John Gallagher Jr.

I.S.S. (2023): The Most Hauntingly Intimate Space Movie Since Gravity

Posted on by Jack Drees

“I.S.S.” is directed by Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Blackfish, Our Friend) and stars Ariana DeBose (West Side Story, Wish), Chris Messina (Alex of Venice, The Mindy Project), John Gallagher Jr. (Come Play, Underwater), Masha Mashkova (McMafia, For All Mankind), Costa Ronin (The Americans, Homeland), and Pilou Asbæk (Overlord, Game of Thrones). This film centers around a group of American astronauts and Russian cosmonauts who work together at the International Space Station, when suddenly, conflict breaks out between their respective nations back on Earth. Meanwhile, both sides are ordered to take over the space station no matter the method or cost.

If you have known me or followed Scene Before for some time, it is no secret that I love space movies. Some of my favorite movies include “2001: A Space Odyssey,” “Interstellar,” and “Star Wars.” When it comes to cinema, I may have a predisposed bias to anything that takes place in space, but it does not mean I am guaranteed to like it. For example, “The Space Between Us” stands as one of the worst travesties I have ever witnessed in the sci-fi genre. But I should note that the movie came out in February 2017. As I and others have noted, February is one of the worst months for films. Right alongside that rathole is its next door neighbor, January, so going into “I.S.S.,” I had to temper my expectations despite the trailer looking decent.

Nevertheless, “I.S.S.” has a presentable concept. I like the idea of taking an object in space that has been the subject of years of collaboration and having war break out on it between its two respective parties. The Americans and the Russians. And when it comes to handling this concept, I have to say the film is very well done. If you asked me if I wanted to go space one day, the answer is a resounding yes. But after watching this movie, it reminds me of my slight fear toward the idea. Because depending on how things go, that childlike dream can potentially become a nightmare. While it is not my favorite of the recent space fare, one movie that has always stuck in my mind both from its technical power and storytelling mastery, is “Gravity.” “I.S.S.” very much reminds me of “Gravity” because the story is not only gripping on paper, but the way it is told allows for some scary moments. “I.S.S.,” much like “Gravity,” is not the best space film I have seen. In fact, I think “Gravity” is the superior watch of the two. But I am going to be thinking about this movie for some time because some of the imagery is vividly haunting. On top of that, the way it goes about handling its characters easily strikes fear as to what could potentially happen if something goes wrong in our world, and eventually makes its way into space. Regardless of how realistic this movie is in its execution, it is one that got me thinking, and I appreciate it for that.

One reason why I think this film is good, but not as good as the recently mentioned “Gravity,” is that I am looking back at the characters, and I have to say they are not the film’s strongest asset. Do not get me wrong, they are not an insult or anything. But as I look back on the film, I do not think I will remember anybody’s name within the next month. The movie sometimes does an okay job at establishing character quirks, individualities, those sorts of things. But sometimes it feels surface level. There is one astronaut, Christian, played by John Gallagher Jr., who we learn has two daughters. They are obviously a driving force for his journey and role. But it is also hard to fully appreciate the character because we are simply told about these characters and never get a visual or audio reference to the daughters themselves.

At the beginning of the review, I mentioned one of my favorite films was “Interstellar,” and one reason why I adore that film so much is because it took its time in letting its audience get to know not just Cooper, the main astronaut, but it also let the audience know about his family. So whenever the film references his family or children, either through his mouth, or simply by showing them, the impact is so much bigger. One of the strengths of “I.S.S.” is that the film is tightly paced in its 95 minute runtime. So if you are looking for a short movie that gets the job done, this is not a bad watch. But the film sometimes suffers from its short runtime, and the more I think about it, its limited scale. The film lets us spend time with a select number of characters, but it also prevents us from having a full-fledged story. Granted, when I look back at “Gravity,” one of its standout scenes is when Ryan and Matt are just having a conversation while floating through space and we learn about Ryan’s backstory about what she does, her origins, and how her dad wanted a boy. But not only was that well written, but the movie does a fantastic job at unleashing memorable performances out of Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. The performances in “I.S.S.” serve the movie quite well. But when it comes to main protagonists, Kira Foster (DeBose) is no Ryan Stone.

But if you want me to be real, the performances, while not legendary, are genuinely good all around. The chemistry between everyone in the cast is perfect. DeBose breaks a leg in the lead role. I thought on the Russian side, Masha Mashkova and Pilou Asbæk were the two most prominent standouts. The moments where all the astronauts meet and get to know each other make for some fun bonding scenes.

Another problem I have with this film is the ending. The ending is not the worst I have seen. But it concludes in such an abrupt manner to the point where I can simply go, “Well, it’s over.” It neither left me wanting more nor did it leave me passionately angry. It just happened. It is like the movie did not how to wrap up so it just whipped something into shape really quickly and said, “Here you go!” Enjoy! Except it was not as enjoyable as it probably could have been. That’s just the reality. “I.S.S.” is both paced well enough to justify its runtime, but lacks just enough depth to make me wish it was longer.

In the end, “I.S.S.” is not the best space movie in recent times, but it is one that I do not regret seeing. The film is not getting the best scores from audiences, and while I can understand why, I cannot say I am in line with those audiences. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 62% critic score and a 44% audience score. I am going to have to lean towards the critics on this one. This is not to say I loved the movie, but I would give it a thumbs up. As a thriller, it is exciting. As a space movie, it is riveting. And while it is not as terrifying as some recent horror fare, it has its moments of chills. Everyone in the film’s small cast does a good job and there are select characters I almost cannot see anyone else playing. Does the film have problems? Yes. But I will not deny that it had my eyes on the screen the entire time. For that reason alone, I would describe my experience with “I.S.S.” to be a positive one. I am going to give “I.S.S.” a 6/10.

“I.S.S.” is now playing in theaters everywhere. Tickets are available now.

Thanks for reading this review! My next review is going to be for the brand Matthew Vaughn spy flick, “Argylle.” I found myself giving the trailer a lukewarm response, but I have to admit in the past decade, “Kingsman: The Secret Service” has stood out as one of my more rewatched action flicks, so I cannot deny that I at least had some excitement about checking this film out. Was it worth the watch? You will have to find out yourself. If you want to see this and more from Scene Before, follow the blog either with an email or WordPress account! Also, check out the official Facebook page! I want to know, did you see “I.S.S?” What did you think about it? Or, what is your favorite space movie? Let me know down below! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!

Peppermint (2018): A Cluster of Ice Cream, Badassery, and Lifetime

Posted on by Jack Drees

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“Peppermint” is directed by Pierre Morel (Taken, From Paris with Love) and stars Jennifer Garner (Juno, Daredevil), John Gallagher Jr. (Jonah Hex, 10 Cloverfield Lane), and John Ortiz (Silver Linings Playbook, American Gangster) and is about a woman who lost her family five years ago. After all this time, she plans to seek revenge on those who killed said family.

This movie is from the director of “Taken,” which contains my favorite line in movie history. To be more specific, Liam Neeson’s character, Bryan Mills, is giving a monologue, telling a kidnapper to let his daughter go before they face consequences. Here, it’s a pretty similar formula, you have a kid, although in this case you actually have a *kid* and not a teenager like in “Taken.” Also in this movie, the kid does not get captured, she actually gets brutally murdered alongside her father. Not to mention, “Taken” was PG-13 whereas this was rated R, allowing the movie to get away with more on screen. But I can tell you there is something this movie did not in fact get away with, and that is being forgettable, boring, and just plain bad.

I will say, the beginning of the movie was rather intriguing. The buildup until when the daughter gets killed is rather interesting, and even the stuff that happens afterwards was still worth sitting through. I didn’t really feel bored or insulted. Although factors such as predictability, Jennifer Garner in terms of how her character was written, and simply how I didn’t remember this movie all as well as I would have hoped sometime after walking out all contributed to what could simply be referred to as “a piece of crap.” But in all seriousness, Jennifer Garner, while she could have been written worse, she wasn’t written all that well to begin with. Although has nothing to do with her performance.

When it comes to Jennifer Garner as a performer, it’s just spot on, and it’s basically what you want out of an action movie like this. She’s a badass, she’s takes no nonsense whatsoever, and she is always. F*cking. PISSED. Although I will admit, that is also a slight deterioration in this situation because of how some of the writing is in this movie. Imagine if this were a movie about Facebook, no relation to the social network. Whenever someone on Facebook is doing something that may be somewhat questionable, but it is really hard for them to control, Jennifer Garner steps in really angry and just tries to stop them from doing whatever it is they are doing. OK, sure, you can try to stop them, but have you ever thought someone might be going through a hard time? If it’s not hurting anyone, let them continue on, although I wouldn’t jump onto that decision right away, maybe private message that person and just talk to them casually, ask them how they feel. I know this is an action movie that might not really be trying to go for any awards, but actions have consequences.

Did I seriously just quote “Fist Fight?” How is that movie still in my head?

This is what I think contributes to the film’s biggest weakness, the script. Not only is it predictable, but only certain moments are worth remembering and the rest might as well be tossed in the garbage. Not to mention, this movie was marketed as what seems to be a very typical action thriller similar to that of “Taken,” “John Wick,” or even “Deadpool,” all because they are about getting revenge. And while this movie is also kind of serious in the same way that “Taken” may have come off as somewhat serious, it doesn’t seem to have much fun being what it is. I get the summer movie season is coming to a close and the awards season is getting to that point where it is gonna be in full swing, but this feels like a cluster of an Oscar film and a summer movie. It’s not a summer blockbuster, but it’s still something you’d pay matinee price to see, or maybe now that we are in a new age, you’d pay with your AMC A-List perks, just to waste time. Think of a “Bourne” movie that doesn’t necessarily try as hard to be compelling. I say it feels like an Oscar film in ways because you have Jennifer Garner, who must have delivered with full force as far as her performance goes, and the tone just feels very dramatic and serious. In a way, I’d almost take back my “Oscar” statement and call this an action movie that may be meant to go straight to Lifetime! It’s just under two hours, Jennifer Garner seems to be the right age and person to play her character, and it has some occasional cringe!

And speaking of “Taken,” this is from the director of that movie as mentioned earlier. Although when comparing this to “Taken,” if these two movies were my children, and I had to decide which of the two would end up kidnapped, I’d say this one in a heartbeat. This movie feels more on the cliche side, the way the action is shot feels like it has less passion put into it compared to some other action films we’ve gotten throughout this decade. I mean, when you truly think about it, in fact, I don’t think much thinking would be required for this, but whatever. “Taken” would probably be just another action movie had I not admired it for just the way it executed its material. Then it would just be this movie.

Now let me just warn you, we are going to dive into this movie and how it manages to earn its title. They say never to judge a book by its cover. But this is a movie, so those rules, be damned! Plus, this was never based on any existing property so let’s just do whatever the f*ck I please! This movie is called “Peppermint.” And you may be wondering why that title exists. Maybe you think that’s the name or nickname given to the daughter who was killed. It could be a nickname for the killer. Or it just keeps getting mentioned or thrown around during the film. Guess what? None of that’s true! The reason why this film, at least from my assessment of what I’ve seen, is called “Peppermint,” is that there is an instance where just before the daughter dies that she gets ice cream. And what kind does she get?

…

…

…

…

Well, what the f*ck do YOU think, idiots?

This movie literally shares the name of the ice cream she gets before she dies. Granted there are worse names that could be stated. This movie could be called “John Wick” even though John Wick appears nowhere in the film. But this title almost either sounds like a working title, or a title that was slapped together at the least minute. Some flak could be given towards Dwayne Johnson’s recent film, “Skyscraper” for maybe sounding like a pitch movie, in fact, that’s almost what the title screams at some points. But at least it just sounded like it had things revolving around that title more than “Peppermint” did. I don’t know what title I would end up giving to “Peppermint” at this point if I had the power, but probably not “Peppermint.” Heck, even “Die Family Die!” would be a better title than this! It sounds stupid, but really f*cking intriguing.

Speaking of which, one thing that I found intriguing is the way this movie takes a look at Los Angeles and makes it look like this depressing wasteland. Bums are all over the place, it just seems trashy, and nothing of glory seems to be displayed. When I think of LA, I think of tall buildings, I think of movie stars, I think of culture. This movie gives a giant f*ck you to that and I kind of admire the movie for doing such a thing. I can’t wait for the sequel where they start the movie in New York and they show people asking for money on the street, horns honking everywhere, and creepy Disney character impersonators kidnapping children and their parents!

Guys, in the end, while I don’t think I have much else to say about “Peppermint,” most of what I have to say is not really all that positive. “Peppermint” could have been a fun movie, a compelling movie, or even a good movie. But the thing is that it probably doesn’t know what it wants to be. Is it trying to be an action-packed, made for audiences to go in and chew on popcorn time-waster? Is it trying to be a serious drama that would make you root for the mother? I don’t know. Guys, if you want a good movie about revenge, go watch “John Wick!” Go watch “V For Vendetta!” Not this crap. I’m gonna give “Peppermint” a 3/10. Thanks for reading this review! Tomorrow I’m gonna be going out to the theater to see “The Meg” so expect a review of that very soon, also if content consistency seems to be slower than usual, I should have you know, I’m in college now, so I apologize for any inconvenience this may be causing. However, let me just have you know that my resolution for 2018 is to deliver at least one Scene Before post each week. So I’m not saying this is dying. It’s still a serious commitment, it’s still going on, and I will make sure I deliver whatever content I can whenever I can. I may be doing something for someone else, but I’m also doing something for YOU, my 32 followers. With that being said, be sure to follow this blog if you haven’t already by clicking the follow button and following either with a WordPress account or an email so you can stay tuned for more great content! I want to know, did you see “Peppermint?” What did you think about it? Or, what is your favorite movie with Jennifer Garner in it? If you ask me, I gotta go with “Juno.” Let me know about your favorites in the comments! Scene Before is your click to the flicks!