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John Malkovich

Space Force: At What Cost?

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Space Force. (L to R) Steve Carell as General Mark Naird, John Malkovich as Dr. Adrian Mallory in episode 202 of Space Force. Cr. Diyah Pera/Netflix © 2021

Though one could argue that it had a difficult launch last year, Space Force feels like it’s on course.

With its release last May, Netflix’s Space Force began its first season with an Office problem. Known best for his work as Michael Scott, Carell and Greg Daniels did their very best to differentiate themselves from the affable boss. As a grumpy authoritarian figure, Carell’s General Naird seemed to be everything that Scott wasn’t… but that arguably also kept him from being likeable. 

While most people think that the success of The Office was due to Carell, it really lay in the relationships between co-workers. Jim and Pam. Dwight and Jim. Stanley and Phyllis. Whether it was romantic interest or the reality of simply being stuck together within the workplace, the connections between characters had a certain charm based on the care and respect between them. As a result, while the series had potential, it still felt as though it was still struggling to find its voice through much of its inaugural mission.

However, as the season unfolded, the icier aspects of Naird’s persona began to melt away and the connections between characters began to be established.

It’s also what makes Season 2 of Space Force so much better than its predecessor. 

Taking place several weeks after General Naird’s departing helicopter in the finale, Season 2 begins with the investigation into the events on the Moon. Left at the mercy of an over-bearing and penny-pinching Secretary of Defense (Tim Meadows), General Naird and his crew are given four months to prove the value of their branch of the military. Faced with financial cutbacks and potential government replacements, the Space Force must work together to keep their jobs and their sanity.

Space Force. Tawny Newsome as Angela Ali in episode 201 of Space Force. Cr. Diyah Pera/Netflix © 2021

With Season 2, Force has really begun to find its footing. United by a common antagonist in the Secretary of Defense, the team must work together in order to survive. As the fight for the program, the relationships between them solidify and the edges of their characters begin to soften. Carell’s Naird remains authoritative and intelligent yet also likeable and relatable. Malkovich’s idiosyncrasies began to balance out the members of his team. There’s even a potential ‘will they/won’t they’ dynamic between two unexpected characters that add a fun romantic element. Most importantly though, there seems to be a comradery developing between characters that makes them a joy to watch.

But are they actually committed to one another?

One of the key themes throughout its second outing asks the question of whether or not Space Force is worth the cost. As the Secretary of Defense weighs the government’s financial commitment to the Force, so too are the staff asking themselves whether or not their service is worth the effort. Struggling with PTSD, Captain Ali is having a hard time readjusting to life back on Earth. Mallory and Chan wonder if they should seek greener pastures. Even Tony begins to ask ‘what he has ever done for himself’. Constantly squeezed by the overbearing US Military, the team at Space Force are… well… forced to ask tough questions about where their future matters most. 

Space Force. (L to R) John Malkovich as Dr. Adrian Mallory, Steve Carell as General Mark Naird in episode 201 of Space Force. Cr. Diyah Pera/Netflix © 2021

Does their mission actually matter? Or are they merely the most useless branch of the military?

In this way, Space Force finally rockets towards being memorable. While the mission may be other-worldly, the sustainability of the series relies on its humanity and relatability. Through its characters and relationships, something is finally coming together in Force that makes it fun and unique. While the average person may not be familiar with the military world, we finally feel like we understand the people within it. As a result, though its setting may have its eyes on the stars, it feels like another day at the Office. 

And that’s a trip worth taking.

Space Force streams on Netflix on Friday, February 18th, 2022.

Valley of the Gods: At the Feet of Power

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It can be easy for us to think so highly of ourselves that we ought.

In this latest film from acclaimed director Lech Majewski, Valley of the Gods explores the nature of power vs. poverty through three separate yet intrinsically-linked narratives. Grappling with his recent divorce, John Ecas (Josh Hartnett) is a struggling writer who is searching for peace. After meeting a homeless man on the street, Ecas is unaware that the man is actually Wes Taurus (John Malkovich), the wealthiest man in the world. Taurus has been posing as a homeless man in order to feel connected to the world around and invites Ecas to write his biography. As the world only trillionaire Taurus is a recluse from society yet is determined to mine on the sacred lands of the Navajo for uranium, upsetting the people of the community.

Beautifully shot by Majewski and Pawel Tybora, Gods is often an overwhelming visual treat. Featuring vast desert landscapes and daunting palacial rooms, the film’s images force the viewer to feel small, as if they are pawns to some otherworldly game of chess. Intentionally linking Taurus’ mansion to Citizen Kane’s Xanadu, there is a cinematic opulence to this trillionaire’s estate unlike anything we’ve seen onscreen in ages. From tennis courts that resemble the Sistine Chapel to operas performed standing in an enormous fountain, every shot within its walls speaks to the incredible power (and loneliness) of vast wealth and creates a gut-wrenching fear towards its enigmatic owner.

Meanwhile, this life of remarkable luxury is held in direct contrast to the awe-inspiring natural world of the Navajo community. Although just as daunting as cool isolation of Taurus’ world, the dry heat of the desert carries an intensely spiritual warmth to the landscapes and carry a deep connection to those that hold them in reverence. As a result, the nervousness that one feels in these scenes is not for a man who lives in a castle but rather for the mysterious power of nature that is rarely taken seriously by outsiders.

By juxtaposing these two diametrically opposed spaces, Majewski puts his emphasis on the emptiness of wealth. In Gods, Majewski understands that that which is deeply spiritual trumps financial fortune, not only in importance but also in power (an idea which comes to literal fruition at the film’s finale). However, what’s most interesting about the film is Malkovich’s Taurus (Isn’t Malkovich almost always the most interesting part of anything he’s in?), who seems to recognize that he’s missing something and looks to feel alive. 

Unlike the Navajo who may live in poverty yet maintain their souls, Taurus’ life remains empty. As the world’s richest man, he literally controls everyone and everything at his disposal yet he remains spiritually poor. Disguised as a homeless man, Taurus honours the poor and the impoverished and moves around the city below in plain sight, yearning for the simplicity of life that has been lost. Though he lives his life like a secluded god in the heavens, he literally descends from on high in order to feel connected to the world around him. Despite his vast fortune, his wealth has become a prison for him and he longs to be set free. 

By recognizing the power of the healthy soul and the value of the impoverished in the face of corporate wealth, there are times when Majewski’s film borders on the profound. Though the story can be difficult to follow because of his staggered and non-traditional use of narrative devices, Valley of the Gods does come together through its thematic and visual beauty. Engulfing the viewer with the sheer magnitude of their surroundings, Majewski shifts their perspective away from themselves and towards something greater.

Because, to him, recognizing that there is something greater helps remind us that we are something less.

Valley of the Gods premieres on Blu-Ray and VOD on August 11th, 2020.

Mile 22 – Ego Is Not Your Amigo

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Directed by Peter Berg (known for a handful of other Mark Wahlberg movies such as Deep Water Horizon and Lone Survivor), Mile 22, set mainly in Indonesia, can be construed as a stereotypical action movie. However, there are definite artistic attempts to jazz it up that I think landed fairly well.

This film opens with an almost perfectly executed raid of a Russian FSB safe-house, where we get a glimpse of the action, violence, and team dynamic that this movie produces. The team is called Overwatch, a division of the CIA.

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CIA agent James (Jimmy) Silva (Mark Wahlberg), is an eccentric, brilliant, and bipolar character that lives and breathes his job. He is fully committed to sacrificing for his country, although he often comes off as down right arrogant. It’s obvious that the thoughts inside of his head often move too fast, which comes through in his quick speech. He wears an elastic around his wrist that he frequently snaps. We learn that this was a gift from his mother, who told him, “Snap this when you can’t slow down.” Jimmy seems to try to tame his thoughts and use them productively in his career. Wahlberg, though playing a fairly typically role for himself, should be commended for his performance. The quick speech of Jimmy Silva was executed very well.

Fellow CIA agent Alice Kerr (Lauren Cohan) is dedicated to her job but preoccupied with her daughter back home, as well as the heartache and complications that come with a family separation. She tries desperately to put her emotions aside but clearly struggles with the balance between motherhood and career.

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The CIA is approached by Li Noor (Iko Uwais) who they were initially told was a low level cop, claiming he had the code to unlock precious information that the CIA needed. His request before providing the code was for asylum and for them to get him out of the country safely. Team Overwatch must transport Noor twenty-two miles to the airport and ensure he is protected. Forced to sign documents by the CIA before embarking on this mission, team Overwatch are told that they are now ghosts, no longer working under the government, and that this was the highest form of patriotism.

Most of the character development in this film was confined to fast clips and voice-overs during the opening credits. I could have used a bit more information about Jimmy’s past and why he is the way he is. And I wanted to know more back story on Alice’s family situation. I wanted to care more about her. At only ninety-five minutes long, I felt that they could have utilized more time to better establish the characters and hash out the plot more clearly. Instead, I found that some scenes were rushed through, causing occasional confusion.

In my opinion, the real star of the film was Iko Uwais. His action scenes were top notch and did not disappoint. Even his sly smile added to the scenes he was in. (Although, if you’re squeamish, you may feel slightly uncomfortable during a few of the action scenes in this film.)

A welcomed addition to the team was the ever intriguing John Malkovich, who played James Bishop, head of the Overwatch command centre, so to speak. He added the typical Malkovich flair without stealing the spotlight. Although I wouldn’t have complained if was in more scenes.

Cinematically, I was impressed with the extreme close-ups, fast cuts and lighting in certain scenes. And the sound editing, specifically with the snapping of the elastic against Jimmy’s skin, did not go unnoticed.

This film wasn’t perfect but, at the end of the day, I left the theatre entertained.

Unlocked: Whom Do You Trust?

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Who can you trust? That concept is central in the new spy thriller from Michael Apted, Unlocked. The story focuses on Alice Racine (Noomi Rapace), who we first see working as a social worker in London. But she used to be one of the CIA’s top interrogators. Her job was to “unlock” the information in people we had captured. A few years ago she failed to break an informant in time to stop a deadly bombing in Paris. Since that time she has been working as an imbed at a social agency, gathering low level info to pass on to MI5.

When the CIA captures someone involved with a plot involving biological weapons, Alice is called back in, even though she no longer trusts herself with such an assignment. But just as she begins to discover the needed intel, she suspects she shouldn’t trust those who have brought her in. But where can she go? Should she go to her mentor Eric Lasch (Michael Douglas), CIA section chief Bob Hunter (John Malkovich), her MI5 contact Emily Knowles (Toni Collette), or Jack Alcott (Orlando Bloom), a military vet who has his own reasons for following terror suspects? The plot twists as Alice seeks to find the truth and stop the attack even while being betrayed by many of those she thought she could rely on.

Such betrayals are nearly always involved in spy thrillers such as this. It shows a world in which there are both external threats and also more hidden diabolical menaces who multiply the dangers. One of the dangers that films like this can have is to use stereotypes and reinforce our fears that are built on them. Is that the case with this film? This film certainly relies on the idea of radicalized Islam as a key feature of the plot. But there are also other factors involved.

SPOILER ALERT

As to the portrayal of Islam in the film, there are indeed terrorists who act out of their understanding of Islam, including a white American who is very involved. But there is a key scene when Alice confronts an imam who is central to the plan. We learn that he has been working to stop the attack, not push it forward. He is seeking to use his religious authority to bring peace, not to do harm. It is the hidden forces within the American government that see the plot as a way to further their own agenda who are the true villains in the story.

END SPOILERS

This brings us back to issues of trust. Alice begins the film unable even to trust herself. And she learns many of those she thought she could trust are unworthy of that trust, but others (including some she only now meets) earn her trust. When we enter into the world of espionage in films, we often assume we know who can be trusted, yet along the way, we begin to see things and people differently. The way Apted and screenwriter Peter O’Brien lead us through this story gives us a chance to have our fears and prejudices challenged. By the time we come out on the other side, we will have discovered that often both our trust and our fears are misplaced.

Photos courtesy of Lionsgate Premiere