Trailer Spotlight: "Gangster Squad", "Argo", "Beasts of the Southern Wild"

Beasts of the Southern Wild (July 5) - Quvenzhane Willis, Dwight Henry
I must admit, I have no idea what the crap is happening in this trailer...but I'm intrigued. A festival darling that tore it up at Sundance, Beasts has garnered a great deal of attention for itself of late and if the early takes are to be believed, little miss Willis is just fantastic. Most of us probably won't get a chance to see this until it hits DVD or Netflix Instant but I'm looking forward to it.



Argo (October 12) - Ben Affleck, Bryan Cranston, John Goodman
There's no doubt that Argo is a bit of a risky project. The story isn't one that most people (read: "anyone") are familiar with, the plot is a bit convoluted, and it represents the first time Affleck has taken a film outside of Boston. But after watching the trailer, let me give you three reasons why I'm excited about Argo: 1.) Ben Affleck makes good movies. Say what you want about him as an actor, his previous directorial efforts (The Town and Gone Baby Gone) are both excellent. 2.) John Goodman is a boss. We need more John Goodman in our daily lives. 3.) You have to love a movie that uses "Dream On", one of the greatest rock songs of all-time, in the trailer. I'm in.



Gangster Squad (October 19) - Josh Brolin, Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone
Wow. Talk about ambitious! From the director of Zombieland comes...well...a really hardcore but stylized gangster movie. Movie nerds like myself have been looking forward to our first look at this one for a while and now that I've seen it, I'll say the same thing I've been saying about Gangster Squad since it was announced: if Ruben Fleischer pulls this off, it will be a game changer. It's the type of film that could send Hollywood scrambling to greenlight similar projects. But will it work? It's hard to say. Fleischer has directed two films: the aforementioned Zombieland, which I love, and last year's 30 Minutes or Less which is a bloody disaster of a film that gets worse every time I catch a minute of it on Starz. Plus, we've had a fair share of these dark, noir gangster-related films over the years and many of them haven't fared well. But I am in love with this cast (fantastic job on that front) and this trailer gives the impression that Gangster Squad could be outstanding.

Review: "The Avengers"

The formulation of The Avengers represents one of the greatest undertakings in the history of the industry, that being the tying together of five films and four separate franchises into one, cohesive, behemoth of a movie that combines elements from all of the previous entries. It was a risky formula but one that has clearly been proven worthwhile and could (read: “will”) change the landscape of how studios approach their tentpole franchises while forcing critics and would-be critics like me to reevaluate what the term “summer blockbuster” really means.

We begin shortly after the events of Captain America at a secret facility operated by SHIELD, a government agency tasked with preserving the world’s safety from otherworldly attacks. Enter Loki (Tom Hiddleston), a Nordic demi-god cast out of his home in Asgard, who uses an ultra-powerful device to transport himself from the depths of space in order to exact his revenge upon the earth. Sensing a need for greater allies, SHIELD leader Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) implements “The Avengers Initiative” which calls the universe’s greatest heroes to action. Fury assembles a team that includes Tony Stark/Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.), Bruce Banner/The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo), Steve Rogers/Captain America (Chris Evans), Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner), Natasha Romanoff/Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), and Loki’s brother, Thor (Chris Hemsworth), and tasks them with bringing down Loki before his evil plans can come to fruition. But with Stark and Thor clashing and Banner and Rogers unsure of their gifts, the question becomes whether or not anyone can put a stop to the lurking menace that Loki would bring into our world.

The amount of nerdy awesomeness contained within The Avengers is almost too much for me to handle. Like a good film adaptation of a beloved book, The Avengers works in concert with the preceding films of the Marvel universe while providing enough information to keep anyone unfortunate enough to have missed out on the other films from being left completely in the dark. Our reintroductions to Stark, Thor, and the rest are concise, providing a catch-up with where our heroes have been since last we saw them and laying the groundwork for the challenges ahead. But while character development is a key to why this movie works (more on this in a bit), I greatly appreciate the fact that writer/director Joss Whedon (and his writing partner Zak Penn) doesn’t spoon feed the audience with an hour of lead-up to establish the characters. Instead, he starts us where each character left-off and trusts that anyone who hasn’t seen the previous films is smart enough to pick up on their various personalities and abilities. As a result, The Avengers is able to get right down to business and spend 140 minutes rocking the audiences’ collective face off.

Basically from the word go, this movie is a rapid-fire thrill-ride that wastes no time in jumping right into the fray and mixing it up with Marvel’s biggest names. We jump from place to place as Loki wreaks havoc and the Avengers come together and quickly come to the big question at the center of the film: can all of these guys come together as one or are their combined powers simply too volatile to be put together? As pointed out by Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg in his near-iconic role), they need a rallying cry, a unifying event, which they receive when Loki attacks the SHIELD headquarters and nearly destroys the team before they can ever come together. From that point on, The Avengers turns into a smorgasbord of rip-roaring action sequences that would make Michael Bay salivate but is peppered with the witty, genuinely hilarious dialogue that keeps the laughs coming almost as frequently as the CGI explosions.

The thing that really sets The Avengers apart from virtually any other lighthearted popcorn flick that has come down the chute is the near-perfect script that Whedon and Penn put together. All of the previous Marvel films (the Iron Man films in particular) have featured comedy as a major part of their respective make-up but Whedon takes that to all new level. He never misses a chance to insert a joke and his cast delivers them in such a way that even the would-be cheesy one-liners come across as inspired. As King of the Nerds, it’s obvious that Whedon not only understands the universe in which his film takes place but also the psychology of each of his characters and maybe more importantly, the mind of the nerd, his constituent. Even still, instead of relying on the fanboys to be the sole source of support and gearing his film entirely towards that audience, Whedon crafts a beautifully paced, highly entertaining film that should appeal to just about anyone who isn’t AO Scott. Likewise, the cast of The Avengers appear to be completely invested in their characters and the film as a whole. Each actor is fully on-board for the ensemble-like approach to creating this film which is absolutely vital to its success. All of them (and I really do mean every single player in the main cast) give performances that are worth noting individually.

I had two big question marks concerning the cast and characters coming into The Avengers. For one, I wondered about the addition of Mark Ruffalo. I’ve never been a big fan of Ruffalo and The Hulk almost seemed like a cursed character coming in. But from the outset, Whedon and Ruffalo work in conjunction to turn Banner/Hulk into a much deeper, more impressive character than I could have ever imagined. In truth, for me The Hulk is probably this film’s most bankable player, a shocking statement considering how highly I think of RDJ and Tony Stark. The Avengers almost represents a story of redemption for a beloved comic book hero who’s never had much luck on the big screen. Second, I was genuinely concerned about whether or not Loki was up to the task of hanging with this team. In 2011’s Thor, I thought Hiddleston gave a good performance but that his character was weak and as we all know, a great superhero is only as good as the villain who opposes him. With a remarkable group of heroes like this one, you need a compelling villain and while Loki isn’t up to par with the best of the best, he is more than capable of holding his own in this setting. I give Whedon a great deal of credit for taking a lackluster character and making him substantially more relevant and menacing and this stands as just another example of how impressive Whedon’s work here really and truly is.

Any way you slice it, The Avengers is a massive achievement that will have a decisive impact on the culture of Hollywood in the years to come. Like Inception and The Dark Knight before it, this is a film that seems to suggest that it’s no longer enough for a film like Transformers to provide a bunch of explosions and grab a chunk of cash while drawing the wrath of critics and audience members alike and still be deemed a legitimate blockbuster. The Avengers is an absurdly entertaining film that forcefully lays claim to its spot among the elite summer blockbusters, along with the aforementioned Nolan films, Jaws, Star Wars, and Jurassic Park.

The Week That Was and the Week That Will Be - 5/7

Adam Yauch, a founding member of the Beastie Boys, died this weekend after a battle with cancer. Better known as MCA, Adam was, to put it simply, a musical genius and as Amos Barshad points out, the leader of the band. I love the Beastie Boys and I love how they have progressed over the years from the brash party rappers that took form on License to Ill to the socially conscious MCs they've become and both "Paul Revere" and "Sabotage" remain mainstays of my favorite 25 songs of all-time. Yauch was also an advocate for independent film and his company, Oscilloscope, helped bring numerous films to market over the last few years. There are much better tributes to Yauch out there compared to anything I could write here but for my part, let me say that Yauch was just a cool, seriously talented dude who will be missed. Rest in peace, MCA.

Joss Whedon spoke with GQ recently and discussed his vision for a Batman film that never got off the ground. Now the question is, will Whedon EVER deliver a pitch that doesn't get picked up immediately?

Joseph Gordon Levitt is developing a new take on Little Shop of Horrors with an eye toward playing the lead. The 1986 version of this film is one of the few musicals I truly appreciate, would be interesting to see what JGL could do with it.

Fresh off the success of Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Brad Bird has signed on to direct Damon Lindelof's sci-fi flick 1952. No idea what this one will be about at this point but I'm in nonetheless.

Weekend Box Office Results

Remember when we all ooed and awed a few weeks ago when The Hunger Games brought in a whopping $152 million on opening weekend? Well, now Joss Whedon can pat little Katniss on the head and compliment her on her cute box office number. We all knew The Avengers would pull in a ton of cash this weekend but I’m not sure anyone quite expected THIS. On Friday, Avengers had “only” brought in the second box money on opening day ever, which led me to believe it would finish somewhere slightly below the all-time record ($169 million) set by the final Harry Potter film last year. Low and behold, it blew that number out of the water, becoming the first movie EVER to break the $200 million mark on its opening weekend. To top that off, Avengers has now brought in over $640 million worldwide.

I’m probably going to write a column on the phenomenon that is The Avengers (which serves as a fantastic illustration of how to make a blockbuster film) at some point in the near future but one more interesting item worth noting: Many would-be prognosticators (including myself) had this movie pegged as the third-biggest of the year behind The Dark Knight Rises and The Hobbit. But now? I’m not sure there’s any way either of them can keep up. As noted on Twitter (otherwise I’d provide a link) by Peter Sciretta of /Film, Dark Knight Rises will be significantly longer than Avengers (meaning there can’t be as many showtimes) and will not be shown in 3D, a feature that definitely helped propel Avengers to that staggering total. And with the excellent word of mouth making the rounds concerning this film, it’s not completely inconceivable to think that it would grab another $90 or even $100 million domestically this week. You have to wonder where it will end for Avengers and if the rest of this year’s films can keep up.

1. The Avengers - $207.1M

2. Think Like a Man - $8M ($73.02M)

3. The Hunger Games - $5.7M ($380.72M)

4. The Lucky One - $5.5M ($47.91M)

5. The Pirates! Band of Misfits - $5.4M ($18.56M)

6. The Five-Year Engagement - $5.1M ($19.2M)

7. The Raven - $2.5M ($12.04M)

8. Safe - $2.47M ($12.87M)

9. Chimpanzee - $2.39M ($23.01M)

10. The Three Stooges - $1.8M ($39.63M)

New to DVD

What I’ll Probably Watch at Some Point I Guess

Underworld: Awakening – Kate Beckinsale, Stephen Rea, Michael Ealy

I don’t know why I keep watching these movies, dear reader(s). They’re not good and I really don’t even like them and yet for some reason, I keep watching them. It’s the same with the Resident Evil series; I just can’t stop myself. It’s almost like an out of body experience. One day I’m walking through the aisles of my local video store and suddenly I’m watching myself watch these horrible movies and screaming, “No no no!” in vain. I may have some sort of sickness. It may be months before I actually succumb to this installment but someday, it will find its way onto my television.

What I’m Looking Forward to Catching Up On

Chuck: Season 5 – Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez

For me, Chuck is the perfect summer show. It’s fun and entertaining, provides solid if absurd plot points that keep me generally interested, and the characters are good enough to keep me coming back for more. The problem is NBC has continued to push it as a Fall/Spring show and I don’t have time for it in my viewing schedule during the year. So every summer, I buy/rent the previous season and play catch up. It really is the best way to watch this show and I’m excited to continue my tradition with the show’s final season.

Also New

The Vow – Rachel McAdams, Channing Tatum

Tim and Eric’s Billion Dollar Movie – Tim Heidecker, Eric Wareheim

The Big C: Season 2 – Laura Linney, Oliver Platt

New to Blu

Underworld: The Legacy Collection (2003-2012) – Kate Beckinsale, Scott Speedman (All four films FINALLY on Blu-Ray!)

Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) – Kyle Galligan, Phoebe Cates

Coming to a Theater Near You

Not only did The Avengers shatter virtually every box office record it had a shot at, it also made me look smart, coming in at a 93% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes, right on pace with my 92% prediction. That’s on par with the ratings of both The Dark Knight and Iron Man. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel also did its best to make me look smart, grabbing a 78% critic’s approval rating (73% predicted).

This week brings us only one mainstream offering and I confess, I have no idea what to expect from it.

Dark Shadows – Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, Helena Bonham Carter

Two centuries after he is imprisoned, a vampire (Depp) wakes up to find himself in the 1970s amidst a set of dysfunctional descendants. By my count, there have been at least three versions of the TV show on which this film is based. I have never seen any of them. The concept intrigues me, though, and I see some real potential here. Plus, I mean, haven’t we all been waiting for Johnny Depp and Tim Burton to FINALLY work together?! There’s a good chance this gets panned by fans of the various TV versions but I’d like to think it has a shot at being half-way decent. Rotten Tomatoes prediction: Fresh, 61%

Also New: Chloe Grace Moretz becomes a teenage degenerate in Hick…Eva Mendes struggles with the issues of single motherhood in Girl in Progress…A dying man and a 16 year old team up to rid the country of bad guys in God Bless America, directed by Bobcat Goldthwait (yes, that Bobcat)…and a group of Lebanese women go to extremes to relieve religious tensions within their community in Where Do We Go From Here.

In Home Viewings: "Exporting Raymond"

In 2005, Everybody Loves Raymond wrapped up its ninth and final season, taking its leave after 2010 episodes which led it to become one of the more beloved shows of the era. It was a show that highlighted the ups and downs of every day, married life, a topic which obviously the general public related to. Seven years later, you can probably turn your television on right now and find a syndicated episode of Raymond somewhere. Shortly after the finale, show creator Phil Rosenthal was approached by a SONY representative and asked to help the Russian television network create a native version of Raymond. Rosenthal brought along a film crew to document the events, revealing that comedy isn’t quite as universal as we might expect.

I’m not sure exactly what Rosenthal expected from his trip abroad but it becomes quite clear early on that he wasn’t prepared for this undertaking. He is thrown for a loop when he discovers that he has to invest in Kidnapping and Rescue Insurance, an issue he is assured never comes up; he astutely points out that if it “never” came up, there would be no need for the insurance. Upon arriving, he meets up with his private security guard/driver and their exchange soars right past the “awkward” stage and borders on becoming “tense.” He is undoubtedly a stranger in a strange land and it only gets worse from there.

Later, Rosenthal is brought to the studio (which literally looks like every depressing, dilapidated building you’ve ever seen in a Hollywood version of Russia) and introduced to the crack team of writers and crew he will be working with. They show him clips from American shows that have previously been remade and he is given a glimpse into what Russians find funny. In my opinion, this was the best part of the entire documentary. Rosenthal is shown a clip from the Russian version of The Nanny, one of the most successful programs ever, which was truly atrocious. If, like me, you believe there is no lower form of “comedy” than Fran Dresher and The Nanny, then allow me to burst your bubble: judging from the 30 seconds shown in Exporting Raymond, I would say the Russian version is approximately 37 times worse. That exact sentiment is written in bold across Rosenthal’s face as he looks around the room at his laughing coworkers and realizes he’s bitten off far more than he could possibly chew. It is moment that is both hilarious and a little bit heartbreaking.

As Exporting Raymond progresses, we see more and more conflicts unfold for Rosenthal. The casting process alone turns out to be a major hassle as the actor Rosenthal wants to play the Raymond character is unable to get leave from his theater company and he is replaced with an actor who appears to be the Russian equivalent of Paul Walker in terms of acting ability. To top it all off, Rosenthal doesn’t get along with the director of the pilot episode, who seems to regard him as a nuisance and refuses to listen to his advice, which is, of course, the only reason he was brought in.

The greatest strength of Exporting Raymond is its ability to point out the dramatic differences between the Russian culture and our own with a simple, understated style. This is a, “Let the camera roll and see what happens” sort of documentary and there’s very little in the way or post-production or narration; rather, for the most part, the audience sees what Rosenthal sees and his reactions which are generally priceless. There are times when the film loses focus and becomes somewhat dull and even at its best, there’s nothing excessively funny or definitively special about Exporting Raymond. But it still serves as a quirky, fun, and moderately insightful piece of work that is worth a viewing if for no other reason than to experience Rosenthal’s dumbfounded facial expressions for yourself.

Trailer Spotlight: The Dark Knight Rises, Prometheus, Hotel Transylvania

Prometheus (June 8) - Charlize Theron, Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender
I promise, this is the last item I'll post about Prometheus until its premier week. Honestly I'm getting a little tired of all the promos and sneak peaks too...and then I watch said promos and sneak peaks and get really, really excited. This movie looks like it will be every bit the triumphant return to sci-fi for Ridley Scott that it is expected to be. Absolutely can't wait for this.



Hotel Transylvania (September 21) - Adam Sandler, Andy Samberg, Kevin James
Well, I won't go so far as to say this looks good necessarily...but it didn't make me cringe the way every Adam Sandler movie of the last ten years has. So that's a good start, right? Regardless, the concept is somewhat interesting and I could be talked into holding out an ounce of hope for quality in this case.



The Dark Knight Rises (July 20) - Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway, Tom Hardy
And now the reason you're all here. If this isn't your most anticipated movie of the summer then I encourage you to watch this trailer and quickly change your mind. I was a bit nervous going into The Hunger Games and I'm not entirely sold on The Avengers as of yet but I have no such qualms about DKR. I am absolutely, 100% convinced that this is going to represent the perfection of the summer blockbuster.

Review: "The Five-Year Engagement"

The world of comedic film changed in 2005 with the premier of Judd Apatow’s The 40 Year Old Virgin. Since that time, the R-rated comedy has become a mainstay of the industry and Apatow’s production company has become the premiere destination for filmmakers looking to work within that realm. Apatow has a distinct style, both as a director and a producer, that can be counted upon to a tee and for better or for worse, The Five-Year Engagement falls right in line with the Apatow Stable of Films.

Our journey begins when Tom Solomon (Jason Segel), an up-and-coming chef in the vaunted San Francisco food scene, proposes to Violet Barnes (Emily Blunt), a PhD student in psychology. What starts off as a beautiful love story takes a turn when Violet is offered and accepts a position at the University of Michigan which results in a difficult move for Tom. The two put their wedding on hold until Violet’s time in the program ends, an indefinite date they continue to push further and further away. As Violet becomes more and more successful, Tom sinks deeper into his funk, putting a strain on the couple’s already contentious relationship. As the years pass, Tom and Violet are forced to question whether or not they should be getting married and if they were ever compatible in the first place.

I know that summary makes Engagement sound decidedly dramatic but I promise, it really is a comedy. This is a far cry from Blue Valentine or even 500 Days of Summer which was much more serious (if lightheartedly serious) than Engagement ever sets out to be. But it wouldn’t be an Apatowian adventure without a hearty dose of reality mixed in with all the crude words and raunchy jokes and this film definitely fits the bill when it comes to fleshing out true emotion and real drama. Engagement actually hits the mark as well if not better than any of the films in this category, featuring an excellent balance between heart and jokes. Its weakness, though, is the same weakness that virtually every Apatow production before it has had: the runtime-to-content ratio. 124 minutes is a perfectly acceptable runtime for a romantic comedy IF it keeps up its own pace throughout the entire (or the majority of) the 124 minutes. But like its predecessors (see: Superbad, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, et al), Engagement stalls out in the second act, leading to a sense of drag through about 15 minutes that don’t quite fit with the mold designed for the rest of the film. In essence, if this film had received just a bit more editing, it probably winds up being a much more impressive entry into the genre.

Again, however, I could say that about almost every movie that has come through Apatow’s house since 2005. You can always find 10 or 15 minutes here or there that either doesn’t work, doesn’t fit, or doesn’t live up to the standard set throughout the rest of the film which should have been left on the cutting room floor. The flip side of this argument is that Apatow allows his filmmakers (in this case Nicholas Stoller, whose films I truly enjoy) to make the movie that they want to make. I greatly admire this quality in a producer but at the same time, I’d also like to be able to really go overboard in my praise of one of his films and the lack of editing usually prevents that.

That said the unbalanced runtime-to-content ratio within Engagement didn’t keep me from enjoying the ride (though it definitely hampered the overall experience). This movie is chock full of noteworthy acting performances, particularly that of Segel. Tom runs a gamut of emotions throughout the five years depicted and Segel handles each of them wonderfully. He is at times downright hilarious and at others a genuine sympathetic figure. Box office totals notwithstanding, Segel has transformed himself into a bankable star in the dramatic comedy field. His co-star Blunt has moments in which she seems a bit out of her element but overall, she is delightful and holds her own within a role that isn’t as easy as it might appear. In less capable hands, Violet could become an unlikeable shrew but Blunt (and, I assume, the creative team behind the movie) keeps the audience on board with her endless charm and by exhibiting a genuine internal conflict within her character. It should also be noted that while Segel and Blunt have some natural chemistry, there’s also a slight amount of strain between their characters which makes their relationship come off as all the more real. The surrounding cast, too, is outstanding and they routinely steal the show. Chris Pratt and Alison Brie grab the majority of the attention (these two are rapidly turning into stars) but Mindy Kaling, Brian Posehn, and Chris Parnell all have stellar moments. Even Kevin Hart comes across as funny here, a feat I had previously thought he was incapable of.

These performances come together in a well-written and appealing narrative (again, outside of the extra scenes which need to be cut) that dwells in a surprisingly realistic atmosphere. In fact, there is a distinct lack of gags within Engagement as compared to past Apatow endeavors and I for one feel that the film is better for that as it really gives the audience a chance to buy into Tom and Violet’s relationship. There’s nothing especially unique or special about Engagement but I still found it to be quality, enjoyable film.

The Week That Was and the Week That Will Be - 4/30

Will Smith and Denzel Washington have joined Adam McKay's remake of Uptown Saturday Night. This marks the first time these two leading men have starred together and it sounds awesome. 

Pixar has announced that the studio's 2015 release will have a Latin theme and center around the Day of the Dead. Sounds a bit darker than standard Pixar fare but I doubt that will stop many of us (read: "me") from digging it. 

There's a rumor floating around that Star Wars Land will open in Disneyland Paris in 2015 and suddenly I have a desire to go to France. 

My pal Terrence over at The Focused Filmographer has an awesome series on The Avengers happening on his site. Be sure to check it out!

It's been up for a couple of weeks but I missed it until now so check out Movie Muse's list of the Top 10 Movie Prisons. 

Weekend Box Office Results

Sooooo…apparently all of you are saving your money for The Avengers. None of this week’s new movies pulled in an especially healthy return and somehow Think Like a Man grabbed first place again despite, you know, being terrible. The Raven and Safe did about as expected but Pirates: Band of Misfits and 5-Year Engagement significantly underperformed. Pirates was always going to pull the majority of its overall haul overseas but 5YE really surprised me. It has been the beneficiary of an aggressive marketing campaign and coming off the ridiculous success of Bridesmaids, I honestly thought this would be a shoe-in to grab the lead this week. Maybe Jason Segel isn’t as bankable as Hollywood thinks he is. It did, however, get my money and I quite enjoyed it (review to come). In other news, The Avengers made $178 million overseas and has yet to debut in China or (obviously) the US. At one point this weekend, advance tickets for Avengers accounting for 60% of the overall domestic box office take. We could be looking at the highest grossing opening weekend ever (a record currently held by the final Harry Potter).

1. Think Like a Man - $18M ($60.86M)

2. The Pirates! Band of Misfits - $11.4M

3. The Lucky One - $11.32M ($39.97M)

4. The Hunger Games - $11.25M ($372.45M)

5. The Five-Year Engagement - $11.15M

6. Safe - $7.72M

7. The Raven - $7.25M

8. Chimpanzee - $5.46M ($19.15M)

9. The Three Stooges - $5.4M ($37.14M)

10. The Cabin in the Woods - $4.5M ($34.66M)

New to DVD

What I’ll Be Renting This Week

Haywire - Gina Carano, Ewan McGregor, Michael Fassbender

I wasn’t too interested in Haywire when it made its theatrical debut in January but it’s the perfect film for a DVD rental. Guns, neck chops, and some semblance of a plot are all I really need from an action movie like this and I expect it will deliver. Plus, you never know what you’re going to get with director Steven Soderbergh. He may not always turn out a great product but he’s always capable of doing something different and I respect that.

What I Hope None of You Will See

New Year’s Eve - Ashton Kutcher, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Biel

I took a bit of sick pleasure in this movie, one of the most blatant examples of money grabbing in recent memory, not only received an 8% rating on Rotten Tomatoes but also failed to make much of an impact at the box office. Look, there are plenty of movies that come down the pipes that I’m not interested in or that I think will be terrible but that I recognize a market for (see: Twilight). But honestly, dear readers, there is absolutely no reason for anyone who is not in this movie or related to someone who is in this movie to see this movie.

Also New

Joyful Noise - Queen Latifah, Dolly Parton

W.E. - Abbie Cornish, James D’Arcy

George Harrison: Living in a Material World - George Harrison

Covert Affairs: Season 2 - Piper Perabo, Christopher Gorham

Suits: Season 1 - Patrick J. Abrams, Gabriel Macht

New to Blu Pick of the Week or Whenever I Feel Like It

Definitely, Maybe (2008) - Ryan Reynolds, Abigail Breslin, Isla Fisher

Upon my first viewing of this movie, I came away very impressed. For what it is (a sappy-but-lighthearted romantic comedy), I thought it was very good. Since then, though, I’ve talked myself into being a bit ashamed of my (relative) affection for this movie and assumed it probably wasn’t very good (due in part to the series of crappy movies Ryan Reynolds has been party to over the last four years). But you know what, I watched Definitely, Maybe again for the first time in a long time just last week and I’ve got to say, it’s pretty stinking good (again, for what it is). I’m standing by this statement to my dying day.

Also New to Blu

Men in Black II (2002) - Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones (One of the worst sequels ever)

Jeremiah Johnson (1972) - Robert Redford, Will Geer (A movie I definitely have to see one of these days)

Clueless (1995) - Alicia Silverstone, Paul Rudd, Brittany Murphy (My wife’s favorite movie *Sigh*)

Meet Joe Black (1998) - Brad Pitt, Claire Forlani, Anthony Hopkins (Remembered only because the first trailer for The Phantom Menace was attached during its theatrical debut)

About a Boy (2002) - Hugh Grant, Nicholas Hoult (Also a, “Solid for what it is” sort of movie)

Coming to a Theater Near You

Much like its box office grab, The 5-Year Engagement underperformed with critics a bit (63% fresh rating versus my 75% prediction) while Safe actually did a bit better (52% vs. 30%). But I nailed my predictions on both The Raven (21% actual vs. 23% prediction) and Pirates (86% exactly). This week is rough sledding if you’re not into superhero movies. Similar to the competition The Hunger Games faced a few weeks ago, competing studios are steering clear of this blockbuster, a smart strategy in my book.

The Avengers - Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans, Tom Hiddleston

When a power-hungry god (Hiddleston) threatens to take over the world, humanity’s fate rests in the hand of a group of heroes known as The Avengers. This is, without question, the mother of all superhero films and represents one of the biggest undertakings in the history of film. Really and truly, bringing together several film franchises and setting them up to fold into one giant film the way Marvel has is a tremendous accomplishment and if it works (SPOILER ALERT: it will), we should expect to see more attempts at this in the near future. For my part, I am very much looking forward to this one and can’t wait to sit down for my midnight showing. Rotten Tomatoes prediction: Fresh, 92%

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel - Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkerson

Four British retirees head to an Indian hotel advertised as a luxurious living space but soon find that it’s not at all what they expected. Obviously I’m not the target audience for this film but I have heard only good things to this point. And hey, you have to respect all of those actors. What a cast. Rotten Tomatoes prediction: Fresh, 73%

Also new: First Position follows a group of dancers trying to make it in New York…LOL stars Miley Cyrus and has that inane title so that’s all I really need to say about it…and A Little Bit of Heaven centers around a woman (Kate Hudson) receiving life-altering news.

Review: "The Other Dream Team"

EDITOR'S NOTE: This film is currently making the rounds at various festivals after drawing attention at Sundance. I have no idea when or where it will open in your town but I implore you to seek it out whenever it does roll around. I only play the, "Go see this movie" card once or twice a year (the last one was Crazy, Stupid, Love which I think I was proven to be correct about) and I'm dropping it here: GO SEE THIS MOVIE. I could have written 2,500 words on its merits and I expect just about everyone would appreciate it. It is very similar in tone to the 30for30 series ESPN has been doing over the last couple of years and even my wife, a non-sports fan, loves that series. So, just go see the movie.

It’s fair to say that my two biggest passions in life (at least when it comes to pop culture, hobbies, etc.) are movies and sports. I’m a big fan of music, books, and eating large amounts of fatty foods, too, but they don’t quite compare to the level of affection I hold for movies and sports, particularly basketball. The combinations of those two passions often feels like someone in the world is secretly reading my hypothetical diary at night and creating programming just for me. Such is the case with The Other Dream Team, a powerful and insightful documentary that I imagine will stick with me for quite some time.

For many basketball fans, the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain are considered special, maybe even sacred, as the team assembled to represent the US Men’s Olympic basketball team was unquestionably the greatest collection of talent in the history of the sport. Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and eight other legendary players (plus Christian Laettner!) came together to form the Dream Team, annihilating every opponent that stood in the way of earning the gold medal and spreading the gospel of basketball to the world along the way. But while the Dream Team captivated a worldwide audience, there was a much more dramatic and significant story unfolding in the background. A group of players representing the small country of Lithuania which had only recently regained its independence in the fall of the USSR worked their way into the third place game and faced off with the Unified Team, the remnants of the squad they had been forced to compete with during the Communist reign. Weaving together the happenings on the basketball court with the rebirth of a small nation, The Other Dream Team expertly displays the importance of sport and the ways it can be used to inspire.

Going into this film, I had a basic understanding of what took place on the basketball court throughout this story. Like many other men my age, as a kid I was fascinated by the Dream Team. We’d never seen anything like that team and we never will again; they were literally that good. The Lithuanian team, though, always stuck out to me partly because they appeared to actually be good at basketball (whereas some of our other opponents looked like a bunch of middle school girls) and partly because their top two players, Arvydas Sabonis and Sarunas Marciulionis, were tremendous talents. In this summer’s Olympics, virtually every team that qualifies to play will have at least one or two NBA-caliber players but in ’92, that wasn’t the case. Sabonis and Marciulionis, along with Croatia’s Drazen Petrovic, were undoubtedly the best players in the tournament who weren’t on the Dream Team.

I did not know, however, the tumultuous background from which these players came from. At the time of the Olympic Games, Lithuania had only been an independent nation for two short years, two years which were trying to say the least. Amazingly enough, it’s tough to get a new country off the ground when you’ve spent 46 years under Communist reign (shocking, I know). The Other Dream Team heartbreakingly digs into the deeper elements of this fight for independence and paints a dark (and truthful) picture of what it was like to live through this period, both before and after Lithuania received its freedom from the Soviets. There are some truly devastating visuals and descriptions at play here and the film pulls no punches in ensuring that the audience understands not only what the players were going through but what every citizen of the country was going through. As such, the Lithuanian basketball team is simply the medium in which the filmmakers work to bring their story together.

By showing us the awful conditions which the players (and by proxy, their countrymen) lived through while under Soviet control and the immense struggle that was the fight for independence, director Marius A. Markevicius sets us up for a dramatic and deeply satisfying third act. Defeating the Russians to win the bronze medal was nothing compared to the hope their triumph gave a young nation and this is illustrated exquisitely through a mix of tear-inducing behind-the-scenes footage and touching interviews with both players and spectators. This is one of the more genuine sports documentaries I can remember and one that seems to really understand the significance of the subject matter it concerns itself with. It is a touching, at times quite funny, and beautiful example of the power of sport that will absolutely hit home for sports fans and non-fans alike. 

Review: "Lockout"

The similarities between Lockout and 2008’s Taken are so abundant that it almost seems lazy to make the comparison (notice, however, how that will not stop me). Both come from the Luc Besson School of Filmmaking, both feature Maggie Grace in desperate need of some life savin’, and both center around tough guys who can kill you with a neck chop just as easily as with a machine gun. In theory, these two films are so close, in fact, that I’ve been referring to Lockout as Taken 1.5 or Taken in Space for several months. Really, besides the outer space setting, the one real difference between these films is that Taken is good and Lockout is not.

Snow (Guy Pearce) is the prototypical anti-hero. He’s a bit of a loose cannon who plays by his own rules and he still smokes so you know he’s cool. After he is framed for the murder of his CIA superior, Snow is sentenced to a prison term on MS One, a prison that resides in orbit around the earth and houses the world’s worst criminals. But before Snow can be transferred to his new residence, an uprising begins on MS One and soon the prisoners have control of the space station. To make matters worse, the president’s daughter, Emilie (Maggie Grace), just happens to be aboard the station and is being held hostage along with a host of less important civilians. Given an opportunity to earn his freedom, Snow agrees to take on the rescue mission, though he has a much more important agenda for getting on board the station.

What you have to love about Lockout is its brazenness. There’s no pretense involved with this movie; if you ever saw one of the trailers, you know exactly what you’re getting. Much like its counterpart Taken, Lockout doesn’t take itself seriously whatsoever and as such, it invites the viewer to step into a world of complete absurdity in which we’ll have a few laughs while watching things explode. More often than not, that’s an invitation I can’t resist. And for its part, Lockout does its best to live up to the low-quality, high-fun standard it set for itself.

The problem is that that brazenness (which was Taken’s second greatest strength behind Liam Neeson) becomes this movie’s downfall. Lockout is rife with bad shots, overdone supporting characters, and abysmal special effects. All of this is presented in a, “Yeah, this is terrible, so what?” sort of way that bothered me. I didn’t expect a Nolan-esque approach to action but there’s a limit to what I should be asked to accept from a film in the way of corner-cutting. The effects in particular were a tremendous letdown. With this sort of film I anticipate bad dialogue and paper thin characters but that those issues will be at least partially covered up with spectacular action sequences. The graphics within Lockout are some of the worst I’ve ever seen in a mainstream movie. And by mainstream, I mean anything higher in quality than the straight-to-DVD knock offs that find their way onto Netflix Instant a week after a big action flick debuts (see: Transmorphers). While Lockout wouldn’t work if directors James Mather and Stephen St. Leger had attempted to turn in a more significant, hardcore action piece, much of this movie comes across as if the filmmakers didn’t care about turning in a decent product.

That’s a real shame because Guy Pearce is an absolute riot in the lead role. Snow is irreverent, overly confident, and brash and completely unapologetic which, of course, makes him exceedingly appealing. Pearce hits every mark perfectly and he gives the character a lighter edge that works well in this setting and keeps Lockout from becoming too one-dimensional. I expected Snow to be Pearce’s interpretation of Liam Neeson and while that might not have been a bad thing, what we’re really treated to is a character that is part Neeson (in any action movie) and part Captain Jack Sparrow. He’s got a Sparrow-like flowiness to him and while you can’t exactly call his one-liners witty, they are delivered with a pinpoint precision that drives the jokes home expertly. It’s unfortunate that this performance comes in a movie that doesn’t really deliver much else in the way of value but it is still a fun turn for a great actor and one that keeps Lockout from becoming a total loss.

Trailer Spotlight: Lawless, Brave, Ruby Sparks

Brave (June 22) - Kelly Macdonald, Billy Connolly, Emma Thompson
Frequent readers of this space (hypothetical though they may be) will know that this is at least the third time I've posted a Brave trailer. I promise, this is the last time. Can you blame me for being excited, though? Last year brought with it Pixar's first flop (Cars 2) in the studio's illustrious history and therefore it feels like forever since my life has been enriched by the animating geniuses. Have a look at the full, expanded trailer for this one.



Ruby Sparks (July 25) - Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan
I hadn't heard much about this one before now but I must say, I'm intrigued. A combination of Stranger Than Fiction and Little Miss Sunshine seems like a too-easy comparison but that appears to be exactly what we're dealing with her. If the concept is executed correctly, this could be great. And if nothing else, it's nice to see Paul Dano being given a leading role of substance to work with.



Lawless (August 31) - Shia LaBeouf, Tom Hardy, Gary Oldman
Finally, feast your eyes upon the long-awaited first look for John Hillcoat's Prohibition Era epic Lawless. I will say this preview is slightly over-the-top compared to what I was expecting but it still has a chance at being a truly special film even if it does star Shia LaBeaouf. Perhaps Oldman and Hardy can bring out the best in LaBeouf. I'm definitely willing to give it a shot.