heist films tend to increase tension by involving several moving parts like in Ocean’s Eleven and its sequels or by adding a new dimension like in Inception, Hell or High Water eschews these additional layers in favor of a stripped down look at a series of small-scale robberies. David Mackenzie (Starred Up) deftly executes on the familiar premise. Two brothers, Toby (Chris Pine; Star Trek) and Tanner Howard (Ben Foster; Warcraft), plan a series of bank robberies on a local chain to gather enough money to cover their late mother’s reverse mortgage. Jeff Bridges (True Grit) plays the almost retired Texas Ranger tasked with catching the two.

The morality of the crimes is deliberately kept ambiguous. The brothers stealing from a bank is clearly wrong, but the story takes place shortly after the 2008 financial crisis. Graffiti lines the walls of banks with phrases like “3 tours in Iraq but no bailout for people like us”. The screenplay almost places as much blame on the insatiable greed of banks as it does on Toby and Tanner. Many of the citizens seem to share the same sentiment and feel little compassion for the robbed branches. Furthermore, Toby’s reasons behind the crimes, trying to preserve the family house so he can have something to pass down to his sons, is relatable and the film takes a sympathetic stance towards him. While not a political film by any means, placing equal emphasis on this populist stance allows the audience the make their own judgements on the actions of the characters.

The film is steeped in the honeycomb yellow of the scorching Texas sun.

Mackenzie is able to draw uniformly strong performances from his cast. Jeff Bridges is great as usual. His seen-it-all Ranger displays the logic of a seasoned professional and the sharp jabs at his longtime partner add light humor while establishing the depth of their bond. As he pursues the brothers, his commitment overwhelms him and Bridges is able to convey the subtle instability. Foster is cast as the reckless brother. He takes some stupid risks that could easily have made him irritating, but through the clear affection he has for his younger sibling, Foster is able to make the character acceptable. Even Chris Pine, a serial offender in wooden acting, is able to hold his own against Bridges. This is easily Pine’s finest role to date and it shows what he is capable of when working with a talented director and a character that aligns with his innate stoicism.

While the plot is simple and recognizable, the realization of the film sets it apart. The director wraps its story in the trappings of a western. The cinematography highlights the beautiful but harsh landscape of small town Texas. Like in a western, characters are slow talking and terse. Their subtle motions carry as much weight as the few words the say. The screenplay is without filler and Mackenzie’s solid staging turns small interactions into big moments. A distant cousin would be the movie Drive. Both films feature straightforward stories, but deliver by committing to their personal style. While this film can’t match Drive’s arthouse action, it is able to succeed in its own right. Hell or High Water is an effective crime drama boosted by laconic writing and strong direction.

4/5 stars.