Penguins of Madgascar

Work that money maker

The Penguins are back at it, in this newest installment of the Madagascar series. Skipper, Kowalski, Private, and Rico (Tom McGrath, Chris Miller, Christopher Knights, and Conrad Vernon) are hunted by an evil Octopus named Dave (John Malkovich) leading a band of squids. Dave has an ax to grind against all penguins, since their cuteness robbed him of the zoo spotlight years ago. It is up to the penguins, with the help of a secret organization called The Northwind, to put an end to Dave's master plan, and celebrate with a high one.

So, this movie embodies the essence of why animated pictures don't get the respect they deserve most times. At the core of this series is a money grubbing machine, that seeks to take every last penny from the parents of children, and will never stop as long as there is a box office to be made. That is why this spawned off into a television series on Nickelodeon (which I never watched), and is the first spin-off of a movie series that already has three films in it. Does that automatically make this a bad movie? No, just soulless. This is, by all accounts, a standard Dreamworks spin-off. Probably good for the kids but no real winning comedy for anyone over the age of eight. This always goes back into my argument that "animated films should be fun for all ages," but very few animated films seem to grasp that concept these days.... well Disney gets it most of the time, and Dreamworks/Blue Sky usually do well their first time around for movies, but that is about it. There are a couple of cute jokes in the movie, but nothing that really screams out to you. Like them playing around with the names of henchmen when saying "Halle bury them" or "Nicholas cage them."... you see the way he is saying the names makes it sound like famous people.... Is this thing on? Yeah, if that didn't grab you then I apologize, this movie is not for you.

The morals of the story in this are as simplistic, and written on the walls as the jokes are. Listen to your friends (or maybe respect your subordinates for the older crowd), believe in yourself (because that horse hasn't been beaten to death yet apparently), and looks don't matter as much as being a good person. All very pertinent morals in today's society, but the delivery of the message is all over the place. It was kind of like the "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" of delivery: one moral spoke too loud, one was just right, and one moral screamed from the top of a mountain, causing an avalanche and killing hundreds. Yeah, whenever you blatant say the moral of your movie, you might as well just stop the animation, break the forth wall, and start lecturing the kids in the audience. Again, these morals are all things kids should learn, but you need to sneak it in so it doesn't feel like the kids are being talked down to.

The acting in this is something that I had a hard time grappling with. There is a voice actor whom I deeply admire and respect that voiced one of the penguins in the Nickelodeon television show, so I was feeling a bit biased thinking he was a voice in this. Since they replaced him, I feel less biased. The penguins in this are Dreamworks regulars, real salt of the earth, under appreciated talent that I always love seeing. They brought the voices for these characters back (the same as they always do), and knocked it out of the park. Now we come to the others, or "seen actors" who decided to voice a role in this. I usually have hatred for seen actors that dip there toes in with voice actors, but I know it drives ticket sales, and sometimes they perform well. Take John Malkovich and Peter Stormare who brought life to their characters, and acted like they were getting a paycheck for speaking into a microphone. No gripes on that front, now we get to something that eats at my core. I respect Benedict Cumberbatch as an actor, but he brought nothing to this movie. It was almost like hearing him read a script, and I don't want to hear him read a script, I want to hear him act. No emphasis on words, no emotion, just bland and dull. If you needed to pay someone for having a British accent, please give it to someone who actually enjoys the work he is doing.

Final Verdict: Pirate it Nothing special here, just your run of the mill animated picture to soften the week Horrible Bosses 2 came out. If you have the DVD/BLU RAY of either How to Train Your Dragon 2 or The Lego Movie I would suggest re-watching that. 

Horrible Bosses 2

Another horribly funny sequel

Nick, Kurt, and Dale (Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day) are back, this time trying to be their own boss. Dale came up with the idea for a new invention called the shower buddy (basically taking the concept for one of the wands at a car wash, and making it for use in the shower), and the boys get a buyer interested. Rex and Burt Hanson (Chris Pine and Christoph Waltz) run the biggest distribution chain in America, and convince our would-be heroes to make 100,000 shower buddies. After the boys complete the order, the Hanson's cancel it, and leave the boys in debt to the tune of $500,000.00. So, the guys get it in their head to kidnap Rex, and demand a ransom from his father for what they are owed.

I don't usually expect a good storyline when I walk into a comedy, but it never hurts to have one handy. Luckily the creators of this movie just so happened to have something descent in their back pocket. This is pretty much the same setup as the first movie; but, the subplots really drive this movie home. I like how the Hansons screw over the three schlubs we grew to love in the first movie. I like the pretend kidnapping, and the reversal of emotion from Chris Pine's character. This movie may be the same setup, but it has separate story arcs that make the story line really blossom into something fresh and original. My one gripe with the story is with the characters, and what's weird is that it isn't with the new characters, but with the ones we met last movie. Motherfucker Jones is kind of forgettable here, since we know he isn't really a bad-ass; but the characters still kind of play like he is a bad-ass. There is an air of superiority to the trio when they meet Jones, but not enough to wipe the question from our mind: Why did they go back to this guy? I'll tell you why, because they severely crippled Nick, Kurt, and Dale's intelligence in this (also because the studio probably got a bunch of pleas for a Motherfucker Jones return). The trio was never insanely smart in the first one, but they are noticeably more stupid in this, and it kind of took me out of the ride every once in a while. The good news for returning characters is that Dr. Julia (Jennifer Aniston) and Dave Harken (Kevin Spacey) are still horny/angry. I can never be mad at their characters, they were writing gold from jump street (if only they could have brought Colin Farrell back from the dead). The new characters are fun. Chris Pine is nuts, Christoph Waltz is greedy, done and done. The characters are a very small gripe with me, because I still loved this movie.

Was this funny? On almost every level, this movie was hilarious. It didn't keep me laughing from start to finish like some other movies, but it was definitely a contender for comedy of the year. There were a couple of jokes that didn't register with me, but even more that made me fall out of my chair with laughter. Some of the jokes were misinterpretation, some of the jokes were racially or sexually charged, and some of the jokes were heavily reliant on awkward comedy. If any of that seems like a winning combination than you will find this movie hilarious. I didn't see me liking this movie, but this is the second comedic sequel of the year to change my mind.

Now comes the time to talk about the acting, but really what more is there to say about the actors here. Jason Sudeikis has a direct line to my funny bone in most movies he is in, so he did well here. Jason Bateman is the same depressed, "too-smart-for-the-people-around-him" guy that he usually plays (except for that one guy in Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story), but luckily I am not tired of that yet. Charlie Day is the same loud, awkward character; but, luckily I am not tired of that either. Jamie Foxx is the same, Jennifer Aniston is the same, and Kevin Spacey is the same; yet, none of that is bad because they were all amazing in the first movie. The real test here was for the newcomers. Christoph Waltz is German... that about sums it up... but seriously he is an extraordinary actor, and keeps an even pace with this movie's tempo. Jonathan Banks is old, and again that can about sum that up; but, his placement was good here, and he had me laughing in the few scenes he was present. Lastly, we come to Chris Pine. Chris Pine. I don't think I have kept my feelings on Chris Pine's acting a secret, but I will reiterate myself now: I think he is talent-less. At least that was the case before I saw this movie. Every movie prior to this had overacting so bad, I could only think every movie he was in saw his performance as Kirk in Star Trek, and thought he was trying to play William Shatner. If he was he nailed it, since he shouldn't have I hated him. This performance took some of the hate I keep for him out of my heart. He showed a range of emotion, and his usual antics fit his character perfectly for this. Let know one say I am not a fair judge of talent... now please Chris Pine, stop being the Captain.

Final Verdict: See it in theaters Some misfired jokes, and fumbles with character development kept this movie from my top spot. Luckily, this movie is a rare occurrence where it rated equal to its predecessor.Go see it, you won't be sorry. 

Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1

Katniss is on Fire and loving it

When we last left our intrepid young heroine Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence), she was rescued from the Quarter Quell with other past victors from previous Hunger Games. She is now being propositioned to be the rallying cry for the districts to band together, and take down the capitol once and for all. She is abrasive as always, saying that she will only be their voice if Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) is rescued at the first opportunity. The war wages on and Katniss must keep herself together as well as she can, while leading a country back from the brink. 

Okay, time for me to anger the four people that actually read this blog, and have read The Hunger Games Trilogy. I never read the third book. The first one seemed like a more in depth, American retelling of the Asian movie Battle Royale, and the second book bored me to tears. Call it whatever you want, but this is a rare occurrence where the movies actually interested me more than the book. Sure, I wish they played up Haymitch more in the second movie (since he was my favorite character), but I never liked these movies for there "compelling storyline." I liked them for the work that was put into them, the performances given by all of the cast, the amazing way they were shot, and subtle emotional underlining. These movies were never going to register with me on a writing level, but thankfully all of the movies (to include this one) registered with me on an entertainment level. 

Speaking of the writing in this, let's go ahead and talk about it. This movie (and book series) were written in the most uninspired way possible. I feel like Suzanne Collins saw Battle Royale and said "you know what was missing from this movie? Back story on how the government was pushed to the breaking point." Little did she know the thing most people loved about that movie was the lack of explanation. All I needed to know with Battle Royale was "they have a youth problem, and decided to give the youth guns and an arena." Simple, short, sweet, and amazing end result. This movie/book just over explains everything. Of Course the bad ass archer chick is caught in a love triangle, because there aren't any young adult novels that can't have some element of Twilight in them for fear that they won't catch on. Of course the rebels have a secret arsenal, and won't use it because of "story telling reasons," because we want people to think of Star Wars in the back of their mind. In fact, this whole movie is a Star Wars/Battle Royale mash up fan fiction if you think about it. It is just that this evil galactic empire has kids fighting in an arena, and the other one had a base the size of a moon that could destroy planets. The only thing they added was a love triangle (and yes I am not counting Luke, Leia, and Han as a love triangle because that is a bit gross), and I can barely accredit them with adding politics since the new Star Wars Trilogy was all about politics. So sufficed to say, I don't like the writing in this movie, I think it was a lazy, quick buck for Suzanne Collins; but, at least she is better than Stephanie Myers (which isn't much of a compliment).

Luckily, this movie has a brilliant support structure that can almost make you forget that you are watching the entire Star Wars series, if it was all filmed on Endor. The least of which is not the director Francis Lawrence, who breaths life into a dead script. Francis has a history of finding a way of making even the worst movie ideas seem like poetry when he directs something. Say what you will about I Am Legend and Constantine, but there are shots in those movies that will stick with me through out my entire writing career. This movie is no different. The bombing scenes give you a hint of general concern for the characters, and make you pray for their safety. The action scenes in this are a bit scarce, but when they happen he spares no minor detail in creating a realistic battle. This is another in the line of great successes that he can pin on his wall of achievements. 

The other thing that I always look forward to seeing in this series are the brilliant performances put forth by the cast. Unfortunately, they cut out Woody Harrelson to a very support heavy role, but the scenes where he is on screen are something truly wonderful to behold. Jennifer Lawrence is amazing (yet again) as Katniss, and I love how she has this way of making her voice crack at just the right moments in order to make a scene carry a boat load of gravitas. Liam Hemsworth is... well he is very pretty. Just kidding. The kid takes after his brother, by selling the performance of a young pup with a large amount of pride with reserved dignity, and smoldering good looks. The surprise for me in this movie came from none other than Josh Hutcherson. He was essential to the "plot" of this movie, and really brought his A game, because he outshines even the more experienced actors. 

Final Verdict: See it in Theaters This movie lacks in the story department, but the cast and crew are more than willing to pick up the pieces. It isn't going to win any story of the year awards from me, but it is definitely worth the price of admission.  

Dumb and Dumber To

How to commit comedy homicide: the Farrelly way!

Harry (Jim Carrey) and Lloyd (Jeff Daniels) are back for another road trip! Only this time it is a road trip to find Lloyd's daughter, when he is desperate for a kidney transplant.... yup.... yup that about covers this.

Do you all remember looking forward to a Jim Carrey comedy? I do. I remember laughing uncontrollably at Fire Marshall Bill, I remember dying when I watched both Ace Ventura movies at home, I remember defending his choice for movies like How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Man on the Moon; but, now there is no getting around how one note his comedies are, and how boring his career is. He's made so many movies that live in my heart as some of the best comedies of all time; but, I think I fell out of love with him around the time he did Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. That train wreck led into other crap-tastic movies like Yes, Man, Mr. Popper's Penguins, and The Incredible Burt Wonderstone. Sure he had some winners mixed in like his character (Col. Stars and Stripes) in Kick Ass 2, and the comedic/dramatic triumph that was I Love You, Philip Morris; but, he is no longer the man that can do no wrong for me. Which is fine, everyone deserves to make some crap every once in a while, which brings me to this movie.

I also remember when the Farrelly Brothers used to be funny.... you know that time before they made Stuck on You. Don't remember? Yeah, it has been a while. This movie misses almost every single mark with me, and it doesn't help that this is another tragic case of "the funniest moments were shown in the trailer" (Which also weren't too funny). Their attempts at making Lloyd and Harry more "contemporary" seem forced and unwanted, and leave me silent. I guess it makes since that Lloyd uses a flip phone through out this movie since the characters cannot translate to today's generation. They rely heavily on "gross out" humor, and "slapstick" which could have worked if it didn't seem like an extended skit on In Living Color (you can tell when they pause for laughter). I feel like they missed the golden opportunity that was staring them right in the face. Comment on today's youth. When we live in a day where kids think that the movie Titanic was a work of fiction it is just too hard not to comment. The only reason this movie didn't miss EVERY mark with me is because I can't resist a good fart joke.

The acting here seemed like almost everyone involved was committing some kind of crime. Like they were about to steal all of the audience's money and run (which is what they did). Jim Carrey seems like he was put through the ringer, and forced to be on set. Jeff Daniels tried to be his usually professional self, but you could tell he was thinking "Oh man, c'mon I act in The Newsroom. Why am I here?" Rob Riggle looked happy to be working, but he couldn't escape the overwhelming indifference of his fellow cast. The only one that seemed to be putting forth any effort was Rachel Melvin, and that is probably due to her relatively new status. She put forth a commendable performance despite the over all feeling of the rest of the cast...most likely because she remembered that she was getting paid to be there.

Final Verdict: Don't do it As sad as I am to see this movie earn this rating, it is accurate. I guess I shouldn't be surprised, I mean someone did release a horrible prequel to this movie a while back.

Interstellar

Space is fun, but people are boring

Here we find the world limping along after a freak disease has wiped out most of the planet's population and food supply. Cooper (Matthew McConaughey) has given up his dreams of space travel in turn for what the world really needs, farmers. Feeling that his genius has been wasted, and his children's futures are dwindling, he sets out to discover the cause of an anomaly happening in his house. He is guided to the last remnants of NASA, and is recruited to help find humanity a new home world before the disease kills off the rest of the food.

Here we go, I know my opinion on this movie is not going to be a popular one; but, I don't really give too much of a shit about popularity. Hey, everybody! I thought this movie was mediocre! Look, to me a movie like this has to be held together with more than science, there has to be some actual descent storyline thrown in. Don't get me wrong, normally worm hole theory and the fact that they never have scenes depicting sound in space would get me as hard as a diamond in an ice storm; but, the story was just uninteresting. If they want to give me a science lecture then just say the things you have to say here in Bill Nye the Science Guy or Cosmos, don't put it in a two and a half hour long movie. This movie is filled with expendable scenes that could have made the run time closer to two hours instead of 2:49. It detaches from science completely sometimes, when the human emotion is brought into effect, and we have to choose which wins out our species or the ties we hold dearly. Yes people, the entirety of this story (and the tone of this film) is boiled down to the classically overused story line "the needs of the many..." Was it brought to the screen brilliantly? Yes. Was it acted out damn near flawlessly? Yes. I just had some major problems with bits and pieces of the storyline, and the third act damn near had my eyes permanently glued to the back of my skull.

Now, we get to the good parts of this movie, the first being (in no small part) the direction. Christopher Nolan may have picked a less than stellar script to role with, but this man can direct like no one's business. The scenes mixed beautifully with the  music, in a way that made me forget about the drivel of dialogue that was being spewed out. The scenery was so striking that one could think this movie actually could have taken place on another world. The atmosphere was thick with realistic tones and an earthy center where they needed to be. You could taste the dust in your mouth when the movie brought you to Earth. You could feel the cold air course through your lungs when they were on an alien planet, or the feeling of the waves pass under you. The movie was undeniably beautiful, and shot to perfection that only this director could bring through. Now, someone please give the man a good script to work around. 

The performances shown here were nothing short of spectacular. Matt Damon turned out to be convincing, and was able to make me think he started taking some ques from his buddy in Good Will Hunting. Anne Hathaway brought some feeling to a character that could have turned out bland, and when she messes up you can feel that weight. Michael Caine acted out of character in a Nolan film for once by bringing a bit of gravitas, and (dare I say) sincerity to his performance. Just so we are clear I am surprised by this movie using him for his acting talent beyond being comic relief, not that he is a bad actor. The real power house performance that shined through in this came from Matthew McConaughey (and never have readers been less stunned) he really made you feel every scene in this movie like it was happening to you. I had my reservations about him finally taking acting seriously when he first made his come back from the depths of "RomCom hell"; but, this is just a drop in the bucket from the well of talent this guy has been showcasing. 

Final Verdict: Rent it Some major fault lines in the plot took me out of the experience completely sometimes, but the actors were more than ready to make up for the shortcomings. This movie was serviceable, but there is no need to rush out for it.

Big Hero 6

Will Disney stop hitting home runs?

Hiro is a boy genius throwing his intelligence into unimaginative projects so he can gamble on robot fighting. His brother, Tadashi has had enough, and plans on trying to get Hiro to use his gifts for better purposes. After visiting Tadashi's lab, and meeting his friends, Hiro is hooked on joining the prestigious school; but, when Hiro gets accepted for building a revolutionary technology, his brother dies trying to save the founder of the school. Hiro is inconsolable until a project his brother was working on powers up, and helps him through his loss. The project is Baymax, a medical, balloon, robot only concerned with the well being of humans around him. Baymax stumbles across something that leads Hiro to call on Tadashi's friends in order to bring the person responsible for Tadashi's death to justice.

Short answer to the subheading question: not this time. In what seems like a winning streak for Disney animation, this movie is another in the line of great successes. I was worried that this would have been the one falter in the amazing line, but it just doesn't show any signs of slowing down. This movie owes no small credit to the storyline backing it up. I don't mean that the story line was "the most original" or anything like that, I mean the characters were unimaginably likable, and the message they were trying to convey was inspiring. 

The message here, beyond relying on your friends is now "HEY KIDS! SCIENCE IS AWESOME! Rely on that big brain of yours!" Sure the overlying message is great, rely on the people around you to coup with the loss of a loved one (a kind of darker place to go); but I feel like we have seen it before. The other message was sneaky, and a little more inspiring for today's youth who hero-worship like no tomorrow. I just want to hear a little kid ask their parents to grow up to be an inventor, or scientist. I want to see kid's dressed up as Hiro for Halloween saying that they are "going to invent a big robot to stop bad guys." This message is one for intelligence and I have nothing, but respect for a message like that. 

The characters are amazing across the board. Sure, they all have their little quirks that make them indefinably significant, as well as racial diverse; but, those quirks are so endearing you can't help loving them. Fred is the slacker, obsessed with science fiction becoming a reality, and ultimately get's his dream granted. He is the lovable oaf of the group, that won't be deterred by bad vibes. Honey Lemon is the ultra, hyperactive nerd, filled with an appreciation for chemistry; as well as, a strong yearning to help her friends. Wasabi is the overly neat, big guy with an affinity towards cutting things in half with lasers. Baymax is the lovable squishy robot that will do anything to make sure his patient is feeling well either mentally or physically, and Hiro is the leader. My favorite character had to be Go Go, with her thrill seeking attitude and "Woman Up!" catch phrase. There are a lot of things to these characters that I won't be able to get to (in the interest of time) so let me go over some bullet points. I love that Go Go used her catch phrase regardless of gender, I love that Baymax is easy to imprint on as "human," without ever giving you any clue that he is actually becoming more human, and most importantly I LOVE THAT THERE WAS NO ROMANCE BETWEEN ANY OF THEM! (Sorry, I just wanted to get that point across) 

This movie also won in the animation department, being one of the most beautifully crafted movies to come out this year. I have a massive hatred for 3D as a whole, but this movie was enhanced by it in the only way it appeals to me. Particles seeming like they are going towards the screen, instead of something feeling like it is coming at you. The small micro bots battling under their master's control is a beautiful sight to behold, and no detail goes unnoticed here. Sure, the character design is the same from the last three movies, but that is never a problem for me. Pixar had the same art style through out all of the movies that came out under its banner, and it didn't stop me from liking most of those. The biggest selling point of the animation was the setting. Mashing bits and pieces from San Fransisco and Tokyo so well, you would think this location was a real city in America or Japan. 

 

The acting here was great. Damon Wayans Jr. gave a command performance as Wasabi, Jamie Chung sold me on the Go Go character, and Genesis Rodrigues stole the show a few times; but, the real tip of the hat has to go to James Cromwell and Scott Adsit. James Cromwell made a small plea from the villain seem like the world was ending, and Scott breathes life into the lifeless. 

Now, I know what you are thinking. "Dustin, I think your opinion is biased since you like most Disney movies, and have nothing bad to say about this." On the contrary, I feel the biggest set back this movie had was not being long enough, and while that may feel like a cop out, it is not. This movie just rushed in to the ending, and I didn't get enough time with the characters. Which made me sad in the end, since I loved the characters so much; but, the only one they felt like following through most of the movie was Hiro. Nothing against Hiro, but I wanted more Go Go and Wasabi. I know that Disney is most likely going to make this into a series (because Disney is Disney), but I just wanted more this go around. This error is still not enough to keep me from giving this movie...

Final Verdict: Buy It The comedy always hits its mark, the characters were lovable, the story was endearing, and the animation was gorgeous; this movie wasn't perfect but no movie is (if you look hard enough). See. This. Movie.

Draft Day *Catching Up*

Are you actually ready for some football?

Sonny Weaver Jr. (Kevin Costner) is at the end of his rope when it comes to drafting players for the Cleveland Browns. He is being threatened by his owner, his coach, and his girlfriend to make the right decisions in his career; as well as his personal life. With his back against the wall, he makes a choice that doesn't sit well with some, and makes him seem like a hero to others. He has a gut feeling that the deal he made will haunt him through the rest of his career, but the pressure is still on. With wolves at the door on either end he must choose to go with his gut, or go the route that has been chosen for him.

The big question that surrounds sports movies is: will the people that don't watch the sport get most of what is going on? The answer here is sort of. I make no notions that I am an expert when it comes to football, (my record in the fantasy league I am in is proof enough of that), so I think I can safely speak for the people that might not be into football. I know how the game works, and I know what the positioning of picks will mean in the long run. There is a lot of jargon that people who have no idea what the sport entails won't understand. Some words like "running back" or "special teams" won't mean anything to people who don't watch football or have no idea how it works. The person with the smallest knowledge of football (like myself) will have fun with this movie; but, as far as people that study the stats of players and have a biblical knowledge of the game go, I can't say if they will enjoy this.

With that in mind, we have to look at the story as a story, and not the end all be all football movie only intended for those who revolve their life around the sport. The story here is a very romantic notion on how we would like to perceive professional football as working. I don't think there are many players around that aren't looking at the paycheck when it comes to going pro. Players may hold one team above the rest, but when it comes to the actual "behind the scenes look" at how something works, this might be holding players a little higher than they actually are; than again, I am not in the industry so this is just my hypothesis. As far as the rest of the story goes, I can respect the tale. This movie is basically another form of Moneyball replacing baseball with football, replacing a new coach with an old one. The relationship with the girlfriend is a nice touch of cliche, but we all know that Jennifer Garner is a lot younger than Kevin Costner, and I would have liked them to at least comment on the gap. The relationship with the mother was nice, the relationship and loyalty aspect to players was better though. This movie is great at making it seem like lives are at risk of changing forever, and it gets you emotionally invested in the outcome. You hope that Kevin Costner will make the morally right decision, while hoping that he will be able to keep his job. The ending is great, albeit predictable and a little soft. Basically, you have to take this movie as a feel good story, and enjoy the ride.

Ivan Reitman has made some of the most iconic classics imaginable, while some of his recent movies have been a bit off I can safely say that he is one of my favorite directors. This movie is a shining example of his expertise, and why people should look at some of his movies a bit closer to see the great direction given to some bad stories. The phone conversation scenes in this movie were key to it's success and he knew that, so he spent a little more time getting that exactly right. He paid attention to the small details that a rookie director would have overlooked, and turned out a gem. My problems with the story in some places withstanding, I have to respect the amazing job he did here. The movies that he direct feel more alive, and this movie can stand proudly next to his other films as a mark of achievement.

The acting here was standard across the board, and that is not necessarily a bad thing. Jennifer Garner acted in the same mode she always does, and Kevin Costner seemed as emotionless as his last couple of movies. Luckily, their parts called for this performance so I have no gripe. Denis Leary was another standard performance acting as angry and justified as ever, but again the performance called for that; so, I have to give credit for the casting director knowing exactly who to put in the role. Chadwick Bozeman gave a great performance I just wish I could have seen more from him, and the same with Sean Combs. In fact, every actor that was only in this movie for a small amount of time, I wanted to see more of. The acting didn't startle me at any place, and the places it had a chance of doing so left me wanting more.

Final Verdict: Rent It If you are tired of movies that don't give you a good feeling at the end, than this is the movie for you. It is a great watch in most places, and you won't regret spending a buck or two on it.

Before I go to Sleep

British version of an Adam Sandler film

Ever watch 50 First Dates think that, with a mystery tie in. We follow Christine (Nicole Kidman), a forty year old woman who wakes up everyday with no knowledge of the past fourteen years. She is helped to remember her life by husband Ben (Colin Firth). She begins to not trust Ben fully, and starts seeking the answers to her past life with the help of Dr. Nash (Mark Strong). As she uncovers the answers behind her amnesia we begin to think she might not be able to trust anyone, including herself.

Amnesia is the end all be all fall back for a dramatic storyline. It is the most overused trope in comics, cinema, books, and really every medium of creative entertainment has beaten this dead horse more than I care to mention. 50 First Dates took the overused hook and twisted it into a thought provoking idea, while adding in bits and pieces of comedy mixed with romance, making it a significant point in Adam Sandler's varied career. This movie tried what it did in a completely straight face, mystery/thriller way, and made me dislike the premise entirely.  The whole point to a mystery is for me not to see the ending coming, and let's just say I called it after thirty minutes and the entire effect of the movie was awash on me. I guess it could have tried to get me to enjoy the ride in some other way, but they were seriously banking on the audience not being able to see the ending coming. I was going through the different ways I would have improved on the ending, and I found out that the characters were so bland it would have been dead on delivery any way you could take it. Let's make no mistake here, this movie is boring. Not boring in the way you can find interest in the subtleties of the direction, or story telling, boring in the way that you can't understand how people would like this. Boring in the way that I almost fell asleep midway through, because I knew how it ended so why put myself through it anymore. I could derive zero pleasure from the story here, and I take no pride in saying that I begrudgingly kept my eyes open through the running time in an attempt for this movie to at least seem somewhat worth it. Unfortunately, I feel that my money, and more importantly my time was wasted on this low rate garbage of a story line. This is not a movie, this is what movie's desperately strive not to become.

The direction here is another thing that left a stain on my brain, but it was more just the style than anything. I know there are many directors that you can identify based purely on their styles. J.J. Abrams has lens flare, Tarantino has round table discussions, Rowan Joffe apparently has unnecessary close ups and still shots of inanimate objects. There are a lot of meaningless shots that try to make the scene more tense, or meaningful; and this kind of direction only appeals to a certain crowd. He doesn't appeal to the "film is art" crowd like myself because he tries to hard to be an artist. Sure, some of the shots are good, but there are more unnecessary shots than good ones here.  Why do I need to spend so much time looking at Kidman's reaction? Why do I need to spend so much time looking at Kidman waiting? Why do I need to spend so much time in the overly bloodshot eye of Kidman when she first wakes up? I get it, this an intense moment, you don't need to beat me over the head with your failed attempts at making more intense.

The one good thing I can say about this piece is that the acting was amazing, but we could see that just with the attached cast. The only wild card that could make or break the experience was the center piece. I know it seems like I have an ax to grind against Nicole Kidman, but I promise you that I don't, she is just the most hit or miss actress in the world. She has about four or five movies where I have said she was great, but everything else is just okay. This movie was another piece where she did just okay; not horrible by any means, but I have definitely seen better. On the other hand, Mark Strong and Colin Firth killed it here. It is no surprise when you see their pedigree, but it is still worth noting that they were phenomenal.

Final Verdict: Pirate it The only thing saving this movie from being a complete waste of time was the strong performances put forth by some of the cast. You could easily skip this movie and rest easy, but if you are genuinely curious I suggest not giving money to the production.

Nightcrawler

Jake Gyllenhaal may hate people, but we love him 

Meet Louis Bloom, a young man desperate to find work and so money hungry he will resort to anything to get it. Luckily, on his way home from his most recent endeavor he happens upon an accident. A freelance film crew rushes to capture the carnage, and sell the footage to the highest bidder. This gives Louis the idea of getting a camera and police scanner to try his hand at this line of work. As he goes deeper into the industry we find out how truly dirty the news business is, and what lengths Louis will go to for a pay day.

Wow. Just wow. This movie was nothing but impressive from start to finish. There is a message hidden in here somewhere, but it sneaks in (as it should) between the intelligent dialogue and brilliant character development. The message is two fold, commenting on the lengths people are forced into when living through a recession, and the world of news journalism. The character in this is a stroke of genius, being a person with no real moral compass, hardwired for professionalism but no real people skills besides. The rest of this movie is spectacular; but really, there is no greater victory than breathing life into a character we can hate, while not being able to help feeling compassion for. The writer/director not only spun a good yarn, but did so while capturing every moment beautifully.

It is unreal that this movie was Dan Gilroy's first directorial credit, because this movie was shot with such a vivacious texture it brings the city in which it was shot to life. It is also very surprising that he wrote such a deep, and compelling movie when his past credits for writing left a lot to be desired. Most of his past writing was hackney, garbled up, appeal to the masses crap that only saw the light of day because it would make the movie company a couple of bucks. Now we are given an interesting, thought provoking, clever, story line, with meaningful characters and an amazing setting. Adding in the fact that this his first time directing a movie when you would think he has been doing this for years, and we have someone who could possibly be on the road to the pantheon of great directors. The streets in this movie are thick with garbage or debris, very few things in this movie seem clean, and the things that do seem clean are shot elegantly to define the carnage even more. It was like seeing a master at work, and it leaves me awestruck that this was his first time (obviously, since I can't stop saying it).

The only thing more impressive than the direction here was the acting. I'm pretty sure we all know Jake Gyllenhaal to be an outstanding actor, he picks his work carefully enough that he very rarely ends up in a shitty movie (Source Code and Prince of Persia withstanding). This movie may be his Magnum Opus, because he gives (quite possibly) the best performance of his career. Sure there are other actors in here worth noting, but I so rarely get to compliment the lead actor on giving the best performance in the movie. Bill Paxton was great but didn't really do anything to wow me. He just acted like he did in almost every other movie he has done. Riz Ahmed gave a great performance but was completely out done by Jake, to the point I was wondering why they made him the partner in this. If I had anything negative to say about this movie, it is that the acting seems unbalanced; but that is not enough for me to throw this movie down in grade.

Final Verdict: Buy it My highest honor, that I so very rarely get to bestow on a movie. It is about the time in the year where more great movies are going to be coming up (Oscar bait), so you will probably see this a lot. Buy this movie, and see it in theaters, you will not be disappointed.

Leprechaun: Origins *Catching up*

Warwick Davis is still the best thing to happen to this series

A group of four young adults come to a small village in Ireland while on vacation. They walk into a pub, and meet a man that says he can take them to the oldest ruins in the town so the group can get their fix for history knowledge. The man leads them into a small cabin in the woods so they have somewhere to stay overnight, until they can head to the historic sight in the morning (yup, this is the type of movie Cabin in the Woods was satirizing). Unfortunately, the man was using the group as an offering to a leprechaun that has been terrorizing the village for years. The group knows that they must escape the village boundaries to be safe, and leave the town to deal with the menace.

When I heard about this movie I went online stating I had concerns about it, and what do you know my concerns came to fruition. Look, I actually like the old Leprechaun movies, they are a bit of shlock-ey goodness that goes well with a drinking game, and makes me laugh. This movie is not a Leprechaun movie. This movie is what the others never wanted to be, a serious interpretation of the leprechaun myth. I'll have you know my standards were extremely low for this movie, because I knew what I was going into; but, this movie just stepped all over the old series. I like that I am getting treated to a slasher/monster movie again for the first time in years; but, this movie just didn't scare me like the classics of old (which is the only thing I can surmise this movie was trying to do). This isn't going to be a classic like A Nightmare on Elm Street, and it isn't going to be classically bad like the old series. This falls somewhere in that in-between line where it is laughably bad, but not in the way a movie series like The Puppet Master is. All of your favorite old slasher movie tropes are present and accounted for. You've got your "woman running upstairs to get away," you've got your "fumbling with the keys," you've got your "lack of electricity because of XYZ," you've got more tripping in this movie then a paraplegic convention. Normally I count that against a movie, but when they are blatant about it, so wrapped up in making sure that every cliche scene from old horror movies is present, I have to respect them. This movie is not going to win any "story of the year" awards, it is not going to scare you into wetting your shorts, this is the movie that spawned so much liver damage in future generations. This movie gave us a new movie to drink to, and hey that is as good a reason as any to put it into the pantheon of classically bad horror movies. If they change that name, and don't give themselves any ties to the old series I can say this is a good-bad horror movie.

So to go with the theme of the story, the direction here was wonky as well, but in that so bad it is good kind of way. Let's go with camera for starters. Most of the time that camera feels like it is being held by a three year old trying to help daddy at work. Which is great and all for this style of film; but, here is my gripe (even going away from the so bad it is good theme). Instead of them crediting Dylan Postl (AKA Hornswoggle from the WWE), they really should have credited the Loch Ness monster since we get no clear shots of the leprechaun. I'm all for them having made a shitty costume for old Horswoggle to run around in, but they need to embrace it. Someone probably spent hours on this crappy suit they put him in, and we never get to see the damn thing.  Everything else in this movie falls right into pattern, from the music to the art direction; but, this one thing was too much for you guys to admit to? Embrace your faults like The Leprechaun of old, and I could have had a bit more respect for you.

Now we get to the part where I am torn. On the one hand, at least they didn't try to usurp the role Warwick Davis did perfectly, on the other hand I don't want to have a boring mute leprechaun. I want my leprechaun speaking in verse, using an Irish brogue, making crappy one liners. I know no one can follow up the performance Warwick Davis gave, he treated every movie like he was being paid a king's ransom to be their, and never disappointed, but they could have at least tried. So given my current predicament I am going to abstain comment on the performance given by Dylan Postl. He had no lines, and spent most of the movie just walking around in a costume acting sinister, so there is not much to comment on anyway. The rest of the cast is ripe for critical analysis. Our scream queen for the movie is Stephanie Bennett who just does great for not having much experience. she really hammed up her performance and that is all I can ask from a girl in a movie like this. Brendan Fletcher does fine as the background noise, but with a pedigree like his I wanted him to be more front and center. The best performance of the movie has to be given to Garry Chalk, who surprises no one by being the best in this limited cast. He gave us a pretty good Irish brogue, and knew exactly what kind of energy the role called for.

Final Verdict: Pirate it I can't forgive this movie completely for stepping over the good name that was Leprechaun, but it did a little better than horrible as it's own thing. This should give you an idea of how bad movies are that rated lower than this.