300: Rise of an Empire

Where is all the hype for 300: Rise of An Empire? If you told the 2006 versions of us that big sequel to 300 was being made centered on the naval battle that played out side by side with Leonidas’ last stand, we would be very excited. Instead the sequel took eight years to make and the hype grew cob webs on our DVD shelves. It’s a bit unfortunate because Rise of An Empire delivers the back story and depth that wasn’t given in the first go around. What are missing are the legendary sound bites, we remember from ’06. “Tonight we dine in hell!” “Meaning we’re ordering Chinese food.”

Sullivan Stapleton plays Themistocles, a character whose legend is on par with Leonidas’. His army is a large one that seems to contain a predictable dynamic of archetypes including the father/ son pairing we saw in the first film. I hate to keep mentioning 300 but the truth is Rise of an Empire makes sure you don’t forget it. References to the past characters, including the presence of Lena Headey’s Queen Gorgo and David Wenham’s Dilios, pop up around every turn.

Xerxes, played by Rodrigo Santoro is featured again also, but this is much more than an ode to the past. WE get the character’s origin story and see more into his life as god-king than before. He’s no longer just the creepy villain who says “Europa” in a deep accent. Eva Green also does well as the creepy commander Artemisia.

The action is higher quality than expected from a film about a naval battle. I kind of wondered why all the ships didn’t just come to shore and fight there though. Most of the time the ships just rammed each other and the fighters jumped from deck to deck. Why not make it easier? But I expected over the top Greek historical fiction in Rise of an Empire and that’s what I got.

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.

Robocop

Did you ask for a Robocop reboot? I know I sure didn’t. But you never know with these projects until you watch them. Joel Kinnaman plays a Detroit cop on the verge of death after being injured on the job. But his wife (Abbie Cornish) is given a choice to bring him back as part man, part robot. Spoiler alert, she does. If she chose to let him die it would be a pretty short movie. Once the transition is made, it quickly becomes clear that he’s not the same person. His mind can be bent through the machine part of his being.

In a time where so many sci-fi adventures are told with an eye to comedy or the possibility to appeal to children, Robocop takes itself very seriously. Sure, it’s not the bloodbath the original was. This version received a PG-13 rating, but there’s a lot of stress throughout the narrative. Kinnaman, best known for his work on “The Killing,” is an interesting choice to play the lead. He’s believable as a good cop, but he has a seedy nature to his look that makes you question the character a bit. The script helps by spending a fair amount of time establishing his good guy nature through his interactions with family and friends.

With a lesser known actor playing Robocop, the star power is built up elsewhere. Samuel L. Jackson plays a television news pundit, who establishes the story early on and ultimately beats the audience over the head with the moral issues presented in the film. Then there’s Gary Oldman, who plays the morally conflicted scientist who builds Robocop. The film’s attempted intensity takes a lot of the fun out of a story about a robot police officer and the result is a stunted pace with semi-likeable characters. Sure the character is way sleeker than the original, but the movie isn’t as slick as they think.

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 Lego Movie

How good could a movie based on Legos possibly be? Well actually, quite good. Chris Pratt voices Emmet, an everyday Lego construction worker, who is happy going through his everyday life. But when he is believed to be the subject of a prophecy, he joins a quest to save the Lego world from an oppressive villain. Over the past number of years, Lego has built an entertainment brand on witty humor in their screen and video game properties. This makes a very easy transition to the big screen. The Lego movie is the culmination of such an approach.

Beyond Pratt, the voice cast is incredibly deep with Will Ferrell, Morgan Freeman, Elizabeth Banks, Liam Neeson and a host of other big names contributing their spoken talents. Arnett plays Batman who is one of many popular properties to make an appearance. There are also Star Wars, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Harry Potter characters featured. These familiar faces keep the audience’s attention, looking for their favorites to make a cameo. But beyond that, the film is very conscious of the real process of children playing with Legos. Using a lollipop stick as a staff, broken accessories and the mismatching of characters from different “worlds” brings back memories from playing with the brick toys.

Ultimately the stream of consciousness format of the story telling is explained in a funny way with one of the well-known voice contributors making a real life appearance. It’s one of the final successful moments in a movie that has one after another for its full running time. Obviously, the intended audience is children, but the references are probably better understood by adults who have lived through more of Lego’s long varied history. And good luck getting Teagan and Sara w/ The Lonely Island’s “Everything is Awesome” out of your head. There aren’t many songs catchier than that.

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 Monuments Men

Take George Clooney (the actor and the director) add Matt Damon, John Goodman and a pinch of Bill Murray and what do you get? An Oscar sure thing. Unfortunately The Monument’s Men wasn’t ready in time for award season so it got the early year release. The film is based on the true story of a group of soldiers tasked with saving classic art from the Nazis in World War II. The film has a bit of war time fighting, but it is a fresh take on a time that has been thoroughly explored throughout cinematic history.

The cast delivers exactly as you would expect them to. Oscar sweethearts Cate Blanchett and Jean Dujardin also feature through the star studded project and their ability to hold equal weight next to Clooney and Damon shows the script’s balance and depth. The film is a treasure hunt as a few specific pieces of art become the primary focus to drive the story forward. Looking through Clooney’s short list of directed features, it’s clear he has an eye to present moments of historic significance either through an authentic or fictitious lens. The Monument’s Men blends those two approaches using history to mold a story that differs vastly from the factual account.

The film isn’t afraid to get wordy as some scenes do last a bit long. A negative result to the large cast receiving balanced screen time is most of the supporting characters could use more developing. It has the look of a WWII film and the feel of one also, but the fresh elements give it a unique voice. Clooney and Dujardin in particular have looks that place them in the appropriate era seamlessly. I just wish Clooney would stop charming me in all of his roles. He’s just so dreamy.

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.

Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit

Whenever anyone asks me if I saw Jack Ryan it takes me a minute to figure out if they mean this movie starring Chris Pine or last year’s Jack Reacher starring Tom Cruise. The names are just too darn similar. In the defense of Ryan, they did add Shadow Recruit afterwards in order to give it some originality. The film tells the origin story of Jack Ryan, a spy among many other things who is the lead in Tom Clancy’s popular book series. On screen the character has been played by Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford and Ben Affleck before Chris pine took his turn.

In order to make room for the main conflict in the film, the character’s backstory is summarized through the films first act. It seems like episodes of a TV show the way his time in college, military experience and subsequent recovery play out in rapid fire succession. But once everything gets moving there is a high level of charm at work alongside the tension and drama. Director (and costar) Kenneth Branagh does well keeping the film’s voice central throughout. As a spy story in Europe, Shadow Recruit could have very easily become a Mission Impossible or James Bond wannabe. That isn’t the case however.

Pine does well as the film’s lead, but never quite fits in the role the way he does in the Star Trek franchise. Branagh is a great accented villain to counteract the charm of Pine. The one dimensional character played by Kevin Costner proves less successful however as the personality could have been played by just about any actor in Hollywood. Last of the featured actors is Kiera Knightley. She gives a more accessible performance than we’re used to in the majority of her work, but the character is written as a bit clueless. Overall the film is a successful effort, but I don’t expect we’ll be remembering its name.

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.

Ride Along

In a role that is essentially the same as the supporting one he plays in 21 Jump Street, Ice Cube plays a hard-nosed cop who brings his sister’s goofy boyfriend out on a day’s police work to see if he’s worthy of marrying her. Ride Along pairs Cube with current it comedian Kevin Hart, a team that apparently is perfect for the big screen. It’s all a bit predictable with how the dynamic of the odd couple plays out, but that doesn’t mean it’s not funny. It definitely is.

Hart’s incessant comedy builds the character past what could have been an annoying performance and into a likeable guy. He isn’t always able to keep the coolness level down enough though. The script presents the character as a bigger loser than Hart plays him as. Ice Cube proves the perfect foil. He can keep the tough guy persona through even the most ridiculous antics. He’s come a long way as an actor. I don’t anticipate seeing “Oscar nominee” in front of his name or anything, but he’s still vastly improved. Beyond the leads, smaller performances by John Leguizamo and Laurence Fishburne play out as middle of the road.

Like I mentioned earlier, the film’s biggest flaw is how incredibly predictable it is. Individual scenes stand out as memorable inside a plot that has been written countless times before. Even with a solid performance, Ice Cube comes across as less memorable than Hart. Hart is on a quick rise to super stardom and the success of Ride Along shows that. His scenes at a shooting range and imitating a crime boss are great moments to add to his reel. They’re well-timed and with a good amount of improvisation. Overall, it’s a solid effort.

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.