Review: Rise of the Planet of the Apes

Rise of the Planet of the Apes

8/10/11

AMC Crossroads 24

Large Mr. Pibb

Plenty of A/C

I know what you are thinking, because I was too.  Most people I’ve talked to about this movie have said “I can’t believe you went to see that.”  The previous 4 installments in this franchise have left us with that taste in our mouth.  The “Apes” movies have become a joke, a punchline and the Tim Burton 2001 reboot didn’t help matters.  I went into this movie thinking it was going to totally suck.  My defense of originality in Hollywood finally has met its horrible end, I can no longer defend an institution that produces yet another cheap monkey costume story about horrible humans. 

You’re just going to have to trust me when I tell you we were all way off on this one.  I talk all the time about movies that absolutely surprise me and this is at the top of the list.  Forget surprised, let’s go with SHOCKED (pun intended….Peter Gabriel).  

Not knowing this going in, it turns out this is actually a prequel to the 1968 original film starring Charlton Heston.  As a refresher:  Heston’s team was on a mission to Mars and went through a time warp and landed on an alternate Earth in the future where primates were the dominant….and really only….species.  Without ruining it for you, let’s just say this movie pays constant homage to that one and actually sets up for not only sequels but for the original.  The Mars mission launch is actually shown on a background television and it’s disappearance referenced in a newspaper story. 

James Franco does a good enough job as the lead character, Will Rodman who is experimenting with a cure for Alzheimer’s which ails his Father.  His experiments on primates land him the cure he’s been waiting for, but the patient ends up going nuts and has to be put down.  Will finds a baby chimp in the mom’s cell and takes it home and raises it as his own.  “Cesar” turns out to have inherited the genetic benefits of higher brain function and becomes super-smart to the point that his intelligence lands him in a primate habitat when he runs into trouble.  Tom Felton, who played the infamous Draco Malfoy in the Potter films, takes another turn as a bad guy who abuses the primate inhabitants to the point of revolt. 

All of the performances are good in the movie but the real amazement is in the performance capture acting done by Andy Serkis (Gollum in LOTR) wearing a skinsuit with sensors attached.  You know CGI is amazing when you forget you’re watching something that isn’t real.  And I can hardly get my mind around knowing that Serkis is ACTUALLY there in all these scenes, acting out ape movements and expressions.  It’s absolutely shocking.  The movie is worth going to see just for this element.  Add in that the story is cool and sets up the very reason for the original Planet of the Apes.  Didn’t anyone ever wonder “how did the Apes take over in the first place?”  Question answered. 

Now something I NEVER thought I’d say going into Rise of the Planet of the Apes:  I can’t wait for the sequel.

My review: 

3/4, B+, See it in the theater

Review: Drive

Drive

9/21/11

Carmike Cinema 10

Medium Mr. Pibb

Plenty of A/C

Every now and then a movie comes along that just shocks the crap out of you.  Drive will undoubtedly be that movie for pretty much anyone who sees it.  It wasn’t remotely what I expected.  I’d imagine it’s going to polarize people.  I can see how someone could hate it.  But I can definitely see how someone could love it.

For one thing, I know who Ryan Gossling is and have seen The Notebook (hated it) and Remember the Titans (loved it).  Haven’t seen Crazy, Stupid Love yet but everyone I know swears by it.  All that being said, I’m not a huge fan or anything, he wasn’t particularly a draw.  For another thing, I know who Carey Mulligan is but have never seen or paid attention to her in anything.  So add it all up and really there wasn’t a terrific amount of “hey I gotta see that” to this movie.  Albert Brooks playing it straight was intriguing.  Christina Hendricks is hot in a “not afraid of her curves redhead” sort of way.  Then you throw in the “Winner:  Best Director, Cannes Film Festival 2011” and you start to wonder. Trailer looked good.  Let’s give it a try. 

Boom…..literally.

I was blown away by this movie.  The way it was made, the way it was shot, the acting, the soundtrack.  Blown away. 

The story is easy enough:  Driver (you never find out his real name) is a loner who works as a stunt driver for movies during the day in L.A. and as a getaway driver for hire at night.  He offers no involvement in whatever anyone is up to, simply to drive them away from the crime.  He gives you a five minute window and then he’s gone, whether you are finished or not.  He also moonlights at the garage owned by his troubled father figure and friend Shannon played brilliantly by Bryan Cranston.  He befriends the woman next door and her son who are living out their days until her husband gets out of prison, which he does, eventually hooking up with Driver on a job and causing all sorts of havoc. 

The soundtrack was crafted by Cliff Martinez who also did the music for Contagion which is out at the same time.  The synth vibe and songs included in the movie are part of what actually MAKE the movie what it is.  You know you’ve nailed it when that happens.  There’s a song on there by DJ College called “A Real Hero” that is hauntingly awesome. 

I will warn you:  the movie is really rough in places and has lots of blood and violence in spots.  It’s not for the weak of heart.  It has a very dark, sort of noir thriller feel to it that takes you back to another era.  This could have easily been a star vehicle for Steve McQueen.  Part of what make it so cool is the simplicity.  There are 20 minute or so periods of time where no one says a thing.  THAT is when you know you are dealing with awesome performances. 

Do yourself a favor and go see this.  You’re either going to love me or hate me for it. 

My review: 

3.5/4, A, See it in the theater

Review: 30 Minutes or Less

30 Minutes or Less

8/23/11

Carmike Cinema 10

2 Small Mr. Pibbs

Plenty of A/C

So, here’s the setup:  a movie starring Jesse Eisenberg, one of the hottest young actors working today; Aziz Ansari , one of the funniest comedians working today and one of the stars of the funniest show on TV, Parks and Recreation;  Danny McBride, hilarious and foul as the star of Eastbound and Down, and made by the team that brought you Zombieland, one of the best surprise hits of the last decade.  If I told you all that would you believe me if I also told you it sucked?

I’m not going to take the time to completely kill the thing.  There were some really funny parts.  It just wasn’t put together right.  It almost felt rushed and poorly written.  Danny McBride was funny as usual but there just weren’t enough funny parts to overcome the sort of dark comedy theme. 

Eisenberg plays a stoner pizza delivery guy who gets a bomb strapped to his chest and told he has 9 hours to rob a bank.  McBride needs $100,000 to pay a hitman to knock of his lottery winning Dad so he can inherit the money and run off with a stripper.  With me so far?  That’s pretty much it.

Rent it on poker night when you have the guys over and don’t really have to watch it that close. 

My review: 

2/4, C-, Rent it from RedBox for $1

Review: The Help

The Help

8/16/11

Carmike Cinema 10

Large Mr. Pibb

Plenty of A/C

Every now and then a movie comes along that you end up telling everyone to go see.  Super 8  was one, Forrest Gump back in the day, The Shawshank Redemption.  The Help is on that list.  Don’t confuse that for me saying it’s Top 10 or anything like that, but it shocked the hell out of me. 

I’ll admit it, I was dreading going to see it.  This looked like a classic chick flick.  Right up there with The Notebook, The Last Song and pretty much any other movie starting with “The” that features a trailer with all women, lot’s of crying, potentially kissing in the rain and some sort of conflict.  Also I’m pretty much out on anything featured in any sort of book club or anything mentioned at any time by Oprah.  Even at the theater I was worried since I was literally the only guy in there and brought the average age down to about 67.

By the end I had cried 3 times, wanted to see it again and proceeded to sing it’s praises to this very day.  Every man, woman and child over the age of 10 needs to see this movie.  People have asked what I would compare it to and the closest comparison is Forrest Gump…that’s tall company.  But I felt the same way after seeing this that I did after I saw that. 

Skeeter is a recent college graduate living in Jackson, MS in the early 60’s with her family and no hopes for employment in her chosen field of journalism.  She lands a job at the local paper writing an advice column that had been abandoned for some time.  She also has a spot in her heart for the African-American women of the day in the South who not only help raise the white children they serve but come to love the families they spend their days with.  Aibileen is played brilliantly by Viola Davis and is the maid for one of Skeeter’s childhood friends.  Tired of the racist and demeaning attitudes her friends have toward their maids, she decides to write a book of their stories as told by The Help.  The controversial book becomes the talk of the town and causes denials to fly. 

The movie is touching, well made and extremely well acted by all involved.  I expect Oscar nominations for Davis, her best friend played by Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone for her portrayal of Skeeter and for Bryce Dallas Howard playing a snotty racist. 

Guys, this is a chance for you to score some points by taking your wives, you won’t be sorry.  Just bring tissue.

My review: 

3.5/4, A, See it in the theater

Review: The Change Up

The Change Up

8/9/11

Carmike Cinema 10

Large Mr. Pibb

Plenty of A/C

I’ve been thinking a lot about the movie that really started this trend of raunchy, limits-pushing one-upsmanship that we are currently caught in the middle of at the megaplex these days.  Was it Wedding Crashers?  There’s Something About Mary?  Do we need to go all the way back to Porky’s?  All of those were funny, classless, edgy and oh so wrong. 

The problem is that at some point that just becomes stale and repetitive.  Alas:  The Change Up.   Basic plot:  Dave has a routine job as an attorney, wife, 3 kids, pretty boring.  Mitch is his best buddy and has no job as he struggles to become an actor but spends most of his time hooking up with women and spending money he doesn’t have.  They pee in a magic fountain and switch places.  Mayhem ensues until the can find a way to switch back.

Jason Bateman and Ryan Reynolds are two of the best actors working today.  Leslie Mann is hilarious and always does a good job of playing the put-upon wife.  The movie had some things working in its favor.  Not working in its favor:  the tiredness of the switcharoo comedy, the horribleness of The Hangover Part 2, the gross-out physical humor of Bridesmaids and the shock value of Horrible Bosses.  In a year where none of that had happened this movie may have worked, in a summer where it did happen, it just hits flat. 

If you aren’t a fan of horrible language, stay away.  Frequent use of the “f-bomb” (100+ utterings), even in front of children is prevalent and one of the characters is a soft-core porn actor so it’s hard to avoid discussions and images of his occupation.  It’s definitely not for the prude amongst us. 

I’m not saying it was crap, there were some really funny parts and those two guys can take even a mediocre script and make it funny.  The problem is that by the time they get around to trying to make it a lesson in morality and human nature, they’ve already lost you. 

In summary, imagine if the makers of Freaky Friday had smoked a bunch of pot and watched some dirty movies before they wrote the script and BOOM!:  The Change Up.  In fact, grown-up Freak Friday actress Lindsay Lohan probably LOVED this version.  I’ll recommend it for the guys during Poker Night but otherwise I’d probably skip it. 

My review: 

2/4, C, Wait for DVD

Review: Horrible Bosses

Horrible Bosses

7/25/11

Carmike Cinema 10-Private Screening

Large Mr. Pibb

Plenty of A/C

I’m a big fan of high-brow comedy and not a big fan of gross-out, raunch-fest comedy.  Unfortunately that line gets blurred all too often these days and movies that should be one or the other end up being both.  Its genius marketing if you think about it, ropes in both audiences.  So, when a movie can toe the line and manage to tastefully pull off both genres, it becomes an instant winner.  The Hangover did it, The Hangover 2 didn’t.  Anchorman did it, Jackass didn’t.  You get the point. 

For those of us who have had a Horrible Boss in the past, this movie hit’s WAY too close to home.  Jason Bateman, Entertainment Weekly’s “Man of Summer” (who I think is one of the funniest people on the planet), Jason Sudeikis and Charlie Day play three guys who all hate their boss and decide it’s time to take action.  You may think the idea of killing the three superiors may seem a little aggressive until you see how they treat these guys.  Kevin Spacey, Colin Farrell and Jennifer Anniston play the three bosses respectively.  Bateman is in a corporate office environment, Sudeikis is in a small business and Day works for a dentist, so we cover nearly any workplace conflict; which by the way are intimidation, insanity and sexual harassment.

All six of the main characters turn in great performances but in my opinion Anniston and Bateman steal the show.  Anniston plays a nymphomaniac who tries and tries again to get engaged Day to stray from his to be marital commitment.  For those of us who are Rachel from Friends fans to start with, you’ll never see her the same again.  And Bateman essentially plays me about 15 years ago so I’m watching the movie thinking “Damn, I should have thought of that!!”  You can’t help but cringe watching his boss continually hammer him.

There are a few too many “F” words for some people and some obviously mature themes so the rating is a hard “R” but as long as you know that going in I think you’ll see that all of it fits.  This is the funniest movie of 2011 so far.  And I say that knowing that there have been a few record-breaking comedies released this year.  Like The Hangover and Anchorman both, I have a feeling this one will get better and better with time. 

My review: 

3/4, B+, See it in the theater

Review: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2

7/19/11

Carmike Cinema 10

Large Mr. Pibb

Plenty of A/C

The Harry Potter franchise was a first for many of us.  We watched Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint and the rest of their Hogwarts classmates grow up in front of our very eyes.  Radcliffe was eleven years old when he was cast as Harry.  I’m not sure about the rest of you, but I changed quite a bit from the time I was eleven to the time I was 22.  No franchise in film history has granted an opportunity to view the lives of characters through 8 consecutive films over 10 years.

Nor has any series been so beloved by so many, adding amazing amounts of pressure to the producers, writers and directors of the subsequent films.  Bringing Harry to the screen has been an extremely complex and daunting task, which is part of what makes the final installment so fulfilling.

Adapting a 759 page book to the screen was a challenge to begin with.  Splitting the book into two movies proved the only option.  I thought Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows:  Part 1 was an excellent movie on its own.  Part 2 hits the ground running and never lets up, even after the final “Avada Kedavra!!”  In fact, one of my criticisms of the movie is that in order to complete the saga in two films, there was no room for any character focused moments whatsoever.  It almost felt rushed. 

By now everyone knows the plot of the final Potter film:  Harry must find the 4 remaining Horcruxes containing pieces of Lord Voldemort’s soul and destroy them in order that he can defeat the evil Lord during their climactic final battle.  The action moves to Hogwarts for the epic final battle which is fitting since that’s where our story began.  I loved the way that all of Harry’s friends had a chance to have their shining moment as the story concludes, including Neville Longbottom who has always been one of my favorite characters. 

The movie had several standout moments:  Ron and Hermione’s first kiss, Harry finding out the true events of Dumbledore’s death and having a chance to see his parents, his Uncle Sirius and other allies.  And of course the final battle between Harry and Voldemort, that the entire series has lead us to, was a great climax. 

But my favorite thing about the movie may surprise you:  the female heroines.  I loved the fact that Maggie Smith’s “Professor McGonagall” and Julie Walters’ “Molly Weasley” got to have their moments in the spotlight and kick some serious butt.  It was a fitting ending to a groundbreaking epic.

I don’t know about you guys, but for me, it’s a bittersweet farewell to our favorite boy wizard.  Well done, Harry.

My review: 

3.5/4, A, See it tonight in the theater

Review: Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Transformers:  Dark of the Moon

7/6/11

Carmike Cinema 10

Large Mr. Pibb

Plenty of A/C

The question you have to ask is:  “What were you expecting?”  I mean, at this point don’t you know what you’re getting from a Transformers movie?

 I’ll admit it, I read other critics reviews, sometimes before I go see the movie.  I know, I know, it’s poor form.  Whatever, I don’t really care.  I’m just a guy who likes movies and likes to tell others what I think about them.  So, a few of these stuffy shirts just killed this movie.  One of my favorite critics, whom I’m often in complete agreement with, went so far as to give it zero out of four stars.  Are you kidding me!!??  I’ve never seen that before.  I was going to go see it just because of that alone!!

By the third installment in the Transformers franchise, we know exactly what we’re getting.  And let me tell you:  THAT is what makes this movie so good.  Returning Director Michael Bay doesn’t even try to disguise this as anything other than a showcase for how unbelievable computer generated effects and explosions can be.  They have perfected it to the point that you really do forget you are watching something that isn’t real.  The actors and effects blend seamlessly. 

Yes, there is a plot, and a pretty good one at that.  For the second time this summer (see review of X-Men:  First Class), actual historical events are re-imagined into a fictional theme.  This time the first Apollo moon landing serves as a vehicle to find out what’s behind a mysterious craft that crashed on the dark side of the surface.  Turns out it’s from Cybertron and carrying some pretty bad dudes.  This time Optimus Prime’s best buddy is played by none other than Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy as Sentinel Prime, a conflicted Autobot who wants an alliance with a now resurrected Megatron, who of course wants to take over the planet. 

Back once again as the kid who can’t catch a break is Shia Labeouf as Sam but this time there is a new hottie taking the place of Megan Fox named Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, a former Victoria’s Secret model.  She plays Sam’s girlfriend, Carley and really does a pretty good job. Otherwise it’s all the usual suspects and that’s a good thing. 

Look, if you want a good movie with awesome graphics and lot’s of explosions and action, you can’t do much better.  And Michael Bay isn’t going to try to make you think otherwise.

My review: 

3/4, B, See it in the theater

Review: Green Lantern

Green Lantern

6/17/11

Carmike Cinema 10

Large Mr. Pibb, few bites of popcorn

Appropriate A/C

Well, it’s happened.  Thor sort of set me up for the collapse and now I’m fully there.  I’m officially done with effects-heavy non-mainstream superhero movies.  This one had real potential too. 

Since seeing Green Lantern a few days ago I’ve figured out what my problem is:  people like me who have to be fully caught up to the origin story of these characters.  If they could just jump in with a story in the middle of what you already know, these would be much better movies and the pace would be completely different.  Not that Green Lantern was boring at all.  It was fast paced and at times very exciting.  But it takes 30 minutes or so just to set up the history of the Green Lantern.

The story picks up by telling us the origin of the “Lanterns”, protectors of the galaxy.  They spend their entire lives battling against Parallax, a former Lantern gone bad that is out to conquer the universe.  One of the top Lanterns is injured in the process and his craft crashes on Earth where he is forced to let his Green Lantern ring choose his replacement.  The ring chooses Hal Jordan, a cocky test pilot played by Ryan Reynolds.  Once he figures out that he suddenly has new powers, he flies to a far away planet, gets trained as a lantern and comes back to Earth to battle Parallax who has now invaded the body of his top rival Hector (of course) who is in love with Hal’s girlfriend Carol (of course).  Still with me?  If not, I don’t blame you. 

But look, it wasn’t all bad.  Reynolds was great.  He’s carving out a spot for himself amongst Hollywood’s top “go to” leading men.  He was funny and had all the best intentions here.  Unfortunately, he was just stuck in an effects-heavy, badly written piece of junk.  The Parallax animation was cheesy at best and the story just sort of fell flat.  I didn’t feel any emotional investment in any of the characters and certainly didn’t really cheer against the bad guy.  He was just sort of a dork with a rage problem.  And Mark Strong, who plays Sinestro, leader of the Green Lanterns just can’t seem to catch a break these days.  He was also in another clunker that should have been good, Sherlock Holmes, last year. 

The only other positive I can give it is that my 5 year old loved it.  He’s a superhero nut and I’m really hoping that Captain America is good in a few weeks or I may have to take a long break from comic book busts.

My review: 

2/4, C-, Wait for DVD

Review: Super 8

Super 8

6/10/11

Carmike Cinema 10

Large Mr. Pibb, few bites of popcorn

Appropriate A/C

Now THIS is what we’ve been waiting for!!!  I’d forgotten what a GREAT movie looks and feels like.  Not since Inception had I left the theater wanting to turn right around and see a movie again.  I think we’ve tried to fool ourselves a few times and probably overrated some movies simply by comparing them with the junk that was out at the time.  Then a movie like Super 8 comes along and reminds us what we weren’t getting. 

Super 8 is a Summer movie the way Summer movies are supposed to be made.  Remember back when Steven Spielberg (who happens to be a producer on this film) made really good movies that weren’t too preachy or weird?  E.T., The Goonies, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jurrasic Park?  That’s what this feels like.  I’m not saying Amistad, Saving Private Ryan and Shindler’s List aren’t good movies, “Ryan” is in my Top 5 of all-time.  I’m just saying they aren’t fun, feel good movies.  You didn’t know you were missing it until you see it again,  I promise.

JJ Abrams, creator of TV’s Alias, Lost and the big screen reboot of Star Trek, helms this throwback to a time we all remember fondly.  A more simple era with no cell phones, riding your bike until dark, great music.  The movie happens to be set in 1979 but could really be set whenever you want it to be, whatever time period brings back those feelings for you.  A film crew of early teens are filming a zombie movie with a super 8 camera (which happens to be Spielberg and Abrams media of choice as children) to enter into a film festival.  They happen to catch the events of a spectacular train wreck on film while shooting one night and soon after mysterious events begin to take place around their town.  What was the train carrying?  Why is the military handling the cleanup? 

The kids (Joe, Charles, Martin, Cary and Preston along with their female lead Alice) are the stars of the movie and the “movie within the movie”.  Riley Griffiths as Charles plays the director of the zombie movie they are filming and is outstanding.  He’s already got the quirks and quips of a big time Hollywood director down pat.  And newcomer Joel Courtney who plays the lead character, Joe, is destined for greatness.  Playing a young man whose mother has recently died and doesn’t have any sort of relationship at all with his father (Friday Night Lights’ Kyle Chandler, outstanding as always), Courtney does a great job of getting you to really root for him.

It’s pretty scary at times so it’s probably not good for kids under 13 but I think most everyone else will love it.  It reminds me of the above movies wrapped into one and be sure to stay during the credits to watch the final product of the homemade movie the kids are making, it’s worth the wait.  This is one not to delay in going to see.  My favorite of 2011 so far. 

My review: 

3.5/4, A, See it TODAY in the theater

Review: X-Men: First Class

X-Men:  First Class

6/8/11

Carmike Cinema 10

Medium Mr. Pibb

Appropriate A/C

Another week, another sequel:  the 5^th entry into the X-Men movie cannon.  And like most franchises, the movies followed pretty much the same pattern:  1^st was great, 2^nd was okay, 3^rd was awful then they reset and tried a new angle, the stand alone “Wolverine” movie.  I’ve seen it a few times and it was alright, nothing spectacular.  Now comes the natural next step in a franchise:  the prequel. 

Let me start by saying that I didn’t get into comic books much as a kid.  Just wasn’t my bag.  As I’ve gotten older I’ve enjoyed seeing comics brought to the big screen and given life.  Whenever the movies are released, I’ve learned more about the books themselves.  Marvel vs. DC, The Avengers, Stan Lee, etc.  Plus, one of my best college buddies, Jimmy Marsden played Cyclops in the first three X-Men movies so I followed them closely.  I loved the Spider Man and the Iron Man movies, Thor was okay, 1^st Hulk was terrible, reboot was alright.    

So, X-Men:  First Class brings us to the origin story of Professor X and Magneto.  James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender play the two old friends, respectively and both bring some recent credibility to the roles.  McAvoy is most recognized from “Wanted” and Fassbender from “Inglorious Basterds”, both decent movies.  The casting of the movie was part of what makes it great.  Kevin Bacon as the bad guy was brilliant and January Jones does a great job as one of his evil sidekicks.  There’s even a cameo by one of our favorite X-Men that you’ll love seeing. 

Bryan Singer, who directed the first two movies wrote the story for this one and you can tell that it has the quality and feel of those two, the best of the films in my opinion.  The story centers around the Cuban Missile Crisis and the role that the mutants played in staving off World War III in this re-imagined staging of those events.  Mutants are just starting to find each other and begin to understand one another.  The movie does a great job of setting the stage for the “should we try to blend in and work with humans” vs. the “we are the superior race and humans must be eradicated” camps that Professor X and Magneto later espouse. 

Bottom line:  I was pleasantly surprised.  I REALLY liked this movie.  You don’t even need to have seen the 1^st movies or really know much about the story to enjoy it.  It’s appropriate for most ages but there is quite a bit of violence.  Probably wouldn’t take the 5 year old but 13 year olds would like it.

My review: 

3/4, B, See it in the theater

Review: Kung Fu Panda 2

Kung Fu Panda 2

5/28/11

Carmike Cinema 10

Medium Mr. Pibb

Appropriate A/C

I think Jack Black is one of the funniest people on the planet.  I’d watch him slice bread and laugh.  So when Kung Fu Panda was being made I knew I’d be a quick fan.  Jack Black playing…..well….Jack Black as a giant, fat panda that needed to save Kung Fu and in turn, all of China.  It turned out to be one of the best surprises in a long time (and held that distinction until How to Train Your Dragon came out) and went into my lexicon of movie ownership, a distinct class indeed.

As with any major studio release that has any measure of success, a sequel was planned and announced and all the major stars secured to reprise roles.  And as with any sequel, I was skeptical (see review of Hangover 2).  And this being the Summer of the Sequel, I figured I’d see it and it would be okay and that would be that. 

Well, I loved it.  I’m going to have to revise my list of “Movies Who’s Sequel is Better Than the Original”.  Because this one was.  Darker and a little heavier, but also funnier and more touching.  All of the major stars are back:  Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen, David Cross, Lucy Liu and Dustin Hoffman.  Throw in Gary Oldman as the villain this time around because he’s awesome at playing a villain every time.  But Shen the peacock and his plan to dominate China are only a side story to this search for truth and the meaning of life.  Yep, you read that right.  Big themes for a movie about a fat, lazy panda.

Po finds himself in the middle of an existential conflict when he starts having flashbacks to his infancy and seeing visions of his mother and father.  He’s forced to finally acknowledge the elephant (or giant panda) in the room:  his father is a duck.  What has been criticized by a few stuffy shirts as a poor lesson in handling adoption conversations, I found to be touching and meaningful.  And the conflict resolution, both with the bad guy and the good guy, is as good as animated movies get.

Like I said, it’s a little darker and there are some intense moments that flash back to why Po came to be with Mr. Ping in the first place.  But overall, it’s a great movie appropriate for all ages and had some huge laughs and some really good animation sequences.  Dustin Hoffman’s Master Shifu isn’t in it enough in my opinion but his presence is always great.

Take your kids and go see this instead of seeing Hangover 2 with your buddies.  I promise you’ll feel better in the morning.

My review: 

3/4, B+, See it in the theater

Review: The Hangover Part 2

The Hangover Part 2

5/29/11

Carmike Cinema 10

Medium Mr. Pibb

Appropriate A/C

Let’s talk for a minute about my line. I think for a middle of the road, relatively conservative valued, WASP that my line is pretty far out there compared to most of my peers. I have an odd sense of humor and can find laughs in some pretty out-there stuff. The Hangover Part 2 goes so far over the line and beyond that it can't even see my line in the rearview mirror.

When the 1st Hangover came out, it pushed the line for a lot of people. For me, it was right there where I like it. Hilarious, unpredictable, edgy, raunchy, just downright wrong on many levels. Looking back, there wasn’t a whole lot in it besides the language that was too bad…..until the end. The last snapshot from the infamous mystery night camera that was found which had Zac Galifinakis’ character Alan in a compromised position with an elderly woman. I need not say more for you to know exactly what I’m talking about.

Right, wrong or indifferent, full frontal male nudity is still taboo amongst American movie audiences, ratings boards and censors. Everyone remembers how they felt the 1st time they saw that scene. I don’t know a single person who, however hilarious they found it, didn’t feel a slight bit uncomfortable. Imagine feeling that same way for an entire movie and you’ve got my thoughts on The Hangover Part 2.

There’s no need to bore you with plot points, if you have a heartbeat you’ve seen the promos or heard about the premise: the boys are in Thailand for Stu’s wedding. It’s a complete retread of the 1st movie. Almost minute for minute. I’d like to play them side by side and see how close it comes.

Same jokes, same problems, same people. The only difference: this one went WAY too far over the line. It’s much darker, much sicker, much more twisted, much more crude and really not the slightest bit funny. One of the reasons I had to see the original Hangover more than once in the theater was so that I could hear what some of the lines were that I missed due to all of the laughter. That didn’t happen in this theater. Any laughter was the uncomfortable, “can’t help but laugh at that” type.

I WANT TO MAKE SURE YOU READ AND REMEMBER THIS IF NOTHING ELSE: DO NOT LET TEENAGE CHILDREN GO SEE THIS MOVIE. IT IS BEYOND INAPPROPRIATE FOR YOUNG AUDIENCES. The 1st movie became a cult sensation with teenagers and I’m afraid they’ll be rushing out to see this one.

So, after I’m out of therapy for what I saw on the screen, it’s off to Kung Fu Panda 2 again to cleanse my soul.

 

My review: 

1/4, D, Wait for DVD and only then with an extremely tolerant audience

Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Pirates of the Caribbean:  On Stranger Tides

5/26/11

Carmike Cinema 10

Medium Mr. Pibb

Appropriate A/C

Sequels are a funny animal.  And this is the Summer of Sequels.  It’s fodder for those who maintain that Hollywood is out of original ideas (See review of Source Code a few weeks ago).  Only a few sequels have ever outdone the original:  The Empire Strikes Back and Wrath of Khan being the two that come to mind.  Reboots are a tough to pull off as well.  For every Batman there’s a Superman.  For every Star Trek there’s a Tron.

The fourth entry into the Pirates canon had me worried.  To recap:  loved the 1^st one, it will go down as one of my all-time favorites; 2^nd was okay but definitely started to drift a little; 3^rd movie was a train wreck.  By the time the trilogy had been brought to a close, there were too many characters, the story was totally confusing, there was a squid faced guy who talked with a clicking sound and a disturbing will she/won’t she story with the maiden and the scoundrel pirate.  I wasn’t doing reviews at the time but here’s how they’d have gone, in order:  Black Pearl 3.5/4, Dead Man’s Chest 2/4, At World’s End 1/4. 

Fast forward to 2011.  Bruckheimer, et al decides to reboot the franchise and Johnny Depp isn’t ready to turn in his freak card quite yet so he decides to don the Jack Sparrow garb again.  Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley are gone, as are pretty much everyone else except for Jack’s right hand man, Gibbs and Barbossa who is now a proper Englishman.  And somehow it all works.

This time Jack and the crew are searching for the Fountain of Youth.  Problem is, so are a group of Spaniards and the ever-feared Blackbeard the Pirate.  Enter Blackbeard’s daughter, Angelica, played by Penelope Cruz.  She and Jack apparently hooked up at some point in the past and there is no love lost between them.  The opening sequence alone is almost worth the price of admission and this film is much funnier than the last two and infinitely easier to understand. 

Penelope Cruz steals the show and Ian McShane’s Blackbeard is a great bad guy.  But nothing in this movie compares with the sheer beauty and terror of the mermaids.  Yep, those mythical creatures that you envision singing about being part of our world or chilling with Tom Hanks will have you walking away wondering if those part woman/part fish/part vampire/totally bad@ss creatures of the deep are going to come out of the screen and bite you.  And banking on the success of Stranger Tides, there’s of course a teaser after the credits leaving us to wonder if Captain Jack will be pillaging and plundering again soon.

My review: 

2.5/4, B, See it in the theater

We're up on YouTube!!!!!

Check out Show #1, cut into two parts.

Part 1 here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhT3o9jODZ0&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Part 2 here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fySw7dMEmuM&feature=youtube_gdata_player

We'll have show 2 tonight.

Enjoy and as always leave some comments!!!

Review: Bridesmaids

What are little boys made of? What are little boys made of? Frogs and snails, and puppy-dogs' tails;
That's what little boys are made of.
What are little girls made of? What are little girls made of? Sugar and spice, and all that's nice;
That's what little girls are made of.

I don’t think so.  Not in Bridesmaids at least.

It was only a matter of time before Judd Apatow inserted his brand of comedy into a female-centric story.  See if any of these Apatow gems ring a bell:  Anchorman, The 40 Year Old Virgin, Talladega Nights, Knocked Up, Superbad, Step Brothers, Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek.  Raunchy, sometimes filthy, so wrong on so many levels…..and absolutely hilarious.  Spit coke out of your mouth funny.  Laugh out loud in the theater to the point that you miss half the movie because you are still laughing about the last line….even when you are by yourself!!!  Well Bridesmaids had its moments but wasn’t quite to that level.

Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph, both of SNL fame lead a cast of “I recognize her”’s, all of whom do a great job.  Kristen Wiig is naturally hilarious and has some side splitting lines.  The interaction between she and the flight attendant on the airplane ranks up there with classic movie flight fights like Ben Stiller’s in Meet the Parents and Billy Idol’s in The Wedding Singer.  Supporting actress Wendi McLendon-Covey steals the show as a crude wife and mother of 3 boys that hates her life and is thrilled to be in the wedding party to escape her existence.

Bridesmaids was billed as the female version of The Hangover.  It wasn’t.  It had potential to be on par with it but took itself much too seriously too many times to get there.  The beauty of The Hangover is that it never tried to be dramatic.  Bridesmaids plays too much on the producers need to attract the female audience with a sappy love story and a painfully awkward broken friendship arc.

I’m also not a huge fan of gross-out humor and there’s plenty of it to go around.  A little is okay, but the “is this really happening” scenes went on too long. 

I see what all the commotion is about, but maybe that was the problem. Expectations were as lofty as a Chicago socialite wedding.

My review: 

2/4, C, See it during a matinee

Show #1 Debuts Tonight!!!!!

Show #1 is in the can!!!!

It will debut tonight on TV-31 in Stillwater at 8:00 Friday night (May 13) and will run again on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.

I will try to have the podcast up by Monday as well as start working on getting the show on YouTube. 

Enjoy!!!

Batch

Review: Thor

Thor

5/8/11

Carmike Cinema 10

Large Mr. Pibb, A few bites of popcorn

Too much A/C

Let me start off by saying that I had very low expectations of Thor.  I thought the trailers looked cheesy.  I know absolutely nothing about the Thor origin story.  I thought the Easter egg at the end of Iron Man 2 where they found Thor’s hammer in the desert was cool but it was basically just an announcement of the movie.  I liked Chris Hemsworth as Captain Kirk’s father at the beginning of the Star Trek re-boot but that’s the extent of my knowledge of the guy who was supposed to be the star of this summer tent-pole movie.  Anthony Hopkins is good in spurts and Natalie Portman annoys me.  All signs pointed toward “flop” and I told anyone that would listen that this was my prediction for this entry into the “Avengers” canon. 

Man was I wrong.

It was really good.  Sure, there were a few flaws that I’ll get to but it was just a good, early summer movie season comic book action movie.  The movie was extremely well made, with an obviously big budget and  I continue to be amazed at what filmmakers can do with CGI.  But you don’t want to overdo it and director Kenneth Brannagh doesn’t.  What you want out of movie effects is to forget they aren’t real, which is the way I felt here. 

Hemsworth did a great job as our leading man.  He was almost too good.  I got the feeling Thor is supposed to be sort of a stoic, Norse-godlike figure and Hemsworth added charm and humor to that formula.  His flowing blonde locks and chiseled body made you think he was probably born to play this role.  It was also funnier than I thought it would be.  The script did a great job of adding humor in just the right places in between figuring out whether or not it was possible or probable for Thor and his newfound earthly love to hook up. 

My only complaint is that the movie didn’t really get you to buy in on an emotional level to the characters.  One of the great things about the Iron Man franchise is that you really felt what a weasel Tony Stark was so there was a much greater payoff within the redemption story.  Thor would bring you just to the edge of that feeling but never could tip you over. 

I saw the movie in 3D but it didn’t add a lot to the experience.  I think a 2D viewing would be fine. 

In summary:  I liked it better than Iron Man 2, less than Iron Man and more than the Edward Norton Hulk (we ignore the other one pretend it didn't happen).

My review: 

2.5/4, B-, See it during a matinee

Finally!!!!

Okay, sorry it's taken me so long to post an update.  After many twists, turns and shifts, we are finally to week 1 of filming!!!  We plan to tape the 1st show this Thursday, May 12 and will air on Monday, May 16 on TV-31 in Stillwater and hopefully have it up on YouTube and podcast around that same date. 

I saw Thor tonight and will have a review up shortly. 

Thanks for everyone's patience!!  Be sure to sign up to follow us on email!!

A Week Behind!!

Well, looks like we are going to be delayed a week on filming the first show.  Set issues and a few other minor setbacks.  But don't worry, we'll film on the 28th and have the first episode ready to air on 5/2. 

Until then, watch for my review of Scream 4 and hopefully Rio this week.  And then Water for Elephants sometime over the weekend. 

If you have ideas for the show, keep 'em coming and be sure to post your comments!!

Later. 

Batch.

Review: Source Code

Source Code
Carmike Cinema 10
Plenty of AC
Large Mr. Pibb

4/12/11

Dictionary.com defines the word “original” as “new; fresh; inventive; novel.”  That’s how I’d describe Source Code. 

If you have a heartbeat and watched any NCAA basketball, you’ve probably seen the trailer and know the premise:  An army grunt is part of an experimental project that allows people to be sent back in time into someone else’s body to the last 8 minutes of their life.  In this particular case the grunt is Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal, looking his usual two-day scruffy), who’s last memory is flying a mission in Afghanistan until he awakens in the body of Sean Fentriss, a passenger on a Chicago commuter train who is seated across from a young woman named Christina (Michelle Monaghan, looking cute).  Confused and alarmed, and with barely enough time to get his bearings, a bomb explodes on the train and Stevens awakens in a pod, alone except for the image on a small screen of Colleen Goodwin (Vera Farmiga), a member of the group that is managing the experiment.  After a few Manchurian Candidate-like questions, Stevens regains his focus and gets his assignment:  find the bomber and prevent a future attack.

In a day and age of total junk (Red Riding Hood, Your Highness), blatant cash grabs (anything with a number following it i.e. Hangover 2, Pirates 4 or shilling to kids i.e. Hop, Mars Needs Moms) and CGI brain-screws (Sucker Punch, Battle:  Los Angeles), it’s refreshing to see a good story, helmed by a quality young director and starring talent that brings the story to life. 

Side note:  Source Code director Duncan Jones is David Bowie’s son and the movie has a little bit of that Bowie edge, even down to the ringtone on Christina’s phone, a Jones signature now and a throwback for some of us Doc Hollywood apologists.  One other side note:  the voice of Stevens’ father is played by Scott Bakula, a point not lost on any Quantum Leap fans that enjoy time travel stories.

Imagine a cocktail that is two parts The Matrix, one part Groundhog Day, sprinkled with a dash of Vantage Point and topped off with some Inception flavored Unstoppable and you’ve got an exciting, well-paced, really pretty dang good movie. 

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that Source Code will win Best Picture this year.  But every now and then we need a new, fresh, inventive and novel movie to remind us that Hollywood still has it hidden away somewhere. 

My Review: 

3/4, See it in the theater

Welcome!!!

What's up everybody!!??

Thanks for visiting and welcome to the Big Screen, Small Minds movie blog, the official online home of the BSSM television show and podcast.  We're just getting up and running but hope to continue to edit and build as we go!!

We start filming BSSM on Thursday, April 21 and the show will begin airing on TV31 in Stillwater on April 25.  We will try to have the podcast up that same week.

Again, thanks for visiting and I'll get our first review posted soon!!!