Film Review “The Choice”

Starring: Benjamin Walker, Teresa Palmer and Tom Welling
Directed by: Ross Katz
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 1 hr 51 mins
Lionsgate Films

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

Lonely man making his way through life meets woman with a past. They fall in love. Something bad happens. If you’re thinking to yourself, “this sounds like something Nicolas Sparks would write,” give yourself a prize. And welcome to “The Choice.”

Travis (Walker) is apparently the world’s greatest veterinarian. Even though he lives in Wilmington, North Carolina his practice, which he shares with his father, provides enough money for him to live in a beautiful house on the water, where he barbecues on weekends when he’s not out in his cool boat. One night, during one of his barbecues, he is asked to turn the music down by Gabby (Palmer), a nurse studying for some medical exams. One thing leads to another and soon Travis and Gabby are fishing and boating and spending way too much time out in softly lit rainstorms. Things go well in the friend zone until Gabby’s wealthy M.D. fiancé’ (seriously, is there NOBODY in North Carolina that ISN’T wealthy?) has to go out of town for a month. The fact that he is played by Tom Welling means nothing to the pair and soon they have kindled a hot and heavy romance. Cue the music.

If you’re familiar with Nicolas Spark’s novels then you pretty much know what to expect going in to “The Choice.” What makes this film a notch above other cookie-cutter Sparks adaptations is a strong cast, particularly from the supporting actors. Of the three leads, Walker does the best. I enjoyed him as our 16th President in “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter,” and he credits himself here. Palmer tries to be the spunky girl but she can’t convince us that she has no interest in Travis. As for Welling…he has gotten HUGE. Too bad they’ve got Henry Cavil to play Superman because Welling looks like he could easily fill out the super-suit now. Supporting work by Tom Wilkinson, as Travis’ father, and Sharon McCormick, as their loyal receptionist, do make the film go by easier than expected. So if you “choose’ to see it with someone, let them know that it could be much worse!

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Film Review “Hail, Caesar!”

Starring: Josh Brolin, George Clooney and Alden Ehrenreich
Directed By: Joel and Ethan Coen
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 106 minutes
Universal Pictures

Our Score: 4 out of 5 Stars

The Coen brothers seemingly find a way, movie after movie, to blend genres and create something completely unique, pushing the envelope about what theater goers expect in terms of storytelling, plot, and character development. “Hail, Caesar!” is no different. There’s no denying the Coen brothers talent when it comes to their dramatic works, but when they focus solely on their comedic efforts, it yields a unique array of ideas. They’ve crafted cult classics, toe tapping musicals, and dull remakes. “Hail, Caesar!” falls on the high end of that their comedic works.

There’s a pretentious nature to what the Coen brothers do. There’s an inside joke to a lot of their movies, and if you don’t get, they won’t tell you. The inside joke to “Hail, Caesar!” is the film industry, celebrities, the 1950’s, and I’m sure something else. Someone my age may not understand the mocking nature of the inner workings of the movie studios, the nuances of an era before my time, or the parody nature of the movies shown during the fabulous fifties, but I still enjoyed the oddball nature of “Hail, Caesar!”. It’s a blown kiss and slap in the face to the Hollywood industry.

Eddie Mannix (Brolin) is a “fixer” for Capitol Pictures. His job is to run around all day, making sure the press doesn’t get wind of the latest shocking scandal (a starlet having a child out of wedlock), making sure productions are up to snuff, and that the men financing everything are happy. Of course for “Hail, Caesar!”, he’s also trying to find out where studio star, Baird Whitlock (Clooney) has run off to. Well, he hasn’t gone on one of his alcoholic benders or, as his wife puts it, at some floozies place. But Baird has been kidnapped.

Most other movies would make this plotline essential to the storytelling aspect of this movie, but the Coen brothers find entertainment in the array of movie products, random actors and actresses, and Eddie’s personal home life. There are so many cameos in this movie, it’s impossible to talk about every single one, as well as their subtleties that they add to the plot, the various themes, or their potential jab at real-life events and celebrities. Of course, as I stated earlier, the character may be a part of an inside joke that you may or may not get.

So in essence, it’s a Coen brother’s movie. “Hail, Caesar!” is rich with witty dialogue involving thick-headed actors and sophisticated directors. Channing Tatum, Scarlett Johansson, Tilda Swinton, Jonah Hill, Wayne Knight, Frances McDormand, and others are scattered about, adding their own flavor to the movie. At times it can be overwhelming, but equally underwhelming at times, especially when we find out who has kidnapped Baird and why.

Just take a step back and accept that this is a screwball, ensemble comedy. With that in mind, you should be able to enjoy it’s, at times, confusing narrative. like a fine wine, I expect “Hail, Caesar!” to age gracefully and be a delight to watch occasionally, much like “Raising Arizona” or “The Big Lebowski”. It’s not a masterpiece by “Fargo” and “No Country for Old Men” standards, but it’s certainly a fine addition to the Coen’s collection.

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Film Review “Two Rabbits”

Starring: Fernando Alves Pinto and Alessandra Negrini
Directed by: Afonso Poyart
Rated: Not Rated
Running time: 1 hr 41 mins
XLrator Media

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

“Nobody is bad. People just go the wrong way sometimes.”

Wisdom and reason, all in ten words. And the driving force behind the new film “Two Rabbits,” a film with so many twists and turns you’ll need to wear a seatbelt while watching it.

The basic story is redemption. The film begins with a horrible car accident which kills a woman and her son while they are walking across the screen. Through flashbacks we meet the people involved: the driver of the car, the woman’s husband, the local crime boss, his attorney and the attorney’s police officer wife. We soon learn that things are not as they seem. The wife, Julia (Negrini), finds mistakes in the police files or removes evidence, allowing her husband Henrique (Neco Villa Lobos) to get his high profile clients off in court. His current client is the evil Maicon (Marat Descartes), who will need all the help he can get if he wishes to be found not guilty. All of these people interact with Edgar (Pinto), a man with a past and, hopefully, a future. As the story progresses, things that seemed clear become blurred and people reveal themselves to be exactly what you DIDN’T think they were.

While director Poyart has written a strong script, one which could stand alongside “The Usual Suspect” as far as twists go, he double downs on the story with some amazing camera work. Portions of the film play like a straight-up thriller, others like a scene taken directly from the video game “Grand Theft Auto.” It’s a curious choice but one that works in Poyart’s hands. Poyart also served as the film’s editor, ensuring that the final vision is his. The cast is equally strong and as the plot slowly unwinds they roll well with the punches.

This is Poyart’s feature film debut as both a writer and director and it should be noted that his work here earned him the director’s gig on this fall’s upcoming mystery “Solace,” which will star Anthony Hopkins and Colin Farrell. I’m predicting no sophomore jinx for this filmmaker.

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Looking for a film with a happy ending? Go with sport!

One of the main factors that attract so many of us to sports films is that they usually have a happy ending.

While the sporting action itself can often be hit-and-miss, more often than not, the good guy succeeds and the right team lift the trophy.

From the classic sporting pictures such as Chariots of Fire to the more modern efforts like Draft Day, we’re taken on a journey that usually sees the star overcome some type of turmoil on the way to a triumphant victory.

The actors playing the roles might not always get it spot on in terms of replicating those sporting superstars they are portraying, but these films are about so much more than picking apart Adam Sandler’s back-swing or Matt Damon’s mauling technique.

Let’s have a look at some classic sports films in which the recurring theme of success appears.

Rocky: When it comes to sporting movies, you have to really begin with Rocky. Starting from humble beginnings on the mean streets of Philadelphia, our hero goes on a brutal journey to the heavyweight championship of the world. The series even recently spawned a seventh film in Creed. Sylvester Stallone’s portrayal of Rocky Balboa not only made him a household name, it also played a huge part in boxing’s huge popularity throughout the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. With Creed making waves with both the box office and the critics, we might not have seen the end of Rocky Balboa’s iconic cinematic career.

“Rocky statue // Philadelphia” (CC BY-SA 2.0) by achimh

Moneyball: Covering the Oakland Athletics’ trials, tribulations and then success in the 2002 MLB season, Moneyball is another film that combines the drama involved in sport both on and off the field of play. Telling the story of general manager Billy Beane’s bid to assemble a team capable of mixing it with the best, Moneyball profiles a 2002 season in which the Athletics lost a host of star names and built a team of lesser known players that led the team to the American League West title in one of the most iconic seasons in the club’s history. With Oakland’s glory days now nothing but a distant memory, and the franchise priced as long as 66/1 with the likes of the Bet365 betting odds as of the end of January, this is a perfect trip down memory lane for those beleaguered Athletics fans.

Happy Gilmore: Hey, come on now, this is a *great* movie. OK, it’s a decent movie with some very funny bits. Adam Sandler plays Happy Gilmore, who is a short-fused good guy with a remarkable talent that makes the move from the brutal arena of ice hockey into the traditional and stuffy world of golf. Needing to raise money in order to save his Grandma’s home, our maverick hero wins the Tour Championship in frankly unbelievable scenes. He walks away with the title, the girl and the money. The legitimacy of Happy’s speedy journey from novice to champion might have more holes in it than the course at Augusta, but it doesn’t stop this from being a very enjoyable way to spend 92 minutes.

via GIPHY

 

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Film Review “The Finest Hours”

Starring: Chris Pine, Casey Affleck and Holliday Grainger
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 1 hr 57 mins
Walt Disney Pictures

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…somewhere on the Walt Disney lot is a small office in which sits a little man not unlike Burgess Meredith in the “Time Enough At Last” episode of “The Twilight Zone” who does nothing but reads all day, looking for stories, new and old, about amazing events that leave the reader feeling good. It took him six decades but he finally found the story behind “The Finest Hours.”

It’s a cold day in February 1952 as the residents of the small town of Chatham, Massachusetts prepare for a storm. Among the locals is phone operator Vivian (Grainger) and her boyfriend Bernie Webber (Pine), who is stationed at the local US Coast Guard station. The townspeople are a little moody as they recently observed the one year anniversary of a horrible boating accident which killed many. Due to the weather conditions, the Coast Guard was not able to perform a rescue, and some in town still hold a grudge. It is when a similar incident arises, and Webber and his men are sent out into the storm, that old memories prove they do not die easily.

Based on a true story, “The Finest Hours” tells the tale of the four enlisted men who risked their lives in an attempt to bring back thirty-two survivors from a horrible accident in which their actual vessel broke in half. Led by Pine and Ben Foster, the brave military men are a strong and determined lot. Self-reminded of their failure the year before, the men go above and beyond to help. On the ship itself, the men are a motley crew of seasoned vets and young rookies. Let by Affleck’s chief mechanic, some are willing to listen while others distrust him. Then there is the ship’s cook who keeps things light by repeatedly singing “Sit Down, You’re Rocking the Boat” from “Guys and Dolls!”

Technically the film is top notch. The special effects are well done and the various period pieces take you back to a time in life when you couldn’t just pick up your cell phone and check in with others. Do save your money and don’t see “The Finest Hours” in 3D. This may very well be the “least” 3D movie of any 3D movie I’ve ever seen. You’d be better served with an umbrella.

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Film Review “I Am Thor”

“I Am Thor”

Starring: Jon Mikl Thor
Directed by: Ryan Wise
Rated: Not Rated
Running time: 1 hr 24 mins

Our Score: 3.5 out of 5 stars

Jon Mikl Thor was a bodybuilding, steel bending, brick-smashing rock star in the 70’s and 80’s whose theatrical band THOR hit the scene alongside Metallica and Kiss, but never achieved the gold record status of its contemporaries. After a brief but memorable film career saw him starring in cult classics like “Rock n Roll Nightmare” and “Zombie Nightmare” Thor all but disappeared. Tracing the rise, fall, and rebirth of a determined performer “I Am Thor” paints a fascinating and sometimes unbelievable portrait of this larger-than-life icon.

Anybody who grew up in the 70’s and 80’s had to have caught a glimpse or at the very least heard of Thor at some point during their adolescence. Whether it was tales of his abilities to bend steel or break cinder blocks with a single blow being told around the school yard to possibly catching a late night showing of “Rock n Roll Nightmare” or maybe you were fortunate enough to purchase a copy of Thor’s 1978 release “Keep the Dogs Away”. Whichever it may have been Thor was there. “I Am Thor” is more than just your basic rise, fall and rise again type of documentary. Instead you get an unprecedented look at Thor’s career told directly from the man himself Jon Mikel Thor. From his early beginnings as a body building champion in Canada and the subsequent evolution of the Thor character over 30 years the viewer experiences it all. Packed with both new and vintage footage the film had everything I like in a documentary of this style.

Yes the rise/fall/rise story line is becoming a bit tiring at this point as this film is certainly not the first to adopt this format nor will it probably be the last however, these type of films which showcase one person or a group of peoples undying dedication to themselves and their fans are what keep me coming back for more. “I Am Thor” is a diamond in the rough just waiting to be discovered.

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Film Review “The 5th Wave”

Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz, Ron Livingston and Liev Schreiber
Directed by: J. Blakeson
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 1 hr 52 mins
SONY Pictures

Our Score: 1 out of 5 stars

The following plea is for Chloe Grace Moretz: “PLEASE FIND A NEW AGENT!”

After a promising career that began with great performances in such films as “Kick Ass,” “Let Me In” and “Hugo,” in the past couple of years she has starred in such stinkers as the remake of “Carrie” and the “I’m not dead, I’m in a coma” film “If I Stay,” which had the distinction of being, in my opinion, the worse film of 2014. Now, apparently, she’s decided to make my job easy by showing up in, what I’m sure will be, among the worse films of 2016.

Cassie Sullivan (Moretz) is your typical youthful high school girl. She likes to hang with her friends and holds a secret crush on the captain of the football team. But she’s also a good girl, coming home from parties before curfew and looking out for her little brother Sam (Zackary Arthur). Then the aliens come. The end! Sorry. Sadly, it isn’t that easy.

A film only in the sense that it’s being shown in theatres, “The 5th Wave” tells the story about what can happen when you reveal the BIG ending 20 minutes into the film and apparently forget what the words “continuity” and “believable” mean. As the title maintains, there are five waves. The first wave has alien craft hovering over various cities. The second takes out all sources of power. Then the Pharaoh declares that all first born male children are to be killed. Not really. Just seeing if you were paying attention.

How do I hate thee, “5th Wave?” Let me count the ways. Let’s begin with the jaw dropping idea that, when there is an imminent alien invasion, we will continue to send out children to school. When there is no more electrical power or running water we will continue to appear freshly shaved and newly bathed. And when the world does come to an end, the only thing worth salvaging will be Slim Jims. Actually, I like the Slim Jim idea. Director Blakeson (who only goes by his first initial, J – and can you blame him? If I was associated with this film I wouldn’t give my full name either) has cobbled together a hodgepodge of bad plot lines and stretched them out for almost two hours.

Sadly, the fault is not all his (or, for all I know, hers). I also blame the three screenwriters who created these horrible tropes. I can’t believe Akiva Goldsman helped write this thing. This is a man who won an Oscar for writing “A Beautiful Mind,” adapted two John Grisham novels for the screen and does great work for Ron Howard. Of course, he also wrote “Batman and Robin” and the upcoming FIFTH “Transformers” film. OK, maybe I can believe it. Speaking of Oscar, if they gave away an award for most continuity errors in one film, this baby would sweep the category. Just off the top of my head, here are three to look for:

1. While heading for a certain destination, Cassie remarks that she is 30 miles from her destination. After walking for a day or so she comes across a sign that tells her she is 43 miles away. At least the sign points her in the right direction. That being said, a couple days later, when she asks how far she is, the answer is now 60 miles.

2. Early in the film Cassie is given a gun, which she later fires until the slide locks, indicating the weapon is empty. Next time you see it, it’s fully loaded.

3. Remember when I said that all power (electrical, gas, etc) has been eradicated? Cassie comes across an abandoned Jeep on her travels and hops in to rest. Thankfully the dome light is working properly so she can see better.

If you’re still interested in the film, you’re a better person than I am. Pays your money and takes your chances. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

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Film Review “Ride Along 2”

Starring: Kevin Hart, Ice Cube, and Olivia Munn
Directed By: Tim Story
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 101 minutes
Universal Pictures

Our Score: 1 out of 5 stars

It was destined to happen. The first “Ride Along” made over $150 million on a meager 25 million dollar budget. So “Ride Along 2” seemed like a financial inevitability, especially with the recent star power behind Ice Cube’s name and the popularity of Kevin Hart at the box office. 2015 was the year of Hart and Cube helped put together the Oscar-nominated “Straight Outta Compton”. That’s enough praise, because now I’m going to talk about “Ride Along 2”, the laziest follow-up the duo could have done.

Ice Cube and Kevin Hart just can’t work well for a second straight time. Maybe they can’t find the right balance of chemistry or maybe everyone else involved was too busy seeing dollar signs. If you’re going to see “Ride Along 2”, you know the shtick and the comic routine, and by now it’s getting old. Hart plays Ben, a goofy, loveable guy that squeals a lot, is the butt of short jokes, and is about as useful as a Keystone cop. Then there’s Cube, who plays James, a rough edged, no games cop that merely reacts to Ben’s ineffectiveness. We’ve seen this before. It only gets worse.

Ben is no longer trying to be a cop, he is a cop; kind of. He’s in training, but still manages to bungle a sting operation and still applies random useless video game knowledge to real life scenarios. James still gets frustrated and still doesn’t believe Ben is a real cop. James hopes to bring down a drug Lord that’s supplying dealers in Atlanta with supplies; while once again, Ben hopes to tag along. James gets the idea of scaring Ben straight, or at the very least getting him to give up on his dream, by bringing him along to Miami to chase down a mysterious kingpin. I contemplated copying and pasting my review from two years ago since this is the regurgitated plotline of the first.

Overall, “Ride Along 2” isn’t insultingly bad, but it’s biggest problem is that it’s indolent. It never fixes the problems that were seen in the previous installment, nor does it try to do anything new. Not even the smallest of endeavors is seen in the 101 minute runtime. The appearance of Olivia Munn and Ken Jeong are much appreciated, especially Jeong who appears to be the only one who’s willing to have a fun with his bits. Munn simply appears as eye candy, another person who can physically hurt Ben and a love interest for James.

I hate to say it, but I now reflect back on the first movie in a more gentle tone. If you haven’t seen the original, just ignore everything I just said and go about your merry life, not knowing about the trivial attempt at a sequel this movie was. But if you did see the original two years ago and enjoyed it to some extent, steer clear if this cash grab. Nearly everything in this movie is a rehash, except the salary for our leading stars.

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Film Review “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi”

Starring: John Krasinski, James Badge Dale and Pablo Schreiber
Directed by: Michael Bay
Rated: R
Running time: 2 hrs 24 mins
Paramount

Our Score: 4.5 out of 5 stars

There is a great sketch by Monty Python called “The Bookshop” where a man tries to buy books by authors with familiar names. But instead of Charles Dickens, he’s looking for Charles Dikkens (“Dickens with two k’s, the well-known Dutch author”). This sketch immediately came to mind as I watched “13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi,” which is credited as being directed by “Transformers” helmer Michael Bay. Surely, I thought, it must be Michael Baye (the well-known Dutch filmmaker).

Libya. Since the death of Dictator Muammar Gaddafi, the country has been in turmoil. Rival groups infiltrated and raided the various weapons warehouses that Gaddafi had well stocked and the country has become the 21st Century version of the Wild West. In the town of Benghazi there is a compound that holds 26 members of the C.I.A. They put their safety in the hands of a small group of men, contracted by the US government. Things start going crazy when it’s learned that the US Ambassador to Libya, Chris Stevens, will be visiting and staying at a nearby compound. The date is September 11, 2012.

Inspired by, and based on the stories of, several of the contractors that endured 13 hours of hell, “13 Hours” ranks with “Platoon” as a true depiction of what war really is. As the film begins we meet our heroes: Jack Silva (Krasinski), a real estate agent back for a much needed payday; Tyrone “Rone” Woods (Dale), a grizzled veteran of over a dozen missions hoping to make a better life for himself and Mark “Oz” Geist (Max Martini), a hulking man with a kind heart. With their fellow “brothers” they are prepared for anything and everything. Nothing is easy in Libya. Not going for a ride or taking a short walk. They share their duties with members of 17 Feb, an Islamist group that took up weapons after the fall of Gaddafi in hopes of saving their country. However, in a country where automatic weapons and rocket launchers have replaced vegetables at the outdoor market it’s hard to tell who your friend is and who your enemy is. Especially when your “friends” are “making $28.00 a day and have to bring their own bullets.”

Hats off to the cast. They were instructed by either their real-life counterparts or those that knew them and, like Bradley Cooper’s Chris Kyle in “American Sniper” or Mark Wahlberg’s Marcus Lutrell in “Lone Survivor,” they strive for realism in honoring the men they are playing. In fact one of the men, Glen “Bub” Doherty, was close friends with Brandon Webb, the sniper who trained both Kyle and Lutrell. There are no phony heroics here. War is scary as hell and the cast makes sure that mask of horror is front and center.

While the camaraderie of the men is the message of the film, it is the amazing 13-hour battle which is what you will remember. Each round of fighting, escalating and easing up, only to get steadily worse as the night goes on, is a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat moment. And kudos to director Bay for not making this a typical “Michael Bay” film. There are no shots of men walking in slow motion through a cloud or fog. In fact, there is very little use of slow motion here at all. Only when he cribs the “money shot” from “Pearl Harbor”, following a mortar shell from the sky and all the way down until it hits its target, does he seem to be going for a little flash. Bay also leaves out a lot of the unnecessary politics that still surround this event. If there is fault to be assigned, there is plenty to go around, and Bay allows you to make up your own mind as to who to point your finger at.

 

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Film Review “The Revenant”

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy and Will Poulter
Directed by: Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu
Rated: R
Running time: 2 hrs 36 mins
20th Century Fox

Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars

As a young man, I often accompanied my parents to the drive-in to see movies I probably wasn’t old enough to see. My dad was a big action and western fan, and my early film memories are filled with flickering images of John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, Steve McQueen, Richard Harris, Sean Connery and others. I can remember attending a double feature of two Richard Harris films, “A Man Called Horse” and “Man in the Wilderness.” I remember very little about them but, since I learned that “The Revenant” tells the same story as “Man in the Wilderness” I thought I’d share.

The time is 1823. America is not even a half-century old. A fur trapping expedition, led by noted trapper Hugh Glass (DiCaprio) comes under attack by Native Americans. Many are injured and the group decides that it’s best to stow its furs, to retrieve later, and head back to their settlement. On the long journey back, Glass stumbles upon two bear cubs. Before he can react he is attacked by the mother and horribly mauled. Too badly injured to move, the leader of the expedition (Domhnall Gleeson – pretty much appearing in every film this holiday season, including “Brooklyn” and “Star Wars – Episode Seven: The Force Awakens”) entices two men, the grizzled John Fitzgerald (Hardy) and the young man, Jim Bridger (Poulter), to stay with Glass until he dies. The men are to give him a proper burial and then rejoin their group. For doing this they will each get a monetary bonus. Also staying behind is Glass’ son with his Native American wife, Hawk (Forrest Goodluck). Of course, one the group leaves those left in charge begin to panic about being in the woods alone in the dead of winter. Fitzgerald, whose head bears the scars of a scalping gone wrong, decides to hurry the process along. He convinces Bridger to abandon Glass in the woods, reasoning that he will soon die anyway. But Fitzgerald is unaware of what Glass told Hawk when the boy was younger: “As long as you can still grab a breath, you fight.”

Beautifully filmed and superbly acted, “The Revenant” is a true epic adventure about one mans will and desire that is literally being carried on the bear-chewed back of Leonardo DiCaprio. With so many outstanding performances behind him, including “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” “Gangs of New York” and “The Departed,” and a long future in front of him, I hesitate to call his work here the performance of his career. So I’ll call it the performance of his career SO FAR! Using very little words, DiCaprio manages to convey the pain and agony, both physical and spiritual, that Glass endures with just his eyes. It truly is, in my opinion, the best acting work turned in this past year by an actor. He is matched by Hardy, who also gives a career defining performance here.

With the snow-covered forests as his tapestry, director Inarritu, who won three Oscars last year as the co-writer, director and producer of “Birdman,” paints another masterpiece. The story flows as easily as the water moves down the Missouri river and the violent action on-screen is amplified by the white and pristine backgrounds. This is, in my opinion, the best film of 2015.

 

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Film Review “Daddy’s Home”

Starring: Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg
Directed by: Sean Anders
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 1 hr 36 mins
Paramount

Our Score: 3 out of 5 stars

With 52% of all marriages in America ending in divorce, the plot of “Daddy’s Home” may resonate more than the filmmakers thought. Brad Whitaker (Ferrell) is a great guy. Volunteers to work with kids, donates his time coaching…he does all the things a great dad does. Except he has no children. A “mishap” earlier in life has made him unable to father a child. But his dream comes true when he marries the beautiful Sarah (Linda Cardenelli), who has two young children from her first marriage. Brad does his best to gain the kid’s love, often making their lunch and putting inspirational messages inside next to the PB&J sandwich. But the kids don’t thaw easily. Young son Dylan (Owen Vacarro) begins to warm but daughter Megan (Scarlett Estevez) is taking a little more time. She has begun including Brad in her “family” drawings, but unfortunately in each drawing he’s dead. Kids!

A hit or miss re-teaming of the stars of “The Other Guys,” “Daddy’s Home” survives on the chemistry between Ferrell and co-star Wahlberg, who plays Dusty, the kids birth father. When he comes to visit, astride a beautiful, gleaming motorcycle, Brad begins to feel intimidated. This doesn’t stop him, however, from allowing Dusty to stay in his house. Brad is the manager of a smooth jazz radio station, whose boss (Thomas Haden Church) is always sharing stories about his multiple marriages. When Dusty is hired to be the “voice” of the radio station (he records all of the station’s bumpers and promos) things get a little testy at home. But Brad doesn’t give up. With occasionally funny consequences.

Director Anders, who also co-wrote the script with John Morris and Brian Burns (they also collaborated on the original “Hot Tub Time Machine” and sequels “Horrible Bosses 2” and “Dumb and Dumber To,” proves himself skillful at setting up some major sight gags but when it’s just the cast intermingling the film begins to slow down. Ferrell and Wahlberg appear to be having fun, and a small role of former handyman/new house tenant Griff (Hannibal Buress) could have been expanded some as he had some of the best lines. All in all, when the kids are disappointed that “Star Wars” is sold out, you can have a little fun with them here.

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Film Review “Concussion”

Starring: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin and Albert Brooks
Directed by: Peter Landesman
Rated: PG 13
Running time: 2 hrs 3 mins
Paramount

Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars

Growing up a teenager in the 70’s, the dominant football team was the Pittsburgh Steelers. They were stocked with hall of fame players, including Terry Bradshaw, Franco Harris, “Mean” Joe Greene and Jack Lambert. Another hall of famer was center Mike Webster. Webster was always a favorite of mine. A huge man who could seemingly take on the opposite teams entire defensive line if necessary. I liked the fact that he never wore a jersey with sleeves, the idea being that the opponent couldn’t grab them. Mike Webster died in September 2002. Little did he know that he would be remembered more for his death than for his playing.

Built on a solid performance by Will Smith, “Concussion” introduces us to Dr. Bennet Omalu (Smith), whose job is as a coroner for Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. When Mike Webster dies, it is Dr. Omalu who performs the autopsy. The Steelers quickly announce that Webster has died of a heart attack but Dr. Omalu has found something different. Irregularities in Webster’s brain, which the doctor named Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy, best known as CTE. Dr. Omalu learned that, in the past six months of his life, Webster had lived in his truck under a Pittsburgh overpass. He suffered dementia and had attempted suicide multiple times. Dr. Omalu writes up his opinions and publishes them in 2005, estimating that players like Mike Webster get hit in the head in excess of 70,000 times in a career. At first, the NFL disregards the doctor’s opinion but, the next year, they ask that the paper be discarded, calling it “a failure” and “completely wrong.” David just work up Goliath, but like that fabled battle good must triumph.

As someone who played football and had his “bell rung” a couple of times, I was anxious to see how this story would be portrayed. The filmmaker (director Landesman also wrote the script) does a balanced job and the only reason one side of the issue looks better is because it is coming from a concern of caring, not of greed. Like the Big Tobacco Companies and the Asbestos Manufacturers, the truth has been out there, but kept hidden. The film allows you to make up your mind on where you stand.

I played football when I was a youngster, as did my son. Thankfully we were both much better in baseball and that is the sport we pursued in high school and beyond. Should I ever be blessed with a grandson, I hope he follows in our footsteps.

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: concussion, film, review

Film Review “Point Break (2015)”

Starring: Edgar Ramirez, Luke Bracey and Ray Winstone
Directed By: Ericson Core
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 113 minutes
Warner Bros. Pictures

Our Score: 1 out of 5 stars

Kathryn Bigelow’s 1991 movie “Point Break” is far from being the “Die Hard” of the 90’s, but it certainly understood how to have fun with it’s silly premise of the FBI infiltrating some bank robbing surfer bros. Stylish, dumb edge of your seat action and entertaining are just a handful of the words I would use to describe Bigelow’s surprise hit. Dumb is the only word I would use to describe 2015’s “Point Break”.

Edgar Ramirez and Luke Bracey hope to conjure up the same absurd bromance that Keanu Reeves and Patrick Swayze displayed 14 years ago. Bracey plays Utah, who in this reimagining isn’t an all-star college quarterback, but is instead a dare devil motocross junkie who decides upon a career in the FBI after his best friend dies attempting one of his dangerous stunts. It’s there in the FBI that Utah, through a truly random hunch, figures out that some globetrotting crooks are actually attempting to complete eight death-defying stunts to achieve enlightenment.

Leading the group of criminal, extreme sport enthusiasts is Bodhi (Ramirez). He’s quite possibly the most infuriating character in recent movie history. He speaks about the destruction of Mother Earth while partying on a gas guzzling yacht in the middle of the ocean and using an abundance of other oil produced equipment to cheat death under the guise of achieving his own personal Nirvana. It’s both equally offensive to eco-warriors and anyone who follows the teachings of Buddha.

Bigelow seemingly understood that a dumb action movie is inherently farcical, so she filled up her movie with enough action to push out those nagging logical thoughts, but this new reboot does the opposite. Director Ericson Core feels that an abundance of exposition is more interesting than the possible heists and fight choreography that our characters could subject themselves to. There’s way too much droll downtime between breathtaking shots of characters escaping death.

Kurt Wimmer, who also used “Total Recall” like toilet paper when remaking it, manages to do the same with “Point Break”. Maybe adaptations and remakes aren’t for Wimmer, who’s done a much better job penning original movies like “Law Abiding Citizen” and “Salt”. Wimmer writes his characters into too many corners, spinning them off into far too many loose ends. Wimmer sloppy adds a lot red herrings, such as the businessman who sponsors the crooks.

There’s certainly a level of dignity that Hollywood must hold itself to when remaking a movie that people consider a classic. “Point Break” is far from being an untouchable Holy Grail in cinema, but there’s no reason it should have been rebooted drug through the mud. Core and Wimmer are clearly more comfortable in their own playing field with their own characters. They seem nervous having to update a character by having him text emojis or being recognizable on Youtube. What made the original duo of Swayze and Reeves cool was action sequences they found themselves in, not their misguided philosophies on saving the planet.

This “Point Break” remake is a disaster that astonishingly arrives on the heels of nearly a dozen better Christmas day releases. “Point Break” lacks enough action to forget its most glaring flaws, and it lacks enough relatable characters to feel anything when conflict happens between an undercover FBI agent and a misguided thief. It’s a failure at nearly every level except its cinematography. It’s certainly pretty to look at, but it’s like unwrapping a neatly wrapped Christmas present only to find a lump of coal.

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: 2015, break, film, point, review

Film Review “Youth”

Starring: Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel and Rachel Weisz
Directed By: Paolo Sorrentino
Rated: R
Running Time: 124 minutes
Fox Searchlight Pictures

Our Score: 3 out of 5 Stars

We’re deep into Oscar season and we’re now being lured by plenty of potential prospects that have “pick me” written all over them. “Youth” has a highly regarded Italian director who has already won an Academy Award. It also features an aged, but at the top of their game, Michael Caine and Harvey Keitel. “Youth” also tackles the cumbersome talks about life, love, and some of the quirky things in between. On one hand, “Youth” is an audio, visual, and acting triumph, but on the other hand, “Youth” is a curious dud.

From the very opening, director Paolo Sorrentino establishes that “Youth” is a bizarre daydream that seemingly takes place in the real world. Fred Ballinger (Caine) and Mick Boyd (Keitel) are two rich, creative pals on an excursion to a Swiss spa. Boyd hopes to find the right amount of inspiration to polish off his latest movie script and withdrawn music composer Ballinger is looking to escape the suffocating demands of people who want him to come out of retirement and perform. There are very real discussions and very real people that intersect these two characters throughout their lavish vacation.

The main plot is diced up and evened out through visually surreal scenes. Some scenes are breathtaking while others haunt our mind, making us wonder what we’re supposed to feel and think. That’s a great thing though. I want to watch a movie that triggers emotions and makes me think about the topics it wants to discuss. But that flip that switched on in my head began to focus in on a lot of what makes “Youth” insufferable.

Ballinger and Boyd spend half their conversations reflecting on mistakes that have come and gone. It’s a universally tragic feeling to realize that as time slowly slips away, the past becomes blurry, but our future, death, becomes all too clear. It’s a difficult subject, that’s been tackled before and “Youth” does a good job reflecting on it, but at a resort filled with other elderly people, it seems slightly misogynistic to only view this wide ranging topic through such a narrow male lens.

The female characters in “Youth” are reduced to simplified stereotypes. Rachel Weisz plays Ballinger’s daughter who comes off as tearfully helpless because she doesn’t know how to handle her divorce. Jane Fonda, who actually adds to the dramatic heft on display, arrives for a brief cameo only to come off as bullheaded, childish, and finally, tearfully helpless. “Youth” then subjects us to a scene where a Miss Universe with heaving breasts walks into the steamy spa waters as Ballinger and Boyd longingly stare on.

Around the halfway point of “Youth”, I began to scrutinize Ballinger and Boyd’s topics of conversations. It seemed that their genuine expressions of remorse from the two came with a bitter price tag, talks of a swollen prostate gland and the disregard of other’s emotions. As much as I wanted to focus on the elegant conversations at hand, I began to feel that the emotions of these two were ultimately empty.

The existential questions of “Youth” are fascinating to ponder, but Sorrentino’s dour outlook seems to tell us that we shouldn’t bother. The lengthy nature of “Youth” seems to tell us that growing old is long, tedious, and filled with better memories than our current predicament. “Youth” left me thinking that all we have to look forward to later in life is what we’ve done with our existence, and the lives we’ve negatively impacted. While visually dazzling, “Youth” will not be a fond memory when I’ve entered my golden years.

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: film, review, youth

Film Review “Joy”

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Robert DeNiro and Bradley Cooper
Directed By: David O. Russell
Rated: PG-13
Running Time: 124 minutes
20th Century Fox

Our Score: 4 out of 5 Stars

For many, including myself, Christmas represents that rare time of year that you visit family members on a much deserved day off of work. For some, the holidays are absolutely dreadful and for some the holidays are absolutely delightful. Since some of my relatives read my online movie reviews, I’ll bite my tongue on which category I fall in. But when you get together with your dysfunctional family, try and keep one thing in mind: It could be worse, but it can always be better. Take Joy Mangano’s (Lawrence) family for example.

Living in Joy’s tiny New York home is her loving, caring, and always encouraging grandmother, Mimi (Dianne Ladd). Mimi has always been in Joy’s life, inspiring her to do better and keep that flame of creativity going. Then there are Joy’s two children, a girl and a boy, that she sees that same flame in. Joy holds that trio near and dear to her heart, and couldn’t see life without them. That living situation would be ideal, but her home is filled out with others.

Despite a bitter divorce, her parents are under the same roof. Her mom, Terry (Virginia Madsen) sits in the bed like a vegetable, watching soap operas all day. Her father, Rudy (DeNiro) recently got dumped and is living in the basement with Joy’s ex-husband, Tony (Edgar Ramirez). Those three she could easily live without, considering all three find something new to argue about every day. No matter how strong Joy’s mental and emotional fortitude is the living conditions are obscenely stressful.

What makes Joy strong-willed in her home of horror is her mind. She has a knack for crafting and creating things that come to her mind on the fly. Even at an early age she displayed a creative curiosity, but it was quickly ignored by her parent’s divorced and then buried when her loser husband entered the pictured. Despite being a charming gentleman, he makes for a lazy father and an even more slothful participant in the American workforce. Because of that, Joy attempts to hold up her home on her meager salary at an airline company. Through sheer chance, she comes up with an idea for the Miracle Mop.

In the most unlikely of stories, David O. Russell has found a mix of holiday sentimentality and his own brand of awkward humor in the true life story of Mangano, a multi-millionaire entrepreneur. How much of “Joy” is true? Probably about as much as Russell’s last movie, “American Hustle”. Liberties with facts have to be taken and you have to craft something around Lawrence’s Oscar winning abilities. How else could you sell the story of the inventor behind a QVC goldmine to a major motion picture company?

The highlight of “Joy” is watching Lawrence at work. At this point in her career, it’s safe to say that anything she does (besides her cameo in “Dumb and Dumber To”) is going to be thespianism pay dirt. It’s a little tiresome to see Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro once again having to ham it up in a Russell movie, but their sight is welcome and their performances match the eccentric and quirky characters they play. The real gem of the movie Isabella Rossellini, who plays a woman that helps finance and guide Mangano.

By the time “Joy” wraps up, it loses a lot of its emotion because it slowly becomes a commercial for QVC; as long as you’re willing to believe that QVC and other home shopping networks are the good guys in corporate America who support and nurture entrepreneurship. Lawrence doesn’t quite sell that idea, but she helps sell “Joy” as a thoughtful holiday flick. So if you’re looking for an escape or even a way to spend time with your family on Christmas, bring a little “Joy” into your life.

 

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Filed Under: Film Reviews Tagged With: film, joy, review
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