DJ B-Clear's Summer Movie Preview - June

When I have free time (which is sometimes very often) I watch a lot of trailers. Here's a list of June films that offer some interest in seeing or in turning around if I see the title at the cineplex. The Avengers officially started the summer movie season on May 4th so we are about to enter it's second month. So let's get started.

Snow White and the Huntsman (June 1st): I've seen this trailer several times and I have to admit that it does arouse my curiosity. Charlize Theron is very talented and seems to be perfect in the role as Ravenna, the evil queen. So far I'm a fan of Chris Hemsworth and he looks perfectly cast as the Huntsman. The visual effects they show in the trailer seem really cool as well. So there's a lot to like in this film. My problem is Kristen Stewart. She seems more famous for the hype around the Twilight series than for any talent she may or may not possess. Plus, although she's younger than Theron, she's not nearly as beautiful as her (IMHO). It's also PG-13 so it may not be catering to my demographic. This film hasn't gotten critically reviewed yet but it's got a 90% audience rating based on previews.

High School (June 1st): Here's another film that hasn't been critically reviewed yet but has a high rating (81%) based on audience reaction. Suffice to say it has a good cast with Adrien Brody and Michael Chiklis. It's about an ambitious high school kid, Matt Bush, who smokes weed for the 1st time just when the Principal (Chiklis who looks brilliant in the trailer) is instituting a school wide drug test. So the brainiac freaks out about losing his scholarship to a prestigious college when he tests positive. He turns to his stoner pal for help and the stoner's plan is to spike brownies for the school bake sale with the theory that if all the students test positive then they can't do anything. Of course once the plan goes in motion, hi-jinx ensue. Adrien Brody plays the weed grower, "Crazy Ed." This is another film for a younger crowd. I'm no longer into high school films nor am I into "stoner" films. I may skip this.

For Greater Glory (June 1st): This film stars Andy Garcia, Eva Longoria, Reuben Blades & Peter O'Toole in a film that takes place during the Cristero War in mid 1920's Mexico. I just looked this up in Wikipedia so I didn't know of it's existence. So it's a sweeping, epic period piece with a good cast. The director Dean Wright has worked on several impressive titles in the visual effects department but this is his first time in the director's chair. The trailer wants to instill in you a feeling of almost Braveheart type expectations. I may see this but I've got to be in the right mood for it.

Other June 1st releases include Apartment 143, a group of parapsychologists investigate strange goings on in an apartment. Battlefield America gives a look at the urban dance scene that features 2 drill Sargent types whipping a bunch of teens in shape for a big dance showdown. Piranha 3DD,yet another film that features piranha feasting on young, good looking scantily clad beach goers or something to that effect. There was a Piranha 3D from 2010 so I'm not sure why we needed another one just 2 years later and I don't even know what 3DD means. See this at your own peril. There are some other smaller titles that I don't have a lot of interest in.

Prometheus (June 8th): This film is why there's not much big films opening around it. I was told by my brother-in-law to check out the featurette about this film in December and I was hooked. It's directed by Ridley Scott and has a cast that includes Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Guy Pierce and Noomi Rapace. Early rumors was that it was an Alien prequel but then those rumors died down. Alien prequel or not who cares. Scott has done some masterful work over the years. The catch line is about finding Earth's past leading to it's destruction. The trailer was superb at sucking me in so I am in for this one, maybe even a midnight showing. There a few MUST SEE films this summer and this is one of them.

Safety Not Guaranteed (June 8th): I saw this trailer and I found it very interesting. It deals with 2 reporters who investigate a classified ad about time travel. The cast, other than Kristen Bell whom I don't recall even seeing in the trailer, isn't one that jumps out at you in fact, Aubrey Plaza (Parks & Recreation and Scott Pilgrim) is the only person whom I recall seeing in other stuff. It got high marks from the audience & critics on Rottentomatoes.com. It looks like a solid small film that's worth watching. I will be checking this out.

Dark Horse (June 8th): I saw this trailer recently and didn't think too much of it until they mentioned that Todd Solondz is the director. Jordan Gebler plays Abe, a 40 something dude who lives at home (Mia Farrow & Chris Walken are his parents) and works for his family's company. He meets Selma Blair at a wedding and she gives him the time of day so he decides to romantically pursue her. Solondz directed  dark, disturbing real life dramas Welcome to the Dollhouse and Happiness in the late 90's and has been off my radar for a long time. Before I found out Solondz was the director I thought this was something that Adam Sandler passed but I may check this out based on Solondz's past body of work.

Peace, Love, & Misunderstanding (June 8th): Is a film that I wouldn't look twice at but when you look at the cast and the director, well then I sort of changed my mind. It stars Katherine Keener (Being John Malkovich & 40 Year Old Virgin) as a high strung NYC lawyer who takes her kids to visit their hippie grandmother played by Jane Fonda. It also stars Elizabeth Olsen whom I think is very talented and worth seeing in just about anything. The capper for me was that it's directed by Bruce Beresford who has directed some excellent films over the past 30 plus years (Breaker Morant being my personal favorite). I don't how wide a release this film will get but it could be a hidden gem of the summer. Since it's an IFC Film it stands a good chance of not being some smarmy piece of family shlock.

Other June 8th releases include Lola Versus with Greta Gerwig (Damsels in Distress & Greenberg) as a woman on the verge of 30 who gets dumped by her fiancee just a few weeks prior to the wedding then sets out to find herself. Madagascar 3: Europe's Most Wanted is the latest installment where our pals (voiced by Ben Stiller, Chris Rock & David Schwimmer) get in with a European circus in order to make their way back to NYC. Strictly for kids.

Rock of Ages (June 15th): If not mistaken this is the film version of a Broadway play. It has a star studded cast that includes Catherine Zeta-Jones, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti & Tom Cruise. There's a possibility that Cruise will steal the show as Stacie Jaxx, lead singer of a fictional LA band. I don;t know much about this but it will have a good soundtrack I'm sure but I will probably stay away from it. It wouldn't surprise me of this did well at the box office. Film versions of Broadway plays seem to be hot & cold so we shall see as it will be up against stiff competition.

Your Sister's Sister (June 15th): Stars Emily Blunt (5 Year Engagement & Adjustment Bureau) as Iris, who helps her friend Jack (played by Mark Duplass), who's in a rut or a slump, by sending him to her father's cabin for reflection. As it turns out Iris' sister Hannah (Rosemarie DeWitt) is there after walking out on a 7 year relationship. Jack & Hannah hit off, thanks to Tequila, and end up sleeping with each other. The next day, Iris shows up setting off a series of uncomfortable events. Especially when Iris confides in Hannah that she secretly loves Jack (they're best friends). The film is written & directed by , Lynn Shelton, who's helmed a few independent films in her time. This looks interesting but I have to believe that I've seen this before somewhere. Twelve critics reviewed it and they all loved it, earning a 100% on Rottentomatoes.com. Plus it's so tough to dislike Emily Blunt.

Other films that have a June 15th release date are The Woman in the Fifth which stars Ethan Hawke as an American writer who moves to Paris to be with his daughter and write a novel. Kristin Scott Thomas also stars as what looks to be Hawke's love interest. Then there's That's My Boy which stars Adam Sandler & Andy Samberg. Sandler plays the neglectful father of Samberg who was a product of an "inappropriate student-teacher relationship." I saw this trailer and I wanted to throw up. That's all I need to say. It's shameful because Sandler has talent (Punch Drunk Love) but continues to churn out this garbage where he plays the same character that hasn't changed since the 90's. Extraterrestre (Extraterrestrial) and Americano are foreign films that might be worth seeing but probably won't be in any wide release so unless you live near an art house cinema you may not even know that these films are out there.

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (June 22nd): Is a film that on the outset may look ridiculous but after I saw the trailer, it looked kind of cool. It's directed by Timur Bekmambetov who gave us Night Watch & Day Watch and is skilled in action films. Why not make an icon of America a vampire hunter? A good cast that includes Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Mary Todd Lincoln (the real Mrs. Lincoln was never as attractive as Winstead), Benjamin Walker as "Honest Abe" and Rufus Sewell who must be a villain. This looks kind of cool and could be a nice piece of escapism.

Brave (June 22nd): Is Pixar's latest animated release. Mostly for kids but Pixar has an uncanny ability to make solid films that appeal to all members of a family. I may not see in this in the theater but if I stumble across it on HBO or whatever I will sit and watch it (and probably cry my eyes out at the end). It's about a Scottish princess who longs for a more adventurous life than the one her family has planned for her. The voice cast includes Kelly McDonald (who is very talented & should be a huge star but she doesn't seem to be into fame), Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly and Craig Fergurson. Make no mistake, storywise, Pixar has been using the same formula since Toy Story but it has worked. Pixar is the gold standard of Hollywood animation.

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World (June 22nd): Sure its a long title but it stars Steve Carell and Keira Knightley as star crossed lovers whose lives improve when the meet but the problem is that the Earth faces an impending doom. I saw the trailer and it looked interesting. Carell is VERY talented and can slip into just about any type of dramatic/comedic role and Knightley is extremely versatile as well. First time director Lorene Scafaria also wrote the film and has some indie cred in her past screenplays. In a summer of blockbusters, this could be a nice change of pace.

To Rome With Love (June 22nd): Is Woody Allen's latest work that has an all-star ensemble cast. Rome is the background in this one where several different relationships unfold. Allen has always been adept at bringing realistic relationships to life on the screen. I was 50/50 on Midnight in Paris (maybe it was Owen Wilson & Rachael McAdams as the too cute couple) but there were some very good parts to it. The trailer is filled with solid one liners but as a whole film, who knows. I will probably take a chance on this film depending on where I am when it comes out because it may only be in a limited release. It is Woody Allen and he may not be able to replicate his greatness of the 70's but he's more than capable of making a solid film.

Ted (June 29th): Is Seth MacFarlane's directorial debut where he voices a teddy bear that has come to life and has stuck by his owner, Mark Wahlberg, throughout childhood into adulthood. It's rated R so there will be a lot of bathroom and inappropriate humor (the best kind)! After I saw the trailer my 1st thought was "why?" I am a huge fan of Family Guy (which has been slowly faltering over the last few seasons) but there's a distinct possibility that the best jokes are in the trailer and is just MacFarlane doing Family Guy-esque voices to make the jokes? Or could it be a hilarious romp? I will wait and see on this one. If it has a good opening weekend and has some good buzz then I will check it out. If the buzz is bad or if it has a terrible opening weekend then I will pass. But if given a life or death choice, I'd choose Ted over That's My Boy without hesitation.

Magic Mike (June 29th): Stars Channing Tatum and Matthew McConnaughey as male strippers (what surprise McConnaughey in a role where he's shirtless most of the time) in a somewhat based on true story film. McConnaughey plays mentor to Tatum who seems to struggle with his life as a male stripper, following his dream as a furniture maker while trying to find love. It's funny that these two got paired because Tatum is probably a young McConnaughey (lots of shirtless roles) looking to make his way into better roles. The thing is McConnaughey managed to pick up some indie cred (Dazed and Confused) whereas Channing has mostly been beefcake (Step Up 2 the Streets) but that's not to say there's talent in there somewhere. There will be worse films to see but I can't imagine that this film will be any good. I could be wrong though.

People Like Us (June 29th): Directed by Alex Kurtzman, who has an interesting resume of screenwriting credits, this drama has a likeable cast (Chris Pine, Elizabeth Banks, Olivia Wilde, Michelle Pfeiffer & Jon Favreau) where Pine's father dies and he's forced to set his family's affairs in order. During this process he finds out he's got a long lost sister. This new knowledge makes him take stock in his life. This is another plot line that seems familiar (Rain Man comes to mind) but Kurtzman is directing the next Star Trek feature so it might be worth watching to see what he can do. It almost has too good a cast to be terrible but who knows.

Madea's Witness Protection (June 29th): I think the title says it all as Tyler Perry brings back the character that made him a household name. It also stars comic legends Eugene Levy and Doris Roberts so there's going to a lot of laughs. If you like some of the other Madea works than this one may be up your alley. I get worried because Perry is at the forefront of African-American filmmakers and there seems to be a danger of Madea going the way of the Ernest franchise. Perry has too much talent to let that happen but Hollywood has a tendency to toss African-American directors aside when they no longer bankable (John Singleton comes to mind as his 1st 3 features between 91-95 were excellent then his resume gets slim over the next 17 years. That's not to say he lost his talent but he's not making the same type films he once was which is unfortunate but this is a topic for another time).

That wraps up the June's releases. There's also a Neil Young concert documentary and some other foreign films. July will bring us Chris Nolan's final installment of the Dark Knight franchise. Thanks for your time.

2012 Films

Here is the list of films that I caught during the year. It will get updated as frequently as I see the titles. Look for the NYC Film Viewing Extravaganza towards the end of the year then of course similar Chicago Viewing Fests throughout the year.

36. Silver Linings Playbook, February 20th in Chicago:  You've got an all-star cast: Bradley Cooper, the uber-hot Jennifer Lawrence & Robert De Niro. You've got an excellent director in David O. Russell and stand-out performances from Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker (I was pretty stunnned as he's been MIA from film since 2007) and John Ortiz. This film has it all, great dialogue, great characters, excellent acting, brilliant direction and a lot of emotion. You got a feel for what every character is going through as they all had their own things going on. Cooper plays Pat, a guy who lost it when he came home and caught his wife in the shower with another man. He gets shipped off to a mental facility to avoid jail and he gets released after 8 months with a few provisions. The hitch is he's still obsessed with his wife (he describes his marriage and it's not that good so I was curious as to why he'd want to get back together) and his grip on reality is tenuous at best. Enter Lawrence, 20 something widower who's got a few problems of her own. It takes time for Cooper & Lawrence's characters to find their chemistry but they do and it works nicely as despite both being damaged their dedication to a mutual goal helps both of them. The problem I have is you know Coop & J-Law are going to get together it's just a matter of when. I mean let's be honest, what guy couldn't get his life back on track with the help of a nubile hottie some 10-15 years younger than him. The ending, which I won't giveaway, is pretty obvious and everything seems to work out for everyone, except Ronnie, DeNiro's bookmaking pal. All the character have some sort of flaw with the exception of Pat's mom (brilliantly played by Weaver) but that's why you start rooting for the characters. As good as this film is (it's very, very good), it bothers me that this is up for Best Picture but that's just me. Russel also works the title of the film into the dialogue several times and I'm a big fan of that. The performances are all top notch and are deserved of any recognition they get.

35. The Impossible, February 18th in Chicago: With the Oscars only a week away I want to try and get a few more 2012 titles in before the deadline. This film got excellent reviews and was recommended to me by a few people. Knowing that this film was going to be a gut-wrenching tear-jerker, I went. Suffice to say this film claims to be a true story of María Belón and her family's ordeal amidst the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Apparently the names were changed of Naomi Watts' & Ewan McGregor's characters but that takes nothing away from the film's intensity. The wave strikes about 20 minutes into the film and it is a roller coaster of emotions until the end. Director Juan Antonio Bayona does an incredible job of sucking you in, true stories are tough, you know they're gonna get and you know the family makes it but he masterfully puts it all together. This was a tragic disaster of epic proportions and there are some graphic images that will make you cry, as they did to me. The main story is Watts and Tom Holland (the eldest of 3 boys) getting separated from McGregor and the 2 other boys, what they had to endure (again graphic imagery) before being helped by locals and taken to the safety of an overwhelmed hospital. It is an amazing story that had me practically bawling in my seat. There's a scene where Holland leaves his mother's bedside to try and help per his mother's request but when he comes back she's not there. Heartbreaking. The scene where McGregor has to leave to 2 youngest boys on a truck to safer ground so he can look for Watts & Holland is not quite  Sophie's Choice but it's pretty powerful nonetheless. This is an amazing film that is a must see.

34. Zero Dark Thirty, January 17th in Winston-Salem, NC: This director Kathryn Bigelow's long awaited (in my eyes at least) follow-up to the 2008 Academy Award winning The Hurt Locker. ZD30 has generated a lot of buzz prior to its wide release because the CIA was denouncing it and there's a lot of political and moral subject matter surrounding this film. I am here to give my opinion of the film not the controversy around it. If you wish to read a review that deals with the moral & political issues then I would direct you to Matt Taibbi's excellent blog that appears in Rolling Stone. Jessica Chastain stars as Maya, a CIA analyst recruited out of high school and who's only job in the agency has been the hunt for UBL. For over a decade she (as well as others) has put together small leads from here & there (torture is the underwriting theme here) to come up with UBL's location. To say she's passionate about it is an understatement, Maya is very Ahab-esque in her quest and not even attempts on her life will deter her. Bigelow and writer, Mark Boal, do a solid job with the narrative of taking the minor details that span over a decade that leads up to the possibility that UBL is in Abbottabad, Pakistan. The scene where Seal Team Six raids the compound is very intense to the point where I believe that this is how it went down! In the end, the body is brought back to the military compound and Maya is tasked with identifying the body to confirm its UBL, which she does. That's where I get s feeling of, "what's she going to do next?" The hunt for UBL has consumed her entire adult life, you can't just open up a deli after something like that. I would say that ZD30 is as good as Hurt Locker but not better but still an excellent film.

33. Django Unchained, December 28th in Chicago: I've come to expect certain things from a Tarantino film; solid cast, good story, excellent dialogue, great characters, lots of action and of course blood. Suffice to say, Django Unchained did not disappoint. I would like to say that the performances by DiCaprio (playing the most despicable character he'll ever play), Foxx (who has come a long way since his days on In Living Color, you can argue that he's surpassed everyone who made it big from that show. He's  much better actor that Jim Carrey and his performances over the last 8 years or so have been nothing short of excellent, I am willing to overlook Stealth), Christoph Waltz is as excellent here as he was in Inglourious Basterds and Samuel L. Jackson as DiCaprio's loyal house slave are the highlights of the characters and I would go as far to say the best group of characters in any Tarantino film. Some people could get squeamish in regards to some of the 1858 southern era violence against Blacks but unfortunately that's probably how it was (as was the flagrant use of the "n-bomb") in those days and Tarantino isn't one to back away from that kind of subject matter. The shootouts are bloody and graphic but I would prefer to see realism than to see a guy take multiple hits and "flex it off." The plot is real simple; Waltz enlists the aid of enslaved Foxx in order to collect a bounty on some criminals. In return for Foxx's help, Waltz agrees to help him get his wife back from the sadistic Calvin Candie played by DiCaprio (Dicaprio's performance alone is worth the price of admission). The only really obvious scene is when the plan to recover Django's wife (Kerry Washington) goes awry and Django gets captured but after you see his captors, it's all too clear that he won't need much brain power in order to get out this predicament. The film also had a great soundtrack as all Tarantino films do. We can debate for hours what Tarantino's best film is but Django Unchained deserves consideration.

32. Jack Reacher, December 21st in Chicago: Tom Cruise, like him or hate him but when he comes out with a film, he genuinely wants the film to be successful and for the audience to have a good time watching it. Cruise is always an executive producer and his production partner, Paula Wagner, is also in on the process. Cruise plays a similar character to that of Chief John Anderton and Ethan Hunt in Jack Reacher, an ex-military cop who's asked by an accused sniper, of whom the evidence is overwhelmingly against, to come to his aid. Once Reacher decides to help the defense he immediately starts to think "frame-up" since the evidence is so "open & shut" and his hunches are reinforced by people trying to derail him. The plot, though a little predictable, is a roller coaster ride to say the least and the action sequences are top notch, Cruise pretty much cuts a swathe of destruction everywhere he goes. When Cruise unravels the motive behind the shooting, it's a medium sized conspiracy not a huge one ( The Fugitive comes to mind when Tommy Lee Jones says that pharmaceutical conglomerate Devlin-MacGregor is a "monster" because they did $7 billion in net sales) and there are several unanswered questions in regards to the case. This isn't a bad film but it's nothing special and not necessary to see at the theater. The film had a weak opening weekend but I suspect that's more because this film isn't all that original more than it being a lousy film.

31. The Hobbit, December 14th in Chicago: As I write this, The Hobbit as grossed nearly $85 million since its opening. Peter Jackson doesn't disappoint. It was Tolkien's work that made him a household name with the LOTR trilogy and he's working the magic again. With a running time of 2 hours and 50 minutes, the film has a solid pace that doesn't bog down (be advised...there are at least 2 scenes that were preachy to me but it was quick). Martin Freeman is excellent is Bilbo Baggins, a reluctant hero and Ian McKellen reprises his roll as Gandalf and he doesn't miss a beat and you get the feeling that Gandalf knows more than he's revealing. The scene that people we waiting for was when Bilbo first meets up with Gollum (another remarkable performance by Andy Serkis). The sequence with Gollum was well done and I got sold on how the "precious" controls Gollum's every thought (not that the role needed selling based on the performance in the LOTR films). The dwarf posse seeking to retake their home from Smaug are quite a bunch led by the valiant but bitter Thorin (played brilliantly by Richard Armitage). Thorin doubts Bilbo from the beginning (as does Bilbo doubt himself) but becomes a believer when Bilbo saves his life. The themes from this film are the same from the LOTR trilogy but remember, this story came before the LOTR. So there's a lot of deja vu. Now, Jackson has a tall order to try and top (or at least be on par) the LOTR films. This is a very good film but it isn't as good as LOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring in my opinion. The difficult thing is to judge on its own merit and not compare to the previous films. This was a good solid start and I think the next 2 installments will improve, especially when Smaug will start to get screen time (I like the fact that when telling the story how Smaug took over Erebor he stuck to the old tradition of "hide the monster" theory in film).

30. Killing Them Softly, December 1st in Chicago:  Director Andrew Dominik teams up again with Brad Pitt in a dark, gritty crime drama that's set in the Boston area against the backdrop of the 2008 financial crisis and Presidential election (I guess to show that during this time even the criminal economy took a big hit). A mob card game (apparently crucial to the crime economy) gets knocked over a 2nd time and Pitt is sent in to clean things up. Ray Liotta is the overseer of the card game and he orchestrated the 1st robbery. Vincent Curatola is a small time hood who masterminds the 2nd robbery (he figures that Liotta's character will get the blame for the next robbery) and he uses Scoot McNairy & Ben Mendelsohn (not exactly the sharpest tools in the shed) to pull the job. It doesn't take Pitt long to piece things together and to do his dirty work. This was a solid film with very good performances but nothing special. I did enjoy the "business aspect" scenes when Pitt would meet with Richard Jenkins (apparently a financial officer of the mob) to discuss the details of the job. Jenkins is a classic middleman who tells Pitt that he has to take it upstairs to the indecisive leaders to see what the next move is. (2 standout scenes are when Pitt suggests that some people need to killed Jenkins bristles that the top guys don't want a body count, Pitt responds with "who's running this?" and Jenkins comes back with, "you have no idea." The other scene is when Pitt suggests bringing in James Gandolfini to make one of the hits and Jenkins replies, "New York Mickey? He's expensive"). The film clocks in at 100 minutes but there are some issues with the pacing as I almost fell asleep during it (there was also an inordinate amount of trailers attached as well. I wasn't the only one who thought so either). A good film but you can wait to see it on pay tv, Red Box or Netflix. 

29. Life of Pi, November 30th in Chicago: Based on Yann Martel's 2001 book of the same name, Ang Lee combines a great story and masterful imagery. I'm a huge fan of Lee's  Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and this film is in that same vein. The film has elements of Cast Away and Joe Versus the Volcano, in dealing with survival, solitude and the things you see (or what you're mind makes you think you see) when out on the endless Ocean. Pi (the adult Pi is played by Irrfan Khan)is currently living in Canada and is relaying his story to a writer looking for inspiration (I really like how the adult Pi tells the story almost nonchalantly). Suraj Sharma plays the teenage Pi who endures the loss of everything he knows and must uses his wits to survive on a lifeboat with a Bengal Tiger. Through Pi's cleverness and ingenuity he manages to survive 227 days at sea and to not have the Tiger eat him. When he finally reaches the shores of Mexico, reps from the insurance company of the Japanese freighter he left India on do not not believe his fantastic story. He tells them a "more believable" version in which the animals that are originally on the lifeboat (a hyena, a wounded zebra, an orangutan and of course the tiger) are substituted with humans (the people PI encountered on the ship.  The Zebra becomes a wounded sailor, the hyena becomes the racist, d-bag cook, the orangutan is his mother and Pi is the tiger). Pi then let's the insurance reps decide which version to use. I saw the non 3D version of this film and I don't think I missed anything as the visual aspect of the film was phenomenal. To me this is a film that should be seen in the theater because of the sound and the visuals. I can't see how this won't make my top 10 films at the end of the year.

28. Lincoln, November 24th in Chicago: Based on Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln, that mainly deals with the passing of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Though it centers on a small portion of Lincoln's presidency it doesn't limit the film's powerful message. I thought it very ironic (and a bit sad) that politics has not changed in over 150 years since this time period. As a historical film, the outcome is known (the amendment passes by a small margin & Lincoln eventually gets assassinated) but Spielberg does a fantastic job of putting you right there in 1865 for the events of the day and how the nation was awaiting this outcome. Daniel Day-Lewis is Abraham Lincoln and should not only be nominated for Best Actor but should win it (sorry Denzel)! Spielberg & Lewis do an amazing job as presenting Lincoln as a larger than life figure (physically & figuratively) and how Lincoln himself seemed to have an uncanny sense of this time in America's history. Make no mistake, history states that Lincoln wasn't a big fan of Black people but was against slavery and for the Union. Passing the 13th Amendment would eliminate a return to the status quo (which is what the Confederacy wanted) and would push the country forward. There's a scene in the House of Reps where they're discussing the amendment and some of the opponents start to pionder the future (I'm going to paraphrase here), "the black man voting? What's next...women voting?" The audience laughed but it's not funny. This is a MUST SEE film and after seeing this film you should go learn more about Lincoln and the Civil War like I'm doing.

27. Flight, November 23rd in Chicago:  Denzel stars as commercial pilot "Whip" Whitaker who's got a bit of a drinking problem to say the least. "Whip" is at the controls when his plane malfunctions and things go bad. He managed to invert the aircraft in order to level it out ans crash lands in rural Georgia. The crash results in the death of 6 passengers and the fact that 96 of the 102 people on board (including the flight crew) is nothing short of miraculous. The trailer pretty much gives away the entire plot of the film but that's ok. Bob Zemeckis does a great job of weaving the drama throughout the film. Denzel is nothing short of excellent and the supporting cast (John Goodman, Don Cheadle, Bruce Greenwood, Tamara Tunie & Kelly Reilly) is great. Denzel is superb as a very flawed "hero" and I think he should get more roles like this. If Denzel doesn't get a nomination for Best Actor then the Academy isn't watching the same film as I am.

26. Argo, November 12th in San Antonio, TX: Ben Affleck directs and stars in this film that's based on the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. Since the film is based on a true story you pretty much know the outcome but Affleck does a nice job of retelling the story, adding in a few nail biting moments, drawing out the suspense and pulling me into the story. Maybe it's because I was a kid when this happened so I remember this period albeit sketchy at best and I dig history but I made an emotional commitment to the characters.  The pacing is real good and Affleck does a very nice job of recreating the period from photos and archival footage. Sure there are some historical inaccuracies but that's too be expected. This is a really good film and I recommend seeing it.

25. Skyfall, November 9th in Chicago: For some reason I took over a month off from the cineplex. There were other movies that I wanted to see but I was able to cut out of work early (I probably could've seen a 10am showing of any title and no one would've known I was gone) and while in line to buy a ticket to Argo, I noticed that there was a Skyfall viewing ready to go. I'm going to try to not give a lot away since this only the 2nd day of it's release but Skyfall was FANTASTIC! It was not as magnificent as The Dark Knight Rises but that's ok. Skyfall has elements of previous Bond films (You Only Live Twice,  GoldenEye & The World is Not Enough jumped right out at me) and it continues to develop the James Bond character. Sam Mendes directs an all-star cast of newcomers to the franchise; Javier Bardem, Ralph Fiennes, Albert Finney and Naomie Harris along with Craig and Dame Judi Dench as "M," the head of MI6. Bardem is creepily evil as an ex-double O operative who's got a bit of an ax to grind with M. He's even more creepy in this film than he was as Anton Chigurh. As I said earlier I won't get into the plot too much but it's a straight revenge type film so Bond & MI6 aren't going after the shadowy organization from the prior two films. What's great is the development of Bond. He's reached a low point in this film and it shows a side of him that was never seen in any prior film (very different than Brosnon's low point in Die Another Day) much less even thought about. You also get a glimpse into Bond's childhood and what 'Skyfall" really means.  I could go on for hours but that would give the entire film away. I liked this film a little more than Casino Royale and I thought that was a great film. Skyfall is a MUST SEE!

24. End of Watch,October 6th in NYC: A really good cop drama starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña as 2 "cowboy" LA cops patrolling the worst section on LA. David Ayer (who's directed a few LA cop films himself and has a screenwriting credit for Training Day) directs and follows Jake & Michael through their lives in & out of uniform. You get to see the kind of things that you might expect cops in a bad section of a major city do and it's not a pretty site. The duo are hotshot cops who eventually stumble upon the wrong drug lord (even ICE agents tell them that they pulled on the "tail of a snake that WILL bite you back") who's bosses in the Mexican Cartel are none to pleased with the interference from the "street cops" and send his minion "Big Evil" to handle the job. There's a lot of hand held and POV scenes that give a great feel for the situations that are going on. This film is very gritty, dark and deals with some gruesome subject matter. It's bloody and violent but that's the life on the streets here, much like The Shield or Rampart, it's ugly, dirty and doesn't have a problem with spitting people up and chewing them out. This was one of the better films I've seen all year, I wouldn't say it's as good as Training Day but it comes pretty close to me. I would categorize this as a must see film if you can deal with the violence and subject matter.

23: Looper, October 5th Chicago: Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Joe and Bruce Willis plays Older Joe in Rian Johnson's sci-fi thriller. Set in the dystopian future (not to be confused with a post-apocalyptic future), crime syndicated control time travel in the late 21st century and since it's really difficult to whack someone in the future they send the target back to 2044 to be executed. Gordon-Levitt is a top looper and lives the good life. The problem with being a Looper is that there comes a time when your "loop is closed." Meaning they send your future self back to be killed. You know this because loopers get paid in silver bars attached to the body of their targets. If you find gold bars, well you've been fired and you have 30 years to live it up. So the loops start getting closed on Levitt's pals and when it's his turn you get to see his 30 years go by. Willis (Old Joe and still a gangster) finally finds peace and love in the arms of a beautiful woman but things end tragically when hos number is up. He manages to break free before he's sent through and decides that he's going to back in time to kill the juvenile crime lord that ordered his death (little bit of Terminator 2here). This is where it gets a bit gruesome when Willis starts stalking the 3 potential children who grow-up to become the crime lord that had him killed (much like how the Sarah Connors were hunted in the original Terminator)When back in 2044, he has to not only evade the syndicate out to finish the contract but he has to evade his young self while keeping him alive as well (if the current self dies while future self is in same time...it's not a pleasant ending). Strong performances from the main actors and the supporting cast as well that includes Paul Dano, Jeff Daniels and Emily Blunt. I liked this film a lot. The pacing was good, lots of action and a story that although complex, wasn't hard to follow. As with most time travel films my issue is with the science. Willis wants to change the future so he can spend it with his wife but his very presence in the past totally disrupts his timeline. I could go on for hours about this but it's a science fiction film and I'm no scientist so I will let it go. This was a really good film and it deserved the high marks on rottentomatoes.com.

22. Dredd,September 28th Chicago: The viewings of the non-3D version are few and far between so they force you to spend the extra money for the 3D. Suffice to say the 3D effects were good but not super-fantastic. When I 1st saw this trailer a few months ago I was very stoked. Back in my comic book days I used to read Judge Dredd when I could (since the comic was from the UK, one couldn't purchase a new issue at Ofshay's, you had to go to a comic book shop and they didn't populate the landscape in suburban Connecticut to say the least). For those of us who remember Judge Dredd with Stallone, this updated version stays a bit closer to the comic (from what I recall), has a much simpler storyline and with an R rating, is very dark. The problems I had with the Sly version was that he couldn't wait to get the trademark helmet off and he always looked clean. Mega-City is a dirty place with no real hope (it's explained that Mega-City stretches from Boston to DC and it's crammed with 800,000,00 people). The reason you never saw Dredd's face in the comic was that the creator's felt that Dredd like justice is faceless. Dredd's uniform is dirty (unlike Sly who always looked like he had a new outfit) and he's even got battle damage on the helmet (Sly's was always shiny). Karl Urban does a very nice job as the title character, embraces the helmet and epitomizes Dredd's commitment to the law and justice. They did a nice job with Judge Anderson, a character from the comic who has telepathic skills and eventually heads up the  Psi Division at the Hall of Justice. She's on a training assignment and Dredd is assessing her. They go to a grizzly triple homicide at  and stumble upon the manufacturing & distribution center for the next wave in narcotics, Slo-Mo. MaMa (played nicely by Lena Headey, remember her in 300?, is the crime lord of the Peach Trees, the slum like building where Judges don't normally go if you get my drift) and she wants Dredd & Anderson dead so she manages to get the 200 story building locked down and has the residents and her gang hunt the Judges down. To make a longer story not go that much longer, Dredd & Anderson fight their way out and Anderson proves her worth as a Judge. The film is bloody make no mistake but I enjoyed it. It's dark, gritty, well acted and solid action sequences. Don't compare with the Sly version.

21. Expendables 2, September 22nd in Chicago: If you go to this film expecting to see a work of art then you're in the wrong place. Sly and his crew of mercenaries (having  biceps the size of watermelons eems to be a prerequisite to join unless you've a certain skill set): Jet Li (more or less a cameo but he still manages to becomes disarmed and engage in hand to hand combat. Seeing how his kung-fu skills are unparalleled...he kicks ass), Jason Statham (the 2nd in command), Dolph Lundgren,  Randy Couture, Terry Crews and a baby-faced Liam Hemsworth (brother of Thor, Chris Hemsworth). In the opening sequence the gang garbed in black charge into an armed compound in Nepal (practically waving a flag saying, "hey man! We're mercenaries and we've got several large cans of whoop-ass!") to rescue a Chinese billionaire but they also manage to rescue the "Governator." After the job, Bruce Willis sends the team to Albania to recover a map to hidden Russian plutonium. The job goes south when the team is met by the the film's villain, Jean-Claude Van Damme (who's aptly named Vilain)! There's even an appearance by Chuck Norris as "Lone Wolf" Booker (a not so subtle reference to the 1983 Norris film, Lone Wolf McQuade). This film is pretty predictable (although the Norris appearances caught me off guard), bloody, but only the bad guys get killed, despite massive firefights no bystanders sustain a scratch and civilians are only hurt by the bad guys, violent (but at times almost comic book style). I expected that though and I didn't have a problem with it. I felt that the banter between the likes of Stallone, Arnold, Willis and others was priceless. They kept using each others signature lines (Arnold yells, "I'll be back," then WIllis makes fun of him. Willis leaves then Arnold whispers, "yipee chi yay.") It was those moments of levity which made the film enjoyable. It's not for everyone but if you grew up on the action films of the 80s like I did then you'll enjoy Expendables 2.

20. Killer Joe, September 1st in Chicago:  To be honest I am not a Mathew McConnaughey fan. He has talent but it gets wasted in the ridiculous rom-coms he shows up in all the time. What drew me to this film was that it's directed by the legendary William Friedkin (who hasn't had the success he enjoyed in the 70's but hasn't quite lost his touch yet) and the fact that McConaughey plays a crooked cop. Emile Hirsch plays Chris, a low level drug dealer who needs to come up with $5k, lest he be killed by his boss. His plan is to have "Killer Joe" bump off his mom so Chris can get his hands on the insurance money since his sister Dottie (Juno Temple) is the beneficiary. Suffice to say nothing goes according to plan and things get worse for Chris as the movie develops. "Killer Joe" gets paid up front but he's willing to take Dottie as a "retainer" until the policy pays out. Thomas Hayden Church and Gina Gershon (who was great as Chris' step-mom) round out the cast. The film is dark and bloody. No character is likeable, even Dottie who's sweet and innocent but just a little "off" enough to not be completely likeable. This was a good film.

19. Lawless, August 31st in Chicago: Tom Hardy, Jason Clarke & Shia LaBeouf play the Bondurant brothers (Forest, Howard & Jack respectively), Virginia bootleggers during prohibition. Guy Pierce plays the sadistic corrupt cop trying to shut them down. Gary Oldman (who's underused IMHO) has a cameo as Chicago gangster Floyd Bannerman. Fine acting all around and very good directing by John Hillcoat (whose done some excellent work). Jessica Chastain is sensational as Forest Bondurant's love interest (I've got a bit of thing for Jessica so I might be a little biased but she's very talented) and Mia Wasikowski gives a nice performance as Jacks love interest. The film is bloody, gritty, good to very good but not great. It wants to be epic but it falls short. Think of the Bondurant brothers as a hillbilly Corleone Family. Forest is Vito, Howard is Santino and Jack is a more competent Fredo.

18. The Dark Knight Rises, July 21st in Chicago: Brilliant! This is far and away the best film I've seen this year. Much like The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the best came last. Set 8 years after the events of The Dark Knight, violent organized crime is all but gone and Batman is only memory as see hasn't been seen in that time because Bruce Wayne is a recluse who's body is battered. Tom Hardy plays the mercenary/terrorist Bane and Ann Hathaway plays high end cat burglar Selina Kyle (the phrase "Catwoman" is never used). Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays detective John Blake who befriends Wayne and plays and integral role in the film (I don't want to reveal too much here because that would give it away). The rest of the cast returns from the previous films as well. The story was intricately woven with jaw dropping twists and turns and the acting is superb. I can probably go on forever but this was an unbelievably great film. Get off your ass & go see it.

17. Savages, July 14th in Chicago: The latest from Oliver Stone deals with 2 marijuana growers/dealers from Laguana Beach who try to avert being taken over by the Mexican Cartels. Emile Hirsch (Ben) is the Zen/surfer/mastermind behind the operation and Taylor Kitsch (Chon) is the former Iraqi/Afghanistan vet who is Ben's best friend and muscle of the organization. They both sleep with Blake Lively (Ophelia or O, the poor little rich girl) and live a happy life. Selma Hayek plays Elana the head of the cartel trying to get Ben & Chon into her stable. Benicio Del Tor plays her top henchman and Travolta rounds out the cast as the crooked DEA agent who plays both sides against the other. Ben & Chon want no part of Elana's operation and O gets kidnapped for it. The boys have to get her back and things turn violent. I liked this film but I can see why some people may not have liked it as well. Hayek was god as the reluctant cartel overlord but it was Del Toro who stole the show in my opinion as Lado.

16. Ted, July 14th in Chicago: Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane's motion picture debut about a teddy bear that comes to life from a child's wish. I was 50/50 on this one. People I know who saw it liked it and recommended it. One person said he liked but it seemed like a long episode of Family Guy, which was my concern. I came away with the same feeling. MacFarlane gives you all his voices and the rest of the cast have parts in the film as well. All in all it was a funny film with several laugh out loud moments.

15. The Amazing Spider-Man, July 11th in Chicago: Andrew Garfield plays Peter Parker and Emma Stone is his love interest Gwen Stacy. There's also a star studded supporting cast of Sally Field (Aunt May), Dennis Leary (Captain Stacy) and Martin Sheen (Uncle Ben who was played by Cliff Robertson in the Sam Raimi series, apparently it's a juicy role). The SFX were great, acting was solid but the story really made the movie for me (as a reader of several Spider-Man titles in the 80's). It kept on the path of the original origin of the comic with Gwen Stacy as the love interest (Parker's 1st true love) and his webbing being synthetic. It also manages to paint Parker with an air of failure. His Uncle was killed by a robber he could've stopped and Captain Stacy was killed by the Lizard while he was saving the city. It's this failure that haunts Spider-Man thoughout his life and makes him the person/hero he is. I liked this film a lot, it went in a different direction from the Raimi franchise and I look forward to other installments. My main issue was that I had difficulty at times with Garfield & Stone as 17 year olds but if that's the worst thing then I can brush it aside.

14. Safety Not Guaranteed, July 3rd in New Orleans: This title caught my eye and I mentioned it in my June Films Preview blog. I saw this on the last night of its run at the Theatres at Canal Plaza (a nice theater experience btw). Helmed by 1st time director Colin Trevorrow, is a quirky and charming film that follows the some of the standard plot points for an indie film. The male lead, Mark Duplass (Kenneth), is an indie film veteran who's hung up on an old girlfriend and is looking for a partner to travel back in time. Aubrey Plaza(Darius),is a depressed, down on her luck twenty something who is a downtrodden intern at a trendy Seattle magazine. Jake M. Johnson (Jeff), is the reporter (who is also hung up on an old girlfriend who happens to live in the same area as Kenneth so it all works out nicely) who stumbles upon the ad for time traveling partner and takes Plaza with him to write a story about him to see whether he believes that he can time travel or he's just crazy (there's a 2nd intern, Arnau, a standard geek who is pretty much comedic fodder for Jeff). Just when you think Kenneth is living in a fantasy world, things unfurl where maybe he's not so crazy. Naturally Darius starts to fall for him (again playing to the standard indie film plot points). Much like the Prestige, the film turns into a sci-fi film in that last few minutes, despite the fact there is little science in previous 80 plus minutes. Well acted and charming but it follows the playbook too much then relies on the final scene too much in my opinion. There are several funny and touching (can't think of a better term) moments but it's really just a standard indie film with a sci-fi twist at the end. The film got great reviews at rottentomatoes.com but I didn't think it was that great but I did enjoy the film.

      
13. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, 6/23 in Orlando: I was bored and had time to kill. I was originally going to see Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter but I was running late and I had to park in a parking garage so I opted for this title instead since the trailers just started. Written & directed by Lorene Scafaria (this is her directorial debut and she also wrote Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist) and it stars Steve Carell & Keira Knightly as 2 polar opposite personalities who get together for a road trip and fall in love during Earth's last few weeks (a giant meteor is coming!). I can't say I liked this film a whole lot and the reviews on rottentomatoes.com are lukewarm at best. Carell pretty much plays this one as a combo of Michael Scott of The Office & Frank (the suicidal Proust scholar) from Little Miss Sunshine, nothing extraordinary. Knightley plays the free spirit neighbor with whom Carell hooks up with (stiff dull dude and the crazy free spirit chick, sounds a lot like Along Came Polly or Something Wild so the only originality is the apocalyptic end). The film allegedly takes place in NYC and the east coast but the NYC scenes are an obvious Hollywood sound stage and the Delaware shoreline looks more like the coastline of southern Cal. I also find it hard to believe that they run into a Friendsys (a chain restaurant that's clearly supposed to be TGI Friday's) on the back roads somewhere between NYC & Trenton. There are some glaring wholes in the story (not that I could write a scene much less an entire film) and it tries to be an Indie film but it falls a bit short. Some people may like this because it does have charm but not enough for me.

12. Prometheus, 6/12 in Chicago: Here's A.O. Scott's (New York Times) review.  There's a lot that I agree with and I can't put as elegantly as Mr. Smith. I was looking forward to this film when I first heard about it. The film is visually stunning, great special effects, heart pounding, and well acted but there are holes in the story. I had high expectations so I came out disappointed to be honest. But were my expectations too high? Ridley Scott is a talented director with a history of cinematic excellence, so I may not have been wrong to expect a great film. I was disappointed that it wasn't one of the greatest films of all time. It's still a very good film but I don't think it's as good as the original Alien. The scenes that I have questions about must have been left on the cutting room floor. It's worth seeing if you enjoy going to the movies but be advised, a person could find it disappointing on some levels. I still recommend it.

11. Moonrise Kingdom, 6/1 in Chicago: This is director Wes Anderson's 7th directorial feature. I'm a huge Anderson fan so I was going to see this one for sure. The story unfolds in 1965 at a fictional New England-ish island where two star-crossed 12 year-olds fall in love. The kids, Sam & Suzy (Jared Gilman & Kara Hayward), intelligent and mature beyond their years decide to run off with each other and the rest of the island community goes after them. Bill Murray & Frances McDormand play Suzy's parents, Edward Norton plays Sam's scoutmaster and Bruce Willis plays the island's sheriff. Anderson has come a long way since Bottle Rocket and he tells a great story where you find yourself rooting for the Sam & Suzy to be together.  The only real issues I have is that Suzy seems an awful lot like Gwynneth Paltrow's character from Royal Tenenbaum's and Sam seems like a younger version of Max Fleischman of Rushmore but that's it. Otherwise it's a really good film. There's several other plot lines involving Suzy's parents and Sam's past and it all ties together nicely. Great acting, great dialogue which I've come to expect from Anderson. This not Anderson's best work (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou is one of my all time favorites) but it is a solid outing. To me, Anderson is one of the few directors whose work is a must see. Until he starts consistently churning out crap (no signs yet!) I will continue to see his films.

 10. Chernobyl Diaries, 5/31 in Chicago: The reviews on rottentomatoes.com are not that good but I saw the trailer and thought of irradiated mutants seemed like a good idea so the timing worked out while I was in downtown Chicago so I took a chance. You start off with 3 young, good looking twenty somethings who are vacationing in Europe (obviously taking time off from being hip, trendy & thin) who meet up with the brother of one of the travelers who lives/works in Kiev. Jesse McCarthy plays Chris who is going to propose to his girlfriend Natalie (Olivia Taylor Dudley). Amanda (Devin Kelley) is the 3rd wheel in the group who meet until Chris' brother Paul (Jonathan Sadowski) to round out the foursome. Instead of going to Moscow Paul decides to book a trip to Chernobyl through an extreme tour-guide where they pick up another couple for the trip (cannon fodder for the mutants). Now when the 7 of them get to the deserted town its pretty standard stuff that happens. The van won't start, darkness falls , the guide (an ex-Russian special forces soldier no less) goes down, one of the party gets badly injured by the unknown, the group starts to lose any cohesiveness and so on. One by one the tourists get picked off. Now the film has a few frights but nothing overly scary, there's not a lot of blood and you never see the victims meet their demise (they get grabbed but it's dark). I didn't mind all that. I like they way they kept the mutants in the shadows (the old "hide the monster" theory used in Alien & An American Werewolf in London) and they leave you guessing as whether or not the mutants are flesh eaters (remember zombies are the flesh eaters). At the very end they throw in a little government conspiracy as well. I liked the the film but I can see how it would disappoint some people. See this at your own risk.

9. Men in Black 3, 5/31 in Chicago: The 3rd and what should be final installment of the MiB franchise. Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones reprise their roles as Agents J & K. Emma Thompson now heads up MiB as Agent O who replaces Zed (Rip Torn) after untimely demise (they actually hold his eulogy at MiB HQ). Short story is the universe's most badass alien, Boris (played nicely by Flight of the Conchords' Jemaine Clement) escapes from a lunar prison and is going back in time to kill the man who shot off his arm and sent to prison for 40 years, you guessed it...Agent K. So Will Smith has to back in time to the day before Boris is scheduled to arrive to change things (be advised, when K sends Boris to prison he receives a device that protects the Earth from invasion so with him out of the way our present day is in jeopardy). Josh Brolin does a very nice job as a young Agent K (though K is apparently a cowboy by nature which makes me wonder what he was doing in upstate NY when he 1st met aliens which would lead to his job in MiB from the 1st film ). So Agent J overcomes his initial issues in 1969 and helps K thwart Boris' plans and return the timeline to normal. There are some good laughs (nothing too laugh out loud) of J in 1969 but the writers felt they needed to make some connection between K & J that goes back to the day K saved the Earth on the day in question (July 16, 1969 btw). there are a few other story lines that may not have been need but all in all MiB3 was a decent film. It was about as good as the second one so it was worth seeing.

8. Headhunters, 5/17 in Chicago: This Norwegian thriller caught my eye when I was watching trailers one night. It's about Roger Brown,  a man who has a beautiful wife but lives beyond his means because he spends so much on his wife. In order to help make ends meet and keep up appearances as well, he is a high class art thief. He uses his job as a corporate headhunter to locate his marks. One potential mark has a Rubens painting that the Nazis had taken in WWII. But Roger has bit off more than he can chew with this guy. He's ex-special forces and helped developed a GPS nanotechnology. To say that Roger's life is turned upside down is an understatement. There are so many twists and turns it's like a roller coaster! Roger eventually finds out that he was the mark all along (not a new plot device but it didn't matter). There were 2 amazing scenes in this film, 1 involving an outhouse (very gross) and the other involves a tractor-trailer hitting a car. The film has a few disturbing moments both violent & non-violent but it was very good. It's subtitled so it will turn people off but if you ever see it at Red Box, get it and watch it in English. It's worth it. I haven't scene a lot titles so yet but this is the best film I've seen so far.

7. The Avengers, LA on 5/5: I've been waiting for this since they started showing teasers from the different Marvel films leading up to it. As a comic book geek I may be a bit biased but I really liked this film a lot! The story was good enough to not have to rely on the action sequences, well acted and well paced. Solid dialogue between the characters, though sometimes Fury's lines were a bit much, funny and of course action packed. I felt that the CGI Hulk stole the show during the final fight sequence in NYC. This is the 1st must see film of the summer and it pays off. Make sure you stay through the credits to see the teaser where you get a peak at the next villain in a possible sequel. Without giving it away, I would've chosen a different villain but when I recognized him I thought, "nice!"

Films 3-6 were viewed at the AMC 30 at the Ontario Mills Mall in Ontario, CA between 5/1-5/3.

6. The Five Year Engagement: This film had a weak opening weekend and mixed reviews from Rotten Tomatoes. I took a chance on it because I had time to kill and I like Jason Segel and Emily Blunt. This film was about what I expected; many laugh out loud scenes, smarmy scenes an predictable characters. I liked this film, I wouldn't put it on par with Forgetting Sarah Marshall but it was fun and enjoyable. In fact Jason Segel plays a combination of Peter (Forgetting Sarah Marshall) and Marshall (How I met Your Mother) to make his character Tom Solomon. So Tom & Violet (Emily Blunt) are love and they decide to get married but Violet gets a job offer at the University of Michigan that could last 2 years. So they pack up and head east which means Tom has to quit his job as a sous chef of a trendy San Fransisco bistro (the day he quits he was told by his boss that he was to be the head chef at her new restaurant). Despite promising not to resent each other they eventually resent each other. Tom gets all midwesterny and eventually goes off the deep end (a la Michael Keaton in Mr. Mom). Violet has a moment of weakness with her studly Welsh boss to which Tom can't handle and he even has an awkward moment with a co-worker (both predictable scenes BTW). Suffice to say they break up, Tom finds that dating a 23 y/o hotty isn't everything it's cracked up to be and Violet (now living with her boss, the head of the psych department) isn't all that exciting either. They get back together at Violet's grandmother's funeral (a recurring theme, grandparents dying off) and eventually get married. Solid cast of supporting characters although they seem predictable at times but as I said before, a fun film.

5. The Cabin in the Woods: This was the 2nd half of my double header with Lockout. I did some checking and this received a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes so I thought I'd give a test drive. At my age I'm not into the horror films the way I was when I was a kid but every now and then I will check one out. This film was fun to watch and I'm glad I saw it.  Five good looking 20 somethings are lured to a remote cabin for the weekend under the pretense of fun & frolic. Little to they know they're to be offered up as sacrifice to the dark lords for appeasement. Looking after this appeasement is a multinational corporation. The youths offered up for slaughter are standard slasher film cliches; the jock, the bad girl, the brainiac, the fool and the good girl. For this film you've pretty got the Scooby gang; Fred, Daphne, Velma (albeit very hot) and even Shaggy with an extra studly smart guy thrown in. The corporation manipulates the gang into choosing their own form of gruesome death (they also make bets in the control room as to which horrifying manifestation will brutally slay the offerings) and they also make sure that the kids can not escape. As luck would have the "fool" is a stoner and the weed he smokes counteracts the chemical agents the corporation uses to turn the kids into their respective roles of offering. Cabin is kind of like Scream where it makes fun of the genre while still being scary and producing a fresh look as well. Sigourney Weaver has a great cameo as the "Director" of the US branch. Solid cast, lots of blood & gore, scary moments and a few laughs. It was a fun movie to watch.

4. Lockout: This film is directed by Luc Besson, who gave us La Femme Nikita & The Professional both excellent films. In the opening credits there's a credit for this film being based on original idea from Luc Besson. The problem was that there is very little original about this film. It reminded me of Doomsday (2008) in the sense that I went thru the scenes that were lifted from other films. Guy Pierce plays Marion Snow a CIA operative in 2079 who's framed for murder (Pierce is obviously playing an amalgamation of the following characters: Snake Plissken, Marion Cobretti, the 1st name, and Besson's his own hero Corbin Dallas from The Fifth Element.  ) and he's asked to go rescue the President's daughter from an orbiting super-max prison filled with sociopaths, Snow was going to be sentenced there without a trial. That right there sounds a lot like the plot to the 1981 classic, Escape From New York.  The two main villains are Scottish brothers that could've been lifted right from Con Air. The older brother is the planner and leader while the younger brother is a bit more unhinged as all he wants to do is cause mayhem, kill people and have his way with Maggie Grace (the 1st daughter). Based on the previews, I knew what I was getting into, it was either this or Safe (the new Jason Statham film that looks a lot like The Transporter mixed in with 16 Hours) and this is what I chose. Unless you haven't seen any of the above films I mentioned then you may like this film. If you have, pass on it. By that I mean when you see it on HBO or something, keep changing the channel.

3. The Raid: Redemption: This is an Indonesian film about an elite SWAT unit going in to take down a crime lord's apartment complex which is actually his fortress. I'm going to try to not give too much away but there are some nice sub plots within the story and if you like action then & don't mind subtitles, then this film is for you. So the unit enters the building cleanly and eventually they fall into a trap and get cut pieces. There's a bit of 1979's The Warriors in a sense they have to fight their way out against mounting odds and a few references to The Departed. There are some insane martial arts sequences which had me squirming in my seat it was so realistic. There's one sequence features Rama (the protagonist) and his long lost brother (who had just been beat up as a traitor to the drug lord) versus Mad Dog (the crime lord's top henchman) have a fight in a closed room that was the most intense I can remember viewing. I watched it and thought that if Bruce Lee was alive he'd say. "god dam! These guys can fight!" It was something else. Another scene features Rama going though about 10 guys in a cramped hallway that transcended the scene from Oldboy in 2003 (though in Oldboy when Oh Dae-Su went through the henchmen he actually got tired, here's a link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CKxDMOF4EI, all these guys took a beating but kept coming back for more!). The film is packed with so much action there wasn't room for any more and it's bloody. This film was a nice ride and it had a great balance of plot and action that you normally don't see. I liked this film a lot and recommend it if this is your type of film.

 2. The Hunger Games, 4/3 in Fresno, CA: follow the link for my thoughts on the film, http://djb-clear.blogspot.com/2012/04/hunger-games.html.

1. Casa de mi padre, 3/26 in Elk Grove, CA: I heard about this one last year and saw the trailer a few months ago and I recall there being a little buzz about it with some co-workers. So I was sitting in my hotel room in Elk Grove and noticed there was a cineplex nearby and I took a chance. I didn't like this film. It did have several funny parts but nothing laugh out loud (mild smirks at best) funny. I guess it was either an homage to 70's era low budget Mexican films or it was a spoof of 70's era low budget Mexican films. In my opinion if the film makers had stuck to one or the other it would've been a better film. Ferrell plays Armando the dim witted son of a rancher (played by Pedro Armendairz) who clearly favors Armando's brother Raul more than Armando. The supporting cast: Diego Luna. Gael Garica Bernal, Efren Ramirez and Adrian Martinez to name a few did a fine job with their roles (Bernal was the standout as the villainous "La Onza.") Of course I would be remiss by not mentioning the goddess-like Genesis Rodriguez as Sonia, Ferrell's eventual love interest. As far as Ferrell goes, I'm not sure. He didn't seem to be playing the role for laughs like he did with Semi-Pro (which stunk) or Blades of Glory (better than Semi-Pro and this one but still not that great). Suffice to say I expect better from Will Ferrell.

NHL Playoff Preview: Conference Finals

***Be advised...I had a separate WCF blog a few days ago but I reread it and I decided it sucked so I deleted it and started again to encompass both conference finals. The West had their first game last night and the ECF starts tonight. There was also a cross country drive last week and I've finally got settled in so that's why this is a bit "tardy to the party" as they say.***


Western Conference: Los Angeles Kings vs. Phoenix Coyotes

The semi's are over and this evening will start the Conference Finals when the Kings take on the Coyotes in game 1. The Kings were the 8th seed in the West and have scorched through the two tops seeds Vancouver and St Louis. They have been anchored by the sensational goaltending of Jonathan Quick, a tough defense, hustle and timely goal scoring. The Phoenix Coyotes were the "weakest" of the division winners but they managed to beat a high powered Blackhawks offense by holding them to 12 goals in round one then dispatched the Predators in the semi's. Phoenix is very similar to Los Angeles in the fact that they rely heavily on journeyman goalie Mike Smith and opportunistic scoring. Phoenix has a mix of grizzled, cagey veterans like Ray Whitney (39 years old & the teams leader in points during the regular season), Shane Doan and Darren Lankgow (both 35) mixed with youth like Antoine Vermette, Mikkel Boedker and Keith Yandle. The Coyotes top 3 scorers in the regular season were all over 30 but in the playoffs much of their scoring has come from the youngsters. I should note that the scoring has been pretty balanced, Vermette has 5 goals and Boedker, Doan and Martin Hanzal all have 3 goals each.

Neither team scores a lot (Kings have 27 goals in 9 games and the Coyotes have 29 goals in 11 games) but they are opportunistic and neither team takes bad penalties. That's what this series may boil down to; who can take advantage on the power play or which team takes the foolish penalty in a bad spot. The Kings had 132 PIM compared to only 104 PIM for Phoenix. Both teams can bring the pressure in the offensive zone and are aggressive on the forecheck in the defensive end. Both Quick and Smith have been nothing short of excellent between the pipes. Quick has a 1.55 GAA and a .949 Save Percentage. Smith has a 1.77 GAA and .948 Save Percentage while facing 126 more shots than Quick.

Both head coaches have had playoff success in the past. Darryl Sutter came to the Kings with 49 games to play and was 12 games above .500. Whatever he did the Kings responded by scratching their way into the playoffs and knocking off the top 2 seeds in the conference. While coaching in Calgary he took the Flames to the Stanley Cup finals before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in 7 games. In his 13 years as a head coach with stops in Chicago, San Jose, Calgary and LA he's been to the playoffs 11 times and advanced into the semi's 4 times. To say the least he's a solid guy behind the bench.

Dave Tippett, a former Hartford Whaler standout from the 80's, took over for Phoenix in 2009 ans he's taken them to the playoffs in all of his 3 years there. Tippett has brought consistency to an organization that was in disarray from 2001-2009 (their only playoff appearance during that time resulted in a 1st round exit in 2002). This is Tippett's 2nd NHL stop. He was in Dallas from 2003-2009 and took the Stars to the playoffs 4 times and got to the semi finals twice.

These teams are evenly matched as possible. During the regular season the Kings & Coyotes met six times each team winning 3 times and 3 games went into OT. The Coyotes won the Pacific Division but finished only 2 points ahead of the Kings.  Neither team scores a lot but I don't think either team would sit back on a 1 goal lead early in a game. Both teams will rely heavily on their netminders and basically try to grind it out and wear down the other team. The NHL would like nothing more than to see LA in the finals. I would have to agree that this is the best scenario but I would like to see Tippett take Phoenix to the finals. Phoenix has had a lot of problems off the ice, they just got sold and the owners will keep them in Phoenix. I'm not sure if Phoenix is even a good NHL city but I am going to be pulling for them. I can't see this series lasting any less than 7 games. Since I'm pulling for the Coyotes, I will pick them in 7 but I wouldn't be surprised if either team won. The only thing that would stun me would be if the series went less than 6 games or if 1 team won easily. This could be a grueling hard fought series.

Eastern Conference: New Jersey Devils vs. New York Rangers

 These teams are no strangers to each other, division & territorial rivals with a lot of bad blood. They split the season series at 3 wins each and the fists were flying as the puck dropped when they last met on the ice March 19, 2012.  In 1994, en route to their 1st Stanley Cup in 54 years, the Rangers came back to defeat the Devils in an historic game 7.  In 2006 the Devils bounced the Rangers in the 1st round. One can argue that since the Rangers ended their Stanley Cup drought, the Devils have been the better franchise since then. The Rangers have only one trip to the conference finals (1997) then missed the playoffs for the next seven seasons whereas the Devils have been the Stanley Cup Finals 4 times (hoisting the Lord Stanley's Cup in 1995, 1999 and 2000). Since 1994 the Devils have only missed the playoffs twice (1996 & 2011). Of course the New York metropolitan area will always belong to the Rangers. It hasn't been an uncommon sight over the years to see more blue in the stands at a Devils home game versus the Rangers than red. But that's a topic for another time.

During the Devils run (1995-2003) they were a defensive orientated team that implemented the less than exciting "neutral zone trap." They didn't score much and the didn't allow many shots on goal but they won and won a lot. The Devils, since they have a tough time drawing a crowd, have always kept payroll low and chose to be a gritty team. The Rangers during this time had the likes of Mark Messier and Wayne Gretzky come through (because you need a big name in NYC) but they didn't have the success that the Devils had. Since John Tortorella arrived at near the in of the 2009 season, the Rangers have been more of a defensive minded, grind it out, lunch pail type team (the excellent goaltending of Henrik Lundqvist was a big help). The Devils these days are not quite as defensive minded as they once were and have opened it up a bit more in the offensive zone.

The Devils struggled a bit in the opening round against a determined (but not as talented as the Devils) Florida Panthers. In the semi's the dropped the first game to the Flyers then won the next four to take the series. I would've thought the Flyers to win after the way they beat up on the Penguins. The Flyers seemed lost when they couldn't jump out to a 3 goal lead. The Rangers on the other hand have been taking to the limit in each of their playoff rounds by the Senators and Capitals. The goaltenders are excellent. Martin Brodeur has had his best playoff run since 2003 (last time NJ won the Cup) and Henrik Lundqvist was easily one of the top goalies in the NHL this year. So as in the WCFs, goals will be hard to come by. Especially since the Rangers have had scoring droughts. The Devils however are a bit better offensively. This is another series that's tough to call. Both teams have had a series go 7 games (both teams were down 3-2 in the opening round and came back to win the series). Coach Tortorella has won a Stanley Cup behind the bench for the 2004 Lightning but this is Peter DeBoer's first trip to the playoffs in his 4 year coaching career. I'm going to give a slight edge to the Rangers but it won't be easy.

It's a given the the heartless suits that run NBC want to see the Rangers and the Kings in the finals for the TV ratings. I have no doubt that would be a great series and it would put the NHL (which desperately needs TV ratings) in a good spot. I have no horse in the race (though year in & year out I hope for an Original Six Stanley Cup Final) but any match up between the 4 remaining teams would be a good series. It may not translate into TV ratings but it would be good hockey. Let's go Rangers & Coyotes! Thanks for your time.

DJ B-Clear's summer movie preview - May

The summer movie season officially begins this weekend with the opening of The Avengers. Here is a list of films that I'm going to see, take a chance on and run away from on account I spend a lot of time watching trailers at various websites. I'm going to be spending a good chunk of the summer in Chicago so I'm hoping to see all different types of films. Here we go:

• Marvel's The Avengers: (May 4th)  My sister is living in Hong Kong and she already saw this in 3D. She liked it. If I didn't have to work tomorrow I would be seeing this film across the street from my hotel at 1 of the 2 megaplexes at the Ontario Mills Mall. I went to see Captain America just to see the Avengers easter egg. This film has a high priority for me. 
• Meeting Evil (May 4th): Stars Samuel L. Jackson and Owen Wilson. The previews don't give you much on this one but it's supposed to be a thriller type. I'm 50/50 on this.

Here are some other titles that open this weekend: Mother's Day and  LOL. Mother's Day is a remake of an 1980's film of the same name where bad things happen to good people and the behest of Rebecca De Mornay and her psycho family. LOL is a Miley Cyrus film so that's not for me.

•  Dark Shadows (May 11th): Tim Burton and Johnny Depp's latest collaboration based on the tv show that ran from 1966-1971. Depp plays vampire Barnabas Collins, buried in the 18th century and accidentally dug up in the 1970's I think. This film has an all-star cast and I will probably see it. I'm familiar with the tv show and it was something different from the normal hospital set soap operas. The previews seem to have the update as a bit of a spoof with Depp as an 18th century vampire fish out of water in modern times meeting up with an old enemy. Should be interesting at least, especially with such a great cast. I'm in. 
• God Bless America (May 11th):This film may not make it to wide release but I saw the preview and it looked cool. It's kind of a more violent version of Falling Down. If it's around in Chicago, I'm going to check it out.
• Girl In Progress (May 11th): I've seen this trailer at least 3 times attached to some of the films I've seen so far. Stars Eva Mendes (a goddess) as a neglectful mother to a teen girl about to find her way in the world. Star Mathew Modine, Patricia Arquette and introduces Cierra Ramirez. This film isn't for me but I mentioned it because there may be someone to reads this that might be interested. Personally, I think the plot can be deduced from the trailer. Beware of a scene where Eva & Cierra sing a song together in front of a mirror.     
• Hick (May 11th): Stars Alec Baldwin, Blake Lively and Chloe Moretz. I liked Moretz in Kick Ass and Hugo (she's also in Dark Shadows) and I think she's really talented. Moretz hitchhikes her way out west and gets into troubles and meets some "interesting" people. I haven't seen this trailer but I will see this film if I get the chance.  
• Sleepless Night (May 11th): A French film that got great reviews from critics. It's a dirty cop on the edge film where the cop has to save his son from drug dealers. Looks a lot like Point Blank but I may see it if the opportunity presents itself.
• The Dictator (May 16th): The latest from Sasha Baron Cohen where he plays the militaristic dictator of a fictional country (Saddam of Iraq) who goes too far, gets stripped of his identity and left in NYC. I liked Cohen's Da Ali G Show but I've yet to see his other films, Borat & Bruno. I've seen the preview a few times and it looks real funny. My personal thought is that it could be hot or miss and I'm not sure if I can sit through 90 minutes of Cohen but I may take chance on this as a change of pace film. 
• The Samaritan (May 16th): Samuel L. Jackson is an ex-con who gets sucked back into the grifting life. This is another tough call as Jackson comes out with clusters of films at a time (3 titles in May 2012 alone) it's hard to pick. When I saw the preview it kind of looked like Matchstick Men with a few changes. I might be more inclined to see this than Meeting Evil but who knows.  
• Moonrise Kingdom (May 25th): The latest effort from one of my favorite directors, Wes Anderson. I am a huge Wes Anderson fan. The film stars Anderson veterans Bill Murray (The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, Rushmore & The Royal Tannenbaum's) and Jason Swartzman (Rushmore and The Darjeeling Limited) as well as Edward Norton, Bruce Willis and Frances McDormand. The story is about a blossoming love between to what looks to be junior high aged kids. Trust me when I say that I will be viewing this opening weekend.
• Men in Black III (May 25th): This is the 3rd installment of the MiB series. In addition to Smith & Jones, Josh Brolin is playing Agent K circa 1969 and I believe I saw Emma Thompson as an MiB supervisor. Yes I will be seeing this one for sure. The 1st two films were fun and  I doubt that the 3rd will disappoint. If I'm going to see a film on this particular weekend, it will be MiB III.
• Battleship (May 25th):  I'm going to stay away from this as it looks like any one of the Transformers films, or ID4 and is probably geared for teenagers. It will have great SFX and action scenes I'm sure but I want no part of it. 
• Chernobyl Diaries (May 25th): I've seen this trailer a few different times already and to be honest, I'm intrigued. It seems similar to other films when good looking twenty somethings being killed off in a remote location by unseen killers but these killers are Russian, irradiated mutants!  I can't explain why I'm intrigued by this but I am so there's a strong possibility that I may see this one as a change a pace. Of course it may end up being similar to other films of this type. Buyer beware on this but I may take a chance.
• What to Expect When You're Expecting (May 25th): An all-star female cast that includes Cameron Diaz, JLo and Elizabeth Banks. Judging by the title and the preview it deals with women, pregnancy and the male emasculation of being a father to an infant (in the preview there's a scene with Chris Rock and other dads giving advice to the new father about diapers and other hijinks that only men could get into while watching an infant). Not something I'm going to see. In fact I may poke fun at people who do go see it.

Other films with a May 25th release include Beyond the Black Rainbow, Quill: Life of a Guide Dog, Hysteria, Lovely Molly and Virginia.  I've seen a preview of Lovely Molly and it appears to be a film about a young woman's descent into madness (a plot line I enjoy) so I may see this one if it comes up. I'm intrigued by the description of Beyond the Black Rainbow but I may wait until more review come out before I take a chance on it (provided it's playing somewhere I can see it). Hysteria stars Ed Harris and Jennifer Connelly in what appears to be a gritty drama.

If you're interested in going to the movies I'd advised anyone to check out sites like Rotten Tomatoes, Apple Trailers,Fandango.com or Flixster to get descriptions of titles, reviews, ratings and to see some previews. Entertainment costs money and there's a lot of competition for your entertainment dollar so please do your research when it comes to films. As June approaches I will let you know about films coming out during that month. Thanks for your time.