"The Amazing Spider-Man" was possibly the most thrilling take on the character I have seen to date. Marc Webb found the true essence of the character, and made him every bit the neighborhood friendly wall-crawler we have come to know, and love. Packed with award caliber performances, it was far more promising than its trailers led us to believe. Comic book films are reaching a place where they as emotional as they are action packed, and this film found the balance perfectly. The small things that were wrong with were the kind of things not worth mentioning, so I won't. I'll just say that every origin story drags sometimes.
Grade: A- 3D: If you must Easter Egg: Yes
Starring: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Denis Leary Director: Marc Webb Writer(s): James Vanderbilt (also story) & Alvin Sargent & Steve Kloves
RT: 136 min
Rating: PG-13 for sequences of action and violence
Wes Anderson's keeps cranking out original and provoking films, that challenge the norm, and entertain with tremendous joy. "Moonrise Kingdom" belongs with "Bottle Rocket" and "The Royal Tennenbaums" as one of his most personal, and intriguing, films to date. His cast in this film is so perfectly placed, that it's a wonder that he didn't work with some of them sooner (I'm thinking mainly of Edward Norton, who could not have been more of a delight in this film if he tried). Kudos especially to the films two leads, Jared Gilman and Kara Hayward, for handling this material like masters of the screen, despite this being both of their first films. Cinematographer Robert Yeoman, who has worked on every live action Anderson film, keeps the film visually stunning. Giving it his signature look, that falls somewhere between modern and vintage, but never dull.
Grade: A
Easter Egg: One for the geeks who want to stay.
Starring: Jared Gilman, Kara Hayward, Bruce Willis
Director: Wes Anderson
Writer(s): Wes Anderson & Roman Coppola
RT: 94 min
Rating: PG-13 for sexual content and smoking
I don't understand the obsession with "Magic Mike", honestly. It's the "self-respecting" woman's version of softcore porn, and even then you're better off watching the very similar, and better written film, "Boogie Nights". Not to say that this isn't a decent movie, with small shimmers of good movie, but Steven Soderbergh simply hasn't made as a good an effort. He does, for the most part, keep the film enjoyable, and has amassed a talented cast that has done the same. It seems to slip the most in the third act, when things get dire for the leads. The tension never properly mounts, and the stakes never feel that high. However, professional wrestling superstar Kevin Nash is in it, and that is good enough for me!
With the world "ending" this year, it seems we need as many end of the world movies as possible. This is second best of the genre I have seen this year (the first being "Perfect Sense"). Despite being a mainstream romantic comedy, it doesn't follow a lot of patterns, and remains understated, not loud and brash like a lot of Carell's other comedies. The humor is smart, the characters are sympathetic, and the cast handles the subject matter with gusto. The supporting cast, and all of the cameos, give this film a well-rounded feel that lasts with you, after the film is over. I will say this is a happier, less annoying version of Lars Von Trier's whinny "Melancholia" that came out last year, except I don't think I laughed as hard at this. For different reasons, of course.
Grade: B+
Easter Egg: No
Starring: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Martin Sheen
Director: Lorene Scafaria
Writer(s): Lorene Scafaria
RT: 101 min
Rating: R for language including sexual references, some drug use and brief violence
What happens when two of the most respected sci-fi writers, in film today (Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci), decide to make a drama with a writer who's main credit is a documentary about the comeback of a singer/songwriter? "People Like Us". A sweet film about a man who discovers he has a sister, and a nephew, after his father dies, and leaves them a small fortune. Chris Pine is beginning to grow on me more with each film. He was a fine Kirk in "Start Trek", and does well in a non-action role along side Elizabeth Banks. This material is good, and wanders into emotional territory from time to time, but stays on the happy/smiley side for most of it. While this is Kurtzman's directorial debut, it isn't the kind of film one really uses to show off what they can do behind the camera.
Grade: B
Easter Egg: No
THE CLASH WATCH: Multiple reference to "London Calling"/"Spanish Bombs" plays
Starring: Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde
Director: Alex Kurtzman
Writer(s): Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci & Jody Lambert
RT: 115 min
Rating: PG-13 for language, some drug use and brief sexuality
I understand the want to make fairy tale women stronger, and less of the victim, I do. But, at least when you do it, make a better movie. "Snow White and the Huntsman" obviously wants to be whatever fantasy movie it can pay homage to, but fails at finding enough of its own personality to be any good. Honestly, despite a little overacting (mostly from Charlize Theron, surprisingly), the cast did a pretty good job, and director Rupert Sanders, and cinematographer Greig Fraser, make the film somewhat of a visual treat. The writing is where I had the most problem, or whomever decided to pack in as much of "The Lord of the Rings", "The Neverending Story", and any Guillermo Del Toro film, as they possibly could.
Grade: C-
Easter Egg: No
Starring: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Nick Frost
Director: Rupert Sanders
Writer(s): Evan Daugherty and John Lee Hancock and Hossein Amini
RT: 127 min
Rating: PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, and brief sensuality
BOOKS! They often make great movies, and seeing as this is a movie review blog, that is good for me. This year has already seen its share of films based off of novels ("John Carter", "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter"), and has more on the way ("Les Miserables", "The Hobbit", "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days"), so I thought I would take today to criticize two trailers, not listed above, for your amusement.
Pass: Anna Karenina
Call me whatever name you would like, but I love a well made period drama. Especially ones based on Russian literature. Let's start with the basics of why this trailer has me a little more than excited. First, it is being directed by Joe Wright. If you have not seen "Atonement", then you won't understand why this is great, but I assure you, this man knows how to effectively tell a story. Speaking of great storytellers, the screenplay to this Leo Tolstoy masterpiece is being written by Tom Stoppard. The man responsible for "Rosencrantz & Gildenstern Are Dead" and partly for "Brazil"! Also, look at Seamus McGarvey's beautiful cinematography! He was the man responsible for making "The Avengers" look as sleek as it was, and his other D.P. credits aren't anything to scoff at either. Add in this top-shelf cast, and this trailer has me wanting to see a midnight show of this movie.
Fail: The Great Gatsby
Why does this look so bad? Oh... Baz "Moulin Rouge" Luhrmann directed it. Giving it that cartoony quality that he does with everything he touches. While I loved "No Church in the Wild" for the "Safe House" trailer, it doesn't seem to fit in a film about rich white people in the roaring '20's. Though the cast did originally get me pumped up, after seeing this trailer I don't think I could be any less enthused. It captures every bit of screaming angst that I would expect in horror movie trailer, without all of the grotesque death scenes. Wait! Did I just see that it was in 3D? Wonderful. Just what we needed. Overacting, and bad special effects backgrounds in 3D. Didn't we have enough of that from "Episode I" and "Titanic" being re-released this year?
Extra Pass: Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury
I post this to a lot of thing, but I love it. If you couldn't tell by the title, this is not appropriate for work, school, parents, or fans of Issac Asimov.
There is something to be said for people with bizarre passions. They feel things that so-called "normal" people will never be able to. What most would call obsession, these individuals call love. Generally, it is a love for a specific product, person, or event that transcends any love that the public is able to comprehend. Brett Whitcomb and Bradford Thomason's documentary, "The Rock-afire Explosion", captures this through the eyes of a collection of fans of the Showbiz Pizza franchise, as they share their passion, and their stories. The film primarily focuses on two men: Aaron Fechter and Chris Thrash. Fechter is the creator of the Rock-afire Explosion, owner of Creative Engineering, and co-founder of Showbiz Pizza. He lays out the heart-breaking details of his rise to stardom with the quick success, and failure, of the pizza franchise. Thrash,on the other hand, is a small-town roller rink DJ, and the self-proclaimed, biggest fan of Showbiz Pizza. He spends his time trying to get enough money to buy, and maintain, a complete Rock-afire stage show, which he keeps in his garage.
Dreams do come true!
Watching this film was beautiful experience. These two men bare their souls on screen, one in ways that may seem absolutely silly to anyone who would not care to understand him, and it becomes very easy for the audience to be taken by them. Whitcomb and Thomason delve into this topic with gusto, and I can't tell whether it was my nostalgic streak, my personal connection, or my love of a great underdog story, that really got me hooked, but I feel this is honestly one of the most strikingly honest documentaries I have seen recently, and suggest it whole heatedly.
