World War Z

World War Z had all the makings of a box-office disappointment. A highly anticipated summer blockbuster that saw its budget balloon with an overly invested movie star (Brad Pitt) set to star. Well it turns out that people like zombies and long-haired Brad because the film is doing well. WWZ stars Pitt as an ex- United Nations worker, who crosses the globe looking for a cure to the zombies that have overrun Earth’s cities. I’m no expert on zombie-lore, but these are runner zombies that turn other humans by biting them. So many scenes consist of one zombie infiltrating a group of humans and starting a chain reaction that sees everyone turned.

Based on a book that is told as multiple individual accounts, the film has Pitt’s character travel around and encounter zombie events first hand. But with that format, the audience is introduced to a number of characters who either die or only last for a few scenes. There can be no confusion as to whose movie this is because there is nonstop Brad Pitt action. Pitt gives his usual steady performance without offering more than we are used to from the famous lead. But it would seem the audience is meant to think this former UN “worker,” who apparently killed bad guys a lot has both the strength to get through a ton of close calls and the brains to find the cure to stop zombies. Long-haired Brad Pitt doesn’t fit that description very well.

Many of the zombie events in the film can be compared to past zombie movies, so World War Z does lack a bit of originality. It will be remembered for some iconic imagery like the zombies climbing each other like ants to get over a large wall, but it didn’t add too much to undead culture. Predictability is the movie’s biggest curse. Spoiler Alert: You can kill off as many people as you want, but with Pitt so prominently featured, there is little risk of him dying in any of the encounters. There is a reason most zombie movies are small films without A list celebrities.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

Man of Steel

Being one of the most straightforward superheroes, turning Superman into a relatable and successful movie character isn’t easy. So the logical solution was to involve the game-changers behind The Dark Knight trilogy. With Christopher Nolan and writer David S. Goyer, Superman turns fragile in a way that makes sense while keeping the character’s history intact. An origin story, Man of Steel follows the character, played by Henry Cavill, from his birth on Krypton to his big debut as Superman. Director Zack Snyder, known for his work on big comic book adaptations (300, Watchmen, Sucker Punch) provides compelling shot after compelling shot.

With Cavill taking on Clark Kent/Kal-El, he must be recognized for his performance that drastically alters a character that has been around for 75 years. Never have we seen Superman so vulnerable without kryptonite around. His relationship with both his adopted father (Kevin Costner) and alien father, (Russell Crowe) have such grounded moments that they could be misinterpreted as scenes from an art-house film instead of one of the biggest blockbusters of all time. Even when the property damage in the film reaches levels only possible in sci-fi, there is a sense of realism present that’s unexpected. Superman drives back any enemy with furor when his mother is threatened. Perry White (Laurence Fishburne) risks almost certain death to help a coworker trapped in rubble. A tornado threatens a group of people stuck in traffic. These are real moments presented by very real performances. There’s a lot more to it than Superman punching people super hard.

Many will find weaknesses in the film because there are weaknesses in every film. There is a heavy reliance on sci-fi elements to build high drama. The villain, General Zod, played by Michael Shannon, proves to be a bit of an enigma even though his motives are explained. But this is a comic book movie as only Nolan and his team can make it. The lighthearted fare of The Avengers isn’t here. Man of Steel presents an outcast whose big debut comes with countless deaths and damage. He is in a constant balancing act between his alien and human self with the epic results that play out on screen. I have never much cared for Superman because he was invincible and therefore boring. Henry Cavill’s Superman is not. He will be remembered for emphasizing that second part of the character’s name. Man.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

Much Ado About Nothing

So this is the review where I’m supposed to pretend that I can understand every word of Shakespeare and read ol’ Willy’s plays in my free time. Well guess what, I haven’t read one since it was assigned in college. But that doesn’t impact how fun Much Ado About Nothing is. Written and directed for screen by Joss Whedon, the cast is made up of a group of the filmmaker’s usual suspects. Alexis Denisoff from “Angel,” Clark Gregg from The Avengers, Nathan Fillion from “Firefly,” the list goes on and on. The film exudes that familiarity throughout with strong chemistry among all of the main players.

With Much Ado, Whedon does well presenting the comedic elements in such a prominent way that allows for the film to work. The actors rely heavily on physical acting in order to clarify the language that is difficult to understand at times. With that being said, I have never seen a Shakespeare film with Shakespearian language that is so clear. Filmed in Whedon’s personal (and very large) house, there is simplicity to the filmmaking that suits the story very well. It’s black and white, in one setting with likeable characters. It has great balance for an independent feature.

Unfortunately there are a few moments where the small budget shows through. For example, a storyline is tied up with a glimpse of a cell phone video that incited some chuckles during my screening, and not in the good way. But all issues are relatively small in scope when looking at the major successes that play out. It’s not all that common to have a writer/director come off one of the biggest films of all time (The Avengers) and dive successfully into a minuscule budgeted indie flick. But this is Joss Whedon we’re talking about. There’s a reason he is the champion of the comic-con crowd.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

The Bling Ring

There are reasons that some movies have limited distribution. Even though The Bling Ring has a highly marketable actress like Emma Watson in it, this is one such movie that doesn’t need to be played in every Cineplex from coast to coast. The film follows the mostly true story of a group of LA teenagers who burglarize celebrity homes. Watson plays one of the teens, but her role is only a supporting one. Relative newcomers, Katie Chang and Israel Broussard play the ringleaders of the group and carry the screen time in the film, which is directed by Sophia Coppola.

The concept is an interesting one with lots of potential. Speaking about the dangers of young people having an obsession with fame and celebrities, the story is hard to believe. But sure enough it actually happened. After the group establishes their routine of breaking and entering, the film becomes redundant and predictable. Brand names are dropped that mean nothing to most viewers, me included. But as we follow the characters around, the question becomes when will we see the resolution? Do they get caught? For that, we get a brief description of what each is charged with and their respective verdicts. The courtroom is completely skipped over. And let’s be honest, there isn’t so much going on that crucial moments need to be summarized.

Chang gives the most effective performance in the film as the mastermind behind the crimes. Her Mean Girls persona sets the tone for the other characters. Watson’s valley-girl meets England hybrid accent still isn’t at the level one would expect from such an actress though. In fact dialect seems to be the Harry Potter star’s biggest weakness at this point. When you’ve had a British accent in eight films that everyone has seen multiple times, your American voice better be convincing. The Bling Ring moves very slowly. Viewers will have a lot less fun watching than the characters do while stealing. But it has its moments.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

The Internship

It would have been really easy for Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson to cash in on a sequel to their hit, Wedding Crashers, but they didn’t. Now the duo pair up again for The Internship. They play different characters in a very different situation, but for all intents and purposes, this is the sequel fans have been waiting for. After their company goes under, Vaughn and Wilson’s characters enroll as interns at Google to try and learn some new skills that may lead to a job with the company. Obviously the internship isn’t your normal coffee ordering.

Based on many actual Google practices, the films brings the viewer through Google’s summer camp-like internship program. With nap pods, free bicycles and quidditch, the situation is fantastic enough on its own to build the basis for the comedy. The script proves to be moderately funny with some hysterical moments. Plus we can only guess how much of the film was ad-libbed by the well-versed leads. The Google campus and the sets made to resemble the Google campus provide a dynamic backdrop for the film, which spends the majority of its time inside. There is never a sense that a setting is overused or too boring to watch.

Vaughn and Wilson provide the same personalities that made Wedding Crashers such a success when it was released. The supporting players all build a strong supporting cast that is well placed to aid the leads. There isn’t anything unexpected when Vaughn and Wilson come on screen, but simple, yet layered performances keep The Internship fresh from start to finish. The script doesn’t just plug two oafs into a room full of geeks, they actually learn while they’re there and become competent web-heads by the film’s final act. An audience isn’t expecting to see a timely film that comments on the state of the economy with these two actors in tow, but that’s what we get. It was worth the wait.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

Epic

Everyone has been waiting a long time for a Josh Hutcherson, Aziz Ansari, Beyonce team-up to come and that’s exactly what we get with Epic. Sure they only provide the voices for the animated feature and no one in fact asked for such collaboration, but the varied cast is definitely a fun one to run through. The story follows a human girl who is mysteriously shrunk down and thrust into a secret civilization. Once there, she helps a group protect the forest from a powerful enemy.

The script is sound in never stepping on their own mythology. The civilization is a confusing one, but the viewers are given the necessary pieces to follow what is going on. With that being said, I constantly felt like I had missed something or that I wasn’t catching on quick enough. It turns out I was over-analyzing it, but I’m curious how children will approach it. Visually, Blue Sky Studios always does nice work. The expansive forest and bright colors that fill the fantasy world look great. Having both animated humans and creatures, there is a balance that gives all of them a good balance between realistic and cartoony.

As for that cast I alluded to earlier, the variety of voices we get is entertaining. It is a bit of a distraction as every scene left me asking who the voices were. That tends to be the issue when the voice actors are well known celebrities. The funniest moments are written for Ansari and Chris O’Dowd who play a slug and a snail respectively. But other than that, none of the roles really stand out with exceptional acting. Overall, Epic falls short of its ambitious title. The film is successful visually and story wise, but it doesn’t have the personality that popular animated franchises like Ice Age or Shrek have.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

After Earth

If I consider my liking of a young Will Smith during his “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” days, my feelings for his son, Jaden are the complete opposite. He comes across in public as an entitled, half-talent, whose famous parents opened all his doors. Most of that is true, but I have to give credit where it’s due. He is pretty good in After Earth. The film follows a general (Will Smith) and his son (Jaden Smith) living in the future that’s full of man eating creatures. When their spaceship crash lands on the quarantined planet of Earth (apparently our pollution destroyed it), the injured father needs his son to travel across the hostile landscape to find a distress beacon.

Now I acknowledged that Jaden is better than I expected, but the plot is a multi-level video game of digitally rendered animals all out to kill the young lead. Will’s performance almost exclusively consists of sitting injured in a chair with an unnecessarily stern expression. He’s a war hero, so apparently that means he speaks in one-liners. “It has found you.” “Take a knee.” “Fea’ is a choice.” Notice I removed that R because apparently people in the future speak in some weird quasi-New Orleans accent. The digital effects in the film look pretty good, but the sheer amount of effects will give After Earth a short half-life. That is if it is remembered as anything other than that weird Will and Jaden Smith movie.

The story was conceived by Will Smith, but as director and co-screenwriter, the much-maligned M. Night Shyamalan will probably take a lot of the criticism for the film’s weaknesses. It’s pretty clear that Shyamalan was not in full control though because the story lacked his sense of mystery employed during his best (and worst) films. The theme of controlling your fear is jammed down the audience’s throats with aliens that are blind but “smell fear.” But after the initial eye-rolling moment when that phenomenon is described, it’s not such a terrible concept. The middle of the film proves to be the most entertaining with Jaden’s character losing contact with his grumpy poppa. Why Will decided that his character needed to lack any of the traits that have made him such a likeable movie star, I have no idea. By the time Jaden reaches the end of the journey, which, like I said earlier, is a glorified video game, his showdown with the biggest of the monsters is highly predictable. The movie is okay, but when Will Smith is a lead, we expect more. After Earth is just riddled with problems from the get go.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

Now You See Me

Ever since Christopher Nolan’s The Prestige came out, I have been optimistic about magician movies. In reality, most of the “magic” can be concealed easily with digital effects and camera tricks, but I am still drawn in by the spectacle. That’s what Now You See Me bases its entire premise on, spectacle. In the film, a group of magicians team up and gain fame by stealing money from the rich and giving it to the commoners who support them. All the while, Mark Ruffalo, an FBI agent and Melanie Laurent, an Interpol agent, try to catch them and figure out their secrets. Obviously twists and turns occur.

The magician team, known as the four horsemen, is played by Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher and Dave Franco. Each character has their own interesting magician personality, which translate well to the screen. Eisenberg carries the group both within the script and on camera. Harrelson adds his trademark level of snark and Franco has a few exciting moments where his talent is on display. Just like in The Great Gatsby, Fisher is middle of the road. But for the most part these magicians, who are by far the most interesting characters, play supporting roles to the law enforcement team tracking them down and Morgan Freeman, who is a magic debunking television personality. That proves quite unfortunate because every time the four horsemen are on screen, the action and entertainment levels spike.

Ultimately the film ends without fulfilling the potential the first act has. That occasionally happens with movies that deal heavily in mystery early on. The answers aren’t always as cool as the questions. “Now You See Me” is a great thinking movie that does well to engage the audience. The story, as well as the performances, build support for the characters without a whole lot of individual development. It is also worth noting that Michael Caine is wasted as a stodgy millionaire backer of the magicians. Ultimately the film is an exciting display where the potential for clues forces the audience to watch more closely than is entirely necessary. Could a sequel titled “Now You don’t” be on the way? Probably not, but it would be cool.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.

The Hangover: Part III

Did you see all the crazy, hysterical antics that were pulled during The Hangover Part III? If so, please point me in that direction. All I saw was an attempt at comedy that lacked any of the successful methods of the franchise’s previous films. We were all looking for something slightly different after the first two films had virtually the same plot in two different settings, but no one said to take the jokes away. Part III has the wolf pack attempting to find a criminal’s (John Goodman) gold in exchange for freeing their friend Doug (Justin Bartha). Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms and Zach Galifianakis reprise their roles as the leads and Ken Jeong’s role is inexplicably given a featured role as the exhausting Chow.

If we want to critique the film’s visual elements, it’s clear that director Todd Phillips took advantage of a sizeable budget to showcase some of the great landscapes the film is set in. But is that really what we’re talking about in the review for The Hangover Part III? The script seems to remain open in order to give the stars some improvisation time, but that proves to be too much of a task. Cooper is subdued, just throwing in an occasional swear word to appear authentic. Maybe the Oscar nominee has outgrown such roles. Helms is grating in his role that consists of a ton of incessant whining. Then there’s the perceived sure thing performance of Galifianakis. But in an attempt to develop the Allen character into a sympathetic and layered personality, the script loses sight of the fact that this is THE HANGOVER!

I’d rather not give too many words to Ken Jeong’s performance because even though the actor is likeable enough, his character is mostly unwatchable. At least he got the memo that the movie is supposed to be over-the-top. I guess the story wraps up at a point where we can be happy walking away from the trilogy. It’s just a difficult film to get a grasp of. The advertisements said very little about the plot and after watching the film, I understand why. There’s not much to draw in fans. There is however an in-credit sequence that leaves the audience wishing that had been the basis for the entire film. I guess we were wrong thinking the morning after template needed to go this time around. It’s sorely missed.

Each film earns either zero, a half or a full arrow in five categories. The categories are Acting, Writing/Directing, Emotion, Innovation and Overall Impression. The arrows are added up to equal the full score.