The list of 2013 films that I have seen this year. I try to shoot for 36-50 films for the year, which usually spills into the following year due to the Oscar type films that only get released in LA or NYC for week then go wide release the following year. I have been moving to see more quality films, sometimes it works out and sometimes not so much.
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Since we are now is 2014, I will give myself through the end of February to see 2013 releases. We're in the awards time of the year so previously limited release material will get a wider release in hopes of Oscar recognition. I hope to get my film rankings in order for posting prior to the Oscars on March 2nd. *********************************************************************************
52. A Hijacking, February 17th on Netflix: This Danish film written and directed by Tobias Lindholm saw a limited US release several months before Captain Phillips. While Captain Phillips deals with the rescue of Tom Hanks, Lindholm's film deals with the grueling occupation of the Rozen, a Danish freighter, by pirates (it never really mentions where the pirates are from) in their attempt to gain a ransom. Over the course of 4 months the pirates negotiate with CEO of the shipping company and the stress is crushing everyone, especially the crew (who is embodied by the cook, since he's the liaison between the pirates and the corporation), their families and even the pirates. Excellent performances from Pilou Asbæk (the cook) and Søren Malling (the CEO). Lindholm did a very nice job showing the tension on board the ship (some scenes reminded me of Das Boot), in the negotiations and when the CEO spoke with the families of the crew. He also didn't portray the CEO and coporation as outright bags f douche like an American film would, Malling even throws in his own money to end the ordeal. I thought Captain Phillips was a really good film but this film was better, not by much but better, so see it if the chance arises.
51. The Wolf of Wall Street, February 15th in Chicago: The latest from legendary director Martin Scorsese is a biographical dark comedy about Jordan Belfort. I say its a dark comedy because that's what the films wikipedia page calls it and after a little while I realized that it has to be that because the scenes of excess (drugs & sex) are really over the top. DiCaprio plays the title role of a bright eyed young stock broker that gets his first job on Wall Street with a big brokerage firm. Belfort isn't there long before Black Monday strikes and he's out of a job. He slowly works his way back into money by selling penny stocks in a Boiler Room type firm (it's a little shady). As time progresses Belfort's firm gets bigger & bigger, the debauchery multiplies exponentially, Belfort's drug use increases, he gets a "trophy wife" and the deals get shadier and shadier (prompting the attention of the FBI). Eventually, Belfort's addictions to sex, drugs & money get the best of him and everything crumbles. He loses everything and does a 3 year bid in a minimum security federal prison in Nevada. DiCaprio gives his usual great performance and Jonah gives a standout performance as Belfort's strange but loyal confidant Donnie Azoff. In fact all of the performances were solid but I expect that from a Scorsese film. This is a good not great Scorses film. He borrows a lot from similar films like Boiler Room, Goodfellas, Casino, Glengarry Glen Ross, Bachelor Party (the drugs & sex) and of course Wall Street. The film clocks in at exactly 3 hours but it moves at a a very fast pace. This is far from Scorsese's best work but its a good film and worth seeing.
50. Inside Llewyn Davis, January 18th in Chicago: The latest from the Coen Brothers is a film about a week in the life of a struggling folk singer in NYC in 1961. Llewyn (Oscar Isaac) is trying to make it big in the folk scene of 1961's Greenwich Village. He was a member of a duo but his partner killed himself. He has an agent (who he;s not getting money out of), a record that isn't selling, no means of income (other than passing the hat at The Gaslight where he occasionally performs), no change of clothes and lives off the charity of others because he has no home. After getting a paying gig at a studio session for "Jim" (Justin Timberlake in a strong performance), Llewyn decides to go to Chicago to try and get a gig performing at a legendary folk venue but it ends in failure, sending Llewyn back to NYC. Llewyn also has a problem with unprotected sex. He gets Jim's wife Jean (Carey Mulligan) pregnant (swell guy sleeping with his friend's wife), arranges an abortion and finds out that the last girl he sent to the doctor never had the procedure and went back to Akron to raise the child. Upon returning to NYC he decides to give up being a folk singer and go back to being a merchant marine but he even f*cks that up. Llewyn lives a sad existence but he's such a jerk that it's hard to like him. I liked this film a lot. Solid performances all around (John Goodman has a cameo as a smack addict jazz musician), excellent dialogue and great soundtrack. If the Coen Brothers come out with something, I'm going to see it no questions asked. Apparently the film is loosely based on the life of Dave Van Ronk. If you're a fan of the Coen Brothers, don't miss this film.
49. The Iceman, January 10th in Chicago: A film based on the real life exploits of Mafia hit man, Richard Kuklinski. I watched this as a Netflix rental because it wasn't around long enough (or I was never around) for me to see it. Michael Shannon plays the title role and does a complete 180 from his turn as General Zod from the much higher profile Man of Steel. The film tells the origin of Mr. Kuklinski from his days as a sound editor for porno films to stone cold killer (both jobs are mafia related so it was a promotion I guess). Despite having little emotions he courts Winona Ryder (has anyone fallen into obscurity as quickly as her? I mean she was everyone's dream girl in the 90's, she dated everyone, and now she's a punchline. At least she still gets work), marries her, raises a family and manages to keep it all a secret for 18 years. Ryder's big moment happens when the FBI, NJ State & local police show up at their home in force to arrest him and she's dumbfounded by the events taking place. Make no mistake, this is a solid effort from director Ariel Vromen who also has a screenwriting credit) and several good performances including Chris Evans and Ray Liotta (going against type as, wait for it...a mobster!). If you dig gritty, mob-related dramas then this film is worth checking out. It may not be as good as a film like Narc, but it's a good film.
48. Lone Survivor, January 10th in Chicago: Based on the life of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, who went out on a 4 man mission and was the only 1 to make it back (barely) from a mission in Afghanistan that didn't go according to plan. Similar to Black Hawk Down (except on a much smaler scale), a 4 man team goes to a remote region to capture/kill a Taliban leader (Operation Red Wings). The mission gets compromised and the group decides to call it off. Then things go bad. Now, I never read the book and there are always moments when a based on a true story film gets Hollywood-ized, regardless of how many times the director and cast say they're going for realism (which I think they did a great job of). If you want to read about the historical inaccuracies, then check out the film's wikipedia page, I am not looking to refute the facts from the safety of my home. Director Peter Berg did a very nice job telling the story and putting the viewer in with the recon team. Wahlberg plays Lutrell. Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch and Taylor Kitsch (portrays LT Michael P. "Murph" Murphy, who was recommeded for a posthumous Medal of Honor) round out the rest of the team. The roles were physically demanding and a special shout goes out to the actors and the stunt team who had to recreate the physical pounding these soldiers took. This was a really solid film the was well done in all facets. This film is worth a viewing, it may not be as great as The Hurt Locker but its a solid film.
47. American Hustle, December 30th in San Antonio: This film has gotten a lot of good good reviews overall but there are some really negative criticisms as well. Christian Bale and Amy Adams play a pair of small time con artists who are pinched by Bradley Cooper of the FBI. In order to avoid a federal jail sentance, Adams & Bale work for Cooper to help him put larger con artists away. That leads us to ABSCAM. Director David O. Russell plays fast & loose with the facts around ABSCAM but he makes up for it with a lot of gratuitous shots of Amy Adam's cleavage and side boob (from every imaginable angle too). I won't go as far as saying the plot was predictable but the road is pretty much laid out for you (much like the soundtrack). Cooper's FBI agent gets obsessed with his operation to the point where he's in it for the glory. Bale wants to keep things simple but things just get beyond his control. Adams and Jennifer Lawrence vamp it up as Bale's wife and mistress who despise each other. Bale, Cooper & Renner all sport 70s hairdos so ridiculous that it almost takes away from the film. Renner plays the mayor of Camden who's just trying to bring jobs to his state through the revitalization of Atlantic City now that gambling has been legalized. So he gets his hands a little dirty but it's all for a good cause. The ending was kind of predictable but certain details were unexpected. TO be honest, I checked my watch several times. If you are going to make a Martin Scorsese film, then hire Scorsese not David O. Russell. That was my problem with the film and much like The Counselor, I expect more from a good director and an all-star cast. It's an overrated film.
46. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, December 29th in San Antonio: The 2nd installment of the Tolkien's novel. The ring starts to have an effect on Bilbo, Gandalf bites off a little more than he can chew, the group gets hounded by a group of determined orcs and it ends with the company battling out with the fiery Smaug in the lonely mountain (sounds vaguely familiar doesn't it?). This installment was better than the 1st but it was really hard to detach the images of the LOTR trilogy. Leglas appears for the 1st time and the big kicker is who the villain is revealed to be (although I doubt it's that big of a surprise since we all know the inevitable conclusion). This is one of those films that's good but if you're still burnt out on Middle Earth from the previous trilogy then this film may not be all that interesting an option. I haven't read the book since the administration of Ronald Reagan so I am unable to pick apart the film on that basis.
45. Hammer of the Gods, December 23rd in Chicago: Another Netflix rental (my queue was huge and I had to plow through it) and I had mentioned this title in my May Preview blog. Norse king Bagsceg invaded England but was mortally wounded in battle. In order to save the invasion and keep his kingdom from falling apart, he calls on his son Steinar to locate his older brother, Hakan the Ferocious (who was banished). Steinar sets off on the journey to find his brother but along the way his small group slowly gets killed off. He finally locates his brother who is hanging out with his estranged mother. It turns out that Hakan is a bit of a lunatic but he agrees to go with Steinar on the condition they fight to the death. Winner gets to become king. This film is gritty, dirty and bloody. The problem I have was that for a 98 minute film, it moves slowly in parts. The group of pals that Steinar has are stereotypes; the crazy guy, the guy who's very skilled at killing and so on. Not a bad film but you're not missing anything great.
44. A Band Called Death, December 23rd in Chicago: I saw this on Netflix but it was released on 6/28/13 so, it counts. The Hackney Brothers (David, Dennis & Bobby) from Detroit form a punk band in the early 70's, pre-dating the punk movement of 1976 and beyond. Oh yeah, the thing about the Hackney Brothers is that they're African-American. Which was weird for the time to say the least. The film tells about how they started and how David (the creative force behind the band) came up with the name. "Death" probably cost them a chance at a record deal bit David was sticking to his guns (he felt Death was the "ultimate trip'). They were unable to get a deal and eventually the brothers found themselves in Vermont. David would move back to Detroit but Dennis and Bobby would settle down there and form a christian/reggae band. David would eventually die of cancer. David left the master tapes with his brothers with the message, "someone will come looking for these."Their music started to come to light when their demo 45 was sold on eBay for $800. Eventually, Bobby & Dennis' teenage sons got wind of it and things spread from there. Death went back out on tour and may even record new material. The songs that they did record are really good and if you can get a copy of For the Wordl to See I encourage you to do so. If you're into music, this is a really good film.
43. The Counselor, November 21st in Orlando, FL: You would think that a film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz and written by Cormac McCarthy would be pretty awesome right? Not so much here. I don't think it was as bad as Rotten Tomatoes (35%) but it was average. With all the talent involved with this film it shouldn't be average.
42. Captain Philips, November 15th in Chicago: Tam Hanks plays the title role in the film based on the real Captain Phillips' book, A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs and Dangerous Days at Sea. Phillips' ship, the Maersk Alabama, is hijacked by Somali pirates but the crew is able to turn the tables on the hijackers. Phillips works out a deal to get the pirates off the boat since they're not going to take it but they do manage to take Phillips as a hostage aboard the life boat. Soon the Navy is called in to negotiate a settlement but if one isn't reached soon, then the SEALs are taking over, which they do (I know this is a film but they guys who play the SEALs are some of the most serious dudes I've seen). The tension builds as the pirates and Phillips have been stuck in the tiny life boat for a long time. Finally the SEALs hold the pirate leader on board the ship and eventually the remaining 3 pirates are picked off by snipers. Phillips is saved. There's a lesson here that one of the reason for the existance of the Somali pirates is that they have no choice. I don't know how true this is but it doesn't just make the pirates straight up villains like Hans Gruber. Director Paul Greegrass does a nice job with the story, the pacing and the tension. He really ratchets it up well. Solid performances all around as expected with Hanks in the cast. Really good film. Greengrass has done several good films and his work deserves a look.
41. 12 Years a Slave, November 9th in Chicago: Directed by Steve McQueen this film tells the story of Solomon Northup. A free black man with a wife, 2 kids and makes a living as a carpenter who sometimes plays the violin for a couple of extra bucks. Solomon (played brilliantly by Chiwetel Ejiofor) is hired by 2 shady dudes who offer him a lucrative gig in a traveling show. After getting him drunk, they sell Solomon to slave traders (not exactly illegal in the 1840s). Yeah, that happened back then and I doubt the practice was discouraged. Solomon ends up as the property of Mr. Ford (play by Benedcit Cumberbatch) who is a good master as masters go but one of Ford's hired hands (Paul Dano) takes a disliking to Solomon and goes so far as to hang him. Ford saves Solomon's life but sells him to Epps (Michael Fassbender). Epps is a terrible human being, with no redeeming qualities at all. He continually rapes his best cotton picker, who earns that wrath of Mrs. Epps. Not a pretty picture. Eventually Solomon meets up with Brad Pitt's character, a Canadian carpenter who abhors slavery. It's Pitt who eventually gets Solomon rescued. Magnificently directed by McQueen with excellent performances all around. To me the standout performance was Fassbender. His performance as a slave owner wasn't as over the top as Leo DiCaprio in Django Unchained (Leo was really slimey and I was glad Wentz shot him) but he made the character despicable. The film is very true to Northup's memoirs that were published in 1853. Excellent film that is worth seeing. Heavy drama so be advised.
40. Thor: Dark World, November 8th in Chicago: The next film from Marvel Studios after last years blockbuster The Avengers. The first film was really good. They did a nice job with the story, solid acting and great SFX. The same cast is back but there's a new evil lurking about now that Loki is in an Asgardian prison. Suffice to say this long dormant evil has returned and it's former keepers attack Asgard, leave it in ruin and kill Frigga (Thor & Loki's mom) in order to retrieve. Guess who has this evil inside them? If you guessed Thor's Earthly love Jane Foster, then you'd be right. So Thor comes up with a plan (Thor is known more for his biceps than his brains) to save Jane, destroy the Aether and save the universe (the 9 worlds are coming into alignment and the evil elves who want the Aether are bent on destroying the universe. Why? Because they're evil that's why). In order to do so he needs the help of Loki, defy his father's (the King of Asgard) orders and be named a traitor. His plan doesn't work and the evil elves get the Aether (Jane lives though! Yay!). The evles take their army to Earth and begin to lay waste to London (NYC was still in ruins so London was the next logical place). THis time in order to defeat the elves, the good guys use science (Thor's hammer is also a big help). To shorten the story, good guys win. This film wasn't bad but it wasn't as good as the first (much like Iron Man 2). The SFX were solid but everything was obviously formulaic. Plus, who the f*ck were the villains? The Dark Elves? I used to collect Thor comics during Walt Simonson's run and there was never any mention of Dark Elves. Plus, I was more than a little lost at the post credit scenes. If you weren't sure what was going on like I did, this article will be a big help.
39. Escape Plan, October 24th in Birmingham, AL: 20-25 years, pairing Sly and Arnold together could've had apocalyptic repercussions because they were so awesomely kick-ass. Now with each over the hill (Sly is a septuagenarian in phenomenal physical condition and Arnold is far from his True Lies days but still in good shape), the world is safe. Sly is an expert at pointing out flaws in "inescapable"prisons and gets tapped by the CIA to break out of a"shadow" prison bankrolled by nations to put really bad people in a place where they won't come back. Sly gets double-crossed by his business partner and has to enlist the aid of Ah-nuld to get out. The premise is beyond stupid, the warden (Jim Caviezel) and head guard (Vinnie Jones) are from every prison film ever. Rather predictable (the ending had an interesting twist but not enough to salvage anything). The banter between Sly and Ah-nuld wasn't too bad. The inmates of this prison were supposed to be revolutionaries but they looked like garden variety inmates which didn't make sense to me. Nor did it make any sense to spend money keeping them all alive but whatever it takes to push the plot along right? This is ok film to rent when the wife and kids are away or something, that's about it. Not vomit inducing (better than Bullet to the Head and The Last Stand) but not that good either.
38. Gravity, October 19th in Chicago: Writer/director Alfonso Cuaron brings us a sci-fi thriller starring Clooney and Bullock as astronauts stranded in space. You have to see this film in 3D mostly because that's what they push on you. The 3D effects are good but they don't make the film. This film is borderline excellent. It's short, not overly elaborate and you connect with the characters. Despite how I feel about Bullock, she gives a great performance (I was rooting for her!) and Clooney is...Clooney. This is pretty much a must see.
37. Inequality For All, September in Chicago: Documentary about the growing income gap between the one percenters and the rest of us working stiffs. The film centers around former Clinton Administration cabinet member Robert Reich. Reich basically states that over the last 40 or so years the wealthy have been getting wealthier leaving scraps for the rest. He says that with better income equality comes more spending by the middle class which in turn helps the economy. The film makes some excellent points but also overlooks a few things. Reich is not calling for a redistribution of wealth and he gets maligned by the right wing press. It's an interesting film and worth watching. The top 1% level starts at around $400,000 yearly salary, this includes doctors and lawyers. The level goes all the way up to CEOs of large corporate conglomerates who make 8 figure salaries. In all honesty, the one percenters have a huge income gap! A lawyer or broker making $400k/year is busting their butt making that salary while the CEO for Viacom sits on his ass and rakes in $80 million in salary. It's an eye opener for sure.
36. You're Next, September 11th in Concord, NC: Horror film where a wealthy family gets together at the secluded mansion for some reason (nothing good ever happens when you're in the woods!). There are four Davison children and they all seem to disappoint of the parents in some way. The older brother is a douche to his siblings, the cutesy daughter is the apple of Dad's eye, the middle son is a weak professor type who can't live up to Dad's expectations and the youngest son is the rebel with a goth girlfriend. The film opens with a couple getting killed in the secluded mansion next door to set-up the premise of a spree killer or whatever. The masked killers (too similar to the killers from The Strangers) ambush the Davison's during dinner, then set-up booby traps when they try to escape and lay siege to the house. To the film's credit it doesn't become clear that it's an inside job until later in the film. The only hiccup in the plan is the girlfriend of the bookworm middle brother just happened to have a survivalist father was raised her in the harsh conditions of the Australian Outback. So she eventually makes mincemeat out of the attackers. There's more but I don't want to spoil it too much. The film wasn't that good and it had some interesting moments but the consensus of the group that I saw it with was we couldn't decide if it was a serious horror film or was like Scream where it didn't take itself too seriously. Either way it failed.
35. Blackfish, September 4th in Charlotte, NC: Documentary about the death of Dawn Bracheau and a history of incidents of Orca is captivity. There is testimonials from 4 former Sea World animal trainers who've worked with Orca as well as experts in marine biology. It's pretty awful what's done here in order to make a buck (Orca sperm is worth millions) and how Sea World spins it to say the animals are ok, it was"trainer error" in order to keep the cash rolling in. I saw Shamu as kid and thought it was awesome. However as I'm older & wiser (allegedly), I can't imagine why people continue to ignore the fact that these "tame" creatures are in fact wild animals that are not living the way they're bologically engineered. The orca in question, Tilikum, has had a hard life and has been involved in 3 deaths in 20 years. Chilling material.
34. The Grandmaster, September 2nd in Charlotte, NC:Sometimes you just need to see a kung-fu film. Writer/director Kar Wai Wong tells the tale of Ip Man, legendary grandmaster of Wing Chun. Long time Wong collaborator Tony Leung, stars in the title role and he doesn't seem to act a whole lot as his dialogue is limited (it appears that Mr. Man is a humble man of few words) but his action scenes are quite good. The film is narrated by Man and it focuses on his life from 1936 on. He helped unite the North and South schools of kung-fu, put his life and the life of his family in danger by opting not to help the Japanese during WWII (2 of his children end up dying of starvation) and his move to Hong Kong after the war (he eventually loses his family when China closes its borders afer the communists seize power). This film is not as epic as Crouch Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Hero but it's a solid film. The action scenes are really cool. On a note almost not worthy to mention, Ip Man was BRUCE LEE's martial arts instructor. That's the pinnacle of badassery.
33. The Butler, August 31st in Chicago: The film is loosely based on the life of White House butler Eugene Allen, who worked at the White house from 1952-1986. Excellent performances all around. In a perfect world, Forest Whitaker would have a closet full of Oscars and he doesn't disappoint here. The only issue I have is that the film plays fast and loose with history. Obviously if you want accurate history in film then a Hollywood production is not the place to go. They really fictionalized the character to the point of near unbelieve-ability. Mr. Allen lived in a time where being African-American was inordinately difficult. I have no doubt that in his tenure as White House butler he was witness to some serious sh*it. The filmmakers took every horrible thing that could happen to African-Americans somehow manage to affect Cecil Gaines (since this wasn't an accurate portrayal Eugene Allen became Cecil Gaines). For example, in real life Mr. Allen had one son not two. In the film his oldest son becomes a civil rights activist much to the chagrin of his father. His youngest son ends up dying in Viet Nam (I saw this coming a mile away). As a plot piece, the oldest son rebelling against his father is dynamic and it added to the film but most of it never happened. I liked this film mostly because of the performances but I think the Mr. Allen led an interesting enough life to where it didn't need to be radically fictionalized. A lot of the historical inaccuracies of Mr. Allen's life really did happen to other African-Americans during the that time.
32. Closed Circuit, August 28th in Indianapolis, IN: This legal thriller set in London (the most “watched city in the world” with all its working surveillance cameras, unlike the U.S.) with Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall are attorneys assigned to defend a man accused of a deadly terrorist attack in London after the original defense attorney (or barrister as they’re called in England) commits “suicide.” The trick is that there’s evidence deemed sensitive to national security and that’s the part Hall handles in closed court (not even the defendant gets to hear it) while Bana handles the open court drama. For added fun, Bana and Hall had an affair (why not, they’re 2 good looking people) that led to the end of Bana’s marriage. The evidence against their client is circumstantial but there’s a lot of it and it’s all very damaging. Open and shut right? Not so fast! Bana manages to find out almost instantly that his client is actually an MI-5 informant. This knowledge puts everyone in danger as MI-5 would prefer to not have this become public knowledge. So much so that Hall gets nearly killed twice. Their client’s son ends up holding a key piece of evidence and he manages to outsmart MI-5 agents, like most 14 year-olds are apt to do, escape the safe house, link up with Hall & Bana and testify in court, much to the chagrin of MI-5. This film started out all right but then it kind of broke down into the standard, the government is fine with killing a few its own citizens to keep it’s secrets from getting out all in the name of trying to prevent the deaths of a greater number of its citizens (the old “needs of the many theory”) to acts of terror. They’re some suspenseful moments and some predictable but solid acting. Not a bad film but better to see it when it gets to Netflix or Redbox. Nothing special.
31. Blue Jasmine, August 24th in Chicago: Woody Allen's latest film starring Cate Blanchett as the title character. Jasmine has been married to Hal (Alec Baldwin) for several years and leads the typical Manhattan socialite life; money, parties, a house in the Hamptons and so on. However it's all a lie as her husband built his wealth on nefarious accounting practices and it all goes bad. When she loses everything, she's forced to live with her estranged "sister" (both were orphans raised in the same home, Jasmine goes to college and meets Hal whereas Ginger, played by Sally Hawkins, life has been a struggle) in San Francisco after her nervous breakdown. Ginger & Jasmine's relationship is strained to say the least but Jasmine manages to start to claw her way out of her predicament. She even meets a widower with political aspirations (Peter Sarsgaard) to takes a liking to Jasmine but it's all a lie. It all unravels when they run into Jasmine's ex-husband (well played by The Dice-Man!) who had hit the lottery, invested with Hal and lost everything. So he's a harbors a bit of resentment towards Jasmine & Hal. Allen may not have the staying power he enjoyed in his heyday but he knows how to make a solid film and get the most from his cast and their characters. Excellent performances all around. A near excellent film that is worth seeing.
30. Elysium, August 15th in Danville, IL: As a fan of director Neill Blomkamp's work I was interested in this film. When the announcement came that there will be another Star Wars trilogy coming from Disney, I thought Blomkamp should get a chance. He is a good storyteller and has a solid eye for detail. Anyway, Matt Damon plays Max who is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation at work (the irony here is that Damon has a job on an assembly line making robots) and his days are numbered. There is a place he can go for a cure but it contains the planet's wealthy people (read white people) and they prefer the seclusion from Earth's regular folks (that would be the poor and mostly non-white). Damon is not thrilled with the prospect of a slow death decides he's going to Elysium but most unauthorized transports get shot down. Being a former car thief Max turns to his pal who hooks him up with a powerful exo-skeleton that enhances his strength. Max also runs into his old flame from the orphanage (Alice Braga) who's a nurse (she fixes his busted arm) at the overcrowded & underfunded hospital. It turns about that she's got a daughter with cancer and her days are numbered as well. Obviously you can see where this is going and Max is going to save the girl. Jodie Foster runs security for Elysium and she doesn't have a problem with the use of live ammo on unauthorized transports and considers the elected leader of Elysium a bit of a whimp and even stages a coup. Eventually Damon is able to get through the defenses and disable the magnetic field (that's what I'm calling it) that allows other transports to get through. Damon defeats Kruger (Sharlto Copley) in hand to hand combat but must sacrifice himself in order to download the codes that will save Braga's daughter. I liked the film a lot but the end seemed rushed to me as if they wanted to make sure they got a running time of under 120 minutes. They political undertones here are rampant. The wealthy white live in a pristine (diseases are cured in a matter of moments by sitting in an MRI machine essentially) world while the rest of us toil away in despair on Earth. When these "illegal immigrants" get to close to Elysium they're shot down and those who do make it are arrested and deported to Earth. Which is probably what the wealthy, white elite not so secretly want, a restricted paradise with no want or illness where they can kill less fortunate people trying to get in (usually to save a dying child or some other noble cause). The real key here is that when Damon sacrifices himself, he is able to make everyone a "citizen" and that enables the medical transports to get dispatched to Earth to administer FREE HEALTHCARE to the masses!!! I liked this film but I'd say that District 9 was better. Still very worthwhile to see.
29. How to Make Money Selling Drugs, iTunes rental on August 10th: Written, directed and narrated by Matthew Cooke, this documentary deals with the American drug culture and where the country's anti-drug laws have taken us over the last 100 years or so (pretty sobering facts to say the least). The filmmakers use stats to show that alcohol and tobacco due far worse than weed, smack or blow and that thousands of people are addicted to prescription drugs. The stats the film throws about the war on drugs are pretty staggering but that's the case they want to make about legalization and addiction therapy. I'm going to forgo offering my opinion on legalization (I don't believe all the facts are available or distorted to which ever side thinks they're right) but the film makes some interesting points that are worth discussing, which is what a documentary is supposed to do.
28. Broken City, in flight viewing on August 10th: Another film that looked good considering the director, Allen Hughes and an all-star cast consisting on Wahlberg (does he say no to scripts?), Crowe and Catrherine Zeta-Jones. Crowe is the Mayor of NYC and he enlists the aid of ex-hero cop Wahlberg (who's able to make the carreer jump from disgraced cop to private eye rather easily) to find out with whom his wife (Zeta-Jones) is cheating on. Of course it's all a scam and Marky Mark gets sucked into a web of lies and comes to find out that the Mayor has evidence on him that could send him to jail for MURDER! During the course of the investigation, Marky Mark finds uncovers a trail of slime that painta the media charming Mayor in a different light (SPOILER ALERT! Crooked politician). It turns out that the Mayor's wife is not cheating on him but trying to take him down from the inside (he's really evil but no one seems to know it). Eventually Wahlberg pieces together the main source of the corruption and confronts the Mayor. Wahlberg uses the old "if anything happens to me the evidence will be sent to the media" cliche forcing the Mayor to use the "if I go down you go down" ploy to dissuade him. Which of course doesn't work as Marky Mark is a man who sticks to his principles and would rather go to jail for 25 years than let "The Man" get away with it. That left me with the thought, "if Marky Mark had done the right thing as a cop then he wouldn't be in this position." That of course would have deprived the viewing audience of an overwhelmingly mediocre film. This film was so forgettable that I forgot I even saw it! Which is why I write this stuff down. Most of the plot is predictable and the performances are standard for the character type.
27. Europa Report, iTunes rental on August 10th: Touted as a realistic sci-fi film, this "found footage" film take place in 2061 where a corporation launches a mission to the Jupiter moon Europa in search of water. The mission is racked with problems and the 1st thing to go is the communications. Tension builds when one of the crew has to sacrifice himself in order to save a crew member who's suit is ripped during a spacewalk. The team lands but they miss their mark and another of the crew dies trying to investigate a strange light source and she falls through the ice. Eventually there's only one crew member left and there's no hope of returning to Earth. The mission was hailed as a scientific breakthrough when the footage is found and the crew as heroes. Excellent film that plays like a documentary and a little like Alien (crew members getting killed off one by one) except there's no monster (which was refreshing). The film moves at a good pace with excellent acting. This film is currently available for rent on iTunes and is worth watching if you're a sci-fi fan.
26. Drinking Buddies, iTunes rental on August 10th: Olivia Wilde is Kate, a free spirited girl who works at a Chicago brewery. Her best friend is Luke (Jack Johnson) who also works at the brewery. Luke is an easy to like pseudo-hipster (he wears an Old Style trucker hat, drinks craft beer and listens to vinyl, does that make him a hipster?) who also works at the brewery and dates goody two-shoes Jill (Anna Kendrick). Olivia dates Chris (Ron Livingstone), who also listens to vinyl and is a sound engineer or something. The 4 go on a weekend getaway to a cabin in the woods of Michigan (does anything good ever come from going to the woods? No.) and it's clear that Luke and Kate make a better couple. Chris ends up dumping Kate and she can't hook up with Luke she she hooks up with a different co-worker (let's be honest, a down to Earth pretty girl like Olivia Wilde who works at a brewery & drinks beer is pretty much every dudes dream girl) much to the chagrin of Luke who gets a little judgmental. Their relationship gets strained and eventually they become friends again and they DON'T hook up (I was a bit surprised by that). Interesting indie film about relationships. It was good but not great and there were a few problems that I found but they were immaterial. Most likely this will play at smaller art house theaters but it can be rented on iTunes.
25. The Call, in flight viewing on August 10th: In all honesty, I chose this film because it was around 90 minutes long. Quite frankly, it wasn't that bad (especially compared to Oblivion) and the performances were good, although the serial killer was a blatant rip-off of Buffalo Bill. Halle Berry plays a 911 operator in LA who has a girl killed by a serial killer while the girl on was the line (Berry called the girl back & the ringtone alerted the killer to where the girl was hiding). Fast forward a few months and Olive Hoover is kidnapped but she's got her friend's cell with her and winds up talking to Berry when she calls 911. Berry keeps her on the line (for what is probably several hours past the life of the battery) and gets critical information.The weird thing is that with all the information Berry gets, the police can't get the guy (the victim is 16 y/o white girl for crying out loud!) and when they do find his lair, the killer & victim are nowhere to be found. This prompts Berry to investigate on her own and of course she finds the secret entrance to the lair but loses her cell phone instantly and can't call her cop boyfriend. Suffice to say she subdues the killer and saves Olive but instead of bringing the killer to justice, she & Olive leave the killer in in his lair to die. Berry gets to recite the words that the killer used on her, "it's already done" as she leaves. Kind of a dumb way t o end it because what if he managed to free himself? But this came from WWE Studios, so I guess an ending with due process was out of the question. Not a bad film but a little predictable. Not awful.
24. Oblivion, in flight viewing on August 10th: Tom Cruise stars as one of the last people on Earth repairing drones after a war with aliens devastated the Earth. He's part of a team that includes his wife Andrea Riseborough (not too shabby) as his dispatcher. Cruise repairs the drones that are increasingly attacked by Scavs (left over aliens) until 1 drone goes missing completely. Also, Tom keeps having dreams about Olga Kurylenko (some guys have all the luck) and secretly works on a farmhouse where he listens to vinyl records. Eventually Tom comes face to face with the Scavs who turn out to be human. As the movie drags on, Tom finds the girl from his dreams is alive, Andrea gets killed and Tom runs into his clone. Eventually Tom's memory comes back to him thanks to the flight recorder that Olga carried with her in her pod (it's not worth going into) and the plot is revealed! The aliens have taken the form of Tom's old mission commander (Melissa Leo), brainwashed Tom & his clones into killing off the last pockets of human resistance and are stealing Earth's atmosphere. This doesn't make Tom too happy so he and Morgan Freeman decide to pull a Trojan Horse ID4 style and nuke the "home office," which was really the alien ship. All the remaining humans manage to find Tom's secluded cabin including Tom's clone who knew exactly where to go despite not being on that side of the forbidden zone (again not worth it). So Cruise gets to sacrifice himself to save humanity and still get the girl! The plot was overly convoluted and not that original.
23. The Wolverine, Hong Kong on August 7th: As a former subscriber to The Uncanny X-Men from issue #149 in 1981 through 1986ish and that includes the X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills graphic novel and The New Mutants graphic novel. I also had subscription to X-Factor and even went back and purchased back issues at various comic book conventions throughout the 80's. Heck! I even bought the ridiculous Magik limited series back in 1983 because it was X-Men related. So I have a lot to say on the subject and I need more space for my thoughts. It can be read here.
22. Olympus Has Fallen, Hong Kong on August 6th: This pretty much a shot by shot remake of Diehard but set in the White House. The back story is that the First Lady dies in a car accident on a snowy night leaving Camp David (they were driving too fast for conditions) because Gerard Butler couldn't save her and he's removed from protective detail by a bitter President. The North Koreans manage to waltz into DC and take over the White House without too much trouble but thankfully Butler 's there to successfully pull off a John McClane impersonation. It's exactly what you think it would be. Very predictable.
21. Mud, in flight viewing on August 2nd: Matthew McConaughey (he of the shirtless school of acting), plays Mud, a fugitive living in boat that got stuck in a tree from a flood. Ellis and Neckbone are junior high aged boys who stumble upon the boat and befriend Mud. Mud is hiding out because he killed a man who abused his true love Juniper (Reese Witherspoon) and now the man's family is after Mud and they want revenge. Ellis & Neckbone take a liking to Mud and help him fix the boat and get it out of the tree. Meanwhile, the boys run into Juniper and find out that the cops are looking for Mud. Everything comes to a head when Mud wants to say goodbye to Ellis but runs into the posse at Ellis' houseboat. After an ensuing gun battle leaves the posse dead (thanks to some timely marksmanship from Sam Shepard) Mud is believed to have been killed. Or was he? This film is more about Ellis growing up and dealing with the hardships of life (girls, divorce of his parents and the change that comes with it). Tye Sheridan does an excellent job as Ellis and writer/director Jeff Nichols, does a really nice job of putting together the story. I poke a lot of fun at McConaughey for his film choices but he is very talented and shows it from time to time. Mud is a very good film with excellent performances that is worth watching.
20. 42, iTunes rental on August 1st: Brian Helgeland directs the biopic of Jackie Robinson, the man who broke baseball's color barrier in 1947. Chadwick Boseman plays the title character that's handpicked by Branch Rickey to make history and make history he did. Boseman and Harrison Ford (Branch Rickey) were darn near excellent in this film and the rest of the cast wasn't too bad either 9especially Christopher Meloni as fiery manager Leo Durocher). How much of the film is 100% accurate, who knows. The reasons for Rickey wanting to break the color barrier seem spot on and I can only imagine the amount of racism and hatred Robinson faced but I think it may have even been downplayed a bit. It had to have been brutal though. The only issue I had with the film is that Helgeland kind of made Robinson seem a little too Roy Hobbs-y, in terms of his penchant for getting big hits whenever he pleased. All in all this was nicely done and well acted. If you're into sports history like I am then you should view this film.
19. The Look of Love, iTunes rental on August 1st: I'm a fan of the films of Michael Winterbottom, so this 15 hour flight gave me an opportunity to view this film. This is a biopic about Paul Raymond, one of the wealthiest men in Britain who made his money through real estate but more infamously through strip and burlesque clubs. The film traces Raymond's life from the late fifties through the 90's and the death of his daughter via drug overdose. Steve Coogan plays Raymond, who seems a lot like Hugh Hefner before he was the Hugh Hefner as he's known now. Raymond was smart, innovative, loved the ladies and they loved him but his husband and fatherly qualities were a bit uneven to say the least. I thought this was a good film that had a very interesting easy to follow story, well acted and great fashion from London's swinging 60's and the 70's. Worth watching.
18. Only God Forgives, July 25th in Chicago: Hunky stud Ryan Gosling is and his brother apparently run a Thai boxing club in Bangkok and do some other illegal stuff. Gosling's brother Billy decides that just going out and decides that paying for the services of prostitute isn't going to give him the release so he takes it to another level by raping & killing a 16 y/o girl. Police Inspector Chang, upon seeing the corpse of the girl decides to let her father (who by the way pimped her out to Billy) have his revenge on his daughter's killer but there's a catch. Chang feels it necessary to chop the father's arm off as to remind him of what a terrible father he is. Enter Kristin Scott Thomas the mother of Billy & Gosling and the apparent crimelord in this syndicate and surprisingly enough she's an evil bitch (think of Alice Ward but as the head of a criminal organization). As a mother she wants revenge for Billy's death and sends Gosling out to take care of but the fact that a badass cop is involved complicates things a bit but that's not what mommy dearest wants to hear. So then there's a lot of maneuvering between the groups to see who's going to get the drop on who. As a revenge flick this film is slow moving (despite being only 89 minutes long I still kept checking my watch) to near dull but there isn't what I would categorize as a lot of violence but it's bloody and the death scenes are graphic and grisly. The characters (especially Gosling who's essentially reprising the role of the Driver, again) are emotionless, a bit weird and despicable, there's no one to root for except maybe Gosling's girlfriend Mai. There's also little dialogue and a lot of lighting schemes (the lighting and the music reminded me of a Miami Vice episode) that are avant-gard I guess. The film had some interesting parts but I didn't think it was that good and definitely not original.
17. Evil Dead, July 19th in Chicago: Truth be told this was an iTunes rental but it was released in 2013 so it counts. It's been awhile since I last saw the original but I know it what made on a shoestring budget with special effects that don't stand the test of time. It did however introduce us to Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi. Five good looking 20 somethings get together in the isolated woods (nothing good EVER happens in the woods) to help Mia (3 letter name like Ash) get over her drug addiction (it's not mentioned which drug but the favorites are Meth & Heroin). While in thedeath trap cabin, one of the gang discovers the Book of the Dead (there's no use of the word Necronomicon btw) and decides to start perusing it. Then of course bad things start. Mia's brother Dave is there and Dave kinda left Mia with their sick mother who died a gruesome debilitating death which in turn led to Mia's drug use. Mia is the 1st to get possessed and one by one the group gets affected by the evil and dies a gory death (there are a few disturbing scenes). About the only thing they kept from the original film was the POV shots of the evil going through the woods. Everything else, they just amped up the gore. It wold be good to have people over to see the original and then the remake followed by a panel discussion. I wasn't able to do that.
16. Pacific Rim, July14th in Charleston, WV: Two films in West Virginia, that's unprecedented for me. My thoughts on the film can be read here.
15. World War Z, July 2nd in Charleston, WV: Brad Pitt stars as a retired UN special investigator pressed into service when a strange virus comes out of nowhere turning regular people into zombies. As it goes with zombies, their bite will turn you into one. However they don't appear to be flesh eaters (as they are in some films). They just kind of go on a rampge, bite and move on. Most of the killing occurs when the non-infected pull dumb stunts. Pitt leaves his family behind and is dispatched to South Korea to investigate happenings there. From Korea he goes to Jerusalem where the Israelis were prepared for the zombie outbreak. But Pitt's presence is usually followed by destruction and Jerusalem is overrun. Pitt manages to escape and gets routed to Cardif, Wales where there is a World Health Organization lab there. While on the plane, a zombie gets loose (it was stowed away in the landing gear) and Pitt is forced to blow a hole in the plane to suck out the zombies (that's everyone else but his IDF pal and the pilots) but it makes flying the plane difficult and it crashes (always out of the fire and back into the fire). It's at the WHO lab that Pitt proves his theory correct and with the help of the last remaining scientists they're able to develop way to combat the zombie epidemic. It's not a cure mind you but a way to fight back. I never read the book, this wasn't a bad film but i felt as if there should've been more to it so I may have to read the book. There are better zombie films and there are worse. This one plays out more like Outbreak or Contagion than other zombie films.
14. The Purge, June 19th near Portsmouth, NH: The review can be seen here.
13. Man of Steel, June 18th near Portsmouth, NH: The review can be seen here.
12. Violet and Daisy: June 13th in Chicago, IL: Written and directed by Geoffrey Fletcher (he wrote the screenplay for Precious) and starring Saoirse Ronan (Daisy) and Alexis Bledel (Violet) as two young adult assassins in New York City. No backstory is given as to how the two got together but they've been doing "jobs" together for 3 years. Violet is the older of the two (she mentions she has an ID when they need to purchase bullets) and Daisy turns 18 before their latest "job." The fact you don't get a back story was good because at 86 minutes I was pretty bored and a backstory would have made things unbearable. Fletcher tries to create a Tarantino type film complete with breaks in the film to show you what part your in (10 parts all together). The dialogue is quick and snappy but it's not very original. Bledel is almost reprising her roll as the street tough Becky, from Sin City. Bledel is the more sociopathic of the pair since it gets revealed that she does all the killing and Ronan just fires blanks (which explains the opening scene where the 2 put several shots into a dude & he doesn't fall). They're forced into a "cake" job (the need the money to buy a new line of dress from their pop idol) and they get more than they bargained for. They're sent to kill none other than Tony Soprano himself, who's dying of pancreatic cancer (also estranged from his only daughter which took about 10 seconds to figure out) and wants to go out in an Alan Stanwyk-ish kind of way (except he really wants to die). One thing leads to another and the girls get sweet on him. They're forced to execute the hitmen of a rival gang who also want to kill him and do eventually kill him (he requests Daisy pull the trigger). They both escape the police and each buy the Barbie Idol dress but their lives are changed. They're not the BFFs they once were. The final scene is Daisy telling the estranged daughter about her dad. There's a reason it got low ratings on RottenTomatoes.com and on IMD.com. I took a chance on something different and I paid the price. I do feel that Ronan is very talented and could have a bright future ahead of her. Not too much originality.
11. Star Trek Into Darkness: May 19th in Kansas City, MO: Read the review here.
10. Iron Man 3, May 6th in Overland Park, KS: So I had a few hours to kill on my way in from KCI to Harrisonville, MO and I thought, "why not check out Iron Man 3?" There was a lot enjoyed about this film and then there was some stuff that I really didn't care for but it was entertaining and a good start to the Summer film season. Tony continues his relationship with Pepper but its becoming strained. Tony is showing signs of an anxiety disorder from the events in The Avengers. They did a nice job with The Mandarin (including a nice twist that I didn't see coming), Iron Man's longstanding archenemy from the comics. The lead villain though is Aldrich Killian (played nicely by Guy Pearce), the founder of Advanced Idea Mechanics (another nice addition from the comics). Downey is great as Tony Stark. If you liked the 2 suits of armor working together to defeat Vanko's drones in Iron Man 2, then you may not be happy about seeing War Machine having its name changed to Iron Patriot while working for the government (apparently that was a settlement from the prior film and Rhodes is the pilot). Nor that the suit gets taken over by AIM and Rhodes (Don Cheadle) not even being able to use the suit. There is however a climactic final battle with mutated AIM henchmen and Stark's 337 unmanned armored suits (it appears that JARVIS controls them, that's one HELL OF A COMPUTER Tony's got there!). So I'm supposed to believe that Tony built all 337 suits in his Malibu workshop between the events in The Avengers and now? It's clear he's a recluse but that's a lot of free time. Director Shane Black also co-wrote the screenplay and did a nice job with only his 2nd feature. Obviously The Avengers was more fun and I think the 1st installment here was the best and this one edges out Iron Man 2, in my view anyway. I doubt it matter though as the film had a massive opening and I may even see it again.
9. Trance, April 18th in Chicago: Danny Boyle directs this crime thriller about an art auctioneer (McAvoy) who has to assist in an art heist due to his crippling gambling addiction. Vincent Cassel is the bad guy who wipes out McAvoy's debt and his payoff is Francisco Goya's Witches in the Air. During the course of the heist McAvoy attempts to play hero and guts a rifle butt to the head which lead to short term memory loss, which is too bad for him because when Cassel and his gang gets back to the hideout there is only an empty frame. Enter Rosario Dawson as a hypno-therapist that will help McAvoy remember what he did with the painting. This is where the plot "thickens" as they say. Going into detail will give too much away but Dawson works her way into getting a "cut" of the proceeds when the painting is fenced and even gets involved with Cassel. Dawson & McAvoy start to get close as she unravels his subconscious. This all leads to a lot of twists and turns that left me a little slack-jawed. I came to realize that none of the main characters were likable people (Dawson is but some of her actions at the end of the film are morally questionable) as they seem to want to double cross one another. Boyle does borrow slightly from other films but not in an obvious way which always bothers me. This is a film worth seeing and it's one of the better films I've seen this year.
8. The Place Beyond the Pines, April 12th in Chicago: The trailer for this film makes you feel as if Cooper and Gosling are 2 good souls on different sides of the law whose paths cross. However it really wasn't like that at all which I found refreshing. Gosling essentially plays the same character as he did in Drive but with a little more grit. Gosling is a stunt rider for a carnival and Eva Mendes (bra-less in her 1st appearance which was intriguing but a little strange but I'm a guy so...) lets him know that he left her a son when he was in the Poughkeepsie area a year earlier. Having been abandon by his father, Gosling wants to provide for hos infant son and perhaps make a life with Mendes. The problem is that Mendes, her son and mother are living with a man who's taken them all in and gave them a home. That doesn't deter Gosling as he's able to find work but realizes he needs more money and turns to robbing banks. After a botched heist Gosling is trapped in a home with Cooper looking to bring him in. They both shoot each other and Gosling dies. Cooper then falls in with some crooked cops (led by Ray Liotta) who steal the stolen bank money from the Mendes home making Cooper a bit queezy (seeing how he's a square john). Cooper enlists the aid of his father, a retired State Supreme Court Judge, to get him out from under the crooked cops and set himself up as a prosecutor (he's passed the bar but became a cop which baffles his family). The film fast forwards 15 years and Cooper still carries the guilt of killing Gosling and leaving his infant son without his natural father. This is where the 2 sons become the focus. Cooper's son AJ (Emory Cohen), is a straight up jerk despite all the advantages he had (though Cooper was never around). Gosling's son Jason (Dane DeHaan), despite growing up in a loving home (albeit without his natural father but the guy who helped raise him was a good man)turns to a life of mild drug use and being a loner (Mendes never told him anything about Gosling's demise). Neither know the true identity of the other and form a friendship. Eventually Jason finds out the truth about his father and who killed him. I liked this film a lot and there were a few holes in the story but that didn't seem worth crying about. I liked that the film wasn't focused on Gosling & Cooper as I was led to believe. Solid performances from everyone especially Chen and DeHaan. I also liked the ending as it was different from what one moght expect out of a film these days. Definitely worth seeing.
7. Oz the Great and Powerful, March 14th in Chicago: The preview intrigued me since like most people, I enjoy the The Wizard of Oz plus I'm a sucker for a back story. Sam Raimi directs the likes of James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachael Weisz in what could be called a prequel to the 1939 MGM classic. Set in 1905 Kansas, Franco plays Oz, a magician in a traveling circus with a penchant for bedding his female assistants. He winds up in a hot air balloon after being chased around by the circus strong man and runs smack dab into a twister where he is transported from gray Kansas to the wondrous colors of Oz. He meets up with Theodora (Kunis) and is informed of a prophecy that he will free Oz from the tyranny of the wicked witch. To make a long story short, things aren't what they appear to be and Glinda has to set him straight as they flee the armies of Evanora. Glinda convinces Oz to help in the attack on Evanora in Emerald City. Eventually they defeat Evanora and Theodora and restore freedom to Oz. Excellent special effects and cinematography much like the 1939 version. I thought that the story was real good as well and it kind of made me want to go read Baum's books about Oz. The outstanding performance was from Kunis. She starts as the naive young sister who gets her heart broken by Oz and duped by Evanora then ends up a twisted, revenge driven woman that Darth Vader would be afraid of. I'm hot and cold on James Franco but he did a nice job here. I don't know if this is a movie for kids as Evanora's flying baboons are pretty terrifying. A very good picture all in all in my opinion.
6. Stoker, March 2nd in Chicago: As a fan of Chan-wook Park's older films (Old Boy is a favorite of mine) I was stoked to see him make a film to be released in the states with a solid cast. The film plays out a little bit like Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt but India is the polar opposite of the happy go lucky "Charlie" played by Thersea Wright. The Stokers are a creepy family with a deep, creepy past. Mia Wasikowska plays India, a cross between the gothic Wednesday Addams and the introverted yet lethal Lisbeth Salander. Nicole Kidman plays India's mother and you get the sense that her & India never really connected as India was much closer with her father (Dermot Mulroney in mostly brief appearances since his character dies at the beginning of the film). Uncle Charlie, whom Kidman & Wasikowska were unaware existed, happens to show up on the same day as India's father's death in a car accident. Things get weird from there but I don't want to give it away. I liked this film a lot. There isn't a lot of action but everyone is hiding something and its usually in regards to Charlie and that's when that person meets an untimely demise. India eventually learns the truth about Charlie but she's actually drawn to him and she can't bring herself to break away. Everything takes place around India's 18th birthday so you've got the girl becomes a woman motif but not in the traditional sense, on account that India is socially awkward (apparently India gets a brand new pair of saddle shoes for her birthday and that's the only shoes she wears until Charlie gives her a pair of high heels in a disturbing scene). This film isn't for everyone but I would recommend it. This isn't Park's best film but the imagery is great and excellent performances from the cast.
5. Side Effects, February 18th in Chicago, IL: To be truthful, I thought this was going to be a poke at giant pharmaceutical companies and how they've come to dominate our lives (a premise that I have no problem with) but it turned out to be a complex murder/mystery and I came away thinking that this was a good film. Be advised...I think Steven Soderbergh's career isn't the same as it was since he had his stellar run from 1998-2002 (Out of Sight, The Limey, Erin Brockovich, Traffic, Ocean's Eleven & Solaris) though he's had a real good run as of late (Contagion, Haywire, Magic Mike which leads us to Side Effects). I don't feel that Soderbergh is on the same level as a Spielberg or Chris Nolan but he can make a heck of film and he's got a solid track record. Rooney Mara loses her edge (along with the piercings) from Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but is no less lethal for sure, to give a solid performance as a depressed spouse of a white collar ex-on, Channing Tatum, who kills him under the influence of an anti-depressant. Enter Jude Law as the psychiatrist who treats Mara after an apparent suicide attempt. As the "facts" about the murder come to light, Law's personal & professional begin to fall apart until he realizes he's been had (of course no one believes him). Law eventually gets revenge, justifiably so as they got justice, against the culprits and he gets his life back. Not the greatest film of all time but it is a solid likeable film with good performances all around.
4. Sound City, February 9th in Chicago, IL: Technically I didn't see this in the theater, it was at my pal J-No's place as he bought it off of iTunes. But it is a 2013 release and Peter Travers mentioned this title was one of favorites from the Sundance Film Festival so it counts by my rules. Directed by David Grohl, yes that Dave Grohl, it tells the story of the legendary recording studio with the one of a kind Neve Soundboard in Van Nuys, CA. A lot of legendary records were recorded at Sound City from Fleetwood Mac's 1975 self titled album Fleetwood Mac to Nirvana's Nevermind. There's a ton of cameo's from the rock scene telling their favorite stories from recording and working at the studio. If you're a fan of music history, then this is a must see. See it at the theater if you can or rent/buy it on iTunes. You won't regret it.
3. Bullet to the Head, February 1st in Chicago, IL: Sly's latest release and he shows that he still has it (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) whereas his former Planet Hollywood pal, Arnold...does not. Hardly Sly's best work but it was ok. The film is called Bullet to the Head because that's the only way people die! John Seda (Sly's hitman partner) shoots a dude with 2 center mass shots into the victim but he doesn't enter the next world until Sly gives him one to the noggin. So Sly & Seda are targeted for death themselves but Sly escapes. He therefore goes on a killing spree (it's all good though because Sly only bumps off bad guys) leaving a trail of bodies all over New Orleans. He hooks up with an FBI agent who's partner was killed (by Sly & Seda, again ok because he was a crooked FBI agent & he got what's coming to him) and it appears as if the same cabal is responsible for the death of each partner. By the way, the NOLA PD comes off in a real bad light here as the only onscreen cops are crooked and thy are helpless/inept to do anything about Sly's bloody revenge (again 4 crooked cops were killed but cops nonetheless. I would think that any police force would vigorously go after the criminal underworld in order to find the killers). Long story short the bad guys die and the FBI agent lets Sly off the hook for the murders he committed in the course of the film but vows he will bring him in if he goes back to being a hitman. Not a whole lot of originality here but fans of Sly will find it watchable.
2. Gangster Squad, January 25th in Chicago, IL: This film was based on a true story or inspired by true events. Here's what's true; Mickey Cohen was a powerful gangster in post-war LA, Daryl Gates was the chauffeur for Chief of Police William H. Parker and that's about it. Maybe there was a "gangster squad" assigned to bring him down, maybe there wasn't. With an all-star cast and a director with a solid background I expected much more. Did I ever think it was going to be as good as L.A. Confidential? Of course not, but I expected a good movie not a film laden with cliches from every gangster and noir films (even Johnny Dangerously for crying out loud!). Forget the fact that there was an African-American and a Latino (in 1949 Los Angeles its hard to imagine that these guys would've been treated like equals but I understand the need for diversity and wanting a wider audience so no big deal especially when the actors are good as these guys were) in the group but the putting together of the "gangster squad" was right out of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. They even go so far as to make Officer Max Kennard a carbon copy of Kyuzo, the member of the group that is very skilled at what he does and all he cares about is honing his skill (Kennard is an excellent shot with his old fashioned Colt 6 shooter and Kyuzo is a master swordsman who has no equal). Even Michael Pena's character is a dead ringer for Isao Kimura's character in Seven Samurai. The plot is very predictable and there are several parts stolen from Dick Tracy. One of the most predictable plot lines is when 1 of the group gets killed. First off, you that one of the group has got to get bumped off and you know who it is because it's the only guy who's got a family! I sat there and thought to myself, "when the inevitable moment comes this guy is going to be the one that buys it." Plus the scene where the good guys are "set-up" is so obvious as well. This film steals a lot from L.A. Confidential as well as other films so there's not a whole lot of originality. I can go on for hours but at the end of the day, this should've been a better film. I will say this, Emma Stone was good but she was no Kim Basinger despite being much younger (therefore hotter!) than Kim when she did L.A. Confidential. The action sequences are not enough to carry the film. In my opinion disappointing.
1. The Last Stand, January 17th in Winston-Salem, NC: Review can be seen here.
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Since we are now is 2014, I will give myself through the end of February to see 2013 releases. We're in the awards time of the year so previously limited release material will get a wider release in hopes of Oscar recognition. I hope to get my film rankings in order for posting prior to the Oscars on March 2nd. *********************************************************************************
52. A Hijacking, February 17th on Netflix: This Danish film written and directed by Tobias Lindholm saw a limited US release several months before Captain Phillips. While Captain Phillips deals with the rescue of Tom Hanks, Lindholm's film deals with the grueling occupation of the Rozen, a Danish freighter, by pirates (it never really mentions where the pirates are from) in their attempt to gain a ransom. Over the course of 4 months the pirates negotiate with CEO of the shipping company and the stress is crushing everyone, especially the crew (who is embodied by the cook, since he's the liaison between the pirates and the corporation), their families and even the pirates. Excellent performances from Pilou Asbæk (the cook) and Søren Malling (the CEO). Lindholm did a very nice job showing the tension on board the ship (some scenes reminded me of Das Boot), in the negotiations and when the CEO spoke with the families of the crew. He also didn't portray the CEO and coporation as outright bags f douche like an American film would, Malling even throws in his own money to end the ordeal. I thought Captain Phillips was a really good film but this film was better, not by much but better, so see it if the chance arises.
51. The Wolf of Wall Street, February 15th in Chicago: The latest from legendary director Martin Scorsese is a biographical dark comedy about Jordan Belfort. I say its a dark comedy because that's what the films wikipedia page calls it and after a little while I realized that it has to be that because the scenes of excess (drugs & sex) are really over the top. DiCaprio plays the title role of a bright eyed young stock broker that gets his first job on Wall Street with a big brokerage firm. Belfort isn't there long before Black Monday strikes and he's out of a job. He slowly works his way back into money by selling penny stocks in a Boiler Room type firm (it's a little shady). As time progresses Belfort's firm gets bigger & bigger, the debauchery multiplies exponentially, Belfort's drug use increases, he gets a "trophy wife" and the deals get shadier and shadier (prompting the attention of the FBI). Eventually, Belfort's addictions to sex, drugs & money get the best of him and everything crumbles. He loses everything and does a 3 year bid in a minimum security federal prison in Nevada. DiCaprio gives his usual great performance and Jonah gives a standout performance as Belfort's strange but loyal confidant Donnie Azoff. In fact all of the performances were solid but I expect that from a Scorsese film. This is a good not great Scorses film. He borrows a lot from similar films like Boiler Room, Goodfellas, Casino, Glengarry Glen Ross, Bachelor Party (the drugs & sex) and of course Wall Street. The film clocks in at exactly 3 hours but it moves at a a very fast pace. This is far from Scorsese's best work but its a good film and worth seeing.
50. Inside Llewyn Davis, January 18th in Chicago: The latest from the Coen Brothers is a film about a week in the life of a struggling folk singer in NYC in 1961. Llewyn (Oscar Isaac) is trying to make it big in the folk scene of 1961's Greenwich Village. He was a member of a duo but his partner killed himself. He has an agent (who he;s not getting money out of), a record that isn't selling, no means of income (other than passing the hat at The Gaslight where he occasionally performs), no change of clothes and lives off the charity of others because he has no home. After getting a paying gig at a studio session for "Jim" (Justin Timberlake in a strong performance), Llewyn decides to go to Chicago to try and get a gig performing at a legendary folk venue but it ends in failure, sending Llewyn back to NYC. Llewyn also has a problem with unprotected sex. He gets Jim's wife Jean (Carey Mulligan) pregnant (swell guy sleeping with his friend's wife), arranges an abortion and finds out that the last girl he sent to the doctor never had the procedure and went back to Akron to raise the child. Upon returning to NYC he decides to give up being a folk singer and go back to being a merchant marine but he even f*cks that up. Llewyn lives a sad existence but he's such a jerk that it's hard to like him. I liked this film a lot. Solid performances all around (John Goodman has a cameo as a smack addict jazz musician), excellent dialogue and great soundtrack. If the Coen Brothers come out with something, I'm going to see it no questions asked. Apparently the film is loosely based on the life of Dave Van Ronk. If you're a fan of the Coen Brothers, don't miss this film.
49. The Iceman, January 10th in Chicago: A film based on the real life exploits of Mafia hit man, Richard Kuklinski. I watched this as a Netflix rental because it wasn't around long enough (or I was never around) for me to see it. Michael Shannon plays the title role and does a complete 180 from his turn as General Zod from the much higher profile Man of Steel. The film tells the origin of Mr. Kuklinski from his days as a sound editor for porno films to stone cold killer (both jobs are mafia related so it was a promotion I guess). Despite having little emotions he courts Winona Ryder (has anyone fallen into obscurity as quickly as her? I mean she was everyone's dream girl in the 90's, she dated everyone, and now she's a punchline. At least she still gets work), marries her, raises a family and manages to keep it all a secret for 18 years. Ryder's big moment happens when the FBI, NJ State & local police show up at their home in force to arrest him and she's dumbfounded by the events taking place. Make no mistake, this is a solid effort from director Ariel Vromen who also has a screenwriting credit) and several good performances including Chris Evans and Ray Liotta (going against type as, wait for it...a mobster!). If you dig gritty, mob-related dramas then this film is worth checking out. It may not be as good as a film like Narc, but it's a good film.
48. Lone Survivor, January 10th in Chicago: Based on the life of Navy SEAL Marcus Luttrell, who went out on a 4 man mission and was the only 1 to make it back (barely) from a mission in Afghanistan that didn't go according to plan. Similar to Black Hawk Down (except on a much smaler scale), a 4 man team goes to a remote region to capture/kill a Taliban leader (Operation Red Wings). The mission gets compromised and the group decides to call it off. Then things go bad. Now, I never read the book and there are always moments when a based on a true story film gets Hollywood-ized, regardless of how many times the director and cast say they're going for realism (which I think they did a great job of). If you want to read about the historical inaccuracies, then check out the film's wikipedia page, I am not looking to refute the facts from the safety of my home. Director Peter Berg did a very nice job telling the story and putting the viewer in with the recon team. Wahlberg plays Lutrell. Ben Foster, Emile Hirsch and Taylor Kitsch (portrays LT Michael P. "Murph" Murphy, who was recommeded for a posthumous Medal of Honor) round out the rest of the team. The roles were physically demanding and a special shout goes out to the actors and the stunt team who had to recreate the physical pounding these soldiers took. This was a really solid film the was well done in all facets. This film is worth a viewing, it may not be as great as The Hurt Locker but its a solid film.
47. American Hustle, December 30th in San Antonio: This film has gotten a lot of good good reviews overall but there are some really negative criticisms as well. Christian Bale and Amy Adams play a pair of small time con artists who are pinched by Bradley Cooper of the FBI. In order to avoid a federal jail sentance, Adams & Bale work for Cooper to help him put larger con artists away. That leads us to ABSCAM. Director David O. Russell plays fast & loose with the facts around ABSCAM but he makes up for it with a lot of gratuitous shots of Amy Adam's cleavage and side boob (from every imaginable angle too). I won't go as far as saying the plot was predictable but the road is pretty much laid out for you (much like the soundtrack). Cooper's FBI agent gets obsessed with his operation to the point where he's in it for the glory. Bale wants to keep things simple but things just get beyond his control. Adams and Jennifer Lawrence vamp it up as Bale's wife and mistress who despise each other. Bale, Cooper & Renner all sport 70s hairdos so ridiculous that it almost takes away from the film. Renner plays the mayor of Camden who's just trying to bring jobs to his state through the revitalization of Atlantic City now that gambling has been legalized. So he gets his hands a little dirty but it's all for a good cause. The ending was kind of predictable but certain details were unexpected. TO be honest, I checked my watch several times. If you are going to make a Martin Scorsese film, then hire Scorsese not David O. Russell. That was my problem with the film and much like The Counselor, I expect more from a good director and an all-star cast. It's an overrated film.
46. The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, December 29th in San Antonio: The 2nd installment of the Tolkien's novel. The ring starts to have an effect on Bilbo, Gandalf bites off a little more than he can chew, the group gets hounded by a group of determined orcs and it ends with the company battling out with the fiery Smaug in the lonely mountain (sounds vaguely familiar doesn't it?). This installment was better than the 1st but it was really hard to detach the images of the LOTR trilogy. Leglas appears for the 1st time and the big kicker is who the villain is revealed to be (although I doubt it's that big of a surprise since we all know the inevitable conclusion). This is one of those films that's good but if you're still burnt out on Middle Earth from the previous trilogy then this film may not be all that interesting an option. I haven't read the book since the administration of Ronald Reagan so I am unable to pick apart the film on that basis.
45. Hammer of the Gods, December 23rd in Chicago: Another Netflix rental (my queue was huge and I had to plow through it) and I had mentioned this title in my May Preview blog. Norse king Bagsceg invaded England but was mortally wounded in battle. In order to save the invasion and keep his kingdom from falling apart, he calls on his son Steinar to locate his older brother, Hakan the Ferocious (who was banished). Steinar sets off on the journey to find his brother but along the way his small group slowly gets killed off. He finally locates his brother who is hanging out with his estranged mother. It turns out that Hakan is a bit of a lunatic but he agrees to go with Steinar on the condition they fight to the death. Winner gets to become king. This film is gritty, dirty and bloody. The problem I have was that for a 98 minute film, it moves slowly in parts. The group of pals that Steinar has are stereotypes; the crazy guy, the guy who's very skilled at killing and so on. Not a bad film but you're not missing anything great.
44. A Band Called Death, December 23rd in Chicago: I saw this on Netflix but it was released on 6/28/13 so, it counts. The Hackney Brothers (David, Dennis & Bobby) from Detroit form a punk band in the early 70's, pre-dating the punk movement of 1976 and beyond. Oh yeah, the thing about the Hackney Brothers is that they're African-American. Which was weird for the time to say the least. The film tells about how they started and how David (the creative force behind the band) came up with the name. "Death" probably cost them a chance at a record deal bit David was sticking to his guns (he felt Death was the "ultimate trip'). They were unable to get a deal and eventually the brothers found themselves in Vermont. David would move back to Detroit but Dennis and Bobby would settle down there and form a christian/reggae band. David would eventually die of cancer. David left the master tapes with his brothers with the message, "someone will come looking for these."Their music started to come to light when their demo 45 was sold on eBay for $800. Eventually, Bobby & Dennis' teenage sons got wind of it and things spread from there. Death went back out on tour and may even record new material. The songs that they did record are really good and if you can get a copy of For the Wordl to See I encourage you to do so. If you're into music, this is a really good film.
43. The Counselor, November 21st in Orlando, FL: You would think that a film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Michael Fassbender, Javier Bardem, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz and Penelope Cruz and written by Cormac McCarthy would be pretty awesome right? Not so much here. I don't think it was as bad as Rotten Tomatoes (35%) but it was average. With all the talent involved with this film it shouldn't be average.
42. Captain Philips, November 15th in Chicago: Tam Hanks plays the title role in the film based on the real Captain Phillips' book, A Captain's Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs and Dangerous Days at Sea. Phillips' ship, the Maersk Alabama, is hijacked by Somali pirates but the crew is able to turn the tables on the hijackers. Phillips works out a deal to get the pirates off the boat since they're not going to take it but they do manage to take Phillips as a hostage aboard the life boat. Soon the Navy is called in to negotiate a settlement but if one isn't reached soon, then the SEALs are taking over, which they do (I know this is a film but they guys who play the SEALs are some of the most serious dudes I've seen). The tension builds as the pirates and Phillips have been stuck in the tiny life boat for a long time. Finally the SEALs hold the pirate leader on board the ship and eventually the remaining 3 pirates are picked off by snipers. Phillips is saved. There's a lesson here that one of the reason for the existance of the Somali pirates is that they have no choice. I don't know how true this is but it doesn't just make the pirates straight up villains like Hans Gruber. Director Paul Greegrass does a nice job with the story, the pacing and the tension. He really ratchets it up well. Solid performances all around as expected with Hanks in the cast. Really good film. Greengrass has done several good films and his work deserves a look.
41. 12 Years a Slave, November 9th in Chicago: Directed by Steve McQueen this film tells the story of Solomon Northup. A free black man with a wife, 2 kids and makes a living as a carpenter who sometimes plays the violin for a couple of extra bucks. Solomon (played brilliantly by Chiwetel Ejiofor) is hired by 2 shady dudes who offer him a lucrative gig in a traveling show. After getting him drunk, they sell Solomon to slave traders (not exactly illegal in the 1840s). Yeah, that happened back then and I doubt the practice was discouraged. Solomon ends up as the property of Mr. Ford (play by Benedcit Cumberbatch) who is a good master as masters go but one of Ford's hired hands (Paul Dano) takes a disliking to Solomon and goes so far as to hang him. Ford saves Solomon's life but sells him to Epps (Michael Fassbender). Epps is a terrible human being, with no redeeming qualities at all. He continually rapes his best cotton picker, who earns that wrath of Mrs. Epps. Not a pretty picture. Eventually Solomon meets up with Brad Pitt's character, a Canadian carpenter who abhors slavery. It's Pitt who eventually gets Solomon rescued. Magnificently directed by McQueen with excellent performances all around. To me the standout performance was Fassbender. His performance as a slave owner wasn't as over the top as Leo DiCaprio in Django Unchained (Leo was really slimey and I was glad Wentz shot him) but he made the character despicable. The film is very true to Northup's memoirs that were published in 1853. Excellent film that is worth seeing. Heavy drama so be advised.
40. Thor: Dark World, November 8th in Chicago: The next film from Marvel Studios after last years blockbuster The Avengers. The first film was really good. They did a nice job with the story, solid acting and great SFX. The same cast is back but there's a new evil lurking about now that Loki is in an Asgardian prison. Suffice to say this long dormant evil has returned and it's former keepers attack Asgard, leave it in ruin and kill Frigga (Thor & Loki's mom) in order to retrieve. Guess who has this evil inside them? If you guessed Thor's Earthly love Jane Foster, then you'd be right. So Thor comes up with a plan (Thor is known more for his biceps than his brains) to save Jane, destroy the Aether and save the universe (the 9 worlds are coming into alignment and the evil elves who want the Aether are bent on destroying the universe. Why? Because they're evil that's why). In order to do so he needs the help of Loki, defy his father's (the King of Asgard) orders and be named a traitor. His plan doesn't work and the evil elves get the Aether (Jane lives though! Yay!). The evles take their army to Earth and begin to lay waste to London (NYC was still in ruins so London was the next logical place). THis time in order to defeat the elves, the good guys use science (Thor's hammer is also a big help). To shorten the story, good guys win. This film wasn't bad but it wasn't as good as the first (much like Iron Man 2). The SFX were solid but everything was obviously formulaic. Plus, who the f*ck were the villains? The Dark Elves? I used to collect Thor comics during Walt Simonson's run and there was never any mention of Dark Elves. Plus, I was more than a little lost at the post credit scenes. If you weren't sure what was going on like I did, this article will be a big help.
39. Escape Plan, October 24th in Birmingham, AL: 20-25 years, pairing Sly and Arnold together could've had apocalyptic repercussions because they were so awesomely kick-ass. Now with each over the hill (Sly is a septuagenarian in phenomenal physical condition and Arnold is far from his True Lies days but still in good shape), the world is safe. Sly is an expert at pointing out flaws in "inescapable"prisons and gets tapped by the CIA to break out of a"shadow" prison bankrolled by nations to put really bad people in a place where they won't come back. Sly gets double-crossed by his business partner and has to enlist the aid of Ah-nuld to get out. The premise is beyond stupid, the warden (Jim Caviezel) and head guard (Vinnie Jones) are from every prison film ever. Rather predictable (the ending had an interesting twist but not enough to salvage anything). The banter between Sly and Ah-nuld wasn't too bad. The inmates of this prison were supposed to be revolutionaries but they looked like garden variety inmates which didn't make sense to me. Nor did it make any sense to spend money keeping them all alive but whatever it takes to push the plot along right? This is ok film to rent when the wife and kids are away or something, that's about it. Not vomit inducing (better than Bullet to the Head and The Last Stand) but not that good either.
38. Gravity, October 19th in Chicago: Writer/director Alfonso Cuaron brings us a sci-fi thriller starring Clooney and Bullock as astronauts stranded in space. You have to see this film in 3D mostly because that's what they push on you. The 3D effects are good but they don't make the film. This film is borderline excellent. It's short, not overly elaborate and you connect with the characters. Despite how I feel about Bullock, she gives a great performance (I was rooting for her!) and Clooney is...Clooney. This is pretty much a must see.
37. Inequality For All, September in Chicago: Documentary about the growing income gap between the one percenters and the rest of us working stiffs. The film centers around former Clinton Administration cabinet member Robert Reich. Reich basically states that over the last 40 or so years the wealthy have been getting wealthier leaving scraps for the rest. He says that with better income equality comes more spending by the middle class which in turn helps the economy. The film makes some excellent points but also overlooks a few things. Reich is not calling for a redistribution of wealth and he gets maligned by the right wing press. It's an interesting film and worth watching. The top 1% level starts at around $400,000 yearly salary, this includes doctors and lawyers. The level goes all the way up to CEOs of large corporate conglomerates who make 8 figure salaries. In all honesty, the one percenters have a huge income gap! A lawyer or broker making $400k/year is busting their butt making that salary while the CEO for Viacom sits on his ass and rakes in $80 million in salary. It's an eye opener for sure.
36. You're Next, September 11th in Concord, NC: Horror film where a wealthy family gets together at the secluded mansion for some reason (nothing good ever happens when you're in the woods!). There are four Davison children and they all seem to disappoint of the parents in some way. The older brother is a douche to his siblings, the cutesy daughter is the apple of Dad's eye, the middle son is a weak professor type who can't live up to Dad's expectations and the youngest son is the rebel with a goth girlfriend. The film opens with a couple getting killed in the secluded mansion next door to set-up the premise of a spree killer or whatever. The masked killers (too similar to the killers from The Strangers) ambush the Davison's during dinner, then set-up booby traps when they try to escape and lay siege to the house. To the film's credit it doesn't become clear that it's an inside job until later in the film. The only hiccup in the plan is the girlfriend of the bookworm middle brother just happened to have a survivalist father was raised her in the harsh conditions of the Australian Outback. So she eventually makes mincemeat out of the attackers. There's more but I don't want to spoil it too much. The film wasn't that good and it had some interesting moments but the consensus of the group that I saw it with was we couldn't decide if it was a serious horror film or was like Scream where it didn't take itself too seriously. Either way it failed.
35. Blackfish, September 4th in Charlotte, NC: Documentary about the death of Dawn Bracheau and a history of incidents of Orca is captivity. There is testimonials from 4 former Sea World animal trainers who've worked with Orca as well as experts in marine biology. It's pretty awful what's done here in order to make a buck (Orca sperm is worth millions) and how Sea World spins it to say the animals are ok, it was"trainer error" in order to keep the cash rolling in. I saw Shamu as kid and thought it was awesome. However as I'm older & wiser (allegedly), I can't imagine why people continue to ignore the fact that these "tame" creatures are in fact wild animals that are not living the way they're bologically engineered. The orca in question, Tilikum, has had a hard life and has been involved in 3 deaths in 20 years. Chilling material.
34. The Grandmaster, September 2nd in Charlotte, NC:Sometimes you just need to see a kung-fu film. Writer/director Kar Wai Wong tells the tale of Ip Man, legendary grandmaster of Wing Chun. Long time Wong collaborator Tony Leung, stars in the title role and he doesn't seem to act a whole lot as his dialogue is limited (it appears that Mr. Man is a humble man of few words) but his action scenes are quite good. The film is narrated by Man and it focuses on his life from 1936 on. He helped unite the North and South schools of kung-fu, put his life and the life of his family in danger by opting not to help the Japanese during WWII (2 of his children end up dying of starvation) and his move to Hong Kong after the war (he eventually loses his family when China closes its borders afer the communists seize power). This film is not as epic as Crouch Tiger, Hidden Dragon or Hero but it's a solid film. The action scenes are really cool. On a note almost not worthy to mention, Ip Man was BRUCE LEE's martial arts instructor. That's the pinnacle of badassery.
33. The Butler, August 31st in Chicago: The film is loosely based on the life of White House butler Eugene Allen, who worked at the White house from 1952-1986. Excellent performances all around. In a perfect world, Forest Whitaker would have a closet full of Oscars and he doesn't disappoint here. The only issue I have is that the film plays fast and loose with history. Obviously if you want accurate history in film then a Hollywood production is not the place to go. They really fictionalized the character to the point of near unbelieve-ability. Mr. Allen lived in a time where being African-American was inordinately difficult. I have no doubt that in his tenure as White House butler he was witness to some serious sh*it. The filmmakers took every horrible thing that could happen to African-Americans somehow manage to affect Cecil Gaines (since this wasn't an accurate portrayal Eugene Allen became Cecil Gaines). For example, in real life Mr. Allen had one son not two. In the film his oldest son becomes a civil rights activist much to the chagrin of his father. His youngest son ends up dying in Viet Nam (I saw this coming a mile away). As a plot piece, the oldest son rebelling against his father is dynamic and it added to the film but most of it never happened. I liked this film mostly because of the performances but I think the Mr. Allen led an interesting enough life to where it didn't need to be radically fictionalized. A lot of the historical inaccuracies of Mr. Allen's life really did happen to other African-Americans during the that time.
32. Closed Circuit, August 28th in Indianapolis, IN: This legal thriller set in London (the most “watched city in the world” with all its working surveillance cameras, unlike the U.S.) with Eric Bana and Rebecca Hall are attorneys assigned to defend a man accused of a deadly terrorist attack in London after the original defense attorney (or barrister as they’re called in England) commits “suicide.” The trick is that there’s evidence deemed sensitive to national security and that’s the part Hall handles in closed court (not even the defendant gets to hear it) while Bana handles the open court drama. For added fun, Bana and Hall had an affair (why not, they’re 2 good looking people) that led to the end of Bana’s marriage. The evidence against their client is circumstantial but there’s a lot of it and it’s all very damaging. Open and shut right? Not so fast! Bana manages to find out almost instantly that his client is actually an MI-5 informant. This knowledge puts everyone in danger as MI-5 would prefer to not have this become public knowledge. So much so that Hall gets nearly killed twice. Their client’s son ends up holding a key piece of evidence and he manages to outsmart MI-5 agents, like most 14 year-olds are apt to do, escape the safe house, link up with Hall & Bana and testify in court, much to the chagrin of MI-5. This film started out all right but then it kind of broke down into the standard, the government is fine with killing a few its own citizens to keep it’s secrets from getting out all in the name of trying to prevent the deaths of a greater number of its citizens (the old “needs of the many theory”) to acts of terror. They’re some suspenseful moments and some predictable but solid acting. Not a bad film but better to see it when it gets to Netflix or Redbox. Nothing special.
31. Blue Jasmine, August 24th in Chicago: Woody Allen's latest film starring Cate Blanchett as the title character. Jasmine has been married to Hal (Alec Baldwin) for several years and leads the typical Manhattan socialite life; money, parties, a house in the Hamptons and so on. However it's all a lie as her husband built his wealth on nefarious accounting practices and it all goes bad. When she loses everything, she's forced to live with her estranged "sister" (both were orphans raised in the same home, Jasmine goes to college and meets Hal whereas Ginger, played by Sally Hawkins, life has been a struggle) in San Francisco after her nervous breakdown. Ginger & Jasmine's relationship is strained to say the least but Jasmine manages to start to claw her way out of her predicament. She even meets a widower with political aspirations (Peter Sarsgaard) to takes a liking to Jasmine but it's all a lie. It all unravels when they run into Jasmine's ex-husband (well played by The Dice-Man!) who had hit the lottery, invested with Hal and lost everything. So he's a harbors a bit of resentment towards Jasmine & Hal. Allen may not have the staying power he enjoyed in his heyday but he knows how to make a solid film and get the most from his cast and their characters. Excellent performances all around. A near excellent film that is worth seeing.
30. Elysium, August 15th in Danville, IL: As a fan of director Neill Blomkamp's work I was interested in this film. When the announcement came that there will be another Star Wars trilogy coming from Disney, I thought Blomkamp should get a chance. He is a good storyteller and has a solid eye for detail. Anyway, Matt Damon plays Max who is exposed to a lethal dose of radiation at work (the irony here is that Damon has a job on an assembly line making robots) and his days are numbered. There is a place he can go for a cure but it contains the planet's wealthy people (read white people) and they prefer the seclusion from Earth's regular folks (that would be the poor and mostly non-white). Damon is not thrilled with the prospect of a slow death decides he's going to Elysium but most unauthorized transports get shot down. Being a former car thief Max turns to his pal who hooks him up with a powerful exo-skeleton that enhances his strength. Max also runs into his old flame from the orphanage (Alice Braga) who's a nurse (she fixes his busted arm) at the overcrowded & underfunded hospital. It turns about that she's got a daughter with cancer and her days are numbered as well. Obviously you can see where this is going and Max is going to save the girl. Jodie Foster runs security for Elysium and she doesn't have a problem with the use of live ammo on unauthorized transports and considers the elected leader of Elysium a bit of a whimp and even stages a coup. Eventually Damon is able to get through the defenses and disable the magnetic field (that's what I'm calling it) that allows other transports to get through. Damon defeats Kruger (Sharlto Copley) in hand to hand combat but must sacrifice himself in order to download the codes that will save Braga's daughter. I liked the film a lot but the end seemed rushed to me as if they wanted to make sure they got a running time of under 120 minutes. They political undertones here are rampant. The wealthy white live in a pristine (diseases are cured in a matter of moments by sitting in an MRI machine essentially) world while the rest of us toil away in despair on Earth. When these "illegal immigrants" get to close to Elysium they're shot down and those who do make it are arrested and deported to Earth. Which is probably what the wealthy, white elite not so secretly want, a restricted paradise with no want or illness where they can kill less fortunate people trying to get in (usually to save a dying child or some other noble cause). The real key here is that when Damon sacrifices himself, he is able to make everyone a "citizen" and that enables the medical transports to get dispatched to Earth to administer FREE HEALTHCARE to the masses!!! I liked this film but I'd say that District 9 was better. Still very worthwhile to see.
*****
The
following films are were viewed during my recent trip to Hong Kong. To
be honest, only one title was seen in a theater the rest were rented on
iTunes or on the 15 hour flight. The non-theater viewings are 2013
releases so they count. 29. How to Make Money Selling Drugs, iTunes rental on August 10th: Written, directed and narrated by Matthew Cooke, this documentary deals with the American drug culture and where the country's anti-drug laws have taken us over the last 100 years or so (pretty sobering facts to say the least). The filmmakers use stats to show that alcohol and tobacco due far worse than weed, smack or blow and that thousands of people are addicted to prescription drugs. The stats the film throws about the war on drugs are pretty staggering but that's the case they want to make about legalization and addiction therapy. I'm going to forgo offering my opinion on legalization (I don't believe all the facts are available or distorted to which ever side thinks they're right) but the film makes some interesting points that are worth discussing, which is what a documentary is supposed to do.
28. Broken City, in flight viewing on August 10th: Another film that looked good considering the director, Allen Hughes and an all-star cast consisting on Wahlberg (does he say no to scripts?), Crowe and Catrherine Zeta-Jones. Crowe is the Mayor of NYC and he enlists the aid of ex-hero cop Wahlberg (who's able to make the carreer jump from disgraced cop to private eye rather easily) to find out with whom his wife (Zeta-Jones) is cheating on. Of course it's all a scam and Marky Mark gets sucked into a web of lies and comes to find out that the Mayor has evidence on him that could send him to jail for MURDER! During the course of the investigation, Marky Mark finds uncovers a trail of slime that painta the media charming Mayor in a different light (SPOILER ALERT! Crooked politician). It turns out that the Mayor's wife is not cheating on him but trying to take him down from the inside (he's really evil but no one seems to know it). Eventually Wahlberg pieces together the main source of the corruption and confronts the Mayor. Wahlberg uses the old "if anything happens to me the evidence will be sent to the media" cliche forcing the Mayor to use the "if I go down you go down" ploy to dissuade him. Which of course doesn't work as Marky Mark is a man who sticks to his principles and would rather go to jail for 25 years than let "The Man" get away with it. That left me with the thought, "if Marky Mark had done the right thing as a cop then he wouldn't be in this position." That of course would have deprived the viewing audience of an overwhelmingly mediocre film. This film was so forgettable that I forgot I even saw it! Which is why I write this stuff down. Most of the plot is predictable and the performances are standard for the character type.
27. Europa Report, iTunes rental on August 10th: Touted as a realistic sci-fi film, this "found footage" film take place in 2061 where a corporation launches a mission to the Jupiter moon Europa in search of water. The mission is racked with problems and the 1st thing to go is the communications. Tension builds when one of the crew has to sacrifice himself in order to save a crew member who's suit is ripped during a spacewalk. The team lands but they miss their mark and another of the crew dies trying to investigate a strange light source and she falls through the ice. Eventually there's only one crew member left and there's no hope of returning to Earth. The mission was hailed as a scientific breakthrough when the footage is found and the crew as heroes. Excellent film that plays like a documentary and a little like Alien (crew members getting killed off one by one) except there's no monster (which was refreshing). The film moves at a good pace with excellent acting. This film is currently available for rent on iTunes and is worth watching if you're a sci-fi fan.
26. Drinking Buddies, iTunes rental on August 10th: Olivia Wilde is Kate, a free spirited girl who works at a Chicago brewery. Her best friend is Luke (Jack Johnson) who also works at the brewery. Luke is an easy to like pseudo-hipster (he wears an Old Style trucker hat, drinks craft beer and listens to vinyl, does that make him a hipster?) who also works at the brewery and dates goody two-shoes Jill (Anna Kendrick). Olivia dates Chris (Ron Livingstone), who also listens to vinyl and is a sound engineer or something. The 4 go on a weekend getaway to a cabin in the woods of Michigan (does anything good ever come from going to the woods? No.) and it's clear that Luke and Kate make a better couple. Chris ends up dumping Kate and she can't hook up with Luke she she hooks up with a different co-worker (let's be honest, a down to Earth pretty girl like Olivia Wilde who works at a brewery & drinks beer is pretty much every dudes dream girl) much to the chagrin of Luke who gets a little judgmental. Their relationship gets strained and eventually they become friends again and they DON'T hook up (I was a bit surprised by that). Interesting indie film about relationships. It was good but not great and there were a few problems that I found but they were immaterial. Most likely this will play at smaller art house theaters but it can be rented on iTunes.
25. The Call, in flight viewing on August 10th: In all honesty, I chose this film because it was around 90 minutes long. Quite frankly, it wasn't that bad (especially compared to Oblivion) and the performances were good, although the serial killer was a blatant rip-off of Buffalo Bill. Halle Berry plays a 911 operator in LA who has a girl killed by a serial killer while the girl on was the line (Berry called the girl back & the ringtone alerted the killer to where the girl was hiding). Fast forward a few months and Olive Hoover is kidnapped but she's got her friend's cell with her and winds up talking to Berry when she calls 911. Berry keeps her on the line (for what is probably several hours past the life of the battery) and gets critical information.The weird thing is that with all the information Berry gets, the police can't get the guy (the victim is 16 y/o white girl for crying out loud!) and when they do find his lair, the killer & victim are nowhere to be found. This prompts Berry to investigate on her own and of course she finds the secret entrance to the lair but loses her cell phone instantly and can't call her cop boyfriend. Suffice to say she subdues the killer and saves Olive but instead of bringing the killer to justice, she & Olive leave the killer in in his lair to die. Berry gets to recite the words that the killer used on her, "it's already done" as she leaves. Kind of a dumb way t o end it because what if he managed to free himself? But this came from WWE Studios, so I guess an ending with due process was out of the question. Not a bad film but a little predictable. Not awful.
24. Oblivion, in flight viewing on August 10th: Tom Cruise stars as one of the last people on Earth repairing drones after a war with aliens devastated the Earth. He's part of a team that includes his wife Andrea Riseborough (not too shabby) as his dispatcher. Cruise repairs the drones that are increasingly attacked by Scavs (left over aliens) until 1 drone goes missing completely. Also, Tom keeps having dreams about Olga Kurylenko (some guys have all the luck) and secretly works on a farmhouse where he listens to vinyl records. Eventually Tom comes face to face with the Scavs who turn out to be human. As the movie drags on, Tom finds the girl from his dreams is alive, Andrea gets killed and Tom runs into his clone. Eventually Tom's memory comes back to him thanks to the flight recorder that Olga carried with her in her pod (it's not worth going into) and the plot is revealed! The aliens have taken the form of Tom's old mission commander (Melissa Leo), brainwashed Tom & his clones into killing off the last pockets of human resistance and are stealing Earth's atmosphere. This doesn't make Tom too happy so he and Morgan Freeman decide to pull a Trojan Horse ID4 style and nuke the "home office," which was really the alien ship. All the remaining humans manage to find Tom's secluded cabin including Tom's clone who knew exactly where to go despite not being on that side of the forbidden zone (again not worth it). So Cruise gets to sacrifice himself to save humanity and still get the girl! The plot was overly convoluted and not that original.
23. The Wolverine, Hong Kong on August 7th: As a former subscriber to The Uncanny X-Men from issue #149 in 1981 through 1986ish and that includes the X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills graphic novel and The New Mutants graphic novel. I also had subscription to X-Factor and even went back and purchased back issues at various comic book conventions throughout the 80's. Heck! I even bought the ridiculous Magik limited series back in 1983 because it was X-Men related. So I have a lot to say on the subject and I need more space for my thoughts. It can be read here.
22. Olympus Has Fallen, Hong Kong on August 6th: This pretty much a shot by shot remake of Diehard but set in the White House. The back story is that the First Lady dies in a car accident on a snowy night leaving Camp David (they were driving too fast for conditions) because Gerard Butler couldn't save her and he's removed from protective detail by a bitter President. The North Koreans manage to waltz into DC and take over the White House without too much trouble but thankfully Butler 's there to successfully pull off a John McClane impersonation. It's exactly what you think it would be. Very predictable.
21. Mud, in flight viewing on August 2nd: Matthew McConaughey (he of the shirtless school of acting), plays Mud, a fugitive living in boat that got stuck in a tree from a flood. Ellis and Neckbone are junior high aged boys who stumble upon the boat and befriend Mud. Mud is hiding out because he killed a man who abused his true love Juniper (Reese Witherspoon) and now the man's family is after Mud and they want revenge. Ellis & Neckbone take a liking to Mud and help him fix the boat and get it out of the tree. Meanwhile, the boys run into Juniper and find out that the cops are looking for Mud. Everything comes to a head when Mud wants to say goodbye to Ellis but runs into the posse at Ellis' houseboat. After an ensuing gun battle leaves the posse dead (thanks to some timely marksmanship from Sam Shepard) Mud is believed to have been killed. Or was he? This film is more about Ellis growing up and dealing with the hardships of life (girls, divorce of his parents and the change that comes with it). Tye Sheridan does an excellent job as Ellis and writer/director Jeff Nichols, does a really nice job of putting together the story. I poke a lot of fun at McConaughey for his film choices but he is very talented and shows it from time to time. Mud is a very good film with excellent performances that is worth watching.
20. 42, iTunes rental on August 1st: Brian Helgeland directs the biopic of Jackie Robinson, the man who broke baseball's color barrier in 1947. Chadwick Boseman plays the title character that's handpicked by Branch Rickey to make history and make history he did. Boseman and Harrison Ford (Branch Rickey) were darn near excellent in this film and the rest of the cast wasn't too bad either 9especially Christopher Meloni as fiery manager Leo Durocher). How much of the film is 100% accurate, who knows. The reasons for Rickey wanting to break the color barrier seem spot on and I can only imagine the amount of racism and hatred Robinson faced but I think it may have even been downplayed a bit. It had to have been brutal though. The only issue I had with the film is that Helgeland kind of made Robinson seem a little too Roy Hobbs-y, in terms of his penchant for getting big hits whenever he pleased. All in all this was nicely done and well acted. If you're into sports history like I am then you should view this film.
19. The Look of Love, iTunes rental on August 1st: I'm a fan of the films of Michael Winterbottom, so this 15 hour flight gave me an opportunity to view this film. This is a biopic about Paul Raymond, one of the wealthiest men in Britain who made his money through real estate but more infamously through strip and burlesque clubs. The film traces Raymond's life from the late fifties through the 90's and the death of his daughter via drug overdose. Steve Coogan plays Raymond, who seems a lot like Hugh Hefner before he was the Hugh Hefner as he's known now. Raymond was smart, innovative, loved the ladies and they loved him but his husband and fatherly qualities were a bit uneven to say the least. I thought this was a good film that had a very interesting easy to follow story, well acted and great fashion from London's swinging 60's and the 70's. Worth watching.
**********
18. Only God Forgives, July 25th in Chicago: Hunky stud Ryan Gosling is and his brother apparently run a Thai boxing club in Bangkok and do some other illegal stuff. Gosling's brother Billy decides that just going out and decides that paying for the services of prostitute isn't going to give him the release so he takes it to another level by raping & killing a 16 y/o girl. Police Inspector Chang, upon seeing the corpse of the girl decides to let her father (who by the way pimped her out to Billy) have his revenge on his daughter's killer but there's a catch. Chang feels it necessary to chop the father's arm off as to remind him of what a terrible father he is. Enter Kristin Scott Thomas the mother of Billy & Gosling and the apparent crimelord in this syndicate and surprisingly enough she's an evil bitch (think of Alice Ward but as the head of a criminal organization). As a mother she wants revenge for Billy's death and sends Gosling out to take care of but the fact that a badass cop is involved complicates things a bit but that's not what mommy dearest wants to hear. So then there's a lot of maneuvering between the groups to see who's going to get the drop on who. As a revenge flick this film is slow moving (despite being only 89 minutes long I still kept checking my watch) to near dull but there isn't what I would categorize as a lot of violence but it's bloody and the death scenes are graphic and grisly. The characters (especially Gosling who's essentially reprising the role of the Driver, again) are emotionless, a bit weird and despicable, there's no one to root for except maybe Gosling's girlfriend Mai. There's also little dialogue and a lot of lighting schemes (the lighting and the music reminded me of a Miami Vice episode) that are avant-gard I guess. The film had some interesting parts but I didn't think it was that good and definitely not original.
17. Evil Dead, July 19th in Chicago: Truth be told this was an iTunes rental but it was released in 2013 so it counts. It's been awhile since I last saw the original but I know it what made on a shoestring budget with special effects that don't stand the test of time. It did however introduce us to Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi. Five good looking 20 somethings get together in the isolated woods (nothing good EVER happens in the woods) to help Mia (3 letter name like Ash) get over her drug addiction (it's not mentioned which drug but the favorites are Meth & Heroin). While in the
16. Pacific Rim, July14th in Charleston, WV: Two films in West Virginia, that's unprecedented for me. My thoughts on the film can be read here.
15. World War Z, July 2nd in Charleston, WV: Brad Pitt stars as a retired UN special investigator pressed into service when a strange virus comes out of nowhere turning regular people into zombies. As it goes with zombies, their bite will turn you into one. However they don't appear to be flesh eaters (as they are in some films). They just kind of go on a rampge, bite and move on. Most of the killing occurs when the non-infected pull dumb stunts. Pitt leaves his family behind and is dispatched to South Korea to investigate happenings there. From Korea he goes to Jerusalem where the Israelis were prepared for the zombie outbreak. But Pitt's presence is usually followed by destruction and Jerusalem is overrun. Pitt manages to escape and gets routed to Cardif, Wales where there is a World Health Organization lab there. While on the plane, a zombie gets loose (it was stowed away in the landing gear) and Pitt is forced to blow a hole in the plane to suck out the zombies (that's everyone else but his IDF pal and the pilots) but it makes flying the plane difficult and it crashes (always out of the fire and back into the fire). It's at the WHO lab that Pitt proves his theory correct and with the help of the last remaining scientists they're able to develop way to combat the zombie epidemic. It's not a cure mind you but a way to fight back. I never read the book, this wasn't a bad film but i felt as if there should've been more to it so I may have to read the book. There are better zombie films and there are worse. This one plays out more like Outbreak or Contagion than other zombie films.
14. The Purge, June 19th near Portsmouth, NH: The review can be seen here.
13. Man of Steel, June 18th near Portsmouth, NH: The review can be seen here.
12. Violet and Daisy: June 13th in Chicago, IL: Written and directed by Geoffrey Fletcher (he wrote the screenplay for Precious) and starring Saoirse Ronan (Daisy) and Alexis Bledel (Violet) as two young adult assassins in New York City. No backstory is given as to how the two got together but they've been doing "jobs" together for 3 years. Violet is the older of the two (she mentions she has an ID when they need to purchase bullets) and Daisy turns 18 before their latest "job." The fact you don't get a back story was good because at 86 minutes I was pretty bored and a backstory would have made things unbearable. Fletcher tries to create a Tarantino type film complete with breaks in the film to show you what part your in (10 parts all together). The dialogue is quick and snappy but it's not very original. Bledel is almost reprising her roll as the street tough Becky, from Sin City. Bledel is the more sociopathic of the pair since it gets revealed that she does all the killing and Ronan just fires blanks (which explains the opening scene where the 2 put several shots into a dude & he doesn't fall). They're forced into a "cake" job (the need the money to buy a new line of dress from their pop idol) and they get more than they bargained for. They're sent to kill none other than Tony Soprano himself, who's dying of pancreatic cancer (also estranged from his only daughter which took about 10 seconds to figure out) and wants to go out in an Alan Stanwyk-ish kind of way (except he really wants to die). One thing leads to another and the girls get sweet on him. They're forced to execute the hitmen of a rival gang who also want to kill him and do eventually kill him (he requests Daisy pull the trigger). They both escape the police and each buy the Barbie Idol dress but their lives are changed. They're not the BFFs they once were. The final scene is Daisy telling the estranged daughter about her dad. There's a reason it got low ratings on RottenTomatoes.com and on IMD.com. I took a chance on something different and I paid the price. I do feel that Ronan is very talented and could have a bright future ahead of her. Not too much originality.
11. Star Trek Into Darkness: May 19th in Kansas City, MO: Read the review here.
10. Iron Man 3, May 6th in Overland Park, KS: So I had a few hours to kill on my way in from KCI to Harrisonville, MO and I thought, "why not check out Iron Man 3?" There was a lot enjoyed about this film and then there was some stuff that I really didn't care for but it was entertaining and a good start to the Summer film season. Tony continues his relationship with Pepper but its becoming strained. Tony is showing signs of an anxiety disorder from the events in The Avengers. They did a nice job with The Mandarin (including a nice twist that I didn't see coming), Iron Man's longstanding archenemy from the comics. The lead villain though is Aldrich Killian (played nicely by Guy Pearce), the founder of Advanced Idea Mechanics (another nice addition from the comics). Downey is great as Tony Stark. If you liked the 2 suits of armor working together to defeat Vanko's drones in Iron Man 2, then you may not be happy about seeing War Machine having its name changed to Iron Patriot while working for the government (apparently that was a settlement from the prior film and Rhodes is the pilot). Nor that the suit gets taken over by AIM and Rhodes (Don Cheadle) not even being able to use the suit. There is however a climactic final battle with mutated AIM henchmen and Stark's 337 unmanned armored suits (it appears that JARVIS controls them, that's one HELL OF A COMPUTER Tony's got there!). So I'm supposed to believe that Tony built all 337 suits in his Malibu workshop between the events in The Avengers and now? It's clear he's a recluse but that's a lot of free time. Director Shane Black also co-wrote the screenplay and did a nice job with only his 2nd feature. Obviously The Avengers was more fun and I think the 1st installment here was the best and this one edges out Iron Man 2, in my view anyway. I doubt it matter though as the film had a massive opening and I may even see it again.
9. Trance, April 18th in Chicago: Danny Boyle directs this crime thriller about an art auctioneer (McAvoy) who has to assist in an art heist due to his crippling gambling addiction. Vincent Cassel is the bad guy who wipes out McAvoy's debt and his payoff is Francisco Goya's Witches in the Air. During the course of the heist McAvoy attempts to play hero and guts a rifle butt to the head which lead to short term memory loss, which is too bad for him because when Cassel and his gang gets back to the hideout there is only an empty frame. Enter Rosario Dawson as a hypno-therapist that will help McAvoy remember what he did with the painting. This is where the plot "thickens" as they say. Going into detail will give too much away but Dawson works her way into getting a "cut" of the proceeds when the painting is fenced and even gets involved with Cassel. Dawson & McAvoy start to get close as she unravels his subconscious. This all leads to a lot of twists and turns that left me a little slack-jawed. I came to realize that none of the main characters were likable people (Dawson is but some of her actions at the end of the film are morally questionable) as they seem to want to double cross one another. Boyle does borrow slightly from other films but not in an obvious way which always bothers me. This is a film worth seeing and it's one of the better films I've seen this year.
8. The Place Beyond the Pines, April 12th in Chicago: The trailer for this film makes you feel as if Cooper and Gosling are 2 good souls on different sides of the law whose paths cross. However it really wasn't like that at all which I found refreshing. Gosling essentially plays the same character as he did in Drive but with a little more grit. Gosling is a stunt rider for a carnival and Eva Mendes (bra-less in her 1st appearance which was intriguing but a little strange but I'm a guy so...) lets him know that he left her a son when he was in the Poughkeepsie area a year earlier. Having been abandon by his father, Gosling wants to provide for hos infant son and perhaps make a life with Mendes. The problem is that Mendes, her son and mother are living with a man who's taken them all in and gave them a home. That doesn't deter Gosling as he's able to find work but realizes he needs more money and turns to robbing banks. After a botched heist Gosling is trapped in a home with Cooper looking to bring him in. They both shoot each other and Gosling dies. Cooper then falls in with some crooked cops (led by Ray Liotta) who steal the stolen bank money from the Mendes home making Cooper a bit queezy (seeing how he's a square john). Cooper enlists the aid of his father, a retired State Supreme Court Judge, to get him out from under the crooked cops and set himself up as a prosecutor (he's passed the bar but became a cop which baffles his family). The film fast forwards 15 years and Cooper still carries the guilt of killing Gosling and leaving his infant son without his natural father. This is where the 2 sons become the focus. Cooper's son AJ (Emory Cohen), is a straight up jerk despite all the advantages he had (though Cooper was never around). Gosling's son Jason (Dane DeHaan), despite growing up in a loving home (albeit without his natural father but the guy who helped raise him was a good man)turns to a life of mild drug use and being a loner (Mendes never told him anything about Gosling's demise). Neither know the true identity of the other and form a friendship. Eventually Jason finds out the truth about his father and who killed him. I liked this film a lot and there were a few holes in the story but that didn't seem worth crying about. I liked that the film wasn't focused on Gosling & Cooper as I was led to believe. Solid performances from everyone especially Chen and DeHaan. I also liked the ending as it was different from what one moght expect out of a film these days. Definitely worth seeing.
7. Oz the Great and Powerful, March 14th in Chicago: The preview intrigued me since like most people, I enjoy the The Wizard of Oz plus I'm a sucker for a back story. Sam Raimi directs the likes of James Franco, Mila Kunis, Michelle Williams and Rachael Weisz in what could be called a prequel to the 1939 MGM classic. Set in 1905 Kansas, Franco plays Oz, a magician in a traveling circus with a penchant for bedding his female assistants. He winds up in a hot air balloon after being chased around by the circus strong man and runs smack dab into a twister where he is transported from gray Kansas to the wondrous colors of Oz. He meets up with Theodora (Kunis) and is informed of a prophecy that he will free Oz from the tyranny of the wicked witch. To make a long story short, things aren't what they appear to be and Glinda has to set him straight as they flee the armies of Evanora. Glinda convinces Oz to help in the attack on Evanora in Emerald City. Eventually they defeat Evanora and Theodora and restore freedom to Oz. Excellent special effects and cinematography much like the 1939 version. I thought that the story was real good as well and it kind of made me want to go read Baum's books about Oz. The outstanding performance was from Kunis. She starts as the naive young sister who gets her heart broken by Oz and duped by Evanora then ends up a twisted, revenge driven woman that Darth Vader would be afraid of. I'm hot and cold on James Franco but he did a nice job here. I don't know if this is a movie for kids as Evanora's flying baboons are pretty terrifying. A very good picture all in all in my opinion.
6. Stoker, March 2nd in Chicago: As a fan of Chan-wook Park's older films (Old Boy is a favorite of mine) I was stoked to see him make a film to be released in the states with a solid cast. The film plays out a little bit like Hitchcock's Shadow of a Doubt but India is the polar opposite of the happy go lucky "Charlie" played by Thersea Wright. The Stokers are a creepy family with a deep, creepy past. Mia Wasikowska plays India, a cross between the gothic Wednesday Addams and the introverted yet lethal Lisbeth Salander. Nicole Kidman plays India's mother and you get the sense that her & India never really connected as India was much closer with her father (Dermot Mulroney in mostly brief appearances since his character dies at the beginning of the film). Uncle Charlie, whom Kidman & Wasikowska were unaware existed, happens to show up on the same day as India's father's death in a car accident. Things get weird from there but I don't want to give it away. I liked this film a lot. There isn't a lot of action but everyone is hiding something and its usually in regards to Charlie and that's when that person meets an untimely demise. India eventually learns the truth about Charlie but she's actually drawn to him and she can't bring herself to break away. Everything takes place around India's 18th birthday so you've got the girl becomes a woman motif but not in the traditional sense, on account that India is socially awkward (apparently India gets a brand new pair of saddle shoes for her birthday and that's the only shoes she wears until Charlie gives her a pair of high heels in a disturbing scene). This film isn't for everyone but I would recommend it. This isn't Park's best film but the imagery is great and excellent performances from the cast.
5. Side Effects, February 18th in Chicago, IL: To be truthful, I thought this was going to be a poke at giant pharmaceutical companies and how they've come to dominate our lives (a premise that I have no problem with) but it turned out to be a complex murder/mystery and I came away thinking that this was a good film. Be advised...I think Steven Soderbergh's career isn't the same as it was since he had his stellar run from 1998-2002 (Out of Sight, The Limey, Erin Brockovich, Traffic, Ocean's Eleven & Solaris) though he's had a real good run as of late (Contagion, Haywire, Magic Mike which leads us to Side Effects). I don't feel that Soderbergh is on the same level as a Spielberg or Chris Nolan but he can make a heck of film and he's got a solid track record. Rooney Mara loses her edge (along with the piercings) from Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but is no less lethal for sure, to give a solid performance as a depressed spouse of a white collar ex-on, Channing Tatum, who kills him under the influence of an anti-depressant. Enter Jude Law as the psychiatrist who treats Mara after an apparent suicide attempt. As the "facts" about the murder come to light, Law's personal & professional begin to fall apart until he realizes he's been had (of course no one believes him). Law eventually gets revenge, justifiably so as they got justice, against the culprits and he gets his life back. Not the greatest film of all time but it is a solid likeable film with good performances all around.
4. Sound City, February 9th in Chicago, IL: Technically I didn't see this in the theater, it was at my pal J-No's place as he bought it off of iTunes. But it is a 2013 release and Peter Travers mentioned this title was one of favorites from the Sundance Film Festival so it counts by my rules. Directed by David Grohl, yes that Dave Grohl, it tells the story of the legendary recording studio with the one of a kind Neve Soundboard in Van Nuys, CA. A lot of legendary records were recorded at Sound City from Fleetwood Mac's 1975 self titled album Fleetwood Mac to Nirvana's Nevermind. There's a ton of cameo's from the rock scene telling their favorite stories from recording and working at the studio. If you're a fan of music history, then this is a must see. See it at the theater if you can or rent/buy it on iTunes. You won't regret it.
3. Bullet to the Head, February 1st in Chicago, IL: Sly's latest release and he shows that he still has it (or a reasonable facsimile thereof) whereas his former Planet Hollywood pal, Arnold...does not. Hardly Sly's best work but it was ok. The film is called Bullet to the Head because that's the only way people die! John Seda (Sly's hitman partner) shoots a dude with 2 center mass shots into the victim but he doesn't enter the next world until Sly gives him one to the noggin. So Sly & Seda are targeted for death themselves but Sly escapes. He therefore goes on a killing spree (it's all good though because Sly only bumps off bad guys) leaving a trail of bodies all over New Orleans. He hooks up with an FBI agent who's partner was killed (by Sly & Seda, again ok because he was a crooked FBI agent & he got what's coming to him) and it appears as if the same cabal is responsible for the death of each partner. By the way, the NOLA PD comes off in a real bad light here as the only onscreen cops are crooked and thy are helpless/inept to do anything about Sly's bloody revenge (again 4 crooked cops were killed but cops nonetheless. I would think that any police force would vigorously go after the criminal underworld in order to find the killers). Long story short the bad guys die and the FBI agent lets Sly off the hook for the murders he committed in the course of the film but vows he will bring him in if he goes back to being a hitman. Not a whole lot of originality here but fans of Sly will find it watchable.
2. Gangster Squad, January 25th in Chicago, IL: This film was based on a true story or inspired by true events. Here's what's true; Mickey Cohen was a powerful gangster in post-war LA, Daryl Gates was the chauffeur for Chief of Police William H. Parker and that's about it. Maybe there was a "gangster squad" assigned to bring him down, maybe there wasn't. With an all-star cast and a director with a solid background I expected much more. Did I ever think it was going to be as good as L.A. Confidential? Of course not, but I expected a good movie not a film laden with cliches from every gangster and noir films (even Johnny Dangerously for crying out loud!). Forget the fact that there was an African-American and a Latino (in 1949 Los Angeles its hard to imagine that these guys would've been treated like equals but I understand the need for diversity and wanting a wider audience so no big deal especially when the actors are good as these guys were) in the group but the putting together of the "gangster squad" was right out of Kurosawa's Seven Samurai. They even go so far as to make Officer Max Kennard a carbon copy of Kyuzo, the member of the group that is very skilled at what he does and all he cares about is honing his skill (Kennard is an excellent shot with his old fashioned Colt 6 shooter and Kyuzo is a master swordsman who has no equal). Even Michael Pena's character is a dead ringer for Isao Kimura's character in Seven Samurai. The plot is very predictable and there are several parts stolen from Dick Tracy. One of the most predictable plot lines is when 1 of the group gets killed. First off, you that one of the group has got to get bumped off and you know who it is because it's the only guy who's got a family! I sat there and thought to myself, "when the inevitable moment comes this guy is going to be the one that buys it." Plus the scene where the good guys are "set-up" is so obvious as well. This film steals a lot from L.A. Confidential as well as other films so there's not a whole lot of originality. I can go on for hours but at the end of the day, this should've been a better film. I will say this, Emma Stone was good but she was no Kim Basinger despite being much younger (therefore hotter!) than Kim when she did L.A. Confidential. The action sequences are not enough to carry the film. In my opinion disappointing.
1. The Last Stand, January 17th in Winston-Salem, NC: Review can be seen here.
