Hail, Caesar! -- Movie Review #JPMN

• Hail, Caesar! (2016) - Sharply written and wonderfully acted, but ultimately pointless, 5/10. WATCH full episodes of "Movie Night" -- http://bit.ly/JogJPMN TWEET a review with the #JPMN hashtag, and have it featured! ~~ Movie Night ~~ Your host, and film critic Jonathan Paula reviews everything from opening day releases, recent DVDs, upcoming trailers, and classics from years past. Each "Quick Review" is an excerpt from a full episode, which airs on the Jogwheel channel every week. ~~ Watch More Reviews ~~ Browse By Year ----- http://bit.ly/MNYear Browse By Rating --- http://bit.ly/MNRating Trailer Reviews ------- http://bit.ly/MNTrailers ~~ Other Channels ~~ Jogwheel (Main channel) --- http://bit.ly/Jogwheel Jon's World (2nd channel) -- http://bit.ly/JonWorld The Microwave Show --------- http://bit.ly/TMSArchive uStream Live Shows ---------- http://bit.ly/JogLive ~~ Social Media & Merch ~~ Twitter ---------------------------- http://bit.ly/JonTW Facebook ----------------------- http://bit.ly/JonFBFan Instagram ----------------------- http://bit.ly/JonInsta Patreon -------------------------- http://bit.ly/JonPatreon Letterboxd ---------------------- http://bit.ly/JonLetterboxd T-Shirts -------------------------- http://bit.ly/JogStore ~~ Credits ~~ Created by ------ Jonathan Paula Camera ---------- Panasonic HMC-150 Microphone ----- Sennheiser ME 66 Software --------- Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2014 Computer ------- http://bit.ly/JAV010 • Jogwheel Productions © 2016 • ~~ Script ~~ I wouldn't call this picture an outright "swing-and-a-miss"... it's more like a sacrifice fly. Released on February 5, 2016 - this period-comedy film about the trials and tribulations of a classic Hollywood film studio in the 1950s was produced on a budget of $22 million. Written, produced, and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen - the prolific duo have once again penned a brilliantly quirky and unique script - which the all-star cast absolutely revel in delivering. Josh Brolin stars as the studio's "fixer" - a man who solves problems and gets results. The 106-minute narrative follows a particularly busy day in his operation when George Clooney, playing a ditzy big-shot actor is kidnapped by communists for a $100,000 ransom. Elsewhere, Alden Ehrenreich portrays a country-western actor who is thrust into a serious drama with hilarious results. Ralph Fiennes, Jonah Hill, Scarlett Johansson, Frances McDormand, Tilda Swinton, Alison Pill, and Channing Tatum are marvelous as colorful supporting characters - but their appearances amount to little more than an extended cameo, as none appear in more than two scenes. I was left wanting to see more of their performances, which would have been better suited to a serialized television show with an ensemble cast. Come to think of it - how has never been a TV show about running a movie studio? Seems like a great idea. The PG-13 rated film features several authentic re-creations of Hollywood's "Golden Age", like Johansson's beautifully choreographed water dancing, or Tatum's song-and-dance number that is an outright homage to the classic Gene Kelley musicals of that era. Meanwhile, the titular film-within-the-film is an obvious nod to the Charlton Heston masterpiece, "Ben Hur" - which comes with all the trappings of that historical epic. The screenplay seems poised to make some apt witticisms or satirical observations, but sadly remains steadfast to its source inspiration's seriousness. With a different treatment, "Hail, Caesar!" could have been a fantastic parody of old-Hollywood... rather than a hodge-podge of weird characters and events. Things are and constantly happening, and they're perfectly amusing - but there's just no tension or drama anywhere to be found. Indeed, the lack of intersection from the half-dozen moving parts leaves the film extremely disconnected - without a solid through-line to properly support the narrative. The careful editing allows every joke and downbeat to land with precision, however. One of the standout scenes has Brolin securing permission and feedback from a small group of religious leaders over his movie's use of Jesus as a background character. The bickering and arguing, especially from "Star Trek" alum Robert Picardo is especially funny. Perpetual Oscar runner-up Roger Deakins photographs these sequences with vivid detail and bright compositions - and continues to illustrate why he's my favorite cinematographer working today. Shallow and unapologetic - fans of the Coen brothers will still enjoy this picture, but they should wait for this one on home media. "Hail, Caeser!" may be sharply written and wonderfully acted, but it's ultimately pointless. I thought it was just ALRIGHT. ~