Cage Rage

Nicolas Cage is a goddamn hero. The man has made so many good movies. Wild at Heart, Leaving Las Vegas, Raising Arizona, Con Air, The Rock, Face/Off, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, just to name a few. But in the past few years, he has become a bit of a laughing stock. The internet certainly hasn't helped (or has it?), nor have direct to video offerings like Stolen, The Frozen Ground, or Seeking Justice.

But then I saw Joe, David Gordon Green's drama about a guy named Joe that hates cops, people who shoot him, and homeless dads that beat their hard working sons. The film itself is fantastic, but the fucking incredible performance by Cage is what sends this already great film over the top. His character is one filled with regret, constantly having to keep his rage at bay. Even with small bursts of violence, Cage is actually quite nuanced in the film, filled with bits of odd humor and great humility that only someone like Cage can deliver.

I've met numerous people in the past few years who've never known Cage to be anything other than a joke. Granted, these people are children compared to my old age, but they've only known him as the man who saved the Declaration of Independence, or this. Or, as I mentioned earlier, as the star of numerous recent films that look and feel as if they were made 15 years ago. So I can't blame them, really. And to be fair, I also enjoy watching Cage in a film called Rage as much as the next guy. Shit, The Wicker Man is one of the all time great "How does this exist?" films, top to bottom.

But when Cage goes and delivers one of his best performances and reminds people that he really is the shit, I expect people to take notice. Yet Joe came and went. Honestly, I get it. It's a small independently made film, and was never going to get a huge release. And Green, when not working with the likes of Seth Rogen or Danny McBride, tends to make realistic and unsettling films that rarely reach mainstream audiences. But damnit, the film was great, and was even met with high praise (!) from the film community.


So what the fuck? Even with all the shit that has made up his career the last 15 years or so, Cage seems to come back every few years with a genuinely great performance. For every Windtalkers, there's an Adaptation. Bangkok Dangerous sucks, you say? How about Matchstick Men? "But Jordan, Captain Corelli's Mandolin was terrible!" "Fuck you, Lord of War is great!" Ok fine, those are all at least 10 years old. Well, he was amazing and hilarious in Kick-Ass, and his reprisal of Ghost Rider in Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance was the kind of lunacy that us true Cage fans know and love.

Why then is this beloved icon sitting in Hollywood's shitter? And before you say " Well he did it to himself, not paying taxes blah blah blah." Fuck that. Hollywood loves a comeback, and Cage's performance in Joe is just that, even though he never actually stopped being great.

Look, I guess all I'm saying is, please don't forget about the Cage. Don't forget how good he can be. How funny he can be. How fucking insane he can be. The man is a legend, and he deserves to be treated as such.

John Wick

Well guys, I love this movie. I love it so much. Even with a fair amount of hype and expectations, John Wick turned out to be every bit as enjoyable and exciting as I wanted it to be thanks to some great casting, confident world building, and amazingly staged action.

As a whole, John Wick is a pretty simple movie with a straightforward revenge plot. Wick, once a very successful hit man, is grieving the loss of his wife when he finds out she arranged for a puppy to be delivered on the night of her funeral so that he can still have something to love. Not two days later though, the scummy son of the local crime lord, who has no idea who Wick is mind you, sneaks into Wick's home, beats him to hell, steals his car and then goes and kills his god damned dog. 

Mother fucker.

 Shit gets real from there, with Wick going on quite the rampage shooting as many people in the face as possible. 

Again, this is all pretty straightforward, and some could even argue standard, for an action movie (if shooting people in the face isn't standard for an action movie by now, it certainly should be). But directors David Leitch, Chad Stahelski and writer Derek Kolstad have fun playing with the little details of the movie. 

As Wick walks back into his old life, we are given little bits of information here and there as to how this particular world of hit men works, but for the most part it's presented as is. A "take it or leave it" kind of attitude, and I love it. 

For example, as Wick digs up his old stash of weapons, included are numerous gold coins. Wick uses them to get into "The Continental", the local hotel that caters specifically to hit men. It's clear that these coins aren't just used for currency, but more of a symbol or gesture, for what exactly we're never told. The movie is filled with little nuggets like this, a history only hinted at if you will, and it makes for a lot of fun. 

The cast of this movie is also quite ridiculous. John Leguizamo and Ian McShane pop up for maybe 2 minutes each, but their respective scenes are made that much better simply because it's John Leguizamo and Ian McShane. In fact, the more I think about Leguizamo's scene the more I love it. He shows up early, right after Wick has been robbed. He runs some kind of car stealing racket, and that scum of a son shows up on his door step with Wick's car. Instantly he can tell just how bad shit is going to get, and Leguizamo sells it perfectly. 

Then you have Willem Dafoe being awesome as Willem Dafoe does. Lance Reddick and Clarke Peters ( Lt. Daniels and Det. Lester Freamon, you know, from THE WIRE) pop up briefly and it's amazing just because. Alfie Allen, of Game of Thrones fame, stars as the scummy son and he plays scummy really well. From the first moment you see him you kind of just want to see him be shot in the face. SPOILER- you get to see him shot in the face. 

I'm gonna take a moment now and brag about Adrienne Palicki. Personally, I know and love her from the Friday Night Lights television show. She was great in it (despite a horrible 2nd season plotline) but outside of that she hasn't really had the best of luck. In John Wick though, she makes the most of her bit part, including a show stopping fight between her and our titular hero. It shows just how great of a screen presence she can be, as well as how great of an action performer she is. 

This is the directing debut for Leitch and Stahelski, but if you look at their IMDB pages here and here, it will come as no surprise that the action on display in John Wick is as good as it is.  Easy to follow and filled with many, many gunshots to the face. Even in the darkest of settings, the rookie directors make sure you can tell exactly what is happening, not to mention the fact that the action itself is damn exciting. 

And of course, this brings us to Keanu. I've always loved Keanu, and always will. I honestly don't think he receives enough credit. Sure, he's not the most versatile, but paired with the right director, the right script, he can be quite effective. As he's aged ( has he?) he seems to have a self awareness now, and he's been making choices that really play to his strengths, and the action genre is most definitely one of his strengths. In short, Keanu kicks fucking ass in this movie. The directors give us numerous shots of Reeves doing his own stunts, both in fight scenes and car chases, and he's a natural. I completely believe that he could destroy me (as I believe most people could), and even better is that Reeves seems to be having just as much fun doing this stuff as the audience is watching him. 

Dudes, I really, really love this movie. It's fun, brutal and it features an adorable puppy (that dies *aww* and then gets REVENGED!). Watch John Wick. Watch it, and love it.  

The Equalizer

The Equalizer, starring Denzel Washington, is an adaptation of the 1980s television show in which a retired intelligence officer offers his services to people who feel the odds are stacked against them.

I've never seen an episode of the TV show, but having seen the movie I can absolutely tell you it's not a very good (or at least faithful) adaptation. In fact, it's apparent the film makers only called this film The Equalizer for brand recognition, as the only trace of similarity the film shares with the show (aside from the lead characters name) comes at the tail end of the movie, and even then it feels like the filmmakers tacked it on at the last minute when they realized actual fans of the show might want to see a movie called The Equalizer have something in common with the television show on which it's based.

OK, the same argument could be said for the adaptation of The A-Team a few years ago. The film served as a set up for a franchise of course, and only during the end credits of the film was there a mention of the team being soldiers for hire. But, you know, at least the film tried to make the characters recognizable from the show, as well as embodying the same sense of fun and adventure that made the show so easy to watch. Honestly, I really enjoyed that movie and I thought it was a great set up for further adventures, but I digress.


I know it's weird to be so upset about a failed adaptation of a television program I never watched, but it really bothers me that since the filmmakers couldn't make a fun or entertaining movie with Denzel Washington kicking ass and taking names (which has been done several times before, to my great enjoyment) I at least figured they would make an effort to TRY an actual adaptation of the show. Instead, director Antoine Fuqua clumsily goes back and forth between  TGIF sitcom sweetness to extreme, over the top violence, resulting in an awkward tone that never finds its groove.

Actually, Fuqua's previous film, Olympus Has Fallen had similar problems. The tone of that movie was a little more consistent, but it all felt a little forced, like Fuqua thought he was making more of a badass action film than he actually was. The violence in that film was extremely graphic as well, almost too much so like The Equalizer. Normally I'm all for over the top and gratuitous violence, but Fuqua seems to have no real understanding of how to use the violence for any kind of impact on the viewer. Usually such violence in film in used to elicit some kind of response from the audience, whether it's visceral or dramatic or entertaining or funny, it can be quite a tool for any gifted filmmaker.

But Fuqua seems to think that just by putting graphic violence onscreen that we will cheer it on. After all, Denzel is killing some really bad guys. But it all just comes off as ugly as opposed to fun.

As I mentioned earlier though, the films worst offense is probably the tone. As the film opens, Washington is helping a fellow employee at his Home Depot-like store to lose weight so he can qualify for a security job at said store. The interaction between the two characters and all the other employees is so sweet and silly and contrived that it feels like Family Matters with cursing. It gets even weirder during the films big climax when those characters meet up with the main villains, a group of Russian mobsters (!), and another sequence of out of place violence ensues.


Chloe Grace Moretz is all but wasted as the teenage hooker that serves as the catalyst for getting Washington out of retirement. I'm not sure if it's a script problem or simple miscasting, but Moretz never feels anything like an actual character and instead just comes off as a young actress made up to look rough. It doesn't help that she disappears for most of the movie only to turn up at the very end all cleaned up and talking up the fact that she now reads books.

I guess the sole good thing I have to say about The Equalizer is that Denzel Washington is fine. He certainly doesn't embarrass himself but it's a role he can do in his sleep at this point, though thankfully he doesn't seem to be doing so here.  Actually, there is one sequence in the film where Washington walks away from an explosion without looking back that is so silly and oddly put together by Fuqua that it actually borders on self parody, so there's that.

Overall, The Equalizer a non adaptation of the TV show on which it is based, as well as a boring and tonally confused mess of an action movie.

Lords of Dogtown

It's been almost a decade since I last watched the documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys and the subsequent feature version, Lords of Dogtown, both of which chronicle the legendary Zephyr skateboarding group that's largely credited for inventing skateboarding as we know it today. I remember liking both, especially the documentary, so when they popped up on Netflix a few weeks ago I figured now was a great time to revisit the flicks.

The documentary holds up well as an entertaining, if somewhat biased look at the group. Not a huge surprise given the fact that the films director was original Z-Boy Stacy Peralta. Either way, I enjoyed it again and was very curious to see how the feature held up.

And dudes, I was a little surprised at just how terrible it is. Filled with awful acting, hokey cameos and a tone that wants to be a lot edgier than it actually is, Lords of Dogtown is a straight up mess.

As with any adaptation of anything, things are going to change from the original property to the new one. It's just part of the deal, and usually, it makes sense. But Peralta, making his feature screenwriting debut, takes the already interesting story of these kids, and throws in every rags to riches cliche in the book. It certainly doesn't help that Peralta makes himself out to be the angel of the entire group. The only one with any kind of decency or loyalty out of the bunch, with everyone else instantly growing giant egos and seeing dollar signs upon the first sign of fame.

Of course, it's entirely possible that that's how it happened. That stuff wasn't in the documentary, but it still could have gone down that way. And besides, even if it didn't, this isn't supposed to be the documentary. This is the dramatization, meant more for entertainment than anything else. And if it had been done well, it wouldn't have bothered me, but it seems as if Peralta just added that stuff in for the sake of being dramatic as opposed to letting any of the drama feel interesting or organic to the story itself.

Ok, so having Peralta write the screenplay was a big mistake, but having director Catherine Hardwicke at the helm was not, for the most part at least. Hardwicke employed a bleached out effect to the camera work that was extremely popular in the mid-aughts for whatever reason, but it works here. Also, she makes sure the footage of these kids skating is just as accurate and fascinating as the real footage from the documentary, even going so far as to mimic some of the shots that Peralta would become famous for in his Bones Brigade skating videos. Hardwicke even assembled a who's who of young performers to star in the flick, including Heath Ledger, Emile Hirsch, Nikki Reed and Johnny Knoxville, among others. Unfortunately, this is where Hardwicke trips up a bit.


Look, I love Emile Hirsch. I think he can be a great actor. His work in Into the Wild is incredible, I'm a huge supporter of Speed Racer and his most recent work in Prince Avalanche is a hoot. But Hirsch is terrible here. He plays Jay Adams, the youngest and wildest of the bunch. The documentary does a great job conveying Adams' spirit and rambunctiousness, but in the movie Hirsch just keeps making weird faces, leaning his head back and widening his eyes. In other words, he tries really hard to be tough and crazy but just comes off as goofy.

And guys, Heath Ledger is bad in this movie. Really bad. His character, one of the founders of the Zephyr group, is seemingly nothing like he was in real life, at least in comparison to the documentary. Which, again, I wouldn't have cared if it worked in the context of the movie, but it doesn't. Heath simply made a choice and ran with it. He employs some kind of surfer dude accent, says "man" a whole lot and acts spaced out for the majority of the movie.

Now, let it be known that Heath Ledger was great. I know it, everybody knows it. And honestly, I really like it when actors make choices like Heath did here. But sometimes actors need to be reigned in, and this was one of those times. But Hardwicke is pretty absent in this instance. She doesn't seem to be able to give any real kind of direction to these actors. To be fair, a lot of the fault lies in the script. And maybe she thought that letting these kids interpret the lines their own way would help the film feel authentic to the way teenagers really talk. But what was meant to feel authentic comes off as amateurish, and a lot of the fault in that area lies with Hardwicke.


As for the tone of the movie, I get the feeling that it really wants to feel dangerous, something the documentary was successful at conveying as these kids tore though what was believed to be the limits of professional skateboarding. As you might be able to guess though, the feature film does not have a dangerous bone in its body.

Oh, I also mentioned that the film has some hokey cameos, and upon reflection that's not entirely true. A few of the original Z-boys pop up quickly in amusing cameos that only hardcore fans would be able to notice. They're fun and harmless and don't detract anything from the movie. But Tony Hawk shows up in a moment that is so *nudge nudge* *wink wink* that it's cringe inducing. I don't really have anything else to say about it, honestly. I just hated it and I needed you to know.


I haven't even gotten into the subplot about the kid with a brain tumor, and you know what, I don't think I will. Suffice it to say the movie doesn't handle it very well and decides to treat more like a joke than anything else.

Alright, well, I didn't like this movie, obviously. I'm a little surprised to find that a lot of you guys do, though. Have you all watched it recently? I can certainly see how it might have been a draw for some of you back in the day. Hell I even mentioned earlier that I remember liking it ten years ago. It has a great cast and an interesting story, it just turns out that the movie is quite terrible as opposed to good like we all thought. Don't worry guys, this isn't a holy grail film from our youth that we're terrified of ruining, it's just a really bad movie.

The Iceman

The Iceman tells the true story of Richard Kuklinski, devote family man and notorious contract killer.  Richard Kuklinski claimed to have killed over 100 people during his career. But he was a murderer with a code. No women, no children. Even if they witnessed something they shouldn't have. Michael Shannon, an already imposing dude, brings his usual intensity to the role of the titular character, but the moments where we get to see the killer as a family man above all else are what help make this bio pic just a tad more interesting than all the rest.


The film opens in the mid 60s with Kuklinski on his first date with his wife, played by Winona Ryder. The scene itself is pretty familiar, but Ryder and Shannon have a nice attraction to one another that's credible, and we get our first glimpse of how this obviously stoic man can be broken down by a good woman.

Flash forward 5 years. Shannon and Ryder are married with child, Shannon has already killed a guy outside a bar in cold blood and joins the mafia after murdering a homeless man for initiation, all within 10 minutes. I have no doubt that most of that really happened, at least to some degree, but my main beef is that director Ariel Vromen rushes through all this like he only has 90 minutes to tell this story! Which, um, I guess is true. Whatever, my point is that while Vromen is able to create an appropriately grim tone and gets good performances from his surprisingly impressive cast, it just seems that he doesn't have enough time to tell this story they way it should be told.

Kuklinski's story spans multiple decades, and while I don't believe every movie HAS to be 2+ hours, it feels like The Iceman needed at least an extra 30 minutes for it to be able to leave more of an impression.  What makes this even more troubling is how Vromen and the screenwriters spend a good chunk of time dealing with crime boss Ray Liotta and his no good friend played by a barely recognizable David Schwimmer(SCHWIMMER?!?). While it's interesting to see Schwimmer doing something so different and it's always nice to see Liotta in something decent, I really don't see the need to spend so much time on the subplot, especially when the main characters story is so interesting.

Even with all that frustration, there's still a lot of stuff that Vromen got right and makes The Iceman worth recommending. Aside from another good Michael Shannon performance, Vromen spends a good amount of time showing Kuklinski's relationship with his family and how he was able to deceive them for almost 20 years. It's easy to think that a spouse would obviously realize something wasn't right in a situation like this, and the film actually alludes to the fact that his wife might have had a suspicion that he was at least involved in something not entirely legal, but she certainly never suspected murder was involved. Kuklinski proved himself to be a loving husband and father, and the film makes a good case as to how he could have hidden his true profession for so long. And of course, it also makes his ability to kill without much remorse all the more shocking. 

Special mention must also be made that The Iceman features a GREAT performance from Chris Evans as a fellow hitman Kuklinski partners with. I'm going to be genuinely saddened if Evans really quits acting in favor of directing. Don't get me wrong, it's great that he wants to branch out, but he has gotten better with each role and I for one would seriously miss that charisma of his.

Despite its faults, The Iceman proves to be an entertaining and fascinating look into one of the most brutal killers of the 20th century. But still, with a bit more focus and perhaps a longer running time, it really could have been one of the greats.

The Expendables 3

The Expendables 3 completes Sylvester Stallone's latest self made franchise. The first film, while gloriously violent, had a surprisingly small amount of action and tricked us into thinking that Bruce and Arnold had more to do in the film than they actually did. However, The Expendables 2 fixed those problems immediately by opening with an action sequence that outdid everything in the entire first movie. The amount of action was probably about the same as the first, but what was there was much better, and then add the fact that we got the three action icons standing side by side shooting machine guns. So, you know, cool. Also, the sense of camaraderie was much more present than it was in the first film, which is surprising given the fact that these are team films. In other words, part 2 was FUN, and what it lacked in Mickey Rourke monologues and extreme violence, it made up with JCVD playing a villain named Vilain and Chuck Norris making Chuck Norris jokes.

Which brings us to The Expendables 3. Thankfully, part 3 keeps the sense of fun from its immediate predecessor while also adding much more action than any previous entry. Actually, part 3 is the most cohesive and coherent of the three, which was a nice surprise. The story is simple, the set pieces are plentiful and pretty easy to follow, and Mel Gibson is in it as the main bad guy. So yea, I had fun with this flick.

But of course, like with most films with this many stars in it, it suffers from having too many people not having much to do. This time out, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Randy Couture and once again Jet Li get the worst of it. Dolph had a lot to do in the second one, which makes his absence here all the more disappointing. Also, no Bruce this time around. He had a very public falling out with Sly and the filmmakers, so of course there are numerous jokes regarding his absence which are funny enough, but its still a shame because he was one of the few who really understood how silly these movies are and his replacement, Harrison Ford, just doesn't have the screen presence he once did.

Among new additions to the crew are Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Mel Gibson and a bunch of other young actors, boxers and MMA fighters that I don't know or care about. Snipes acquits himself well enough, though again, he doesn't have much to do. Still, it's good to see him on the big screen again. Banderas actually steals quite a bit of the movie, adding an actual sense of humor to the proceedings that isn't groan inducing or winks to the past that compiles most of the humor in these movies. I was truly reminded how good he can be, and with his awesome sentient robot movie Automata on the way, hopefully a Banderas resurgence isn't far off.

Gibson though. Gibson. I love Gibson. Every movie can benefit from more Gibson. Please, let Gibson be in more movies! His part is pretty minimal here, but he makes every second count, bringing his trademark intensity and humor to the role. He even gets a juicy monologue that rivals Rourke's from the first film. Sadly, the climatic showdown between him and Sly isn't as satisfying as it should have been. Too short and not as brutal, especially compared to his showdown with JCVD in the second one. Either way, Gibson is great in the flick, and I would really like to see more Gibson in the future.

I had wanted this review to be a little more in depth and professional, but the truth is this film isn't either of those things itself, but I will say that I had a good time watching it, and if it is indeed the last one in the series, at least it ends on a high note*.

*Sort of. After two weeks, the film is already on track to be the lowest grossing entry by a longshot, effectively guaranteeing that this is the last film. Hopefully Sly will bounce back again with Rambo V. Seriously. 

Hercules

There's a scene in Hercules where Dwayne Johnson throws a horse. The horse is running at him, then he picks it up, and he throws it.

It's an actual scene from the movie and normally one such as that would pretty much seal the deal for me. Unfortunately, such gleefully silly moments like that one are few and far between in Hercules, and instead the movie awkwardly skirts the line between campy fantasy yarn and middle of the road sword and sandal adventure.


Dwayne Johnson has a had a pretty frustrating career in film. The man is a charming mother fucker, and he's been great in The Rundown, The Fast & Furious franchise, and of course his amazing performance in Pain & Gain.  He's done some family films and comedies in between, all of which vary in terms of quality. But god damn if this guy doesn't know how to look into a camera and charm the fuck out of you. The problem though, is that Johnson has yet to really have that ONE role that really catapults him. He's done great work helping other franchises, but he deserves one to call his own.

To be honest, I never felt like Hercules was going to be the movie or character that did this for Johnson, especially with Brett Ratner at the helm, but that didn't mean it couldn't be a fun time. And what's really frustrating is that the movie often threatens to become fun. Dwayne is such a self aware performer as it is, and there are moments when you can tell he's totally open to going full camp and have fun with it. For example, immediately after he throws that horse, he turns to the camera and says " Fucking centaurs." And don't worry, that line doesn't make sense even in the context of the film itself, but I laughed and wished the film had given him more opportunities like that.


Instead, Ratner and the studio felt it a better idea to deliver a pretty standard period epic. Hercules even comes with a rag tag team included, all of whom are just as bad ass as the demigod himself, at least that's what the filmmakers tell us. We do get a few set pieces that show how their team dynamic works in battle, but it's nothing really special, with multiple shots of our heroes walking through battle and killing an enemy that was running up behind them at the last possible second. Ugh.


I guess I really wanted this movie to embrace the fantasy elements of its story. The film opens with Hercules going on his 12 labors for the gods as he fights a lion, water dragons and a giant boar, or basically all the cool shots from the trailer. Shortly after that awesome opening we find out its all just stories he used to up his street cred. So disappointing.

I had pretty low expectations for Hercules, hoping for nothing more than seeing The Rock fight imaginary creatures and yell " I. AM. HERCULES!" every five minutes. Unfortunately the movie couldn't even deliver that, instead leaving Al Swearengen himself to pick up the slack and deliver the films one rousing moment. Such a waste.


Dwayne Johnson is still the shit, though.

Dawn of the Planet of the Apes

Oof. You guys, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is so good it hurts.

A great follow up and escalation from the previous film Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Dawn digs deep into its science fiction roots and gives examinations on war and violence while also delivering a thrilling and surprisingly emotional movie going experience.

Like the good little movie fan that I am, I revisited Rise earlier this week in preparation (something I strongly advise to help you keep up with the ape characters), and I'm still amazed at how good that movie turned out. Right out of the gate the film ensures that you are on the apes side, opening with an intense sequence showing a family of apes being illegally captured in the wild and sold into experimentation. It's quite a contrast from the original series, which starts with the audience rooting for Charlton Heston to get the hell outta Dodge. Of course, the original franchise ends up pretty much in the same spot where these new films begin, with our sympathy geared toward the apes.

Anyway, Dawn's opening also ensures that the audience is on the apes side, albeit this time with a much more subtle touch. Instead of seeing an ape community being broken apart by man, we see one thriving in the absence of them. 10 years have past since the end of Rise, and Caesar leads hundreds of his fellow apes, all of whom are speaking via sign language and even a few with the capability of speech like Caesar.

In fact, the first 15 minutes or so of the movie are silent, as director Matt Reeves relies on subtitles for the sign language. It seems obvious I know, but for a mainstream Hollywood blockbuster to force its audience to read (READ!) the characters dialogue is a pretty bold move.

I love it though, because when Caesar's son and his friend run into the first humans they've seen in two years, Caesar utters some of the first words in the movie and it sent chills down my spine.Thanks to the insane effects work by WETA, it's jarring every time we hear and see an ape talk. It's something that you just can't get used to in the best way possible.

Alright, I guess it's time for the inevitable "Andy Serkis is a vessel of God" bit that has been in almost every piece written about this flick. So here it goes, Andy Serkis is a vessel of God! Just kidding, God's not real. But Andy Serkis is and I really do believe it's time this guy gets the recognition he deserves because his portrayal of Caesar in Dawn is already one of the very best performances of the year. Caesar's ability to talk is still somewhat limited, so Serkis relies on just about everything else to convey any sort of emotion, and he does so beautifully, making Caesar one of the most complicated and compelling characters in science fiction right now.

Right behind Serkis though, is Toby Kebbell, who plays Caesars' right hand ape, Koba. In the first film, Koba was the seasoned lab ape, covered in scars from years of experiments. In Dawn, Koba's trust of man is next to nothing thanks to his years in confinement, and when he see's Caesar starting to work with them, a slow and steady rift begins to form between the two apes.

I've apparently seen Kebbell in films like Prince of Persia and The Sorcerer's Apprentice, but I have absolutely no recollection of him in those movies probably because I have no recollection of those movies as a whole. Anyway, it doesn't really matter because his work in Dawn is just as remarkable as Serkis'. In one of the best sequences in the film, Koba puts on an act for two armed humans in an attempt to get their weapons. He goes from circus monkey to killer in the blink of an eye, and it's absolutely terrifying.


It should be noted that even though Koba is the closest thing the movie has to a villain, he still isn't a villain in the traditional sense. In fact, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes doesn't have a true villain at all. Koba does what he does because he truly believes it will help his community survive.

Even on the humans side, you might think that Gary Oldman is positioned to be the one guy just jonesing for a chance at a war with the apes. But in fact it's quite the opposite. He doesn't trust them of course, but the last thing he wants is war, and he gives Malcom, played by Jason Clarke, a chance to reason with Caesar.

Obviously, things don't go as planned, but credit must be given to director Reeves and the screenwriters for refusing to paint anyone as the bad guy. The movie has multiple scenes with apes and humans as they discuss the pros and cons of going to war with one another, and both sides are actually coming from a similar place. They just want what's best for their community. I suppose it's a tried and true method of examining war, but still, for a movie that cost $170 million and filled with talking apes to do it so well is pretty insane.

Back to the human cast for a second, I just have to mention my love for Jason Clarke. He's been bad ass in films like Zero Dark Thirty, Lawless, White House Down and Public Enemies, and in Dawn he does solid work as the one person who convinces Caesar there is still some good left in humans. I have to admit that none of the human cast really gets a chance to shine like Serkis and Kebbell do, but I'm just excited to see Clarke get this kind of exposure, as he pretty much rules overall. The same could be said for Keri Russell. She doesn't have much to do in Dawn, but I may or may not have a crush on her, and she's great in the television show The Americans, so again, exposure is her win here.


One final and unexpected thing the filmmakers also did with Dawn was keep the scale of the film fairly small. It takes place primarily in two locations. The human colony in San Francisco, and the ape colony on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge. I've actually read online that some people are disappointed in this aspect, as they wanted a more epic feeling from the film. I think it's better for it though, as it helps keep the film focused. As each moment passes you can feel the tension grow and the stakes getting higher, and if the film had to maneuver between more characters and locations than it already had then it would have lost a lot of that momentum, resulting in a much more muted experience.

Luckily that isn't the case though, as Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is an incredible entry in the Apes franchise. Thanks to the amazing effects work and even better performances, I found myself completely invested in these characters and I cringed anytime one of them got hurt or killed. I honestly can't tell you the last time that happened with any film that focused on puny humans.


Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is great. So duh, go see it. 

Transformers: Age of Extinction

It is with a heavy heart that I tell you Transformers: Age of Extinction is Michael Bay's most disappointing movie since Pearl Harbor.

This is especially disheartening considering Bay's last movie, Pain & Gain, was so great. I realize the two movies have absolutely nothing to do with each other, but I hoped that P&G had given my man enough of a rejuvenation to make a fourth robot flick feel worth it.

Turns out it didn't, as Age of Extinction's biggest problem is that Bay seems more bored with this world than anyone else. Which is weird because I've never gotten that feeling from any of his movies. I could always feel 100% enthusiasm from him even in his worst movies, which at their worst delivered awesome action and/or ridiculous visuals.

The first three Transformer movies are no different. I find the second one, Revenge of the Fallen to be my least favorite of those three, mainly due to an insane amount of non action and exposition scenes in the film that even I couldn't make myself care about despite my love for everything Bay. But the first one is a lot of fun and the third has an entire hour of Bay demolishing Chicago that ranks among the best action the man has put on film.


But Bay's lack of enthusiasm for Age of Extinction just oozes off the screen. It's baffling really, because there is a lot of stuff in this fourth film that would seem to be an upgrade from the previous installments. For example, he has an entirely new human cast here. I'm not the Shia hater a lot of you seem to be, but it's hard to deny that Mark Wahlberg is a step up in the leading man department. The dude gives 100% every time, no matter how good or terrible the movie might be, and his previous collaboration with the Bay was a career highlight for both men. 

Also gone is a lot of the silly and out of place gross humor that was a big part of the first three movies thanks to Shia's on screen parents and other random characters. Don't get me wrong, there is still a lot of silly and out of place humor in the film, just not as much. This stuff never really bothered me though, because the human characters were never a strong point of the franchise. It's called Transformers, after all, not Humans. Anyway, I digress.

My point is, it seemed like Bay was trying to keep things interesting, at least for himself, in order to keep him from doing the same ol' thing he had been with this gigantic robotic franchise.

It doesn't work though, as the movie is boring. Along with his general disinterest in the movie, it also feels like Bay wasn't even interested in trying to top himself action wise, which propels a lot of the fun I get from most of his movies. For instance, if I could put it into a dialogue of how Bay challenged himself on the first three films, I imagine it would go something like this:

"Oh, you like my action movies huh? Well check this out, I've added giant robots!"

"Oh you liked that, did you? Well check out part 2 where I destroy one of Earths' greatest monuments with giant robot balls!"

"Can't get enough, can you? Alright you fuck, watch me murder thousands of people and lay waste to an entire city while I'm at it!"

But with the fourth one, Bay just says,"Here's some more."


So disappointing.

In the end, I don't dislike Transformers: Age of Extinction, but compared to other Bayhem flicks, this one has a tough time reaching the high/low standards I've come to expect from the man. 

I still love Michael Bay though, and I hope he's done with this franchise. Here's wishing that his next movie is something more along the lines of Pain & Gain. Small, insane, and filled with depravity. That or Bad Boys III.


Oh, sidebar. I also just realized how insane the cast of every Michael Bay movie is except for the Transformer films. The dude got people like Nicolas Cage, Sean Connery, Will Smith, Martin Lawrence, Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johannson, Bruce Willis, Steve Buscemi, William Fichtner, Billy Bob Thornton, Ben Affleck, Michael Clarke Duncan, Owen Wilson, Peter Stormare, Ed Harris, Liv Tyler, The Rock. INSANE. I know there were some great actors who popped up in the robot movies too, but none got to have as much fun or be as memorable as they were in his other movies. Here's also hoping he can get back to amazing casts as well.

Edge of Tomorrow

I promise I'll do my best to not make this post one giant love letter to Tom Cruise, except that I promise nothing and that's probably what's going to happen.


Really though, Edge of Tomorrow is great and Tom Cruise is a big reason as to why.

In the film, Cruise plays an officer in the U.S. Army whose job it is to sell the current war on an invading alien race to the public. He's a PR man plain and simple, with not a soldier's bone in his body. And when a British General hires him to sell an upcoming surprise attack that wold require him to be front and center during the battle, Cruise panics and his attempts to get out of the job get him marked as a deserter. Before he knows it, he's been shipped off and getting prepped for battle 24 hours before the big invasion.

Oh, and after dying within minutes of crashing ashore on the battlefield, Cruise discovers that every time he dies he wakes up in the same spot exactly 24 hours before before the attack.

This is all information given within the first 15-20 minutes of the film. That's a lot of set up, not to mention the number of characters we meet in that short period as well. Of course, that's part of the beauty of Edge of Tomorrow. The flick moves at an amazing pace but it never sacrifices quality to do so. Everything and everyone is set up and introduced in an exciting and easy to remember way. Even the squad that Cruise is 'assigned' to has a moment of some sort to be remembered and recognized. Even if you can't remember their name, at least they stand out in some way.

Also, the movie has to do a lot of information dumping, which can usually slam the breaks on any momentum a film has going. Not Edge of Tomorrow though. The film uses it's time loop gimmick to drop those pieces of information little by little so that as a viewer you're never feeling like you're listening to Basil Exposition, instead making the discovery part of the fun.


The thing that surprised me the most about Edge of Tomorrow though, was it's sense of humor. I had heard that the movie was funny, but I was still taken aback at how early and often the humor was displayed, and the flick is all the better for it. Director Doug Liman ( Swingers, Mr. & Mrs. Smith) takes extra enjoyment in killing Cruise in every way imaginable. There is one particular gag involving Cruise attempting to sneak under a moving truck that almost had me in tears.

Granted, the film is not a comedy, and it somehow manages to balance the fun tone with some actual stakes.
 And this is where Cruise and Emily Blunt shine. The film has one goal. Stop the invasion. Simple as it might sound, Cruise and Blunt both give a sense of urgency to the proceedings and completely sell it to the viewers. Blunt in particular is a bad ass here, continuing to build her Sci-Fi credentials with this and the amazing Looper.


And this is where the Cruise love fest starts. His character, Cage, is the first time in a while where Cruise gets to play a bit of a doofus, at least in the beginning. He perfected the bad ass persona long ago, but here he gets to start off as a corporate loving coward and he relishes the chance. His enthusiasm for any role is always infectious, and even more so here as we see him die so many times and in so many different ways and it feels like a great comeuppance for his cowardice in the beginning. Also, it's hilarious and Cruise knows it.

Seriously though, Cruise is such a good performer that puts everything into every role and Edge of Tomorrow is no different. Who else can go from PR slime to ultimate bad ass hero within 20 minutes?

Look, Edge of Tomorrow is great. It's smart, funny, filled with exciting action and has two lively lead performances from its stars. SO GO SEE IT ALREADY!

Spider-Man vs. The Amazing Spider-Man

I've just come from The Amazing Spider-Man 2. I liked it A LOT better than the first one, but I still have a lot of problems with it. I'll address those issues in detail in my formal review later this weekend, but for now I need to talk about how Raimi did it better.

Obviously I can't argue this point without talking a bit about the new films, so please be aware that I will be addressing some plot points from the new films, but I'll do my best to avoid anything too spoiler-filled.

First off, the tone. Raimi's Spider-Man nailed it right off the bat. Light, bright and fun. I've always heard some arguments that it's a little too cheesy and aimed too directly at a kid audience. I think it's a fair criticism, but I also believe Spider-Man was the first of its kind. This movie helped shape the superhero genre as we know it today. I know it's not the first superhero movie, but in terms of the level of blockbuster film making we've come to expect from the genre this movie paved the way, so I think Raimi earns a little bit of leeway here. Anyway, Raimi realizes immediately the ridiculousness of a teenager with spider like abilities and simply goes right over the top with it as only he can do.

For a movie over a decade old, some of the effects really don't hold up, like, at all, but still the infectious tone is what really helps it stand out.

The Amazing Spider-Man though, goes a darker route. It tries to present Spider-Man in a more realistic way, like The Dark Knight did with Batman. Problem is though, Spider-Man doesn't need that realism. Spider-Man enjoys his job as a crime fighter, which comes through with his sarcastic interactions with criminals as he's dealing with them, among other things. 

And this is where a lot of my conflict over The Amazing Spider-Man comes in. I really like Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man. I like his overall boy scout innocence he brings to the character, as well as a believable physicality that's needed.

BUT.

Andrew Garfield is SO good as Spider-Man. I don't enjoy his Peter Parker as much in the first Amazing Spider-Man, but that's more of the script's fault than his. His snarky attitude while fighting criminals is so spot on it hurts. Not to mention, he FEELS like a teenager more so than Maguire ever did, making the responsibility he has to carry all the more impressive.

Ugh, and the chemistry between Garfield and Emma Stone is just too cute. I actually like Kirsten Dunst a lot as Mary Jane, but fuck, EMMA STONE.

I also will admit the tone of the The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is much more fun than the first, even though it's forced to follow a lot of the threads that made the first so frustrating, which again, I'll go through in my formal review later.

 Anyway, The Amazing Spider-Man feels like a retread, mainly because it is. Did we need another origin story? No, but if it's done well, then who cares? Well, they didn't do it very well, not again at least.

Raimi keeps things short and simple. In his film, Peter's parents are dead. He's raised by his aunt and uncle and ends up being bitten by an engineered spider of some sort giving him his powers.

In the Amazing Spider-Man though, Peter's parents were on the run from something ( of which we still don't know, even after two films), dropped Peter off at their brothers, and were never heard from again. Then, while trying to figure out more information about his fathers research at his old work space, he gets bit by a spider that just so happened to be the subject of his fathers research. There is actually more information given in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 that makes this origin story even more convoluted than it already is, but I'll let you discover that on your own. Suffice it to say that I just couldn't buy it.

What I love about Raimi's first film though is that it gets to the point so fast and believably. Parker gets bitten and Osborne is set up as a villain within the first 15 minutes and it's all so simple and set up so wonderfully and confidently by Raimi that you can't help but get sucked in.

Even if you can't handle the cheesiness of the first Spider-Man, I feel like Raimi answers that with Spider-Man 2. That sequel still sports a very light and bright tone like the first, but Raimi raises the stakes with a villain that has actual purpose and motivation with Doc Ock. He believes Spider-Man is not only responsible for his wife's death, but that he cheated him out of creating the first renewable energy source the world has known.

 The Amazing Spider-Man and its sequel just can't come up with a decent villain though. The Lizard in the first film just never felt convincing, acting more like a necessary plot point than an actual threat. In the second, and I feel this isn't too spoilery, Harry Osborne shows up as the Green Goblin. His reasons for hating Spider-Man really don't make sense. Again, I won't spoil it here since I know the film just came out, but Raimi did it better.

More specifically, the transition from Norman Osborne as the Green Goblin to Harry Osborne as the Goblin. Raimi took three films to make the transition, but the seed was planted in the first, with Harry believing that Spider-Man caused his fathers death. This good old fashion revenge motivation against Spider-Man is much more effective than Osborne's motivation in The Amazing Spider-Man 2. 

Maybe this is my main complaint about this new version, we've seen it already, and we've seen it better. I enjoy Spider-Man as a character, and I like seeing him on screen, but to see basically the same story with the same characters within 5 movies and 12 years, I just want them to shake it up a bit.

To be fair, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has a pretty intense ending (which I'm sure you can guess) and I have to admit I'm excited to see if they can build on the mild improvement they've already made from the first film. Still, I'm sitting here, beer in hand watching Raimi's first Spider-Man and I can't help but think, " Good luck".

Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World

Hey dudes.

So for whatever reason I finally decided to put Master and Commander in yesterday after promising to do so back in January. Sorry for the lateness.

Anyway, I hadn't seen it in its entirety since it was out in theaters. I remember going with my Mom and being extremely disappointed. Both of us were expecting another rousing period adventure in the same vein as Gladiator and we could not have been more wrong.

While I remember it having a few cool battle sequences, Master and Commander proved to be more of an examination of life at sea in the 1800s than I was craving at the moment, and I've stayed away from it ever since. I always kind of knew that I hadn't given it a fair shake though, so when I saw it for $5 on blu ray I figured now was the time to give it another go.

And it just so happens that I kind of loved every second of it this time. Director Peter Weir (The Truman Show, Dead Poets Society) was given $150 million to make an accurate depiction of sea life and warfare circa 1805 with a cast led by a ridiculously charismatic Russell Crowe.

I mentioned a few weeks back that I had been on a Crowe kick lately, and this movie only reinforced that. I'm really not sure he has ever been as commanding (sorrynotsorry) or believable as a leader as he is here. His Captain Jack Aubrey is everything you want in a commander. He's already achieved a legendary status by the time the movie starts, and yet he remains sympathetic to even the smallest job position on his crew. Funny, caring, yet not afraid to dish out discipline when necessary, there is never a moment's doubt that this crew would die for their Captain. And it's all thanks to Crowes performance.

Oh man, and the awesome ship battles. SHIP BATTLES! Saying that makes me feel not my age and it's great. Anywho, they're all seemingly filmed as realistically as possible, with Crowe and other actors screaming words like "Starboard!" and "Albatross!" that seem appropriate given their boat setting. Seriously though, the sequences are exciting and they make me hate the Pirates of the Carribean franchise a little more.The final fight in particular has a moment towards the end, just as the battle is reaching its peak intensity, when everything just suddenly stops, and everyone has to readjust to the moment. It's a moment that feels odd and unexpected, something that I'm sure happens in any given battle, and it was just a nice little touch Weir added to the film.

Most of the movie however, is spent on the chase of the enemies' boat, rather than the battles with it. With that comes sneak attacks, long bouts with no wind, low morale and just some good old character development. There are numerous scenes of the Captain and his officers eating and getting drunk at dinner, swapping anecdotes and things. Sometimes these scenes help move the plot forward and sometimes they just serve as nice character beats, particularly between Crowe and Paul Bettany, who plays the ships doctor and Crowe's close friend and confidant. These guys have an easy chemistry together, which was already displayed in A Beautiful Mind a few years prior, but it's more grounded here. It's a nice depiction of a friendship that clearly helped define both men.

The rest of the cast is also great, with multiple characters getting small bits of story or moments to help them stand out. I have to admit though, during one particular moment when a certain character dies and it leaves the entire crew devastated. The moment certainly resonated with me, but I honestly had no idea who had just died and I never really found out either. It's one of the few complaints I have about the film. There are simply too many characters to follow. Again, it's a small gripe, as there are numerous characters that stand out aside from the Captain and his doctor, and the film is better for it.

I had a pretty great time revisiting Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Crowe is as dashing and charming as ever, and further reinforces his reputation as a badass who simply doesn't give a fuck. And director Weir made a beautiful and exciting sea epic that I can honestly say didn't get anywhere near the exposure or love it deserved back in 2003. Do yourself a favor dudes and give this one a look-see.

Kurt Russell

Hey dudes. Last week Kurt Russell celebrated his 63rd birthday, so of course I celebrated with him by watching a few of his flicks. Specifically, Breakdown and Escape From New York. Obviously great movies, and ones that I had seen numerous times before. But something about this double feature really got me enamored with Russell and his ability to go from ultimate bad ass to ultimate everyman. So, let's take a few moments and remind ourselves just how fucking awesome Kurt Russell is.

To be clear though, I'd like to focus on Breakdown and Escape From New York. Neither one happened anywhere near the beginning or the end of his decades long career, and neither do they exemplify the full range of his ability. The man does it all. Comedy, drama, action, sci-fi, biography, disney. But there's something about these two roles that speak to me about all that is Kurt.

First, let's talk Escape From New York. Snake Plissken has a reputation that precedes him at every corner. To every criminal and authority figure he meets, it's acknowledged that this guy is something else. He has become so mythic, in fact, that almost everyone he meets thinks that he's already dead. It's interesting taking into account how much the film builds Snake's legend, giving hints into past missions. But fairly quickly, we learn that Snake isn't immortal or even particularly intimidating. Almost every threat he faces in the film go after him without intimidation. What we do find is that Snake is the ultimate self-preservationist. He is always able to escape a situation, but just barely. His entrance to New York is almost ruined by a shaky landing on top of the World Trade Center. He is somehow able to beat a gigantic warrior in a wrestling ring, despite having numerous injuries. And in the end, he is somehow able to get the President back safely just in time to stop war, as well as get the antidote to the virus he was given as motivation.

Snake is able to accomplish all of this not because he is superhuman, but because he is an asshole. As Kurt himself mused, Snake is an asshole, but not a dick. Snake's only concern is Snake. Snake simply doesn't give a shit. And it's that attitude that Kurt brings to the film that really elevates the character. I guess spoiler alert, but let's be real, you should have seen Escape From New York by now, but at the end of the film, Snake has the chance to do the right thing by his country. Instead, because the President was a dick towards him in a moment of vulnerability, Snake lets the President make a fool of himself in front of the entire world and potentially starts a new world war in the process.

It's so amazing that Kurt never plays him as heroic. Instead, he infuses an attitude that can only come across as bad ass.

And then somehow, he is able to do the exact opposite in Breakdown.

The plot and execution of Breakdown is so simple it hurts. During a cross country move a couple's new jeep breaks down. A seemingly nice trucker offers a ride to a pay phone ( it's 1997 after all) and the wife insists that she goes while the husband stays with the car suffering in the desert heat. Soon, the husband, played by Kurt, learns that his wife has been kidnapped and if he doesn't pay up a ransom she'll be dead.

The movie itself is unbelievably tense and feels a little too real. But the real joy is seeing Kurt play an everyman in a seemingly impossible situation. It's clear from the start that his character, Jeff, doesn't have a bad ass bone in his body. He is a normal guy, moving across country with his wife for a new job. As his situation becomes more dire, he reacts in a believable way, contacting the authorities at the first chance he gets and even retracing his steps to make sure he isn't overreacting.

It's an insane ride, and if you haven't seen Breakdown already, do so immediately as its on Netflix instant. Back to the point though, Jeff's motivation is more panic and desperation and love for his wife as opposed to Snake's simple self preserving ways, and Kurt brings both characters to life with great skill.

I only focused on these two roles simply because I just watched them, but they really don't begin to scratch the surface of how awesome Kurt Russell is. In terms of his bad ass characters, I feel like MacReady from The Thing is slightly more bad ass than Snake. But that's just me. Also, Jack Burton from Big Trouble in Little China is comedic bufoonery at its best. UGH, we haven't even mentioned Used Cars, Captain Ron, Tombstone, Overboard, Backdraft or Tango & Cash. TANGO & CASH! And yet there are still more not mentioned.

Look, the point of this post is that Kurt Russell is fucking awesome. I assume you already knew this, but on the slight chance you didn't, wake up and begin righting your wrong.

Divergent, Part 1

Alright, so I saw Divergent for Cary Citizen tonight and I kind of really liked it. It's nowhere near as campy as Twilight nor as exciting and entertaining as The Hunger Games, but there was enough teen angst and pretty people to keep me involved in its much too long 140 minute running time. I don't feel like giving two reviews of the flick, but I really wanted to get a few thoughts out immediately about why I liked it. My full review, which will post Monday or Tuesday, will go into a bit more detail about the films many flaws. For now though, I'm drinking wine and I want nothing more than to admit how much Divergent gave me great satisfaction in pretending I'm not actually 27 years old, but any other age younger than that.


I have to bring up Twilight again. In short, I love Twilight. I love them all. As films I mean, because I can't read. This is who I am. I find them to be campy and wonderful, and New Moon is actually legitimately captivating in a way I can't really describe.

As I said before, Divergent isn't as campy as Twilight, but it isn't afraid to embrace what it is, which is silly young adult fodder. And that's fine! I like shit like that. I mean, it's pretty silly when during what is supposed to be a defining moment where our female protagonist is discovering who she is and where she fits in this dystopian world that an Elle Goulding song comes on just to make sure we know what she is feeling.

It's that use of pop songs as way of character development that really pushes Divergent over the edge for me. Where The Hunger Games attempts to actually carve out genuine characters and stakes, Divergent just wants to manipulate and entertain.

Ugh, I'm drunk and I don't feel like I'm getting my point across very well. I like that Divergent wants to keep things simple. I think Shailene Woodley is kind of wonderful and I had some sort of vendetta against Theo James, the film's main hunk, before I saw the film. Of course, he proved to be easy to watch and also physically capable in the action scenes.

For some reason I am drawn to these young adult adaptations. Maybe it's because of my refusal to grow up or maybe it's due to the fact that I'm some kind of piece of shit, but Divergent pulled me in despite it's flaws, and I'm excited to see if it tries go the serious route ala The Hunger Games or if it embraces the ludicrousness of its premise like Twilight.

Again, I'll have an actual, more sober review in a few days. But for now know this, I liked Divergent, and that's OK.

All Is Lost

All Is Lost stars Robert Redford as a nameless man who is forced into survival mode while sailing alone across the ocean. In terms of pure plot, that's pretty much it. Despite its simplicity though, All Is Lost proves to be an intense and satisfying piece of work featuring a great performance by Redford.

The film opens with a narration by Redford, one of the films only pieces of dialogue, and he's presumably saying his final goodbye before dying. The narration implies great regret, about what though we never find out. We never even know Redford's characters name, in the credits he's simply listed as 'Our Man'. Director J.C. Chandor specifically leaves out any kind of back story, instead focusing on Our Man's fight for survival and letting the audience fill in the blanks with whatever clues he leaves.

It's interesting to compare All Is Lost with Gravity, both are extremely simple survival tales on the surface, where one takes place in space and the other on the ocean.  Of course, technically speaking, neither are simple but the executions of both make it seem that way. I've heard some rumbling that a lot of people thought Sandra Bullocks back story in Gravity felt a little forced and unnecessary, as many felt that being stranded in space was reason enough to get back to earth. I personally didn't mind it, but I liked seeing All Is Lost go the other route.

From beginning to end, Our Man remains calm and reacts realistically to every situation handed to him, revealing only once any ounce of frustration by dropping a much deserved "FUCK!" when the situation absolutely calls for it.

The few moments of action in the film are tense and palpable, while also feeling small and claustrophobic. All of the worst moments are filmed either inside the boats' cabin or inside the life raft. Even more impressive is the fact that it appears that Redford did as many of the stunts as possible. Not bad for 78 years old.

The real magic of his performance though is in the details. Like his opening narration, it seems that Our Man is filled with some great regret. It's not exactly there in every moment, but as things seem to get worse with every passing moment, it seems clear that he wishes he had said or done more. It's a beauty of a performance that I wish had gotten just a little more attention than it did last year.

Not the same roller coaster ride that Gravity delivers, All Is Lost instead goes smaller in both scale and amount of actors and proves to be just as tense and satisfying, albeit in much different ways. It doesn't hurt that Redford proves once more why he is such a legend in the medium. In short, see All Is Lost, see it now.

Top Ten of 2013

Hey dudes, here's another one of my top ten lists that's 3 months late. Actually, this one is a little later than usual. As my own personal rule, I try to make my list before the Oscars take place since it usually takes me that long to get caught up not just on the nominated films, but also ones that I just plain missed. Hell, I still haven't seen quite a few, like Short Term 12 or All is Lost. I plan on it, but you know, whatever.

2013 was kind of a ridiculously good year for movies which meant that making this list was more than a little difficult. I mean, we had Prisoners, Spring Breakers ( LOOK AT MY SHIT!), Mud, The Last Stand, Iron Man 3, Drinking Buddies, Prince Avalanche, Rush, Captain Phillips, Riddick, Before Midnight, The Place Beyond The Pines, Pacific Rim and The Way, Way Back. Shit man, and those are just a few of the good ones.

Before getting into the top then though, I would like to talk about a few that missed the list, but only just.

First up, The Wolverine. Let's be real, this movie fucking rules. Jackman is as committed and ripped as ever, with a storyline based on one of the mutants' most beloved tales from the comics. Director James Mangold gleefully shows off Logan in full berserker rage mode numerous times in The Wolverine, something that was only ever hinted at or shown once a film. Also, the director's cut is something of a rarity these days, an alternate cut of the film that actually improves on the theatrical version. It's only about 10 or so minutes longer, but we get an extended blood bath of a fight between Logan and some ninjas as well as the Wolverine saying 'fuck' a few more times. Seriously though, Mangold made a really solid Wolverine flick filled with great action and probably the best performance Jackman has given as the regenerating mutant. If this turns out to be the final solo film for him, it will certainly be one that left us wanting more.

Next up is 12 Years A Slave, one of the most brutal, haunting and honest depictions of slavery in America that's ever been put on film. Pretty much everything about this movie is great, and I'm genuinely glad it won Best Picture at the Oscars. If anything, I'm a little disappointed Paul Dano didn't get a little more love. Everyone who was nominated and/or won absolutely deserved their accolades, but Dano is a master of all things despicable, and he really made my skin crawl, more so even than Michael Fassbender's character. No matter though, the film is great and will long be remembered as a great piece of work.

Ok, so this one hurt. I really wanted this one in the top ten. Pain & Gain is the kind of movie that's basically made specifically for me. First off, it's directed by Michael Bay. Second, it stars Dwayne The Rock Johnson, no quotations required. Typically, I wouldn't need much else, but my man Bay decided to throw in Mark Wahlberg, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, Ed Harris and a so unbelievable but it's true storyline that I really didn't have a choice but to love it. In fact, this review sums up my feelings pretty well.

Ok, the moment most of you don't care about. Here are my ten favorite movies from 2013.

10. This Is The End- Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, the writers and star of Superbad and Pinapple Express, make their directing debut with one of the most insane, star studded, and smartest comedies of the year. Basically, a bunch of famous people gather at James Franco's house for a party, and the end of days begins. Everyone is the movie plays themselves, or at least a version of themselves, a fact that was unfortunately lost on a lot of people I know who didn't like the movie, but they were stupid so who cares. Rogen and Goldberg display great confidence as comedy directors, but their strength lies in their writing abilities. This Is The End really swings for the fences and goes to some genuinely weird places, but thanks to a lot of great jokes and a recurring theme of friendship that has popped up in just about all of their scripts, the film proves to be their best collaboration yet, and I can't wait to see that else they have up their sleeve.

9. Inside Llewyn Davis- Ah, the Coens. This is actually the only movie on the list that I haven't seen more than once. However, the Coens' ode to giving up on your dream has stayed with me nevertheless. Honestly, I need to see the film again before I can even think about doing a write up that will do the movie justice, but I couldn't ignore the effect the film had on me. Once again, the Coens' have cast the movie perfectly, with Oscar Isaac leading the way with an already criminally underrated performance as Llewyn Davis. If you haven't already, see this immediately.

8. The World's End- Oh hey, that other comedy about the end of the world. Edgar Wright re-teams with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost to finish their Cornetto Trilogy and the result is the trio's most accomplished work to date. Look, Shaun of the Dead is pretty much perfect, but I think in time The World's End will prove to be the best of the three. Like This Is The End, all three cornetto films had a strong friendship theme running through them, but none more so than The World's End. As per usual with Wright's films, it took me a second viewing to discover just how touching and rich with character detail The World's End is. Now, here's to a year plus wait to the inevitable awesomeness that is Ant-Man.

7. You're Next- You guys, this is a great fucking horror movie. I saw it in a huge theater with maybe 4 other people in attendance and it was still one of my favorite movie-going experiences of 2013. Granted, no else in the theater seemed to like it as much as I did, but fuck them. I know a lot of people who thought the hype train kind of killed this movie, and I think I can see why. The movie doesn't really bring anything new to the table. In fact, it's a pretty standard home invasion movie in terms of plot. However, the film delivers with its extremely dry sense of humor and a group of talented actors that make the characters more than just the next victim. Not to mention this flick features one of the most badass female characters in recent memory. Get over the hype and enjoy You're Next for what it is: one of the most fun slasher flicks in a long, long time.

6. Man of Steel- I fucking love this movie. I've said it since the first viewing, and somewhere in between I kind of had second thoughts. I never gave up on loving it, but I was very aware of the films faults. I still don't think it reaches the heights of even Batman Begins, but I think the film gets a lot right. Also, I'm just glad we got to see Superman on screen again. I know some would argue otherwise, saying that Superman never really saves anyone here, given that that's what he's known for. I can't argue that their wrong. I mean, he saves the world and all, but the great thing about Superman is that when he's not fighting supervillains, he's saving cat's from trees. No job is too small for Superman. That's just who he is, and I love him for it. I think Zack Snyder knows that, too. He just wanted to show us how that man learns that no job is too small. I could be completely wrong too, but it would make for great sequel fodder to show the Man of Steel learning from all the damage he caused during his fight with Zod. Will that happen? I have no idea, but I loved Henry Cavill's take on the character and I loved seeing a more alien version of Krypton. My favorite on screen iteration will always be Richard Donner's Superman: The Movie from 1978 with Christopher Reeve and I have a whole lot of love for Superman Returns too. Still, I love Man of Steel and even if the sequel screws it all up, and it might, I'll still have this action packed take on the iconic character to enjoy.

5. Her- Ugh, I still have a hard time putting into words just how much I loved this movie. It's basically a great exercise in learning from the love you lost and using that to move forward. The film itself isn't that simple, but that's the beauty of it. Look, just watch this movie. It's a Spike Jonze movie about a guy who falls in love with his operating system. Come on.

4. Gravity- I love it when big, expensive movies get it right. And I don't just mean be entertaining either. It doesn't hurt to have a genuine master behind the camera like Alfonso Cuaron, not to mention a huge bag of charisma and acting talent filled with George Clooney and Sandra Bullock. Gravity was a movie that's meant to be seen on the big screen, but somehow still works on the small one. I can't verify it, but I'm sure being stranded in space might be fucking terrifying, and Cuaron realizes that fear brilliantly.

3. Fast & Furious 6- How has this franchise become so amazing? Oh yea, Justin Lin and his amazing eye for all things ridiculous and action related. Lin's love of this series bleeds through on every frame, and I'm going to have a hard time accepting anyone else at the helm. Not only has he raised the stakes in term of action with each entry, but he's insisted on maintaining a continuity with story and characters and its theme of family above all else that I can't help but find myself rooting for these guys every time.

2. About Time- This movie has officially replaced The Notebook and 13 Going on 30 as my favorite romantic anything. Don't fret, I still love The Notebook, and I'll probably revisit it most when I'm an emotional wreck for any reason, but About Time is one of the sweetest, most sincere movies I've ever seen. No other film from 2013 gave me such an emotional reaction. It's so rare to have a romantic comedy that depicts a normal couple that has typical problems that they deal with and resolve with actual communication and patience. It's just a minor plot point that the male lead just so happens to able to travel through time. It's a great set up, really, and the film actually becomes more of a father-son bonding flick than a straight romantic comedy, and I really can't recommend it enough. Does that make me a hopeless romantic? No. But watch it anyway.

1. The Wolf of Wall Street- What a fucking insane movie. The drugs, the sex, the depravity. I loved it all. Scorsese kind of outdid himself here. Time will tell just how high this will rank among his filmography, but for now it's at least a close second for my personal favorite DiCaprio/Scorsese collaboration behind The Aviator. So much has already been said about this movie that I can't really add much, other than it's an absolute must. DiCaprio gives a performance that goes from straight dramatic to downright physical comedy gold. Also, Jonah Hill masturbates publicly. Hilarious, profane, and it features Matthew McConaughey in a year that was full of Matthew McConaughey. In short, The Wolf of Wall Street was my favorite movie of 2013.

So there it is. Feel free to judge, as I hope you all will.


I'm seeing some movies for Cary Citizen this month, but I'm also seeing Need For Speed for myself, so I'll come back here and say things about that movie.

Until then, suck it.

The Lego Movie

I really wasn't that interested in The Lego Movie a week ago. Sure, it was directed by Chris Lord and Phil Miller, the guys behind 21 Just Street and Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs, but I just didn't see the point.

I know the brand has been branching out for a while with video games and such, but I just figured the movie was another cash grab aimed at kids. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

But then reviews started coming in insisting that it was actually a good movie. To be honest, this wasn't terribly surprising either given the fact that Lord and Miller had twice before taken horrible ideas for movies and made them both into something surprising and funny. The reviews were really strong though, so today I said "Fuck it" and decided to give it a go for myself.

And I must say, for the first hour or so, I was really into it. The jokes were flying at a mile a minute and filled with so much detail that it seemed a second viewing would be required just to take it all in. The cast they assembled was quite fitting as well. Chris Pratt, Elizabeth Banks, Morgan Freeman, Will Ferrel, Will Arnett and a million other voices you'll recognize ( or ones that will surprise you once you see the credits). Arnett especially stands out as one of the best and funniest iterations of Batman in forever.

Oh man, and the animation was incredible. A mix between computer generated and stop motion, I found myself in awe of the wizardry on display.

Even with all that good will though, I still kind of felt like the flick was a little over-hyped. It was fun and clever sure, but besides the animation there wasn't anything that felt particularly mind blowing going on. Just a fun and enjoyable movie that just happened to be based on a name brand toy. Again, not that there's anything wrong with that.

But then, in the third act, the movie takes a left turn. Actually, I'm not sure I can really call it a left turn since it's hinted at throughout the picture. And even if you missed the hints, you could probably guess at least a part of what's going to happen. I suppose the real surprise is the way that directors Miller and Lord use that moment and build to a genuinely emotional celebration of imagination and creativity. Before, The Lego Movie was just straight comedy, with no hint of anything else, which was fine. Usually when a family film feels the need to force some sort of moral or point at the end it feels forced and annoying. But The Lego Movie took what good will it had earned and used it in the best way possible, to create an ending that was both true and organic to the movie that proceeded it.

So believe the hype. Lord and Miller have once again taken what seems like an impossibly stupid idea and turned it into something that's so great, it's awesome.

A whole bunch o' nothin.

Hey dudes. I'm at the end of a glorious three day snow day, with only one quick 4 hour work interruption in the middle. I've watched a shit ton of movies during that time, so here we go.

First, I started Tuesday with an 8 AM viewing of Good Burger. I'm not really sure why. It was in my Netflix queue and I guess I felt like it was an easy early morning watch. I completely regretted it.

I don't really hate it or anything, but that movie is strictly for 8-12 year old kids in 1997. I'm surprised it exists outside of that year.

After that debacle I started the show Arrow. I'm a Smallville superfan so I knew this would be right up my alley. A co-worker had informed me that the sooner I realize that the first six episodes are basically Batman Begins, the better. And actually, they basically just turned the character of Green Arrow into Batman. But that's OK! It is The CW after all.

As I said, this show is exactly what I want it to be. Fun and cheesy. Also, I have to admit that I was surprised at the shows ability to strive for an actual arc, as opposed to just having villains of the week. I have a hard time watching dramas that don't really advance episode to episode. The first few seasons of Smallville suffered from this and it made it a real chore to sit through.

Anyway, the show is a lot of fun.

I've been on a Russell Crowe kick lately. The Insider, Man of Steel and Gladiator have been viewed by me in the last few weeks. So I kept it going with another viewing of 3:10 To Yuma. Man, such a great western. Fast paced, filled with great performances all around and a legitimately rousing finale, this remake ranks right up there with Unforgiven and Tombstone for me. Crowe's Ben Wade is one of his most charismatic performances to date. Can't forget my boy Christian Bale either, so good as a down on his luck rancher whose own son can't even find anything to look up to. Great stuff. I also plan on keeping this Crowe train going with a viewing of Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World in the next week or two. Stay tuned.

Next up was Wreck-it Ralph. I honestly don't have much to say on this one other than it was really cute and enjoyable. I'm not a gamer so I know I missed most of the references, but still I had a good time with it.


 And then, for whatever reason, a viewing of the Red Dawn remake just felt right. Honestly, it's not that bad, and it fulfilled the desire I was looking for at 11 PM with a glass of red wine. Chris Hemsworth proves once again that he rules and the rest of the ridiculously good looking cast do fine as well. The original is legitimately amazing and better in every way, but still, this remake was slight and fun.

Then I had my first viewing of A.I. Artificial Intelligence in about 8 years. Such a bizarre film, merging together the sensibilities of Spielberg with Stanley Kubrick, who was originally going to direct before handing it over to the other guy with a beard. Not his best film, but certainly not his worst either, A.I. remains fascinating to me and features an insanely good and creepy performance from Haley Joel Osment. This kid was the real deal, and I wish he had continued to do more work. I'm genuinely curious to see how he fits in with Will Ferrel's mini series The Spoils of Babylon and hopefully see if he can retain some of his former glory.

I've watched a bit more, but I think I'm gonna end this with my viewing of The Sum of all Fears, starring Ben Affleck's awful hair as Jack Ryan. This is actually a pretty decent entry in the Ryan series, with the absurdly dated technology only sometimes bringing the movie into truly silly territory. As a longtime Affleck supporter, I am pleased to say that he acquits himself nicely here. In fact, it's one of the few bright spots he had during this time of J. Lo and Gigli disasters. Long live the Affleck!

Well that felt good. I now have the absolute worst urge to watch Casino. Later dudes.

Her

I've seen 'Her' twice now, and I'm still struggling to wrap my head around it.

It's not an overly complicated movie, just the opposite in fact. I'd say it's theme of letting yourself love and to use that love to grow as a person, no matter how strange, is pretty universal.

It's just the way that director Spike Jonze captures the relationship Joaquin Phoenix has with his Operating System, voiced by Scarlett Johansson, in such a remarkably candid and honest way that I've found myself thinking about it every day for the past week.

Jonze is not making judgements about our addiction to technology, rather he focuses on what it means to feel lonely and to then be rescued from that feeling.

UGH, this sounds all lovey feely. But shit, let's be real, we've all been there. For some reason, I tend to look back on the hard days I've had from time to time, usually followed by a viewing of The Notebook. Why? I don't know. To remind me of what I have now? Maybe, but whatever the reason, it helps me feel human, and Jonze is able to capture that raw and ever so human feeling with a movie about a guy who dates a computer. Awesome.

Joaquin Phoenix is crazy good in this movie. Film critic Devin Faraci reminded me in his review of the film that this is same actor who only a year ago played Freddie Quell in The Master, one of the most broken characters ever put on film. In Her, his Theodore is also a broken man of sorts, but one ready and willing to have hope. It's an insane reversal, but it makes me excited to see what else this guy is capable of.

Scarlett is also great, something that is happening more and more these days. I've always enjoyed her work, but the last few years she seems to have gone out of her way to pick more interesting parts, and she seems to be relishing in the opportunities. It's extremely difficult for any actor to make any kind of impression in a movie, so the fact that Johansson comes across so real and appealing using only her voice is fascinating.

Overall, I think Her is really about accepting the love you've had and using that to move forward. I'm sucker for movies like these as it is, but Her is especially good because it just happens to be especially good.

Anchorman 2

Oof. I died a little inside every day I didn't see Anchorman 2. Katy left for a week the day it came out and of course I was forbidden from seeing it without her. Then work and other movie obligations got in the way.

But finally, after two agonizing weeks we sat down with beer and readied ourselves for some serious funny.

And it delivers! I have to admit I had tempered my expectations a bit, there was just no way it could live up to the first one. A movie that is pure lunacy, Anchorman was a shock to the system of comedy and has obviously achieved legendary status, something that even the best sequel could never overcome. So all I really wanted was for the movie to make me laugh, and that it did.

The film starts strong and ends with a battle so absurd and brilliant that I wish the same energy was employed throughout the rest of the movie, as the middle drags quite a bit. The film runs just under 2 hours, and it could have easily lost 20 minutes if not more.

Still, I laughed hard and I laughed a lot and it was never not a treat to have these ridiculous characters on screen again.


Well, that was a bit short, but really all you want to know is if it's funny, right? It is. So now, I'm going to take a left turn and get a little bloggy.

As you probably know, I like movies. Some would even say I like movies a little too much. Not as a way of not dealing with life or whatever, but that I literally like just about any movie I see. While that's not true, I usually only write or post about movies that I like because talking about good movies is fun. My work with Carycitizen.com has given my the opportunity to not only hone my writing skills but to see more movies, some of which I actively disliked. It's a bummer writing about movies you don't like. But that's the job of a critic though, letting other film lovers know what's worth the price of admission.

So I've changed the way I view movies ever so slightly. Or rather, I've been trying to change the way I talk about them. I try to be more honest about the actual quality of a movie. Even if I liked it, I try to admit what faults a film might have.

I realize this probably seems painfully obvious. I mean, duh, a film critic is supposed to talk about the overall quality of a movie. Well, fuck you. I'm new to this and in trying to turn this love/obsession into a career I'm having to really re-think my shit.

There was a small part of me though that was scared that this new way of thinking critically about a movie would dampen my overall love of movies, including the worst of the worst that I shamelessly own and watch again and again.

So to put this fear to rest, I watched Van Helsing.

That movie fucking sucks. There is no defense. Well, the score is pretty cool. I always knew it was bad, I just didn't care.

Thankfully though, even as my newly minted critic brain was turning its wheels, I took comfort in the fact that I still didn't care that it was bad. I still enjoyed every awful second of it. None of that so bad it's good bullshit. I liked it. Just cause.

So fear not, I'll make it my duty to be honest about films, good and bad and in between.

Sometimes though, I'm just going to watch some shit. And sometimes, I'll be perfectly OK with that.