I set a personal record for myself this week, I saw "True Grit" on Thursday, "The Fighter" on Friday and this one on Sunday. As another aside, maybe I'm not the best person to be seeing and reviewing this one, I've only seen the original once, and only kind of remember it - but hey, here goes nothing. The original "Tron" is a sci-fi classic that has achieved "cult" status in the 28(!) years since its release. Indeed, the original was the first film to use CGI in a feature film. Given the state of film today, that becomes quite the milestone. A rough outline of the original goes as follows - brilliant computer programmer and video game designer named Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) who's had his designs stolen by a rival discovers a way to transfer himself into a digital world and directly confront the programs and games in highly stylized "battles" that replicate the games designed by Flynn. The story doesn't make a lot of sense in a realistic type of way, but it's original and had a visionary approach to the future that has turned out to be increasingly accurate (in terms of the involvement of computers and games in our lives). So the original is remarkable for the visuals, which were entirely groundbreaking at the time.
Here were are at Tron: Legacy. 20 years have passed since Kevin Flynn inexplicably disappeared, leaving behind his young son, Sam, after promising to show him his creation. Sam is running from his father's legacy, choosing to shun involvement in the empire built on his father's creations. When a mysterious page from his father's office to his former partner shows that something may be stirring, Sam investigates, and winds up immersed in the digital world his father created so many years prior. Searching for his father, Sam finds himself embroiled in a struggle between his father and rebellious creations who have corrupted "the grid" and threaten our world as well.
So there's the plot - pretty nonsensical, indeed, but this isn't a flick you're seeing because of the narrative structure. This is a spectacle. Escapism and entertainment at a very high level. Movies can be a great storytelling venue - but at a certain level, there's an appeal for visual spectacle, the kind of thing that can never be achieved in a book or story. This film looks great. Seamlessly melding CGI environments with physical actors is a trick that hollywood just about has mastered. The bright colors, unique world, soundtrack (scored by Daft Punk) and fantastical outfits, buildings and machines all serve to create a sort of techno-gothic land of perpetual twilight. There are some terrific action sequences and the nature/physics of the environment allows for some pretty cool stunts.
What grounds this one are the performances. Without the gravitas of Bridges (who plays two roles), this could slip to B-movie schlock, but Bridges keeps the necessary humanity present and grounds the outlandish nature of pretty much everything going on. Olivia Wilde is great as well as Bridges' surrogate daughter figure, and the very underrated Michael Sheen makes the most of his limited part. While the lead can't match the strength of Bridges or Sheen, he does what he needs to, playing the headstrong young hero part, and definitely resembles Bridges.
This is a fun movie that looks amazing. I was impressed, it was significantly better than I thought it would be. The visuals, color scheme, soundtrack and design of the architecture and vehicles all combine to create some sort of technological bad dream. Considering the original was made in 1982, the TRON franchise has a lot of credibility as far as sci-fi goes, for who could have envisioned in 1982 how central computers would eventually become to our existence?
A good time at the movies, and well worth seeing on the big screen.
Boxing movies have a special place in the American pantheon of film. There's something about the dedication, the training, the strength of will and the determination of the pugilist that makes boxing a perfect metaphor for so much of what defines us as a culture. "Irish" Micky Ward was a popular champion in the late 90's and early 2000s, a working class hero of sorts who spoke to many. This fllm purports to tell the story of a fighter whose once promising career derailed by misfortune, bad luck and bad advice, and ultimately was rediscovered through adversity to rise to the very top of his sport. While there are some inaccuracies and artistic liberties taken with actual events, the finished product is a compelling story of a family, time and place whose lessons of determination, redemption and triumph resonate loudly today - when so many places and families struggle with the very challenges facing Lowell, Mass and the Wards/Eklunds. This has been a passion project of Mark Wahlberg's (a native of the Boston area) for years, and has seen Darren Aronofsky come and go, Brad Pitt come and go, and the project pick up and die several times. In steps David O. Russell (Three Kings, I Heart Huckabees) and the insane method actor who is Christian Bale (you know damn well who he is), and they deliver one of the great sports movies of recent memory. Indeed, Sports Illustrated recently named "The Fighter" as "Sports Movie of the Decade", high praise indeed from the most respected sports publication around.
The year is 1993. Boxer/road crew worker and local semi-celebrity "Irish" Micky Ward (Wahlberg) is a boxer who's career is at a crossroads. After a promising start, he's lost his last few fights, and is facing a hand-picked opponent in an effort to turn his career around and avoid the "stepping stone" label. A native son of Lowell, Mass, once the birthplace of the American industrial revolution and now a post-industrial wasteland of drugs, petty crime and housing projects, Ward is managed by his overbearing and larger than life mother, Alice and trained by his half-brother, Dickie Eklund (Bale), who had a title fight against Sugar Ray Leonard in 1978 and has spent the last 15 years basking in the quasi-celebrity that resulted for all it's worth. Dickie, who's seen by his family as a legend, has spent his time wallowing in the depths and darkness of drug addiction instead of training his brother. Completely overshadowed by the insanity that is his family (he's the youngest of 9 kids, and one of only two boys), Ward is quiet and contemplative, resigned to his fate despite the often negative effect it may have on his career and livelihood. Things get worse before they get better, but Micky meets and falls in love with a local bartender and former athlete (a great Amy Adams) who, along with a new trainer and manager, help return the focus to boxing. Ultimately, this is a redemption tale. Redeeming a legacy, a career, a family and really, a life.
It's impossible to praise this movie without praising the performances. It's no secret that this blog is a HUGE Chris Bale fan, and he's never been better than he is as the charming, infuriating and rambunctious Dicky Eklund, a guy who dominates every room and has managed to completely recreate his own life and legacy through a web of delusions of grandeur. Bale will break your heart and ultimately bring you back from the brink, he's that good. He truly steals every single scene he's in, just as the real-life Dicky would have. Emaciated and squirrelly, Bale once again recreates himself physically to play a man who lost himself in the devastating web of drug addiction. Right behind Bale though is Amy Adams, who completely surprised me as the tough, determined, wise beyond her years Charlene, local sexpot and ultimate girlfriend of Micky. Adams believably brings to life a smart, fiery woman who impacts our protagonist greatly. The rest of the supporting cast is great, at times too believable as the lower-class cast of characters populating Lowell. Wahlberg pales next to Bale, but I'm pretty sure the real Micky Ward pales next to the dominating personality that is his brother Dicky. Wahlberg plays Ward with a quiet frustration, a man who feels trapped by his circumstances but who is too loyal to turn his back on his family.
This is a film that paints a picture of a time and place. Lowell, Mass in the mid to late 90's and a family who left their mark, both good and bad. This film is about boxing, sure, but it's about family, about post-industrial America, and ultimately, about redemption. Bale gives a truly unforgettable performance. There are flaws, mostly with the direction. 1.) It is impossible to tell what the time period is. Does the film cover 1 year? 10 years? Also, the boxing montage of Micky's comeback looked cheap. 2.) I take issue with the use of music. 4 or 5 times throughout the film a song plays nearly in its entirety, dominating a scene, and I don't feel it fits with the rest of the film. However, make no mistake, this is a great film. Easily the best sports movie since Cinderella Man, this is a story well worth telling that deserves to take its place among the great boxing movies.
8.7/10. Bale will win Best Supporting Oscar, I guarantee it.
The Coen Brothers (Joel and Ethan) are true artists and have contributed more to film in the past 25 years than just about anyone else. Their catalogue (Raising Arizona, Fargo, Miller's Crossing, The Big Lebowski, O Brother, Where Art Thou?, No Country for Old Men, A Serious Man, etc) contains a number of classics (and only a few duds, Ladykillers *cough*) in a number of genres and they are one of the few director(s) who makes a film a virtual must-see just as a virtue of their mere involvement. Jeff Bridges is without a doubt one of the top actors working today. His performance in "Crazy Heart" was truly remarkable, and elevated something that could have been Lifetime "Movie of the week" level schlock to something much, much more. He's worked with the Coen's before, in the comedy/cultural cult classic "The Big Lebowski", as the legendary Dude, a film and role that are near and dear to my heart. This film is the Coens' second remake, after the deeply flawed "Ladykillers", but the source material is quite different indeed. The original, 1969's True Grit, is one of the great westerns, and for my money, one of John Wayne's best performances, indeed the only won for which he brought home Oscar gold. Into the Duke's sizable shoes steps Jeff Bridges, playing the deliciously crusty Reuben "Rooster" Cogburn, a man who's cunning, violent, drunken, debauched, and also quite funny.
This is a remarkable film. Visually stunning, tremendously acted, where it may be strongest is in the language and dialogue, it's poetic and often artistic.. hearkening back to an era where language held a prized place in our culture, as opposed to today's "Jersey Shore" era where "like" is every other word and mouth-breathing knuckle-draggers are barely capable of forming coherent thoughts. This film calls to mind the great era of Westerns - where the majesty of the settings and the strength of the personalities defined us through American fables, featuring great men and grand deeds, the stuff of legends filtered through a distinctly American lens. In an era where cynicism and moral relativism dominate discourse, it's refreshing (to me at least..) to know the stakes and get a classic, straight-forward story presented in such a well-done fashion.
Bridges, is, as expected, terrific. Wonderfully gruff and just an all-around miserable bastard, he's part hardened killer, part Bad Blake, part "The Dude" and all awesome. Matt Damon more than holds his own as a more straight-edged lawman, a Texas ranger known only as "La Beouf". The real star here is young Hailee Stanfield, who more than holds her own as spunky, precocious Mattie Ross, who seeks vengeance for the murder of her father. This isn't a story you've never seen before, it's a manhunt with revenge as the primary motivation. Josh Brolin (also a Coen vet) plays a somewhat vile villain and Barry Pepper is an unexpected surprise as the leader of the outlaw gang our intrepid wanderers are pursuing. It's sort of a Western road trip movie with a solid body count stacked up along the way. I won't say any more so as to not spoil the plot.
At once epic and intimate, the Coens do justice to a classic cinematic genre, rendering the period brilliantly. The artfully done portrayal of a time and place that seems so far away elevate this film from an homage to something more.. a great example of the genre perhaps? At times funny, dark, charming, witty and violent (not entirely unlike the old west itself), this is a great flick that's well worth a watch. Don't go in expecting your worldview to be forever altered by what you're seeing, but simply enjoy the artistry of filmmakers and performers at the top of their respective games, and remember that films like this is why there will always be a special place for movies.
I saw this one last night - and am actually being prompt in my review - whaddya know? Every once in a while there's a news story that's so damned insane that no fiction could possibly match it. Most of you surely remember the story about Aron Ralston, the man who got trapped alone in a canyon in Utah and cut off his own arm to survive. It doesn't seem to me like it'd have enough substance for a feature film without a bevy of flashbacks (which are played out), but when one of the better directors working today, Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, 28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire) was attached, I became intrigued. When they cast James Franco - who I've been a huge fan of since he stole the show in "Pineapple Express" - my interest was piqued. This is basically a two-man show, as Director and lead craft a tale of human perseverance, determination and growth, while largely working within the tight confines of a narrow canyon.
Aron Ralston is a loner and adrenaline junkie. A man who needs nothing an no one other than himself, and sets out every weekend to prove to himself just how independent he can be and what he can do. The weekend of April 24, 2010, he sets out alone to Blue John Canyon in Utah without telling anyone where he's gone or how long he'll be away. After a brief run-in with some female hikers, he sets back off alone to do some rappelling. A freak slip ends with him trapped and pinned beneath a boulder for the next several days as his supplies and morale slowly dwindle.
This film is a celebration of the individual will, of the strength that comes from determination to survive. Shot on location in Utah, Boyle makes the most of the immaculate (and desolate) vistas, cliffs and rock formations present in one of America's true natural wonders. While I'm not much of an "outdoors" type myself, I can certainly respect and understand what would drive someone to lose themselves in the majesty of nature. Through flashbacks, hallucinations, visions and the like, Boyle expands the narrative from simply a man and a boulder to help express the despair and thought process one would experience in such a bleak, desperate situation. Through different camera angles and speeds, Boyle heightens the experience and joy followed by crushing devastation of what should have been a fun weekend for an adrenaline junkie.
But make no mistake, Mr. Franco is the true star of this production. He brings a charm, wit and "joi de vivre" necessary for a film where 99% of the shots feature him prominently. This is one of the great performances of our time. Franco is riveting, and manages to (along with Boyle) make this about more than a guy stuck under a rock, but about personal growth and what the sheer determination to survive can drive us to. It kind of makes you feel like a pussy for complaining about the minor problems in your life.
Well you can call me "motherfucker" for long. I'm back. With yet another review of a movie I saw weeks ago. In my defense, I did spring for one of them spankin' new HD tele-visions so I've been transfixed by shiny sparkly items and unable to content myself with slaving away at the interwebs. Anyway, enough excuses out of me - let's review this bad boy already.
Todd Phillips is one of the princes of American comedy - a godfather of sorts of the "Fratpack" group of flicks, in which grown men act like infantile imbeciles.. and hilarious ones at that. Road Trip, Old School, Starsky and Hutch, School for Scoundrels, and The Hangover are all Todd Phillips joints. This one is the follow-up to possibly the biggest comedic hit of all time, Summer '09's smash hit The Hangover - widely beloved, and largely for the outrageous performance of Zach Galifianakis, perhaps the most infantile of all. Phillips famously cameos as creeps in his movies, whether it's as the creepy bus passenger with a foot fetish in Road Trip, a gangbang participant in Old School, the guy going down on his girlfriend in an elevator in The Hangover, or the robe wearing boyfriend of Ethan Trembley's pot dealer in this one. So you get the vein of what this one is going for from the get-go. So other than being the Galifianakis/Phillips reunion, this one adds one of the truly great actors of our time, who proved he had epic comedic chops in his own right in "Tropic Thunder", namely Tony Stark himself, Robert Downey, Jr.
This is basically "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" in 2010, and is a very funny movie in its own right, I laughed quite a bit, although it is far from perfect. RDJ is a smarmy, upper class asshole architect by the name of Peter Highman who needs to get from Atlanta to LA for the birth of his first child. A chance encounter at the airport with a simpleton, would be actor/Two and a Half Men devotee Evan Tremblay derails a direct first class flight and results in Peter hitching a ride to LA with Evan (and his outrageous dog, Sonny) in Evan's rental car. Don't get me wrong, this story has been told before, but Phillips and Co. bring enough twists and the actors are talented and funny enough to keep you thoroughly entertained. Aside from brief appearances from a very funny Danny McBride and Jamie Foxx, this is basically a two-man show, and unlikely partners Peter and Ethan find their way into hijinks as they meander from Atlanta to LA by car.
There are some ridiculously funny scenes - I won't spoil them for you here, but I laughed a lot. It's just slightly... off. Especially compared to Phillips' hits like Old School and The Hangover. Tremblay and Highman's inevitable bonding seems unrealistic and ill-timed, and a particularly ridiculous scene in Mexico sort of ruined any pretense of reality. Galifianakis and Downey Jr. have great chemistry and are both very, very funny. This is a movie definitely worth watching, although it is in no way a classic.
Enjoyable, solid, funny. Galifianakis is the most dynamic force in comedy today.
I'd be damned shocked if I still had any loyal readers left.. and kids, I can't say I blame you. I've been awful, read: awful at updating this thing, and I'm sorry about that, because lord knows I've got the thoughts and opinions to fill this bad boy up. A lot has happened since we last spoke: the election, the fact that the Gator chomp is ok but this: Devier Posey taught me how to Dougie, isn't, the world banned Four Loko, but right now I'm here to review some GD movies, so let's get to it. I actually saw this flick weeks ago, but for some reason just never got around to blogging it. So here goes nothing.
Now documentaries don't usually find their way to my movie schedule too often, I like to consider myself pretty damn well informed, and usually already know 99% of what's in them (let's be honest: almost every documentary ever made is a dumbed down version of a book, which is a dumbed down version of some research because Americans are damned stupid), but since I'm obsessed with how stupid people are, this one was right in my wheelhouse. Acclaimed documentarian Davis Guggenheim (the director of "An Inconvenient Truth") takes aim at the American education system, once the envy of the world, and now a glaring eyesore.
This documentary does an amazing job at certain things but fails at others, and seems at times to lose sight of its actual mission. It focuses on the failings of public schools, especially in inner cities, where "dropout factories" often fail to graduate 60-70% of their classes. Considering the demographic reality of what a high school drop out can hope to achieve in modern America, the devastating long term impact these failing schools can have on their surrounding communities is evident. Guggenheim chooses to give the subject matter heft by focusing on 5 families, each who have their hopes for their childrens' future pegged on gaining admission to prestigious charter schools that succeed where the public schools in the same communities fail miserably.
Guggenheim sets his sights on two things in particular: teacher's unions (which, like all public employee unions - can be pretty damn evil), who focus on keeping jobs over ensuring quality education and school bureaucracies, which hog resources and shift the focus from educating. The emergence of charter schools over the past 20 years has made it evident that inner city kids can be educated, so it is the school systems themselves that are failing. Of course, there are counter-points to everything, but Guggenheim does a great job in effectively and often powerfully demonstrating the societal costs of shitty teachers, shitty schools, and a shitty education.
This flick's major failing, for me, was in not demonstrating the actual techniques that allow these charter schools to succeed where their traditional brethren fail. That is a major shortcoming in an otherwise powerful message. Guggenheim focuses on those who seek to reform education, and have had success in doing so. There should be no doubt that the American educational system is an embarrassment, one we should all be ashamed of. People are dumb, very dumb, and without outrage, that's never going to change. Actually this flick reminded me a lot of the absolutely essential television series "The Wire", which if you haven't watched, get the fuck off of the internet and go make that happen already, in that the failings aren't due to any bad intentions on anyone's part, just ossification of institutions and a whole lot of CYOA at all levels(that's cover your own ass) without taking any chances.
While it can be manipulative at times, on the whole, the flick does a good job of effectively delivering a much-needed message. If we don't wake up, and sooner rather than later, it will be too late, and our society will lose those advantages that allowed America to become what it is today. Education is the foundation of "democracy", and dumb kids become dumb voters become dumb workers and so on.
I really didn't know what to expect from this one. Was it a thriller a la "The Sixth Sense"? What was it really about? The trailers didn't really spill too much on what to expect, so I went into this one more or less in the dark. What I did know was that this one was getting early Oscar buzz, and that Clint Eastwood is one of the top 5 or 6 directors working today, and that Matt Damon is an absolutely tremendous actor. So when I scored some passes to an advance screening of this one, I jumped at the chance.
"Hereafter" deals, obviously, with death, what may or may not await us after we've departed this earth, and how it impacts those who are left to pick up the pieces. This isn't exactly an easy topic to deal with, and can quickly degenerate into religious debate or intense faith-based discussion. Eastwood wisely focuses on the characters, played so adroitly and capably, and on the emotions surrounding the situations they're placed in, with some great shots and truly terrific camera work.
This one is quite unlike basically everything else of Eastwood's that I've seen, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. This film is completely made on the strength of the director and of the performances. The film basically focuses on three characters, an American psychic (Matt Damon - proving once again while he's one of the best actors working today), a French reporter (Cecile De France), and an English schoolboy (Frankie/George Mclaren), each of whom has an intense and jarring encounter with death. The psychic, George Lonegan, is really able to communicate with the dead, and is unable to form a real relationship with anyone because of his strange ability. The French reporter, Marie LeLay, finds herself in South Asia during the devastating tsunami of 2004, where she is rescued from the deluge and revived with CPR. The schoolboy, Marcus, is a twin with a drug addict for a mother, and so is incredibly close with his brother, who dies in a horrible accident. These people find their existences defined by their experiences with death and the beyond, and find that they are inexplicably drawn to discover the meaning behind what's happened to them. Their journeys drive them on a collision course, and their stories eventually intertwine as they help each other understand and move on.
This is in no way a perfect film. The script and story at times doesn't make a whole lot of sense, often being cliche and overly sentimental. This, however, is overshadowed by the quality of filmmaking and the truly great performances out of De France and Damon. There are some soul-crushing moments that our protagonists endure, and through the strength of the performances you can't help but empathize and be brought along on Eastwood's journey. This film doesn't seek to explain, lecture, or offer any answers. It's simply one view of what may or could be awaiting all of us, and how death inevitably touches us all in different and often tragic ways.
Flawed, but with some great scenes (the tsunami scene is especially intense - as is the break down of George's burgeoning flirtation with a girl he met at night school), great performances (Damon's a best actor nom shoo-in), and something worthwhile to say, I'd say it's a safe bet this one will be one to reckon with come awards season.. the academy loves sentimental dramas with a strong director/acting pedigree. I went in not knowing what to expect, but wound up liking this one a whole lot more than I probably should have. What can I say? I can go sentimental.
If you were in college from 2004-2006 you probably remember the moment it happened. You probably remember exactly when facebook hit your campus and changed everything.. from the way people socialized to the way you got a hold of someone to the way you got help with an assignment to the way you dated to the way you took pictures. If you're around the ages of 24-28, call us "the facebook generation".. when a new and revolutionary social networking tool completely changed the way people interact with one another. This movie is the story of how that happened. How a couple of nerds from Harvard created possibly the greatest idea of our generation. How a guy who couldn't keep a girlfriend became the youngest billionaire on the planet.
I'm not going to lie - I was not excited at all to see this one. First, I find Jesse Eisenberg to be obnoxious. He damn near ruined "Zombieland" for me with his twitchy spastic shtick and not-quite Aspbergers. Second, how could a movie about the creation of a website be engaging and entertaining enough for the feature-length picture, even if said website is one I use basically every day? Third, director David Fincher is more miss than hit for me. Love Fight Club, love Se7en, hate Benjamin Button, hate Panic Room and hate Zodiac. I don't really like Alien cubed either. So basically I saw it because it was free and because these passes were WAY in advance.. but boy am I glad I did.
This movie is so much better than a film about the creation of a website should be. This is largely due to the often frantic script (written by Aaron "the West Wing" Sorkin) pitch-perfect casting and acting and a nearly pitch-perfect tone. The story opens in the fall of '03 with the genesis of what ultimately would become Facebook on one late drunken night in a Harvard dorm as Mark Zuckerberg, spurned by his now-ex, fumes online. After Zuckerberg's hastily thrown together Facemash crashes the Harvard servers, it becomes apparent that the college social landscape hungers for a means of eased online interaction (and hell, stalking).
The film is told through a series of vignettes as the various parties involved recount their stories through varying depositions, with plenty of witty banter (the vast majority of it coming from Zuckerberg) accompanying. This narrative device allows the film to rather seamlessly jump from month to month, highlight to highlight without getting bogged down in the mundane. Best friends and co-founders Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin (Andrew "The new Peter Parker" Garfield) build Facebook from literally nothing, and gradually grow apart as the more short-sighted Saverin is forced out by more visionary and ambitious figures (mainly "Napster" co-founder Sean Parker) thrust Zuckerberg into Silicon Valley's upper echelons and he leaves the dorm room far behind.
This really is a terrific film. Eisenberg and Timberlake (who plays the charming yet smarmy Parker) are both perfectly cast and hit every note just right. Garfield is more than capable as the somewhat tragic Saverin figure. The story moves along at the right pace - never feeling slow or boring (which can be a problem for Fincher). My complaints: the PG-13 rating felt forced. These are college kids, partying and hanging out. That scene is not a PG-13 one. Also, at times the tone of the film didn't feel right. It felt a bit too dark and mournful for what is, in effect, one of the great success stories of our time. The score and lighting felt ominous at times when there was no threat on the horizon. Ultimately though, this film is capably directed, superbly acted, superbly written, and it manages to tell and say something without preaching. Zuckerberg is neither hero nor villain, he is an opportunistic genius who seized the day and screwed over a couple of people along the way. That feels so much more appropriate for this day and age. This is a top 3 or 4 movie I've seen in 2010.
"I need you to help me hurt some people. I can't tell you why, and you can never ask me about it again" - Doug. "Which car do we take?" - Jem.
I managed to score some passes of an advanced screening of this one and you'd better believe I jumped at the opportunity. Sometimes it just seems like they make movies specifically for me - and hell, who am I to argue? This is one of my most anticipated movies of the fall, and has been getting some serious buzz, so needless to say, I was more than happy to catch an advanced screening. If you would have told the 20-year old me I'd be excited for a Ben Affleck directorial vehicle I'd have laughed you out of the room - but such is the state of things. 2007's "Gone Baby Gone" was an extremely strong debut - and dealt with the rough blue collar Bostonian underbelly dealt with here. One thing is for sure - Affleck can paint a picture of a location - and the locale is as much a character as any of those played by the actors. He may wind up being for blue-collar Boston what Scorsese is for New York - but let's not get ahead of ourselves here.
In addition to directing Affleck stars in this one, portraying Doug McCray, a one-time pro hockey player who washed out and wound up in the family business - robbing banks and armored cars. McCray is smart, fiercely loyal, calculating and imposing. He's the glue that holds his crew together. His best friend and literal partner in crime is a loose cannon named James "Jem" Coughlin, an unpredictable, often brutal menace for whom family and loyalty are paramount. Jeremy "The Hurt Locker" Renner brings a twitchy, troubling menace to his portrayal of Jem, a guy who is literally a blink away from murder at any given time. Jem and Doug have been best friends for basically their entire lives, and now take that trust and camaraderie into the violent but lucrative business of holding up banks and armored cars. Their crew is a sophisticated, efficient outfit, adept at moving quickly and eluding capture. They labor for a local crime boss known as "The Florist", played with an absurd amount of menace by Pete Postlethwaite. On a bank/armored car holdup one day, something goes wrong, Jem brutally beats a bank manager who he thinks set off a silent alarm. This leads to the taking of a hostage, a beautiful bank manager played by relative newcomer Rebecca Hall. The crew decides that in order to find out how much she knows, they have to trail her to ensure she doesn't talk. Doug winds up falling for the beautiful witness as the FBI (in the person of Mad Men's Jon Hamm) closes in on their trail. Doug is torn between who he is (a bank robber) and who he would be and is forced to choose between the life he's known and the life he so desperately wants for himself as the FBI closes the noose.
This film is beautifully shot, the leads are outstanding, and the story is solid. Several of the robbery scenes, the first two in particular, are tremendous. This film is entertaining, tense, and often quite funny in the dark, off-kilter fashion of the modern crime film. The often picture-esque wide shots of the city and the neighborhood are amazing, and Affleck is a director with quite the eye. However, this film isn't without its flaws. The plot demands a certain suspension of disbelief at times, as the crew can seem just a bit TOO good at their craft. The ending is a bit too "Hollywood" and neat for an Oscar contender and some of the characters lack sufficient characterization. The acting, however, is top notch. Hamm comes into his own in the film's later half, and becomes a terrific foil for the criminals we can't help but find ourselves rooting for. All in all, this is a strong film, memorable with some great characters and terrific scenes, but it never manages to rise to its potential. With a few adjustments, this could have been an Oscar front-runner, but I'll settle for a more than solid crime flick.
Here is American indie cinema at it's best - a quaint, sweet, funny picture that manages to deliver its message through the lens of believable, well-written characters that feel as authentic as the characters in any novel. Of course, pictures of this scope, that feature so prominently and intimately on the lives of a few characters depend almost entirely on the cast, so it's essential that the cast is up to the challenge. Here, the cast steps up completely, and completely inhabits the characters, making them into believable, flawed, charming people who feel so very real and you find yourself investing in and rooting for after just a short period of time.
Annette Bening and Julianne Moore feature as Nic and Jules, a lesbian married couple who are the moms for a pair of children, Joni and Laser (Mia Wasikowska and Josh Hutcherson) who were each conceived using the same sperm donor. The desire by Laser to meet his biological father leads to the children contacting the donor, an eclectic post-hippie named Paul (Mark Ruffalo). The relationship that develops between Paul, his biological children, and Nic and Jules touches on the complexity and fragility of the core family unit, and the universal humanity of it all. Nic and Jules are lesbians, sure, but they're parents first, and face the same issues as any family with teenagers would, just with an extra wrinkle thrown in. This wrinkle, Paul, finds himself drawn to the new family he never knew he had and never knew he wanted, and upends the lives led by Nic and Jules' family in a number of ways.
This isn't a film that seeks to preach the virtue or non-virtue of gay parenthood or tout a particular viewpoint from its soapbox - this is a film that is about people and family first, on an individual basis. The balance between comedy and drama is nearly perfectly tiptoed, with the sometimes heavy narrative never weighing down the overall feel of the picture, yet the necessary gravitas never leaves either.
Led by a number of pitch-perfect performances from Bening, Moore, and especially Ruffalo, who will probably see a Best Supporting nom for his turn as the alternative new-age Paul, this film rises far above what could have been straight from the headlines schlock and becomes a touching story about a family of individuals, who love, fight, betray, laugh and cry the same as everyone. The relationship between everyone is nuanced, believable and often touching - feeling completely authentic and yet highly entertaining - an often difficult balance to strike.
Come for the performances, stay for the funny, yet touching take on the American family, an infinitely diverse institution.
This post has been a while coming (well, basically a month now), but honestly, it took some stewing, research, and realizations to bring this post from seed to flowering plant of bitterness and disgust that it is. The whole nonsense that was "The Decision" and LeBron's callousness to everyone that wasn't LeBron, and the mainstream sports media's non-response for what were clearly the actions of a self-centered man-child without regard or sophistication basically ruined me as a sports fan, and I know I'm not the only one. That's a sad thing, as sports are supposed to be something that gives people hope, that brings people together, that inspires, distracts and unites, not disgusts and betrays. You aren't supposed to come away from sports feeling like you need to scrub yourself down in a hot shower like you just caught a Tijuana donkey show. What happened to what we were? When kids grew up dreaming of hitting the winning shot for their hometown team and loyalty trumped all? When pride and honor trumped titles, riches and status? When did athletes become corporate raiders and pirates? Sure, there's been a certain element of it ever since the onset of free-agency, but not until "The Decision" did it all become painfully clear, that the entire sports establishment cares nothing for fans or the cities that heap adoration on these young men treated as gods, but rather cares only for the almighty dollar. There's something tragic about that. Sports stars are treated differently from CEOs and politicians. Walk into the bedroom of 99% of boys 5-15 across the country and you'll find jerseys, posters, video games, autographed memorabilia, bedsheets, clothes, hats, etc of their favorite sports stars. Sports stars are beloved in a way no other public figures really are - and to display the kind of callous disregard of what sports mean is to betray an entire worldview and way of life really. No matter how true that worldview ever truly was, the illusion of it fulfilled something meaningful in our present society, where very little has meaning or value, especially for the youngest of us. That is a truly sad thing, friends.
I mean, there aren't a lot of heroes to be had today. Sports is the last bastion of heroes.. and our sports stars are proving to just plain and simply not be up to the challenge. Heroes are loyal. Heroes stand by to the bitter end and fight to the last. Heroes don't quit when the going gets tough. Heroes fight and inspire. Brett Favre? Not a hero. LeBron James? Psh. How many heroes are left? Peyton Manning. Albert Pujols. Tom Brady. Kobe Bryant? Maybe. But heroes don't rape people. That's a pretty short list of heroes, and that's pretty fucking sad. Maybe the saddest thing of all is LeBron is a goofy ass kid who's being used and manipulated by people who purportedly are his friends but are really hooked on to the gravy train. If and when he ever gains the self awareness to realize what he had and where it went, he'll (hopefully and understandably) be furious. Hometown guy takes title-starved town back to glory? They don't write better stories than that. LeBron threw it away, for what? To be perceived as the 2nd guy and join a Svengali figure who may or may not have a red parrot voiced by Gilbert Godfrey in his office? And THIS is the guy who was the center of a Nike ad all but portraying him as Christ? John Wayne would punch LeBron in the face and spit on him while Bron cried for his paid security to come protect him.
When someone does something so callous and truly contrary to the established values of a society that he immediately goes from widely beloved to widely loathed by the public that cares about such things, the role of the media in such a circumstance should be to call it down the middle and roast that guy on a spit. This is what would happen to any other figure in any other field that had such an epic fall from grace. See: Edwards, John, Cruise, Tom for examples. The problem is that the sports media has become so centralized in one entity, which has in turn become populated by insiders and people trying to get back into the business and thus unwilling or unable to piss off important people in the sports on which they report that the media has become unreliable and an ineffective source of information. ESPN has spent the last 15 years destroying all other sports media, to such an extent that it has no real competition as a source of sports information. This would in and of itself not be a problem, the problem is that "the mothership" has spent the last 5 or 6 years hiring players that have JUST retired, coaches that have JUST been fired, and GMs who are still looking to get back into the game. Since Sean Salisbury and Harold Reynolds were both fired, the quality of reporting on ESPN has been in a steady downward spiral. Bill Simmons is probably the most honest voice left on ESPN, and that guy thinks comparing sports figures to "Teen Wolf" is valuable and worthwhile. How worthwhile would CNN's reporting on politics be if everyone reporting was just out of congress, and wouldn't mind getting back in? How much apology, sympathy and downright jerking off would be on CNN and how little actual critical reporting?
You simply cannot staff your entire organization with nothing but insiders with limited journalistic credentials and expect your reporting to be worthwhile. That's just a fact, and it should be common sense. In addition, when your organization invests heavily in the rights to air contests featuring the individuals you're supposed to be criticizing (check out ESPN's contracts with the NBA, NFL, College FB and MLB if you don't believe me), said organization cannot be trusted to accurately report on and perform the necessary function of media for the individuals and leagues in question. The LeBron thing finally pulled back the curtain on the whole bloated, pathetic charade that is ESPN, and the wizard back there is a pisspoor journalist. The response on the ESPN family of networks and reporters could not have been more out of step with public sentiment. Add that to the fact that the Bristol, Connecticut based organization would have you believe that the sports world runs exclusively in the Boston-DC corridor and no athlete or team outside of a major market has any value, and ESPN is basically a Hearst-esque yellow journalism haven that promotes what it wants to promote and protects its investments rather than actually criticizing, reporting and questioning.
That is, and should be, unforgivable. The American public should demand more. I certainly do. I will watch actual games broadcast on ESPN, but there will be no more Sportscenter, no more PTI, no more Around the Horn, no more NFL Live, Baseball Tonight, etc. I refuse to be part of the problem. This changes today - I demand more from something I spend so much time caring about. We need to hold our athletes and our networks accountable. As the consumer, power ultimately lies with all of us. We all know that LeBron's action was what a spoiled child would do, and the way he did his hometown was what someone who keeps heads in a freezer in his basement would do, and the way ESPN handled it was equivalent to Fox News' apologies for Iraq and MSNBC's coddling of Obama. Fortunately, no one takes Fox News or MSNBC seriously (at least no one with an IQ over 90), so why would anyone take ESPN seriously? We can only hope and pray that "The Decision" sounded the death knell for asshole athletes and bloated joke networks alike. My fingers are certainly crossed. Who's tuning into the Dan Patrick show with me tomorrow? Yahoo sports it is.
See, it's not all mainstream blockbusters and CGI effects-fests over here, we've got room for the little guys too. Our next entry to the list is a quaint, funny yet sweet indie flick, focusing, like so much of indie cinema does, on the American family in its various incarnations. This movie is really small in scope, and there's something sweet and endearing about that. Is it a comedy? Is it a drama? Yes? The entire action involves 5 named characters and occurs in about 6 locations I can recall. This state of affairs puts a lot of pressure on the writers and cast, as without everyone on their A-game, this kind of movie can fall flat on it's face. Luckily for me, audiences, and this movie, this skilled cast is more than up to the challenge. I've been a John C. Reilly fan since his turn as "Happy" Jack Mulraney, the crooked constable in "Gangs of New York", I think he's really come into his own as an actor who can pull off both ass-clownery (see Talladega Nights, Walk Hard), and something a bit more serious. Marissa Tomei has come a long way since she was the widely proclaimed "worst ever" actress to win an oscar, absolutely killing it in 2008's "The Wrestler". Jonah Hill, well, I earnestly believe he's the funniest actor to come out of the whole "Judd Apatow" school of films, and I'll argue that with anyone who'd like to. Indie movie darling Catherine Keener (she's in 95% of the indie movies I've seen over the past 5 years, true story) has more than proven her ability to do drama with that touch of comedy. So what we have here is the solid base for an enjoyable little movie.
John, (John C Reilly) finds himself in an existential funk, unable to move on 7 years after divorcing his ex-wife (Catherine Keener), with whom he remains close. His ex and her new fiancee goad John into getting out of the house and meeting people, which he finally agrees to after some prodding. After going to a party, he hits it off with a seemingly perfect woman, Molly (Tomei). After a brief dating period, he and Molly become more and more serious, but something gets in the way - Molly's coddled, maladjusted 21 year old son, Cyrus. Molly and Cyrus' relationship borders on the absurd, and Jonah Hill relishes living it up as the bizarre, often ridiculous, but also tragic man-child who really is just afraid of losing his mother. A rivalry develops between Cyrus and John, with results that alternate between hilarious and tragic. There are no heroes here, no villains, just people.. all flawed in kind.
This is a movie that on the strength of its cast, rises to be more than what the sum of its parts would appear to be. Funny yet sweet, smart yet simple, it's a little piece of Americana, that, like most art, says so much more about who we are as people than any "study" or essay ever could. I thoroughly enjoyed this little flick - and I think most of you will too.
The most eagerly awaited movie (by me and most people whose opinion I would trust..) of the summer, and maybe the year is upon us, and let me be among the first to say it does not disappoint. Via some Prop Joe type scheming by one BD, several of us scored passes to an advance screening of "Inception" on Monday night. Yes, I was incredibly pumped, and was completely glued to the screen for the entire runtime. Christopher Nolan is one of the most gifted and original talents in Hollywood today, and in much the same way as James Cameron saved 2009 by bringing in a breath of cinematic fresh air and reminding so many of us why we love movies, Chris Nolan is seeking to do the same thing for 2010. This is a blockbuster for the mensa crowd, if such a thing is possible - and only the man who resurrected Batman and brought us two of the 3 or 4 best comic book movies of all time could be given this kind of budget and trust by a studio to make such an ambitious, massive and ultimately rewarding spectacle. Chris Nolan has dealt over and over with altered states of reality, what our perception of that reality can mean for the individuals affected, and unique narrative structures that are truly experiences for the audiences. In much the same way that "The Prestige" unfolds much like a magic trick, Inception unfolds like an intricate maze or puzzle, one whose interlocking parts prop it up. If you pulled one thread it would all unravel, but therein lies the beauty of it all - the intricate, layered narrative unfolds perfectly and results in a truly unique, incredible experience, possibly unlike anything I've ever seen in a theater.
This movie is basically impossible to describe - it needs to be seen to truly be understood, I can't wait to see it again so I can finally get my mind around it. But here's a start - basically, the film deals with a new kind of espionage, one in which people enter dreams in order to steal ideas from an individual's subconscious. These intruders are not welcome in an individual's subconscious, which can turn hostile if their presence is too overt. Inception is part spy movie, with the intrigue, exotic locales and backroom deals, part heist flick, with the "assembling the team" scenes and unique skills, and part sci-fi Matrix-esque exploration of consciousness. Immaculately written, constructed and shot - this is a film made by incredibly skilled and competent people. Every single shot looks incredible and very real - even if that shot is a huge skyline collapsing into the sea or Paris folding over on itself. As the characters enter peoples' dreams, it becomes difficult for them, and for the viewer, to discern between the dreams, and the eerie sense of "what is reality?" pervades the whole endeavor.
The acting is more than strong. Leo is showing why he's hands down the best actor under 40 in Hollywood, his sense of pain, anxiety and dread perfectly tinges the entire picture, Joseph Gordon-Levitt is coming into his own, Ellen Page is going to be a hell of an actress, Marion Cotillard is enchanting, Ken Watanabe is one of the more understated actors working today, Tom Hardy is strong, and Cillian Murphy is great as the "mark" - if I have one cast-related complaint, it's that we could have used more Michael Caine, but hey - the guy is a favorite of mine.
I have minor complaints, but just three of them - 1.) the film slightly drags towards the very end, 2.) not enough michael caine, 3.) sometimes the action feels needlessly over the top. Those are seriously my only complaints. Those are legitimately my only criticisms, and yes - they are extremely minor
This is not a lighthearted fun popcorn flick. This is a heady, brilliant, complex film that has a lot to say and says it in truly remarkable fashion. Everyone involved is on the top of their games here. Immaculately shot, outstanding, ground breaking writing, great acting by an outstanding, clearly motivated cast and a truly original and intelligent story - such a rare thing among big-budget hollywood flicks today. I feel like this review hasn't done it justice - but once you see it you'll understand, it is truly hard to put into words - I have two options, either type 5000 words and completely outline the plot while spoiling everything, or stay frustratingly vague like I am right now and just recommend the flick as strongly as I can. I can say without hesitation that this is absolutely the best movie of the year, is probably Nolan's best (no small order), and is quite possibly the best movie I've ever seen in the theater. I cannot (literally cannot) wait until I see it again, and am telling you, if you care about movies at all, go and see this one.
I'm tentatively giving this one a 9.2, and you'd better believe when I do the "Best of the Decade" list for '10-'20, this one will be right there. This, folks, is why I love the movies. Thanks, Chris Nolan, for giving a damn, and having the courage to make this kind of movie when it would have been easier to just jump right into Batman 3. I truly appreciate it.
1987's "Predator" is an all-time guy movie classic, one of those movies that basically spawned an entire genre and remains legendary among fans and industry types alike. The original takes place in the dense, inhospitable jungle of Costa Rica and follows an American special forces team sent to rescue some VIPs who went missing in an area overrun by rebels. In this jungle, they find a lot more than they bargained for as a deadly alien hunter who hunts men for sport is hot on their trail. The original epic spawned a sequel where the Predator took to the streets of Los Angeles, and a rather unfortunate crossover series with Fox's Alien franchise. It took 23 years for the Predator series to return to its jungle roots - a setting that is perfect for sci-fi/horror. I am a huge fan of the original, and have been excited about this one since seeing the talent behind it. This is a pretty stacked cast - Adrian Brody, Lawrence Fishburne, Topher Grace and Danny Trejo are the highlights. Robert Rodriguez EPs. Count me in.
The first hour or so of this movie is incredible. It opens up gangbusters and doesn't let up for quite some time. The tension is palpable, and it really keeps you on the edge of your seat. You're right there with the characters as they try to unravel just what the hell is going on. The film opens with Adrian Brody in free-fall, his shoot opens, but not high enough to prevent him from taking a pretty rough fall. As he struggles to find his bearings, he discovers other humans are dropping all around him. Gradually, our merry band discovers that they are all elite warriors and killers in their own right, and they have been brought to an alien world/game preserve as quarry for a group of Predators on a hunting excursion. The film quickly becomes a struggle for survival, as the Predators take apart the human survivors 1 by 1.
Is this a perfect film? By all accounts, no. However, it is a damn good time and a worthy sequel to the 1987 classic. The film ultimately fails to live up to the promise of its first hour, as by the end it devolves into rather standard fare chase-horror. That is not to say it isn't well done however. The film looks great, hard to believe it was made for only $40 million. Brody and the rest of the cast are strong (of particular note is Walton "Shane from the Shield" Goggins), and do a hell of a job selling what could potentially be a preposterous premise. I do have criticisms - one is that Brody is acting a whole hell of a lot tougher than he looks or could possibly be - another is that the characters make rather large leaps in understanding that don't seem possible given the information given to them. Granted, I understand that these are necessary to further the plot, but they seem a bit off-putting. That being said, this flick is a whole hell of a lot stronger than any Predator film since the original and well worth your time if you're a fan of the sci-fi/horror sub-genre. It's a can't miss if you're a fan of the Predator series, and one of the better flicks I've seen this summer. 7/10.
Once upon a time, Tom Cruise was the biggest movie star on the planet. Sure, he's dwarfish, he can be a spaz, he's a weirdo scientologist, and he most often resembles a bi-polar manic, but he also can be immensely charming and likable, with an undeniable screen presence. A lot of people have been calling this one Cruise's "comeback", a charge I deny, since I enjoyed "Valkyrie", but if it truly is, one will see that despite the insane scientology nonsense and the leaping about on Oprah and debating Matt Lauer over the fruitlessness of pharmacological treatment, the same charming, funny, talented Tom Cruise is still there. Action comedies, like the three little bears, come in three flavors - too much, too little, just right. If you swing and miss and it turns into just an action movie that takes itself too seriously, you've got a bomb. If you swing and miss and it turns into a silly ass comedy that doesn't do action all that well, you've got a bomb. There's a delicate balance you've got to achieve, where the action scenes have the requisite gravitas but the whole thing is still light and fun rather than stuffy and brooding. Is this movie life-changing? Absolutely not. It's not a work of art that will leave you wringing your hands and pondering life's mysteries over beverages of all sorts. However, what it does provide is good old fashioned entertainment, of an actually enjoyable sort. Where many action-ey flicks bash you over the head with spectacle, explosions and ridiculous effects (make no mistake, this flick has all of them), this one primarily relies on the strength and chemistry of its leads. Tom Cruise is funny, charming, and all too believable as a rogue CIA agent who may or may not be completely out of his gourd. (it actually may be the perfect role for him, minus the whole epic badass thing) Cam Diaz is perfect at doing her thing, good looking, surprisingly ordinary regular chick who's just a little zany - she's basically been doing just that since "There's Something About Mary". Director James Mangold (Walk the Line, 3:10 to Yuma) is one of the more consistent directors in the game today, Peter Sarsgaard and Paul "Eli Sunday" Dano are the other principals, and honestly, I just had a good time with this one.
Our hero, Mr. Cruise, one "Roy Miller" is on the run from the agency, and clearly has something that they want. Along the way, an innocent bystander, June (Diaz) gets swept up in his path of destruction. The madcap plot jumps from exotic locale to exotic locale across basically every type of transport (plane, car, boat, train) as Miller seeks to evade those seeking him, both the Agency and a power-hungry European weapons manufacturer and lead his wards to safety. I honestly was surprised at how much I laughed in this one - Cruise does possibly crazy but very capable very, very well. If the film had relied more on the leads, humor and the obvious chemistry between Cruise and Diaz than completely over the top action scenes, we may well be talking about greatness here. As it is what we have is a fun, charming little movie that is destined to be played ad nauseum on FX in 4 years time. That is in no way a bad thing. Take it for what it is, it's a fun, silly little time, and I'd rather watch Tom Cruise carry a fun, ridiculous action movie than just about anyone else. (Not counting Robert Downey Jr.)
So don't go in expecting too much, see some cool gun battles, some witty dialogue, and a couple of solid little performances, and you'll have 2 hours of solid entertainment. That's certainly more than a lot of movies can say. 6.8/10.
Ignore the use of Muse in the trailer, Cruise can't help it, he's a scientologist.
If you don't know by now, I'm a big fan of the Judd Apatow family of movies. 40 Year Old Virgin, Superbad, Knocked Up, Funny People, Pineapple Express, Forgetting Sarah Marshall, they all are pretty high on my "best comedies of the last decade" list. All of these films have something in common - the same sweet, morally central core at the heart of a infantile adventure featuring man-children of varying degrees of maturity. From the same family (in fact, a quasi-sequel to Forgetting Sarah Marshall) comes "Get Him to the Greek", a madcap little romp through 72 hours in the life of the world's last true rock star as he makes his way from London to L.A. for the 10th anniversary concert to commemorate a legendary performance. The music industry is struggling, and mogul Sergio (Sean "Puffy" Combs) is looking for something, anything, to give his struggling company a shot in the arm. What they come up with depends on securing the services of a completely insane, degenerate, junkie rocker, Aldous Snow (a ridiculously over the top Russell Brand - reprising the character who stole the show in "Forgetting Sarah Marshall"), who has fallen a long way from his peak, having released by all accounts one of the worst albums of all time and relapsed in a major way to his hard-partying past. Aaron Green (the always solid and funny Jonah Hill, who somewhat confusingly is playing a different character here than he did in Forgetting Sarah Marshall), a mid-level record company employee and major infant sorrow fan is tasked with heading to London to escort Aldous Snow from London, to NY for to the Today show, to L.A. for the concert. Aaron lives a pretty tame day-to-day existence, consisting of staying in and watching TV with his perpetually exhausted medical resident of a live-in girlfriend, Daphne (played sweetly and believably by "Mad Men"'s Elizabeth Moss). Needless to say, Aaron's world is about to get rocked by his encounter with the wild, out of control Aldous.
While there are plenty of wild partying scenes, general debauchery and gross out scenes, what really makes this movie worthwhile is the characterization of Aaron and Aldous. These two opposites really grow and learn from one another, and strike up a more than believable friendship. Like all of the Apatow family of films, at the heart of this flick lies a somewhat old-fashioned and innocent message. Aldous is charming, smart and undeniably talented in addition to being a wildly out of control addict. What could have been one-note performances from Hill and Brand are instead nuanced and surprisingly touching, as you can't help but care about these people and feel the pain that lies underneath a lot of what they do.
Oh yeah - Russell Brand is actually a talented musician, and Infant Sorrow cracks me up. This is one of the better comedies I've seen in recent years, and I laughed out loud a lot. Well worth the price of admission.
Rise and Rise Again, Until Lambs become Lions So I know, I know, for my supposed #3 most anticipated summer film of 2010, it took me a while to see this one. In my defense, I was out of town on weekend #1, busy last week and decided to see Iron Man 2 again on weekend #2, so I just got around to it, ok? That being said, here we are, Robin Hood.. one of the truly legendary characters in the Anglo-American tradition and a character that has appeared time and time again in film, books and popular media. This is not your grandma's Robin Hood, the swaggering prankster prancing about in green tights and shooting at people with arrows but never actually killing anyone, instead using the arrows to perform tricks and spark laughter among the townspeople. This is a badass epic Robin Hood who performs epic feats, leads armies and racks up ridiculous kill numbers while serving as an inspiration to his followers and the population of Nottingham. Count me in. There's some serious talent involved in this one: Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, Blade Runner, Kingdom of Heaven, American Gangster, Black Hawk Down) has some of the most legit action/epic credentials in Hollywood, and has had several successful collaborations with star Russell Crowe, who after years of running from being type-cast at what he's best at, returns to his epic badass roots. No one makes cleaving someone's skull as believable and awesome as our boy Russ, that drunken bastard of an Australian. Cate Blanchette comes in as a Maid Marian for our own time - she's no damsel in distress, and our brave Robin Longstride needs her just as much and more than she needs him. So we've got legit directing and acting chops from the leads - how many huge summer pictures feature two stars with Best Actor/Actress Oscars? The Supporting cast more than holds their own as well, featuring William Hurt as a leading English noble, Max von Sydow as Sir Walter Loxley and Mark Strong as the treacherous Godfrey, who secretly serves the French king.
This is a Robin Hood origin story - Robin Hood's Batman Begins, so to speak. Don't come here expecting pranks, prancing, and noble robbery (at least too much of it). Come here expecting a complicated and layered quasi-historical tale that seeks to explain how a legendary figure first achieved his legendary status during one of the darkest and most convoluted times in English history.
The story opens with King Richard the Lionheart sacking his way through France on his way back to England after being gone on Crusade for 10 years. His brother, the weak, womanizing and cowardly Prince John, has fallen under French influence and knows little of what truly makes a King. While the French plot on the English crown, the Lion falls victim to a stray arrow. Robin Longstride, accompanied by his loyal companions Will Scarlett, Alan A'Dayle and Little John, common soldiers in Richard's army, concoct a plan to return to England. A fateful decision to return a fallen Knight's family sword shapes all of their fates. While England is bankrupted as a result of Richard's endless warmaking, John decides a tax must be levied on his citizens, while France seeks to capitalize on England's weakness. Robin shows his mettle as a leader, saving his town, speaking in favor of liberty and leading the charge against the French. Robin Hood's status is expanded greatly here.. he becomes a figure of English national importance, not merely a minor annoyance to the King's taxmen.
This film is immensely rewarding. It's fun, action-packed, relatively true to history, epic, and features a plot geared towards people capable of following a complex series of characters and events, rather than being spoon-fed like so many big features. Some of the battle sequences are ridiculously epicAs a fan of Scott and Crowe's, I loved this movie - it's like a less epic gladiator, and it's like no Robin Hood movie you've ever seen. Is it an action flick? Is it an epic? Is it a history of the origins of the Magna Carta? Yes. 8/10
One of the summer's biggest movies is upon us, and boy does it do exactly what it intends to do.. perfectly. As a self-professed Marvel nerd, I can say that this movie does exactly what it needs to do, and does it splendidly. It follows up to the hugely successful first installment of the Iron Man franchise while simultaneously expanding the growing Marvel Universe. (Thor comes out May 2011, followed by Captain America in July 2011 and the Avengers and Iron Man 3 in 2012) The goal of Marvel movie studios is to have these films work together to create a comprehensive universe where events impact across the board and characters interact and are aware of one another. This is an ambitious undertaking, and nothing quite like it has ever been done before. The undertaking is in capable hands. Robert Downey, Jr. is immaculate as Tony Stark, Marvel's resident genius, billionaire playboy and titular armored hero. Gwyneth Paltrow returns as Tony's assistant turned CEO of Stark Industries and sometimes love interest Pepper Potts. Mickey Rourke steps onto the scene as Ivan Vanko, the son of a disgraced Russian physicist and genius in his own right, who bears a serious grudge against our hero. Sam Rockwell is an arms manufacturing rival of Stark's, Justin Hammer, who will do anything to get the upper hand on Stark and get the desired Pentagon contract. Scarlett Johansson is added as a sexy new Stark employee who may have more going on than meets the eye... and Don Cheadle replaces Terrance Howard as Stark's loyal military liaison and friend, James "Rhodey" Rhodes. Director Jon Favreau plays Stark's loyal right-hand man, Hap "Happy" Hogan. Downey Jr. brings an irreverent sense of playful fun to the whole enterprise, and the rest of the cast just feeds off of him. Favreau smartly lets his star-studded cast have fun with material that could otherwise be stuffy or ridiculous. This film picks up where the last one left off - with the world (and Stark most of all) dealing with the ramifications of the events of the last film - with Tony Stark having made a quantum leap in technology, leaving the rest of the world scrambling to catch up. Everyone wants a piece of the Iron Man technology, from the U.S. government (primarily Senator Stern - portrayed by a very puffy Gary Shandling), to foreign nations, to his competitors. Iron Man has publicly stamped out conflict across the globe, and is serving as self-appointed protector of U.S. security and global peace, Stark is cheered everywhere he goes, and Iron Man draws adoring throngs of fans. Meanwhile, trouble awaits, as the technology he believes is 5-10 years away for anyone else to develop, the miniature "arc-reactor" that serves as the power source for the Iron Man suit, is developed independently by Vanko, and the reactor which keeps him alive is also poisoning him, a fact that is exacerbated by Stark's continued use of the Iron Man suit. While Stark's position spirals out of control due to causes both external and internal, causing those close to him to question Stark's sanity - Nick Fury and S.H.I.E.L.D. pop onto the scene with some much-needed guidance. Oh, and Jim Rhodes dons the armor and becomes War Machine - who is really awesome.
This is the perfect sequel - it does everything the original did, while expanding the story, enriching the characters and making everything just a little bigger and grander. The same sense of fun is there - and it really rewards extensive knowledge of the Marvel Universe - there is a sexy little Easter Egg post-credits that any Marvel fan won't want to miss. This is a slick little sequel - it's fast paced, fun, great to look at, well-acted and smart - and features some amazing action sequences. The re-watchability on this one is through the roof - just like the first one. Downey Jr. has created an incredibly charming and lovable Tony Stark - he needs to be the star of his own Entourage-type series. If there are any problems, it's merely that the film is too short and not everything is fully explained and expanded upon. The plot is lifted straight from the comics - and our characters grow along the way. What more could we ask for? This film is a lot of fun from start-to-finish, and is really what a comic-book movie should strive to be - there were three separate rounds of applause from Friday's sold-out crowd, and there's something to be said for that.
8.2/10 - if you liked the first one, this is an absolute must see. If you never saw the first one, go rent it, then see this one.
So I know I've been bad about posting lately... this whole blogging business will get away from you if you aren't careful. But I've got a post here that's right in my wheelhouse, so let's get back on top. I'm talking, of course, about my Summer Movie Preview. Now this is MY summer movie preview, so don't come here to hear about Shrek 4, Toy Story 3, Sex in the City 2, Twilight, or shit like that. I'm here to talk about movies I'M interested in seeing, so get on board with that, or check out MTV or Nickelodeon for your movie news.. with that brief disclaimer, let's get down to it, shall we?
Now I know a top 10 is more fun for everyone involved, but unfortunately, I couldn't decide between numbers 10 and 11, so therefore, we've got a bonus top 11 - how fun!
11. Jonah Hex Jonah Hex is a western-set rather obscure DC comic, and any excitement I have towards this one is all about the cast. Josh Brolin as the lead - a scarred badass bounty hunter full of smartass things to say? Count me in. Oh, and John Malkovich is the bad guy? I'm willing to give it a whirl. I'm a bit (well, maybe more than a bit..) concerned over the supposed re-writes and re-shoots that took place during and post-production, but I'm definitely still excited to see the trailer. Consider me a Josh Brolin fan, and I'll officially see anything he does. I heard something about the female romantic lead - what's her name? Megan something? Apparently she's quite attractive and all the rage with the kids nowadays. Jonah Hex comes out June 18. The trailer comes out April 29, I'll let you know more then - as of right now, it's too early to tell.
10. The A-Team
Now ordinarily, a cheeseball 80's remix like this would have me rolling my eyes in sarcastic "who-gives-a-shit"-ness. (Seriously, ask me how many times I saw G.I. Joe... the answer rhymes with "nero") But then they got Liam Neeson on board and cast my boy Bradley Cooper. Now I'm paying attention. I'm always game for a fun action movie... (if it's well made and well-acted), and the trailer looks kind of fun - it looks like they've got the right tone going on. I'm not going to say I'm seeing it opening night - but as long as it scores at least a 30% on Rotten Tomatoes, I'm seeing it. Oh, and if you ask me, the Rampage Jackson as B.A. casting was inspired. The A-Team opens June 11.
9. The Expendables
Stallone. Statham. Li. Rourke. Lundgren. Steve Austin. Randy Couture. Bruce Willis. The Governator. What more do you need to know? They don't really make old school fun action movies anymore, and consider me "cautiously enthusiastic" for this one. Check out that trailer.. how will it not be a blast? Rambo IV was secretly awesome, and the fact that this movie appears to have been conceived by Mac from Always Sunny is one more thing in its favor. I guarantee this one will make you feel like a man, and it will probably be a fun late night DVD watch for years to come. Is it going to be Oscar-worthy? Of course not.. but it can (and probably will) certainly be fun, and the $10 at the movie theater is cheaper than any other similar 2 hours you're going to have. So count me in. The Expendables will be released August 13.
8. Splice
Count me as an enthusiastic supporter of sci-fi in all of its various incarnations. This is a good old fashioned ethics discussion in the guise of a monster movie. A pair of genetic scientists experimenting with gene slicing decide to add human DNA to the mix - with predictably awful results. I keep hearing good things about this one, and am really looking forward to it. I think the trailer really says it all. Splice is due to be released on June 4.
7. The Other Guys
Will Ferrell's star has been fading as of late, and he's in desperate need of a hit. Count me among those hoping that this is it - and re-uniting with the director of Anchorman and a perfect cast like this could be just what the doctor ordered. That trailer made me LOL a couple of times, and the only reason I'm ranking this one this far down the list is just to temper expectations. Wahlberg has shown comedic chops from time to time, and Sam L. and the Rock are PERFECT as the badass super cops they appear to have been cast as here. I expect that this one will be a good time. Come on Will, we're rooting for you. The Other Guys opens August 6.
6. Knight and Day
Tom Cruise was once the biggest movie star on the planet - and this could be the movie that finally reminds people of why that is. He can be incredibly charming and funny when he wants to be. Cameron Diaz is one of the more likable female leads out there - throw in James Mangold, the director of 3:10 to Yuma and Walk the Line, and Peter Sarsgaard, and count me in. Despite the unfortunate use of Muse in the trailer, there's a solid chance this one will be a rip-roaring good time. This appears to be an old school 90's style tongue-in-cheek action flick - a genre that's particularly near and dear to my heart. I'm officially rooting for Tom Cruise, oddball dwarf that he is. Knight and Day is released June 25.
5. Predators
The first Predator film, for all the failings of its various sequels and incarnations/crossovers, was a badass action/horror classic. This film appears to be returning to those roots, and I am extremely excited about that. A group of humans, all deadly killers in their own right, are dropped on a planet that serves as a game preserve for Predators, and hunted. The return to the jungle needed to happen, as the Predator was much more effective in the jungle than he ever was in urban environments. The cast, while unorthodox, has promise, and talent in spades, between Adrian Brody, Lawrence Fishbourne, Danny Trejo and others - if you ask me, it's a better idea to go in a different direction with the cast than try to match the original's musclebound collection of badasses. Predators opens July 9.
4. Get Him to the Greek
A few years back, Forgetting Sarah Marshall was a surprise for me, and in my book, ranks right up there with the best of the Apatow family of films. Now, the director reunites with Russell Brand and Jonah Hill, who reprise their roles from Sarah Marshall, to make what I hope will be the best comedy of the summer. Jonah Hill has 72 hours to get wild man Russell Brand from London to LA. Hijinks ensue.. count me in. Get Him to the Greek opens June 4.
3. Robin Hood
Robin Hood gets a much-needed update and revision, considering his last bigscreen treatment was the nonsensical "Prince of Thieves", in which Kevin Costner decided it was necessary to pretend that Robin Hood was from Missouri. Ridley Scott and Russell Crowe, also known as the powers that brought you "Gladiator", have reunited to bring a legendary figure to life, with a little updating and revision along the way. This is not the prankster thief of legend.. this is a full on rebel leader. Epic battles, grandiose spectacle and unbridled heroism will ensue. Count me in. Russ Crowe finally realized that he's best as a badass. Cate Blanchette as maid Marion? Awesome. The extremely underrated Marc Strong (Archie from "Rock N Rolla") as the sheriff? Awesome. In many summers, this one would be #1 on the list, but a couple of arrivals at the top make this not your average summer. Robin Hood opens May 14, and I'll be there May 14.
2. Iron Man 2
The first Iron Man was one of the all-time movie surprises. A relatively minor figure in Marvel's pantheon of heroes becomes one of the biggest films of all time. This is truly a testament to the talent involved. Favreau is more than competent behind the camera, Downey is truly immaculate as Tony Stark (I remember saying when I found out he was cast initially that he was truly perfect for the part), and the supporting players are all great. This remains the case even after Terrence Howard is replaced by Don Cheadle, as IM2 adds Mickey Rourke as the Russian whiplash, Scarlett Johannson as Black Widow, and Sam Rockwell as a rival arms manufacturer who wishes to hijack the Iron Man technology. (In case you're wondering, people trying to steal the Iron Man technology consists of about 92% of all Iron Man stories) Oh, how could I forget - War Machine (one of the biggest badasses in all of Marvel) makes his initial appearance as Rhodey dons the armor to help out his pal. I'll be there opening night, maybe even at midnight. Iron Man 2 opens May 7. Get there early, there's talk that this one might break TDK's opening weekend haul.
1. Inception
Chris Nolan is one of the few filmmakers about whom I can honestly say I'll see anything they make, no matter what. That, and the fact that he's teamed with my boy Leo for this one, make this the unquestioned number 1 of Summer 2010, despite the fact that I know very, very little about this secretive film. I do know that Leo's character is a new generation of Corporate spy in the near future who uses technology to go into people's minds in an effort to steal the contents of their minds. Other than that - I know nothing, except that this film will be stellar narratively, look amazing, and offer a whole hell of a lot more than your average summer blockbuster. Inception opens July 16, and I'll see you there.
I set a personal record for myself this week, I saw "True Grit" on Thursday, "The Fighter" on Friday and this one on Sunday. As another aside, maybe I'm not the best person to be seeing and reviewing this one, I've only seen the original once, and only kind of remember it - but hey, here goes nothing. The original "Tron" is a sci-fi classic that has achieved "cult" status in the 28(!) years since its release. Indeed, the original was the first film to use CGI in a feature film. Given the state of film today, that becomes quite the milestone. A rough outline of the original goes as follows - brilliant computer programmer and video game designer named Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges) who's had his designs stolen by a rival discovers a way to transfer himself into a digital world and directly confront the programs and games in highly stylized "battles" that replicate the games designed by Flynn. The story doesn't make a lot of sense in a realistic type of way, but it's original and had a visionary approach to the future that has turned out to be increasingly accurate (in terms of the involvement of computers and games in our lives). So the original is remarkable for the visuals, which were entirely groundbreaking at the time. 
