(1 People gave this 3.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

“I can’t wait for Parcheesi, the movie!” – - – Aceman

Swift shot:  Join the Navy, they said, kill some aliens, they said, and then get the girl.   This film is what sailors fantasize about when they are bored on watch.  This movie was basically ID4 meets Pearl Harbor, but while it was complete Unbelievable Bull Shit, or UBBS as a friend of mine likes to say, it was still a lot of fun to watch.  Launched by @Hasbro, Battleship plays out as a straight-forward naval action film, where they even manage a not entirely cheesy as expected nod to the board game inspiring the film’s title.  You’ll either love that part or your eyes will roll so hard they will pop out and end up stuck to the theater floor with some Milk Duds and God knows what else.

Stone Hopper (Alexander Skarsgård) is helping his punk brother, Alex (Taylor Kitsch) celebrate his birthday at a local dive in Hawaii, and takes the opportunity to get Alex to turn his life around and get some direction.  In the midst of his pep-talk, a stunning blonde walks into the bar and catches Alex’s, let’s say attention.  All she wants is a chicken burrito, but the “kitchen” is closed for the night.  In a move that is all brawn and no brains, Alex breaks into a convenience store across the street to get her the burrito.  If you are an avid viewer of those “America’s Dumbest Criminal” shows, you will see they took a frame by frame re-enactment of an actual break-in caught on tape.  It was a funny bit.  And, to his credit, Alex does deliver the burrito to said beauty, Samantha Shane (Brooklyn Decker), but winds up with shocking results for his trouble.

This is Stone’s breaking point, and he gives his wayward brother an ultimatum, either join the Navy, like him, or move the hell out and grow up.  Some time passes, not sure how much, but when we next see Alex, he is a Lieutenant on the John Paul Jones DDG-53, and is about to participate in RIMPAC 2012.  Essentially a Pacific Rim International Naval Exercise, which actually exists.  Lieutenant Hopper is a hot-head, and he lets his bravado still dictate his actions, only now he is responsible for more than just his own butt.  He reminded me a lot of Jim Tiberius Kirk in his early days, actually.  His reckless disregard for common-sense borders on retarded though (unlike Kirk), because he does something in the RIMPAC opening formation that could cause him to lose his naval career.  Not to mention he pisses off Admiral Shane (Liam Neeson) who is also Samantha’s dear old dad.

But, no worries, the alien invasion takes precedent over shipping him out of the Navy. As ultimately his destroyer is the only thing that can save . . . well, the whole planet.  And, here is where even the UBBS factor can’t be ignored.  When the aliens approach, first Hong Kong is devastated, and our gov’t is aware there are extra-terrestrial vessels that caused the destruction.  [Swift aside:  There is even a cameo by a certain famous Hawaiian that some cheered for and some jeered for.  If you follow me on twitter @rickswift, you'll know what noise I made]

And, oh yea, there is a total Godzilla under-tone, as the aliens are ultimately compared to lizards, and the fact that the Japanese Navy is working in tandem with the US to thwart the invasion, well, I kept thinking . . . Gohrzira, whenever the Japanese and aliens were on screen.

What sucked was that here the earth is, at the very least, accidentally hit by a large formation of objects from space, yet, the whole of Pearl Harbor is out doing stuipid crap like playing baseball, going about their normal routine etc.  The film-makers wanted it to seem like the attack was out-of-the-blue, but this was not the Imperial Naval surprise attack launched in 1941, at least a day has passed since first contact, and Marines at Kaneohe Bay looked like their only concern was wiping the wings on their aircraft, and the RIMPAC exercises were going on as scheduled, in other words, it was an SOP/BAU type of day, with no one even the slightest bit concerned by the fact that 25,000 people just got vaporized in Hong Kong . . . . hardly.   I can overlook special-effects and twisting science, but I can’t overlook that kind of storyline gaffe.

But, once you overlook the things like the fact that someone from the bridge would be sent out to investigate a giant monolith in the ocean . . . and NOT a SEAL team (just so they can consistently show Rihanna looking like a bad-ass), or the fact that a PT boat could just mosey on up to that same monolith and go unscathed when it decides to unleash hell, or the fact that . . . actually, let’s just throw facts right the hell out the porthole and enjoy the film.  Because if facts is what you are after, steer clear of this movie.  Let me say again, if facts are what you are after, steer clear . . . you may have a heart attack otherwise.

Now that those pesky facts are gone, here is what I did enjoy very much.  One of the standout heroes of the film, Colonel Canales was portrayed by an actual Wounded Warrior, Gregory D. Gadson, who is out hiking, you know, a day after the earth is invaded, with Alex’s girl, she is his physical therapist.  The film-makers did a nice job using him in a way that was credible, for the most part, but during his big face-off with one of the aliens, I heard the guy next to me say . . . “Oh, come on!”  But, it was already established, this movie was merely a sailor’s wet-dream, a fantasy in every sense of the word.  So, I just laughed, because by this point I was interested to see just how insanely creative Director Peter Berg and writers, the brothers Hoeber, could get.

Suffice to say, when a mighty old friend from our past has to join the fray, I was amused, amazed and moved.  That is exactly how the film played out for me all night actually, it was just entertaining badassery salted with complete UBBS – but still a great film to just plug-in to some six year old’s imagination, as you realize Peter Berg essentially just turned the Pacific Ocean into his own personal bathtub, and we got to watch him play with some incredible bath toys. It was another one of these films that was bad-ass and shouldn’t be dissected by nit-wits like me.  Just enjoy it!  I hope Hasbro does get inspired to create some other titles in the future, I mean, wouldn’t Battle Beasts the movie be freakin’ sweet?!?  Also, stick around after the credits . . . I smell a sequel.

(2 People gave this 3.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

In “The Lucky One”, the latest film adaptation of a Nicholas Sparks book (which I have not read), Zac Efron plays a former Marine who, after three tours in Iraq, ends up in Louisiana to find the woman whose picture he thinks was his lucky charm which kept him safe during the war.

While in Iraq, Logan (Efron) picks up a photograph that is on the ground amidst some rubble.  The simple act of reaching for that picture saves his life, as a bomb goes off nearby which doesn’t kill him, because he wasn’t within the bomb’s radius.  Later, while still in Iraq, his vehicle is attacked and he is the only survivor.

Once he arrives home (Colorado I believe) he finds it hard to adjust to civilian life, and he is haunted by his memories of the war.  He becomes obsessed with finding the woman in the picture so he walks, yes walks, to Louisiana with his dog (he recognized where the photo was taken by a landmark in the background, a lighthouse which he compared to lighthouses on the internet to find the one he was looking for) and, after showing the picture and asking around, he finds Beth and her family’s business, a dog kennel.  Beth misunderstands Logan’s arrival and thinks he is applying for a job, which he accepts in order to get to know Beth better.

Beth and her son Ben (Riley Thomas Stewart) live with Beth’s grandmother Ellie (the always delightful Blythe Danner) in a big old house right next to the kennel.  Unfortunately, Beth’s ex-husband also Ben’s father Keith (Jay R. Ferguson) also lives in town.  They married right after high school, when Beth got pregnant (how often does that end up working out??) and they couldn’t make it work so they split up.  Keith is not very nice and he is always threatening to take Ben away from Beth.

While spending time with Beth, Logan finds it hard to keep his secret.  I kept wishing that he would have told her right at the beginning, because  keeping secrets is never a good idea!!  It turns out that the photograph belonged to someone close to Beth who did not make it out of Iraq alive (which is why her picture was in the rubble).

I pretty much always like Zac Efron in any role he plays, and I look forward to seeing more of him because he only gets better with age.  I haven’t seen Taylor Schilling in anything before so she was pretty much an unknown to me, but she was good in the role.  Riley Thomas Stewart and Blythe Danner also gave good performances.

Overall a decent film, women and teenage girls will likely enjoy it more than the men.  It had enough sappy romance to keep us entertained and some steamy love scenes as well!!

(Give us your rating!!)

 Loading ...

Sometimes you just gotta take a bite.

Swift shot: Predictably silly, romantic comedy, heavier on the romance than the comedy – but still worth a halfhearted bite or two.  Jason Segel co-wrote the screenplay with his The Muppets friend Nicholas Stoller.  Starring his favorite actor, himself, Segel works opposite the incredibly sophisticated, classy yet charmingly goofy Emily Blunt.

Tom (Segel) is a very successful sous-chef at a swank restaurant in San Francisco, and he is madly in love with Violet (Blunt) whom he met at a create your own super-hero costume party.  He was the giant “Super Bunny” she was Princess Diana.  And, yes, the film explains why that counted at a create your own super-hero party.  He is all set to propose to Violet, life is good, things are about to settle where they need to, it’s New Year’s Eve, he has an elaborate proposal dinner planned.  And, of course, no spoiler here, Violet accepts.

Violet is a true-blue Brit, and she has her family from London come to the Drunken Pig for a comical engagement dinner with some toasts that should pull a few laughs . . . I laughed anyway.  Violet’s sister, Suzie (Alison Brie) is a complete wreck, yet one of my favorite characters in the film.  Again, no spoiler here, she hooks up with Tom’s friend, Alex (Chris Pratt) at the engagement party.

All is just wonderful, as Violet hopes she will get picked up by Berkley [Ptooey] to begin her psychology graduate work.  Ah, life, she is a cruel, heartless bitch, and much to everyone’s chagrin, Violet gets accepted to . . . Slime University, oh, I mean Michigan.  It is only for two years, tops, so Tom “happily” moves to Michigan with his fiancee.  Suzie is soon under the odd tutelage of Professor Winton Childs (Rhys Ifans) the wacky Welshman who is eager to test the patience of adults, using a test similar to one where children are told they can have one marshmallow now or wait 20 minutes and get two marshmallows.  Suzie devises an interesting experiment using stale doughnuts.  Soon the movie becomes an analogy for the experiment.

You get your requisite fish-out-of-water tomfoolery, as Tom tries to get hired at several restaurants, to no avail.  But, fans of some adult-swim shows will be treated to a few cameos.  I guess I shouldn’t ruin it, but you may miss it, so pay attention during the job-hunting scenes.  Anyway, Tim, I mean, Tom never lands anything prestigious like he had in San Francisco, and soon he embraces all that, must be, Michigan life.  He becomes a living Sasquatch, which were some of the scenes I found the funniest.

Ultimately, Suzie’s stint in Michigan is prolonged, again, no spoiler there, I did mention it was a predictable story.  Tom and Suzie finally have a falling out and maybe this whole engagement idea was just a dream.  Maybe love isn’t enough to be with someone, maybe geography and careers, and all the other bullshit in life gets in the way.  Or, maybe, somehow Tom and Suzie manage to somehow make it despite all the obstacles.  I won’t give that away either, but in the end, will Tom, or Suzie, choose the stale doughnut or wait til something better, something perfect comes along?

If you like quirky, romantic comedies I would say this one definitely had me laughing, or at least grinning, throughout most of its run time, but it plays heavy on character comedy.  With a ton of NBC cast-members, the whole thing should feel funny and familiar.  There are some pretty shocking adult themes in this film, so leave the kids at home.  While Segel remained clothed throughout The Muppets, not so much in this film.  And, it is HEAVY on the raunchy and deliberately gross many times.

(Give us your rating!!)

 Loading ...

Click here for our exclusive sit-down with the Dancing Damsel herself, Greta Gerwig!

Damsels in Distress makes the long waited, and somewhat anticipated return of Whit Stillman to writing/directing. The last time he made a film was 1998’s The Last Days of Disco. Stillman has always been known for his, pardon the pun, witty writing style and character development; and Damsels in Distress harkens that same feel once again. Don’t let the title fool you, there is nothing distressing about this movie; unless you walk in to see a movie and a musical breaks out.

Damsels in Distress starts off at what can only be considered an East Coast University that until recently had been an all male institution. The notion of a school only recently becoming coed is a different take, especially since we don’t get an exact time frame of when the movie takes place. The movie follows mainly three girls who are close friends; Violet (Greta Gerwig) who is the undeclared leader of the trio, Rose (Megalyn Echikunwoke), and Heather (Carrie MacLemore). These girls are out to change the way the school is and make it more accepting to women like themselves. They come upon a transfer student, Lily (Analeigh Tipton) and take her under their wing. The girls decide that the mood of the university is much too bleak, and the best way to change things around is to start a suicide prevention center; the method of choice is of course . . . tap dancing.

Violet, Rose, and Heather show Lily the way they believe life and love should manifest in society. This is a rather interesting take due to the dialogue and how everything plays out throughout the movie. Violet seemingly has her way mapped out, but deep down inside she is really quite lost. The way she speaks is quite elegant, and almost seems as if she takes the Shakespeare phrase “All the world is a stage” entirely literally.

Violet believes that most women date men who will appear to make them look better and increase their stature; she doesn’t agree with this theory and believes that women should improve a man’s stature in life and appearance by merely teaching them, and also being seen with them. This is an interesting take for me, because it seems that this is the way society actually looks at relationships from both genders. The way the dialogue was written and performed adds something that is missing from most movies recently.

Lily slowly takes what she is learning and believes she has gained the greater understanding of everything, that is until she meets a man unlike any other she has ever met, Charlie (Adam Brody). As Lily comes into her own, Violet admits that she’s not really depressed, but in a tailspin of her life. This comes with the realization that her boyfriend, whom she is trying to change, Frank (Ryan Metcalf) seduces another girl.

Throughout the movie we meet an interesting collection of characters that all seem to fit in their own way. Rose and Heather seem to have difficulties of their own as well. Taking Violet’s advice doesn’t seem to help either of them due to the fact that most of the men at the university have dating skills not seen since Cro-Magnon man. This is where the title comes into play.

The girls all seem to have their heads firmly on their shoulders, but when they attempt to put into play what they believe in, all that comes out is putting their own lives in distress. This adds depth to the movie in a way that is intriguing. Most viewers might see this as a stretch to keep the comedy alive, but the way the script is written and the way the actors portray their roles really adds humor and depth. While some might consider it silly humor or going in for cheap laughs, it really gives off the sense of meaning in the way everything is structured.

This movie certainly isn’t for everybody. There will always be a certain sect of the audience that will shun a movie such as Damsels in Distress. I found myself caught in the middle. Some of things felt a little over-the-top and contrived, but the humor and portrayal really added something that some might miss out on. There is also the plot line which comes across as a conceivably “what the hell” type of a storyline. Also, leaving out when the movie takes place adds some distraction, but you do get a vague sense.  It was enjoyable and is just a fun film to watch when you want a few good laughs, or just want to get away from the normal doldrums of some of the current films of the day.

Overall, I say if you have the chance to see it, take it; you might walk away with a spring in your step or at least with some memorable lines and a few unforgettable characters.

(Give us your rating!!)

 Loading ...

It’s the name of a planet.

The H-Bomb:  It’s also the name of the mental disorder that afflicts the lead character, Justine (Kirsten Dunst).  After an Earth shattering opening sequence, the film proper starts on Justine’s wedding night, with her set to marry nice guy Michael (Alexander Skarsgard).  The marriage is being held at the secluded estate of Justine’s older sister, Claire (Charlotte Gainsbourg), and her wealthy, astronomer husband John (Keifer Sutherland), who has, as he reminds both Claire and Justine, footed the bill entirely for this lavish shindig.  The wedding is being attended by everyone from her big shot marketing employer (Stellan Skarsgard) to her divorced parents (John Hurt and Charlotte Rampling).

We get the feeling almost immediately that something is very wrong with Justine, that she just is not acting the way a young woman should on what is supposed to be the happiest day of her life.  In fact, we find that happiness is a feeling that is entirely alien to this girl.  It starts with her showing up two hours late to her wedding ceremony, then proceeding to act like a total flake-and-a-half throughout the reception, often disappearing to wander the estate’s eighteen hole golf course and do God knows what else.

It’s hinted that Justine’s oddness is hereditary, as both of her parents are both somewhat south of normal.  Her father shows up with, not one, but two girlfriends (hookers) named Betty, and her mom, whose just about as upbeat as she is, gives a speech at the reception that ends with, “Enjoy it while it lasts.”  After getting a load of those two, we certainly understand where Justine gets it from.  Anyhow, her behavior on this night, the specifics of which I won’t give away, leave her newly minted marriage in shambles and her promising career in ruins.

From there Justine is left in a deep, crippling depression.  The kind of which leaves her sleeping away most of the day, and so inert that she practically has to be carried to the bathroom and the dinner table.  She is being cared for by her sister Claire while living in her brother-in-law’s humongous mansion.  Even though Claire tells her, “Sometimes I truly hate you,”  in reality Claire is the only one who really cares for Justine, as she tries, with little success, to help her through it all.

Meanwhile, as if her sister’s problems weren’t enough, Claire has become concerned about reports of a planet called Melancholia, which is hurtling through space at an alarming rate, and may or may not be on a collision course with Earth.  John assures her that it’s not, that it will miss us just like it missed Mercury and Venus before.  But, the things she’s reading online tell a different story, as does Justine, whose own mental state seems to give her some insight into this matter.

Are we all doomed?  Is extreme depression just seeing the world for the way it really is?  That is one way Melancholia, the title with more than one meaning, could be interpreted, that nothing really matters because we’re all fucked anyway.  I certainly can relate to that sentiment, though I’m not quite that pessimistic, yet.  Written and directed by Lars Von Trier, Melancholia can be looked at as a follow up to his excellent (in my opinion) Antichrist- though I should state right now that we never get the wince inducing violence found in that film.

Both films came about by (what he alleges is) his battle with depression, but while Antichrist is a product of this depression, Melancholia could be looked at more as a dissection of it.  A portrait of someone trying to cope with it and, in vain, overcome it.  It puts us in Justine’s position, where she questions if it’s even worth overcoming, since because of her despair, she feels the whole world is ending.  Again, the feeling of any deeply depressed person, which Von Trier literalizes in the prologue and epilogue of this film, a visually stunning, purely cinematic pair of sequences set to classical music (Wagner).

The striking, painting like imagery is, with some exceptions, mainly limited to the beginning and ending, as the bulk of the film is shot primarily in that deliberately sloppy handheld style more in common with Von Trier’s Domge ’95 philosophy.  It definitely aids in getting us into Justine’s point of view, but it can also be a strain on the eyes, to the point of inducing a mild headache with this reviewer.

Melancholia has a sly, mischievous sense of humor in the first half of it, the half covering Justine’s ill-fated wedding, that makes it lighter going than a lot of Von Trier’s prior work.  Hurt and Rampling are amusing as the “eccentric” parents of Justine and Claire.  “Is there anyone in your family who isn’t stark raving mad?” John inquires of Claire after enduring the antics of his in-laws.  Udo Kier is also funny in his bit as a wedding planner who is so disgusted with the way his event is turning out, that he refuses to even look at Justine, covering his eyes whenever she is near.

But the wedding sequence ultimately introduces us to a lot of characters that, while interesting, we won’t see again once this sequence is over, and much like the famed wedding sequence of The Deer Hunter, it just goes on too damn long.  It more than establishes what it needs to establish, that Justine is nuts, her whole family is nuts, except for big sister Claire, who is always picking up after her.  It then keeps driving that point home over and over until we’re just begging for it to move on.

Once it finally does move on to after the wedding, Von Trier does intrigue us with where it might go from there, especially with the introduction of the threat of the planet, Melancholia.  Sadly, while I was never disinterested, I wasn’t as immersed in what was happening as much as I was in Antichrist.  I thought the scenes of Justine’s catatonic moping were repetitive, and by the time Melancholia (the movie, not the planet) reached its inevitable end- which was revealed in the prologue- I thought to myself, “Thank God!  Finally!”

I can only speak for myself, but I just never found it as gripping, or profound, or moving as I sensed it was trying to be, and Von Trier’s use of imagery, while again striking, came off as heavy handed and pretentious.

However, that’s not to say I didn’t like it, because I did.  This is mainly due to the many colorful supporting performances in the first half of the film, as well as those of the lead actors.  I’ve never been a big fan of Dunst.  I’ve found her to be a passable actor, but not a great one…  until now.  Her work in this is simply phenomenal, as she truly makes us feel the pain of her character’s condition.  She won best actress at last year’s Cannes Film Festival for her performance, and the fact that she was overlooked by the Academy for even a nomination only strengthens my growing lack of respect for that once great institution.

That’s to say nothing of the equally fine work by Gainsbourg, who was just as fantastic as the crazy one in Antichrist.  Here, she’s ostensibly the sane one, only her sanity starts to crack as she is burdened with caring for her truly sick sister, and her own anxieties, which start to grow as the planet Melancholia looms larger and larger in the sky.  Her transformation from calm and collected to absolutely frightened is one that Gainsbourg sells in spades.  And it would be irresponsible of me not to mention Sutherland’s terrific turn, as a man who appears to be in control and have all the answers, but as it turns out, the exact opposite is true.  Once again, great work.

Overall, Melancholia is one melancholy movie experience, and for me, a little oversold by the hype (Von Trier’s moronic comments that got him banned from Cannes didn’t help, either).  Though again, it is a perfectly solid film, if a complete and total downer.  It’s seems like one where more can be gleaned from it with multiple viewings, and I certainly do intend to view it again… someday.  Anyone who struggles with manic depression should probably skip this one entirely, as it will not help you with your problems.  At all.  Trust me on that.  And those with a disdain for all things “artsy fartsy,” should probably avoid it, as well.  But the thoughtful film-goers out there, who like a little substance with their entertainment, and those who can find enjoyment in downbeat movies that make them feel like shit, may just find something to like in Melancholia.

(2 People gave this 4.00 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Note:  I don’t remember watching the TV series “21 Jump Street”, so this review is based on the movie.

The year is 2007.  Schmidt (Jonah Hill) is a smart, yet unpopular, Eminem wannabe who has no luck with the ladies (his attempt to score a date for the prom fails miserably).  Jenko (Channing Tatum) is the opposite, a dumb popular jock.  Both have typical high school angst (bad grades, no prom dates, etc).

Fast forward to 2012.  Schmidt and Jenko are both in the police academy.  Schmidt knows his stuff but physically he has problems.  On the other hand, Jenko is physically fit but he doesn’t know the Miranda Rights.  While on bike patrol at a local park, the partners see a drug deal happening and they chase the drug dealers, but all does not go according to plan and the dealers get away.

After their miserable attempt at a drug bust in the park, the boys are sent to Aroma of Christ Church, headquarters of the Jump Street Division.  Their assignment:  go undercover at a local high school to discover the distributor and the creator of a new drug that the students are taking.  Their new boss, Captain Dickinson (Ice Cube) orders them to “Teenage the F ‘up”.  Their cover is that they are brothers and they move into Schmidt’s parent’s house and share Schmidt’s old bedroom.  Jenko is enrolled in easy classes, including drama, while Schmidt is enrolled in AP chemistry.  Their covers get switched; however, and Jenko ends up in the advanced chemistry class, while Schmidt is in drama class, where they are auditioning for “Peter Pan.”

While undercover, Schmidt becomes friendly with the popular kids in school, including Eric (James Franco) and Molly (Brie Larson), and Jenko ends up hanging out with the other students in his AP chemistry class.  So basically, it’s the opposite of how it was when our heroes were in high school, which makes for some crazy situations.

Other notable characters in “21 Jump Street” include Mr. Walters (Rob Riggle) the gym teacher, Mr. Gordon (Chris Parnell) the drama teacher, Ms. Griggs (Ellie Kemper) the chemistry teacher, and Deputy Chief Hardy (Nick Offerman).

This is NOT a movie for kids.  There was liberal use of the F word as well as many sexual innuendos.  There is also excessive drug use (surprise).  I wasn’t really expecting much from this reboot but I was pleasantly surprised at how hilarious it was.  I was laughing through pretty much most of the movie.  There were a lot of crazy hijinks going on, and Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum were surprisingly well-matched.

(2 People gave this 4.50 out of 5)

 Loading ...

Growing up a bonafide comic geek, my circle of friends would occasionally pose the question: What powers would you want to have? It was always a gas to hear the reasoning behind the power choices. One of my favorites discussed was the power to manipulate time…usually for criminal and perverted acts. My choices were varied at first, from super strength, to invisibility, and finally settling on Telekinesis. It was the one power that seemed limitless. You want to lift a car? Done. You want to fly? Done. You want to stay dry in the rain? Done. I could go on, but I’ll assume you get the picture. When tasked to see Chronicle, of course I jumped at the opportunity.

Until I realized it was a ‘found footage’ film, which meant shaky camera shots, poor composition, and weird angles that may or may not get the scene. So, yeah, I’m not a big fan.

I found myself pleasantly surprised, however, when watching Chronicle. Sure, there was every aspect that I hated about ‘found footage films’ present front and center; however, I think it was handled fairly well, and thankfully only a fairly short amount of time was spent on the hand held aspect of the cam. Once the boys get their powers, the shots get smoother, as one of them uses their Telekinetic ability to keep the cam afloat. Ingenious.

The other issue I had was that the plot might have been taken from a 2002 film called The Surge (or The Source, depending on where you’re from.) That movie was about a group of friends that stumble onto a rock in the forest that imbues them with powers – not at all dissimilar from Chronicle. Thankfully, that’s about all they share as the stories they tell branch off sharply from there.

As the boys fine tune their powers, all kinds of shenanigans ensue. Unfortunately, for those of us that previously had watched the trailers online and on TV, there won’t be many surprises coming that way. The hilarity doesn’t last long; however, as Andrew (Dane DeHaan, who incidentally, looks strikingly like he could be Leonardo DiCaprio’s brother) allows his home life and school life to affect his increasingly reckless behavior, boiling to the inevitable pulse pounding showdown between friends.

Chronicle does a passable job in creating a sympathetic villain in Andrew. He’s bullied at school, his father is abusive, his mother is terminally ill, and he barely has any friends. The pieces were in place, but the execution seemed lacking, as the only sympathy I could muster for him was superficial at best. His relationship with his mom was never solidified, or portrayed deep enough for you to see how he felt about her. There were glimpses, but nothing that convinced me his descent into madness was believable. Likewise with the abusive father. I got the impression the abuse was only recent, as his father was unable to cope with his wife’s ailment and recent job loss, but the resentment Andrew shows would indicate a longer stint as a punching bag than I’d imagined.

Those few hiccups aside, I enjoyed Chronicle. The story was good, and the way they altered camera shots to piece together the story kept it interesting. The special effects delivered most of the time, though there were a few noticeable missteps. And the acting was well done, considering how difficult it is to act like you’re not acting. All the boys handled that task well.

If you were on the fence about seeing Chronicle, hop off it now and go see it. You could do worse at the theater.

(Give us your rating!!)

 Loading ...

High on fun, low on believability.

The H-Bomb:  A mysterious man (Sam Worthington) checks into a Manhattan hotel alone.  He treats himself to an extravagant meal, then wipes the room clean of all fingerprints and climbs out the window and onto the ledge.  It’s not long before he’s spotted by some do-gooder on the street far down below, and a crowd gathers to see if he’ll jump.  Some even cheer for him to jump!  Soon the police and the media both show up, and the whole thing turns into a big fiasco.

Lydia Mercer (Elizabeth Banks), a police psychiatrist with a drinking problem and a sad back story, is called to the scene to try and talk the man down off the ledge, and in their back and forths she gets the feeling that he’s not really suicidal, and that there is something else going on.  Of course, we the audience, through some rather clumsy flashbacks, already know more about this man than Lydia.  We know that his name is Nick Cassidy, that he is an ex-cop who went to prison for a crime he says he didn’t commit, and that he’s an escaped fugitive trying to clear his name.

But what does all that have to do with Nick dangling off the ledge in full view of hundreds of people?  Well, maybe it’s to keep people’s eyes off of what his brother, Joey (Jamie Bell) and Joey’s girlfriend Angie (Genesis Rodriguez) are doing across the street, in the diamond vaults of slimy, big shot Wall Street broker David Englander (Ed Harris).  Normally, I’d be reluctant to give that much away, but the trailer already did it for me, so I figure, the hell with it.

In fact, for the audience to enjoy “Man on a Ledge”, they’ll have to say the hell with it, too, because that is exactly the kind of movie it is.  The kind of highly contrived, ridiculously illogical thriller that Hollywood cranks out every so often.  The kind where if you scrutinize the plot, the characters, or anything that’s happening, you’ll just end up frustrating yourself, but, if you can just kick back and go with it, you’ll find it fairly enjoyable.

Basically, “Man on a Ledge” is a popcorn movie, one that wouldn’t cut the muster in the summer, hence it’s being released in January, when movie theaters resemble post-apocalyptic wastelands, but essentially it is 90 some odd minutes of pure, dumb brain candy.  Those looking for a tense, single location thriller like “Phone Booth” may be disappointed, as this actually is an overly plotted heist movie in the “Inside Man” vein, only about a thousand times more improbable, and not nearly as memorable.  It’s entertaining, but you’ll be straining to remember anything that happens in it the day after you see it.

As far as performances go, this really, truly is not a performance movie, but everyone on hand does their best. Worthington is an actor who has never interested me at all.  Frankly, I find him about as exciting as a piece of plain toast and as charismatic as a bullfrog, but here, he’s actually all right.  He hasn’t converted me into a born again Worthington fan or anything, but on this occasion, he managed to make me root for him… even though the Hasselhoff hair he sports doesn’t do him any favors.  Banks, as the alcoholic police shrink, does okay, as well, but like Worthington, I find her kind of bland.

Fortunately, the solid supporting cast does help spice up the mix.  Bell is funny as Joey, Nick’s well meaning but clumsy brother, Anthony Mackie is smooth as Nick’s best friend and a fellow cop who’s a little too interested in his predicament, and Harris hams it up nicely as the stereotypical smug, cigar sucking, fat cat bad guy.  Fans of William Sadler will be pleased to see him in a smallish role as a helpful Bellhop, it’s just too bad he looks as though he aged twenty years in the past ten. I was disappointed to see Ed Burns relegated to the throwaway role of some generic detective who spends the whole movie on the sidelines.  This guy used to be a full fledged movie star.  He helped save Private Ryan, for Christ sake!  What happened?

Of everyone in the cast, the one true standout is Genesis Rodriguez.  Never heard of her before?  Don’t worry, neither have I, but I have a hunch we all will in the near future.  Her turn as Joey’s girlfriend/amateur cat burglar is sassy, sexy, and almost steals the show.  The moment where she strips down in her bra and panties to slip into her skintight catsuit is perhaps the most hysterically gratuitous thing I have ever seen in any movie, but in a movie this hokey, it’s allowed.

And hokeyness is the order of the day with this one.  There are some intensely suspenseful moments (the bit with the news chopper is great), some nifty action towards the end, and even some laugh out loud moments throughout (the old Hippie in the crowd shouting about Attica is priceless).  It all leads to a climax that is both howlingly absurd and a little under-whelming, but if you keep your expectations modest and your brain turned off, there is fun to be had… provided you have absolutely nothing better to do.

(Give us your rating!!)

 Loading ...

A film, long, long overdue, in a decade not so far away

Swift shot: Despite a tacky soundtrack and a high-school AV club font for the credits which looked like it was ripped right from Windows Paint, this film delivered some solid memories.  Thanks to the previews, I was expecting it to have modern music for the sound, ala “A Knight’s Tale” and “Marie Antoinette”, but they went with a more traditional score.  I wish they had opted for the modern style, because the music never worked for me . . . granted I was focused on it the whole time.  I was also expecting a lot from the folks at Lucas’ Industrial Lights & Magic (ILM), and they didn’t let me down.  The gritty attention to detail paid to the P40 Warhawks with rusty bolts and hinges in contrast to sexy, mint P51 Mustangs was noteworthy.  The actors were a bit rough around the edges, but as the film progressed, I found myself more drawn to the characters and less focused on the film’s elements.

Set in 1944, Italy, we follow the “historical” adventures of the 332nd Fighter Group, comprised entirely of “negro” pilots and crewmen.  In 1944, the brass has decided to grant black soldiers the chance to prove they can stand toe-to-toe with any other Americans in the war effort.  One bold initiative creates the 332nd and, at least on paper, affords the men that chance.  Met with nothing but resistance along their path to become pilots, the men form a strong bond – probably more significant than most other soldiers who essentially take for granted that they have at least earned a grudging respect from their comrades.  Not so for the 332nd, everything they are doing is literally being scrutinized by everyone in the world, not just the military, and not just the Americans.  They are under a lot of pressure to be beyond good . . . thing is, the brass isn’t exactly giving them any real missions worth a damn.

And that is where we come in, after a routine mission of “killing traffic” (one of my favorite lines) their Colonel, Bullard (Terrence Howard) is called to Washington D.C. following some harsh words from the press that the negro pilot experiment is a failure.  One particularly nasty Colonel, Mortamus (Bryan “Breaking Bad” Cranston) has leaked the false story in the hopes of putting an end to them once and for all.  Now the pressure is higher than ever for them to show they can take on dangerous missions, and they are granted an air cover mission for an Allied Landing . . . Operation Shingle.  Not only do they accomplish their mission, they log some significant kills.   Speaking of killing . . . this film is incredibly violent, lots of strafing runs, lots of explosions and people meeting their mortal end.  For the most part these people were Nazis, so no one really minded, but in all wars even the good guys die, and Red Tails does show a few of the good guys eating dirt too.  In fact, with four words, the entire tone of the film shifts in one dramatic dogfight.

I read on imdb that George Lucas started this project in 1988 and couldn’t get any significant funding, because “an all black cast isn’t going to sell tickets”.  Interestingly, he foot most of the bill for this film himself, and stylized the leads after historical figures from black civil rights lore, Easy, or Capt Marty Julian (Nate Parker) was inspired on Martin Luther King, Jr.  Lightning, or Capt Joe Little (David Oyelowo) was inspired on Malcolm X, and considering the screenplay was co-written by the controversial “Boondocks” writer Aaron McGruder, it makes perfect sense.  His characters are always bigger than life and inspired on great men and women.

The other characters make up a fairly motley crew of pilots and mechanics which reminded me a lot of the Black Sheep Squadron that I used to watch with my dad, with clever call-signs and a bit of arrogance and flair.  There really were too many to list here, but my favorite supporting actor would have to be Ne-Yo as Smokey who delivers the most clever line of the film.

I wanted to like this one a little bit more, and it is a freakin’ crying shame that in 2012 no one stepped up to the plate and assisted George Lucas to the point where this film was on an epic scale, I wasn’t overly impressed with Terrence Blanchard when I am spoiled with John Williams doing Lucas’ other scores and some other elements felt tacked on at the end as well.  In once scene, Lightning takes on an entire Officer’s Club filled with white pilots, and he is in the stockade the next scene without a scratch on him, not so much as a hangnail.  That might fly in an amateur’s reel, but not when I see Lucas’ name attached.  Ultimately, this film was not all that it could, and should, have been.  The aerial combat sequences were tight and magnificent, and I really have not one bad thing to say about them.  The story was interesting, but I felt that a lot of the film was rushed in order to get as much “history” into the final edits and I think some things should have been cut out altogether.

As far as the historical accuracy of this film, I will let you do your own research.  But in my research it was interesting to see that even as late as this decade, controversy over the historical accuracy of the documented combat missions still hasn’t been soundly put to rest.  Perhaps this film will serve to do what it was ultimately intended to do, get Americans, black, white, red, yellow, blue, purple, green, who cares, to care about the sacrifices of these ‘colored’ men who not only had to fight a war, they had to fight to earn even a modicum of respect in their “free” country.  We all have battles, and we have all had to deal with prejudices, but I challenge anyone to say these aviators weren’t some of the most mentally tough men to ever wear wings.  The Red Tailed Angels of the sky.