TwitReview: Jeremy Renner stars in Kill the Messenger. The real-life story about journalist Gary Webb who’s articles in 1996 revealed the hidden truth about the CIA controlled drug trafficking taking place in the United States. Grade: B-
REVIEW: The Judge
Heading to the theater to see The Judge, I was optimistic and cautious at the same time. I knew very little about the film, and the trailers more or less focused on the Robert Duvall vs Robert Downey Jr. angle. Yet, I left just as conflicted as I came. The Judge is not what I thought it would be. I thought I would be like watching the re-birth of the 90’s era John Grisham films: hot shot lawyer helping presumed innocent father, using nothing but his raw instincts and sharp eye. What I found was a funny, heartwarming, and often too life-like depiction of family turmoil.
TwiView: The Equalizer (2014), C+
All the right elements; kick as soundtrack, bad guy you despise and Denzel the vigilante just mixed and executed in the wrong order. Too formulaic. The plus is for the slow motion showdown, I love that kinda stuff.
At least he didn’t do that ‘walking against the wind shit’
TwiView: The Mazerunner (2014), A+
Never read the books, I was blown away. Much deeper idea in play than just bugs in a maze. I have to read the books now. It’ll pull you in. A+
Ask yourself, would you stay, or would you go?
Movie Review: This is Where I Leave You
Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, and Jane Fonda walk into a movie. Wait wait, there’s more; Connie Britton, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll are there too. Punch line? Tons of ’em. There’s also plenty to squirm over, as the cast has no problems showing you their characters good and bad sides. I found myself disgusted and hilariously amused by this family; it’s like the family down the street that are definitely hipper than thou, but that you’d never switch places with in a million years. In the end This is Where I Leave You left me with more laughs than pauses. That’s thanks to the brilliant work of the cast, and director Shawn Levy’s easygoing but well-timed pacing.
This is Where I Leave You deals with the pain and strangeness of losing your dad, and how families that are prickly can have surprising tenderness for each other. At least when they’re not titty-twisting the younger kids. I mean c’mon, sweet is all well and good but let’s be real. Middle kid Judd Altman has just found out his wife has been cheating on him with his boss. While in his funk of self-pity, sister Wendy calls to tell him that their father has died. As they come together with their brothers Paul and Phillip, momma Hillary tells them their father’s final wish; for them and their families to all sit Shiva for a week in the family home. Wendy’s picture-perfect marriage is seen to have problems that aren’t helped by her reunion with former boyfriend Horry (Timothy Olyphant). Paul and wife Alice are desperately trying to conceive, and the fact that Alice and Judd used to date isn’t helping things. Phillip, the baby of the family and lifelong screwup, brings home fiancee Tracy (Connie Britton), who used to be his therapist but can’t seem to help him rein in his destructive behavior. And Judd gets a visit from his ex telling him that she’s pregnant…and it’s his. Got all that? Good. Surprisingly, all that plays out easily, and TIWILY has an ensemble feel that’s in no small part due to the chemistry between the leads.
TwiView – The Expendables 3 (2014), B+
Pure cinema entertainment for the action junkie. Not Shakespeare or award winning, but such a fun ride from beginning to end. Wesley Snipes returns without missing a beat and Mel Gibson’s villainy brings him back to the big screen in just the right way. Only complaint were the casualties suffered by the Expendables team. B+
More action stars than you can shake a stick at
Movie Review: Into the Storm
TwitView: Cool FX! Lukewarm characters. Boom! C*
Into the Storm deals with a Big Bad tornado, what would be called an EF-5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale (which in and of itself is fascinating stuff) Originally called a “Category 6” tornado film — a wording snafu as the Fujita scale goes from 0-5, making the sixth category E-5 — other titles were bandied about ‘til Into the Storm stuck. Don’t worry though, there’s plenty of damage and destruction in this film. But Twister still stands as the #1 tornado film, thanks to it’s deeper look into the lives and motivations of it’s characters. Those things felt tacked on and hollow in Into the Storm.
Welcome to Kansas. Home of Dorothy, sunflowers and badass tornados. Into the Storm focuses on that last one, in case you haven’t seen the “plane-nado” trailer that’s been in heavy rotation of late. But this film has no trailer park, but instead focuses on how the middle class struggles with having no cell phone reception…and no roof over their heads. Okay, there are a few yahoos here for comic relief, but mostly this deals with two groups; a local kid and his brother prepping for the year’s HS graduation ceremony that they’re filming for their Vice Principal dad, and the scientist stormchasers that are looking to make a ton of money documentary of a superstorm.
The elder brother Donnie (Max Deacon) decides to ditch his filming responsibilities and instead help his crush Kaitlyn (Alycia Debnam Carey) re-film her summer eco-internship film, which got corrupted because technology sucks. So they head out to the abandoned, decrepit old paper mine to get footage. What could go wrong? Younger bro Trey (Nathan Kress) sticks with dad (Richard Armitage, taller and less hairy than he is in The Hobbit). Dad tries to talk the Principal out of holding the graduation ceremonies outside; looks like there’s a storm coming. But the Principal poo-poos him. What could go wrong? Meanwhile, storm-nerds Allison, Pete, Daryl, Jacob (Sarah Wayne Callies, Matt Walsh, Arlen Escarpeta and Jeremy Sumpter) desperately try to find a storm before their financial backing gets pulled. When Allison sees that a storm is building in Silverton Kansas, which is where the HS graduation/abandoned paper mill happen to be. But don’t worry, their TARDIS Titus tank of a car can lock down in winds up to 170 MPH; only E-5 tornados go faster than that. What could go wrong? Yop, you bet’cha.
Movie Review: Magic in the Moonlight
Twitview: Not his best, not his worst. Firth & Stone are sweet and funny. B
Stanley (Colin Firth) hates a con artist. Which is kind of ironic, as he’s a magician of the highest order, providing his audiences with grade-A illusions. But outside of his day (night?) job, he’s a debunker of pseudo-mystics, and he loves his work. So when his best — and only — friend Howard (Simon McBurney) calls upon him to help debunk a mystic that has her claws in a wealthy family down in the French Riviera, Stanley leaps at the opportunity. But Sophie (Emma Stone) isn’t what he expects, and soon he’s questioning his ideals. Should he stick with stodgy, disappointing truth or allow that there’s the possibility of magic and joy in the world?
The basic story here is Stanley’s battle with his own deeply held disbelief. He’s desperate to hold on to the idea that there is no real magic in the world, that there’s an explanation for everything, and that the head trumps the heart every time. Of course you know he’ll be taken down a peg or two. Being as this is a Woody Allen joint though, Stanley will get a ton of wisecracks in before his inevitable shift in perspective. Firth and McBurney have a wonderful lifelong pals chemistry, and although I’m sick to death of the May/December romances that litter Woody’s work, I have to admit that the chemistry between Firth and Stone is equally engaging.
Colin Firth is winning here, even though his Stanley is about as big a jerk as anyone could come across. Plus, it’s good to see Firth dust off his Darcy, as Stanley is just as arrogant as his Austen counterpart. There’s even a playful wink-nudge for P&P fans, as Stanley plays out a scene that seems cribbed straight from Austen’s notebooks. Fun in it’s own right, but even better if you know the ‘95 BBC adaptation. Sadly there’s no rising up from the lake in this film. Sorry folks.
Movie Review – “Guardians of the Galaxy”
TwitReview – “Guardians of the Galaxy” – Fantastic action, humor, story, and characters. Up there with “The Avengers” in scope, size, and enjoyment. Grade A+
Movie Review: Lucy
Twitview: Existential sci-fi at it’s most fun. Johansson’s best performance to date. B
Man, I’d love to be able to mainline Luminosity and really be a big-brained mofo. You too? Scarlett Johansson’s gal is in the wrong place at the wrong time (or maybe it’s all right?) and gets to discover what it’s like to be 100% brilliant in Lucy. If 100% comes with goons trying to kill me, and my body trying to come apart at the atomic level? Maybe I’ll accept my limits.
Lucy (Johansson) has spent some funtimes with a guy named Richard. Richard has a delivery to make, but he doesn’t want to make it. So he does what any other nice guy would do; he handcuffs a briefcase onto the girl he just shagged, and forces her to do it. Lucy gets in over her head real fast, and before she knows it, she’s got a bunch of stitches on her abdomen and a gut full of blue crystal that’s supposed to be the next big wonderdrug for all the junkies out there. When one of her mob babysitters kicks her in the gut for saying no to his advances, Lucy gets to know what it’s like to ride that particular drug train…and it’s a whole lot more than it’s developers had in mind. As her mind begins to expand, and crazy new powers develop, she decides to take down the jerks who did this to her. Meanwhile, Professor Norton — neuroscientist extraordinaire — gets a phone call from a woman who embodies all his hypothesis, looking for help. Guess who?
