Kingsman: The Secret Service

Spoofing James Bond to the hilt, the "Kingsman" supposes that the world can only be safe if we’re secretly protected by polite, well-dressed, extremely violent British dudes. The set-up and behind-the-scenes exploration of this secret spy organization is fun and hilarious. But it’s when the brawling starts to happen that director Matthew Vaughn really spreads his wings. Action scenes are incredible. Combining slow-motion and fast motion in violent and bloody mêlées 10 times more gruesome and visceral than his hyper-real, stunt-filled, splatter-fests in Kick Ass. The famous British dudes in the cast are all top-notch and play their dead-pan, dry-humored assassins with aplomb. Samuel L. Jackson was good as the villain, but I never really understood his plan. Lots of confusing villain rules made me enjoy him less than I should have, which is too bad. Nevertheless, one hopes for a sequel to this as well as many, many more head-exploding montages and berserker brawls from the talented Vaughn.

Jupiter Ascending

The visuals are amazing, but the story is goofy. The Wachowskis deserve major kudos for making original, big-budget, non-sequel sci-fi movies. But this movie becomes more about the action scenes, movement, and color than it does about the ideas. Without well-explored ideas about worlds beyond our own, sci-fi becomes more about the “fi” and less about the “sci.” One hopes that in the future, and maybe if they’re forced into a lower budget range, the siblings will continue to push the envelope without seeming pressured to fill the screen with action.