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.
Tuesday, July 29, 2014
Sunday, July 13, 2014
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.
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.
Sunday, June 29, 2014
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.
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.
Thursday, June 19, 2014
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!
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!
Thursday, May 1, 2014
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".
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".
Thursday, April 10, 2014
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.
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.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
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.
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.
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