Wolf of Wall Street

Wolf of Wall Street

This picture exceeded my expectations. The movie trailers give the impression that the financial crisis is trivialized by a bunch of self centered unethical egotists. These guys are in the movie, but the film is more than mere shallowness and greed. It is a story of self destruction and stupidly of ambitious people. Martin Scorsese directed a great ensemble of actors for this entertaining movie. 

Leonardo DiCaprio is outstanding. Wolf’s character is a rollercoaster of emotion. He is the consummate salesman searching for next hustle and his next high. He is a cocaine addict, an alcoholic and an indiscriminate fornicator. Animal House has nothing on the Wolf. The level of debauchery depicted in this movie would make an Etruscan blush. DiCaprio’s characterization of Wolf is the polar opposite of his performance of the Great Gatsby. This is the mark of a great actor.

The company he started is basically a boiler room with high pressure salesmen churning commissions.  He is the leader of this frat house where morality is checked at the door. The manic highs eventually give way to crushing lows and paranoia when the good times cease. DiCaprio plays the bad equally well with the good. There are some scenes played unintentionally funny. If you re offended by sex scenes you will be very offended.

Margot Robbie is wife number two. Her stunning beauty is complemented by a delightful Brooklyn accent that some men find sexy (not bad for an Aussie). Their marriage tumbles from hot sex to bellicose fights. Her beauty belies tenacity and toughness to the chagrin of Wolf.

Jonah Hill basically disappoints. He is the co-founder of the company run by DiCaprio. He does not do much until the end of the movie. Hill plays the same character in all his movies. He plays the winey chubby under achiever who gets trounced reaching for an uncertain goals. Jonah Hill did not leave a mark on this movie.

It was a treat  seeing Rob Reiner in an acting role. He is now a famous director, but in the day he was the lovable Meat Head from the sit com All in the Family. His comic talents have not diminished.  Eventhough his role was brief he provided some laughs as the Wolf’s father. 

Jean Dujardin (silent film The Artist) played the role of a sleazy Swiss Banker (French Swiss). He was very funny and funnier when he spoke only French. If he continues appearing in American movies he can be our modern Maurice Chevalier.

Is The Wolf of Wall Street a microcosm of the financial crisis of 2007? Maybe. Wolf’s people are the bottom of a crowded scum barrel.  They eviscerated customers for the commission. Would it be nice to say in the end Wolf got what he deserved? See the movie and find out.

p.s.- Bathroom alert, the movie is one minute short of three hours.

12 Years a Slave

This is a great and brutal movie. The whippings, lynchings, chains and rapes are all true. The story is based on the protagonist’s, Solomon Northup, own writings of his ordeal as a kidnapped freeman sold into slavery. To some extent we are familiar with slavery but the graphic depictions of cruelty and dehumanization are shocking. A comparable modern situation would be the Nazi concentration camps.

All the components of this film make it a great story. The lead and supporting actors were essential to the film. The two pillars of this movie are Chiwetel Ejiofor and Michael Fassbender. Ejiofor is the slave, Solomon Northup, and Fassbender the slave owner Edwin Epps.

Ejiofor transitions from the bewilderment of being kidnapped to subcoming to the reality of being a slave and assuming a new persona. Even in his subjugation he hopes to gain his freedom. The strongest lashes do not break his will. Ejiofor’s acting is visceral; Solomon’s pain etches Ejiofor’s face.

Michael Fassbender is brilliant. His acting arch is formitable. His characters span from Dr. Jung in A Dangerous Method, to Magnito in the X Men movies to a sex addict in Shame. As Edwin Epps he is a sadistic psychopath who indulges in cruelty and degradation.  Epps has a singular dislike for Solomon and beats him at every opportunity. Fassbender acting was intense with sweat pouring down his face and veins popping on his neck from screaming at his slaves. He is frightingly convincing in his role.

There are other excellent performances. Paul Dano, as John Tibeats an overseer, plays his usual understated role. What belies his passive façade is a meanness based on jealousy and revenge. Solomon is a target of his ire. Dano gives a sheepishly cowardly performance.

Paul Giamatti is the dapper slave trader. His approach to selling slaves is akin to a stud bull auction. He shows the white teeth of the slaves and slaps the males on the chest as if beating a taut drum. He is totally dispassionate in his negations and has no computation to split families for the best return. He is as repulsive as he is well dressed.

Brad Pitt makes a brief appearance. In the story his character is very important, but his air time is humblingly short.

There are other wonderful actors such as Benedict Cumberbatch and Alfe Woodward. The script was focused and even the brief flashbacks worked. This is a tough graphic movie but the acting and the story make it worth seeing.

 

The Hunger Games- Catching Fire

 

Since this film is bullet proof my critique will just bounce off. This is the second installment of a trilogy (I think). From the inflated box office this movie has crossover appeal beyond the book’s devotees. It is a fast paced action film with a female leading star as the main protagonist which is rare in today’s cinema.

The story has two things going on, the nascent rebellion and the hunger games. These two events are related since the contestants of the Hunger Games are involved in the rebellion. From the movies perspective the parts do not complement each other. For now the contestants are more contestants than rebels. The games seem to be less brutal than the first movie; more contestants die off with a canon boom rather than being eviscerated on the big screen.

Jennifer Lawrence is a versatile actress (only 23 years old) who can go from playing a manic depressive to a dead eyed archer.  Acting as Katniss Everdeen is not too demanding; basically she is a super hero and that is usually uncomplicated. She does have some vulnerability, but she prevails with lethal effect. Lawrence has an athletic body which she uses to play the role. The Hunger Games are fast paced and unforgiving; there were some interesting killing scenes.  

Josh Hutcherson plays Katniss’s partner, Peeta Mallark in the games. His emotional range is limited to two facial expressions, stern and not too stern. As the forlorn love interest his bleakness serves him well.

It is refreshing to see Woody Harrelson playing a role other than a homicidal maniac. As the quasi alcoholic mentor to Katniss and Peeta, he keeps them alive during the games. Compared to his other demanding roles this was a cake walk for him.

Donald Sutherland plays evil President Snow with his usual languid performance.  His grandfatherly persona complete with white beard, belies atrocities he willingly inflicts. Sutherland’s air time is limited but his role is pivotal.

 Stanly Tucci plays the most annoying obnoxious TV host ever. Tucci has a rich resume of characters but as Caesar Flickerman he is over the top (in acting and in wardrobe). Caesar sells lies to his Capital audience.

This a great franchise for the stockholders and the audiences. Aside from the unique ways of killing people the script does not break new grounds. History is replete with true stories of resistance fighters sans stunt men.

Amour (2012)

We saw Amour, a French film, on DVD. It is a tender and devastating film. An octogenarian couple played by Jean-Louis Trintignant as Georges Laurent and Emmanuelle Riva as Anne Laurent, who are former music teachers living in Paris. This movie portends the good and bad awaiting us.

The performance of Emmanuelle Riva is amazing. After suffering a stroke she transforms herself from a vibrant woman to a bedridden invalid. Great acting is in the details. With a crooked hand and lop sided mouth she captures the nuances of a stroke victim. She makes these limitations into assets. Her pain is audible even if she cannot speak. Her physical deterioration does not diminish her will to the consternation of her husband.

As the care giver her husband keeps his promise not to return her to the hospital. His tender care becomes more challenging with her deteriorating condition. His burden depletes his health and mind. He shuffles in his rambling apartment visited by a stray pigeon and an absent daughter. Both the pigeon and daughter leave. Even with these tribulations their marriage is enviable.

Georges commits an act of desperation. This deed has to be viewed through the prism of love before judgment can be made. Whatever we think we will do in the future depends on circumstances beyond our control. Let’s hope at that time we will be holding hands with our loved ones.

Thor: The Dark World

This was an entertaining movie. It had the requisite battles to destroy and/ or save the universe; fighting against hideous creatures with dark powers. For sci-fi fans this type of apocalyptic battle is the de rigueur. What makes this movie work is the chemistry of the cast. The audience buys into them. Twirling the hammer is fun to watch, but do you like the guy at the other end of the handle?

The other guy at the end of the handle is Chris Hemsworth, a worthwhile addition to the Australian acting roster working in American cinema: Hugh Jackman, Sam Worthington, Paul Hogan (Crocodile Dundee) and others. He plays Thor with both graveness and a human touch. Hemsworth is most appealing when he is not using his Thor voice and just doing human things like asking for directions to a train station. His relationship with Natalie Portman’s character is heating up and this will take us to the next sequel. Maybe there will be little Thor’s?

Natalie Portman is an actress with credentials (Black Swan, V for Vendetta, Garden State and other movies); it was a surprise to see her in the first Thor movie. This is light duty for her, but with the reduced voltage she is integrating herself well with the cast. She is Thor’s main squeeze and they work well together.

Antony Hopkins should pay the producers for letting him play Odin. He is having too much fun to call this work. His one eyed glare rules over Thor and Loki. Hopkins was such a ham he could be served at a Thanksgiving dinner.

I cannot say that Loki is likable, because he is despicable, but he is an indispensable part of the landscape. Thor without Loki is like a hot dog without mustard. Not to give anything away Loki is an integral part of the story and there is chemistry, even if it is corrosive.

Darcy Lewis, as played by Kat Dennings, is the film’s second banana. She has more air time in this movie than the first (thank goodness for focus groups). She serves up many funny lines. She is still an intern in this movie, but she has an intern who will likely be the third banana at some point.

There are other notable actors who make up Thor’s merry men and a merry woman. It was nice to see Renee Russo on the screen again (she plays Thor’s Mom).

The movie is the whole of its parts. Let’s hope the producers keep these Lego blocks together.

N.B.-DO NOT LEAVE UNTIL THE CREDITS ARE FINISHED!!

Dallas Buyers Club

My impression of Matthew McConaughey was of a light weight actor doing romantic comedies and at every opportunity taking off his shirt showing off his jacked body and PhotoShopped abbs. Recently his acting credentials improved with pictures like Lincoln Lawyer and Magic Mike. As Ron Woodroof, McConaughey ups his game. His acting in this role is memorable. The anger and desperation which McConaughey projects is palatable. Ron Woodroof is in a life and death struggle and McConaughey is pitch perfect portraying Woodroof’s tenacity to live. The physical challenge of the role required McConaughey to lose 50 pounds (so much for my acting career).

Woodroof is diagnosed with AIDS and in 80’s treatment of AIDS was embryonic and basically a gamble. Ron is given a short time to live by his doctors which he rejects telling them to go f__k themselves (this was before Obmacare). Ron appears to be a womanizing alcoholic cocaine drug user, which he was. But he was smart and very well organized and proceeds to get drugs from outside of the US which are not FDA approved. His battle with the FDA is one of the feel good moments of the film.

Woodroof is a homophobe, but he puts his emotions in check when he accepts that gays are lucrative clients.  A center piece of the movie is Woodroof’s relationship with Rayon, a transgender woman played by Jared Lato. The relationship goes from repulsion to acceptance to commitment. Jared Lato is outstanding in this role. Any actor can put on a dress; the trick is to make the audience see beyond the dress. Lato portrays Rayon’s hopelessness with sad eyes, an emaciated body and cheap make up. Lato’s weight he lost for the role is alarming. I think an Oscar nomination is justified here.

Another character is played by Jennifer Garner, one of Woodroof’s doctors.  She plays the role with limited emotion, but she does use the F word, once. She did a good job but this was not a transformative role for her.  Then there is Steve Zahn who plays the Ron’s cop buddy. Zahn does not have much air time and the role is pedestrian but he is sincere and he is always fun to watch.

The last scene is a very poignant metaphor for the movie. Don’t miss it.

p.s.-This is a true story.

Ender’s Game

The premise  of  Ender’s Game is children (12-15 years old) can process information quicker than adults and their gaming prowess teaches them valuable tactical skills. This makes them the ideal soldiers for future battles. The concept of children soldiers is not unique; it goes back to David and today exists in the battle fields of Africa.

The problem with Ender’s Game is Ender, he is the best. He is told in the beginning of the movie that he is the best. In every situation, be it a school test or a battle simulation, the outcome is no surprise. His ascent in military rank is without obstacle.  Ender is two dimensional. His character would be more interesting if he had to overcome failures. Redemption makes for good story telling; people relate.

Asa Butterfield (the kid in Hugo) plays Ender placidly punctuated with some lively periods of homicidal rage. His performance is functional but not memorable. The other child actors are perfunctionary. There is a transition from hostility of his fellow cadets (no one liked Ender in the beginning) to comradery which coalesced into his squadron.

The adults are Harrison Ford, Viola Davis and Sir Ben Kingsley. The megawatt star power in this movie is wasted. None of their roles was demanding or required any acting range. Even big stars need to pay the bills. Harrison Ford is the colonial in charge of the academy for the young soldiers. In this movie he is the angry Harrison Ford. He is humorless and demanding, a scowl is his mask. Viola Davis is Major Anderson, the psychiatrist. For most of the movie you only see shots of her from the waist up, this is a metaphor for wasted talent. In this movie she does not need to dig deep for emotions.

Ben Kingsley shows up towards the end of the movie as a legendary pilot. The meaning of his New Zealand Maori face tattoos eludes me. He just looks ridicules. To save money they could have hired Mike Tyson for the role and saved money on make-up.

Three quarters into the movie it gets interesting. May be it’s my age but I did not expect it (I am sure all the video brats out there are making fun of me). The ending is hokey and clearly a set up for a sequel (doubtful).

If you are into Sci-Fi go see it, if not put it on your Netflix wish list… maybe not.

Carrie 2013

Carrie 2013

This movie seems to be more violent and vengeful than the original 1976 Carrie film. With better special effects and new technology the blood fest has a bigger splash. The 2013 Carrie uses social media, cell phones and digital recorders to persecute Carrie augmenting  vicious and humiliating gossip. Aside from these technological embellishments the movie is basically unchanged. In the modern context this is the ultimate bully revenge movie. 

Julian  Moore plays the fanatical ultra-religious mother, Margret, who wants to keep her daughter from worldly contact, including boys.  Moore is an excellent actress and convincingly plays the role of a woman consumed by guilt for a sin that torments her. The dynamics between daughter and mother are in transition where the dominance of the mother is supplanted by the growing telekinetic powers of the daughter.

Chloë Grace Moretz plays Carrie White. She is the scared girl who is brutally abused by her classmates.  Some scenes were uncomfortable to watch.  In the film Carrie’s abuse is caught on a digital recorder and posted on the internet. The callousness of her classmates drives Carrie to revenge. There is no pity for the bad girls.

The 2013 Carrie was true to the story adding only with some current gadgets which are superfluous. This is a very good story and a good movie. This redux adds little new. Save a few bucks and go to Netflix.

Gravity

Gravity relies heavily on CG, green scenes and copious use of NASA space shots. Sandra Bullock, as Dr. Ryan Stone, and George Clooney, as Matt Kowalsky, are encased in their space suits for most of the movie while floating in space. These two super stars have almost no physical contact, which is a unique approach for this movie.

This is a story of survival. The American astronauts are repairing the Hubble Telescope when they are bombarded with space debris from a shattered Russian satellite destroying the space shuttle and hurling them untethered into space. The roles of Clooney and Bullock imply sexism. In the face of catastrophic failure Clooney’s character is calm, soft spoken and knows what every knob and flashing light mean.  Bullock’s Dr. Ryan is panicking and tumbling out of control physically and mentally. I believe our female astronauts have more of the right stuff than Dr. Ryan.

 What makes this movie different from other classic space movies such as 2001 Space Odyssey, The Right Stuff and Apollo 13 is the majority of the action occurs outside of the space ship. Bullock and Clooney are literally marooned in space. The shots of Earth are stunning. The movie’s visual impact alone is justification to see it. I begrudgingly admit 3D works here.

Bullock has the main role. This is probably the greatest range of emotion she has displayed in a movie to date. She goes from very scared to being very very really scared. This was a physically challenging role for the actors since for the majority of the movie they were suspended with wires off the ground.

There were two other actors. An Indian astronaut who bought the farm in the very beginning of the film (I saw that coming). Also Ed Harris, who played John Glenn in the Right Stuff, is the voice of Houston Mission Control (he never appears on screen). Ironically a real astronaut is Earth bound.

For the most part the hardware and equipment looked authentic (yeah, like I would know), but there was one totally BS scene that belonged in a Looney Tunes cartoon rather than in this movie. It was a lazy way to solve a problem. Interestingly, the movie ran for only 90 minutes which bucks the new trend of three hour movies. I think there is only so much 3D tumbling an audience can take without getting motion sickness.

The movie is worthwhile seeing, I just do not buy into all the ballyhoo the movie has engendered. In Gravity acting is secondary to the green scene.

The Butler

Outstanding movie, go see it.

This is a tale of two stories. One story focuses on the embryonic Civil Rights movement and the other is about a boy’s journey from the cotton fields of Macon Georgia to the back door of the White House. The stories are separate but connected.  Cecile Gaines is the Butler who is very content with the status quo because he knew how hard and dangerous life was before arriving in DC. One of his son’s, Louis, becomes a Freedom Rider against his father’s wishes. This situation creates bitterness and anger between the two. In his quite way Cecile was advancing the cause by giving a better life to his family and the ability for his sons to move forward.

This role was perfect for Forest Whitaker. He has played the quite confident character in other roles (OK, he was not that quite as Idi Amin). Whitaker’s role requires a range of emotions from the invisible butler to the agonized father estranged from his son. The transitioning of emotions is what makes him a great actor.

Then there is Oprah. The woman is a billionaire but she still knows how to work. Oprah must have had real life experience to play Gloria Gaines so well. The part was more than a dutiful wife; she had her own demons and transgressions she had to battle. Her acting chops are still sharp. Oh, one other thing, Oprah has a mean back hand and I do not mean tennis!

I am not sure if the director meant to have the US Presidents as humorous as they were. Some characterizations were better than others. Here are the Presidents in no particular order: John Cusack, Robin Williams, James Marsden, Live Schreiber and Alan Richman. None were an encore performance, but with little imagination they pulled it off.

I am going out on a limb, but I think Forest Whitaker will get an Oscar nomination. As for Oprah, regrettably she has too much bling already.

Elysium

Hi, I’m back from vacation.

I wanted to see Elysium because I like sci-fi and this was the same director who did District 9, Neil Blomkamp. I liked District 9 very much. It condemned Apartheid, and the orchestrated evacuation of the “prawns” was symbolic of genocide. I had high expectations for Elysium, which regrettably were not met.

Elysium is a simple story of the have and have not’s.  The movie sets vividly depict the contrast between the two societies. Los Angles of 2154 is all squalor and over populated while Elysium is a giant sleek space station of prosperity spinning above the Earth fiercely protected against any intruders. Aside from the opulent life style no one on Elysium gets sick. They have machines that cure all, from caner to a shot gun blast to the face (yuk!).

Matt Damon is the protagonist. He is a former criminal eking out a living working in a factory that OSHA would have condemned. Damon is wasted here. Any mid weight actor could have carried off this part since action is more important than acting. What was interesting in the movie was the use of Spanish. I didn’t get it at first, but of course this Los Angles. Even Matt gets to speak some Spanish,”Hola me llamo es…Thank God for subtitles.

Jody Foster players the Über bitch as Elysium’s Secretary of State. Foster plays these roles very well, but here she over does it. Her words were like venom spiting from her lips and veins popping on her neck. She got to the point where her character looked cartoonish.

The most entertaining part of the movie was played by the South African actor Sharlto Copley. He played the nebbish administrator in District 9 who in the end was transformed into a prawn. In District 9 he seemed to be five feet two inches weighting about one hundred and two pounds. In Elysium he is a giant! He looks six feet two inches weighing about two hundred and thirty pounds, all muscle.  He beats the crap out of Damon and you can tell he enjoyed his role.

This is a B movie, more worthwhile on DVD. For all its sleekness it lacks gravity.

Pacific Rim

Ladies you can skip this review. This is for the man-child or man-children or whatever.

This movie is homage to those cheesy Godzilla movies cranked out by the Japanese in the 1960’s. Godzilla was some guy in a rubber suite flaying around killing Mothra or destroying office buildings. This movie is a bit of an upgrade influenced by the Manga culture (Japanese comic books). Kaijus monsters, the size of buildings, attack the planet destroying cities bent on world domination. To battle the Kaijus human depend on Jaegers (not the drink) which are robots the size of buildings also. The Jaegers are so large they need two pilots operating the machinery in unison from the inside (just like old Godzilla). It was very silly to see how the pilots maneuvered the Jaegers. For the Jaeger to walk the pilots actually move their legs and to fight they move their arms inside the Jaeger. I guess these guys never heard of hydraulics.

The director Guillermo del Toro, is one of the best Sci Fi/ fantasy directors around. He directed Pan's Labyrinth  and the Hell Boy movies among others. Visually this film is full of action and epic battles. The film is like an expensive version of the cartoon show Dragon Ball. The actors are grade B, which is good enough. A recognizable actor is Charlie Day. This is the dental hygienist  from Horrible Bosses who refused to be sexually ravished by Jennifer Ashton (schmuck). Charlie plays a scientist who is an expert on Kaijus anatomy. Idris Elba is the guy who played the captain in the movie Prometheus and had a go with Charliz Theron (Yes!). He is the very serious chief of the Jaeger operation. He is so stiff he can imitate a 2 x 4. Rinko Kikuchi is the gender breaker female pilot. I have no idea who she is but she is easy on the eyes. Ron Perlman (Hell Boy himself) has a small role as a black marketer in Kaijus carcasses as Aphrodisiacs, yuk?

The film actually has a plot, but I will not to spoil it for you. I am not sure if there will be a Pacific Rim 2. But if you are nostalgic for Godzilla flicks or collected Dragon Ball trading cards go see the movie. This may be the latest in kitsch. 

The Lone Ranger

I try not to read reviews of films I plan to see. Regrettably when I heard about the low opening weekend box office I knew things were bad. This was another Disney home run that went foul. The movie was also guilty of false advertising. The trailer showed exciting scenes with the sense the film was going to be a light hearted buddy movie. Trailer speaks with forked tongue, Kemo Sabe.

Johnny Depp narrates the story as an old Indian in San Francisco in 1933 talking to a nebbish kid with a cowboy hat and mask. Depp is part of a diorama tilted the Noble Savage. It’s kind of weird, is Johnny real or part of the kids imagination. It was not that complicated in Night at the Museum.

The script is a mess. The impression is that the writers made up the story as they went along. It was a car wreck. There was the cannibalistic villain, a homicidal megalomaniac railroad executive, a corrupt whinny cavalry officer, a one legged madame with an ivory scrimshaw left leg prostheses that shoots bullets and the Comanches (or what was left of them). Strangest of all were these razor sharp tooth attack bunny rabbits that had no compunction of eating their own. They were on scene for about ten seconds and served no purpose to the plot. These diverse elements never congealed. This divergence failed the film.

This movie did not have the light hearted spirit of the Pirates of the Caribbean. Evil in Pirates was more suggested. In the Lone Ranger some parts are grim and even too brutal to watch. However, there were a few scenes that made you smile. Johnny Depp’s make up with a dead crow on his head and his deadpan persona is funny. Armie Hammer had a huge white hat the size of a toilet bowel. Even Silver had a few funny scenes (this horse was whiter than Lady Gaga). Johnny and Armie had good chemistry, which was wasted.

Basically the Lone Ranger is a buddy movie. During the movie the buddy and the lead switch. Sometimes Tonto was the sage, at other times he was the comic relief. Arnie was mostly stiff faced and strangely reluctant to shoot the bad guys. This is a Western, everyone ever one gets shot!

The railroad special effects are impressive. Silver running on top of moving railroad cars is exciting. The William Tell Overture made its debut towards end of the movie.  The TV Lone Ranger show only used a few hallmark bars of the overture. The movie played the whole megillah. I guess the bigger the score the bigger the tie in to the legend of the Lone Ranger.

The last time of the Lone Ranger was on TV was about 45 years ago. Enough time has elapsed that the slate is clean (the millennialismists don’t have a clue about history anyway).The producers could have made any movie they wanted, they picked wrong one.

World War Z

World War Z

Brad, dude, we need another zombie movie like we need another Kardashin. For all its sweeping cinematography, worldwide locations and FX this is just another zombie movie. The undead have the same generic traits: bad posture, a jerky spastic gate and a nasty biting habit. Once bit you become a zombie. In this movie it takes 12 seconds to become a zombie, they actually have a countdown, cool. As opposed to other zombies these guys move fast, very fast. They use their bodies like weapons hurling themselves at cars and helicopters. They make a mountain of human bodies which is impressive to see. This is like Johnny on a Pony from hell.

Brad is a retired UN inspector called back because of the zombie crisis. He reluctantly leaves his wife and two daughters and starts his global trek hunting zombies trying to root out the cause of the pandemic. In all the mayhem that ensues he is as always cool and in control. One piece of advice, Brad loose the long hair it’s not the 70’s and it contrasts with your crow’s feet.

This movie is not very scary, there are no flesh eating scenes you see in other zombie films or jumping out of your seat scenes in movies like 24 Hours or I Am Legend. Most of the action was during daylight; so how scary is that? My problem is I do not see what makes this movie unique, what is the hook? There are some leaps of faith in the movie testing its credibility. They had some script problems and had to reshoot some scenes and the band aides are visible.

For a multimillion dollar movie, Brad is the only star with name recognition. I am not familiar with the rest of the cast. Except for the female Israeli soldier, the rest of the cast do not do have significant roles. For good or bad this movie is on Brad’s shoulders. 

The movie is doing well and Brad Pitt is pulling in big audiences. Should you see it, sure it’s a spectacle. Just remember this is not the type of movie your date leaps on to your lap and all the good things that can follow. 

Man of Steel

This is not your father’s Superman (wait that’s me). This is a very exciting and enjoyable movie. It is a classic super hero movie but more dramatic and less cartoonish. The story is action packed and there are interesting character interactions. One theme of the move is “Who am I” and this is played on different levels with Superman as a child and as an adult. Simple can be very effective, especially with good direction.

Henry Cavil, is a Brit as Superman. I think he will be embraced by the audience, more by the women than by men. Besides being a classical actor, this guy is ridiculously buffed. He has balloon muscles; it’s like Popeye was his personal trainer. When Christopher Reeve played Clark Kent he was a bumbler then as Superman he was forthright and boringly serious.  Henry’s persona is consistent and self-assured. I really like the way they handled the early Clark Kent scenes. I am not a fan of flash backs but they were done well here. His parents are Diane Lane and Kevin Costner, not a bad pick. Their roles were brief, but important. Costner did a good job.

I had my doubts about Russell Crowe; he does not strike me as the fatherly type. But he did a great job as Jor-El. His scenes are early in the movie during the destruction of Krypton, but thanks to movie magic he appears in the rest of the film.  Amy Adams is Lois Lane. Her approach to Lois Lane is less obnoxious than Margot Kidder’s but she is still self-confident and pushy. Amy Adams and Superman click in the movie a bit quicker than expected. I do not think that Laurence Fishburne was an effective Perry White. He was too laid back, too Morpheus.

The bad guys were super. General Zod has no conscious and is ruthless. He is devoted to Krypton’s civilization to the point of exterminating the human race for his cause. There is this female solider named Faora ( Antje Traue, a German actress, but of course) who is a nasty piece of work. She is scary hot. The battles are epic. They seriously trash New York City. Bloomberg was in the audience and he was pissed.

Superman’s suit is OK but a bit somber and dark. Some touches of fuchsia would make the suite pop. For most of the film Superman did not wear those ridicules glasses. Here is a guy that can leap tall builds in a single bound and is faster than a speeding Acela and the best he can do for a disguise area pair of black horn rim glasses. Now poor Henry really looks like a Brit. Thankfully he is also missing the jerry curl from his forehead. The fuchsia and the jerry curl would clash.

Fast and Furious 6

This is going to be a difficult review to write. What is different about this movie than the others? Oh yeah, it has the number 6 at the end of the title. Thank God, the opening credits had a retrospective of images from all of the prior Fast and Furious films (except for Tokyo Drift-don’t ask how I knew that). Fast and Furious 6, like the rest of the family, is another testosterone infused movie garnished with lots of T&A. The movie is sophomoric, but eminently watchable.

The acting was unmemorable. A block of granite can emote more emotion than Vin Diesel. His trade make smirk has almost become a tattoo on his face.  As for the Rock, those acting lessons are really paying off. He can talk and flex his pecks at the same time. With their big muscle bound heads the Rock and Vin look identical. Thank goodness for their different acting styles that sets them apart. Ludacris is the brianiac techie who for the most part is humorless. Tyrese gives some much need funny lines to compensate for his pretty face. Michelle Rodrigues reappears in the movie. She is hot, but she looks like she just sucked a lemon with a sour puss. As for the blond guy I have only seen him in FF movies so I really do not know what he can do besides drive cars. The bad guy is a psychopath and I think he was English but he kept his teeth clenched for most of the movie (no glasses either).

As for the script, forgetaboutit. Why do you need a script to chase cars and chicks? This script is just driving instructions to the demolition derby. The movie has the prerequisite street car race, which is the hallmark of the FF movies, in London. They found the one chick who could count to three with long legs and short shorts to start the race. Drag racing in London traffic is like roller blading in Grand Central Terminal at 5pm.

Some shots are fantastic. The stunts are impressive also (real deal and light on the CG). There are some imaginative chases which is the heart of the movie (not all were with cars). As a guy movie this was fun to watch. For all the slights this franchise has made $1.6b and counting. Stick around for the ending credits they are worth watching.

Now You See Me

This movie is fun. It has a Las Vegas feel with fast action, glitter and stunning magic shows. Their illusions are grand and very complicated but not subtle. Compared to The Prestige, a turn of the century movie about rival magicians, whose magic is sublime, Now You See Me is overplayed. What The Prestige did with a rubber ball Now You See Me needed an FX team CG masters. Some of the set ups in Now You See Me rival scenes from Mission Impossible.

Basically this movie is a caper wrapped in magic. There is a main plot and subplots but the stitching is not flawless. We are told the heart of magic is misdirection; divert the audience’s attention. This movie cannot get out of its own way. You get a pretty good idea of who’s who before the movie’s end. The secret of the story leaks out before its culmination.

The cast is wonderful, but no one does a star turn. They all work well together. Jessie Eisenberg has a stylish goatee and coiffed hair but he is still nebbish. Woody Harrelson plays the heavy. He is the mentalist (hypnotist), who uses his ability for one very funny and unexpected scene. Mark Ruffalo is outside his usual placid self and a bit rough. He still must have some of that Hulk juice coursing through his veins. Morgan Freeman could sleep walk through this part, but it is always a pleasure to see him. Then there is Sir Michael Caine, not one of his more memorable roles. He is the mean fat cat with the dough. Michael Caine played in The Prestige so maybe the producers were hoping to tap into his juju.

The movie was shot in Las Vegas, New Orleans, Paris and New York. Visually the film is very appealing. The car chases in New York are impressive, considering the mangled crashes take place where many of us drive.  The finale is shot in Queens in a building used by graffiti artists. It is a real spectacle to see how the building is transformed in a night light show. The location of the building is referred to as the Five Points. The Five Points is located downtown Manhattan near Chinatown not in Queens. Another failed attempted at misdirection. 

The Hangover 3 - Mr. Chow's Peanut Pecker

The Hangover 3 should have hung it up. The first and second films were the epitome of bad taste. From Stu’s predilection for she male hookers to Mr. Chow’s peanut pecker to a masturbating capuchin monkey; we were embarrassed to laugh but we did. The Hangover 3 script is lazy and mean. Gratis violence was used as a substitute for humorous writing.  The producers probably knew this was their swan song and put minimal efforts into making this movie in the spirit of the earlier movies. In an opening scene involving a live giraffe, a stunt that works in a Looney Tune cartoon was in bad taste in a live action flick. How bad is a Hangover movie when it is accused of bad taste?

Mr. Chow, Ken Jeong, has a key role in this movie and drives the plot. He is obnoxious and foul mouth, which is acceptable. However, his erratic personality zig zags from a cocaine haze to a stone cold hit man.

I am always happy to see John Goodman in a movie. He is Every Man and people relate to him. Here he is a just prop. His persona contributes nothing to the movie. Any fat guy with aviator sun glasses could have played the role. As a tie in the original movie Black Doug makes a cameo appearance and as quickly disappears.     

Alan is lost in his ADHD and off his meds. His stunts are consistent with the last two films but they fail to launch the comedic pulse of this movie. He has a love interest in this movie, Melissa McCarthy. She has purple hair, runs a pawn shop and is just short of elder abuse. She and Alan fall in love at first sight. Why, who the hell knows. I guess at 40 it’s time for Alan to get laid.

Bradley Cooper looks like he does not want to be here. If this was done after Silver Linings Playbook he must be thinking of damage control. Ed Helms, as Stu, does not loss a tooth or gain a tattoo but he still has his trademark high shriek which punctuates the film.

As opposed to the last two films, there are no salacious pictures needed to be destroyed after viewing. So before the credits started to roll I left the theater, but noticed no one else was exiting. Going back in, I saw there were final embarrassing scenes rolling. Since this is the final Hangover movie it is only appropriate the last shot should be of Mr. Chow’s peanut pecker. Or was that the monkey’s pecker?

Star Trek Into Darkness - I Squealed Like and Eight Year Old Girl

Star Trek into Darkness is an excellent movie. It has the three necessary elements of good film making; good directing, a good story and good acting. J.J. Abrams keeps up a rapid pace moving from one script element to another. The plot is multi-leveled and takes a while for the scenes to make sense. I broke my self-imposed rule and bought a 3-D ticket. Only once or twice was I so frightened by flying 3-D space junk that I squealed like an eight year old girl. Other than does two incidents 3-D was ineffective.

What was appealing about this movie was besides Kirk and Spock, the rest of the cast were given room to grow. Simon Pegg, as Scotty, plays a more heroic role aside from the usual comic relief he provides. Zoe Saldana, who plays Uhura, has more face time (and lip lock) with Spock and they get into lover’s spat; poor Spock has no clue (welcome to my world). Bones is his usual miserable self, kvetching to everyone. There is a new blond chick with a PhD who comes in handy later on. It was nice to see Peter Weller’s (his Robo Cop acting is still in tack) return to the screen; he plays Admiral Marcus of Star Fleet. Kirk is as usual impulsive, making life and death decisions on instinct and flouting the rules. No matter the outcome, these actions put him in bad stead with Star Fleet and go unappreciated by Spock even when they benefit him.  The cast has good chemistry and enjoys working together.

There are two couples on the Enterprise, Spock and Uhura and Spock and Kirk. Both quarrel and do not understand each other. It is difficult to tell which relationship frustrates Spock the most. But the bond is strong.

I cannot repeat the name of the bad guy since it will give away too much of the plot. He sounds British, but has good teeth which could be part of a disguise. He is a one man wreaking crew.  His attacks seem random at first but they come together latter in the movie.

Thankfully the Klingons are back and they are as angry, ugly and pissed off as they were on TV. Sadly their scene was brief, but hopefully in the next sequel (and there will be a sequel) they will have a larger role. There are so many Klingon jokes waiting to be launched. 

The Great Fitzpatrick...I Mean The Great Gatsby

I went to this movie with a bad attitude presuming it would be pretentious and overwrought. It was in some parts, but in other parts it was a well done. The problem with the movie it is inconsistent. Parts of it were cartoonish and silly. I think the director Baz Luhrmann, who directed Moulin Rouge, injected the Great Gatsby with scenes that worked in Moulin Rouge but stumbled here.

Parts of the movie were very annoying. The movie is shot in 3D. Since my senior citizen ticket did not cover 3D, I skipped it. Instead I squinted my eyes for the same effect, almost. For a 3D shot, Baz swept the camera over the water for the sensation of movement; it really does not work in 2D. Another gimmick was floating letters in the clouds when Toby Maguire was writing. 3D belongs with Disney not here.

In some scenes Baz shot the actors as giant heads. DiCaprio’s head looked like a huge bobble doll. He used this technique too often and it became irritating. To add a fresh dimension to the film part of the sound track includes hip hop (Jay Z sang, fo shizzle)

Visually the film was very attractive. The mansions and gardens were opulent rendered with the aid of computer graphics. The parties were shot in vibrant colors and the dancing was frenetic. The grimy sections of Long Island City were depressing and this was reflected in the hopelessness of their inhabitants.

I was forced to read this book in high school, but I do not remember the story; which is great since everything is new again. Gatsby is obsessed over Daisy pining for her for five years even building his mansion across the sound from hers. He anonymously sends her flowers and secretly goes to parties where she is. In today’s parlance Gatsby is a stalker. Overall the acting is pretty good. DiCaprio plays Gatsby with insecurity and he is too anxious to please. Carey Mulligan glows on the screen and projects porcelain frailty. She is the object of desire for Gatsby and her philandering husband. The husband is played by Joel Edgerton, who is a very good actor (Kinky Boots and the Warrior). To her husband Daisy is just a possession and he bitterly does not want to lose her. Then there is Spiderman, Toby Maguire. He is wide eyed and in taken in by Gatsby’s wealth and personality. Maguire is skeptical of Gatsby but remains loyal to him.

Leaving the movie I heard some faint applause, but it did not catch on. The applause was halfhearted like the movie. 

Iron Man 3 - Babes with Big Bombs are the Best

Since this is the third installment of the Iron Man franchise we know the characters. Robert Downey Jr. still has his swagger and wise cracks. Gwyneth Paltrow looks a bit more corporate but still impeccably appointed (I think she is taller). Don Cheadle has been upgraded with his own Iron Man suit. Jon Favreau does not direct this film but he brings back his role as Happy Hogan. He is no longer the chauffeur but is head of security at the Stark building with a badge fetish. He has a minor role but he brings good humor.  

      

The main villain is the Mandarin, played with much relish by Sir Ben Kingsley. He looks like a ghetto version of Emperor Ming from Flash Gordon. He has a non-descript Western accent (so sorry Charlie Chan) which does not go with the outfit.  Guy Pierce is a bio chemist industrialist whose products are dubious. He has great hair but a real hot head. There is also a young kid, Ty Simpkins, who becomes Downey’s sidekick and is a bit of a mechanical prodigy himself. From their performances it is obvious that these actors had a lot of fun doing the movie. Their joy will grow as the box office soars.

As expected there is a lot of action. There are explosions, assassinations and destruction from the Mandarin. In this movie there is not one Iron Man but a whole score of them (robots for the most part). Even Paltrow suits up; she looks like an extra from Tron.  In many scenes Tony is not in his suit and to fight the bad guys he improvises weapons from Home Depot. Most of the action involved fighting, with and without suits. There was an amazing aerial stunt that was quite impressive.

The script is simple. Its purpose is to manage the mayhem. There is not much plot development. The focus is on the bad guy and his unique weapon and Tony trying to stop him (I hope I did not give too much away). There is one sub plot so poorly woven into the script that it looks like a cheap patch. Action movies can be kinetic and also have a rich story like the Dark Knight or Star Trek (the movie).

Should you see it; sure. Since this is a guy movie plots are no obstacles as long as there are guns, babes and bombs (babes with big bombs are the best). Since this movie is critic proof I am sure my words just bounced off Iron Man. I might mellow by Iron Man 4.

Pain and Gain - I Hope I Forget Rebel Wilson's Sex Scene

Pain & Gain

This was not a funny movie; deceptive advertising at work again. There were a few funny bits mostly delivered by Rebel Wilson. This is a true story about three body builders who commit some heinous crimes. These numb nuts are dumber than dirty. Mark Walberg, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Antony Mackie are the body builders. These guys were seriously jacked. The Rock was so huge his tattoos almost faded away. Walberg looked like he was made out of rolls of baloney and could not put his arms down by his sides.

Walberg is the leader of this band of fools. He is the “Doer” as opposed to the “DoNotDoer”. Walberg picks up this mantra from Ken Jeong (the nasty Asian guy in the Hangover movies) who plays a dubious motivational speaker. So in his peanut brain Walberg plots a money making scheme that of course goes horribly wrong. The movie is series of missteps that somehow these idiots manage temporally work out but invariably fall apart.

The Rock is a recently released Jesus loving convict. His contribution to the gang was not only his muscles but his willingness to do dumb violent things.  The Rock gives a very good performance. In the course of the movie he transforms from a God fearing gentle ex-con to a paranoid coke addict.  It took some acting skill to do this. The whole cast did a great job. Walberg channeled his Markie Mark persona. Tony Schalhoub played the Colombian Jew role spewing rudeness and nastiness (anti Monk). Antony Mackie played a good third wheel and his contribution to violence was well received. Ed Harris had a small but important as the PI. He wore his usual cool confident facade on his thin frame. Rebel Wilson played herself. As mentioned there is not much comedy but she delivers some much needed laughs. Rebel is in a sex scene which I hope, God willing, I will forget someday.

This is a Michael Bay movie, which means the movie is formula driven. There are the cars crashes, steroid laced jocks, cigarette boats, explosions and of course live Barbies.  Yes, the Barbies were filled with silicon but they left a good impression.

See the movie. It is worth seeing the real bad guys in the ending credits. Yeah, they still look dumb.

Trance

Trance

Trance is a who done it with a lot of who’s. James McAvoy is an auctioneer who steals a Goya and is in cahoots with the gang staging the robbery. He betrays his fellow thieves by stealing the painting and hiding it. In an attempt to flee he is knocked unconscious with a rifle butt from one of the gang members. He loses his memory and cannot recall where he hid the painting. The movie resolves around him trying to regain his memory. The gang leader is Vincent Cassell (he is the bad French guy from Ocean’s Eleven). He and three other accomplices torture and beat up McAvoy to try to get him to talk, but his amnesia is intractable. Frustrated with their efforts Cassell decides to use a hypnotist. Rosario Dawson is the hypnotist who helps McAvoy to regain his memory. Unfortunately other memories surface besides the location of the lost Goya.

What is remembered changes the plot. Bad guys get shuffled around. This is when the plot gets muddled. It is a bit more confusing than surprising. McAvoy’s change of persona is a bit disconcerting.  Rosario Dawson was a combination of steel and beauty. She plays a pivotal role but her sex appeal is a ruse.

Vincent Cassell plays to type. He plays the bad guy well, but with a sameness that we have seen before. The ensemble of actors works well with each and I would not discourage you from seeing this movie. Some parts of the movie are violent and pretty graphic. Also if you strongly object to female frontal nudity, this is not your movie. As for me I am OK with it.

Spring Breakers - Corn Dogs in his Hair

Spring Breakers

This was a scary movie. It was not the gratuitous T&A movie I expected. However, there were lots of T&A and enough six packs to stock a bodega. This movie was every parent’s night mare of spring break. The debauchery was epic. Guys were snorting blow from a girl’s belly button. Other guys were pouring beer from their crouch into the open mouth of girls between their legs. There was also the classic metaphor of a girl sticking a gun barrel in her mouth. One young woman was blitzed and half wearing a bikini  in a room with five guys wearing nothing but jock straps. Gee what could go wrong?

The four chicks in the movie were desperate to go on spring break. They were at some nondescript college in a nowhere town. They did not have enough money go so they resorted to extreme violence (that would serve them well later in the movie) to get the money. The goody-goody, Salina Gomez, aka Faith, did not participate in the money scheme.

They arrived in St. Petersburg Florida, which they though was heaven. Long story short they wind up in jail and Alien, played by that human chameleon James Franco, bails them out. Franco looks like a bleached out Snoop Dog. He has a shiny grill in his mouth, corn dogs in his hair and lots of bling. He is a gun totting drug dealer and wanna be rapper with a white baby grand piano by the pool and sings Brittney Spear songs. Obviously he is not from the Bronx.

Alien comes on to Faith. She is the youngest of the group but has the good sense to want to go home. She leaves her girlfriends behind who become Alien’s posse. At this point the movie splits. The first part had some redeeming value as a pseudo morality play but then it spirals into a kind of violent video game. The girls are transformed; neither money nor drugs excite them. Violence is their drug. A surreal episode was when the girls went to a gun fight wearing electric yellow string bikinis (do they make Kevlar bikinis?), pink baklavas, sneakers and clutching Tek9’s. At this point the movie became a cartoon.

The movie was not what I expected; still it was not entirely disappointing. I never experienced spring break and from this movie I am not sure if it was a good thing or a bad thing. See the movie and judge for yourself.

Oz, the Great and Powerful - The Thin Man? Really???

It is not a terrible movie or a great movie, it is a Disney movie. It is signature Disney with a lot of happiness sprinkled with some evil touches to keep the audience awake. This a prequel to the original Wizard of Oz. The main character Oscar Diggs (aka Oz) is transported to the Land of pre Oz, meets three witches and has a great battle to secure a sequel to the prequel.

Acting in this movie was not a push. If over acting was a currency James Franco would be a millionaire. For the three witches, Mila Kunes, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams, their acting is unremarkable, and almost interchangeable, but they look really good doing it. The battles between good and evil are spectacular and are fun to watch.

Regrettably there was not much humor in this movie. The camaraderie of the Scarecrow, Thin Man and Cowardly Lion is sorely missed. It is difficult to imitate a classic without duplicating it. This Oz does not do it.

See this movie if you are into fantasy or nostalgic for the original Oz. As for the audience this movie is a bit scary (it’s those dam flying monkeys) so kids should be older than twelve years old, except kids from the Bronx older than five is OK.

The Call - It Make Life Interesting

For a B movie The Call is very good. But before I continue, what the hell is with Halle Berry’s hair in this film? It looks like a Chiba Pet is growing out of her head. From here the review gets better.

The genre is familiar. Bad guy kidnaps a young girl, shoves her in the trunk of a car and a police chase ensues.  There are similarities to Silence of the Lambs, but more in tone than a rip off. The unique parts are interesting enough to hold your attention. The movie maintains tension which is essential to a suspense film. Berry is a 911 operator who deals with a cell call from a young girl, Abigail Breslin, who is girl in the trunk. There is some blood and gore, but nothing that would interest Quentin Tarantino.

All three principal actors give serviceable performances. Halle Berry does not over do the nervous operator type. There are some far fetched scenes, but they do not spoil the film. Little Miss Sunshine goes to the dark side, and she seems to like it there. I was skeptical of her performance but her character’s transition is well done.  Michael Eklund plays the creepy kidnapper who has enough film time to give a strong performance. One aspect of his character even bothered me. I like the ending because I did not expect it; the audience liked it also.

For the most part the critics panned this movie. Don’t always listen to the critics, it make life interesting.

The Master - Jim Jones sans Kool Aid

This is not a date flick. The relationships in the movie are volatile and intense. Love and hate exist in the same space. To appreciate the film you have to separate the story from the acting. The story is loosely based on Scientology founded by L. Ron Hubbard. The film offers snap shots of how the cult operates from the domination by the Master to the cult devotion of his followers.

Joaquin Phoenix (and his character, Freddie Sutton) has more issues than National Geographic. Phoenix’s character is a recent World War II veteran whose future is aimless. Phoenix’s transformation into Sutton is stunning. It is evident Phoenix lost weight for this role; his frame is gaunt and his face is a leathery mask. Sutton is tortured by the past and an uncertain present. He is always on the verge of exploding against friends and foes. This guy is so messed up he cannot even belong to a cult. What dark closet did Phoenix pull this character from?

Philip Seymour Hoffman is the Master. He is Jim Jones sans Kool Aid. Hoffman specializes in playing the deceptively soft spoken domineering character, and here he does it well. His cult is young and evolving. Hoffman uses charm and when needed brutality to advance his cause. Sutton is his blunt instrument.

This was not a comfortable movie. Sutton is distressed and is unable to find peace or belonging. For all his guile, Hoffman is basically a charlatan and he knows it. As for his flock, they are sheep. Some lucky sheep will disco dance and fly jets and others will marry tall women.

Oscars Picks - Jessica Chastain's Cojones

Best Motion Picture 
Lincoln This is the whole package; story, acting, directing and great cinema. It is a real feat to make the 13^th Amendment great drama.

Achievement in Directing

David O. Russell, Silver Linings Playbook Why did I pick this guy? Spielberg and Ang Lee already have Oscars and the Academy likes to spread it around. Anyway it is a complicated and multi-level movie well done.

Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role

Daniel Day-Lewis, Lincoln

He is the complete actor. He inhabits his character from his clumpy walk to his unruly hair. Day-Lewsus could have been Honest Abe’s body double. Bummer! 

Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role

Jessica Chastain, Zero Dark Thirty

This woman had cojones. She played the role hard, as she had to.  

Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role

Alan Arkin, Argo

Alan Akin is the shit! This guy is pure New York attitude. He acts with natural force. 

Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role

Sally Field, Lincoln

I noticed of her acting right from the start. Not only was her resemblance to Marty Todd Lincoln uncanny she portrayed her as a tortured soul on the verge of insanity.

Original Screenplay Zero Dark Thirty, Mark Boal

Beats out the rest. A complicated story told.

Adapted Screenplay

Lincoln, Tony Kushner
If you can take a history book and make it into a great movie you deserves the Oscar. Enough said.

 Original Song

"Skyfall," Adele Adkins and Paul Epworth; Skyfall Heard it; liked it.

Achievement in Production Direction

Life of Pi
This is a very trippy movie. The scenes are surreal; simple but effective.