"The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Pt. 1" Review
It’s pretty shocking that “The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1” is such a suspenseful film. This time around there is less action and more talking. In fact, you could say that “Mockingjay Pt 1” is more of a political thriller this time around, and somehow it still manages to keep you glued to the screen.
Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is still the reluctant hero. She is broken from the games. She can’t sleep without having a nightmare. No matter how hard she tries to separate herself from “the games”, she’s pulled back in by the rebels who rescued her after she destroyed the Quarter Quell. The rebellion, led by President Alma Coin (Julianne Moore), is now going head to head with the diabolical President Snow (Donald Sutherland) in a battle of propaganda campaigns to try and stir the remaining districts to action or submission.
After seeing her home, District 12 now reduced to rubble and human remains at the hands of the Capitol, Katniss decides to become the rebellion’s mockingjay as long as her fellow Victors in the hands of the Capitol receive immunity. The mockingjay will be the symbol for the rebellion. On the flip side, the Capitol has made Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) their symbol. As each side tries to get their message out to the remaining districts an interesting commentary on how we’re influenced by media in the real world comes to the forefront. Each side appeals to stopping the loss of life, but from differing perspectives. One side wants the freedom to live, while the other wants self-serving order at the threat of killing more people to achieve it.
It’s easy to forget that you’re watching a movie based on a Young Adult book because of it’s political commentary but largely because of its stellar cast. Jennifer Lawrence’s ability to move from female action hero to complex, layered and lovable around the way girl reminds us why she’s an Oscar winner. Liam Hemsworth gets to step up from Katniss’ side romance to a more meaty role as Gale. Whether it’s newcomer Mahershala Ali (“House of Cards”) or veteran Philip Seymour Hoffman (in his final role) the acting is top notch across the board.
“Mockingjay Pt 1” is a good time at the movies. It slows down the franchise in a way that allows it to nail the tone of unrest and anticipation of things to come. Although we could have done without the splitting up of the film, it sets things up for an action oriented showdown next year!
Rating: B-
"The Homesman" Review
“The Homesman” isn’t a glamorized western. Writer/director Tommy Lee Jones gives us an authentic look at what life on the western frontier was like, and a feminist critique of the genre/time. It’s a tough movie for most people to sit through and swallow, but it’s guaranteed to give you something to chew on after the closing credits.
Hillary Swank is Mary Bee Cuddy, a 31 year old, principled, hardworking single woman. Whatever happened up until this point in her life, it’s obvious that her work ethic has brought her the “American Dream of the time” minus a husband and kids. In the opening scenes of the film, Bob Giffen (Evan Jones), the local single man likely to be her suitor, gives her the adjectives of “plain and bossy” as the reason he won’t marry her. She’s obviously far from plain, amassing her own lot and cattle on the edge of the unknown of U.S. territory. She’s what you may call an independent woman today, but she’s referred to as an “uncommon” woman in the film.
When three women in their small town take a mental turn for the worst, no man has the guts to make the journey back east to take the women to a place where they can receive care. Mary Bee does. She secures the help of George Briggs (Tommy Lee Jones) after saving him from death by hanging. George is an unkempt, self-centered drifter; he’s everything Mary Bee is not. While Mary Bee is on a mission to ensure the safety of the three women, George is on a mission to earn $300 for assisting with the “cuckoo clocks”.
Each woman being transported has their own issues wrapped in feminine disenfranchisements of the time. Gro Svendsen (Sonja Richter), a Norwegian woman who has been repeatedly raped by her husband in an effort to give him a son, howls and bites at anyone who comes near her. Arabella Sours (Grace Gummer), only 19 years old, doesn’t move much or speak. She just holds on to a rag doll that subs for the three children she lost to diphtheria. Theoline Belknap (Miranda Otto), drowned her own baby in an outhouse.
As the group makes the journey east, it’s clear that nature itself is not going to make it an easy ride. Winter is brutal, nights are cold, food is scarce, and bridges haven’t been built to walk over streams or rivers. The harsh reality of survival during that time is made clear as each day passes in the film.
Jones is able to put a magnifying glass on the time and deconstruct the role that women and men played throughout “The Homesman”. While he pushes for feminist context, he trips over it by missing wonderful opportunities for female empowerment. As the duo gets closer to their destination, Mary Bee, despite all of her wonderful qualities and material possessions, feels incomplete as a woman without a husband and makes choices that shatter her weight in the film. All of the women in the film have an identity that is closely associated to a man or lack their of.
“The Homesman” shows us that the frontier was a man’s world. A strong moral compass could get you killed, and self-interest would help you thrive during that era. Jones’ statement on women during the time is made clear throughout the movie, but fell short of something remarkable. Regardless, the film is memorable, and will make you grateful you only had to watch a movie about the frontier rather than live it out.
Rating: C+
"Interstellar" Review
“Interstellar” may single-handedly give NASA a new crop of aspiring astronauts across the United States. The film immerses you into its world with the enthusiasm of its lead character Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) about exploring the stars, and it’s a visual marvel! It’s also an incredible ride that looses fuel twenty minutes out from landing and crashes.
Earth is slowly wasting away, mother nature is turning on us, and our food supply is dwindling. Most humans have to be farmers in order to ensure that we might continue to live. After receiving a binary message in his daughter Murph’s (Mackenzie Foy) room, ex-astronaut turned farmer, Cooper, goes to the coordinates to find a thriving underground NASA organization.
Cooper gets a quick education as to what the organization, headed by Professor Brand (Michael Caine) and his daughter Amelia (Anne Hathaway), has been doing out of the scrutiny of the public eye, and how they plan to save the world. Cooper then has to decide if he wants to be a part of it. In an effort to save his family, Cooper makes the decision to embark on the journey, in spite of the fact that he may miss years of their lives in traveling light years away. (There is plenty of “science” that explains things throughout the film, but it’s laid out in a user friendly way.)
The strength of the film is in the relationship between Cooper and his kids, specifically his daughter Murph. Their bond is undeniable and his love for them drives each decision he makes, especially life and death decisions. In fact, writer/director Christopher Nolan pushes the point that love can triumph anything, including time and space. The father/daughter bond was so genuine and resonated with me so personally that if I wasn’t trying to be so cool during the press screening I think I would have cried a lot more.
There is no question that Nolan is a visionary. The film challenges the boundaries of cinema and dares other directors to do the same. The galaxies and planets that Nolan has created are fresh, and make you wonder what’s past our skies. Hans Zimmer once again proves to be a master of musical composition with his hypnotic, eery and edgy score. Using organs and horns, the score perfectly bridges the drama between parallel stories on Earth and in space while keeping the mood off-kilter.
Unfortunately, after investing in the well being of Cooper and his family for the first couple of acts, in the midst of the third act things start to unravel. It’s sad that all of the innovation, suspense and wonderment that is built up towards the climax is shattered by lazy writing. Regardless, more filmmakers should follow in Nolan’s shoes with efforts like this! So while the film may be worth the trip to the IMAX (you should see it in IMAX for an amazing immersing experience) this weekend, expect to see a film that swings for the stars and falls short.
Rating: B
"Beyond the Lights" Review
“Beyond The Lights” is a tough nut to crack. On the surface it’s as shallow as its main character’s on stage persona. Yet underneath, it has a lot to say about who we really are behind the masks we all wear.
Noni (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) is a burgeoning pop star. With hit records and an award before her first album drops, this Rihanna-esque idol is going places. At least that’s what one would think. Yet the outside force of being pushed into her on stage persona by her helicopter mom Macy Jean (Minnie Driver), her fans, her record label, and the rest of the music industry has Noni thinking about going over the edge of her penthouse balcony. Fortunately, the police officer on duty for her security, Kaz (Nate Parker), is able to catch her before she can hit the ground. It’s in this moment that Kaz tells Noni he “sees her”. This resonates with Noni because for the first time someone looks past the glitz and glamour to the real person inside.
Circumventing a PR disaster, Macy Jean writes a nice check to a police foundation to get Kaz to agree to a story that paints Noni as having been drunk and slipping over the edge of the balcony rather than attempting suicide. Kaz himself is all too familiar with a parent trying to live through his child with his father Captain Nicol (Danny Glover) pressuring him to back the story. Neither Noni or Kaz are able to be themselves due to outside coercion. It’s in this pressure cooker that both Noni and Kaz have grown into the adults they are, seem to relate to one another, and how their love blossoms.
The heavy lifting of the film is done by Mbatha-Raw. As the rest of the story unfolds we see the layers come off Noni both figuratively and literally as she gets back to her true self. Slowly she starts to wear more clothes, less makeup and eventually her natural curly, colorless hair. The transformation throughout the film is powerful and credit must be given to Mbatha-Raw in showing her range from a confident, trained starlet to an insecure but genuine everyday girl.
Writer/Director Gina Prince-Bythewood proves that we can’t wait another six years for a film from her, and certainly not another fourteen years (since “Love & Basketball”) for another love story! This film makes a powerful statement on today’s music industry that’s built on fabricating identities, and selling sex at the cost of an entertainer’s own identity. Yet the most relevant lesson is that it’s never too late to take control of your own life, and empowering oneself to be true to yourself.
I know. The burning question you want to know: Is it as good as “Love & Basketball”? You’ll have to grab your significant other and see for yourself! I will say, it just may be the “Love and Basketball” for this generation!
Rating: B
"John Wick" Review
Growing up I always loved watching movies where the good guy unleashed rounds of ammo and hit every target while the bad guys aim was never true. “John Wick” is that film for this generation. While there are so many implausible moments, it’s a good ol’ fashion shoot ‘em up!
John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is an ex-hitman who has just buried his wife. An unexpected knock at the door brings a glimmer of hope from his dead wife in the form of a cute puppy. As Wick tries to move forward (the very next day) he has a random encounter with Iosef (Alfie Allen) the son of a Russian mob boss Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist). After refusing to sell his car to Iosef, Wick gets a visit from him and his crew. Poor Iosef decides to kill Wick’s puppy and steal his car during the home invasion. Bad move.
From then on, Wick is on a one man mission to kill Iosef. As he steps back into his old killing shoes we’re introduced to a world of hitmen and women who are all as principled as he is. Wick is a professional finisher dealing out a shot to the head to ensure his victim’s death after quick shots to the chest. Screenwriter Derek Kolstad does an excellent job infusing comedy throughout the film. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but instead relishes in the fact that Wick is “The Boogeyman” and everyone knows it. Each henchman is just a speed bump on the road to Iosef.
The movie is an exercise in the deadly combination of atmosphere, pacing, and score. Keanu isn’t the greatest actor, but the script doesn’t call for him to say much...which is a positive. So every word spoken creates a tense atmosphere and a desire to see what’s going to happen next. Visually the color palette cinematographer Jonathan Sela uses adds to the atmosphere of “John Wick”. Whether it’s the color drenched club scenes, or desaturated scenes in Wick’s home life...color is another character. The pacing and score create the perfect mood for the entire film.
It’s no doubt that this film is Keanu’s vehicle back into being taken seriously as an action star. In the same ring as Denzel’s “The Equalizer”, this film proves that men of a certain age can dish out bullets and a box office hit.
Rating: B-
"Dear White People" Review
“Dear White People” is a movie that you should see more than once to catch everything in it. It’s a movie that you watch with a group and discuss after. It’s a movie that will be studied in black film classes. That being said, in his attempt to put everything on the table, writer/director Justin Simien falls just short of greatness with his debut effort by not telling an entirely cohesive story.
The film focuses on four main characters. Sam White (Tessa Thompson) is the “voice of the people” on the Ivy League-esque campus of Winchester University. Her campus radio show Dear White People has just the right amount of edge and truth that it makes her a target of the Dean. Lionel Higgins (Tyler James Williams) is a loner and writer whose afro screams that he wants to be noticed, but he can’t seem to fit in as a gay black nerd. CoCo’s (Teyonah Parris) real name is Colandrea Conners, but she’s ditched her southside Chicago roots for designer clothes and high society life. Troy Fairbanks (Brandon P Bell) is everything his father Dean Fairbanks (Dennis Haysbert) has groomed him to be, but not the comedian he wants to be.
After winning an election to be head of Armstrong House, the historically minority house on campus, Sam decides to implement new rules. No one can eat in the house who isn’t a resident. That includes Kurt Fletcher, son of the president of the university, and his white frat brothers who come for the “fried chicken and waffles”. This is just the beginning of a back and forth between the two races on campus. It eventually culminates into an on campus brawl as Kurt and company throws a party in which white students dress as black caricatures.
As the film moves toward the brawl we see a story of hypocrisy on all sides. It’s about who people project themselves to be versus who they really are. Each of the main characters have a part of their identity hidden to help them fit into a group and ideal. The biggest issue is that not all of the stories come together to push the overall film forward as a collective. For instance, Troy writes jokes and smokes weed in the bathroom, but we never see him pursue his passion outside of the glimpses in the bathroom. Is it really his passion, or just a plot point in the movie to show Troy has “another side”?
Visually, Simien shows skill in his grasp of the craft. From the opening frame, Simien tells us that we’re all going to consume his film differently. As a news story reports of the on campus brawl that happens in the film, we’re introduced to the main players. Each character sits center frame in their own environment taking in the news with varying level of concern. From black militant Reggie who hangs on every word, to Kurt who simply has it on as background noise. The frame says so much without saying a word.
Throughout the film characters are positioned speaking or walking at the edge of the frame as the camera pans with them. It’s a visual acknowledgement that “Dear White People” is pushing race conversations forward. It’s uncomfortable to see the characters without lead space to talk. As characters are framed within frames we subconsciously get a feeling of being boxed in. In one scene, Troy sits across from his dad in his office. A lamp sits right in front of Dean Fairbanks in the foreground, separating the dean from his son as if to suggest Dean Fairbanks is enlightened and Troy has a ways to go to be like his father. While the good dean may just be jaded and wise from life experiences, it’s visual nuggets like these that keep the film visually engaging and stimulating in keeping with its script.
“Dear White People” hits a lot of truths about the various experiences within the black community and how we assimilate with one another as human beings. While the story isn’t as compelling as films that it may be compared to like “Do the Right Thing” or “Higher Learning”, overall the film is fresh, unique, and entertaining.
Rating: B
"The Judge" Review
As I drove to the screening of “The Judge” I thought to myself, “I’m not looking forward to another stubborn father/son relationship movie”. In fact, I wasn’t looking forward to seeing Robert Downey Jr. play Tony Stark minus the billions of dollars. Imagine my surprise when I viewed a movie about Tony Stark minus the billions of dollars that actually had heart!
Hank Palmer (Robert Downey Jr.) is a big time Chicago lawyer who left behind the simple town he came from. When the death of his mother brings him back to Carlinville, Indiana, Hank has to face the demons he left behind. One particular demon being his father, Judge Joseph Palmer (Robert Duvall), who has served as the town judge for the past 42 years. No matter what Hank has done that may impress most people, his father doesn’t seem to care. In fact, he doesn’t seem to care that he came back for the funeral outside of a handshake.
Once the funeral is over, Hank is ready to get on the next flight out of town, but a mysterious car accident involving the judge keeps him there. It seems the aging judge hit and killed Mark Blackwell (Mark Kiely), an ex-con that he let off easy that wound up committing murder soon after. With Judge Palmer’s memory on the fritz, a courtroom drama plays out with the judge being the on the other side of the fence and Hank choosing to stand by his father’s side. Amidst the trial, Hank also tries to tidy up his relationship with his father and loved ones.
There are plenty of great performances in the film. Robert Duvall will probably receive award nominations as the aging judge. Billy Bob Thornton plays the slick, and equally brilliant prosecuting attorney Dwight Dickham, who’s bent on getting Judge Palmer convicted. Vincent D’Onofrio is as real as it gets as the brother who stayed behind, and has the weight of the family at large on his shoulders. Vera Farmiga helps give us a heartfelt look into who Hank was before he left Carlinville as Hank’s ex-girlfriend Samantha. Robert Downey Jr. is a low budget Tony Stark in the film, but he does it so well that you wind up believing he’s Hank Palmer shortly after the film gets underway.
Regardless of its’ sappy overtones, there is something about “The Judge” that speaks to the human experience. Wether it’s family grudges, unforgiven history, or the inevitable certainty of death we all must face, this movie touches on it all. Stemming from personal experience, director David Dobkin (Wedding Crashers, Change-Up) does a great job of spearheading a universal story. Sure, it may be a little melodramatic in it’s handling of said topics, but it handles them in such a way that you automatically think about your own life experience while watching the film.
In lesser hands, “The Judge”, may not have worked. With a random heart to heart in the middle of a tornado scene, and a son who no matter how much he says he hates his father, keeps trying to please him, the film could easily derail into Hokeyville, USA. Fortunately, the combination of veteran actors come together to create a film that speaks to the human experience.
Rating: B
"Gone Girl" Review
If director David Fincher is signed on to a movie you can expect it to have a signature tone and pace. Fincher’s latest, “Gone Girl”- save a few scenes- does not disappoint. Despite it's main character's being people you probably don't care for, it’s a mystery of blockbuster proportions that will have you hooked.
On the day of their five year wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) comes home to find his wife Amy (Rosamund Pike) missing. With signs of a struggle inside the house, and Nick’s nonchalant attitude, he quickly falls under the microscope of the police and public as suspect #1. Part of the brilliance of the story is that we see their courtship and marriage from beginning to present unfold through Amy’s diary and the investigation. As the story moves forward we learn that things aren’t as they seem.
You can only go so far in reviewing the film without getting into spoiler territory. The key to the film’s success is that it hypnotically sweeps you into the whirlwind of the missing person investigation. The performances from the actors are top notch across the board. Affleck’s ability to play an “every man” works to this film’s advantage as you don’t know whether to trust him or not. Carrie Coon is excellent as Nick’s twin sister. The chemistry between the two is as good as it gets. Tyler Perry turns in his best performance...ever...as an extremely talented attorney, Tanner Bolt. Pike’s performance is the standout of the group and when you see the film you’ll know why.
The film would be perfect except a few scenes that pull you out of the movie, making the tone feel comical when it shouldn’t. Outside of that, Fincher has you in the palm of his hand for the two and a half hour run time of the film. The lengthy run time is necessary to tell the full story, and it moves surprisingly fast. In fact, you probably will want to see more by the time it ends, and the ending will probably be much talked about.
Rating: B+
Denzel "The Equalizer"
“The Equalizer” is a slow burn that packs a mighty punch once it gets going. The combination of director Antoine Fuqua and Denzel Washington once again proves lethal. It’s the vigilante redemption story that we get wrapped up in, helmed by an actor we love to see.
Robert McCall (Denzel Washington) is a quiet, law abiding citizen who seems to have just recently started a new job at Home Mart (think Home Depot). He has a routine, he’s meticulous, can’t sleep through the night, and sticks to himself. Each night he visits a local diner and has tea while reading a book. It’s there that Teri (Chloe Grace Moretz), a call girl and regular to the diner, interacts with him. “Good things don’t happen in my world” she tells him. “Well you gotta change your world” McCall responds. This powerful advice is the theme of the movie. By choosing what you allow or don’t allow in your world you can bring peace or disrupt things. As Teri enters Robert’s world, his is altered and tainted by the lifestyle she has been forced to live and it takes him to a violent place he seems to be very comfortable and far to familiar with.
After Teri shows up in a hospital beat up and comatose, McCall decides to pay a visit to the men that gave his young friend a beating. He gives them a choice to let her go free from the lifestyle for $9,800. They don’t accept, and he rains down violent justice in 19 seconds flat. Unknowingly, McCall just took out the East Coast heads of the Russian Mafia. Enter Teddy (Marton Csokas), the sociopath genius that will be McCall’s biggest adversary. Honestly, you can guess how the rest of the movie goes as both sides square off like boxers to see what the other is made of. When they finally do meet face to face they have one of the greatest subtext dialogue (what they’re saying has other meaning) scenes I’ve heard in a while. Regardless of the familiar plot, it’s a suspenseful thrill ride to get to the end.
Fuqua is at the top of his game using the camera to speak visually and supplement his actors’ work. He has one of the coolest hero walk shots with Denzel blowing something up that I've seen in a while because it tells a story while being eye candy. While this wasn’t an Oscar worthy movie, like the two collaborated on in “Training Day”, Denzel has likely just turned in a franchise worthy performance! He holds down the vigilante justice role just as well as Liam Neeson. Honestly, I’d like to see Denzel in a Marvel or DC comic film. Half of the film I felt like he was Batman as he took out bad guys (mostly at night or in the dark) with an almost unkillable persona.
“The Equalizer” is an entertaining time at the movies this weekend and is sure to entertain action junkies! While Denzel’s smooth walk seems to have a slight sign of age to it now, by no means does that stop him from claiming the leading man spot for this genre. In fact, it’s probably elevated him to new heights as an action star!
Rating: B+
"The Maze Runner" Review
Young adult literature seems to be Hollywood’s go to material to start franchises these days. “The Maze Runner” is the newest in the lineup of books turned into films. While there are characters we don’t care about, characters we’re told to care about, and characters who simply serve to push the story forward for the main character...it’s an entertaining, dystopian, sci-fi thriller!
Once a month a new tween or teen comes out of a pit with supplies, and no memory of how they got there. This month, or at the beginning of the film, Thomas (Dylan O’Brien) wakes up in a cage that rises up to the place that the rest of the kids call The Glades. Thomas becomes our eyes in to the world. We meet Alby (Aml Ameen), the leader of the pack of boys, who explains the rules. The number one rule being none other than "don’t go into the Maze."
As Thomas meets more companions, like second in command Newt (Thomas Brodie-Sangster), the muscle of the group, Gally (Will Poulter), and his young admirer Chuck (Blake Cooper), the only thing that is clear is that everyone follows the rules. Every morning a group called The Runners, led by Minho (Ki Hong Lee), run the maze and memorize it. They report back to the group and try to use their intel to find a way out. Everyone has a role to fulfill in the community. No one questions the rules. Thomas questions them all. As Thomas questions, he finds clues, and the mystery gets deeper. You know the score!
Soon a new teen is introduced, and it’s a girl! Teresa (Kaya Scodelario) really doesn’t add much to the situation outside of the fact that she seems to know Thomas and brings something with her that could be a game changer. As Thomas soon rises from “greenie” to savior status after slaying a Griever (huge spider-like creatures), the rest of the camp starts to split between those who want to stay “safe” in their confines and those who like Thomas, want a way out.
You’ve seen the theme of this film before. A savior comes to a group who is teetering on the edge of hopelessness. The dramatic conclusion is intriguing as long as you throw out all of the things that make everything you just watched illogical. Regardless, the film is executed well by director Wes Ball. There are solid performances by O’Brien, Poulter, Lee, and Ameen. Ultimately, once we get past the pleasantries and introduction of the world, it’s a suspenseful ride to the finish line and yes there will be a sequel!
Rating: B
"Sin City: A Dame to Kill For" Review
A picture is worth a thousand words, and visual storytelling doesn’t get too much better than “Sin City: A Dame To Kill For”. The only issue is that the film can’t rely on its' visuals alone. The plot makes this second installment inferior to the first.
There are three main stories throughout the film that are connected with a thin thread in a huge man named Marv (Mickey Rourke). Marv is a sadistic character who one look at his face tells you he’s been through plenty of battles, and doesn’t mind taking on the next one. This makes Marv the perfect muscle for Dwight (Josh Brolin), who after being enchanted by former flame and femme fatale Ava Lord (Eva Green) to kill her husband for her, is in need of a little payback. This story is the most developed of the three and also has the most violence and misogyny throughout. Where Marv and Dwight let their fists or weapons do the talking for them, Eva Green spends half of her screen time topless or naked and uses her body as a weapon. It’s this dichotomy of men being cavemen and women being conquests or eye candy that makes the movie fall short of imitating classic film noir. Where it wins on the film noir style, it fails miserably in class.
The second story which gets far too little time is that of Johnny (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a cocky gambler who is looking to take on the city’s crime boss Roark (Powers Boothe). Levitt has the swag and handsome face that’s perfect for a role like this. It’s unfortunate that he gets just enough screen time for you to remember the character, but wish there was more. In fact, the abrupt ending to the storyline caused a gasp in the theater.
The final story is scraps left for the dog. It follows stripper Nancy Callahan (Jessica Alba), distraught from the death of John Hartigan (Bruce Willis), and trying to work the nerve to pull the trigger on Roark to avenge John. This story is a lot like Nancy, sloppy and all over the place. Once again Alba dances as a random plot point, not pushing the story forward, until directors Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez decide it’s time to wrap the movie up.
Sin City is a one note town that’s fueled by men’s needs to solve problems with uber-violence, a stiff drink, and a hot dame. Miller and Rodriguez understand and nail the power of the aesthetics that can be seen in a single frame. The story and plot to this sequel may have needed to go back to the drawing board though.
Rating: C
Expend "The Expendables" Already!
I’ll keep it real, I enjoy “The Expendables” franchise because they have all the action stars I grew up on in one place. They know who they are, former blockbuster heavy weights who still have a little gas in the tank. I love the corny one-liners that allow them to make fun of each other or themselves, but this franchise needs to retire to straight to DVD land.
The third installment opens with a classic liberation stunt in which Barney (Sylvester Stallone) and the rest of The Expendables free Doc (Wesley Snipes) from a highly secured prison train in route to a maximum security prison in the middle of nowhere. From there we find the crew plus Doc going after maniacal arms dealer Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), a former Expendable who is supposed to be dead.
After Stonebanks seriously injures an Caesar (Terry Crews), Barney decides to sever ties with his old crew (in a weird “I want you guys to live, but I won’t say that” move) and find the next generation to go after Stonebanks. Harrison Ford shows up and proves he can still bring major weight to a character as Drummer, a CIA agent in charge of bringing down Stonebanks and pulling the strings for Barney. This is where you can go use the restroom or refill your popcorn because the cameos start to pour in and the plot is littered with holes that you can fill in yourself with a simple “oh they assembled a team”.
Barney teams up with Bonaparte (Kelsey Grammer), a scout of sorts, to find the new team. They go all over the country and world in a matter of movie minutes to find Thorn (Glen Powell) the hacker, weapons specialist Mars (Victor Ortiz), hand to hand combat expert Luna (Ronda Rousey), and soldier with authority issues Smilee (Kellan Lutz). In the midst of the search they run into Galgo (Antonio Banderas) who is quite funny as motor-mouthed Puss in Boots turned human. Once the new team is set they go after and capture Stonebanks, but are imprisoned almost as quickly as they were assembled. Hey, wasn’t there supposed to be an ultra smart tech guy on the team to know that Stonebanks had a GPS tracker on him? Alas, this movie isn’t about plot, it’s about action and blowing things up. So you know the rest. The old team has to rescue the new team.
The first couple of movies were cute, but now it’s getting a little outlandish even by Expendable standards. Snipes proves he still has the moves and comic timing! Banderas proves to be a great addition as well. Outside of them, the new crew is pretty forgettable. In the same way their characters are pawns in Barney’s plot, they’re equally pawns in Stallone’s attempt to get “The Expendables 3” movie made and poster crowded with tons of faces. I’m sure Ronda Rousey could kick my butt as the MMA fighter she is, but as the only woman on the team she was absolutely horrible. I had to turn away from her “acting” plenty of times during the film.
I’ve never watched “The Expendables” franchise in theaters until now, and that’s because I had to write this review. I wish I didn’t have to watch it in the theater because it was too long and if there wasn’t an action or fighting scene it made me look at my watch or phone for an escape. I couldn’t walk away and come back to it, or fall asleep like I do at home. Instead, I fought through the over-the-top nonsense and funny old men jokes to tell you this, “wait for it to come on your TV for free on TBS”. That’s right, I skipped the DVD, but if you want to see it on DVD let it be a dollar Redbox rental. I love seeing my former action favs, but Stallone can we expend “The Expendables” already?
Rating: D
"Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" Review
If you’re of my generation or older you remember going to the theater twenty four years ago to see the original turtles movie. If you’re anything like me you had the pajamas, action figures, halloween costume and more as a kid. So how does the new “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” stack up? Well, if you’re going to see the movie with the next generation (your kids) they’re going to love it, but “us adults” won’t be fooled!
April O’Neil (Megan Fox) is a determined investigative reporter who wants her first big break. Tired of doing puff pieces for her network, she goes after the biggest problem in New York, the Foot Clan. The Clan is a group of gun totting militia that seems to be invincible except for the fact that some of their crimes have recently been thwarted. As April pushes her way into dangerous situations she shouldn’t be in, she finds out that the “vigilantes” (is this a Charles Bronson film?) doing the crime stopping are turtles.
The film is all about the teenage turtles taking their first steps out of the shadows and becoming the unsung saviors of New York. Donatello (Jeremy Howard), Raphael (Alan Ritchson), Michelangelo (Noel Fisher), and Leonardo (Johnny Knoxville) all fit a certain personality type: the smart one, the arrogant one, the party dude, and the leader respectively. As the story moves forward they find out that the mastermind behind the Foot Clan, Shredder (Tohoru Masamune), has aligned himself with industrialist Eric Sacks (William Fichtner) with a plot to devastate the masses. So it’s up to the gang to derail their intentions.
As long as the turtles are on screen, it’s a fun time. Writers Josh Applebaum, Andre Nemec, and Evan Daugherty nailed the tone as far as the bond of teenage brothers having fun fighting while telling light hearted jokes. I thought the CG turtles would be a scary distraction, but director Jonathan Liebesman purposefully, slowly reveals the new look so that you are able to settle in comfortably. Unlike Jim Henson’s 1990 practical creations, the turtles do things that are hard to follow visually at times with frenetic camera work. However, with the CG turtles we’re given bullet proof and super strong heroes in a half shell, which I think worked for the reboot.
Megan Fox was seriously miscast as April O’Neil. First, her acting ability and range is limited and it shows in the film. Second, it’s hard to take her seriously when she wears a bike helmet with pink stickers on it (childlike), everyone around her comments repeatedly on how hot she is, there is a gratuitous shot of her buttocks for us to gawk at during the height of an action scene, and she does some of the most annoying screaming that seems like it was a nightmare for the sound mixer. So with her sadly being objectified and her limited dramatic skills, it pulled me out of the film numerous times when she received the “Weeds” treatment as the beautiful girl in dangerous situations, making dumb decisions, but still making it to the end of the movie because of the wonderful men and mutants that come to her rescue. Excuse me as I throw up.
There’s no denying that there will likely be another installment in this long lived franchise. If they can work on the story, and get rid of Megan Fox I think the next one will be even more enjoyable. If you don’t have to take your kids this weekend, I’d suggest waiting to see this on DVD rather then shelling out dough (see what I did there?). If you’re exposing the next generation to the film, have fun building new memories while reminiscing!
Rating: C
"Get On Up" Review
In an era where there was no Youtube, Twitter, DVR, or Facebook, James Brown became a household name. Not to mention the rest of the issues that the Godfather of Soul music had to deal with during the 1960’s and 70’s, it’ s understandable why this towering figure would get the biopic treatment. While the movie as a whole may not have been memorable, Chadwick Boseman’s embodiment of Brown creates a clear picture of how special he was and why he should be remembered.
Director Tate Taylor gives a non-linear look at Brown’s life, jumping from post fame to childhood and everything in between. In some ways it serves the film well because the style allows us to see the fractured character of Brown. It shows who he was as an entertainer and what created him almost simultaneously. At the same time, the style cuts the film’s foot off. At times it jumps around at warp speed, cutting to the next scene without bringing closure to the one it just left. Taylor has Brown break the fourth wall, which was unnecessary for most of the film. The one time it does work well is when the usually verbose and confident Brown hits his wife DeeDee (Jill Scott) and can barely bring himself to look at the audience.
The history lesson is there, but the movie could have benefited from better storytelling. We’ve seen the poor boy does good against all odds before. Perhaps the non-linear style would have been fresh if not for the overt melodrama in his childhood scenes that were clearly pushing points home.
It’s undeniable that anytime triple threat Chadwick Boseman is on the screen he steals the show. I was afraid that he may be pigeonholed in the biopic lead after this film, but I think it does just the opposite. Boseman has proven with this film that his range stretches from the humble, silent strength of Jackie Robinson to the loud, egotistical showmanship of James Brown. Boseman’s footwork as the man who laid the groundwork for Prince, Michael Jackson, Chris Brown (the list goes on) is incredible! I’ll be surprised if an Oscar nomination isn’t given for his performance this year.
In truth, the film is all about Boseman (which makes sense it is James Brown’s biopic) but it doesn’t allow supporting characters to show their skills. The familiar faces of Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Jill Scott, Dan Akroyd and Fred Melamed are stars in the shadow of Boseman in this film, only used to get him through time. Perhaps Nelsan Ellis’s performance as Brown’s long time friend Bobby Byrd is the one performance that gets fully realized. Byrd’s loyalty to the talented but self-absorbed Brown gives a real glimpse into a character study of a dream deferred that’s heart felt.
Overall “Get On Up” is a decent depiction of an American icon. Boseman’s performance is the best thing to come out of the film, and because of it the generation who sees this film that grew up with/watching James Brown will enjoy it and those who came after should find a new found respect for him. You can see the influence of Brown in music and entertainers from his time to the present. Get on up and go see the film if you haven’t already!
Rating: B
"Hercules": The surprise hit?
What if the Hercules legend we’ve always heard about was nothing more than that, a legend? What if the half man, half god story was just exaggerations made by a great storyteller? This is the theme, and surprisingly fresh angle as Dwayne Johnson steps into the shoes (sandals?) of “Hercules”.
Hercules (Dwayne Johnson) is a mercenary for higher, who takes care of business with his small quartet of loyal friends. With each adventure, his nephew Iolaus (Reece Ritchie), tells all within earshot of Hercules’ legendary labors that he conquered in order to please the gods! This is how the “legend was born”. It's not necessarily known if he is a demigod or not because of the unreliable narrator. Outside of his strength being a possible sign, every battle Hercules has been in he's had his friends at his side helping him defeat people and monsters. So it's not quite clear, perhaps even to himself, if he is a demigod, which makes for an interesting film.
When King Sitacles (Peter Mullan) of Thrace and his daughter Ergenia (Rebecca Ferguson) enlist the help of Hercules to defeat a tyrant, Hercules is happy to oblige at the price of double his weight in gold. The film focuses on his mission to help the people of Thrace as he deals with his own demons and the loss of his family.
The action in “Hercules” is awesome! At times the battle scenes feel reminiscent of “Gladiator” with debris flying past the camera, and Hercules belting out orders. Director Brett Ratner has learned a few things about placing the camera and capturing the action in a large scaled movie since “X-Men: The Last Stand”. Despite all the mayhem that’s going on, you can clearly follow where each character is and what they are doing in the battle which makes for a more engaged viewer during the film.
With the action on point, all that’s typically needed is a decent story to get between each battle scene. The smartly cast band of mercenaries and their leader bring an authenticity to the screen that you don’t always see in a film like this. Their love for one another feels like bonds that have been built over time and through various battles. Credit has to go to Johnson who holds the film together with an honest portrayal (except for the hair pieces) of a guy who wants to do the right thing, but happens to have the strength of ten men. It’s the heroes reluctant journey, flawed character, and tormented soul that really takes you down a road that you wouldn’t expect with The Rock at the helm.
“Hercules” isn’t mind blowingly original. It has a twist that I saw coming from the first act. It’s a great time at the movies though! In my opinion, the film is worthy of a sequel to see where this world can go. If you’re headed to the movies this weekend, this is the one you want to see.
Rating: B-
"Lucy" Review
Luc Besson has brought us some awesome female heroines in cinema. Natalie Portman rocked in “The Professional, Bridget Fonda in “Point of No Return” (which produced La Femme Nikita), and I don’t remember Milla Jovovich before “The Fifth Element”. So I expected Scarlett Johansson to enter the pantheon as well. “Lucy” is a disappointment.
The premise is cool. The old “humans only use 10% of their brain” trope looks good in trailers but clunky in the feature length film. Scarlett Johannson is Lucy, a party girl who gets caught up in a drug deal and is forced to mule said drugs in her abdomen. After the bag leaks into her blood stream, she starts to unlock parts of her brain that the rest of us can’t.
Throughout the movie Professor Norman (Morgan Freeman) teaches us about the human brain. Most experts in films like this sound trustworthy, but the good professor makes absolutely no sense. It’s extremely difficult to follow what he is talking about as hard as you may try, and you feel like you just walked out of the room from taking an SAT after the film.
The issue is that Besson really doesn’t have a story past the premise. It’s hard to take the film seriously when he cuts back and forth between the animal kingdom, evolution, and Lucy’s brain development inching to 100%. Lucy goes from ditsy, annoying party girl to Rain Man. Her disconnected, monotoned, candor when on the drug is dull. As Lucy gets more advanced, she says things like “I remember the taste of your milk in my mouth” to her mother to show that she can remember everything from the time she was born. Seriously? No! How can you take “Lucy” seriously when she says things like that?
There are some staple Luc Besson action sequences that are cool to watch. I thought this film would be a vehicle for Johansson to be a new action star, especially with her work as Black Widow, but she barely fights in the film. Instead, she creates force fields, makes people sleep, or suspends them in the air. Basically, this film is a bag of potato chips that looks delicious on the outside but is full of hot air! Don’t waste your time.
Rating: D
"The Purge: Anarchy" Review
Yes, “The Purge” franchise has an outlandish premise that would never happen in real life (I hope), but in the cinematic world of this America where all crime is legal for 12 hours once a year- I get invested in the story. It’s the “what would you do?” type moments that had the audience I saw it with laughing at implausible actions/decisions or cheering when the underdog gets a kill. It’s the moral dilemmas that the characters face that allow the viewers to take sides and the ride of the annual Purge.
In the first film, the story focused on an affluent family who tried to bunker down in their secure home through the night. Forces inside and outside of the house caused them to have to fight for their lives, and thus made it a home invasion film. “The Purge: Anarchy” takes us out into the city of Los Angeles to get a more expansive view of what happens during Purge hours, and a deeper look at the depraved mentality of Purgers. The movie also puts together a rag tag team of strangers who unite for the common cause of survival, which makes for an interesting mix of characters to watch.
The film’s central characters are Eva Sanchez (Carmen Ejogo) and her daughter Cali (Zoe Soul) who are a lower middle class family trying to make ends meet. After narrowly escaping a neighbor’s attempt to rape them, a mysterious Sergeant (Frank Grillo) saves them from being taken by a highly trained tactical team. During the brief moment it took the Sergeant to abandon his Purge ambitions to play good Samaritan, his unlocked car becomes a safe haven for young couple Shane (Zach Gilford) and Liz (Kiele Sanchez). With two groups of Purgers converging on the bunch, they don’t have time to argue, and are forced to work together to try and get across town to a save place.
With time ticking away for the annual Purge, the journey for the group to get across town is reminiscent of “The Warriors”. Although this film could never be a classic like the aforementioned film, it does have a similar suspense value. Suspense is the key to the Purge. The beginning of the film is leading up to commencement, and once the annual Purge commences your in suspense until it ends. Where the first “Purge” film was very reactive, the sequel allows characters to be proactive and make decisions to try and enhance their survival.
The one issue I have with “The Purge” is some of the violence within it. There are plenty of shock value kills that only further desensitize our already diminished reception of gun violence. Moments after The Purge starts we see a couple armed with guns mowed down by a man with an even bigger gun with sound effects and blood squibs to emphasize the impact of the armor piercing bullets’ devastation. Perhaps this franchise is making a statement on our society’s insane gun culture, but I don’t think it’s smart enough to do that. I do think it’s smart enough to continue to crank these films out as long as they’re making 30 times the amount it cost to make. So while some of us can appreciate this being a fictional film, it starts the age-old debate of whether films like this hurt our society more than entertain it.
“The Purge: Anarchy” is an entertaining popcorn flick. Even though it has some of its’ characters making stupid decisions in intense situations, the built in suspense keeps you entertained and engrossed in its world. Be sure to purge yourself of the deviance when you walk out of the theater!
Rating: B
"Dawn of the Planet of The Apes" Review
I’ve never held my breath throughout an entire movie before, but “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” nearly made me pass out. The film is breathtakingly beautiful in regards to its’ settings and believability with its’ motion capture animation. Matt Reeves masterfully directs each frame, never using one that doesn’t propel the story forward and build it at the same time. This is the tentpole blockbuster that is worthy of your hard earned cash this weekend, and next weekend too!
Picking up ten years after the last film, we find the apes living in the woods and humans bunkered down in a survivor camp. The apes believe all of us are dead until a chance encounter with a group of humans searching the woods sets off the beginning of a rocky relationship between the two camps. Caesar (Andy Serkis) continues to lead his tribe of highly advanced simians, while Malcolm (Jason Clarke) and Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) are the human leaders who want to use the damn on simian turf to bring electrical power back to mankind.
While Caesar and Malcolm are the type of minds that want peace and think of how to accomplish it, Dreyfus (Gary Oldman) and Koba (Toby Kebbell) are the shoot first ask questions later advocates for humans and apes. Although it’s unfortunate that Koba’s character is the “heel” you expect him to be, we see that both apes and humans have a good and dark side.
The film takes on several themes with betrayal, trust, family, and loyalty being a few of those buzzwords. The great part about the movie is that they’re used in ways that help you invest in the story and it’s characters. So while I saw The Prodigal Son, The Godfather, Julius Caesar, and other films in this movie...it was well done. The core themes unfolded but weren’t proselytized to the audience. Sure, there were a few things that you know is coming but you look forward to watching it.
Andy Serkis deserves an Oscar nomination for his work on this film. You can see Caesar’s brilliance in his face as he thinks through multiple outcomes of decisions backwards and forwards in every situation. Like the first film, the ape stories are the ones you want to see and it begins and ends with Serkis’s performance.
This is definitely one of my favorite films thus far in 2014, and is bound to do well this weekend in the box office. If you’re looking for a cinematic experience this movie is it! I guess to use one of Caesar's words, “Gooooooooo!”
Rating: A
"Transformers: Age of Extinction" Review
“Transformers: Age of Extinction” is the ex that you keep going back to. You know you broke up for a good reason, but you think “maybe she’s changed”. I’m that good friend that slaps some sense inside your head and says “Wake up!”. This franchise has only gotten longer and worse.
The Autobots (good guys) are now hiding on Earth from the CIA. Did I really just write that? These huge, “far more intelligent” beings are hiding from us measly humans? Well that’s the case in this film. Inventor, Cade Yeager (Mark Wahlberg) finds an old truck that he plans to pick apart for money only to find out that it’s Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots. Getting Optimus back up and running turns Harold Attinger (Kelsey Grammer) and the rest of the CIA goons on the Yeager family. With Attinger cutting a deal with Lockdown (a super transformer Decepticon of sorts), the rest of the film is about the Yeagers and Autobots on the run and trying to solve the mystery of who is after them and why.
What’s good about the film? It’s no doubt that Michael Bay is the king of summer blockbusters. His visual style is arresting. If you’re going to see this film in theaters it’s to see Transformers do their thing, cool visuals, and listen to things explode. Unfortunately, that’s all I can say that’s good about the film.
In regards to the bad, let’s just look at the running time. Two hours and thirty seven minutes of your life will be devoted to a story that could have been told in ninety minutes. The plot is like taffy stretched out over the running time to the point that it’s just thin enough to still be together, but almost one minute more from being broken. As per usual in this franchise, the adults are like kids and kids are like adults. This just makes it hard to take characters seriously. Bay even has a slow motion, low angle shot where Wahlberg yells as his daughter is being taken by transformers that looks like a baby having a tantrum. I laughed out loud in the theater and quickly quieted down as I seemed to be the only one who thought it was Bay paying homage to Daniel Lugo from his own “Pain & Gain”.
I wish I could say that you should check the movie out in theaters just for the visuals, but you should save your money and wait for this to come out on Netflix or Redbox. This film is not good for you. Remember what it did the last time? Took you for a ride, but left you feeling duped. Don’t fall for the fourth time!
Rating: D
"Think Like A Man Too" Review
“Think Like A Man Too” throws out the playbook of its’ predecessor and replaces it with your typical black ensemble film cliches. It has beautiful people in silly situations, token white boy jokes, throwback music, a dash of melodramatic black love and a nice bow to wrap it all up in. That being said, fans of the first film and its’ stars will likely still eat it up!
At the film’s opening we find Michael (Terrence J) and Candace (Regina Hall) in Las Vegas to get married. Of course, their crew is along for the ride and shenanigans. Kevin Hart reprises his role as Cedric, the little man with a big mouth. Cedric is the narrating thread throughout the film’s barely there plot, which can easily be broken down like this: here’s what your favorite couples are up to and the issues they’re facing, let’s break up separately to party as the fellas and the ladies, then let’s come back together and solve all of our problems in the last twelve minutes of the film.
The sequel has no reference to the Steve Harvey book Act Like A Lady, Think Like a Man that inspired and drove the story of the first movie. It was the book that created a tug of war battle of the sexes in the game of love that really worked for the first film. Not that the book needed to be in the second film, but I think without it we’re left with too many characters with not much to do. Rather than an organic film that highlights all of its’ cast, it feels more like passing the baton at summer camp to make sure everyone gets a chance to speak.
At the end of the day, “Think Like A Man Too” will be a great time for its’ core fans. Kevin Hart’s physical and rapid fire comedy pushes the film forward with laughs along the way. There are plenty of cameos that got a rise out of the crowd I saw the film with, and a random music video sequence for BBD’s “Poison”. Although the movie is full of cliches like overbearing characters who don’t get “put in check” until the end of the film, the butler from B.A.P.S. (do those kind of jokes really still get laughs?), or the only white lead in the film saying “badonkadonk”, it is popcorn flick entertaining.
I wish this film would have been more, because I really enjoyed the first one. If you’re looking for a good laugh and a chance to relax from the week, this movie has what you need. If you’re looking for a classic black romantic comedy or even a movie you’ll remember in two weeks, think again!
Rating: D+