32 Years Later, Christian Metal Band Stryper's Album Calls On Me

Sometimes an album finds you at the right time in your life... even if it takes 32 years...

When I was in junior high school, “hair metal” bands were in the midst of their musical heyday. The music was big, bombastic, and — in some cases — controversial. 

I grew up listening to Christian music. My brother Jay worked many years for a national Christian bookstore chain (Zondervan). During that time, he was able to procure albums, cassettes, and compact discs from a variety of artists. He also supplied me with promotional materials including standees, posters, prints of album artwork, and t-shirts. 

I remember one particular instance when he sent me a mix tape he had made of various Christian artists. One of the songs included on that mix was “Calling On You” by Stryper. 

I soon figured out that many of the kids at my junior high school — who seemed to have endless wardrobes of Iron Maiden and Motley Crue t-shirts — liked Stryper. Apparently, the band’s Christian faith wasn’t a “deal breaker” for my metal-loving classmates. 

At the time, I longed for a Stryper t-shirt to wear around school. More importantly, I wanted the band’s 1986 multi-platinum album “To Hell With The Devil.” 

I never could exactly put my finger on why, but my mom wouldn’t get me the album. It wasn’t that she was in any way strict about these things. 

I loved seeing Stryper’s music videos on MTV during that time (they were a fixture on the channel's daily call-in show countdown) — “Calling On You” being a particular favorite: 

Like many metal bands of that era, the sound sometimes tended more towards arena rock and pop — wrapped up in big hair, mascara, and spandex.

I abandoned my crusade to get the “To Hell With The Devil” album at some point during my eighth grade year. 

I still loved the band. In 1988, I purchased the band's fourth studio album, “In God We Trust,” and it has continued to get rotation in my personal music lineup ever since. 

By the early 90s, Stryper had broken up. Today they are back together — as strong as ever.

Nearly 32 years has passed since the release of the “To Hell With The Devil” album. Despite purchasing countless albums in the intervening years, I never added “To Hell With The Devil” to my collection. 

The other day I found a Stryper concert video on Amazon Prime Video. I remembered loving Stryper’s music. I started watching the concert and was taken back to 1986.

I don’t know if the guitar-laden chords triggered a long-dormant memory in my mind, or if it was divine intervention. In that moment I thought, “I’ve never actually listened to the whole ‘To Hell With The Devil’ album...”

So I opened up the YouTube app on my Apple TV (the box is hooked up to our Vizio TV, with the sound pumping through a JVC receiver I’ve had since 1993, and four Yamaha speakers), found the official Stryper channel, and pulled up the “To Hell With The Devil” playlist (which has all the tracks neatly segmented): 

Sometimes long-gestating "likes" from your youth don’t always live up to expectations in the intervening years. 

But as the meaty chords of the title track pounded out over the speakers, I realized I’d been missing something special the past 32 years.

“To Hell With The Devil” is a terrific rock album. The 11 tracks illustrate why Stryper became a popular act in the 1980s — and why they continue to endure to this day. 

One particular highlight is “Sing-Along Song” (track 7) — a pulsing anthem that is brilliant in its simplicity:

Overall, the entire album benefits from the fact that it doesn’t feel “over produced” like the band’s follow-up album, “In God We Trust” (which is still a favorite of mine).

After listening to the entire “To Hell With The Devil” playlist on YouTube, I asked my wife if I could order the album. This time, I wasn’t denied... 

There have been a number of discouraging things going on in my life recently. Listening to the songs on “To Hell With The Devil” took my mind off those irritations, and helped me escape to a simpler time when the music was big, and the hair even bigger. 

In the liner notes, each band member has a Bible verse next to his respective photo. One of those scriptures — 2 Timothy 4:7-8 — includes the following:

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness...” 

Sometimes words of inspiration can come from the oddest places. 

After spending the week becoming reacquainted with the band Stryper, I felt like I finally had the answer to why my mom didn’t purchased the “To Hell With The Devil” album for me in 1986. 

I wasn’t meant to experience it then. I was meant to experience it at a time, 32 years later, when I needed to hear those words the most...

Previous post: Review: "Mission: Impossible - Fallout" is a Love Letter to Action Movie Fans

Review: “Mission: Impossible - Fallout” is a Love Letter to Action Movie Fans

It feels odd saying this, but “Mission: Impossible - Fallout” is a relative rarity at today’s box office. 

Let's face it, Hollywood is hyper-focused on the realm of comic books and graphic novels — meaning they’ll squeeze that orange until the juice runs dry. 

A few years ago, I attended an event featuring author John Grisham where he lamented the lack of grown-up movies in the marketplace. He snarkily suggested that Hollywood was only interested in making “cartoons”...

Thank goodness Tom Cruise is around as an elixir to the glut of "cartoons." Cruise has a penchant for giving us breathtaking action movies — grounded in reality — that emphasize practical effects over digital. 

“Mission: Impossible - Fallout” continues the trend set by “Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol” and “Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation.” 

The current-era “Mission” movies are both retro and cutting edge. Each time I see one, it reminds me of what a summer blockbuster used to be, while at the same time showing us what a modern blockbuster should be...

This time out, Ethan Hunt (Cruise) and his IMF team are tracking down plutonium cores that have been stolen by a sinister organization (“The Apostles”), led by a mystery man named John Lark.

August Walker (Henry Cavill) is assigned to work alongside Hunt and his team. The mustachioed Walker does wet work for the CIA, and is skeptical of Hunt (as is the upper brass at the agency). 

The crew sets off to find Lark via an arms dealer known as “The White Widow” (played with mischievous charm by “The Crown’s” Vanessa Kirby). 

Before we know it, our heroes are involved in various fisticuffs, chases, and double crosses. The narrative buoyantly floats along as we see various spycraft employed.

Simon Pegg (who plays IMF operative Benji Dunn) told BBC Radio 1 that “Mission: Impossible - Fallout” started production without a screenplay — something confirmed by the movie’s writer/director Christopher McQuarrie. Pegg mentions in this interview that they started with just 33 pages, and crafted the story along the way:

This isn’t new for the “Mission” series. In the commentary track for 2015’s “Rogue Nation,” McQuarrie and Cruise talk about how they wrote the movie as they went along — working to tie the story’s terrific stunt sequences together. 

It’s a bold strategy, but one that seems to work well for this series. There is an energy in “Mission: Impossible - Fallout” that is hard to deny. The plot is intriguing without becoming convoluted. 

McQuarrie is an adept hand. In addition to his duties with the “Mission” series, he also wrote and directed 2012’s “Jack Reacher” with Tom Cruise. (Readers of this blog know my fondness for that movie...and the Reacher novels). 

If you haven’t ever listened to a commentary track by McQuarrie, they are among the best I’ve heard. In particular, his commentaries on the Blu-ray/DVD releases of “Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation” and “Valkyrie” are very interesting. 

I recently tweeted at Christopher McQuarrie to ask him if he planned to record a commentary track for “Fallout.” He told me that there would be two commentary tracks for the upcoming Blu-ray/DVD release:

Yes. 2.

— Christopher McQuarrie (@chrismcquarrie) July 25, 2018

There are some terrific action sequences in “Mission: Impossible - Fallout.” The filmmakers managed to turn a “HALO parachate jump” sequence into something truly suspenseful. There is a helicopter chase (Cruise spent months learning to fly a chopper) featuring gorgeous cinematography.

There is also an epic car/truck/motorcycle chase (set in Paris) that is technically superb. McQuarrie told a fan on Twitter that the sequence was inspired by Claude Lelouch’s 1976 short “Rendezvous”:

https://youtu.be/WJYOMFayruw

The driving force behind the “Mission: Impossible” series is Tom Cruise. His quest for authenticity (driven by a healthy dose of perfection) is admirable in this age of computer-generated effects. It’s an aspect of Cruise that gives me hope for the upcoming “Top Gun” sequel. 

The success of the movies in this series is as much about the “big things” as it is the “little touches.” 

For example, in the early scenes of the movie, Ethan Hunt receives his mission assignment in a hollowed-out book (Homer’s The Odyssey)... on an old reel-to-reel tape... which employs a “pin prick” system to authenticate Hunt’s identification via blood drop. 

Most movies wouldn’t take the time and care to do something so cleverly “retro.” 

But that’s why the “Mission: Impossible” movies are so special. 

Also of note is the musical score for “Mission: Impossible - Fallout,” composed by Lorne Balfe. In a day and age where many soundtracks feel like an “afterthought” and are essentially “incidental” in nature, it is nice to see a movie where the music adds another dimension to the narrative. 

The fact that this franchise — six movies in — manages to get better with age is quite a feat. 

“Mission: Impossible - Fallout” pushes all the right buttons. It’s definitely my favorite of the summer movie season... and likely the best in the “Mission: Impossible” series...

Previous post: Is Kellogg's Unicorn Cereal a Magical Breakfast Experience? 

Is Kellogg’s Unicorn Cereal a Magical Breakfast Experience?

Is there anything more fun than novelty breakfast cereals?

Of course there is... but for the sake of this blog post, let’s go with the notion that loud, colorful, and sugary breakfast cereals represent the pinnacle of daily life experiences. 

My friend C.J posted a picture on Facebook a few days ago of a box of Kellogg’s “Limited Edition” Unicorn Cereal. I said to my wife, “a review of that cereal would make a great blog post.”

It’s so ridiculously pink and girly — pandering to the current unicorn fad — that I had to try it. 

The cereal itself is shaped in “Os” — similar to Kellogg’s Fruit Loops — purple, red, and blue. There are little white crusty frosting pieces on the outside. 

Upon opening the box, you are greeted with a smell similar to processed frosting. So far, so good. 

I’ll bet you’d like to know how they taste...

Imagine — if you will — that a glazed donut and a Fruit Loop decide to have a baby. The resulting offspring is sort of like a fusion of both parents, but is ultimately unremarkable on its own...

... that’s what Kellogg’s Unicorn Cereal tastes like. 

(On the box it describes the flavor as “Magic Cupcake”...)

It’s not going to offend you, but it’s likely not something you’d buy again. 

Keep in mind, though, that this box of cereal offers fun that goes beyond a bowl of crunchy “Os” doused in milk.

There is a “key” on the side of the box that allows you to discover your unicorn name. You use the “first letter of your name” and the “month you were born” to determine this:

It turns out that my unicorn name is “Sunbeam Feather Wind”...

There’s also a “unicorn coloring page” on the back of the box — featuring a unicorn you can decorate all fancy with a box of crayons:

  

I’m not sure I’d recommend Kellogg’s Unicorn Cereal. I’ve heard from a number of our “mom friends” that their unicorn-loving kids didn’t care for the cereal. 

It’s not magical, but it won’t offend you...

But... If you have a blog and are looking to meet your monthly post quota, the $4 price tag is well worth the novelty value. 

Previous post: Thoughts on "The Survivor"... A Mitch Rapp Novel By Kyle Mills 

Thoughts on “The Survivor"... A Mitch Rapp Novel By Kyle Mills

Vince Flynn’s Mitch Rapp novels have been among my “go to” books for 12 years now. 

The first Rapp novel I read was “Memorial Day" — I devoured the pages as I lounged by a resort pool in Arizona back in 2006.

From that point on, I sprinkled Vince’s books into my reading rotation. 

Whenever I was in a reading slump, I knew that pulling a Mitch Rapp novel off the shelf would get me flipping pages once again. 

Flynn died from prostate cancer in 2013. He was just 47 years old.

My mom succumbed to gallbladder cancer that same year. At my urging, she had read a number of Flynn’s novels. She was an avid reader, and the two of us shared a love of mysteries and thrillers. 

I had four Vince Flynn novels yet to read as 2013 came to a close (“Protect and Defend,” “Extreme Measures,” “Pursuit of Honor,” and “The Last Man”). 

I did everything in my power to “ration” those books over the course of the next four years. 

I knew that Kyle Mills was going to take over writing duties for the Mitch Rapp series — meaning more adventures were on the way. 

Yet for some reason I didn’t want to “let go” of the novels Vince wrote himself. It was oddly comforting knowing I had "yet-to-be-read" Vince Flynn hardcovers waiting patiently on my bookshelf. 

Maybe it was a futile attempt by my subconscious to keep one of my favorite authors alive.  

In December 2017, I finally finished the last “unread” Flynn novel in my collection — 2012’s “The Last Man.”

By that point, it felt like the right time to finish all the novels Vince had written. 

I'd heard a number of positive things on Twitter about the Rapp novels Kyle Mills has written (most notably from Ryan "The Rappologist" Steck, who runs the book-centric website TheRealBookSpy.com). 

I wanted to be able write reviews of the latest Rapp novels on my blog... and be part of the conversation going on in the Twitterverse. 

I’ve spent the past week reading “The Survivor" — A Mitch Rapp Novel By Kyle Mills. I’m doing so in anticipation of the publication of the upcoming Mitch Rapp novel “Red War” (set to drop on Sept. 25). 

I’m really impressed with the way Mills handled this follow-up novel to 2012’s “The Last Man” — no small task considering the loyal fan following Flynn developed during his career. 

“The Survivor” picks up where “The Last Man” left off. 

“The Survivor” finds Rapp & Co. having to clean up the mess left by a dead CIA traitor named Joe Rickman (a man Rapp “dispatched” at the end of “The Last Man”). Rickman left all sorts of surprises to haunt the CIA from beyond the grave — including video messages that dump classified information about clandestine operatives currently in play around the globe. 

The unscrupulous head of Pakistan’s ISI (Ahmed Taj) hopes to use the information to usurp authority from his country’s president. Taj is in cahoots with a U.S. Senator named Carl Ferris (a man with presidential ambitions of his own). 

The power play is a maneuver to wound the Central Intelligence Agency and diminish U.S. credibility across the globe.

Thankfully, the CIA has an ace up its sleeve in Mitch Rapp. 

As Mills writes in the novel: “Rapp was the pinnacle. Most people had become resigned to the fact that he was unkillable.”

Part of the reason I like the Mitch Rapp character is that he came to the special ops game from ordinary beginnings. 

Rapp was a lacrosse player at Syracuse University (not the “ex-military" protagonist often found in these sorts of novels). He was recruited into the CIA after his high school sweetheart was killed in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103. 

In “The Survivor,” Rapp is in his 40s and an old hand at the counterterrorism game — it's been an entertaining journey for fans along the way. 

“The years had begun to run together in Rapp’s mind," Mills writes. "One crisis after another. Lost friends. Dead enemies. A lengthening list of wounds and injuries. Every day had become similar to the last. Every scenario a familiar twist on one of the horrors that preceded it.”

In many respects, Rapp’s existential crisis benefits from the fresh perspective Kyle Mills brings to the series. 

In Flynn’s later novels, enhanced interrogation became an all-too-frequent plot device the author used (a “hot button” topic when those novels were written). 

Mills takes Rapp back to his roots in “The Survivor.” The result is a more nuanced novel focused on spy craft. 

Don’t worry, there is still plenty of Mitch Rapp “badassery” in the novel. I just enjoyed the fact that “The Survivor” emphasized “action in the field” over "interrogation in a holding cell." 

Years ago, I read the novels “Rising Phoenix” and “Free Fall” by Kyle Mills. He is an adept writer who has experience in this territory.

A bit of trivia... a year or so ago I tweeted at Kyle because I'd heard that a character in Tom Clancy's novels was based on Kyle's father. Kyle confirmed that the Dan Murray character (who I first read about in the novel "Clear and Present Danger") was indeed based on his father: 

Yup. Dan Murray.

— Kyle Mills (@KyleMillsAuthor) February 20, 2017

In my humble opinion, the novels of Vince Flynn serve as the prototype for the post-9/11 thriller. A number of contemporary thriller writers (including Matthew Betley and Jack Carr) owe a great deal to Flynn’s success. 

Last year I reviewed the movie adaptation of Flynn’s novel “American Assassin.” While the film received mixed reviews during its run at the box office, I really enjoyed it. I thought Dylan O’Brien embodied the Mitch Rapp character, and Michael Keaton did a terrific job as grizzled operative Stan Hurley. 

My plan is to read Kyle Mills’s 2016 and 2017 Rapp novels over the next couple weeks. I want to be all caught up when “Red War” becomes available. 

If you haven’t read any of Vince Flynn’s novels, he’s worth a look. The first Mitch Rapp novel — “Transfer of Power” — is one of my favorites. Flynn’s seventh novel — “Consent to Kill” — is arguably the strongest in the series. 

(Don't overlook "Term Limits" — Flynn's first novel... an entertaining tome that was originally self-published by the author).

Flynn’s novels don’t necessarily have to be read in publication order, but I’d strongly recommend starting at the beginning and working your way forward (for the best reading experience). 

Previous post: Review: "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" Documentary 

Review: “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” Documentary

“If you take all the elements that make good television — and do the exact opposite — you have ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood’...” — Margy Whitmer, Producer

If you were a kid who grew up in the 1970s and 80s (like I did), you likely consumed a steady diet of shows like “Sesame Street” and “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” — child-oriented series that aired in the morning and afternoon on PBS. 

The new documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” — focusing on the life and legacy of Fred Rogers — has generated quite a bit of buzz this summer. 

The film itself is less a “documentary” and more a “tribute” to the lessons and values Rogers instilled throughout the decades via his series “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” (Rogers died in 2003 at the age of 74.)

That said, the film still dives deep. 

As a kid, I didn’t realize some of the difficult social issues Rogers tackled on his show — oftentimes played out allegorically in the “Neighborhood of Make Believe” (which featured puppets voiced by Rogers). 

The show’s first week of episodes (which aired in 1967) dealt with the political and social turmoil surrounding the Vietnam War (those episodes are available to Amazon Prime subscribers in “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood — Volume 1”). 

In that week’s episodes, things have been “rearranged” in the “Neighborhood of Make Believe” by Lady Elaine. As a result, King Friday XIII (who rules the “Neighborhood of Make Believe”) becomes paranoid about change, puts up a wire wall around the castle, and tries to fight back (his motto is “Down with the changers!”).

This is pretty heady stuff for children, but Rogers didn’t shy away from difficult topics on the show. 

One other example is an episode where Rogers tackles racism. In the episode, Rogers is cooling off his feet in a small, backyard pool at his fictitious home. He invites Francois Clemmons — who plays a police officer on the show — to join him. 

Rogers wrote this sequence because of a real-life incident where a group of African-Americans were told they couldn’t swim in a pool — and a man poured cleaning chemicals into the water to try and force the people to out. 

His show also dealt with topics like assassination (in response to the death of Robert F. Kennedy) and divorce. 

Rogers was an ordained Presbyterian minister. He believed the love (or lack thereof) was at the root of everything. 

It is readily apparent that his guiding principle was “The Golden Rule” — treating others as one would wish to be treated. 

One interesting tidbit is the fact that Rogers (who was overweight as a child) managed to maintain a steady 143-pound weight in his adult life. The number 143 had special significance for Rogers — the words “I Love You” have “1” letter, “4” letters, and “3” letters (respectively). Thus, 143.

It is also worth noting that Betty Aberlin (who played Lady Aberlin throughout the show’s run) isn’t featured in the documentary. Director Morgan Neville told AZCentral.com that he talked to her on the phone numerous times, but says the actress “felt deeply insecure about going on-camera.”

In addition to the myriad of accolades for “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” Rogers’s show also came under fire in the intervening years since his death. Some columnists and “talking heads” argued against a philosophy teaching all children that they are “special” — feeling it might thwart adolescent achievement in our society. 

Whatever side you fall on, you can’t argue the cultural phenomenon that “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” became in our society. 

One of the most salient examples of the persuasive genius of Rogers happened in the early days of the Nixon Administration — when the president wanted to cut $20 million in funding from PBS. 

Rogers (a lifelong Republican) testified before a Senate committee on the topic. He spoke using the comforting monotone employed on his show. His words made a difference, and lawmakers made sure PBS had its funding. 

Part of the reason the documentary “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?” resonates with audiences has to do with the fact that Rogers preached understanding, patience, and pragmatism on his show. 

We’d all benefit by having more neighbors like that...

Previous post: "Stranger Things" Season 3 "Starcourt Mall" Teaser Hints at Possible Release Date... My Thoughts 

“Stranger Things” Season 3 “Starcourt Mall” Teaser Hints at Possible Release Date... My Thoughts

Looks like the kids in fictional Hawkins, Indiana, are gonna be saying “Let’s go to the mall!” in the third season of Netflix’s hit show “Stranger Things.” 

Netflix just dropped a clever promo for the upcoming season — an ad for the town’s new “Starcourt Mall.” 

The mall looks to have all the staples of a well-apportioned 80s-era shopping center — including neon lights, brass fixtures, and faux plants. 

I was happy to see Waldenbooks included (since it was one of my favorite places to visit at the mall), and it was good to see a window display for Tom Clancy’s debut novel “The Hunt for Red October” (which was published in 1984): 

This Nike gym bag (which I am assuming is in the “Kaufman Shoes” store) looks like a red and navy blue Nike bag my dad had back in the 1980s:

The final few frames of the ad shows us an ice cream parlor called “Scoops Ahoy.” There we see series favorite Steve Harrington (Joe Keery) working behind the counter alongside a girl named Robin (new cast addition Maya Hawke, who was terrific in PBS’s recent “Little Women” adaptation — and yes, that's Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman's daughter). 

The end of the ad suggests that the mall is “COMING NEXT SUMMER,” which some sites have speculated might be the release date for the third season of “Stranger Things.”

I don’t necessarily know if that is the case. My thought was perhaps the upcoming season takes place during the summer vacation. 

Please Netflix, don’t make us wait until 2019 for more “Stranger Things”...

Whatever the case may be, I’m looking forward to seeing more adventures with our adolescent heroes (and the thought of the crew battling Demogorgons in a shopping mall has “crazy fun” written all over it).

The final frame of the ad suggests that the mall is owned by “Starcourt Industries” — a company that could potentially have a darker side (considering how things seem to roll in Hawkins, IN). 

Anyhow, if you haven’t seen the new teaser for “Stranger Things” Season 3, check it out...because “Starcourt Mall has it all!”

Previous post: Movie Review: “Ant-Man and the Wasp” 

Movie Review: “Ant-Man and the Wasp”

Scott Lang might just be the most underrated character in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. 

Paul Rudd’s self-effacing performance as the small-time-crook-turned-superhero is one of my favorites in Marvel’s perpetual stream of theatrical releases. 

“Ant-Man and the Wasp” finds Scott Lang serving a house arrest sentence for his involvement in the events documented in “Captain America: Civil War.” He is making the best of a bad situation, crafting creative ways to entertain his daughter, and counting the days until he regains his freedom. 

Lang's former “partners in crime” (led by Luis — brilliantly played by Michael Pena) have started a security business (X-Con Security). Lang is set to join the team when his sentence is up (he only has a few days left when the movie begins). 

Meanwhile, Lang’s former associates in the superhero realm — Hope van Dyne (Evangeline Lilly) and Hank Pym (Michael Douglas) — are attempting to find a way into the “quantum realm” in search of Hank Pym’s long-lost wife Janet (MIchelle Pfeiffer). They have built a device called the “quantum tunnel” in that effort. 

Lang has a dream while he relaxes in the bath one evening — a vision that holds clues to the whereabouts of Janet. He decides to contact Pym on a phone he has hidden in a wall socket — but receives no answer. 

Before we know it, Lang is kidnapped by Hope van Dyne (going against the terms of his house arrest), and reunites with her and her father to try and assist them in finding their mother/wife. 

Along the way we meet a shadowy figure known as “ghost,” a criminal named Burch (who wants to sell Pym’s tech on the black market), and a former Pym associate named Bill Foster (who worked on Project Goliath). 

It isn’t long before Lang is back in action as Ant-Man — working alongside van Dyne’s Wasp alter-ego. 

What you really want to know is what I thought of “Ant-Man and the Wasp”...?

I really enjoyed it. 

Like 2015’s “Ant-Man,” the film has its flaws. The villains weren’t terribly compelling, Michael Douglas’s performance felt incredibly forced, and there were copious amounts of non-sensical, scientific mumbo-jumbo...

At one point Lang says, “Do you guys just put the word ‘quantum’ in front of everything?”

Despite these flaws, “Ant-Man and the Wasp” is another entertaining outing for Marvel. 

There were a number of fun bits. 

The fact that Pym’s tech allows characters and objects to change size “on the fly” means there are moments in “Ant-Man and the Wasp” that harken back to movies like “Fantastic Voyage” and “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” 

For example, there is a neat bit in the movie where Pym carries miniaturized vehicles (he and Hope need to conduct business) in a Hot Wheels Rally Carrying Case:

There are car chases in the movie involving these vehicles, and there is something incredibly satisfying watching a car go from “life size” to “Hot Wheels size” as it barrels down the streets of San Francisco. 

In addition to the cars, the filmmakers found a way to “weaponize” a Hello Kitty Pez Dispenser in the movie (a definite first for the MCU) — "You got Pez'd":

In the final sum game, what makes the “Ant-Man” movies work is Paul Rudd. The chemistry between Rudd and Evangeline Lilly is believable. The writers set aside cheesy melodrama for something that feels more authentic. The two make a compelling crime-fighting duo. 

Overall, director Peyton Reed keeps things feeling fresh in “Ant-Man and the Wasp.”

This is the third and final Marvel Cinematic Universe release for 2018. What’s neat about the MCU is that each of the three movies — “Black Panther,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Ant-Man and the Wasp” — has its own unique vibe. 

That is part of the reason why Marvel continues to be the “engine driving the train” at the box office. 

Be sure to stay for “mid-credit” and “post-credit” bonus scenes after the movie...

Previous post: Movie Review: "Sicario: Day of the Soldado" 

Movie Review: “Sicario: Day of the Soldado”

When the first “Sicario” movie was released in 2015, it became something of a sleeper hit. The moody and stylish action movie also went on to receive numerous awards-season nominations.

It’s rare these days to see smart action movies.

I didn’t see “Sicario” until a year or so ago when I watched it on Amazon Prime. I enjoyed it enough that I purchased the movie on blu-ray. When I heard they were doing a sequel, I made a mental note to see it in the theater. 

I did just that yesterday when I saw “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” (known overseas as “Sicario 2: Soldado”).

First off, “Sicario” wasn’t a movie screaming for a sequel. The movie — about the ongoing battle with Mexican drug cartels — really said what it needed to say. 

But this is Hollywood, and anything with a whiff of success gets a sequel. 

Here’s where things stand as the story in “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” unfolds:

After suicide bombers kill 15 at a grocery store in Kansas City, the U.S. government decides to amp up its war on Mexican drug cartels. The cartels are suspected of bringing terrorists across the border. 

So the Department of Defense brings in unorthodox CIA agent Matt Graver (Josh Brolin) to employ "any means necessary" to stop the flow. 

Graver decides the best way to approach the problem is to start a war between rival cartels in Mexico (a strategy adopted from Afghanistan). In that effort, he employs mercenaries and brings in Alejandro Gillick (Benicio del Toro) to stir the pot and kidnap a “cartel princess” (Isabel Reyes — played by Isabela Moner).

Brolin and del Toro are two of the reasons the first “Sicario” movie was so good. 

There’s something about seeing Josh Brolin in shorts and Crocs — looking like he just stepped off a surfboard — that gives the Matt Graver character a certain heft...

... and Benecio del Toro is eternally watchable as a mysterious black ops operative working south of the border. 

“Sicario: Day of the Soldado” was written by Taylor Sheridan (who also penned the first movie). The scribe of “Hell or High Water” and “Wind River” (both of which I have yet to see) has kind of become the “it” screenwriter these days.

(He is also the mind behind the new Kevin Costner series “Yellowstone” on the Paramount Network).

While the idea of the government rebranding drug cartels as “terrorists” is interesting, it is similar in concept to the Tom Clancy novel “Clear and Present Danger” — where POTUS deems the cartels a “clear and present danger” and decides to send in the U.S. military to take down a Colombian cartel (after a political ally is brutally murdered by cartel henchmen on his yacht).

Unlike “Clear and Present Danger,” the story in “Sicario: Day of the Soldado” doesn’t quite realize its full potential, and everything unravels late in the second act. 

Don’t get me wrong, it’s still more compelling than most of the action movies you’ll see at the multiplex these days. The plot just failed to capitalize on the interesting setup. 

That could be due to the fact the film didn’t have a “moral compass” like the first “Sicario” movie. The original had FBI agent Kate Mercer (Emily Blunt) — and idealist who becomes disillusioned by Graver and Gillick’s methods in fighting the cartels.

In “Sicario: Day of the Soldado,” the “moral dilemma” presented in the storyline is left to fall on the shoulders of Brolin and del Toro’s characters to handle. I still can’t decide if each man’s response felt authentic, or a bit forced. I’ll let you decide. 

There is also a subplot about a teenage boy who lives along the border named Miguel (Elijah Rodriguez) who gets recruited by criminals who ferry Mexicans across the border for profit — and his story eventually intersects with that of our main characters. 

A new director took the helm this time out. Stefano Sollima replaces Denis Villeneuve (“Arrival,” “Blade Runner 2049”), and does a yeoman’s job recreating the moody vibe and style of the first movie.  

As was the case with the first “Sicario,” the second film leaves things unsettled and up in the air (if “Soldado” proves successful at the box office, I’m sure we’ll see a third movie in the “Sicario” franchise). 

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