Two Movie Reviews

I’m a little behind on these. It saw The Man from U.N.C.L.E and Shaun the Sheep Movie a couple weeks back. I decided to post about them anyway.

The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

Not exactly a critic favorite but I liked the movie.

The movie opens with Napoleon Solo attempting to get the daughter (Alicia Vikander) of a German atomic scientist out of East Berlin (they her to try and find her father who’s disappeared and probably helping to build a bomb). Illya Kuryakin is doing his best to stop that. At each turn Solo thinks he’s out smarted Kuryakin. But Kuryakin just keeps showing up. The way Solo finally gets the girl out is very funny.

Henry Cavill plays Napoleon Solo and Armie Hammer plays Illya Kuryakin. I really like the chemistry between the two of them. They start out really not liking each other but gradual grow to respect each other. Each takes a lead on a task that ends up not turning out as planned and the other has to save the day.

The plot:

“The Man from U.N.C.L.E.” centers on CIA agent Solo and KGB agent Kuryakin. Forced to put aside longstanding hostilities, the two team up on a joint mission to stop a mysterious international criminal organization, which is bent on destabilizing the fragile balance of power through the proliferation of nuclear weapons and technology.

It’s a very stylish movie. It certainly captured the 60s feeling. I also liked the gadgets that were used. Of course the level of technology had to be dialed back to the 60s but at the same time needed to be cool enough and cutting edge for the time. I think they accomplished that very well.

The story is not entirely original shadowy crime organization is going to sell a nuclear war head. But that aside I think the story works well. As I said Cavill and Hammer work really well to together. Also the attraction between Hammer and Vikander is sort of a running gag in the movie. The will they or won’t they kiss. They get close on numerous occasions but are alway interrupted.

It was a fun diversion.

Shaun the Sheep Movie

Saving the best for last.

What a delight of a film. Very sweet. Very funny. Just enjoyable from start to finish.

Here’s the plot of the film:

When Shaun decides to take the day off and have some fun, he gets a little more action than he bargained for. A mix up with the Farmer, a caravan, and a very steep hill lead them all to the Big City and it’s up to Shaun and the flock to return everyone safely to the green grass of home.

The farmer ends up in the caravan and takes a ride into the city. There he loses his memory. He winds up in a barber shops and “shears” (he remembers the shears but doesn’t remember he uses them on sheep instead of people) someone’s hair and suddenly becomes a star hair dresser.

Shaun and friends chase after the farmer to try and bring him home.

There are all sorts of delightful adventures. The sheep trying to get away from an aminal control man. Shaun is actually caught and put in the same cell as the dog from the farm who also pursued the farmer into the city.

From the Post:

the jokes fly faster than the eye can read them. When the sheep aren’t disguising themselves as diners in a fancy French restaurant — name of restaurant: Le Chou Brûlé, a.k.a. the Burnt Cabbage — they’re hiding from an animal containment officer by posing stock-still in front of a bus station poster. The prevailing tone throughout is one of warmhearted absurdity. Several moments (including pretty much any shot of tiny Timmy the lamb) will elicit “awwws” from the audience. But “Shaun the Sheep” has enough of a sly streak to avoid succumbing to over-cuddliness. Adults will especially appreciate the winking homages to “Silence of the Lambs” and “Breaking Bad.”

This is an absolutely wonderful film. It reminds you just how good, fun and enjoyable a movie can be.