Film Review “Ride Along”

Starring: Ice Cube, Kevin Hart and Tika Sumpter
Directed By: Tim Story
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 100 minutes
Universal Pictures

Our Score: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Laughter can only go so far. I’ll admit I laughed a few times during “Ride Along”, but they were short lived. Every once and a while there appeared to be the rumblings of chemistry between Ice Cube and Kevin Hart, but the man behind the camera failed to pick up on it. You could see it, but there never was a payoff. It almost felt like Hart and Cube had to stick to the garbage script and were forced into the comedic stereotypes audiences expect them to play. Laughter can be a cure in a weak movie. We can overlook its flaws when the humor is hearty and consistent. “Ride Along” is not one of those movies.

Ben (Hart) is a video game junkie who applies his first person shooter knowledge to his supposed cop instincts and skills. He’s a school security guard who garnishes respect by being verbally persuasive with the students. He’s currently seeing Angela (Sumpter), a curvy woman who is way out of his league. Seriously. There are moments you question what she even sees in him. He seems slightly unhappy in life, but hopes to change that after being accepted into a police academy. Enter our obligatory problem: He has to impress his potential, future brother-in-law James (Cube) by going on a…you guessed it…a ride along. This allows James two opportunities. One is to ruin Ben’s dreams of being a cop and the other is to hopefully get rid of the man, who refers to his penis as the “Black Hammer,” from his younger sister’s life.

OK. I will concede. That’s not a bad set-up for a potential string of funny scenes and jokes. But the movie has put Cube’s foul mouth in check and whittled Hart’s character down to the goofy guy who screams like a girl and falls a lot. It gets dull watching Hart act crazy and hysterical to fill the void of humor. Of course halfway through the movie the main “plot” is abandoned for a predictable side story that involves James going against his Lieutenant’s orders and chasing down Omar. Omar is an elusive, dangerous and never before seen criminal that James has been tracking for years.

The writer’s for “Ride Along” really must have relied on the preconceived notion that anyone entering the film will already love Kevin Hart and Ice Cube. Which for most of the audience I was with, was true. If you’re not a fan of either or a half-hearted follower, then you’re going to be greatly disappointed. You’re going to be waiting for that over the top moment followed by a wink at the screen from Ice Cube. But it never comes. You’re going to be waiting for at least one memorable liner you can quote to your friends in the parking lot. It fails to materialize. Simply put, this movie fails at being a comedy and falls apart when trying to be a cop action movie.

“Ride Along” steals all the typical cliches without injecting any ingenuity or originality into them. This movie never settles on what it wants to be or allows our actors to dictate what it will be. After going home and letting what I just saw soak in, I read that they had already greenlighted a sequel. Let’s hope the writers can man up to some constructive criticism because I’d like to see these two in a fresh, fluid cop movie. I actually want to have fun with ride along instead of feeling like I’m being dragged along.

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Michael Rosenbaum talks about his directorial debut “Back in the Day”

For nearly a decade, Superman fans came to love Michael Rosenbaum for his portrayal of Lex Luthor on “Smallville”. During that time Michael also found time to act in other TV shows and movies as well as voicing the Flash for DC’s animated universe. For the past two years though, Michael has been working on something near and dear to his heart. His first movie, “Back in the Day”, details a lot of his experiences growing up in a small town in Indiana. Some of those experiences are hilarious as well as very touching. Media Mikes was able to talk with Michael about his labor of love as well as the trials and tribulations with working on his first film.

Jeremy Werner: When watching “Back in the Day”, you really get this vibe that this is a love letter to the people and town that you spent your best years in.
Michael Rosenbaum: Oh yeah…I go back twice a year for whiffle ball. I really embrace the city. I really love where I grew up…cutting backyards, drinking out of firehoses, catching fireflies and playing baseball as a kid…It was a little bit of a love letter. I wanted it to be authentic and I wanted people to see how beautiful it can be instead of a stereotypical, ‘Oh I hate the small town and these people are rednecks’. It’s just the opposite of that. I’m very proud of where I grew up.

JW: I assume that every character in this movie is based off someone that you knew growing up.
MR: (laughs) Oh yeah, it is. Skunk is a real character played by Harland Williams…A lot of these things happened. I’ve known these guys for a long time, so it’s an exaggeration and loosely based on a lot of these guys, but definitely. There’s kind of a lot of characters all rolled up in one…I was kind of a nerd in high school and couldn’t get laid. So the girl in the movie is the one I had my first time with mixed in with the most beautiful girl in the world I could never get. They’re all based on the idea or of people that I knew.

JW: I’m almost afraid to ask, (laughs) but there’s a mom who drinks and smokes in the movie…did you know someone like that?
MR: (laughs)…You see some of those things every once and a while and you’ve seen it. That girl was a little bit of an exaggeration, but I hope that people find that funny…that was an exaggeration of someone I sort of knew, who when I go back home, I kind of still see every once and a while and it’s a big exaggeration…I thought she was just a larger than life character and people do that. They actually smoke light cigarettes and they’re smoking occasionally. They think it’s OK. They occasionally drink…an occasional shot of whiskey. So I think there are people out there.

JW: So have your friends watched this movie yet?
MR: They love it…they thought they were gonna see something shot on an iPhone and we had the budget to about do that (laughs). The laughs were loud, it’s great to see it with an audience…so far everyone has really enjoyed it. Obviously there’s some offensive moments and I’m sure somebody will say this isn’t for me, but it’s not for everybody. There is heart…so there’s a little bit of something for everybody. It’s what I wanted to make. I’m happy with that.

JW: How much of yourself did you put into the movie’s main character, Jim Owens?
MR: I obviously have a lot to be thankful for and I’ve done it all for myself and God bless, but there’s always a part of me that longs to be back home. I miss that side, that part of my life. Jim left someone behind, a girl he was in love with. I think that we all wanna find that, that love and he remembers that she was probably the best thing to ever happen to him and even though it happened years ago, he’s seeing what happens. I think there’s a big part of Jim in me or me in Jim because I think a lot of people long to go home and they miss home. Sometimes when they’re home, they realize: I do love home. But maybe I was destined to be an actor. I was destined to be a doctor somewhere or was destined to be…whatever it was. To each his own. I miss my friends back home. I miss the simplicity of being in a small town and living in a neighborhood and having seasons. I’m in Los Angeles and as beautiful as it is and you go to the beach and you have all these great things in life…everybody will sit there and go, “Oh my God. I’d love to have your life”. It’s funny because I’d like to have their life in a lot of ways too…It’s kind of mixing it. I think you can have the best of both worlds.

JW: So with so many memories, when did you start work on this script?
MR: Well, it’s one of those things where it was one of the first scripts I’d written and then I kind of let it go because it’s too small for a studio to buy and go, “Yes! It’s gonna be a big blockbuster comedy.” They consider it not high concept enough, I would say. I was trying to say, “I know these characters, wait until you see them.” It’s funny, I wrote it so long ago that I started working on all these other projects and then when another movie that I was suppose to make fell through…I was asked, “Do you have anything you wrote on growing up in Indiana?” I said, “Holy shit, I do.” I kind of switched gears and within three months I was prepping this movie and I pulled it out of the woodwork. I updated it a bit and I asked my friends to be in it. It’s a passion project. I can’t believe this movie is my first. Honestly, it was my first step in directing and it was the best first step. I hope people look at it and go, “Wow! For a million bucks, this is friggin’ funny. It looks great.”…You hope that people appreciate it and you hope you can get your second shot and that’s what I’m aiming towards.

JW: Was there a lot of pressure going into this?
MR: Yeah, I didn’t know how much work it was until I started doing it and then I realized…how am I gonna do this scene in one day? I don’t have enough money for this stunt, how am I gonna do that? How am I gonna get these actors from LA…and why would they do some independent movie in the middle of Indiana for no money in the dead of winter? So there’s a lot of obstacles. Then you finally make it happen and then you’re shooting and you start to have more problems. It’s raining…a snowstorm is coming in…whatever’s happening. Oh my God, it can’t be a Christmas movie anymore, it’s getting warm now. And then how do we finish the movie…and then post-production. How can we afford sound design? How can we afford a composer? How can we afford getting the songs that I really wanted to be in this movie? And then all of sudden we’re trying to screen the movie and we only have ‘x’ amount of weeks to edit it and now we’re trying to sell it. On a studio movie, once you’re done directing and cut, you’re done. Studio takes over and they have an infrastructure. With an independent movie there’s multitasking and I’ve been doing a ton of jobs with my amazing producer, Kim Waltrip and my post supervisor Aaron Peak, for no money. I haven’t taken a job for a year and a half because I’ve become so invested in this.

JW: Is there another script you have in mind after this?
MR: Yeah, I can’t really name it. There’s a camp movie that I’m considering directing that I wrote. I also wrote a TV show that we’re probably gonna shoot digitally for a studio. So that’s in negotiations…a lot of good stuff on the horizon.

JW: Now finally…as a nerd, I gotta ask…
MR: Do it!

JW: (laughs)…have you gotten any calls to be Lex Luthor in the upcoming Batman vs. Superman movie?
MR: The fans have been unbelievable. They’ve tweeted me, I’ve tweeted back…I’ve been to conventions and they always ask me, “Would you do it?” And I’m not an idiot, of course I’d do it. I’d love to do it. But I think Joaquin Phoenix is probably gonna do it or somebody. I’m a big Zack Snyder fan. Obviously, I think I could play the role. I would do it in a heartbeat, but I don’t hold my breath because I know there’s the stigma, “He was the TV Smallville Lex Luthor.” I say that sarcastically, but I think it’s a shame. If people like the role and what I did with it, then they should consider it. But I’m not the director. I’m not the producer. Long story short, I’d do it in a fucking heartbeat.

 

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Nick Swardson talks about film “Back in the Day” and FX new series “Chozen”

Nick Swardson is probably best known for his role in “Grandma’s Boy” and cameo appearances in numerous Happy Madison films, but a quick look at his career shows that he’s an incredibly busy guy. For people who aren’t familiar with Swardson’s work, he started doing stand-up at age 18 and since then has gone on to produce, write and act. Die hard fans have known this for years that he’s constantly writing, acting and working on fresh material for his stand-up. Media Mikes had the chance to catch up with Nick and ask him about the numerous TV and movie projects he’s been working on for 2014, as well as a new comedy special.

Jeremy Werner: It looks like you got a busy year ahead of you…especially this month. Let’s start off with “Back in the Day” which comes out on January 17th. How did you land the role of Ron?
Nick Swardson: Michael Rosenbaum, the director/writer, is a buddy of mine and he just called me up and he’s like, “Man I got this passion project I’m doing. It’s low budget. We have no money.” He goes, “It’s a great character. You’ll kill it. We’ll shoot in Indiana. It’d be fucking great to have you.” So he sent me the script and I thought it was a really funny character and it was something different than what I’ve done in the past. Ya know, it wasn’t a crazy character. It was a grounded, real dude. So I was pretty stoked. So as a favor to Michael too, I wanted to help him out. So I did it.

JW: Was there anything you had to differently than in past roles?
NS: It was just a lot more understated. I didn’t have to come in to the scene and be insane. This role is also based on a real guy so I was kind of interested to play a real dude…and I talked to Michael a lot about what this guy was like. So it was fun to play a real person.

JW: Was it a role that he had you in mind for the entire time he was writing it?
NS: He had the script for like 10 years. He had it for a long time. So I don’t know who he had initially envisioned, but he called me first.

JW: Now also this month, you have a big release on TV. “Chozen” premieres January 13th on FX and you play Troy. What can you tell us about that character?
NS: Troy plays Chozen’s nerdy, minion friend. He kind of saves him from bullies and so they become pals. Chozen shows him this whole world of sex and drugs. It’s pretty funny. The show’s pretty crazy..it’s one of the craziest things I’ve done and I’ve done a lot of crazy shit. Working with Danny McBride is awesome. His company is amazing. I love all the “Eastbound and Down” guys…it’s FX, so they really push the envelope.

JW: As a comedian, does voice acting provide you a lot of opportunities to improvise or are you restricted?
NS: No. I’m never restricted in anything I do. I only do projects where I can bring a lot to the table. I use to get fired just because I improvised a lot. It’s the main thing I do, I love improvising.

JW: I’ve read that usually in voice acting, you’re just kind of in a booth on your own. Who were you able to bounce jokes and ideas off of with your character?
NS: Usually you’re all alone…you’re just sitting in a booth and the producers are in the other room, so you just kind of run with it. They’ll give you a thumbs up if it’s good or they’ll do the heads up and tell you if it works. They’ll just feed you ideas…but it’s a great gig.

JW: Later this year you’ll also be voicing a character in the animated movie, “Hell & Back”. You actually voiced a character in the kid’s movie “Bolt”, but based on the premise I was reading…this is not a kid’s movie.
NS: (Laughs) Yeah, that’s pretty insane. It’s stop motion, so it looks like a kid’s movie. So if a kid saw it on TV he’d be like, “Oh! I wanna see this!” But it’s a hard, hard ‘R’. That’s another project that me and Danny McBride are both in with TJ Miller and Mila Kunis. It’s a great cast and that one’s gonna be really awesome. We’re finishing that up this week. I’ve got like one more record session…we’re really excited about that.

JW: Now with all these projects, are you working on any comedy specials this year?
NS: Yeah, I’ve been developing for the last two years, a new hour special and a new tour. So we’re looking to tour in the Spring…early Summer. Shoot the special maybe sometime in the Summer. It’s definitely in the works. It’s been a long time coming, but I’m really excited..it’s coming together really well.

JW: Anything you can tell us about it?
NS: It’s just more stories, drinking jokes and it’s nothing too out of the box. I’m not all of a sudden really political. If you’re a fan of mine, you’ll be happy with it. The new hour’s going really well. I think the title of it is gonna be, ‘Taste It’.

JW: I know last year you were talking about a show you were working on called “Bro-Sassin”. How is that coming along?
NS: Bro-Sassin’s done. It didn’t fly. The network just didn’t get it. They thought it was gonna be too expensive…so they kind of backed off it, which bums me out, man. I wrote the pilot and it was really funny. People loved it, I’m gonna save the idea for a movie. I sold a new show to FX. My own show with the director of “Grandma’s Boy” and Danny McBride’s producing it. It’s called “Game On”. It’s like the office of a video game company…so we’re developing the pilot right now.

JW: Does that have any connections to “Grandma’s Boy”?
NS: Not really.

JW: Looks like you got a lot of stuff going on, is there anything else you’re working on for later this year?
NS: A lot of it depends on the pilot with FX and shooting that, seeing if we get picked up. That’s the primary focus right now. I’m developing two other feature scripts. So if this FX pilot grows, I’m gonna jump into an idea I sold to Sandler and Happy Madison and I’ll hopefully write that next Fall and start developing that.

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Film Review “Lone Survivor”

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Taylor Kitsch and Eric Bana
Directed By: Peter Berg
Rated: R
Running Time: 121 minutes
Universal Pictures

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

You’re deep in the mountains of Afghanistan and you’re there to eliminate a dangerous Taliban leader. The only problem is, during recon, you’ve been discovered. Three goat herders have stumbled across you. One of them is a weathered old man, another is a young boy and completing the trio is a bitter young adult whose body language screams hatred. You can kill them and continue with the mission. Or you could leave them tied up to starve to death or get eaten by wolves. Or you can let them go and risk the entire mission and your safety. It’s not easy to kill and it’s not easy to condemn a man to death. It’s even harder to give yourself that fate. “Lone Survivor” is about four soldiers making that decision and witnessing hell.

The title makes it easy to assume things will not turn out well. This is reinforced by an establishing sequence of events showing you Marcus (Wahlberg) being brought in by helicopter, covered in blood stained bandages. Nonetheless the movie’s first 40 minutes attempts to establish our four main men. Besides Marcus, there’s Michael (Kitsch), Danny (Emile Hirsch) and Matt (Ben Foster). Before we have time to digest their personalities or soak in their background, we’re being thrust into Operation Red Wing. The goal is to kill or capture Ahmad Shah. The operation is being headed by Lieutenant Commander Erik (Bana). Just like our four main characters, we’re not acquainted long enough with Erik before he’s commanding our boys into the Kunar province. That’s where a routine part of the mission, surveillance, goes haywire.

The conversation between the soldiers is very honest. It’s not a decision any of us could ever make. It’s a moral dilemma that reveals a very human side to war. It’s easy to sympathize with both sides of the argument, but it’s clear what the decision will be: Letting the goat herders live. As far as movies about modern war go, this one deserves to be one of the models on how it’s done. The direction plops us right into the middle of the action as they realize their decision has doomed them. Some shots are so viciously intimate you feel twitches of pain watching these men’s bodies crack and break. The cinematography adds such a brutal touch to the shootout and the camera is not afraid of getting a bit bloody.

The best thing this movie does is avoid any kind of political stance. In a time where we continue to bicker about the “what ifs” of our contemporary wars, it’s a bit refreshing to watch a movie that’s nonpolitical. Instead of beating the war drums or waving the banner of peace, I feel that this movie’s purpose is to be a harsh slap of reality. We don’t need director Peter Berg to build up the human side of our characters before showcasing their fears and realizations of mortality because we’ve spent over a decade realizing some harsh truths about our world. Inherently, we already know the terror that happens overseas. We’ve also read and have seen the mental, emotional and physical toll of America’s soldiers. Berg simply let’s the story unfold naturally and gives us a very brisk and unsettling true-to-life battle.

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Film Review “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty”

Starring: Ben Stiller, Kristen Wiig, and Shirley MacLaine
Directed By: Ben Stiller
Rated: PG
Running Time: 114 minutes
20th Century Fox

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Walter Mitty (Stiller) has lived a dry life. His dating profile is barren. Not because he’s shy, but because he draws a blank when asked if he’s ever gone anywhere or done anything exciting. Ironically he is a long time photo department employee for the magazine “Life”. He’s lived a longer and more fulfilling life in his head. As his sister says, he zones out and begins to image a complex fantasy sprawl out in front while blocking out the real world. He sees himself as a true hero, constantly in the throes of battle or immersing himself in a wild adventure. Instead he’s spent years developing the photos of world traveler Sean O’Connel (Sean Penn) in the basement of the “Life” building.

Today he learns that “Life” has been acquired and will become an all online magazine. The company has brought in a new smug boss, Ted (Adam Scott). He’s a hot shot who’s clueless about how the company is run. Ted says the magazine’s final publication will feature an image that Sean has deemed as the quintessence of life. What is that image? Don’t know. Mitty has lost the negative and is quietly scrambling to find it. The beginning may not sound exciting, but the tapestry that is Walter’s imagination, is a saving grace. He saves animals from exploding buildings and in a light hearted moment, skews Benjamin Button.

His love interest in the movie, Cheryl (Wiig), seems to be the driving factor behind Walter’s sudden change of direction. Instead of accepting defeat, he pushes himself to globe trot in order to find Sean and ask what his final negative was. The film does begin to lose a major component of storytelling when Walter’s vivid imagination begins to phase out as he begins to encounter his own fanciful situations. How many people can say they’ve fought a shark in the water or sped away from a volcanic cloud of ash? As neat as though actual adventures are, I’d much rather watch Walter surf on gravel and duel Ted over a Stretch Armstrong.

Give ample credit to Ben Stiller for painting such a beautiful world for Walter, real and fake. Behind the camera, Stiller is smart enough to let the beautiful countryside of Iceland speak for itself in multiple scenes, but fails to give Walter a big enough playground even in the realm of his own visions. In front of the camera, Stiller puts his usual movie goofyness aside and plays the humble Walter well. Kristen Wiig is equally charming in her role as a single mom willing to let Walter into her life. One of my favorite parts of this movie is the fantastic indie soundtrack. The music meshes well when used as a simple bed for the scene to nestle on or when it overtakes the sound of everything.

Walter’s a likable guy and he’s very relatable since we’ve all had our fair share of daydreams. Who doesn’t wanna show up their boss in front of their co-workers? It’s easy to become disinterested and tired of the story as it stumbles beneath it’s frantic feet, but if your hearts in the right place, you’ll have a smile on your face as you exit the theater.

 

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Film Review “Walking with Dinosaurs 3D”

Starring the Voices of: John Leguizamo, Justin Long and Tiya Sircar
Directed by: Neil Nightingale and Barry Cook
Rated: PG
Running Time: 87 minutes
20th Century Fox

Our Score: 1 out of 5 stars

I try my hardest not to walk into a film with any preconceived notions that may ruin the movie going experience for me. I may see a commercial for it or see a tidbit in the news about it, but that doesn’t affect my opinion. I tell myself every time after a commercial, “That 30 seconds is not the movie.” Before the movie even begins I stash away what reservations I do have when “BBC Earth” pops up as one of the studios. The same studio that has brought us critically acclaimed documentaries like “Frozen Planet”, “Life” and others.“Maybe there is hope for this movie,” I think to myself. After the second vomit joke and the flick’s first poop joke, I think BBC Earth might wanna consider burning whatever bridges they have to this movie.

So what happened to this well shot film? First we start off with our modern day introduction. A useless subplot has uncle Zack (Karl Urban) taking his nephew Ricky and his niece Jade to a local spot to do some paleontology. Already I feel bad for Mr. Urban. Obviously the nephew is too cool to dig around for dinosaurs, so he lingers back. That’s when he hears Alex, a talking bird (Leguizamo), who plans to change his mind. Alex then becomes the narrator to a trio of pachyrhinosaurus. The first is Patchi (Long), a young dino with plenty of shortcomings and no charm. The second is his love at first glance friend, Juniper (Sircar). But Patchi’s annoying older brother Scowler (Stone) who spouts off tough guy lingo also likes Juniper. Not for any other reason besides ownership. Literally. As for the plot, it’s another copy and paste story line with a dry theme about courage. Unless you’re a girl. Then the moral of the story is, men will fight to own you. Deal with it.

The supposed narrative by Alex is confusing. He switches from talking to Patchi, to narrating the movie, to possibly talking to our human back in present time and then speaking directly to the audience. It’s frustrating and a definite sign that there were about four different ideas crammed into this movie. Three of those ideas were terrible.The one idea that could have worked, teaching kids about dinosaurs, is buried. I’m sure co-director Neil Nightingale was the redeeming quality while everyone else decided crude bowel movement humor should triumph science and learning.

Another confusing aspect is that the dinosaurs by themselves already make animal sounds. They moan, whine, roar and coo. The voice-overs feel like they were done at the last minute. It really seems like Justin Long and Tiya Sircar cashed their check before entering the studio. I don’t know who thought it would be a good idea to Mystery Science Theater these creatures, but it was a terrible idea. The movie would have been miles better without it’s dubbed demeaning dialogue exchanges and juvenile jokes.

At it’s very basic minimal core, it’s a made for TV documentary on dinosaurs with grade ‘A’ graphics. It probably would have been in science classes on days where the teacher would rather dim the lights and let the glow of the TV do the lecturing. What we have instead is a confusing movie overflowing with verbal garbage and tacky plot devices. There’s plenty of better options for children’s movies this holiday and better ways to teach them about these prehistoric creatures. Here’s a final warning: Despite your parental cries of agony, the theater will not mute the screen.

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Film Review “Frozen”

Directed By: Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee
Starring: Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel and Jonathan Groff
Rated: PG
Running Time: 108 minutes
Walt Disney Studios

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

Disney has a decent go-to formula with some of their classics. First we start off with a story centered around a princess. Then we have some wonderfully crafted music and a heart warming theme to accompany it. Alright so let’s go down this shortened list before we get ahead of ourselves. We have not one, but two lovable leading ladies. The music is not only fast paced and fun, but incredibly catchy (I’ve still got it stuck in my head as I type this). And of course we have a very touching story about the love and acceptance between two sisters. By taking that well-made scheme and rubbing in some fresh twists, Disney has crafted another instant classic.

Today’s coronation is special for more than one reason. Anna (Bell) is finally seeing the dark empty halls of the castle she’s grown up in come alive with people. Her older sister Elsa (Menzel) will be made queen, but she’s less than eager to step outside her room. This is because Elsa contains the power to manipulate snow and ice. Without gloves concealing her hands, she doesn’t have much control over her abilities. Also at a young age, she harmed her sister Anna with her powers and was scared into never revealing her skills. Things don’t go as plan as pressure from the party gets to Elsa and her powers are unleashed in a frightening manner. She flees into the mountains as people call her “monster” and “sorceress”. Upon leaving and finally giving into her powers, she has brought forth fierce blizzard.

The beginning of this movie is fantastic because we’re not given the usual set-up of a villain. We sense that almost every character means well, but we know that at least one of them is putting up a front. Or maybe enough time hasn’t passed for someone’s true evil to set in. We know it will happen, but until then, Elsa plans to follow her sister into the harsh mountains. She’s aided by Kristoff (Groff) and his reindeer Sven. He’s not your traditional knight in shining armor, but as the story progresses, he grows from a delightful goof to a loving warrior. Prepare to be blown away by the layers of heart and soul that this movie has.

I generally believe that audiences don’t have any high expectations with Disney movies anymore. Heading into this though, I feel like Disney set a really high mark for themselves and achieved that with this ensemble cast of Broadway actors. Even Kristen Bell was marvelous with her solo songs. She has some magnificent duets with Idina Menzel. Disney seems to be aiming for that theatrical magic that they had with some of their classics like “Beauty and the Beast”. They’ve hit the bullseye on this one. The music flows wonderfully and the lyrics are so in tune with the character’s emotions and feelings. Someone needs to hand the Academy “For the First Time in Forever” and “Let it Go” for consideration this year.

We also have some genuine laughs from the movies most innocent, cute and charming character, Olaf, a talking snowman. Every character design is flawless. The animation is breathtakingly gorgeous. Multiple scenes had me stunned at how detailed and intricate the animation was as it moved at a rapid rate. I felt like I was watching a frozen world evolve before my eyes. It’s obvious from this movie, that Disney has been taking notes from Pixar for a while now. I think if the guys at Pixar watch this though, they might wanna start taking notes from Disney again.

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Film Review “Oldboy”

Starring: Josh Brolin, Elizabeth Olsen and Sharlto Copley
Directed By: Spike Lee
Rated: R
Running Time: 104 minutes
FilmDistrict

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

It’s October 8th, 1993 when we get a quick overview of the life of Joe Doucett (Brolin). He’s quick to anger and just as quick to flirting with women. He yells at his ex-wife and tells her he won’t attend his three-year-old daughter’s birthday. His excuse is that it isn’t important and she won’t remember anyway. When he’s not being a vile human being, he’s quenching his thirst with hard liquor. After a long day of pissing everyone off, he stumbles through town drunk. Not even the bar wants him back. This’ll be his last taste of freedom for 20 years.

Joe wakes up in a motel room. No wait. After exploring his surrounding he’s overcome with horror that it’s not a hotel room. The door has no knob and is steel plated except for a small slit on the bottom to slide food through. He has a window that slides soothing fake scenery behind it’s unbreakable glass. The TV in the room is of no comfort. The news shows him that his ex-wife has been raped and murdered. And you guessed it, he’s the number one suspect. There’s no communication, no escape and no one there to tell him for the next two decades why he’s there. Just as randomly as he was kidnapped, he’s released.

Only a movie like this could turn Josh Brolin into a disgusting creature, but he’s at the top of his game as a vengeful father. Elizabeth Olsen turns in a fantastic performance as Marie. She’s a recovering addict trying to make her life better as well as helping other pick up the pieces of their shattered lives. So it does makes sense that when she encounters Joe, she suddenly becomes motivated to help him on his tortuous journey. Joe’s tormentor and imprisoner, Adrian (Copley) isn’t consumed with gleeful revenge, but is instead a sorrowful lunatic with untold wealth. The only one drowning in rage is Joe. Those stuck in the way of his warpath are torn apart, broken down and beaten into a coma.

Spike Lee has taken the original, beloved Korean film and made it his own. The plot isn’t shaken up, but instead the finer details are Americanized. The camera work ensnares your attention and some of the continuous shots are brilliant. With Spike Lee behind the camera and Josh Brolin breathing terror into this movie, this is one of the strongest remakes in years. Lee’s version really trims some of the fat from the story and leaves us with the juicy twists and turns. The script may have taken out some of the more disturbing moments of the original, but managed to create a more eerie final twist.
For anyone who’s seen the original, one of the first thoughts in your head is, “How will American audiences react to a movie like this?” Some will see many moments to be shocking for the sake of shock value. Their stomach will flip a few times and they’ll find it repulsive. Others may come away scratching their heads wondering why they liked it. They’ll probably think they’re a terrible person. This movie could be viewed as poetic filth, but once you start scraping away at the grime, there’s some humility in those final shocking moments. Can we overlook social norms and put ourselves in another’s shoes? This movie pushes the idea that redemption can be found through revenge. No matter how bloody and disgusting it is.

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Film Review “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson and Liam Hemsworth
Directed By: Francis Lawrence
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 146 minutes
Lionsgate

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

I’m guilty of not being wowed by the first Hunger Games movie. I agreed with those who called it a repackaged “Battle Royale” for American teens. Regardless of my criticism I saw some potential. The potential wasn’t wasted, but was instead misguided and stumbled around until the characters entered the arena. Gary Ross, the man who brought “Dave” and “Lassie” to audiences during the 90’s, was not the right choice to direct the first chapter of the adolescent, bloodbath trilogy. Luckily for people like me and fans of books, the studio has found the right man for the job.

Some time has passed since the 74th annual Hunger Games and things have yet to improve in the life of our heroine, Katniss Everdeen (Lawrence). She’s continuing her tricky love triangle with fellow victor Peeta Mellark (Hutcherson) and hometown lover Gale (Hemsworth). She also suffers from memories of last years games while her mentor, Haymitch (Woody Harrelson), continues to sulk behind a bottle of booze. President Snow (Donald Sutherland) is still trying to weather the storm and keep Katniss in line by threatening her family and friends.

His plan is to have the two “lovers” embark on a victory tour to each district in the hopes of extinguishing any hopes of rebellion. The Capitol hands Katniss and Peeta some scripted speeches and touts them as the happy couple. With the threat of harm to their families, Katniss and Peeta know they have to play along, but once they start speaking from the heart, the somber crowds begin to show glimmers of hope and disobedience to the Capitol. So what is a President a to do? To declare that the 75th annual Hunger Games will draw from previous winners each in district. God bless those loopholes.

Sure we’re about to start treading the same ground and you can’t help but feel you’re watching a rehashing of the first movie, but “Catching Fire” has taken huge strides in every category. Director Francis Lawrence has delivered us a far more superior sequel that will leave you wanting more. His pacing and direction make every minute of this movie tense and each scene has sense of purpose towards the final moments. Even though were once again thrown into the gauntlet, poisonous fog and skilled killers pump up the action this time around.

The director is obviously the biggest change for this movie, but let’s just go ahead and admit that the foundation and glue of this movie is Jennifer Lawrence. Without her, Katniss wouldn’t appear to be so strong, but feel so fragile. The supporting actors like Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Jena Malone and Lenny Kravitz are a fine addition, but they wouldn’t have as much purpose without the commanding presence of Lawrence. Her acting doesn’t smother any scene, but instead leads the way for others.

This time around we’re not presented with a couple of terribly presented moral questions, but instead the movie holds up a mirror to society. The very people who create the political ripples and waves are instead masqueraded as media darlings in the hopes of discarding their true meaning. The men behind the curtains hope to keep the ignorant, ignorant by presenting and talking to our heroes like they’re TMZ celebrities. And of course we have the typical bloodlust of the general populous. This dystopian world doesn’t seem so far, far away. “Catching Fire” is a thrilling movie that increases the stakes and expectations for “Mockingjay”. Let’s hope Francis Lawrence can keep distancing himself from the child’s play of the first movie and really deliver the exciting conclusion, “Catching Fire”, has set-up.

 

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Film Review “Ender’s Game”

Starring: Asa Butterfield, Harrison Ford and Hailee Steinfeld
Directed By: Gavin Hood
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 114 minutes
Summit Entertainment

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

I wanna be able to hear the book reader’s side of the story when it comes to print to video adaptations. I luckily was accompanied by a fan of “Ender’s Game” He sat in his seat nervously, constantly reminding me that he hopes they don’t ruin the story as well as how hard of a book “Ender’s Game” is to adapt to the big screen. He’s read every single book in the series and still remembers vivid details about each character from Orson Scott Card’s writings. After the first couple of minutes of the movie, I could tell a wave of relief had swept through him.

The world has formed a singular military force after an attempted invasion by an insectoid race known as the Formics. After experiencing a catastrophic loss of life, the military is attempting to find the greatest military mind to prevent anymore future wars with the creatures. They hope to find that military genius in a pool of children who are subjected to rigorous training exercises and strategy classes.One of those kids is Andrew Wiggin (Butterfield), who goes by the name Ender.

He’s not necessarily a social outcast, more than he is the favorite target of bullies because of his superior intellect and his ability to manipulate his foes; giving himself the verbal and physical advantage in a fight. Watching Ender in the distance is Colonel Graff (Ford). He sees Ender as a solution to their bug problem and constantly schemes behind his watchful eyes. Ender is chosen for Command school where he makes allies and enemies amongst other hopeful kids and quickly excels to the top of the class.

This movie is definitely at the top of it’s game with it’s child actors, even though most of these actors are hovering into their upper teens if not their young adulthood. Butterfield is definitely given the toughest task of representing the cold soldier side of Ender as well as the endearing human side. Ender is a fantastic character. He’s a flawed military genius. He pushes himself to find victory, sometimes at the cost of other people’s lives, but when he finally achieves victory, he mourns the death of his foe and questions the morality of his actions.

The special effects are top notch and a lot of the military station sets have a stale beauty. The vibrant paleness in their training simulations breathes life into the dead of space. When the movie pushes in some light-hearted character interactions, they don’t feel cheesy, but instead it’s some much welcomed fun. Even though these characters are being trained to kill, they’re still children who laugh at childish things and we need that emotional breather in this bitter future. Even though this movie presents some questionable ethics, the movie doesn’t find time to give us that moral debate. That’s not to say that we’re still left with a fantastic bit of writing when the issue does rear it’s ugly head.

There’s just this huge nagging problem I had that lingered into the big reveal of Ender’s destiny. I haven’t read the books, but my impression is that the source material is a lot darker. Here we have children being used in the hopes of exterminating a extra-terrestrial species and at times I felt the movie was toning it down in the hopes of finding the sci-fi equivalent of “Hunger Games”. While both deal with children and murder, I feel that there’s a certain enchanting darkness to be found in military leaders, nurturing children through war game simulations. That theme radiates when the adults reward the victor of fist fights. A tweak here and there stopped this from being memorialized alongside other deep space greats, but it’s still a memorable and epic sci-fi movie. Here’s to hoping there’s a rated ‘R’ director’s cut that gives this the perfect rating it was deprived of.

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Film Review “One Direction: This Is Us”

Directed By: Morgan Spurlock
Rated: PG
Running Time: 92 minutes
TriStar Pictures

Our Score: 1.5 out of 5 stars

Let’s be up front. I don’t like One Direction. When it comes to music, if I don’t like something, I still try and see it for it’s artistic value. There are very few bands or artists that I feel are just flat out bad and have no redeeming musical qualities. One Direction is not one of them. I feel under the casually generic top 40 pop lyrics of love and loss, there’s actually some decent rock buried under their pop ballads. So with that said, I went in ready to judge the movie as a movie and push my dislike of the band out of my head. With “One Direction: This Is Us”, there are a limited number of positives if you’re not a screaming hormonal middle school girl.

“This Is Us” is a concert film mixed with footage and one-on-one interview detailing the lives of Niall Horan, Zayn Malik, Liam Payne, Harry Styles and Louis Tomlinson, the five lads who make up One Direction, on their global tour. Of course by detail, it really only shows us their humble beginnings on “The X-Factor” up until their current tour. I’ll go ahead and say that there’s some decent positives in this movie. The concert footage in 3D is actually really well shot and has a bounce to it. There’s a couple of artistic touches added to the footage and I would love whoever shot this to film my favorite bands. The shenanigans by our five stars are fun to watch. Especially when they actually decide to pull pranks on their adoring fans entering the arena.

Outside of that, we have multiple shots of gratuitous shirtlessness and sometimes pantsless moments of the five members. There are obvious reasons as to why this movie has included those moments that I don’t feel like articulating. It also becomes a bit repetitive watching a new batch of wild fans being interviewed or shown for the camera. Also get use to every band member pointing out the fact that the mere sight of their face sends the crowds of women outside the venue into a screeching wall of noise. The so-called look at the backstage crew is nothing new if you have any basic knowledge of how shows are put on. With how much detail goes into their lives shows, you’d think they would have nabbed an interview with someone who actually designed the set and gone over thought processes of the video lit city on stage.

It wasn’t that this movie was terribly made. It just becomes increasingly evident as times goes on that there are plenty of missed opportunities and a lack of interest in it’s subjects. Unless of course we need them to be silly or need them to cause the female heart to skip a beat. I’m not even sure the acclaimed documentarian, Morgan Spurlock of “Super Size Me”, had much input and was simply just a name to add to it’s credentials. If you’re a fan of “One Direction” or maybe even slightly interested in them, you’re gonna fall in love with this movie.

There’s a small taste of a movie that would have been more interesting at the halfway point. A couple of the members muse what they would be doing if they weren’t in the band and if things will ever actually be normal in their lives. Even when they make a trip back home, they wonder if it’s really all worth it since they’re missing out on quality time with their family and friends. There’s plenty of interesting questions to be asked, but instead of a real in-depth look, we have fodder for fans. I would love to watch the movie that may turn off fans because of how raw and honest it is with the subject material. I knew we weren’t going to get any of that when Simon Cowell’s name popped up as producer as well as the band’s manager Will Bloomfield as executive producer. It’s a very vanilla look at One Direction that simply wishes to strengthen it’s fanbase and nauseate others. If you’re one of the unfortunate souls dragged to this movie, you’ll wanna bring some ear plugs and Ambien.

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Film Review “Blue Jasmine”

Starring: Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin and Sally Hawkins
Directed by: Woody Allen
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 98 Minutes
Sony Pictures Classic

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

I enjoy “people watching”. There’s always been a fascination about other people’s lives, especially when you have nothing in common with that person yet you already have some predetermined notions about them. “Blue Jasmine” is the most intense version of “people watching” one could ever hope to achieve and a lot of fun. It has a quirky start, but once the pieces begin to fall into place, it’s off-the-wall charms turn into a strong drama with powerful performances.

Jasmine Francis (Blanchett) is in an alcoholic stupor. She downs Xanax like Tic-Tacs, verbally mumbles conversations she’s had in the past without realizing it and her emotional strings are pulled between depression and nervous breakdowns. Her sister, Ginger (Hawkins), has taken her in even though her life is in rebuilding mode. Jasmine has been on a tumble in life since her ex-husband, Hal (Baldwin), was arrested for his Bernie Madoff-esque activities. She’s gone from being the fashionable socialite of New York to tearfully debating her next move in life in San Francisco. The movie cuts back and forth from Jasmine’s previous life with Hal to her present predicaments. Both events unfold in a very smooth motion and the cuts from past to present are flawless.

Jasmine would be a sympathetic character if she wasn’t oblivious to the fact that people are trying to help her out. People around her hope to propel her forward with optimism as she criticizes and critiques everyone else’s life, behaving as if she was still being catered to in a mansion. Oddly enough, the most honest and truthful perspective in the movie comes from Ginger’s grease monkey boyfriend, Augie (Andrew Dice Clay). Instead of facing the harsh realities, she lies and manipulates her way through her new surroundings.

The entire cast of this film is at their peak, highlighted by a surprise performance by Andrew Dice Clay. Cate Blanchett perfectly portrays the pretentiously arrogant side of Jasmine as well as fully acting out her quivering moments after a healthy slap of reality. This is the first Woody Allen movie I’ve ever seen so I can’t really say that it’s his best work to-date or deliver any other comments of that nature. I will say that this is one of the more intelligent dramas I’ve seen in recent memory. Awkward scenes have a bit of light humor. Sometimes the laughs are uncomfortable. Even moments of melancholy are punctuated with a bizarre joy. The movie has an analytic feel about all of it’s characters without revealing too many of their motivations. Each character unravels, but only a few towards the end truly come out clean.

I get the sneaking suspicion that by the end of the movie, there will be a divide among audiences. Not straight down the middle, but a small minority that will feel sympathetic to Jasmine. The majority of others, like me, will have a morbid smile in watching things spiral out of control. The movie doesn’t portray her as good or bad, but instead just portrays her as human. She may be arrogant and self-absorbed, but when she’s knocked down she’s still scared and broken. Even though I took a certain glee in her misery, I found myself not wanting too much suffering to head her way. What makes her unlikable, but enjoyable to watch throughout, is the fact that she’s a constant fuel source and igniter for drama. It makes “Blue Jasmine” a rare treat at the theatre and a movie you’re sure to see in multiple awards categories at the end of the year

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Film Review “The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones”

Starring: Lily Collins, Jamie Campbell Bower and Robert Sheehan
Directed By: Harald Zwart
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 130 Minutes
Screen Gems

Our Score: 1/2 out of 5 stars

I can understand that some movies will always have clichés or that some movies will have to rely on other writer’s imaginations. That being said while watching “Mortal Instruments: City of Bones”, one could easily make two lists. One list would be all the tropes and the other could be all of the stolen movie ideas. If you’re somehow stuck in a movie theater with this movie rolling on the screen, you may consider turning those two lists into a drinking game, but I must warn you. You could die of alcohol poisoning before the halfway point of this flick.

Clary Fray (Collins) is a hip teenager. At least this movie would like you to believe that because she frequents coffee shops with her best friend, Simon Lewis (Sheehan). Recently she’s been seeing a weird symbol everywhere, even scribbling it out on paper and hanging it up all over her room. As she begins to question her sanity, she sees it at the entrance to a nightclub and heads inside to investigate. Next thing you know, she’s witnessed a tall dark stranger by the name of Jace Wayland (Bower) seemingly murder someone in plain view of others. Next thing you know, her mother (Lena Headey) is kidnapped, she’s attacked by a grotesque dog creature from “Resident Evil” and she’s told she’s a shadow hunter (even though they refer to them as demons). Next thing you know, I don’t care anymore.

In the first 20 minutes, I’m already beginning to wonder what I did in a past life to be punished in this manner. The story is muddled, the characters are incredibly stale and the plot laughs at creativity and embraces predictability like an old friend. Every serious moment meant to punctuate a revelation was incredibly comical. That means every attempt at humor in the movie was met with a groan (although I give them credit for a “Ghostbusters” reference). The writers for this movie must have gotten dialogue lessons from one too many ABC Family movies during Halloween. The studio must have hoped those eagerly waiting for the next “Twilight” franchise would eat up every shirtless scene with Bower. They probably also hoped that the romance between characters would once again melt tween hearts across the country, but instead it caused a tremendous pain in my groin. At times tears welled up in my eyes from stifling a laugh at how much this movie took itself seriously.

The dull characters are dressed like they’re about to hit up a gothic S&M bar. Apparently they’ve dressed this way so that they can fight demons who have made an effort to apply eyeliner before heading out. As the plot develops, characters make bone-headed decisions and let pre-pubescent emotions control their actions. The most enjoyable performance in this flick was by Lena Headey. She had very few headache causing lines, but that’s only because her character was in some form of a coma for the majority of the film. In fact once Jared Harris is revealed as the tutor for all these young warriors, you feel embarrassed for him. As for the other actors, they may want to leave this movie off their resume. Tell people this absence from movies was a time of self-discovery and reflection about where you were in life.

This movie, as well as the book series it is based on, is aimed at the “young adults” audience, but I don’t see “young adults” enjoying this movie. The imagination usually accompanied by this genre is missing and the only thing anyone might take away from this movie is a temporary crush on one of the actors. I love fantasy, but this movie abuses that title. This movie is so painful to watch, they should force prisoners to watch it. I know I’ve been incredibly harsh in everything I’ve said above, but I did take away one positive thing. This movie will make a great future Rifftrax.

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Film Review “Lee Daniels’ The Butler”

Starring: Forest Whitaker, Oprah Winfrey and David Oyelowo
Directed by: Lee Daniels
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 2 hour 12 minutes
The Weinstein Company

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

For me school was about teachers constantly pounding the same subjects over and over into our heads. Every year we’d go over the same material…history, English, science…but obviously it’s tweaked just a little to give us that fresh feeling even though it’s the same thing. Late middle school and the beginnings of high school is when you’re finally able to branch out and dive past the simplified textbooks handed out at school and begin to get a taste of something more in-depth. When it comes to the civil rights era, we were taught about Abraham Lincoln and Martin Luther King, Jr. Those aren’t bad people to start out with, but what about those behind the scenes? Their stories and their influences on the times are so much more compelling and that’s what “The Butler” goes for.

Cecil Gaines (Whitaker) is a hard working man who has always done his job to a tee. Even as a young lad, while he watched his slave owner murder his father and sexually abuse his mom, he has maintained a cool demeanor and was raised as the perfect house servant. He’s exactly what the White House wants. A man who puts his job above everything else and someone who never reacts or speaks about politics. Those two things don’t sit well with his wife, Gloria (Winfrey) and his son, Louis (Oyelowo). Gloria loves the fact that he’s so successful in life, but unhappy that many of her days are spent alone at home, chain smoking and washing away her sorrows with alcohol. Louis wishes that his father, within constant contact with everyone in the White House, would speak up for civil rights.

Cecil and his son represent two different ideas during the civil rights movement and neither are wrong in their thoughts or ideals. Louis starts his journey as a Freedom Rider, moving on to Black Panther and then to an aspiring politician, spending half of his time in jail for protesting. Cecil continues gaining the admiration of those around them and impressing each and every President with his back breaking work. Both father and son’s journeys highlight specific pivotal parts of the civil rights movement. Besides the social impacts, the movie also profiles the home life of Cecil and Gloria, which is the main emotional draw of the film. It’s their life’s journey that will make you laugh, feel tense and at times tear up.

Every little intricate character is well cast but the centerpiece of this ensemble is Forest Whitaker, who puts up a top-notch performance. If there’s any weakness among the powerful cast, it’s Oprah. While she’s not terrible, she never matches the same highs that Whitaker does and is often outdone by Oyelowo in their scenes together. The actors who play the Presidents are all well suited, but never get enough time to draw upon the historic mannerisms, while the actors portraying Cecil’s co-workers in the White House are a delight to watch whenever they’re called upon.

This is an “inspired by” story, which means that you can’t take everything at face value. However, Lee Daniels and Danny Strong have penned a very good movie. There’s never a dull moment and I would almost say it’s one of the more enjoyable flicks of the year. Come Oscar time this movie will definitely be getting some nods, but it may not be strong enough to reel them in. This movie is definitely riddled with political overtones, but that shouldn’t stop you from being satisfied with this imaginary look at a key part of our nation’s history. The journey of Cecil and the journey of our country are one in the same. Tough times always lay ahead, but perseverance will overcome our struggles. If I can walk out of a movie feeling good with that message, it’s better than anything I was taught in elementary school.

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Film Review “Fruitvale Station”

Starring: Michael B. Jordan, Octavia Spencer and Melonie Diaz
Directed by: Ryan Coogler
Rated: R
Running Time: 85 minutes
The Weinstein Company

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

For those like me that don’t have a constant mental database of all news, you may need a refresher before heading into “Fruitvale Station”. The movie is about an unarmed young adult who was shot on the early morning hours of New Year’s Day back in 2009 by the Bay Area Rapid Transit System. What makes this story unique is it was the first time nationally that I can recall where what transpired was caught on tape by many onlookers who had whipped out their cellphones. “Fruitvale Station” shows us it’s an event we shouldn’t forget.

Oscar Grant III (Jordan) is trying to change things around in a big way. Before the beginning of the New Year, we learn that Oscar is unfaithful with his girlfriend Sophina (Melonie Diaz), sells drugs, has almost been disowned by his mother Wanda Grant (Octavia Spencer) and finds himself lying to his daughter Tatiana (Ariana Neal) to explain his jail time. Under the tattoos and gangster rap music blasting from his car, we see that he’s a good natured person. He’s kind hearted and truly hates the person he’s become. The movie shows us that he’s chosen his mother’s birthday to begin the process of changing his life around. Not everything goes smoothly, but even under the stress of everything not going his way, he still manages to remain positive.

If Jordan hasn’t been on anyone’s radar, he is now after this performance. It’s only been two years since “The Help”, but I’m sure Octavia Spencer will once again creating some Oscar buzz and adding a few more awards to her mantle. The dialogue, by first time writer and director Ryan Coogler, is crisp, genuine and honest. As director, he’s able to help the audience visualize the struggles of Oscar. Don’t be surprised if he needs to start working on a place to house his future awards. The most emotional scenes don’t feel forced and the events of unfold fluidly. Because this movie begins with the cellphone footage from that night, reminding us of what will happen. We’re never comfortable or calm as we watch Oscar pick up the pieces. There’s a slow building dread like a snake uncoiling before it strikes.

Coogler accomplishes the rare feat of letting us know what’s going to happen, but still packs a punch by the time the third act begins. So even though we know what’s going to happen, he still manages to piece together an engaging flick. We watch Oscar’s transformation and by the time the third act begins. We don’t want it to happen. We don’t want to see it again. We wish there was a different outcome. But there isn’t. The final minutes of the movie grip you and leave you speechless. The visual force of those lingering moments knocks the breath out of you.

You could easily walk out of this movie and say that it was created and pushed forth in-light of the Trayvon Martin case. I’d like to believe Coogler had more than agenda when sitting down to flesh out this retelling. It’s easy to create the parallels of good and evil, but I felt there was a more human message under all this. There’s a reason we spend so much time with Oscar, watching him interact and try to become a better person. If we are to learn anything from Oscar’s tale, it’s that your life can end at any moment, but most importantly, you should not take the time you’re given lightly. There’s always time to set things right.

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