2013: The Year in Film: "This Is The End" Review.

You may have (and probably should just go ahead and do it if you haven't) forgotten about all of the hoopla surrounding the supposed "apocalypse" that was all over the internet last year. Well, it spawned a pair of comedies from some of the funniest people in Hollywood - "This Is The End" from the people who brought you Superbad and "The World's End" from the people who brought you Shawn of the Dead. This one had the benefit of coming out first and featuring a large number of extremely funny and well-known comedic actors from the Judd Apatow orbit. Featuring actors playing ridiculous versions of themselves, this flick focuses on a funny group of friends as they deal with a world-ending calamity.

Old friends Seth Rogen and Jay Baruchel (most recognizable for me from "Tropic Thunder" though he also played Danger in "Million Dollar Baby") have a pot and video game filled reunion weekend in LA planned. Jay, who doesn't like LA, begrudgingly agrees to accompany Seth to a celebrity-filled party at James Franco's house. (Among the celebs in attendance: Jonah Hill, Franco, Craig Robinson, Emma Watson, Michael Cera, Rihanna, and more) After what appears to be an earthquake hits LA, a small group boards themselves up in Franco's mansion to await what they think will be inevitable rescue. They soon discover that the calamity that has befallen LA may be much more than a simple earthquake and seek to survive and keep their sanity among the madness.

The Good: this flick at once features some very funny people who clearly get along quite well sharing whip smart barbs over preposterous and often terrifying situations. There is enough reality in their performances and interactions to really give the film a fun and intimate feel. Don't get me wrong, it never really feels like a documentary, but there's enough of a personal vibe that you really get a glimpse at what hanging out with this group might be like. Much of the film is obviously improvised, and the cast has hilarious interactions with one another based on real or fictionalized relationships. The cast is put through some preposterous and occasionally gruesome situations, but the script and cast is quick-witted and smart enough to find the humor in just about every situation. I found Jonah Hill, James Franco and the entire early party scene to be especially funny, and this group of people has a way to write real-feeling dialogue that you just don't find all that often. [See: Superbad] In addition, some of the more horror-y elements, while always remaining funny on some level, can result in some legitimate low-level scares. This apocalypse feels legitimate, and it's never completely laughed off.



The Bad: it drags a bit in the middle section, and doesn't become clear where exactly the film is going immediately leading up to the sprint to the close. If anything, the film could have benefited from pushing the actual event back a little and letting the party scene breathe more. Many of the film's funniest scenes happen in quick succession by using the available star power, and a movie could have been made from the party alone. In addition, there's a rather abrupt turn from one character in particular that feels unearned. Minutes prior the whole group was hanging out as friends and shortly thereafter one is trying to murder the others? It doesn't feel legitimate and feels a lot more like a device to push the plot along.

In all, this is an extremely enjoyable movie with a lot of solid laughs. There are hilarious sight gags and characterizations that take the interactions between these well-known and well liked actors to ridiculous places. Well worth seeing in the theater for the laughs alone. Ultimately, this one isn't as funny as Superbad (though very few comedies are) but it definitely works on a Pineapple Express (which is heavily referenced throughout) level. A solid time at the movies.

7.5/10

2013: The Year In Film: "Spring Breakers" Review

So I saw this flick 2 weeks ago, but hey, life gets in the way sometimes. Tragically, I sit down to write this "review" (such that it is..) on the same day that Roger Ebert, movie critic and blogger extraordinaire, was taken from us all too soon at age 70 by the same cancer that long ago robbed us of his voice and television presence. Growing up in a tiny town where "good" movies consisted of whatever blockbuster was at the multiplex, Siskel and Ebert on network TV was one of my early forays into film as an art form. This was pre-internet, as hard as that may be to fathom, pre-IMDB, pre-Rotten Tomatoes, pre-every idiot blogger with a keyboard waxing poetic on why they don't like so-and-so or so-and-so.  As I became a movie-obsessed adult with at least somewhat ok taste, I discovered that Ebert had completely re-made himself into an internet titan.

Ebert was always a voice of wit, of sanity, of progressive politics and clever and always entertaining commentary on society in general but film specifically. After the disease that would ultimately take his life robbed him of his voice and his lower jaw, he doubled down on his online presence, becoming a prolific blogger and social commentator while also managing to be a top 5 Twitter follow. Ebert, more than any other single individual, influenced my decision to blog on movies. Despite the fact that he was deeply knowledgeable and possessed an insider's knowledge of the industry, his reviews were never possessed with the sort of puffy pseudo intellectualism that makes so much of our postmodern cultural criticism utterly inaccessible to lay people. (That's a discussion for another day) Through it all, Ebert managed to almost always straddle the line between fan and critic, and though I didn't always agree with his personal tastes and prejudices (in particular, he often was unable to look past his liberal politics in his later years) I respected the hell out of his everyman approach to writing. In this way, he pre-empted the blogging movement by decades. History will be kind to Roger Ebert, and me personally, I tip a nod of my cap to you, sir. May you rest in peace in whatever peace you believe in.  

Harmony Korine is one of the stranger characters working in American film today.. after rising to infamy as the writer of "Kids" he went on to write and direct "Gummo" and has continued to put out artistically adventurous and challenging films ever since. "Spring Breakers" represents a deviation from his career thus far, a mainstream Hollywood picture with a wide release and starring known actors. Interestingly, Korine brings in James Franco and former childhood/Disney stars Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez and Ashley Benson to star in this bizarre, manic Spring Break party cautionary tale.

Four friends (Faith, Cotty, Brit and Candy) at an unnamed university somewhere in the American south find themselves caught up in the kind of malaise that often afflicts young people of privilege. They simply MUST go on Spring Break, but, being broke college kids, they can't come up with the money to fund a decadent week on the beach.. enter armed robbery. The party comes to a screeching halt when the cops bust a party, and the gals find themselves in troubling, criminal circumstances.



 This is, in short, one of the strangest flicks I've ever seen. The strange mix of high production value, A-List cast, artful shots and gritty, bizarro art-house plotting and pacing makes for an odd theater viewing experience. Korine, of course, is aware of this and intercuts stylized visuals with nonsensical (and often hilarious) dialogue or preposterous action. What this film is trying to accomplish is anyone's guess. It's clearly a chance for James Franco to ham it up as a ridiculous white rapper character and for child stars to make their hard-R debut. but I like to think it's a parable of sorts. Using over the top events to dramatize the possible negative effects of debauchery and lampooning the role of violence in American culture. (But it's quite possible that I'm giving everyone involved too much credit) It's bizarre, it's great to look at (certain scenes have an almost Michael Mann feel to them), it's often hilarious, but it's also a total mess.

 Ultimately, this isn't something I'd call "good", in the least. It's strange, and worth watching, but it's so over the top and silly that in the end it feels hollow. (There are increasingly hilarious sound cuts of gunshots and James Franco creepily whispering "Spring Break" that successfully cross the line from nonsensical to high comedy) Weak characterization abounds, although Franco turns in a yeoman's effort, and Gucci Mane should be ashamed of himself for phoning his villain in. Often hilarious, often dumb, but I still couldn't look away. If you're in the mood for something strange, give it a go. Franco's take on a south Florida rapper alone makes it worth checking out.

6/10.

2011: The Year in Film: "Rise of the Planet of the Apes" Review.

I'm not going to lie, until the reviews came back, I had absolutely zero interest in this one. I'm a big fan of the original Planet of the Apes (no, not the Marky Mark/Tim Burton version), and felt like the concept here may be betraying the spirit and message of the original. The mythology and concept behind the original Planet of the Apes and its decreasingly effective sequels is one of the cooler and high-minded concepts in classic sci-fi. The cold-war era antiwar message is poignant and extremely effective. So here we are with a reboot of the franchise and retooling of the origin tale., let's check it out, shall we? I was openly scoffing at the trailers for this one... up until the reviews came back. So after I read a couple of those reviews, I was interested enough to check this one out in the theaters on opening night, and I'm glad I did.

It's the near future (the exact date is never specified, but America is headed to Mars, so it's obviously not today), and scientist James Franco is nearing a breakthrough on his Alzheimer's cure. Chimpanzee test subjects are responding favorably to the treatment, one in particular. This chimpanzee gives birth, and Franco smuggles the infant home and raises him there. Over time, it becomes clear that the Alzheimer's drug has enhanced Caesar's (as he named the infant) intelligence, which is far above normal both for chimps and for humans of comparable age. A fateful incident leads to Caesar being taken by animal control, and he's sent to a great ape sanctuary. There, after being mistreated, he blossoms into a revolutionary leader and leads an uprising.

English director Rupert Wyatt was given the task of helming his first major Hollywood picture, and Planet of the Apes reboot, with James Franco, Jon Lithgow, Brian Cox and the absolutely gorgeous Freida Pinto filling out the leads. The man who may be the world's first CGI star, Andy Serkis (of Gollum and King Kong fame), was given the Herculean task of playing the all-CGI Caesar. The human leads are adequate, but the film really sings once Caesar becomes the focus. It's strange that someone/something that doesn't even exist can be so compelling and interesting a character. Caesar is charismatic, charming, funny, thoughtful, tragic, sad and above-all, good. We see through a character who hardly speaks the rise of the George Washington of apes.. and it's completely awesome to see. Serkis yet again knocks it out of the park.



My complaints are, simply, that the human parts of the film simply don't measure up to the ape-centric parts. Pinto, who plays a Primatologist, isn't given much to do, and doesn't add much to the flick other than window dressing. Lithgow, who plays Franco's Alzheimer's-afflicted father is solid, but simply isn't given enough to do. Franco's scientist, desperately seeking a cure for the disease that has ravaged his father, is by far the strongest human character, and really the only character who's given anything other than a stock personality.

Conversely, basically everything that centers on Caesar and the apes is great. There are several "characters" among the apes that are compelling, and that just speaks to the strength of the script. The film's second and third acts are extremely strong. The scenes dealing with the rise in Caesar as a leader and subsequent uprising are heart-wrenching and simply great. The script is outstanding, the directing is strong, the acting is more than adequate, and the effects are amazing. Caesar is expressive and more convincing than all but a handful of real-life human actors. His struggle and journey is heart-wrenching. My concerns over the plausibility of the story are more than handled by the script... I'll spare you major spoilage. Just be comfortable in the knowledge that they've successfully updated the mythology of the franchise from cold war era nuclear to something more modern and more in-line with present day realities. I am completely content with the updated treatment.

I would rank this as just behind Captain America and Super 8 as best "blockbuster" movies of the summer. This flick will be a giant hit, and deserves it. Rare is the film that is as rewarding to the viewer.. this is a true achievement. The crowd cheered several times during the flick.. that doesn't happen all that often. It's thoughtful, emotionally powerful and features a truly great character who manages to be completely compelling while speaking a grand total of 5 words.

8.2/10.. do yourself a favor and see this incredibly watchable flick in the theaters.

2011: The Year in Film: Your Highness Review

Your Highness

Man, I suck at reviewing movies on time almost as much as I suck at having a blog. I'm really bad at blogging nowadays. I'm like the Michigan football of blogging, and I feel awful about that. To be honest, I'm shocked anyone still reads this thing. I'm so goddamn lazy there are like 11 half-written posts that are just languishing there because I don't have enough self-discipline to finish. There's an approx. 5000 word LOST post that's been sitting there for more than a year now and is about 70% done but I can't get in the right frame of mind to wrap it up. Now I'm so awful at blogging that I can't even put up 3 paragraph movie reviews until more than a week after I've seen the damn movie. So, in summation of this opening whine-fest on my part, I apologize if you actually enjoy reading these reviews... because I am the absolute worst at putting them up. I saw "Your Highness" last Friday (opening night), and just never got around to typing up this thing.. basically defeating the purpose of blogging movie reviews altogether by waiting more than a week to put it up. But oh well, here goes nothing..

So "Your Highness" is a flick that I've been pumped to see since I first discovered it was being made. Danny McBride, James Franco, the creative forces behind Pineapple Express & Eastbound & Down, and two of the biggest crushes of my relative youth, Natalie Portman and the lovely Zooey Deschenal.. I mean, what's not to like, right? When the preview for this one hit, I was fond of saying that it felt like this movie was specifically written for me. Alas, my high comedic expectations began to be tempered when the reviews hit... almost all of which were emphatically negative. But I still had enough excitement to head out opening night, an honor reserved for only those most anticipated of flicks. Would Danny McBride deliver again? Or would this swords & sorcery clownfest fall short?

Let me preface this review by saying I LOVE Danny McBride. Whether he's Kenny Powers or an FX guy in "Tropic Thunder" or a drug dealer in Pineapple Express, he makes me laugh my ass off.. so bear that in mind. This movie is completely clown. Completely, utterly clown. I feel like its intended audiences are 13-16 year old boys and 19-30 year old stoners.. and yes, these two groups share basically the exact same sense of humor. The number one thing this movie is is dumb. It is often painfully, excruciatingly dumb, but at the same time, there are laughs to be had, and quite a few of them.

The plot is rather nonsensical but basically goes as follows.. in a magical kingdom, there are two princes, one, Fabious (Franco), is brave and bold and strong, who goes on many quests, bringing glory to the kingdom. His younger brother Thadeus spends his days wenching and drinking and generally having a roaring good time, being a general fuck-up. When Fabious' bride (Zooey Deschanel) is stolen away by an evil wizard (Justin Theroux) who would use her to complete a prophecy to bring darkness to the earth, King Tallious orders Thaddeus to accompany his brother on the quest to rescue Belladonna and defeat the evil wizard's plot. Along the way there are betrayals, challenges, creatures, battles and dangers aplenty.. the travelers also meet a fellow quest-er in the person of Isabel, a lovely and deadly warrior in her own right. Along the way, Thaddeus comes into his own and proves his worth. But let's be honest here, no one's seeing "Your Highness" for the plot, centered around a prophecy known as "the fuckening".

This is a flick that feels disjointed and rather thrown together. At times it is completely, utterly silly, at other times it expects the audience to take the actions on screen somewhat seriously. Much like Pineapple Express, it tries to have its cake and eat it too.. to have very sincere and violent action scenes accompanying outrageous comedic scenes. That is a mix that in my experience is very, very hard to pull off.

The leads are all solid and seem to be enjoying themselves. If you like Danny McBride and what he brings to the table you'll laugh a lot at this one. Franco is very good as the straight man to McBride's outrageous debauchery. Miss Deschenal is clearly enjoying her silly ass character and I have a theory about Natalie Portman's 2010. I think she knew she was going to get knocked up (didn't really care who..) so she took every pay check she could get in an effort to make a bunch of cash to pay for a few years of maternity leave. I mean Black Swan, that Ashton Kutcher friends w/ benefits movie, Your Highness, Thor.. there is literally nothing linking these flicks except for the paycheck. But Portman is very sincere and her character grows on you. The supporting characters are sufficiently outrageous and bring their share of laughs. I especially enjoyed a silly ass mechanical bird who just kind of hangs around with his own certain charm.




Ultimately though, this movie can't tell what it wants to be. There is very hard R violence alongside silly ass comedy. Much like Pineapple Express, that leaves the flick lacking an identity. A lot of the humor comes from modern terminology while mixed with medieval phrases and english accents (Magic... motherfucker). So while I laughed a whole hell of a lot, I can't say I loved or even really liked this one. I can conclusively say, however, that if you laugh at Danny McBride, you'll laugh at least 20 times.. which is rather a lot.

6/10

2010: The Year in Film: "127 Hours" Review

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.

Make no mistake kids, this is must-see.

8.5/10.