TAKE TWO: 30 Minutes or Less

30 Minutes or Less

Rated: R

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari, Danny McBride, Nick Swardson

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Chris’ Take: Ruben Fleischer was the talk of the action-comedy town back in 2009, with his smash hit zombie comedy (or zomcom for short) Zombieland. The script was snappy, the action superb and it was enjoyable from start to finish. His latest comedy attempt, reuniting him with star Jesse Eisenberg, shows only a minute amount of the genius that he displayed.

Nick (Jesse Eisenberg) is a pizza delivery boy who spends his off time getting stoned and dating the sister of his best friend, Chet (Aziz Ansari). When Nick receives a pizza order that takes him out to an abandoned warehouse, he soon finds himself kidnapped by two redneck criminals, Dwayne and Travis (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson), who strap a bomb to him and tell him that he has 10 hours to rob a bank or he’ll blow up.

The film starts out fast enough, introducing us to two somewhat likeable idiots as protagonists and Danny McBride channeling his inner Kenny Powers, but we really didn’t get to know the Chet and Nick as well as I would hope. There is about one scene where they are together and we establish that they are “friends”, but immediately there is discord and you don’t feel like you know them enough yet to care. It seemed that Fleischer spent more time establishing who the criminals were, almost to the point of making them sympathetic, that I felt that the film was going to be more of a dark comedy about Dwayne and Travis trying to kill Dwayne’s Dad.

From there, we immediately moved into the second act of the film, which moved rather quickly as well. Chet and Nick try to figure out how to rob a bank and put together a terrible plan, which was sure to bring hilarity, and it did. However, the second act was far too short and a scene which could’ve easily been stretched out, or at least made more comically intense was squandered. Maybe it had something to do with budget, maybe it had something to do with the writers not knowing where to go with a potential hostage situation, but I just felt like it was wasted.

Or maybe the writers were...

Then, the third act was upon us and stayed for what seemed like forever. At this point, I cared very little about any of the characters involved since Nick and Chet could’ve easily found a way around the previous situations, so they are kind of too dumb to be concerned about. Dwayne and Travis were the funnier pair, but you knew things couldn’t end well for them so it was a waste to root for them too. Michael Pena makes an appearance as a hitman, and was probably the funniest character introduced to the plot, but he kind of brought the laughs a little too late and I was just hoping this would be over as quickly as it started, but it dragged out.

He a pimp!

I really felt that a good portion of the time allotted to the conclusion of the plot could’ve been given to the beginning, establishing the friendship between Chet and Nick, or in the middle, lengthening out the ridiculous bank robbing scheme they developed.

When all was said and done (I won’t be specific because I don’t want to spoil it for you if you still want to see it), the actions of the “protagonists” had me pondering whether they were the better people. I guess they didn’t really want to kill anyone, but they definitely weren’t on any moral high ground, which isn’t exactly necessary to establish in a dark comedy, but 30 Minutes or Less didn’t conform to that genre.

With all the talent involved with the project, I expected more, and while I think it was admirable that they tried to limit their time to 83 minutes, I don’t think it was paced well at all. I wouldn’t go as far to say that Ruben Fleischer is a bad director, he’s proven before that he has talent, it just seemed like he was getting lazy this time around. Maybe if he added some zombies this would’ve been right up his alley.

OVERALL: C

Pac’s Take: I couldn’t agree more.

OVERALL: C

Weekend Film Recommendation: I Love You Phillip Morris

I know I’ve talked about this film from time to time on this blog, but it is a new arrival to Netflix and if you haven’t seen it yet, now is the time.  I Love You Phillip Morris is the story of Steven Russell, a happily married man and a member of his local police.  When an accident forces him to reevaluate his life, Steven becomes openly homosexual and decides to live his life without regard for other peoples’ opinion and, more importantly, the law.  Once his extravagant lifestyle of conning and fraud catches up with him, he lands in prison where he meets Phillip Morris.  After falling in love with Phillip, he devotes himself to freeing Phillip from jail and pulling off a series of ridiculous and impossible cons so they can live the perfect life together.

I Love You Phillip Morris marked the return of Jim Carrey to the style of R rated humor that hadn’t been seen since Me, Myself, and Irene (though not as hammy), a refreshing change of pace from the comedies he chose for the nine years in between. 

This is exactly how we felt too Mr. Carrey

The story is excellently written and well paced, and really keeps the watcher engaged in the two characters and their relationship throughout the movie.  The subject matter is a little grotesque at times, but the aforementioned delivery of Jim Carrey throughout really softens the shock.  There is a lot of social commentary within the movie (did I mention it takes place in Texas), but it is not so in your face that it feels like sermon rather than an entertaining comedy.  The performance of Ewan McGregor as the titular Phillip Morris is worth noting as well.  While he plays more of the straight man in this comedy (no pun intended), it really works to humanize the two individual’s relationship and solidify the chemistry of the two leads.

Click here to add I Love You Phillip Morris to your Netflix queue.

Quick Take: Ridley Scott to Revisit Blade Runner

My favorite director, Ridley Scott, seems to be rebooting his resume by revisiting his previous films – starting at the beginning (never mind The Duellists).  Ridley’s next film, Prometheus, was originally a prequel to one of my favorite films Alien, and once he’s finished with that he’ll apparently be revisiting Blade Runner.  It is unknown whether the film will be a remake, reboot, prequel, sequel, or whatever else Hollywood is asking for these days, and it is also unknown whether Harrison Ford will be involved.

Let's hope not

Check out the link below for more information.

http://www.deadline.com/2011/08/ridley-scott-ready-to-direct-new-version-of-seminal-sci-fi-film-blade-runner/

 

Opening This Week (19 Aug 2011)

Well, I have to say that I was a bit surprised that Rise of the Planet of the Apes was the box office winner again this week with a domestic total of $27.8 million. Apes became only the second film this summer season to take home top box office honors two weeks in a row (Thor was the other back in May). Finishing in 2nd was The Help with $26.0 million, and in third, Final Destination 5 with $18.0 million. The other major releases last week finished dismally. The action-comedy 30 Minutes or Less finished in fifth with $13.3 million, and Glee 3D finished in 11th wiht $6 million. With positive word of mouth and positive reviews, I think Rise could take the box office again this weekend since there isn’t a whole lot of competition again.

Conan the Barbarian

Rated: R

Starring: Jason Momoa, Ron Perlman, Rose McGowan, Stephen Lang

Director: Marcus Nispel

Synopsis from IMDB: The tale of Conan the Cimmerian and his adventures across the continent of Hyboria on a quest to avenge the murder of his father and the slaughter of his village.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: I guess you could do worse for summer fare. Jason Momoa was great in Game of Thrones, but that may have been because he didn’t really talk, he just kind of stared menacingly and towered over everyone around him. I kind of lost interest in the trailer as soon as he opened his mouth. Anyway, if you’re looking for mindless action, this will definitely be your best bet this weekend. The early reviews are mixed (57% on RT), so it is difficult to say where this will land, but my guess is in the 30% range.

Fright Night

Rated: R

Starring: Colin Farrell, Anton Yelchin, Christopher Mintz-Plasse, David Tennant

Director: Craig Gillespie 

Synopsis from IMDB: A teenager suspects that his new neighbor is a vampire.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: The original 1985 Fright Night is one of the best horror-comedies ever. While I want to be excited about the film, especially since I think Colin Farell is a great pick as Jerry, it is hard to imagine that this film will re-capture the perfect combination of genres that the first one did. I also noticed that all the trailers are keeping Peter Vincent (David Tennant) pretty close to their chest, and he was an integral part of the original. Anyway, I will probably try to see this one and am holding on to hope that it will be decent.

One Day

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Anne Hathaway, Jim Sturgess, Tom Mison, Jodie Whittaker

Director: Lone Scherfig

Synopsis from IMDB: After spending the night together on the night of their college graduation Dexter and Em are shown each year on the same date to see where they are in their lives. They are sometimes together, sometimes not, on that day.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: One Day looks like a mix of Friends With Benefits and A Lot Like Love, except they’ve thrown in British accents to make it seem different. However, as much as I’m not one who usually is interested in chick flicks, I do like Focus Features and I did like what director Lone Scherfig did with An Education, so I am somewhat intrigued by this film. I’ll probably put it down on the Netflix queue, but I won’t watch it alone, I will have to put it under the pretext of “date night in”.

Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D

Rated: PG

Starring: Jessica Alba, Joel McHale, Jeremy Piven, Alexa Vega

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Synopsis from IMDB: A retired spy is called back into action, and to bond with her new step-children, she invites them along for the adventure to stop the evil Timekeeper from taking over the world.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: I can’t say I’ve seen any of the Spy Kids films, but I still have no desire to. The 4D Aromascope really sounds like a cheap gimmick. I read an article on it and it is just scratch and sniff. Yup, they give viewers a card of different scents and when you are prompted on the screen, you are supposed to scratch the appropriate one. I wonder if they will charge extra for that…..

Limited Releases

The Last Circus

Rated: R

Starring: Carlos Areces, Antonio de la Torre, Carolina Bang

Director: Alex de la Iglesia

Synopsis from RT: 1937, Spain is in the midst of the brutal Spanish Civil War. A “Happy” circus clown is interrupted mid-performance and forcibly recruited by a militia. Still in his costume, he is handed a machete and led into battle against National soldiers, where he single handedly massacres an entire platoon. Fast forward to 1973, the tail end of the Franco regime. Javier, the son of the clown, dreams of following in his father’s career footsteps.

Trailer (Caution: Red Band Trailer-disturbing content):

Chris’ Take: Wow, this trailer did nothing to help me get over the fear of clowns that I developed after watching It and Poltergeist, but for different reasons. This is a mix of comedy and disturbing drama and is receiving great reviews (90% on RT). The trailer alone is unsettling and unforgiving. Anyway, this is probably something that I will have to be in the right mood for, but I am definitely interested.

Griff the Invisible

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Ryan Kwanten, Maeve Dermody, Marshall Napier, Heather Mitchell

Director: Leon Ford

Synopsis from IMDB: Griff, office worker by day, superhero by night, has his world turned upside down when he meets Melody, a beautiful young scientist who shares his passion for the impossible.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: It looks like this is trying to be a deeper look at the Spider-Man and pretty much any other superhero love story. I don’t know how I feel about it. The reviews are positive (83% on RT) which makes me want to give it a chance, but I am growing tired of superhero and superhero knock off stories.

Flypaper

Rated: Unrated

Starring: Patrick Dempsey, Mekhi Phifer, Ashley Judd, Tim Blake Nelson

Director: Rob Minkoff

Synopsis from IMDB: A man caught in the middle of two simultaneous robberies at the same bank desperately tries to protect the teller with whom he’s secretly in love.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: The trailer makes this film look very entertaining, I like pretty much everyone in the cast, especially Tim Blake Nelson and Pruitt Taylor Vince, but the reviews are kind of vexing (25% on RT). So, I might add this to Netflix, but apparently there is a good chance that it won’t be good, although the reviews aren’t the final say.

TAKE TWO: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

 

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Rated: PG-13

Starring: James Franco, Andy Serkis, Tom Felton, John Lithgow

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Chris’ Take: I was hesitant to see this film, and I almost went and saw The Change Up instead. When I saw the trailer earlier this year it looked like a quick cash grab, grasping at straws to find a familiar brand to the average moviegoer. I thought that it was a weak idea because there didn’t seem to be many people excited about it and I thought it was going to fall flat on its face.

Plus, I was still recovering from this.

I came out of this film realizing that I severely underestimated this film.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes remakes the previous prequel to Plant of the Apes and simultaneously reboots it. Will Rodman (James Franco) is testing a new Alzheimer cure on chimpanzees and has a successful test subject, but when the chimp goes on a rampage while he is trying to get funding for human testing, he is forced to abandon the project and put down all the chimps. However, his successfully tested chimp had a baby which Will saves and takes home when he sees that it maintains the residual effects of his Alzheimer’s cure. As the chimp, that Will and his father name Caesar (Andy Serkis), grows, they notice that his intelligence is far beyond that of a human counterpart. When Will’s company, Gen-Sys, discovers the chimp they force him to run riskier tests on other chimps which turns out to have dire consequences for mankind.

The film starts out on very familiar science fiction territory. You have the failed science experiment, the cocky scientist, the money grubbing boss, and the protagonist makes the decision to bring testing just a bit too close to home. I kind of sighed at these elements, thinking that this film would bring nothing new to the table, but it quickly took some turns after that.

Andy Serkis’ portrayal of Caesar can take a lot of the credit for that. His CGI work, just as he did with Gollum in The Lord of the Rings, took on a life and character of its own. Halfway through the film, James Franco really became a non-factor and Caesar really carried the story. In most cases, it would be hard to build a story around a silent and computer-generated character, but the viewer really begins to feel attached to him and sympathizes with his plight to some degree. Also, in doing this, the writer puts himself in a tough spot, reconciling the viewer’s growing fondness of Caesar, the tragedy of that awaits mankind, and the bond that Caesar and Will have that divides them, but they handled it in a dramatic and satisfying fashion. It’s kind of hard to describe the way this played out without bringing in too many spoilers, so all I can say is that you have to see it in order to appreciate it.

I know I just destroyed half of San Francisco, but let's hug it out.

There was little artistry in the film outside of the writing and the characters. The camera work was decent for a summer blockbuster and I was very happy to see that they didn’t resort to 3D, although it seems that could’ve fallen prey to that fad easily. To me, the most impressive aspect was the effective use of CGI and making the realistic looking apes blend well with environment around them. Rarely did I feel aware that I was watching computer generated characters.

One of the challenges I saw for the film was how they would make it seem believable. I mean come on, how do apes take over the world? They obviously explain it in the first Planet of the Apes, but it would still be hard to convincingly watch that develop. I could see them running rampant in a city, in this case San Francisco, and wreaking some havoc, but you would think a large military force would immediately come wipe them out. I thought that the writers and director handled this well, addressing those questions with tact and bringing a new concept to the apes’ destruction and how the world came to be ruled by them. Some might disagree, but I was very impressed with how it was handled. Again, it is hard to describe without spoilers.

Suffice to say, I  thoroughly enjoyed this film. It was not the deepest film, nor some amazing feat of cinema, but it impressed me more than just about any blockbuster to come out this summer. It contained some of the spirit of the originals, bringing with it the comfortability of something familiar, while mixing in a fresh take that gave it its own pleasantly unique flavor.

OVERALL: A

Pac’s Take:  I recently heard the original Planet of the Apes described as a overacheiving B-Movie, an analysis that poignantly describes the film.  It’s a wonder how this overacheiving B-Movie has been able to captivate pop culture for so long that it has evolved into multiple sequels, remakes, and reboots.  Planet of the Apes has had such a cultural impact in american cinema since its release that you’d be hard pressed to find a person (even one who hasn’t seen the films) who didn’t know the film’s general premise – or couldn’t recognize the famous beach scene.  All that being said, it was hard to have high expectations for a film that was seemingly trying to capitalize on a 43 year old franchise that hasn’t produced a hit film in about… 43 years.

Oh, &@!#. There goes the planet.

Perhaps it was the surprise of the unexpected, but Rise of the Planet of the Apes was a pleasure to behold from start to finish.  As expected with any summer blockbuster, especially those that are constrained by the parameters of an already established franchise, the film has some initial stumbles.  Chris adequately described those as the tropes of a science fiction film above.  However, it doesn’t take long for the film to go beyond these tropes into to the real heart of the film – the relationship between Caesar and Will (James Franco), as well as Will’s father (John Lithgow).  Make no mistake the star of this film is Caesar, played by Andy Serkis.  I emphasize the “played by Andy Serkis” part because it seems like a great challenge to humanize the Caesar character without going too over-the-top to where the film reaches the B movie status of its predecessors (not to say the effects team(s) don’t deserve credit for this as well).  One of the things I found most endearing and most engaging about this film is that I felt for the plight of Caesar despite knowing he was probably going to be the catalyst of the fate of the human race.  This, coupled with the relationship between Caesar and Will, crafted a conflicted emotion in my mind as the film unfolded.

We should have seen this coming

There were plot holes in the film, but none that bothered during the viewing, and none that diluted the quality of the film for me in retrospect.  This is a summer blockbuster and science fiction film, plot holes and a certain suspension of disbelief are to be expected.  In terms of what I was expecting to know coming out of the theater, the film covered all of its bases; making it, as far as prequels go, one of the tightest screenplays I’ve seen in a while.  For a film that I didn’t really desire to see in the first place, it didn’t really leave much to be desired upon its completion.  I can’t say that it is the best film of the year so far, and I don’t think I can call it the best summer movie either, but I do think that Rise of the Planet of the Apes will end up on my top 10 list for 2011 at the end of the year.

OVERALL: A/A-

Opening This Week (12 Aug 2011)

Rise of the Planet of the Apes took the #1 spot at the box office this past weekend, grossing $54.0 million, which is the 5th highest August opening weekend of all time. This came as a surprise to me, since many people seemed skeptical about the remake/reboot of the series. The Smurfs, the second place finisher, trailed far behind with $20 million, and Cowboys & Aliens dropped more than 50% to $15.7 million. Here are the contenders this week:

30 Minutes or Less

Rated: R

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Aziz Ansari, Danny McBride, Nick Swardson

Director: Ruben Fleischer

Synopsis from IMDB: Two fledgling criminals kidnap a pizza delivery guy, strap a bomb to his chest, and inform him that he has mere hours to rob a bank or else…

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: Comedies are pretty hard to get a good read on ahead of time, mainly because they almost always put their funniest parts in the trailer. I am interested in seeing it because I like almost all the actors involved and Ruben Fleischer direct the great Zombieland, but I am not necessarily “excited” about it, especially when it is holding at 54% on RT right now. I’ll let you know how it is next week.

Final Destination 5

Rated: R

Starring: Nicholas D’Agosto, Emma Bell, Miles Fisher

Director: Steven Quale

Synopsis from IMDB: Survivors of a suspension-bridge collapse learn there’s no way you can cheat Death.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: The Final Destination franchise is an interesting novelty, and the only impact it has had on my life is that I think of it every time I end up driving behind a truck that is carrying copious amounts of logs. Other than that, they are forgettable and each one provides even more and more cheap thrills. I would’ve never though that they would make it to #5, especially since the last one was entitled THE Final Destination, but here we are. I think this will flop both critically and in the box office, but we’ll see. No early reviews yet, which isn’t a good sign.

Glee: The 3D Concert Movie

Rated: PG

Starring: Lea Michele, Corey Monteith, Amber Riley, Chris Colfer

Director: Kevin Tancharoen

Synopsis from IMDB: A concert documentary shot during the Glee Live! In Concert! summer 2011 tour.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: Glee  used to be clever at one point, it lost it about halfway through Season 1 and I stop paying attention any time these people open their mouths to sing. More power to you if you want to go watch them sing and take more of your money because it is in 3D, but this movie does not appeal to me at all.

The Help

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Octavia L. Spencer

Director: Tate Taylor

Synopsis from IMDB: A look at what happens when a southern town’s unspoken code of rules and behavior is shattered by three courageous women who strike up an unlikely friendship.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: The early reviews have been positive, 74% on RT, and I’m pretty sure it will be decent and inspiring, but it isn’t necessarily my cup of tea. So, while I might say that this film would be a safe bet for a  film this weekend, I am not saying that I am interested in seeing it.

First Look at Superman in “Man of Steel” and Selina Kyle in “The Dark Knight Rises”

Yesterday, the first picture of Henry Cavill as Superman in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel was released, and it looks pretty impressive.

He definitely looks a lot darker than Brandon Routh in Superman Returns, plus he looks a lot more jacked. The outfit looks fairly traditional, with a couple of updates to make it appear more modern. While I am hesitant to get my hopes up for this film, I gotta say that I at least like the look so far.

Another photo popped up yesterday as well, this one from another major superhero release next year, The Dark Knight Rises. This is probably one of the most buzzed about movies that I can recall, and Christopher Nolan seems to be taking delight in teasing his fans with mysterious looks at the final installment of his Batman franchise. The photo is a first look at Anne Hathaway playing Selina Kyle:

While the fan boys were all excited about Superman in Man of Steel, the buzz about this photo is very confused. The Dark Knight Rises website did not mention whether this was Selina Kyle in the final Catwoman outfit, and if it is there was a lot of disappointment about it. If it is, I don’t mind it so much. While it is less traditional, I trust that Nolan will make her compelling character, so the outfit is easily overlooked. If it isn’t, it makes me curious what they are going to add and how it will turn out.

What are your thoughts about these photos? Is that a good look for Superman? What about Selina Kyle? Let me know in the comments!

Weekend Film Recommendation: This is Spinal Tap (1984)

If you are a fan of heavy metal, rock music in general, or improvisational comedy, this film’s for you. If you haven’t already seen this movie and you love any of those things, I would actually question your credibility. Even if you don’t like any of those things, it can be equally humorous to see that culture spoofed in what is widely considered of the greatest comedies of all time.

This is Spinal Tap is a mockumentary about the fake British heavy metal Spinal Tap (played brilliantly by Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer) on their comeback tour. Their previous success has been eclipsed by their huge egos and an amateur filmmaker (Rob Reiner) is capturing their downward spiral in a hilarious commentary of the heavy metal culture.

While the movie is funny enough in and of itself, what adds to it is that most of the dialogue was ad-libbed, much like many of other films that followed from Christopher Guest and company (Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind). Not only that, but Guest and McKean wrote all the songs for the band and everyone in the band is actually performing on their respective instruments on the soundtrack. Even though everyone in the film made up most of their own dialogue, only Guest, McKean, Shearer and Reiner received writing credit despite their best efforts to convince the Writer’s Guild Board of Directors otherwise.

Entertainment Weekly ranked this as the #1 Cult Film of All Time and Premiere voted this the #1 Comedy of All Time in 2006. You will find several references to this film throughout pop culture, mostly when talking about music, or anything for that matter, being “cranked to 11”. There are plenty of outstanding things to say about it and I was pretty sure most everyone had seen it, but recently I would mention it and several people said they hadn’t, so that’s why I am including it as a Weekend Film Recommendation.

Here is the trailer:

To add This is Spinal Tap to your Netflix Instant Queue, click here. If you get the DVD version instead, there is a commentary track that features the band doing the commentary and is considered one of the best DVD commentaries around.

 

Review: Cowboys & Aliens

Cowboys & Aliens

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell

Director: Jon Favreau

Chris’ Take: I said in my article about the films that were opening last weekend that I thought that Cowboys & Aliens had a 50/50 chance to be successful. I think a lot of that was based on hope that maybe they could find a way to make the premise based a little bit more in reality and that the film would find a way for us to somehow take it seriously. I knew that this was a summer blockbuster and that “seriousness” and “realistic” aren’t terms that really matter during the months of June – August, but with the outlandishness of the premise I actually thought it would be necessary to at least balance it out with some thought or it would end up being just like how the trailer for Battleship makes itself appear.

The film is loosely based on a 2006 graphic novel of the same name. Jake Lonergan (Daniel Craig) wakes up in the middle of the desert, wounded and wearing a mysterious metal bracelet. He can’t remember who he is or where he came from, but he stumbles upon a nearby town and finds out that he is a wanted criminal known for train robbery and murder. He is about to be handed over to the U.S. Marshals when out of nowhere the town is attacked by aliens, and many citizens are abducted. Lonergan finds out that the bracelet on his hand is an advanced weapon technology and possibly the only hope of defeating the aliens. He joins the gruff Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford), a mysterious woman (Olivia Wilde) and their posse in tracking down where the aliens took the townsfolk, in hopes of getting them back and ridding Earth of the alien scourge.

The film starts out very strong, introducing the audience to some intriguing characters and building a firm foundation steeped in the familiar feeling of an old school western. Daniel Craig is a great pick for Lonergan and really does attract the attention of the viewer with his tough and tumble mug. Right at the beginning we also get to meet the sheriff of the town (Keith Carradine) and he appears to be another strong character that is capable of maintaining a strong screen chemistry with Craig during and after Lonergan’s initial arrest.

Then, the film took a nose dive into oblivion. Harrison Ford shows up going over the top trying to convince us he is the bad ass Colonel Dolarhyde.

Trust me Mr. Ford, you don't need to do any convincing that you're a badass.

He sounded like he swallowed the voice modulator from the recent Batman films, and he came across as a cartoonish character that didn’t fit well with Craig and Carradine’s reasonable portrayals of serious western characters. It was when Ford showed up that I started getting a pit in my stomach that this film was going to go south.

I was thoroughly enjoying the Western that was unfolding, despite Ford’s attempts to ruin it and I hoped the aliens would just subtley (as much as aliens can) join the scene. While I knew they were coming, and that it would be a difficult task to make the two genres blend together,  I was hoping that the Jon Favreau and crew had found a way to do it. The aliens’ arrival was jarring, as it was supposed to be, but it still was difficult to take in and adjust to the change in style.

From that point on, the film couldn’t find the balance between being a Western and a sci-fi action film, and felt uneven the whole way through. Daniel Craig did his best to keep the audience interested, and Harrison Ford did his best to bring him down. As much as I love Harrison Ford in many of his films, I thought he was a distinctly destructive factor to any chance this movie had to be successful. There was so much talent involved and Craig really tried to pull it off, but it was squandered every time Ford opened his mouth. No one else seemed to have any screen presence to support Craig either, even Sam Rockwell who usually is a magnetic presence in just about any role. Every time Rockwell showed up I realized that I forgot he was in the movie.

Favreau did manage to keep the jovial and summer blockbuster tone that I came to expect from his other action films, but his tone alone wasn’t enough glue to keep the film as a cohesive project. Possibly, this could be due to the fact that apparently 14 writers were involved in this project, even though only 5 were credited in the film. The production process was apparently difficult and it might have been that too many fingers were in this pie.

The pie ended up looking like this.

Like I said, in my humble opinion, it seemed that the only way for this film to work was to somehow actually approach the film in a serious manner, which is difficult to do when the title of the film is Cowboys & Aliens. That is not to say that you can’t have fun with it, it is a summer movie after all, but I think some maturity was needed to bring the two genres of Western and sci-fi together in an enjoyable fashion. In order to do that you need actors that will bring that maturity with them, and (with the exception of Craig) it just wasn’t there. I’m sure there are several teens that will love this movie, but I was hoping for something more. I guess it’s my fault for having hope.

OVERALL: C-

News from the Rumor Mill: Fishburne Joins “Man of Steel”, Green Lantern 2, Francis Ford Coppola’s Avant-Garde New Film

I’m finally able to carve out some time to write about the rumor mill. Most of this stuff isn’t rumor anymore though:

Laurence Fishburne Will Play Perry White in Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel

I have to say, I didn’t see this one coming, but Deadline and other sources are reporting that Laurence Fishburne just landed the part of Daily Planet editor, Perry White in Zack Snyder’s production-plagued Superman film, Man of Steel. For obvious reasons, I don’t think a lot of people would’ve predicted this, but I think it is a good change. I think Fishburne will provide a welcome change to the character for the film, not that Perry White usually plays a big role in Superman’s stories, but he will be a strong and recognizable screen presence that I’ll look forward to seeing.

The sad thing is that I can see Snyder making Perry White look like this.

He joins a well rounded cast that already has a relative newcomer, Henry Cavill, playing Superman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane, Diane Lane as Martha Kent, Kevin Costner as Jonathan Kent, Russell Crowe as Jor-El, and Christopher Meloni in a TBD role.

Speaking of Zack Snyder:

Zack Snyder Will Direct  The Last Photograph

Last summer, there was some buzz about Zack Snyder working with Christian Bale on an original project entitled The Last Photograph. All that seems to be known about the plot is that it is a drama set in “war-torn Afghanistan” and involves two journalists travelling there due to something they saw in a photograph. Sean Penn is rumored to be playing the other lead role.

Originally, Niel Arden Oplev, who directed the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, was set to take over as director. Snyder was going to act as co-writer and producer, but was going to let someone else take the reins behind the camera. Now, Snyder is apparently taking over because Oplev is stepping away from the project for unknown reasons.

My opinion of Snyder is based on his earlier works such as Dawn of the Dead, 300 and Watchmen. I haven’t seen Legend of the Guardians or Sucker Punch (although that one is in my Netflix Queue), but from what I hear they were marking a downward trend for him. From what I’ve seen, I like him as a director and I think it is admirable that he is trying to shift away from adaptations and remakes and work on more original projects as well. However, I am kind of waiting to see Man of Steel, which could be the deciding factor of whether I get excited about this or not, although I’m sure this will be a completely different style than his typical comic book movie.

Green Lantern 2 is Given the Green Light

The rumors about Green Lantern 2 have been bouncing around even before the film came out. It was surprising that as badly as the film tanked at the box office, and with fans and critics, that they were still pressing forward with the sequel. According to multiple sources, including Film School Rejects, Warner Bros is continuing as planned with the franchise and is making some adjustments, namely that they wants a “edgier and darker” approach for Green Lantern 2. They also are bringing in a new director.

I know a lot of people would disagree with me here, but I like this. Green Lantern was far below everyone’s expectations and I think there is a some potential for a good superhero film in there. Just like a Lantern, it is only limited by imagination. The most creative construct they could make Reynolds come up with was a hot wheels track, which was pretty lame. Also, as I mentioned in our review, we were teased with Sinestro at the end, who would make a far more compelling villain than a huge ball of fear, or Hector Hammond (despite Peter Sarsgaard’s best efforts).  Anyway, I think an edgier film is a better approach than the cartoonish look that the first film had, but it will be hard to transition to that, I’m sure. There is no word on who the new director will be, but hopefully they can find someone who is up to the task. It might be hard nailing a decent director, because selling this idea to someone will be difficult since there is so much negative buzz about this project.

That's never been a problem for Michael Bay, but he doesn't really pop to mind when I think "edgy and dark".

They also need to make sure they have a decent writer this time, preferably one who actually has a concept of plot structure.

Francis Ford Coppola Attempts Odd Film Gimmick with Twixt

I have an incredible respect for Francis Ford Coppola. Photos from his films line my apartment, and I rarely become immersed in films like I did with The Godfather and Apocalypse Now. He truly is a great director, so it is with great hesitance and with all due respect that I say…maybe old age is causing him to go a bit senile.

There may have been hints of it here.

His newest film, Twixt, which he showed footage from at the latest Comic Con is a droll looking horror film starring Val Kilmer as a “has been” horror writer who is looking to revive his career by going on tour. He ends up in a small town with a secret that piques his curiosity. You can watch the trailer here:

It is not the trailer that worries me, probably because I fell asleep halfway through, but how he plans to release the film. He wants to take his new project on a 30 city tour, which will include a live orchestra playing with the film and apparently will take input from the audience and re-cut the film based on their reaction. It is a little hazy how this will work, but he wants the film to be a living project, which sound interesting in theory, but I like the idea that the director has a singular vision and portrays that on the screen. Feedback is good, but this sounds like too much feedback, especially depending on the different audiences that he encounters. I still have faith in him, he did direct some of the greatest films of all time, but this does seem like a bit much. I suppose I shouldn’t judge until I see exactly what he is talking about, but I am just merely reacting to what I see so far.

What are your thoughts about the latest news? Did you like the Twixt trailer?

REVIEW: Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Crazy, Stupid, Love.

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone

Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa

I pulled the double feature on Sunday, thanks to the rain, and I’m glad I did, because Crazy, Stupid, Love provided a nice reprieve after my screening of Cowboys & Aliens.

Crazy, Stupid, Love revolves around Cal (Steve Carell), who is struggling on his own after his wife (Julianne Moore) tells him she wants a divorce. He tries to get back in the dating scene by going to the local bars and clubs, but is far removed from what is “cool” and what women are looking for. A young womanizer named Jacob (Ryan Gosling) takes pity on him and teaches him how to be attractive to women, but Cal still finds himself longing to reunite with his wife.

This summer comedy started out seeming like a watered down take on The 40 Year Old Virgin, except this time it was The Man Who Only Had One Woman and is Now Too Old to Know How to Pick Up Women. It featured Steve Carell acting like a bumbling idiot at bars while his friends tried to give him pointers to no avail. While I like Steve Carell and The 40 Year Old Virgin, I really had no desire to see a remake of that. Thankfully, it quickly changed tone to something deeper and more heartfelt.

Steve Carell anchored the film, but he certainly was strongly supported by Ryan Gosling who was appearing in his first straight up comedy role. Gosling nailed his part, portraying the playboy and I was wondering how they could make a believable character arc for someone that shallow and one-dimensional at the beginning of the film. To me, one of the best scenes in the film was watching the first night he spends with Emma Stone’s character, and watching him be enamoured by her. It was a touching look at the first inklings of love, and they did a superb job of making their romance convincing.

Not only did the adults in the film deliver great performances, but two of the younger actors involved, Jonah Bobo and Analeigh Tipton, showed that they have a promising future as well. Their characters’ “romance” is actually somewhat disturbing, but they certainly played their parts earnestly and complemented the older characters well.

The writer, Dan Fogelman, whose credits before this were limited to lighter fare, brought a delightful mix of comedy and depth, something that I wasn’t expecting in a summer comedy. Directors Glen Ficarra and John Requa, who gave us last year’s I Love You, Phillip Morris, did a great job of using that mixture to their advantage. While some other films might try to hard to force both comedy and drama together in an awkward and spotty way, Ficarra and Requa sewed them seamlessly together.

 I think that this is one of the most well-rounded comedies that I’ve seen in a while. It is no Best Picture winner, but I think there is a good chance that it could make my Top Ten List at the end of the year, not that the competition has been that fierce so far. I highly recommend this film if you’re looking for an alternative to the typical summer fare. It goes down smooth, but takes some time to digest.

OVERALL: A-

Opening This Week (05 Aug 2011)

Cowboys and Aliens rode off with the top spot at the box office, barely beating out The Smurfs. Initial estimates had them tied with $36.2 million apiece, but after the actual numbers came in Cowboys had $36.4 million and The Smurfs had $35.6 million. Captain America: The First Avenger dropped to third place this week with $25.6 million, and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 crossed the $1 billion dollar international box office mark by adding $22.5 million in domestic box office. 

I’m increasingly joyous as we approach the end of the summer movie season and the junk food cinema that entails. I am ready for the heavier morsels of Fall, but for now we’ll have to settle for these appetizers:

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Rated: PG-13

Starring: James Franco, John Lithgow, Andy Serkis, Tom Felton

Director: Rupert Wyatt

Synopsis from IMDB: An origin story set in present day San Francisco, where man’s own experiments with genetic engineering lead to the development of intelligence in apes and the onset of a war for supremacy.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: I’m really not sure what to make of this. There is a part of me that wants to give the Planet of the Apes franchise another chance after Tim Burton’s 2001 disaster, but I’m not sure that this will come through. So, I will probably hesitantly go see this and keep an open mind. I have low expectations for it, so I don’t think I’ll be disappointed if it fails and will do my best to enjoy this summer feature. I don’t think it will do that well in the box office though because the last one left such a bad taste in the mouth of many viewers who actually knew what the franchise was about, and I don’t think that the younger viewers care enough about the premise to attract a demographic below 21 years old. However, the reviews have been positive so far, 83% on RT, and there has been a lot of laud for Andy Serkis returning to his CGI roots by playing Caesar, the main chimp.

The Change Up

Rated: R

Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Jason Bateman, Leslie Mann, Olivia Wilde

Director: David Dobkin

Synopsis from IMDB: A comedy in which a married father accidentally switches bodies with his best friend, leading to a series of wildly complex difficulties.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: Another film coming out this weekend that I don’t really know if I’m interested in or not. The premise of the change up is a tiresome gimmick in Hollywood, used in multiple movies and kids tv shows. I like both of the lead actors, and I would hope that Jason Bateman’s “switch” would give him a chance to be a little crazier than he is in most of his films. The early buzz from advanced screenings is almost all positive, which does get me a little excited, but we’ll see. I don’t know if I’ll be able to make it to this one this weekend, although it is a possibility. If not, I’ll probably add it to my Netflix.

Limited Releases

The Whistleblower

Rated: R

Starring: Rachel Weisz, Vanessa Redgrave, Monica Bellucci, David Strathairn

Director: Larysa Kondracki

Synopsis from IMDB: A drama based on the experiences of Kathryn Bolkovac, a Nebraska cop who served as a peacekeeper in post-war Bosnia and outed the U.N. for covering up a sex scandal.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: I definitely like the cast of this film and it looks like a mature and intense thriller. It has 71% on RT and many of the reviews are praising Weisz’s performance in particular. I’ll probably put this on my Netflix queue.

Bellflower

Rated: R

Starring: Evan Glodell, Tyler Dawson, Jessie Wiseman, Rebekah Brandes

Director: Evan Glodell

Synopsis from IMDB: Two friends spend all their free time building flame-throwers and weapons of mass destruction in hopes that a global apocalypse will occur and clear the runway for their imaginary gang “Mother Medusa”.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: I’m glad that I read the synopsis before I watched the trailer because I would’ve been confused as hell as to what was going on. It looks like two guys and a girl drive a lot and light things on fire. While the film is still a little sketchy looking, the reviews for it have been outstanding. While it only has 12 reviews on RT, all are glowing and so far it has a perfect 100% on RT. I look forward to seeing this film when it becomes available On Demand or on Netflix.

 

 

**Trailer Time** (Special Edition): “Battleship” and “New Year’s Eve”

This is a special edition of Trailer Time. I don’t mean the good kind of special. It’ s the window licking kind….

Battleship

I’ve mentioned this film before, several months ago, and how terrible I thought the idea was. I know I’m not really supposed to lay judgement to the film itself without seeing it, and when I wrote about it before I was merely criticizing the idea. Now that the trailer is out, subtitled edition, I have a really really hard time imagining any way that this could be good. A movie based on a board game….ok Hollywood you could do worse than that, but basing it on something that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever….this could quite possibly be the worst idea I’ve seen in a while. Check it out:

This hits home for me for a couple of reasons.

1) I am a Surface Warfare Officer (SWO) in the United States Navy. There has not been a decent film portraying that side of the military in a very long time. I keep hoping that we get something that can make us look cool, but it is next to impossible. SWO is not an exciting life and making an accurate and exhilarating film about us is definitely a challenge, but the Aviators who at least have the movies Top Gun to claim, will never let us live this down.

2) We don’t even have Battleships anymore! This film would’ve made sense, and been more exciting if you had just set it in a time when there were Battleships and it was actually cool to be a SWO.

Okay, "cool" and "SWO" should never be used in the same sentence.

You could probably make a film that was much more like a real life version of the game if you set the film back during World War II or something. Then you could’ve brought a historical aspect into it as well and made it somewhat educational.

3) Aliens? …..Really? Aliens? Maybe this movie was written by two kids playing Battleship who had just chugged three Mountain Dews and were like, “You know what would be awesome? Some aliens? Go get a crayon and we can draw up a picture for my Dad, the Hollywood Producer. The geekdom website Topless Robot also had an interesting origin story for this film. You can check it out, here.

New Year’s Eve

Last year’s Valentine’s Day featured a star studded cast and led to many star-lacking reviews (14% on RT). Anyway, so what happens when your film didn’t do as well as expected? Why stuff more stars in the cast to the point where there will be no plot and only cameos of course! That’s what the new film New Year’s Eve seems to be all about. There isn’t much more to talk about except that at this point. I’m sure it will make back some money, since most of the actors in there seem to be fading in Hollywood and probably in need of a quick buck. Anyway, here is the trailer:

New Posters for “The Avengers” and Why The Hulk is Getting a Makeover

Here are the new posters for Marvel Studios’ The Avengers, courtesy of Marvel.com.

As some of you may know, Mark Ruffalo is replacing Edward Norton (who replaced Eric Bana) as The Hulk in next year’s The Avengers. While the ins and outs of how this came to be are still a little hazy, there is one thing that Producer Kevin Feige was clear on…the actual look of The Hulk will change as well. While some die hard fanboys might protest, after reading an article from the L.A. Times this new approach could be more interesting than the recent Hulks we’ve seen. This is what Feige had to say:

“He’ll be about the same size he was in “The Incredible Hulk” [which was about 9 feet tall] or maybe a little bit smaller. His muscles won’t be quite as cut. We figure he’s been the Hulk now for a few years and [his physique is changing]. He’s not as cut or as ripped as he was in “The Incredible Hulk.” The most important thing is that face. As you can already see in that concept painting, it is — more than any Hulk that’s ever been done in live action — a Hulk that let’s you see the actor in there. You will be able to see Ruffalo in there. That was a big revelation for us. It’s just a concept painting, but in that you can see the [influence of Marvel Comics pioneer and original Hulk artist Jack] Kirby, as people have already pointed out, but also, and equally important in this case, Ruffalo’s eyes and his cheek structure. It is him.”

Later in the interview, he also added this:

It was something we actively avoided before. Hulk was Hulk, he’s not any one actor and Hulk should look like Hulk. It was  like Iron Man’s armor, in a way, it wouldn’t change depending on the actor wearing it. But we’ve taken a different approach because Hulk is Banner and, frankly, we came to question our approach. Why are we not doing it this way?  So we did a few designs that put Ruffalo into it, and we immediately saw how much more you feel for the creature. When you keep that connection going between Banner and the Hulk and you have characters around him trying to reach Banner inside — “Bruce, calm down,” and all of that classic Hulk stuff — it means more if you see the same actor throughout. I think before it was something we thought might look silly. We were nervous about getting it good enough [via visual effects] to work. Frankly, it was the same way we were nervous early on about making Steve Rogers skinny for “Captain America.” Is this going to look disturbing? Is this going to look silly? In the end, we got that one right. We’re going to get this one right.”

I agreed that they definitely did an outstanding job with making the skinny Steve Rogers in Captain America: The First Avenger, so I’m interested to see what they do with Hulk. Although, for a minute when they said that the Hulk won’t be as “cut” it brought some humorous images about a Fat Hulk to mind.

What are your thoughts about this? Should they just leave well enough alone? What do you think about Ruffalo as The Hulk?

New to Blu Ray DVD the Last Few Weeks (July 12, July 15, July 19, July 26)

Released July 12, 2011

The Lincoln Lawyer

Rated: R

Starring: Matthew McConaughey, Marisa Tomei and Ryan Phillippe

Director: Brad Furman

Synopsis from IMDB: A sleazy defense attorney has a crisis of conscience when he represents a wealthy client who has a foolproof plan to beat the system.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take: Typically I’ll dismiss any movie where Matthew McConaughey recieves top billing, but the critical success of this film has peaked my interests enough to warrant it a rental (not to mention the ageless beauty that is Marisa Tomei).

Insidious

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne and Ty Simpkins

Director: James Wan

Synopsis from IMDB: A family looks to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take: I’m a sucker for a good horror movie, and I hear despite Insidious’s PG-13 rating, it is so far the years best and scariest.  My growing interest in Patrick Wilson also gives this film a boost, and despite The Lincoln Lawyer being the most acclaimed of this week’s releases, I vote Insidious as this week’s rental recommendation.

July 15, 2011

Rango

Rated: PG

Starring: Johnny Depp, Isla Fisher and Timothy Olyphant

Director: Gore Verbinski

Synopsis from IMDB: Rango is an ordinary chameleon who accidentally winds up in the town of Dirt, a lawless outpost in the Wild West in desperate need of a new sheriff.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take: I have to be in the right mood for an animated film, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about Rango.  That being said, I’ll probably add this to my Netflix queue, though I’m sure it will be there for a while.

Arthur

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Russell Brand, Helen Mirren and Jennifer Garner

Director: Jason Winer

Synopsis from IMDB: A drunken playboy stands to lose a wealthy inheritance when he falls for a woman his family doesn’t like.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take: I’m just not sure about this film.  While the original was a great comedy, I find this to be an unecessary remake with a few actors I don’t particularly care for.  Still, the marketing did a good job making this film appear to be genuine and well-scripted.  Helen Mirren is also a plus.  I’ll probably give this one a try in the near future.

July 19, 2011:

Limitless

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Bradley Cooper, Anna Friel and Abbie Cornish

Director:  Neil Burger

Synopsis from IMDB: A writer discovers a top-secret drug which bestows him with super human abilities.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take: I seem to recall being interested in this movie when it was released in theaters but can’t recall what prevented me from seeing it.  Still, now that it is on home video I’ll definitely give it a look.

Take Me Home Tonight

Rated: R

Starring: Topher Grace, Anna Faris and Dan Fogler

Director: Michael Dowse

Synopsis from IMDB: Follow an aimless college grad who pursues his dream girl at a wild Labor Day weekend party. He, his twin sister and their best friend struggle with their burgeoning adulthood over the course of the night.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take: A cast full of names that haven’t fully lived up to their potential, Take Me Home Tonight seems to be yet another disappointment for Topher Grace, Anna Farris, and Dan Fogler.  While the reception seems to echo that sentiment, I’ve seen enough glimpses of goodness from each of these actors to at least give this movie a shot.

July 26, 2011

The Source Code

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Monaghan and Vera Farmiga

 Director: Duncan Jones

Synopsis from IMDB: An action thriller centered on a soldier who wakes up in the body of an unknown man and discovers he’s part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take: I’ve heard nothing but good things about this film and am disappointed I wasn’t able to catch it during its theatrical run.  Still, my reward is saving a few bucks and enjoying it in the comfort of my own home.  This will be near the top of my Netflix queue.

Trust

Rated: R

Starring: Clive Owen, Catherine Keener and Liana Liberato

 Director: David Schwimmer

Synopsis from IMDB: A teenage girl is targeted by an online sexual predator.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take: I remember seeing this trailer when Chris posted it for an opening this week.  I really like the cast for this film and look forward to watching it.  As and aside, I was pretty shocked to write David Schwimmer in as the film’s director.

Dylan Dog: Dead of Night

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Brandon Routh, Anita Briem and Sam Huntington

Director: Kevin Munroe

Synopsis from IMDB:

The adventures of supernatural private eye, Dylan Dog, who seeks out the monsters of the Louisiana bayou in his signature red shirt, black jacket, and blue jeans.

Trailer:

Pac’s Take: I passed on Dylan Dog in theaters solely because of its poor critical reception.  I’ve really been rooting for Brandon Routh after his disappointing departure following Superman Returns and look forward to seeing this on DVD/Blu Ray.  Hopefully I enjoy the film more than others clearly have.

TAKE TWO: Captain America: The First Avenger

Captain America: The First Avenger

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Chris Evans, Tommy Lee Jones, Hayley Atwell, Hugo Weaving

Director: Joe Johnston

Chris’ Take: The big concern for me going into this film was that it would merely be a stepping stone to The Avengers. Marvel Studios knew that it had a large fanbase that would show up to this film and they probably knew that regardless of its quality they would still make bank off the aforementioned super-project that is going to be released next year. While there was a fair amount of effort to tie in this film to the other Marvel projects, Captain America  was at least decent enough entertainment to leave the viewers salivating for more.

Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) is a scrawny and asthmatic young man who is desperate to join the U.S. Army and defend freedom and justice, but his conditions leave him marked as 4F despite several attempts to falsify his records. His determination attracts the attention of a scientist (Stanley Tucci) in an experimental branch of the U.S. Government, who is developing a serum to build super soldiers. Rogers jumps at the chance and is transformed into Captain America. His excitement is short-lived as he is instead used as a mascot for war bonds instead of fighting in the actual war. His powers are soon called upon when the looming threat of an underground group of Nazis, lead by the mysterious Red Skull (Hugo Weaving), harness the power of the gods and pose a greater threat than Hitler himself.

When trying to harness the power of the gods, you might want to up your SPF.

The Captain America  comics were a very blatant attempt at propaganda during war time. Looking back the comics seem hokey, and the outfit is certainly ludicrous by today’s standards. I was expecting them to almost completely update it and try to provide a grittier film. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of cheesiness, it fit well within the context of the film and brought a certain nostalgia for the old comics, while simultaneously updating it for this generation.

Chris Evans is a charismatic guy and is a perfect fit for Rogers. The script really developed his character and made him relatable and sympathetic before he even became Captain America. I think what bothered me about Marvel’s last endeavour, Thor, was that it was hard to relate to someone that was a god and had always been a god. Rogers’ earnestness and appreciation of his powers makes the audience want to root for him, and Evans never made his ambition seem anything less than genuine.

A lot of the other superhero films focus heavily on how much the main character kicks ass, and how the fate of the world rests completely on their shoulders. In the final battle, Captain America was certainly the only one that could defeat Red Skull personally, but  the film as a whole made it clear that he heavily relied on friends and his “team” to get him where he needed to be. I liked that aspect of the film, and in some ways it makes him seem that much more likeable as a character. It made him seem less egocentric than a lot of other superheroes. A lot of other Marvel films have some of those elements, but the characters only rely on friends when they actually need it, or it is almost too late for them to succeed on their own. Captain America plans on needing them, and works in conjunction with them, rather than seeming cocky by running in guns blazing on his own.

No, no....you're the man!

The action in the film was exciting, and while it was over-the-top at times, it felt more subdued than a lot of other recent action films. There was a scene involving a jailbreak that was particularly thrilling. Joe Johnston had shown glimpses of his ability to direct an action film, but he certainly was allowed a bigger budget for this one and you could tell he was just having fun with it.

While the film could’ve been better, and did feel a little rushed at the end, it certainly didn’t let me down. All the other heroes (Iron Man, Hulk, Thor), I’ve seen about as much of their course as I think I care to see outside of The Avengers. Captain America is the one character that I hope gets his own sequel once the major assembly is done. With as much money as that movie is probably going to make, I’m sure Marvel Studios will have some left over “change” to make it if they so desire. If they do, I’ll be there.

OVERALL: B+

Pac’s Take:  I was expecting to see a different film than the one Captain America: The First Avenger turned out to be.  Knowing the film was going to be set during World War II and given the footage I saw from trailers, I was expecting more of a gritty war movie than I was a comic book movie.  While at first I was disappointed by this curve ball and seeing this film play out in a completely different tone than what I anticipated, it quickly grew on me and I started to enjoy the ride.  The hokiness of some of the film certainly fit in with the agenda of the Captain America comics (the early ones at least), as well as the character’s purpose in the beginning of the film.  However, as Hydra emerged as a threat and Captain America’s role became more pivotal to the success of the war, the film did a great job of changing tone (which aided in keeping the pace) and keeping me invested in the story.

There were times where I noticed Chris Evan’s acting and delivery waiver, but I really have to hand it to him, Joe Johnston, and the screenwriters (Christopher Markus and Stephen McFeely) for fully developing the Steve Rogers character and his relationships.  Chris touched on this, but the humanization of Steve Rogers really made the Captain America character more likeable.  Every sacrifice and effort Steve Rogers made for his friends and his country felt genuine because of this development and really made the film where it could have easily been broken.  The chemistry was most evident between Rogers and Dr. Abraham Erskine (Stanley Tucci), and it was a joy to watch these two on-screen together. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, we will now commence stealing this scene.

 The fight scenes in this movie were captivating, and while we ultimately knew the fate of Captain America, his close relationships with the supporting cast created a great amount of suspense whenever they were in danger.  There was one particular death that I really didn’t see coming, ultimately making it one of the best scenes of the movie.  As for the fate of Rogers, though we all know he ends up frozen (this is no spoiler due to The Avengers and the foreshadowing in the first 5 minutes of the film) his self-sacrifice carried an emotional weight with the audience and felt like more than a stepping stone to The Avengers.  With as much time as they invested in the emotional humanization of Steve Rogers, I really hope they spend some time at the beginning of The Avengers focusing on Rogers’s adjustment to the 21st century and coming to grips with the mortality of now aged or deceased friends.  It would be a great waste to unravel all the work that was put into this film and ultimately diminish its quality.

I wonder if she still wants that dance...

 Many have dubbed Captain America: The First Avenger the best superhero movie of 2011, I’m a little reluctant to give it that title considering how much I enjoyed X-Men: First Class.  Still, it is a very good installment, certainly one of the best amongst The Avengers pre-films (it’s between Captain America and Iron Man for that crown).  Marvel did a great job closing out the “prequels” for The Avengers, and I’m really excited to see them all come together next year.

Overall: B+

 

TAKE TWO: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson, Ralph Fiennes

Director: David Yates

Chris’ Take: Well, it’s been a long 10 years and if it hadn’t been for my brother I probably wouldn’t ever have watched more than the first film. We had a family tradition of seeing a movie on Thanksgiving Day and it was usually a family oriented movie, so in 2001 my parents dragged my brother and I, who were both about college age, to see the very kiddie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. My younger sisters loved it and my brother and I were groaning, knowing that there were more mature films that we could’ve gone to. The next year, my brother being more benevolent than I was, took my sisters to the second film, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. I scoffed and went and watched one of the worst movies I have ever paid money to see in the theaters, Star Trek: Nemesis. My brother came and told me that the second film was “awesome” and definitely worth seeing. Against my instincts that told me my brother was playing a prank, I went and saw it later and was thoroughly impressed. I was not expecting the level of excitement or wonder that the film brought. I was hooked, and on Saturday, when I finally saw the last film I felt like I really was saying goodbye to people I had gotten to know really well over 10 years. Even if at times I thought they were hokey, cheesy, or just plain dumb, I had watched these characters grow and the final installment of the franchise was nothing short of impressive.

We find  Harry, Hermione and Ron right where we left them at the end of Part I. They are getting ready to stage an attempt to steal a Hocrux out of Bellatrix Lestrange’s vault in Gringott’s. Severus Snape has turned Hogwart’s into what looks like a program for the wizarding Hitler youth, and Voldemort is flaunting the power of his new found elder wand. Harry comes to grips with the fact that he must confront the dark wizard face-to-face in order for the wizarding war to end.

As some of you might remember from my review of the first part, I thought the pacing was rather slow. However, in retrospect it was the perfect set up for the fast-paced action of Part 2. Almost all the exposition and necessary character development occurred in Part I and built a rock solid foundation for two and a half hours of non-stop excitement. The viewer was able to just sit back and become completely engulfed in the wizardry and epic that ended the series.

Unless, of course, the viewer had never seen any of the previous films or read any of the books. In which case, they probably were completely engulfed in sleep...or confusion.

The care for the characters is really what made the action seem that much more intense. That was my gripe with Transformers: Dark of the Moon. I cared about none of the characters Michael Bay presented. It didn’t matter how eye-popping (or eye gouging) the action scenes were. The suspense really gets created through characters that you love being placed in danger. If not, it just becomes a mildly sick hope that they die. 

David Yates’ talents were under question for closing out the series, since many people claimed that the fifth and sixth Harry Potter films were arguably the weakest. I think after he proved that he could direct on an epic scale in this conclusion, he put any and all criticism to rest. Sure, he had a screenplay that was based on a fantastic book and he had an endless list of talented actors lined up at this beck and call, but taking all those elements and reigning them into a cohesive directorial piece that captures the wizarding fantasy world and doesn’t disappoint fans and critics is quite a challenge. He received high accolades from me for being able to pull it off.

The cinematography in the first part was stellar, there really was a tremendous depth to each shot, and this film was very similar in that regard. A fantasy world should not be shot close unless there is a specifically claustrophobic scene and Yates seemed aware of that. In each shot you weren’t just get a close up on the actors participating in the action or a simple line of dialogue, you could clearly see the world around them, and made it almost a character of its own.

It seems redundant for me to keep bringing up the fact that the lead actors in the series are really what made it what the series have the clout that it did. Say that someone who had the acting talents akin to Jake Lloyd, the cute but talent deprived Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, had gotten the role of Harry. The credibility of the series would’ve tanked, no matter how well the story was developed around him. Radcliffe, Watson and Grint were incredibly talented child (now adult) actors. Plus, they were surrounded by some seriously gifted people in supporting roles. While Ralph Fiennes would not have been at the top of my list of actors to play Voldemort back when his character first started playing prominently in the series, I can’t see anyone pulling it off like he did and really making his character three-dimensional.

And I don't just mean in the technical IMAX 3D sense.

The series will always be something that is easily watched again and again. Some might start making the argument that this should be nominated for Best Picture, but I am still not convinced that these films contain the caliber and depth that I think warrant that. These films more deserve to be filed under a “favorite films” list as opposed to “best films” list. They were certainly all quality films, except for the first one, and I could easily make an argument that this was the best in the series.

OVERALL: A

Pac’s Take:  My journey through the Harry Potter  series also came to fruition through reluctance.  My younger brother was really into the books and encouraged me to start watching the movies as he collected them on DVD.  While the films entertained me during some of the more boring nights of my summers home from college, I was never that invested in the series.  Then, when I finally got around to seeing movies three through five I became a fan.  It is no coincidence that this was the same time in the series that one of my favorite actors, Gary Oldman, played a pivotal role as Sirius Black.  Once Oldman’s involvement ended my interest wavered again, but by this time I was too invested in the series not to see it through.

Though Gary Oldman's star power does have it limits

 Like Chris, I was not satisfied with the pacing of part one of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but I do have to agree that it was necessary for the success of this film.  Part two picks up right where part one left off, as if they were one movie seamlessly making a scene change.  However, as a single movie they cannot work because the pace and tone of the second movie severely contrasts the first.  This was the Harry Potter movie I came to see, two and a half hours of action. 

Since Chris compared this film to Transformers: Dark of the Moon, I’ll play devil’s advocate for a moment.  I think David Yates could have learned something from the last hour of Michael Bay’s film.

Product placement?

 SPOILER ALERT:  While I certainly was much more invested in the wizards of the Harry Potter universe much more than I was Sam Witwicky and the Target car of the Autobots, at least during Transformers I felt like they were challenged.  For what was supposed to be an epic battle to end all battles, all the fights were too brief and lacking of suspense.  There’s nothing David Yates (director) and Steve Cloves (screenwriter) can do about J.K. Rowling’s inability to kill major players (though she didn’t seem to have a problem doing this before), but they could have at least made it seem like they were threatened.  While the final battle between Harry and Voldemort is evident of this, the prime example would be the death of Bellatrix Lestrange.  Considering how prominent and menacing she was throughout the final chapters of this series, she met her demise far to easily. (END SPOILER ALERT)

Regardless of this films flaws it still was a major success both financially and as a piece of entertainment/art.  I do find it possible that the Academy will reward the creators’ and players’ work for this series (just as they did with Lord of the Rings), though I don’t think it is necessarily justified.  It’s hard to rank Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two amongst the other films, but I do consider it to be top-tier. 

It may have ranked as the best if they would have not wasted five minutes of my life with the pointless epilogue.

Overall: A-

Opening This Week (29 July 2011)

Captain America knocked off the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 juggernaut to take the top spot in the box office this past weekend. The latest Marvel Superhero brought in $65.8 million beating out the boy wizard by almost twenty million. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 took almost a 75% drop from its opening weekend, finishing with $48.1 million to make its two week total just below $275 million. Friends With Benefits came in third with $18. 5 million. This week might bring another box office contender with a big budget sci-fi blast being the top contender to take on Captain America.

Cowboys & Aliens

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell

Director: Jon Favreau

Synopsis from IMDB: A spaceship arrives in Arizona, 1873, to take over the Earth, starting with the Wild West region. A posse of cowboys are all that stand in their way.

 Trailer:

Chris’ Take: I think this has a 50/50 chance to be good. Pac would probably give it a 110% chance to be awesome, but I think that there is a lot to overcome within the ludicrous plot to make it interesting. However, Jon Favreau is a great summer blockbuster director, just look at the two Iron Man films. Plus, there is a great starring and supporting cast, who I have difficulty believing would all sign up for a project that had a propensity to tank. So, like I said I think there is a 50/50 chance this would be a worthwhile visit this weekend to the theater, Pac and I will certainly be there.

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Rated: PG-13

Starring: Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone

Director: Glenn Ficarra, John Requa

Synopsis from IMDB: A father’s life unravels while he deals with a marital crisis and tries to manage his relationship with his children.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: This looks like a pleasant summer comedy and it might also contain some thought behind it, which is rare for this time of year. I like every actor/actress that the film stars and the early reviews have been positive, even though there are only 7 total so far (86% on RT). I think it will probably end somewhere around 72%, but we’ll see. If sci-fi/western action isn’t your thing, this is probably the best box office alternative this weekend.

The Smurfs 3D

Rated: PG

Starring: Hank Azaria, Neil Patrick Harris, Katy Perry, Jayma Mays

Director: Raja Gosnell

Synopsis from IMDB: When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the tiny blue Smurfs out of their village, they tumble from their magical world and into ours.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: Hollywood continues to run low on creativity for family friendly films and is banking heavily on nostalgia. Here we have an inexplicably popular cartoon from the 80’s making a comeback, kind of like Alvin and the Chipmunks. I expect that this film will be on the same level as the Chipmunks films as well, but maybe we’ll be pleasantly surprised.

Limited Releases

Attack the Block

Rated: R

Starring: Jodie Whittaker, John Boyega, Alex Esmail, Franz Drameh

Director: Joe Cornish

Synopsis from IMDB: A teen gang in South London defend their block from an alien invasion.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: I’ve been tracking this one for a while. There was a lot of buzz about this film coming across the pond and then it won the Audience Award at the L.A. Film Festival. It does have a very Shaun of the Dead feel to it, which makes sense. I like the fact that they bring a younger group of people to defend their block, kind of like the fantasies kids have when running around the streets playing pretend games. RottenTomatoes currently has it at 91%, which is pretty staggering for an alien invasion gang war dramedy. Anyway, this is only playing in select theaters right now, but will probably be On Demand shortly.

The Guard

Rated: R

Starring: Brendan Gleeson, Don Cheadle, Liam Cunningham, David Wilmot

Director: John Michael McDonagh

Synopsis from IMDB: An unorthodox Irish policeman with a confrontational personality is teamed up with an uptight FBI agent to investigate an international drug-smuggling ring.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: Brendan Gleeson certainly has a knack for dry comedy. Come to think of it, I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen a movie that I haven’t liked him in. This film reminds me a lot of the style of In Bruges, which is one of my favorites. It’s at 100% on RottenTomatoes as well, which bodes well for its final critical tally.

Good Neighbors

Rated: R

Starring: Scott Speedman, Emily Hampshire, Jay Baruchel

Director: Jacob Tierney

Synopsis from IMDB: Takes place in 1995, the year of the second referendum on the separation of Quebec. In the dead of winter, a serial killer is on the loose in the small Montreal neighborhood of Notre Dame de Grace. The tenants of an old apartment house must figure out who they can trust and who they can’t.

Trailer:

Chris’ Take: Looks like a very claustrophobic, low-budget thriller, but it looks decent. It has an 88% on RT and received a fair amount of praise at film festivals. Unfortunately, I don’t think it will show in many theaters, but it should be available On Demand shortly.

 

Quick Take: Prometheus to be shot in 3D, and everything else Ridley Scott makes. Ever.

The Dark Knight Rises, The Avengers, Man of Steel, Bond 23, World War Z, Django Unchained.  These are just a few of the films that I’m looking forward to in 2012, what appears to be an uprecedented year for my bank account in terms of movie ticket purchases.  However, Ridley Scott’s Prometheus is, without a doubt, my most anticipated film of 2012. 

Yesterday, Comic-Con got its first look clips from Prometheus, and while I’m still waiting for those clips to hit the internet, we did get a little bit of information about the film.  Scott told Comic-Con attendees (in a video conference) that Prometheus was shot entirely in 3D, and that he liked it so much he’ll never shoot another scene again in 2D.  I am no defender of 3D but in Scott I trust, so I’m expecting Prometheus to look incredible.  One concern I do have is the use of light, or lack there of, to create tone.  Evident by the recent rants about the projector lenses, 3D works best with high contrast and bright lighting; not something we should be expecting from a Ridley Scott sci-fi picture.  But if Ridley Scott can get so excited about the 3D of Prometheus to proclaim he’ll never work without it again, I can’t help but get excited.

http://www.slashfilm.com/ridley-scott-work-3d/

TAKE TWO: Horrible Bosses

Horrible Bosses

Rated: R

Starring: Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, Charlie Day, Kevin Spacey

Director: Seth Gordon

Chris’ Take: Summer comedies are hit or miss most of the time. This summer has been primarily composed of some serious misses. We’ve gotten The Hangover 2, which while decent was far below expectations, Bad Teacher which had a lot of potential but floundered it in the final 10 minutes, and The Zookeeper…which at 15% on RT requires no explanation. I felt like I was wandering in a desert of poor comedy until I stumbled across the oasis that is Horrible Bosses.

Most people, at one point or another, have dealt with a horrible boss and made off-handed comments about “killing” them. The film Horrible Bosses takes this premise and runs with it. Nick, Kurt and Dale (Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day) are close friends and each are dealing with a uniquely terrible boss. Nick’s boss, Dave (Kevin Spacey), is a twisted man who leads Nick on by promising promotions that he never intends to give and tricking him into drinking at work. Kurt’s boss, Bobby (Colin Farrell), is a crazy cocaine addict who fires people he doesn’t like or who creep him out. Dale’s boss, Dr. Julia Harris (Jennifer Aniston), sexually harasses him while he is trying to remain faithful to his fiance. When all three bosses cross the line, the friends plot to kill each others’ boss and move on with their lives.

A great buddy comedy, even if it is a dark one, relies heavily on the chemistry between its leads, and Horrible Bosses came out in spades. Bateman, Sudeikis and Day provided great complements to each other, which is nice to see  because each of them have been floundering around in low caliber comedies recently, trying to make a stand without any support. Bateman never plays an out and out funny character, he is at his best when he can play the deadpan straight man to someone else’s zaniness.

Of course, there is one exception...Pepper Brooks.

Sudeikis’ comedy usually gets lost in a poor script, which he was able to overcome this time, and Charlie Day…

He was pretty much right at home.

Right below the stellar lead cast was a strong foundation of supporting characters. Kevin Spacey played the smart and cruel boss perfectly, giving the audience plenty of reason to make him the out-and-out bad guy in the story. Jennifer Aniston definitely let her more vulgar side show, and came out being funnier in this than anything she’s been in…ever. Colin Farrell was my personal favorite out of the three, because he plays the eccentric superbly. Outside of these three, there was another pleasant supporting actor, Jamie Foxx, who plays the man they hire to give them advice. I don’t normally like Jamie Foxx, but he was hilarious in this cameo and had several scene stealing lines.

The premise for the film is obviously preposterous, but I like how Seth Gordon and the writers made sure to not go completely dark with it. They ensured that each lead explored other options for coping with their bosses and reasons why they couldn’t just quit. While reaching the decision to kill their bosses is still outlandish, it was  at least nice to have a little nod towards intelligence.

There are few films where I think that should’ve had more time. Most of the films that are coming out these days could leave a good half hour of their films on the cutting room floor. Horrible Bosses comes in at 98 minutes, which is decent for a comedy, but it seemed to go by so quick and there were so many great characters that I felt each of them could’ve been fleshed out a little bit more. While Spacey plays a great role, he kind of hogged screen time from Farrell and Aniston, who were playing equally humorous parts in the story.

So, if you’ve been waiting for a comedy to catch your fancy this summer, and you enjoy yours a little on the dark side, this is the film you’ve been waiting for. The laughs come from start to finish and you will get wrapped up in the great chemistry and misadventures of these eccentric, yet relatable characters.

OVERALL: A-

Pac’s Take:  Horrible bosses excels because of a good script and a great cast.  If you look at some of the great comedies of recent times you’ll probably notice there is a trend, it takes more than one star taking the spotlight to make good comedy, or any good film for that matter, but I think Hollywood is just now starting to realize this.  Ensembles like Old School, Anchorman, andThe Hangover perpetuate this belief; and Horrible Bosses is the next great comedy in a growing list of shared star power.  As Chris stated, the three leads worked well with one another and the chemistry and reality of their friendship connected the audience with their plight.  The supporting cast: Spacey, Farrell, Aniston, and Foxx were excellent as well, though they probably all could have benefited from more screen time.

As evidenced from Farrell's end credit outtakes

 Chris also touched on how well the script covered its bases by forcing its characters into this situation.  Though it’s a comedy, it would have been a distraction to think that these characters resorted to murder when they simply could have quit.  It was a joy to watch their plans spiral out of control and it never felt unnatural as the three leads bumbled through their situation.  I was pessimistic that Charlie Day was going to skate into this film on the success of his role in It’s Alway Sunny in Philadelphia and disappoint his fans (which admittedly, I am not one).  However, I owe credit where it is due because he really shined in this film; and though it was scripted to be this way, he delivered most of the trio’s laughs. 

Finally, it was a joy to see Jennifer Aniston in this role.  There is no doubt that Jennifer Aniston is a talented actress but she’s made her career starring in mindless, boring romantic comedies.  To see her shed that skin (and some clothing) to play the sexually harassing boss of Charlie Day was a refreshing change of pace from her typical fare.  Odds are she’ll return to the same cookie cutter roles she previously occupied, but here’s to hoping this is the start of something new.

According to tabloids, playing crazy isn't much of a stretch for Aniston

The competition this season is not great by any means, leaving Horrible Bosses as a stand out comedy in a weak summer line up. 

OVERALL: A-