Film Review “We Are Your Friends”

Starring: Zac Efron, Emily Ratajkowski and Wes Bently
Directed By: Max Joseph
Rated: R
Running Time: 96 minutes
Warner Bros. Pictures

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Unlike a lot of my male cohorts, I’m willing to admit I like Zac Efron. I think he’s very talented, but he’s been stuck with fodder that simply wants him shirtless and smiling. But I’ll admit those are two qualities that go hand-in-hand with his likeability and charm that he radiates on screen. Maybe Efron’s charm was just the right amount for me to enjoy the shoddy script that inhabits “We Are Your Friends”.

Cole (Efron) is an aspiring DJ, hoping to break out in the electronic dance music scene. He’s talented, but bogged down by his gang of friends which play like a trashy version of Vincent’s from “Entourage”. Mason (Jonny Weston) acts like his scumbag manager, but only maintaining the scumbag part. As for his other two friends, Squirrel (Alex Shaffer) and Ollie (Shiloh Fernandez), they’re relegated to mop up duty as simplistic drug dealers who are occasionally called upon to shift a subplot in a different direction.

All four have their own personal dreams and goals, aspiring towards a grand life. They all appear to have delusions of grandeur, but it’s never really explained why they feel like they’re life is building towards a life of fame. Cole’s trio of friends are so underdeveloped, you sometimes wonder why Cole would bother clinging to a bunch of lowlifes. The lack of details in Cole’s gang plays in later when the movie asks you to care.

But because Cole is genuinely the only one of the group with talent, he’s the only one that seems to move forward with his aspirations as he catches the attention of an already established DJ, James (Bently). James continues to live off a couple of one hit wonders, simply playing music that caters to his inebriated audience. Seeing the chance to try something new, James becomes a mentor to Cole, but the mentor role is complicated when Cole falls in love with James’ voluptuous live-in assistant/girlfriend/sex doll, Sophie (Ratajkowski).

Most of “We Are Your Friends” is predictable. It times it comes off as cheap when it steals a lot of music biography elements, but when it wants to it manages to handle a few things differently. At a certain point, Cole is told to find his own voice instead of using other people’s music samples in his work. I’m assuming this is advice director Max Joseph was told, but unlike Cole, he can’t follow that advice. Joseph appears to pick out his favorite clichés, weaving them in. Visually though, Joseph has a wonderful style when he wants one. He turns multiple scenes into music videos while adjusting the audio levels to match blasts of music with the adrenaline and the lows of sound with the raw emotion.

The ups and downs, like the music our main characters plays, are tolerable or repulsive, depending on your age. “We Are Your Friends” is definitely a movie catered towards Millennials that appreciate EDM and the scene, much like a Baby Boomer who watches a documentary on Woodstock. So maybe Efron’s charm isn’t what has me recommending “We Are Your Friends”, but maybe it’s because of my age and because I have yet to crest outside its target audience.

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Film Review “Hitman: Agent 47”

Starring: Rupert Friend, Hannah Ware and Zachary Quinto
Directed By: Aleksander Bach
Rated: R
Running Time: 96 minutes
20th Century Fox

Our Score: 1 out of 5 Stars

The award winning videogame franchise, “Hitman”, has yet to create anything worthy of a film award, unless we want to start talking about Razzies. But I’ll concede that it’s damn near impossible to create a decent movie based on a videogame. A videogame story is easily understood because the person diving into it is ready to spend 25-40 hours with the main character, being the character, and interacting with the world the character inhabits. We have a fraction of that time in a movie. So, the idea of creating a videogame movie is an insurmountable task, but there’s no reason it should suck this much.

The perplexing story starts with a narrator giving us meaningless exposition about characters we have yet to meet and don’t care about yet. It then shows us Agent 47 (Friend). He comes after a long list of agents, biologically engineered to be uncaring killing machines, in an unexplained agent program. We watch him do what he’s been trained to do as he violently disposes of multiple people so that he can track down the whereabouts of Katia Van Dees (Ware). She is an even more mysterious person on the search for a man that she doesn’t know. In fact, she doesn’t know why she’s really searching for him or what he means to him. Hoping to get a hold of Katia before Agent 47, is John Smith (Quinto).

So who do these people work for? That’s a really great question that the movie never really answers or seems to bother itself with. Maybe Agent 47 is working for a syndicate interested in rebooting the agent program. Maybe he’s working for a world power that’s hoping to create its own agent program. Maybe he’s working for it’s a nefarious conglomerate hellbent on restarting the agent program. Simply remove Agent 47’s name from the previous questions, and put in Katia and John’s name where his is and you begin to see the problem.

What’s even more bizarre is that while it doesn’t explain what’s going on with these people, it feels really predictable when Katia and John deduce/admit who they are. Every five minutes it feels like a new person is directing the movie and there’s no clear direction or narrative in general. When the action stops, it’s dreadfully boring. But even when the killing flares up we’re simply watching these three characters interact while unnamed soldiers, police, henchmen, and guards get caught in the crossfire or become fodder for lazy kill scenes.

For being an alleged action movie, “Hitman: Agent 47” is about as entertaining as watching someone who’s watching someone play a videogame. It’s a bit morbid to say that “Hitman: Agent 47” should spruce up the joy by having fun murdering countless people, but it’s true. Watching an expressionless person kill an expressionless person followed by more expressionless reaction elicits about as much excitement in me as winning a game of solitaire in my downtime at work.

If my may indulge my nostalgia for a second…way back in 2000, I played the first “Hitman” videogame at a friend’s house. We had a blast, had our eyes glued to the screen, and talked about the game for weeks at school. We wasted hours on it and couldn’t wait to waste more on the inevitable sequels that were to follow. To those who created “Hitman: Agent 47”, you have tainted that memory with your garbage movie.

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Film Review “Fantastic Four”

Starring: Miles Teller, Michael B. Jordan, Kara Mara and Jamie Bell
Directed By: Josh Trank
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 100 minutes
20th Century Fox

Our Score: 1.5 out of 5 stars

I can only imagine the board room battles over comic book property going on in Hollywood right now. It will surely make for an interesting documentary one day. While Fox will surely hold on to the lucrative “X-Men” franchise as long as possible, it might be time for them to give up the “Fantastic Four” franchise. But then again, maybe the four superheroes just aren’t meant for the big screen.

The latest offering continues a long standing tradition of bad “Fantastic Four” movies. The 2015 movie adds itself to a short list of disappointments, although this one manages to stand out. It’s definitely the bleakest and has the most talented cast of young actors. But that stellar cast was chosen because of their youth, and that’s one of the main problems. The movie starts off with Reed Richards (Teller) and Ben Grimm (Bell) becoming the best pals in 2007 before quickly flashing forward to the present day. They go from eight-year-old looking elementary school classmates to 28-year-old looking high school students.

Reed’s getting ready to show off his finished product, an interplanetary matter transporter, at a high school science fair of all places. The teachers and principal shockingly shrug off the machine that has transported an object to another world, as a mere magic trick. But luckily Reed’s machine that could potentially produce a black hole is recognized by Dr. Franklin Storm (Reg E. Cathey). He’s randomly browsing the high school science fair, accompanied by his daughter Sue (Mara), who doesn’t attend the school. It’s OK though, Storm operates a school for young aspiring scientists. So it’s completely normal that he’d be attending a tired high school movie cliché in search of another young aspiring scientist. I’m only into the first 10 minutes of this movie and I’m already frustrated with the idiocies of this movie.

Once Reed is recruited, he meets Sue’s brother, Johnny (Jordan). He’s a master technician, but a rebel, only made evident by a short scene where he drag races. Then inevitably, we meet Victor Von Doom (Toby Kebbell). Doom was actually working on an interplanetary matter transporter, called the Quantum. The government, and more specifically Dr. Storm, are investing in this idea because they want to find a solution to our Earthly woes by visiting a mystery planet.

Doom, who’s supposed to be the evil mad man, oddly enough takes a slightly sympathetic attitude about the whole project. He doesn’t believe we should discover a new planet and drain it of its resources just to save ourselves from sucking the Earth. Despite their differences in attitudes, the five youths combine their forces to create the gate, which obviously becomes a success. But frustrated with the fact they won’t be the first humans to traverse space and time, they go on an unsanctioned trip to the mystery planet, and I’m sure you know the rest. They get powers.

“Fantastic Four” is mercilessly thick with exposition without giving the viewer a reward for their investment into the plot. “Fantastic Four” glosses over loopholes, but stops to examine its duller aspects. It moves at an infuriatingly slow pace, while skipping over the possibility of some fun plot points. At times it feels like a hodgepodge of other directorial themes. It wants to be the “Dark Knight” trilogy in tone and tells poorly timed Marvel jokes without any of the charm or wit. Simply put, it’s a narrative hack job.

The action is light until the forced final battle between Dr. Doom and the Fantastic Four, but even then the fight is visually weak. “Fantastic Four” is like a small boy who spends all the time in the world setting up all the pieces for a game of Risk, but by the time he’s done, he simply throws the board across the room in a rash fit of rage. Give it up Fox. Let Marvel have the “Fantastic Four” back so they can give them a proper burial.

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Film Review “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation”

Starring: Tom Cruise, Rebecca Ferguson and Jeremy Renner
Directed By: Christopher McQuarrie
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 131 minutes
Paramount Pictures

Our Score: 4.5 out 5 stars

If you haven’t heard yet, Tom Cruise hangs off the side of a plane for his latest movie, “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol”. The 53-year-old actor, who’s been known for doing his own stunts, figured the best way to hook you from scene one is to jump on to a plane and dangle for life as it climbs through the area. The kicker is that this is done without the use of special effects, just a good ol’ camera mount to capture his unterrified expression as he soars into the air. If the first five minutes of “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation” doesn’t hook you in, you apparently don’t like action movies.

Cruise is reprising his role as Ethan Hunt, the mastermind, physically unlimited, and fatigueless spy operating with the Impossible Mission Force (IMF). Before his suspicions about a global terrorist network, called the Syndicate, can be confirmed, they reveal themselves to him and capture him. Using his mind, fighting prowess, and in general luck, he escapes from his unfamiliar and mysterious captors only to be a fugitive from his own country. While he was busy being beat up nearly tortured, the U.S. has disbanded the IMF and now is after Ethan for treason. That’s a lot of exposition in the first 10 minutes, but it’s handled quite well without overloading the viewer’s processing senses.

A lot of the exposition in this movie is masterfully done, without too many lingering questions of whom, what, where, when and why. The finer details could be scrutinized, but the general plot is intricately laid out in a simplistic and fun fashion. As the story progresses, Ethan Is helped by various people to help him find out who heads up the syndicate. There’s Brendt (Renner), the inside man at the CIA, who lets Ethan know when the CIA is hot on his trail. Then there’s Benji (Simon Pegg), the computer geek who’s called into justify absurd gadgetry. Then there’s the mysterious double crossing former agent known as Ilsa (Ferguson). There’s other characters that crop up and add to the mix, but their sudden appearances are a joy upon watching.

To break up the constant tension is some much needed comic relief, provided by nearly every character, but in heavy does by Benji. Tom Cruise is charismatic, but he seems more in sync when his partner in crime throughout Europe arrives, Benji. Simon Pegg, who’s had some experience in comedy and action, is a perfect outlet for what everyone in the audience is thinking, “How the hell did you just do that?”

Just like previous installments in the “Mission: Impossible” movie series, there’s lots of twists, turns, fake face pulling off, neat gadgets, and all the other things that have actually been missing from all the latest Bond movies, which isn’t a bad thing. There are actually plenty of comparisons between both movie series, but the major difference right now is tone. While the Bond series seems to be aiming for a growing character study and keeping Bond emotionally resonant, “Mission: Impossible” seems to be going for what early Bond was like, exhilarating action and non-stop fun.

For every moment you think “Mission: Impossible” is going to let up, it pushes harder on the throttle without giving you a moment to breathe. Small to big action sequences are done with precision; creating tension despite the fact we know that Ethan will be fine. Those moments of tension are created by characters constantly discussing the longevity of Ethan, who flirts with death and laughs at danger. Of course those might just be a hint at whomever will take over Ethan’s place when Cruise becomes too old. But right now, Tom Cruise is still an action star not to be messed with.

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Film Review “Southpaw”

Starring: Jake Gyllenhaal, Forest Whitaker and Rachel McAdams
Directed By: Antoine Fuqua
Rated: R
Running Time: 123 minutes
The Weinstein Company

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

After being denied a much deserved Oscar nomination for best actor last year for “Nightcrawler,” Jake Gyllenhaal is back to beat the hell out of anyone who thinks otherwise. While last year he was downright chilly as a cunning sociopath with an appetite for visual destruction, in “Southpaw” he’s a mumbling, short-tempered boxer by the name of Billy Hope. The gusto that Gyllenhaal has given in his performances over the past couple of years on display in “Southpaw,” but his acting prowess is too good for this script.

When we meet Billy, he’s being bandaged up for an upcoming boxing match. It’s one of the few instances in this movie we don’t see him beaten, bruised, or bleeding. Gyllenhaal sets the tone capturing the mannerisms of an all-star athlete psyching himself before a match, but once he speaks, he captures the literacy of Mike Tyson, and that’s not a bad thing when you’re portraying someone whose life is all about getting bashed in the head by fists.

His character is a bit like Lenny from “Of Mice and Men” because he has a gentle heart, but wields the strength to break some bones. Billy has a lovely wife, Maureen (McAdams) and a 10-year-old daughter whom he absolutely adores, Lelia (Oona Laurence). He turns into a pile of mush talking to them and fawns over them constantly, but once he steps into the ring, he turns into an absolute monster. This big swing in delivery and emotions is what makes Gyllenhaal’s performance one of the best this summer.

The story that Gyllenhaal gets to act in is not as stellar. The high-life ends when a freak accident, which I’m still not sure what happened in it, kills Maureen, and leaves Billy and Lelia alone. The story logistics, or domino effect of bad events after Maureen’s death, are hasty and illogical. Focusing on them could easily cloud one’s judgement and prevent one from enjoying the cheap entertainment that “Southpaw” is. Billy loses custody of his daughter, he loses his home and his livelihood, and he’s left penniless in the streets, all within a matter of days. You think the undefeated lightweight champion of the world could afford a better trial lawyer and would have at least a couple of million for the rainiest of days.

Instead of solving problems in a clear, concise manner, the movie relies on aged sports movie clichés to get from one scene to the next. One instance for example is when Forest Whitaker shows up as the Apollo of the movie, Titus. Titus has some strict morals about training a professional boxer that he ends up forsaking so it won’t inconvenience the plot. While all of this certainly puts a damper on everything, if you treat it like most summer blockbusters, you shouldn’t have too hard a time enjoying what transpires.

“Southpaw” is an enjoyable break from the explosions and CGI of the summer, as long as you’re not putting it in the ring against “Rocky” or “Raging Bull”. “Southpaw” gives us one of the more loveable brutes of the summer, while providing cheap popcorn entertainment. For all its faults, it can be enjoyed as long as you turn your brain off. And if I can be forgiven for just one more heap of praise for Gyllenhaal, seeing his shapeshifting transformation from role to role since “End of Watch” is reason enough to purchase a ticket for “Southpaw”.

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Film Review “Ant-Man”

Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas and Corey Stoll
Directed By: Peyton Reed
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 117 minutes
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

In the hearts and minds of many, Robert Downey Jr. will always be Iron Man, Chris Evans will always be Captain America, and Hugh Jackman will always be the Wolverine. This isn’t a bad thing because these are all beloved characters that have now been etched into movie history. Of course some people, like Ben Affleck, will always be remembered for the abysmal “Daredevil” movie. So with that said, Paul Rudd, you are Ant-Man, and damn good at it.

It’s a difficult job to be the Marvel movie that follows up the box office success, “Age of Ultron,” but “Ant-Man” is not only a sufficient follow-up, but better than the epic spectacle earlier this summer. While “Ant-Man” may not have the budget, the explosive scenes, and the plethora of characters building around its hyperbolic villain, it’s still grand. Its pint sized hero does everything wonderfully on a much smaller scale, but with a lot more heart.

Scott Lang (Rudd) is a cat burglar who constantly reminds everyone that his robberies were not violent. He’s recently been let out of jail and is staying with his buddy Luis (Michael Pena). Scott wants to do right. He has the smarts and drive, but as his wife says, he leaves when things get tough. So after some unsuccessful attempts at getting a decent job, including a shameless product placement, Scott quickly resorts back to a life of crime.

Luis has the scoop on a home with a massive safe in the basement. Scott breaks in, and his first foe is an impressive metal door with a thumb print key lock. He disposes of this quickly, seemingly ready to meet the illegal challenge. But it isn’t gold bars, jewelry, the Ark of the Covenant, or any treasure like that inside this mystery vault. Instead it’s a suit, and as the cliché goes, it comes with a great power. Scott may not be ready for the power, but the creator of the suit, Hank Pym (Douglas), is ready to teach him.

Like most origin stories, it does deal with the obligatory training scenes and exposition that we’ve become accustomed to in many of these superhero movies. “Ant-Man” reminds me a lot of “Iron Man” in that the training sequences are coupled with personal growth in our hero. It isn’t simply bulking up, learning fighting tactics, and growing into a suit, but it’s also about growing as a person. We don’t need the end of the world to be impressed with superhero movies, but we’ll certainly have a lot more admiration for someone who’s just as human as me or you. With Paul Rudd’s acting and the clever writing, “Ant-Man” becomes one of the best Marvel movies.

“Ant-Man” is enjoyable, fun, exciting, and filled with humor. It knows when to be emotional and it knows when to laugh at itself. A lot of that is thanks to the script penned by Edgar Wright. While three others were attached to it, Wright’s mark has been left. Peyton Reed, who is far from being known for directing action movies, does an OK job replicating Wright’s style of direction. The blueprints were there, but there is this faint feeling that it could have been perfect if Wright was behind the camera.

Ant-Man joins a very crowded field of superheroes, and sure to become even more crowded with Captain Marvel, Black Panther, Doctor Strange, and others on the horizon. While I’m sure Marvel will handle all of these characters like it has in the past, with grace, heart, and comedy, but as of right now, Ant-Man’s short stature has left the biggest mark on the Marvel universe. Good things do come in small packages.

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Film Review “Minions”

Starring the Voices of: Pierre Coffin, Sandra Bullock, and Jon Hamm
Directed By: Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda
Rated: PG
Running Time: 91 minutes
Universal Pictures

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Minions have the lovability of a puppy dog, the comedy stylings of a group of rambunctious Kindergarteners, and they’ve now gotten their own movie. A lot can go wrong when you give the side characters of your main movie their own big picture. When it works, like “Puss in Boots,” it works, but it’s not a very memorable entry. The creators of “Minions” have surprisingly avoided the potential spin-off pitfalls by realizing the best way to handle their yellow pill shaped creations, is by simply allowing them to be silly.

The plot in this movie is paper thin, but it doesn’t need the emotional heft we’ve seen in the previous “Despicable Me” movies. Sure our pint sized pals have their own characteristics, but they don’t have the depth of Gru or the deep characteristics of any of the other humans inhabiting this world. “Minions” mainly follows the three yellow creatures named Kevin, Stuart, and Bob. Their journey begins after a brief and funny backstory on how the minions have become servants. The brave trio is about to go out into the world to find a deviant master. They’ve spent years huddled in the cold ice chambers of Arctic after centuries of accidentally killing or shaming all their previous rulers.

The three arrive in the states and find their way to a villain convention where they become enamored by Scarlet Overkill (Bullock). Unlike Gru, she’s very selfish in her ambitions, which aren’t necessarily made clear. The majority of the movie moves at a disorganized pace that only serves one purpose, to make you laugh and to entertain. And honestly, that’s all I really want out of a movie about the minions.

Despite my enjoyment of all the visual gags and slapstick humor, I wish the story wouldn’t have plodded around so much. The weakness comes when Kevin, Stuart, and Bob are on their own. They communicate through their own gobbledygook language and it doesn’t feel as fast paced as a skit when the minions act more like a collective brain than in an individual manner. Kevin, Stuart, and Bob manage to create their own identity by the end of the movie, but it’s not a very strong one or one that helps differentiate themselves that much from the others in the minion collective. Kevin is the leader of the three, Bob is the most playful and childlike of the group and Kevin is….Kevin.

Just like in the previous movies, “Minions” work best when they react to a situation. Overkill is the deepest character in the movie, but she’s the developed character that populates the “Despicable Me” universe. But if she was created to simply be a piece for the minions to react to, then her purpose has been served. It just feels like a waste when you bring on a big name like Sandra Bullock to voice As for the other voice actors, they’re very good, especially Jon Hamm who plays Scarlet’s lover/accomplice. He almost sounds like Bill Hader, who I highly regard as an amazing voice actor. Not that Hamm is in his post-“Mad Men,” he should consider more voice-acting roles.

It isn’t the best children’s movie of the year, but that’s certainly hard to do nearly a full month after Pixar released its shoe-in for the best animated feature film of the year Oscar. While Pixar has the awards, “Minions” will certainly be raking in the money, but that’s because at the end of the day, the minions are still loveable. “Minions” is fan-service and playful entertainment, plain and simple. If you want more story and plot, maybe you should wait until “Despicable Me 3”.

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DVD Review “Awaken”

Starring: Daryl Hannah, Edward Furlong and Vinnie Jones
Directed By: Mark Atkins
Rated: R
Studio: ARC Entertainment
Running Time: 89 minutes

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Just looking at the cover of “Awaken” induces nostalgia. Names like Vinnie Jones, Edward Furlong, and Jason London conjure memories of many cheesy action movies, some of them classics. So is “Awaken” the who’s who of action movies? No. It’s more like “Repo Men”, “Cube”, and “Surviving the Game”, got together for a story idea, got drunk, and went off the notes they scribbled down in a drunken stupor. While the creators may not have been in the most sober state of mind while writing this story, a couple of beers could help you enjoy this movie more if you plan on checking it out.

Imagine waking up in the thick jungle woods of an island. Your immediate instinct is to figure out where you are, but a mysterious group of paramilitary men are hunting you down. Before you can even wake from the daze or having the surrounding features set-in, burly killing machines are giving chase to you. That’s the nightmare that Billie (Natalie Burn) finds herself in. She comes across a group of survivors, who’ve been on the island for a while, but they offer no help to her predicament, in terms of an escape route or what is they’re actually doing there.

In some movies, like “Predators”, this notion is exciting because we as an audience have some kind of inkling about what’s going on, but “Awaken” certainly takes its sweet time to reveal the seedy reasons they’re on this island. But when a movie takes its sweet time, it can be engaging if the mystery is intriguing enough. Maybe the mystery in “Awaken” would have been more mesmerizing if I didn’t read the synopsis which made the “twist” a dead giveaway. There’s a lot that “Awaken” does wrong, that’s very obvious from the first half of the movie, but this disjointed hodgepodge has a campy charm.

It’s not necessarily good acting, but when you have Robert Davi arrive and sell every moment he’s on screen, it’s entertaining. A veteran actor can make do with what they have and many in this movie know how to sell the cheese. Daryl Hannah, who shows up later in the movie, may have needed a reality check about what kind of movie she was filming; although it should have been obvious to her in one scene where she’s awaiting the results of surgery by playing with a monkey doll surrounded by stock bad guy goons. Outside of that miscast, everyone is well aware how to react.

I’ve certainly watched better action movies, but I’ve certainly been subjugated to dull ones. “Awaken” smartly casts Natalie Burn as the leading lady. Not a well-known name and certainly not a name I know off the top of my head. But the ballet performing actress certainly has a knack for action. “Awaken” ultimately falls into the category of enjoyable, but forgettable. It would have done well in the 80’s where cheeseball action movies with outlandish concepts thrived.

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Film Review “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”

Starring: Thomas Mann, Olivia Cooke and Ronald Cyler II
Directed By: Alfonso Gomez-Rejon
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 105 minutes
Fox Searchlight Pictures

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Depending on how well you pitch it, self-loathing can be quite comical. Pointing out your own faults to elicit a laugh can work out well. I do it all the time with people I know because it allows me to show to them that I’m human, that I understand my flaws, and that I’m comfortable with my shortcomings…kind of. Then of course, across the way, there’s that thin line of self-loathing. It’s not too far and if you cross it, you find yourself in actual self-loathing territory. It’s a self-loathing that spins off into depression and depressing other people. “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” beautifully blends a coming-of-age story and the tricky subject of youthful enmity.

When we first meet Greg (Mann), he’s socially awkward, but has mastered the art of fading into the background. Despite this, he’s maintaining a stable acquaintanceship with everyone in his school. He divides the cliques like world leaders divide their countries. He has it in good with the people of each land, but he maintains his own invisible island that has a unique identity, but he conceals it. The only person, who knows his interests, likes and dislikes, is Earl (Cyler). Like a lot of best friend stories, their meeting as elementary school students isn’t spectacular, but being young and impressionable does help build a firm basis friendship.

That young susceptible brain of theirs falls prey to Greg’s father, played by Nick Offerman, who is perpetually stuck as the bizarre and sage father in indie movies. Through his father’s influence, the two find a love for trashy, poorly made movies. Through that mutual admiration, they create their own parody movies of well-known movies like “Apocalypse Now” and “A Clockwork Orange”. This is Greg’s basic existence. It doesn’t seem like he wants to be bothered to do more nor does he want to attempt to do more, but that’ll quickly change.

At the request of his parents, he visits a former childhood friend, Rachel (Cooke). Everyone views the hangout time as beneficial for Rachel because she needs someone in her time of need. Technically, like everyone, she does. But Rachel is also someone that seems to be confident in her own minimalistic self-preservation. She doesn’t want to burden other people with her upsetting diagnosis, much less tell that to Greg, whom she barely talks to. Despite his awkwardness and many in-poor taste jokes, she finds his goofiness charming and sees the kindness in his soul.

Throughout, we’re reminded that this isn’t a movie where the two inevitably fall in love and have a cliché passion scene. That, in itself, is absolutely refreshing. It would cheapen what’s happening if she were to fall in love with the first boy to acknowledge her illness and be there in her time of need. It would feel cheap if he made a move as she goes through chemotherapy. They both care about each other, but not like that. They don’t need to. The love they feel for each other is completely platonic, but still very heartfelt.

At an integral point in “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl”, the movie turns on a dime from a comedy into a drama. It’s a very smooth, but sudden transition. Up until that point, Greg has been adorkable, but at that point, his darkness is revealed. Despite the minutes, hours, and days of concern he’s shown, this selfishness blooms and takes over. The situation and the muddying of his perception and the audience’s perception are done elegantly.

Coming-of-age stories have the inevitable growth, or at the very least a melancholy ambiguity haze hanging over them, at the end, and “Me and Earl and the Dying Girl” isn’t any different. It’s the filming and editing style, as well as the realism in our characters that helps propel this one into the top tier of this genre. It’s also great to see to see leads that aren’t impervious to emotional flaws and growing pains.

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Theatre Review “Pippin” Starlight Theater – Kansas City, MO

Pippin
June 30th, 2015
Starlight Theater
Kansas City, Mo.

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

How have I never heard of “Pippin”? Even musicals I don’t like, I’ve heard of or I’ve unfortunately seen. The name Pippin conjures up the British boy, Pip, from the TV show “South Park”. So maybe my brain is simply confusing the misfortunes of a TV show character with this musical, because that’s the only thing I could think about before the curtain came up. It’s a shame too because my brain should only think of this musical when hearing “Pippin” from now on. “Pippin” is undoubtedly the best musical, show, and stage production I have ever seen at Starlight.

“Pippin” is a difficult story to unravel. It has so many layers, but the revelations and showcase of each individual layer is what makes this musical a joy to watch. So without giving too much of the story away, “Pippin” obvious follows the tale of a boy named Pippin. He is the noble son of King Charles. He’s frustrated because nothing in life that’s holding his attention or giving him a thrill. He’s the next in line to the throne and there are plenty of different paths for him to choose.

I know, it doesn’t sound like the most exciting or original of stories, but this is a story that’s told through a narrator, or as the bill calls it, the leading player. This person serves the narrative, the fourth wall breaking (to be fair, there’s a lot of fun breaking the fourth wall in this), and the magical guide for Pippin on his life. Sure Pippin’s pulled this way and that way, but the leading player serves as a compass for Pippin. Without the leading player, he may as well settle into being a knight, or a ruthless king, or a wandering hedonist.

“Pippin” goes against every musical convention I’ve come to expect. Most don’t acknowledge or much less tell the audience what to do. OK, maybe “Spamalot” does, but “Pippin” plays with the idea that this is a story in a very meta way. It acknowledges there’s a script, there’s a story, there’s a climax and that there’s an inevitable end, but in a way that both serves the fact that this is a musical and serves the fictional world of Pippin.

It could easily be convoluted, but it’s handled very well and clearly. As for the meaning or theme, it’s definitely in the eye of the beholder. I have my own, just like I’m sure many others will. “Pippin” is a critique against trying to find greater meaning in life when the real meaning can easily be right in front of you. It likes to say that it’s easy to lose focus of what makes us happy and it’s hard to simply accept what makes us happy. In a melancholy way though, there is no escape from this never ending process for humans and may just be part of our worldly experience.

As for the performances, they were stellar. The stunts performed in this production would put the Ringling Brothers out of business. The tricks and sleight of hands were unexpected, never cheap, and inspired child like magic in some of the oldest of those in attendance. The music is funky, with a big band twist, it’s also symphonically generic, but in a good way, and at times it has echoes of aged top 40 pop music. No moment is wasted and no ensemble set piece ever feels forced.

“Pippin” is a tony award winning musical, and for good reason. It’s easy to see why something so intricate and grand would be hard for high schools, small community theaters, and others to try and replicate. After watching this wonderful production, I can’t imagine watching it on a smaller stage or within the confines of a smaller production. Just like an eye popping summer blockbuster, “Pippin” must be experienced on a big stage with the best of the biz.

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Theatre Review “Once: The Musical” Tour – Kansas City, MO

Once: The Musical
June 17th, 2015
Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts
Kansas City, Mo.

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

A few years ago I was given the chance to watch the movie “Once”. I had never heard of it and I didn’t know a single thing about it. From the first song of the movie, I was hooked and within its 85 minutes, I fell in love. Now, fast forward to the present and I, once again, had no idea that there was a stage adaptation of this movie and that it was wildly popular ever since the first curtain call on Broadway. I know that a transition from film to stage is difficult, so I quelled my expectations. Luckily they were exceeded.

Just like the movie, “Once” follows a scruffy faced street musician, who works at his dad’s shop repairing household items. The repair business is a simple side project to his passion. He performs soothing toe tapping songs and soulful songs about love loss. His name? Not necessarily given. He’s simply known as Guy, but he represents so many disenfranchised musicians hoping to make it big, his story is fairly common, so his name isn’t required.

Whilst performing, he’s approached by Girl, who, for lack of a better word, is a girl. She eagerly plays piano alongside him and they quickly connect through their tune, “Falling Slowly.” He’s obviously smitten, but she isn’t as interested. She has a kid, lives with her family, and has a husband. She also notices that all his music, which comes from the heart, is linked to a girl in his past. Girl knows that Guy can still go back to that long lost love, and she doesn’t believe he should go chasing after her.

So it comes down to if they hook up or not. And obviously I’m not going to tell you because that’s part of the charm of this production. The story mainly stays intact and hovers closely to its source material. Certain aspects are changed because you don’t have the luxury of having multiple, expansive scenes. The only problem is the characters. The characters have been tweaked a bit to be more humorous and more relatable.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it’s a nagging aspect in the back of my mind because these are two characters that I remember fondly for the story that they tell. When some jokes are thrown in to help break up the tension between the two, it feels out of place. The other characters that provide comedic relief also provide some cheap laughs that don’t fit in with the musical as a whole.

But what makes “Once” truly outstanding is the cast and crew. This is a musical that requires our singers to play instruments, interact, and constantly be moving. The choreography to change sets within the confines of a stage while swinging instruments to and fro is perfect. So every bit of praise that I have goes to the people who helped bring “Once” to life. And despite my disappointment with their characters, I’m very pleased with how well they handled the material.

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Film Review “Jurassic World”

Starring: Chris Pratt, Bryce Dallas Howard and Vincent D’onofrio
Directed By: Colin Trevorrow
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 124 minutes
Universal Pictures

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Like most Millennials, “Jurassic Park” still holds a special place in my heart. When it’s on TV, I watch it. When I think dinosaurs, I think of the creatures I saw stalking around in Steven Spielberg’s movie. And it was the first PG-13 movie I got to lay eyes on. I’m sure most people, when talking about “Jurassic World”, will reminisce about “Jurassic Park”, much like a friend they haven’t seen in a while, but have not forgotten. “Jurassic World” is a sufficient new friend that you’ll also gladly reflect back on in 20 years.

Seemingly ignoring the events of “The Lost World” and “Jurassic Park 3” (thank God), “Jurassic World” seems to follow the real world’s timeline, picking up over 20 years after the events of its 1993 counterpart. This time around, the park is more than Jeeps on a monorail style track going from exhibit to exhibit. The park is a lush and lavish Disney World style resort. Interactive exhibits and museums are sprawled out everywhere. There are hints of the stereotypical spa baths and golf courses that accompany these amusements. Then of course, there are the dinosaurs. Every exhibit births a new awe inspiring moment for the people within the movie and us viewers in the theater.

Claire (Howard) runs the show behind the scenes, attracting new investors, cracking the whip in the control room, and making sure no disasters happen. She’s hoping to see a spike in attendance, and some more corporate investors, with her future attraction, Indominus Rex. Now I know the few paleontologists who read movie reviews are already swearing at their computer screens that that’s not a real dinosaur. Well, it isn’t. Since kids these days (in the movie and probably in real life) just aren’t wowed by dinosaurs anymore (stupid kids), they’re having to concoct some news dinosaurs in the lab.

Everyone loves this idea, except Owen (Pratt). Owen is like the park ranger. He lives in a mobile home trailer on site, rides around on a motorcycle, and to be blunt, is a total badass. Anyone who can crack the code to how to be the Alpha to a pack of velociraptors is pretty awesome in anyone’s books. Owen understands animals more than anyone around him. Where he sees nature, they see green. So when he learns that they’ve created a monster and treated it worse than Harry Harlow treats monkeys, he can sense trouble.

Even before the inevitable jailbreak, “Jurassic World” is a lot of tongue-in-cheek fun. Even after the jailbreak, there’s a perfect balance of humor and suspense. The creators of “Jurassic World” seem to understand how far to push their outlandish ideas without teetering into “Lost World” territory and they make their characters a lot more intelligent than the ones scurrying about in “Jurassic Park 3”. A lot of time and care went into the story and they’ve really handpicked the best cast. Count this as blockbuster number two for Chris Pratt who seemingly can do no wrong since bulking up for “Guardians of the Galaxy”.

It becomes painfully obvious in the third act of “Jurassic World” that there were four screenwriters. They quickly try to wrap up every sub plot, which becomes a hassle and a little bit too choppy when we want the dinosaurs to keep chomping away. It’s easy to gloss over some of these moments that need polishing when there are a couple clever twists on some of the typical clichés we’ve come to expect from our summer blockbusters.

“Jurassic World” far exceeds expectations with a fun cast and exciting story. It’s the perfect popcorn flick for sun weary crowds. Sure it’s sometimes hammy and predictable, but what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in Meta commentary. Without going too much into the details, there’s a great moment where a character points out the commercialization of attractions, well after many gratuitous shots of product placements in the movie. If it took them over two decades to nail down a legitimate sequel to “Jurassic Park”, I’m willing to wait that long again for an epic sequel to “Jurassic World”.

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Film Review “Entourage”

Starring: Kevin Connolly, Adrian Grenier, Kevin Dillon, Jerry Ferrara and Jeremy Pivens
Directed By: Doug Ellin
Rated: R
Running Time: 104 minutes
Warner Bros. Pictures

Our Score: 2.5 out of 5 stars

Back in 2007, on the advice of a college friend, I was told to give HBO’s “Entourage” a try. After four episodes, I called it quits. Not because it was an atrocity, but because it wasn’t my thing. I could see why it was recommended and why it would inevitably gain popularity and go on for another seven seasons. It was short, fun, and one’s opinion mainly hinged on the likeability of the core group.

There’s Vincent Chase (Grenier), the movie star in this world, Vincent’s best friend and manager, E (Connolly), Vincent’s brother, Johnny Drama (Dillon), and Turtle (Ferrara), who serves no real purpose at all. This is the core group of guys, constantly being weaved in and out of each other’s social lives along with their laughable adult lives in sunny Los Angeles.

The movie “Entourage” brings them back from the dead in a movie that’s three to four times longer than any episode they ever conceived. Back to wrangle these idiots is Ari Gold (Pivens), easily the best character amongst this core. Gold is once again quick-witted, funny, crudely charming, and multi-layered, unlike the aforementioned characters. Just like the TV show, Gold is the best thing about all of this. If he’s not on screen, it doesn’t feel like it’s worth my time.

Vincent’s story revolves around his directorial debut, and we’re supposed to believe that this sometimes oblivious person has crafted a masterpiece, but he needs some more money to put the finishing touches on it. Gold is back, not as Vincent’s agent, but as the head of the studio financing Vincent’s vision. As for the rest of the gang, they’re back, but it’d probably be better if they weren’t.

“Entourage” must have fallen off the deep end since those first four episodes that I watched. What seemed like a clever jab at Hollywood has now become obsessed with everyone partying, drinking and having sex. That was in the episodes I saw, but not to this excess or to this tasteless amount featured in the movie. It’s especially awkward for Johnny Drama who’s nearing the age that crosses the border from confident to creepy.

Vincent, who’s supposed to me the most freaked out about a movie that may be scrapped, seemingly reacts in a lukewarm manner to everything wrong happening to him. They’re over budget, everyone doubts his skills, financiers are getting ready to back out, and all he does is stare blankly into the camera. Gold is reacting as any sane person would, as he yells, punches inanimate objects, and creates new swear words. “Entourage” should be about Gold, not Vincent. Vincent is supposed to be a fresh, exciting, new actor, but half the time it seems like he’s waiting for someone to feed him a line or the director to give him his motivation.

It’s also a bad sign when the cameos in your movie are more memorable than what happens to your main characters. But it’s also a good sign when those cameos include Liam Neeson, Bob Saget, Tom Brady, and a slew of other people willing to give a cheap laugh at the expense of themselves or others. When Gold is on screen, “Entourage” is clever and fun, but when Vincent is on screen, it’s painful and dry. Maybe they should break up this entourage and just make a movie called Ari Gold. Now I’d pay to see that.

“Entourage” is a difficult movie to love, but an easy movie to hate. At its core, it’s fan-service, plain and simple. If you didn’t watch the show, you’re not going to see what all the fuss is about, but if you own every season on DVD or blu-ray, you’re inevitably going to add this movie to your collection.

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Film Review “San Andreas”

Starring: Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Carla Gugino and Alexandra Daddario
Directed By: Brad Peyton
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 114 minutes
Warner Bros. Pictures

Our Score: 2 out of 5 stars

I don’t expect too much from my disaster movies. Like most people, I grew up on them, and at this age, I know what I enjoy. For me, you have to have some engaging and likeable characters, plenty of wanton destruction, and maybe just a hint of self-aware cheesiness. Of course you can play around with these mechanics and it’s possible to create something genuinely fun and unforgettable, but “San Andreas” doesn’t do that. “San Andreas” doesn’t offer any Earth shattering originality or groundbreaking fun.

“San Andreas” does manage to entertain when it really, really wants to, but it fades into forgotten passages of the disaster movie history books. The Mother Nature run amok in “San Andreas” is fairly self-explanatory from the title; it’s an earthquake. A scientist played by Paul Giamatti is luckily around for the ride so he can supply information and give the audience simplistic explanations to summarize tectonic plate movements and what-not. “San Andreas” introduces the notion that just before a series of earthquakes strikes along the San Andreas Fault, he’s learned how to predict earthquakes. But it’s not necessarily the most helpful thing when he learns this technique minutes before the big “ones” strike.

“San Andreas” emphasizes multiple times the earthquakes we witness, on screen, are record breakers. “San Andreas” visually emphasizes this well with as the land rolls up and down like a wave pool and skyscrapers cascade into other skyscrapers. When not setting the scene, close-ups show slabs of concrete piling up, sometimes crushing unnamed innocent bystanders as they let out one final cry. And if you see this in 3D, there’s absurd amounts of rubble that litter the screen and fly at you. While this is all terribly exciting, but sometimes gruesome, there’s this pesky thing called plot that gets in the way.

Amongst the trembling masses fleeing every tall structure, is Chief Ray Gaines (The Rock). He’s the physical embodiment of a Swiss army knife. There’s no hesitation with his abilities and it seems like he’s ready to do it all at the flip of a switch. He could probably teach multiple courses on how to operate all land, sea, and air. Half way through I began to expect that he was eventually going to punch the physical manifestation of the earthquake in the face, but alas this movie isn’t that ridiculous, and that slightly disappoints me.

During his journey to demonstrate his MacGyver-esque knowledge, he has to save his ex-wife, Emma (Gugino) and track down his daughter, Blake (Daddario), who’s caught up in the chaos. There’s some nice moments where we learn about why Ray and Emma are no longer married, their inevitable reconnection, and a few other cute side stories, but it’s hard to get too emotionally attached after being subjected to awkward scenes featuring the horrified last looks of people whose lives are extinguished.

At times you’re disappointed they aren’t going balls out with the deaths and in other instances you’re thumbing your nose at the poor choice of people who die. The Avengers spent plenty of time in “Age of Ultron” making sure innocent civilians could live, but it seems like “San Andreas” made up for that by killing 100 times that amount. There’s such a fine line between enjoying disaster sadism and simply being repulsed, but “San Andreas” finds a way to do both multiple times. By the movie’s end, the tally falls in favor of distaste.

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Film Review “American Rescue Squad”

Starring: Tony D. Czech, Douglas Sidney, and KariAnn Christense
Directed By: Elliot Diviney
Rated: R
Running Time: 94 minutes
Music Video Distributors

Our Score: 2 out of 5 stars

Imagine a Troma movie without any of the fun gratuitous nudity and violence. That’s “American Rescue Squad” in a nutshell. The creators behind this low budget flick have the know-how to realize what kind of movie they’re making. I just hate to think that a movie missing two components, as simple as naked people and gore, is what brings down this movie, but it does.

“American Rescue Squad” is a politically incorrect “Avengers”. Two superheroes, by the names of Personal Responsibility and Common Sense, have been away from the scene, but come out of retirement after a group of villains kidnap the Taxpayer. These villains are made up of the Freeloader, the Bible Thumper, and they’re all led by Congressman Dick Pansy. And just like any knowledgeable comedy movie that touches upon politics, it’s an equal opportunity offender.

There’s nothing too outlandishly offensive that should cause you to turn off the movie. There are jokes for both blue and red states, but luckily it never really grandstands and preaches a solid message. You can take what you want, but in an unbiased comedy like this, you would be wasting your time trying to read between the lines because there is nothing. None of the jokes are particularly clever, but silly for the sake of being silly. If you don’t have a rod up your butt, you should be able to chuckle every once and a while.

While it’s not about to join the ranks of “Airplane!” or “The Toxic Avenger”, it’s decent for what it is. It reminds me a bit of “Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead” because of how it adds nonsensical musical numbers for our stereotypes to sing. And as you could surmise, the songs are equally crude and vulgar. “American Rescue Squad” has a charm that only comes from shoestring budget movies with passable acting.

But I just can’t quite enjoy it because as I stated earlier, no blood or naked people. I know when it comes to excessive nudity and violence, I’m generally condemning other movies for doing that, but when it comes to Troma, that’s what makes them so enjoyable. It’s supposed to be silly and over-the-top, but “American Rescue Squad” doesn’t have that and when you don’t have squirting red syrup and bare breasted women or male genitalia to keep your dirty mind occupied, you start to really think about the flaws of a movie that’s created in the same vein. I don’t know if what’s more terrifying. That that’s how my own moral compass is guided in some pop culture or that that’s my big slam against a movie that could have been better.

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: american, film, rescue, review, squad
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