The BlackKklansman.....One of the Best Spike Lee Joints

The Blackkklansman is the new film from director Spike Lee.  It stars John David Washington and Adam Driver.  It's the true story of how an African American detective in Colorado was able to join the KKK in the 1970s.  As the film progresses he continues to correspond with the Klan through writing and phone calls and another detective whose white pretends to be him for in person meetings.  The film is both about this specific story of an investigation into the KKK but is also a study of race in the United States both in the 1970s but also now.  

This is one of Spike Lee's best films.  The script is well written and the cast is amazing.  Topher Grace is the strongest performance in this film as David Duke, the leader of the KKK.  This film has a well thought out structure that balances the drama and comedy so they play off of each other well.  The funniest scene is the initial phone call made to the Klan.  The film does a great job showing the flaws in both sides of the fight and sets up Stallworth (Washington) in this strange position of being caught between two worlds and being the only one who thinks racism can be fought from the inside as a cop.  I was surprised by the appearance of Harry Belafonte in this film.  His scene is probably the best scene in the film.  He's telling a story of a lynching that's actually a true story and it's cross edited with the Klan watching the film, A Birth of a Nation.  This film is well credited for two things in history, first its considered the first major motion picture and second it's credited for reigniting the fire in the KKK at a time when they were fairly dormant.  It is the most racist film ever made in which the KKK is made to be heroes.

Washington's performance in this film is very strong, his performance during the Birth of a Nation scene is one of his smaller scenes in the film but his performance literally radiates off the screen.  He sounds so much like his dad Denzel that if you close your eyes when he's on screen you'd think Denzel was on screen.  He definitely is a chip off the old block.  There are many parts in this film that the script was written to resonate with the current political climate like most of Spike Lee films do.  The film ends with scenes and footage from the Charlottesville protests which happened a few weeks before they started working on this film.  The final scene is a beautiful memorial to Heather Heyer, a woman who was killed when a bigot decided to mow her and others protesting down with a car.

Technically speaking Spike Lee is one of the best framers of Mise-en-scene in Hollywood.  Mise-en-scene literally means what's in the frame.  This film is beautifully shot.  The use of color in Lee films is always very relevant to the story and it applies to this film as well.  The scenery is set up so that even when its a rundown building its shot beautifully.  Of course Spike Lee added his signature dolly shot.  I really loved the music in this film.  The contemporary music from the 70's speaks for itself but the score by Terence Blanchard is outstanding.  It takes the sounds of the 70's and blends it with the style of classic Elmer Bernstein scores.

This is a great film that will be liked by almost anyone, obviously not a film for kids but I think most adults would enjoy this film.  If you enjoy a great true story, an interesting piece of history, or you want to watch a film that's relevant to the political and racial atmosphere today I think you will love this movie......unless you're a fan of the Klan then you will hate this movie.

The Best Mission

Mission Impossible: Fallout is by far the best of the franchise.   Tom Cruise doesn't slow down at all in what I would call the best action movie of the year to date.  This film is a direct sequel to the previous film Rogue Nation. The Syndicate, which is the polar opposite of the IMF (Impossible Mission Force) is desperate to find a way to free their leader who was captured by Ethan Hunt(Cruise) at the climax of Rogue Nation.  Hunt is faced with an impossible choice to which sets in motion the plot of the film.

This film was amazing.  In the cinema world of superheroes and Disney the Mission Impossible films always seem to slip in and surprise audiences. Since Ghost Protocol which is the 4th film in the series the Mission Impossible films took a step up to being some of the best action films made in the last few years.  The success of this film really falls on Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill.  One of the big entertainment stories of the last year was how Tom Cruise broke his ankle shooting a stunt for this film. Cruise has become the biggest actor to try to do all his own stunts which really has made this series what it is since the first film.  Henry Cavill was also a big story this past year. This was the film that gave Superman his weird upper lip because they delayed production for Cruise's ankle to heal so had to keep his Mission Impossible mustache during Justice League reshoots. His performance in this film can be compared to a Hans Gruber type performance with a savage feel to it.

The action in this film is very refreshing. It's been hard for straight action movies to have success because of what can be done with CGI. So even though CG was utilized in this film for several action sequences it feels natural and looks real.  The chase sequence in Paris has multiple segments that flow very well through the camera angles and the editing.

The fight sequences in this film are well put together.  They have a great combination of comedy, grace, and brutality.  There's a very distinct fighting style difference between the characters, Hunt has a more fluid movement compared to Walker's(Cavill) bruiser movement.

The Music in this film is the best I've heard in the film series.  Throughout the series the filmmakers have played with the original score from the television show.  There has been a techno version and a rock version, but I think they've figured out the classical version is the best.  What this movie does differently with the theme is they change the tempo to turn a heroic theme into a villainous theme.

Overall This was a fun film that I truly believe is the best action movie of the year.  This film series has risen to be able to give you exactly what you want in a movie about spies in ways that Bourne or Bond have not always been able to maintain.  The last 3 films have found the right equation and I hope we get a few more out of Tom Cruise as Ethan Hunt.  You get what you want out of this film, not a deep story but a thrilling action adventure with stunning scenery, nonstop action, and a combination of drama and comedy.  I recommend this film to anyone that loves a great adventure.