B+ ~ An epic adventure/cautionary tale that sometimes gets caught up in it’s own relativity. Wondrous and nasty, brilliant and puzzling. Definitely the 21st Century’s 2001. Spring for the IMAX, but bring earplugs to dull the blastoffs.
Movie Review: Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance)
Twitview: A beautiful mess, with unanswered questions and characters in all the shades of grey. But Keaton is magnetic. B+
Michael Keaton was a heckuva great Batman. And then he kind of dropped off the face of the blockbuster earth. So of course the synopsis of Birdman — actor who played a famous superhero tries for relevancy in his senior years — got folks talking when Keaton signed on. And though I have to admit that was a prime reason for me signing up for this screening, once the film started rolling, I was sucked into the life of Keaton’s Riggan Thompson, washed-up Hollywood trivia tidbit turned Broadway wannabe. Most of that is thanks to Keaton’s amazing performance that ditches every scrap of dignity, but director Alejandro González Iñárritu (21 Grams) deserves praise as well.
Riggan Thompson is a washed-up former superhero superstar, but perhaps there’s more to that portrayal than anyone realized. When he’s alone he levitates, moves things with his mind, and even soars through the air. But is that real, or in his heartbroken, world-weary imagination? I love that Birdman flipped my expectations not once, but several times throughout the story. I thought I’d had the ending nailed down early on, but things sway and melt away under Iñárritu’s gentle guidance. Something else that also changes throughout the film is New York City itself; it’s a glorious greasepaint wonderland, then it’s a gritty, ugly, bleak wasteland. It’s a small shop filled with fairy lights, and then it’s a cold world where nobody wants to do anything but look at it through the lens of their Instagram account. Cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (Oscar winner for last year’s Gravity) manages to show all the sides of The City That Never Sleeps, and they don’t all add up to a picture postcard. It’s the most “real” cinematic interpretation I’ve ever seen of that city, and I’m betting Lubezki will get another nod come Academy time.
Movie review: Ouija
It’s Hallow-Month! So horror movies are naturally the way to go. Want to get to the nitty-gritty? Here’s a little list I’ve borrowed from another source that’ll help you get to what you’re looking for in a Halloween horror show. Does Ouija measure up as Boo-tastic, or is it just a bomb? Read on….
Story: Two little girls play around with an Ouija board. Fast forward to high school, and one of those little girls hangs herself “under mysterious circumstances”. Wanna guess how the other girl handles it? If you said “by using the same Ouija board”, you should be a scriptwriter!
Scares: Even though this is cliché-central, there are a few Gotchas here, of the “jumped from the shadows” variety.
Splat factor: Not much blood, though there’s desiccated bodies, stitches where you wouldn’t want ‘em, and top-notch visual effects to signify possession.
Closing scene “shocker”?: Not if you know anything about horror movies. But for the noobs, they could be shocked. With this film, I expected a “leave room for a sequel” twist.
Remake, Sequel or OG (Original Ghoul)?: Though the usual tropes can be found in just about every single horror movie since 1979, this movie’s an original. And by original I mean the first in an inevitable series.
Trick or Treat?: Ouija is more of a drinking-game film than a serious horror film. Why else would the characters be so incredibly stupid? “Hey, my BFF just died after strange stuff was happening to her. Let’s whip out the Ouija board just lying on her bed to see if we can talk to her! What could happen?” What really made my eyes roll were the lack of grown-ups. (Y’know, beyond the twenty-somethings playing high school students.) A group of kids start dying, and nobody’s parents are around? Anywhere? C’mon.
Are there good points? Surely. The FX is top-notch, but with director Stiles White a member of Stan Winston’s shop, that’s to be expected. Still, seeing that A-game level of effects made my evil heart happy. David Emmerich’s cinematography is also fantastic, head and shoulders above the usual horror movie. This is Emmerich’s first film as a cinematographer (though he’s got quite the resume in camerawork), and I’m looking forward to seeing more of his clear-eyed, ultra-sharp visual style.
The actors are all fun to watch, but they’re little more than walking dead with targets painted on ‘em. Olivia Cooke as Deb, the brain trust that decides to use the Ouija board to summon her BFF, reminds me of a young(er) Rose Byrne. I feel sorry for these actors for having to act out the motivations of teens with no clue, but then they got to work with some obviously talented FX folks, so it balances out.
Score: 2 out of 5 pumpkins. One for the use of a slumber-party toy to wreak havoc, another for the cool FX.
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.
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: 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?
Movie Review — The Purge: Anarchy
TwitView: Thought-provoking, violent and in-your-face. This ain’t the first film. Cool. A-
Last year, people headed to the theater in droves to see The Purge. Unfortunately, they hated it. But with The Purge: Anarchy, writer/director James DeMonaco is hoping a more wide-scale view of his near-future distopia is more to your liking. Apparently he knows the deal, and wants to give moviegoers what they wanna see in this new sequel. Him-a culpa.
But is Anarchy any good? If you like your satire jet-black with tinges of red, you betcha. Class warfare, The Man as slaughter king, and shades of the Nuremberg Defense run rampant here. I for one found it a fascinating look at how far things could get out of hand if absolute power was vested in people who may not have everyone’s best interests at heart. In opening up the Purge landscape from a single house to the streets of LA, Anarchy gives us a taste of mayhem and the hopelessness of those who are unable to protect themselves. There’s also a heapin’ helpin’ of old-school horror here, with the usual tropes played out. In the Purge’s chaotic landscape, that’s comforting, and helps the film stay grounded rather than turning into an mish-mosh of aimless scenes.
It’s 2023, a year after the events of The Purge. The “New Founding Fathers” are showing signs that they’re as out of control as the Purge they hail as a method of peace. As you’d expect, Purge Night is unfairly balanced against the homeless and anyone else who can’t afford elaborate security systems. That the government has an ulterior motive shouldn’t be surprising, but it’s played out to detestable effect when the rich — possibly the untouchable Level 10? — have homeless and/or hapless citizens rounded up off the streets for their own behind-closed-doors bloodsport. Rumbles of resistance begin around the country. Meanwhile, 5 citizens try to survive the night:
- Sergeant (Frank Grillo), a man who lost his son last year in a horrible accident. He’s been waiting 12 months for payback. But when he sees people on the street being dragged out of their homes, can he sit by? Of course he can’t y’all.
- Working class woman Eva, and her headstrong daughter Cali who questions the “integrity” of the Purge (Carmen Ejogo and Zoe Soul). As their barely-safe-enough apartment complex gets attacked by what looks like an army, they must hit the streets.
- Couple Shane and Liz (played by real-life husband and wife Zach Gilford and Kiele Sanchez) are snarking at each other on the way to wait out Purge Night at Shane’s sister’s house. When their car breaks down minutes before the Purge begins, they have no choice but to run. Fast.
There’s also a group of black-clad stormtroopers in huge tractor-trailers that seem to have a lot of money at their disposal, those fat-cats I mentioned earlier, and people with surprising (and unsurprising) scores to settle. And let’s not forget the seriously creepy gang of masked Purge-ers that seem a bit too excited about Purge Night.
*shudder*
The Purge: Anarchy brings up ideas of how life would be in a society like the one in this film. You’d have to be nice to everyone, all the time…or else who knows what could come through your door on the one night anything is legal? Friends, family, co-workers, even that guy that says hi to you whenever you grab your daily coffee. Do you have a foolproof security system to protect yourself from those you’ve wronged? Are you sure? If not, you better be nice to everyone, all the time. I’m betting in this world security systems and ulcer meds are king. (If you want to start a conversation pre-Anarchy, I suggest reading HuffPo’s piece on what the original film can teach us. Good stuff.)
There’s hints of a third film, and I for one would love to see it. But more still, this mythology screams for a short-story anthology, or at least a series of webisodes. There’s so much more about the Purge’s mythology I’d like to know; what about folks too sick to leave a hospital — are medical staff locked in with those patients? If so, is there a moratorium on Purge-ing medical centers? Are you safe in the country, or on a farm surrounded by nobody…or would you be a sitting duck? So many questions. ‘Til there are answers, I guess I’ll just be glad that The Purge: Anarchy was thought-provoking — and downright disturbing — enough to make me consider these things in the first place.
Movie Review: The Rover
TwitView: Fascinating & dark. Existential & bloody. A creepy slice of our possible future. B+
Wasting away ‘til the next season of The Walking Dead? Dying for some post-apocalyptic action? Well, The Rover probably won’t soothe your need for braaaaaaaains, but it’s a fascinating look at what life could really look like if our global economy went boink. And it’s a film where you may try your best to figure out what will happen, or what the end game will be, and you’ll have no idea. Gotta give this film mad props for blowing up the usual tropes, and doing it in a way that left me with no other choice but to watch.
Okay, lemme get this straight; there’s a global economic collapse, and ten years later the AMERICAN DOLLAR is the strongest currency around? Man, I worry about the human race. But there you have it, and Eric (Guy Pearce, Memento) is just a man trying to take a load off out of the harsh Australian Outback sun. But three bad guys steal his car, and instead of shrugging, Eric goes stalker and tries to get his car back. Along the way he runs into Rey (Robert Pattinson, recovering sparklevampire), a brother of one of the guys that ripped off Eric. And that’s the story. Things go from bad, to worse, to kinda okay but still sucky, and then all over the freakin’ map as these two try to get Eric reunited with his car. Before you pull out the Ashton Kutcher jokes, know this; that car, and the search for it, is a Macguffin; it’s the journey these two take that draws you in, not whether or not the car will ever be found. And no, I’m not telling you.
Movie Review: The Fault in Our Stars
Twitview: Great cast, sweet story. If you don’t tear up by the end you’re dead inside. B+
Every so often a story comes around that taps into a zeitgeist the world never knew it had. John Green’s The Fault in our Stars, about two teens that fall in love despite the Cancer of Damocles hanging over their heads. Narrated by Hazel (Shailene Woodley, Divergent), one of the young lovers, Green seemed to nail the voice of the young and terminally ill. As a thyroid cancer survivor myself (18 years NEC!), it sounded real, and refreshing. But the sweeping adoration for the novel and it’s young protagonists was a surprise to me. Not that it’s not a good book; it’s a sweet story that you can’t help but plow through in one sitting, no matter how much you’d like to make the story last by rationing it out to yourself. But the Harry Potter/Twilight-esque love of TFiOS puzzled me. Until now.
By bringing this story to the screen, director Josh Boone (Stuck in Love) manages to show the love rather than imagine it, demonstrate exactly how difficult it is to live with illness rather than guess at it, and watch young lovers fall in love rather than see it from a single POV. The Fault in Our Stars just works.
