REEL TO REEL
ARTS>>FILM
BEYOND THE REEL:
films this week CINEMATIQUE
‘Upgrade’ is somewhere between simple and ludicrous, but still fun
I
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BY: ANGHUS
June 13 (additional 4 p.m. screening on June 13): Renowned filmmaker Wes Anderson has assembled an amazing ensemble voice cast in “Isle of Dogs,” including Bryan Cranston, Edward Norton, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Greta Gerwig, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, and Frances McDormand, for this fantastic stopmotion animation adventure about a young boy who takes an epic journey to find his dog. (Rated PG-13, 95 min.)
don’t know about anyone else, but the blockbusters begin to wear on me about mid-summer. I realize, technically, summer hasn’t officially started yet, but Hollywood decided some time ago that summer movies start coming out in April. By midJune I’ve been dragged through a few billion-dollars worth of major-motion pictures and am desperate to cleanse my palate with something smaller. Thankfully I was gifted with a new, very strange, very entertaining piece of science fiction cinema: “Upgrade.” Oh, “Upgrade,” how I love thee. You’re a down-and-dirty dumb-as-rocks episode of “Black Mirror,” riddled with cliché, overflowing with gratuitous violence, and that combination makes for a really entertain- SUMMER MOVIE: ‘Upgrade’ is worth seeing for a mid-summer cleanse. Courtesy image. ing movie. It’s the future where cars are automated, police drones fly above spiraling cities tracking our every movement, and humans can be augmented with cybernetic limbs that make people stronger, faster and deadlier.
dure or results. You see, human testing requires a lot of paperwork and those fat-cats at the FDA have all these standards they expect medical research to uphold. Unfortunately, the surgery fails and the movie becomes a futuristic homage to the classic Grey (Logan Marshall-Green) is an ana- “Whose Life is it Anyway?” (1981), where log guy in the digital world. He likes to re- various characters debate whether Grey store old cars, get his hands dirty and gripe has the right to end his existence. about technology like a drunk luddite taking Actually, the operation is a massive suca tour of the Boston Dynamics laboratory cess. Grey gets the use of his body back (they make scary robots). Grey takes his and decides it’s time to enact revenge on wife to deliver a sweet Firebird to one of his everyone who’s wronged him. First up, the wealthy clients, Eron (Harrison Gilbertson), guy at Starbucks who’s always writing his a tech company CEO pioneering the next name as “Greg” instead of “Grey.” Then generation of cybernetic implants. A simple he sets his sights on the real targets: the postage stamp-sized chip can attach to scumbags who murdered his wife. one’s nervous system and run an entire huThere are some twists and turns throughman body. out the second act I don’t want to give away. In a series of unfortunate events and co“Upgrade” has a few fun surprises that help incidences that can only exist in cinema, make it better than your average B-movie. Grey ends up in a brutal robbery leaving The movie benefits greatly from not taking him in a wheelchair and his wife in a body itself too seriously. There are some bold bag. He’s angry and unable to do anything and broad choices that could sink a more about it. The police aren’t helpful; even serious movie. Writer/director Leigh Whanwith their fancy high-tech toys, the killers nell has fun with the high-tech premise and have managed to evade capture. Grey falls proudly serves up heaping handfuls of ham into a massive depression and tries to end and cheese. his own life. Unfortunately, suicide booths “Upgrade” feels like it was spawned from haven’t been invented yet. Lousy scientists. the same creative tissue that brought us old Eron shows up and makes Grey an ofpulpy ‘80s movies like “Robocop” or “Predfer he can’t refuse: Let him implant his ator.” Though it’s never as smart as the new high-tech STEM chip into his spine. former and never quite as dynamic as the If it works, he could walk again. There’s a latter. Still, “Upgrade” feels like a rare breed catch; he can’t tell anyone about the proceof summer movie in this overpriced land-
scape of $200-million-dollar monstrosities. It’s simple, fun and occasionally ludicrous. The acting is perfectly suited for this kind of movie. Every actor in every role feels like the discount version of a more popular (and costly) actor. Our lead feels like a more affordable Tom Hardy and the villain is like Rami Malek if Mr. Robot was even further down the spectrum. Still, “Upgrade” is a low-budget gem well worth your time.
DETAILS: Upgrade
Rated R Directed by Leigh Whannell Starring Logan Marshall-Green, Richard Anastasios, Rosco Campbell
June 18-20 (additional 4 p.m. screening on June 20): Screening “Foxtrot.” A grieving father experiences the absurd circumstances around the death of his son in this latest critical reflection on military culture from Israeli filmmaker Samuel Maoz (Lebanon). Michael and Daphna Feldmann (Lior Ashkenazi and Sarah Adler) have barely begun to accept the horrific news about their son, when they discover that all is not what it seems. (Rated R, 113 min.)
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