Why So Blu?

‘Lee Daniels’ The Butler’ Serves Some Great Material Along With Its Cheese (Movie Review)

The Butler is the kind of movie I would normally dread watching, were I be one to base everything I see off of movie trailers or just be a very cynical person in general.  Fortunately, I am not very cynical and am happy to give almost anything a chance.  Despite knowing that this would be something like the black equivalent of Forest Gump, by having a lead character played the genuinely warm Forest Whitaker and pushing him through various stages of history and the Civil Rights Movement, I was indeed impressed by the large cast involved as well as the nature of this story, which turned out to be just as much a strong father and son tale, as well as a historical drama.  This also highlights an issue of the film, which is how it has plenty of good intentions placed on too many stories, making it a bit too unfocused overall, despite praise that can be put upon some performances and various sections of the film.

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‘Elysium’ Heads To The End Of The Earth To Weigh Its Script Against Its Visuals (Movie Review)

There has been a fair share of original science fiction films hitting theaters in the past year; many of which depicting earth in a dystopian setting.  Films like Looper and Oblivion show earth at various levels of despair, while also finding a way to provide beauty in the aftermath of a planet overcome by destruction.  In his follow up effort to the smash success that was District 9, writer/director Neill Blomkamp has come up with his own take on a futuristic earth ravaged by society and the answer that humans have developed.  This is all combined with an action plot about a man trying to save himself, only to be drawn into the things that make up the political and sociological themes of the film.  Given all of the visual splendor to behold in the film, whether or not Elysium is a success as strong as District 9 is entirely dependent the script, which has an issue with rushing through a lot of development and not providing enough smarts in the dialogue to go along with the eye candy.

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‘We’re The Millers’ And The Audience May Laugh (Movie Review)

While I have seen plenty of raunchy comedies (This Is The End, The To Do List) and ones that skew towards the darker side (The World’s End, The Hangover: Part III), let alone perfectly safe comedies (The Internship) this year, I can’t say there have been too many pure wacky comedies.  I guess The Heat was pure wacky comedy, but I had more fun with We’re The Millers.  It is always tough to grade comedies, especially the sillier ones, but for whatever reason, even in spite of the clear issues, We’re The Millers did enough to make me enjoy my time, while watching the film.  As I dive in, maybe it will become clearer as to why.

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Elysium Isn’t All That Glitters And Shines (Movie Review)

So if there was a place you could live out all your remaining days in paradise far away from the stress, disease and overpopulated slums on planet Earth that even offers private medical machines, which are able to deliver instant cures, wouldn’t you do anything to be there?  That’s a rhetorical question.  Of course you would!  And that’s exactly how I feel on the matter tool.  I would do anything humanly possible to get my loved ones and I to this heavenly place of refuge, sanctuary and equilibrium.  That’s exactly what Elysium is and offers its inhabitants.  Have a malignant tumor on your spleen?  No problem!  Elysium’s medical machines will fix it for you.  And you better believe, Elysium’s citizens will do everything in their power to preserve this lifestyle and destroy anything and everyone who attempts to break in and/or immigrate illegally.  Beware of dog.  Elysium has a big bite. Continue reading ‘Elysium Isn’t All That Glitters And Shines (Movie Review)’

Woody Allen and ‘Blue Jasmine’ Head To San Francisco (Movie Review)

There a few main thoughts I have in regards to the latest…scratch that, this year’s Woody Allen film, Blue Jasmine.  First off, Cate Blanchett is one of the actresses that immediately come to mind when I consider who are among the best working today.  This film contains one of her best performances.  Secondly, here is a great example of Allen coming into one of his peaks again, as he tends to go up and down in terms of his current outcrop of films.  And lastly, Blue Jasmine is very different from a majority of Allen’s other films, which is an interesting quality unto itself.  For a man who has been consistently releasing films for the past 40 years, Blue Jasmine moves away from a certain mold and embraces reality in a way that Allen has only explored so often.

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Spend Some Family Time With ‘We’re The Millers’ (Movie Review)

Come on!  Let’s be serious here!  I’m only seeing this movie for two main reasons.  First, I had to check out Jennifer Aniston’s banging stripper body (who doesn’t) and second, when that boy starts singing “Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls” in the RV at the end of the film’s theatrical trailer, he had me at hello.  So with that being said and admitted, I flung myself whole-heartedly into the press screening of We’re The Millers this past Monday evening.  With an all-star cast consisting of Jason Sudeikis, Jennifer Aniston, Emma Roberts, Will Poulter, Ed Helms, Kathryn Hahn, Nick Offerman and more, who could possibly resist a screening of this anyway?  Please people, that was a rhetorical question.  Now that we have that out of the way let’s momentarily cut the stress cords of life (wish I could do that permanently) and take a few minutes to chat about the lighthearted comedy We’re The Millers…in case anyone asks. Continue reading ‘Spend Some Family Time With ‘We’re The Millers’ (Movie Review)’

‘Percy Jackson’ Is Back And He’s Brought A Sea Of Monsters (Movie Review)

Getting past the surprise that is this sequel existing to begin with, Percy Jackson is back with another adventure, revolving around a quest for the Golden Fleece.  For the record, I did actually find things to enjoy about Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.  It may have mainly been out of my spite for The Clash of the Titans remake, which arrived in the same year, but checking out a modern day take on Greek mythology, structured into the form of a teenage adventure film piqued my curiosity enough, despite some very goofy flaws.  If there is something to say about the sequel, ‘Sea of Monsters’, it is that the film plays with less goofy material and strives to add greater stakes to what is occurring.  The film still misses qualities that make Harry Potter such a strong franchise, as far as these types of young adult fantasy book adaptations go, but Percy Jackson manages to bring enough spirited energy to make it passable.

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‘Only God Forgives’ Is So Terribly Artful (Movie Review)

There is always at least one of these films every year.  Only God Forgives is the kind of film that will be easily derided for reasons that can be very well argued, no matter how much can be said in its defense.  The film is incredibly stylish and focused on providing a delirious sense of place, as we follow two men traveling through the darkened underworld of a very seedy Bangkok setting.  The film is not without a sense of purpose, but that is juxtaposed with violent imagery, lengthy depictions rooms bathed in neon lighting, and a haunting soundtrack to have one continually guessing where all of this is really going.  There is always something to be said for a film that strives to be very different, but how does one go before considering whether the audiences is willing to make the same journey?

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The Fantastic ‘Fruitvale Station’ Is A Look At A Man Caught Up (Movie Review)

It must be hard to be so simple.  Fruitvale Station has the feel of a very straightforward film, were one to break it down into its basic structure.  We follow one man throughout his day.  We see where he lives, whom he interacts with, and it all ends on a tragic note.  It also happens to be based on a true story.  There is so much more there though.  Beyond the efforts to get a small film like this made, which includes using Oakland locations and filming on and around BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit), Fruitvale Station is such a strong success because of incredibly apt direction, the feel generated throughout, based on the sense of location and supporting players, and the incredibly compelling lead performance from Michael B. Jordan.   There is nothing glamorous about how this story is told; it simply works as a straightforward telling of one with a great pool of talent to work with.

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2 stars, ‘2 Guns’, Too Fun? Maybe… (Movie Review)

2 Guns is a lot of things, but calling it ‘good’ is something I am having trouble trying to do.  Given that the film is based on a comic series, which I assume is very pulpy and full of dark humor, I could give it the benefit of the doubt that it is supposed to feel like light fun, with the occasional amount of gritty menace.  At the same time, the fact that this big budget film, with A-list stars, feels just as much like a 2-hour series premiere of a new show on TNT called “Trench & Stig”, does not exactly have me deeming this film as one to race out and see.  2 Guns revels in plot twists, characters threatening each other, wavering allegiances, and plenty of gun fights.  It is not all that original and more convoluted than clever, but star chemistry can go a long way.

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Head Into ‘The Spectacular Now’ (Movie Review)

When it comes to teenager-focused comedy dramas, based around high school life, I tend to look at Cameron Crowe’s Say Anything as my favorite of that bunch.  The Spectacular Now is a film adaptation of an acclaimed novel by Tim Tharp and it has come very close to giving me the same vibe that I really love about Say Anything.  There is a familiar story here, joining the leagues of other coming-of-age films (a sub-genre I have seen a lot of this year), but I had a different sort of experience while watching this film.  It is not necessarily that I could relate to certain characters, but the effort taken to make the film relatable was very well done.  There are comedic moments that work well, but the dramatic moments really hit hard, and the film is stronger for being so sincere in its presentation.

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‘Drinking Buddies’ Have A Fun, Improv-Heavy, Good Time (Movie Review)

Drinking Buddies is a step forward in the film world for writer/director Joe Swanberg, who has specialized in making films of the mumblecore variety.  To catch some up on what that term means, the concept of mumblecore revolves around independent films that are very low budget, largely improvised by the performers (generally amateur actors), and shot in very naturalistic ways, including lighting and real world-locations.  Swanberg’s latest feature is the largest in scale, as it involves several well-known actors and a clearer structure that is somewhat familiar, but still working off what the cast brings to the material most of all.  As a result, Drinking Buddies feels somewhat slight, overall, but the quality of the performances (one in particular) is enough to make it a solid watch.  Setting a lot of action around a craft brewery does not exactly hurt either.

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‘The Wolverine’ Sinks His Claws Into A Strong Standalone Feature (Movie Review)

You have got to hand it to Hugh Jackman.  He began his American film career by starring as Wolverine in Bryan Singer’s X-Men back in 2000 and he has remained loyal to the franchise.  Despite proving his versatility as an actor, including his garnering of an Oscar nomination this past year for Les Miserables, Jackman has stepped into the shoes of Logan 6 times now (7, if you include next year’s X-Men: Days of Future Past).  The man clearly has a love for playing this character and that is expressed better than ever in The Wolverine.  Taking a step away from the X-Men franchise as a whole, this film is content with telling a smaller story with focus, as it deals with the journey of just one character and what it means to have lived a life full of everlasting pain.  It also happens to be set in a world of comic book characters, allowing it to still have lots of action and fun with the premise.  The result makes me happy to view The Wolverine as the best comic book movie of the summer.

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Get On That ‘To Do List’ (Movie Review)

I should start by saying I liked this movie.  The To Do List is a fun summer comedy that mixes absurd raunchiness and some sincere qualities in terms of what the journey means to the lead character, when all is said and done.  It also happens to be another coming-of-age film, which will be in far less theaters than some of the bigger comedies, but still fits the bill of a little indie that could, were it to break out.  Also, it’s a coming-of-age film that was written and directed by a woman and centers on a female character.  I am not one to do too much discussion about gender politics, but aside from being a pretty funny (and filthy) movie, it is coming from a perspective that does not get seen as much, when it comes to these sorts of stories.  Emphasizing once again that I liked the film, it does help that this is not only a movie by a women, starring a women, in a genre generally dominated by boys, but one that does not throw that fact into your face.

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‘The Conjuring’ Is Rated R For Really Trying To Be Scary (Movie Review)

As much good as The Conjuring has in it, I wish the marketing didn’t spoil the film’s key scene.  I am not going to delve to deep, but Lili Taylor (one of the unluckiest actresses, given that for such seemingly nice woman, she always seems to play emotionally or physically scarred characters) is involved in what is easily the film’s most accomplished horror set piece, based on the setup and payoff.  No, not everyone has necessarily seen the same marketing for the film, but the point I am getting at is that the film is effective enough, but does not do much to push the genre forward, nor does it have to.  The Conjuring is effective in merging 70s horror sensibilities with the vision of a modern day horror filmmaker.  There is not much more to glean from the film, but it looks good, will scare many, and is not obnoxiously dour.

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‘Red 2’: Those Wacky Elderly Are At It Again (Movie Review)

A few years ago audiences were treated to RED, a film based off a not-very-well-known comic, which centered on the idea of a retired CIA agent getting back into action.  While the film was nothing like its comic counterpart, it got by on its playful sense of humor, fun cast, and the fact that it allowed Helen Mirren to wield a mini gun.  For whatever reason, a sequel was green lit and the results are far from great.  Red 2 does not have a whole lot of novelty this time around, as we are already used to the concept of older folks cracking wise, while cracking skulls.  It does not help that the film has an alarmingly twisty narrative that relies on globetrotting and double crosses throughout, but still never manages to be compelling.  The loose tone is definitely still apparent, but I can’t quite say that I needed to watch more of these retired, extremely dangerous folk.

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4 Things ‘The Conjuring’ Has Going For It (Movie Review)

I’m going to be completely honest with everyone here.  The Conjuring flat out looks like a movie I would want to see.  If I wasn’t getting into an early press screening of the film, then you’d better believe I’d be laying down my hard earned cash to cover the price of admission over the weekend.  In my opinion The Conjuring has four main things going for it right out of the gate.  First, word of mouth…it has received rave reviews from critics who have been treated to special advanced showings of it.  Second…James Wan!  The man did Saw and Insidious, people!  And now’s he graduating onto much larger things like the seventh Fast and Furious sequel.  How grand is that?  He’s a big boy with Universal now.  Kudos!  Third…Vera Farmiga.  I love her in everything!  She just brings it.  And finally…the following quote I found online regarding the film’s rating had me absolutely dying to see this. Continue reading ‘4 Things ‘The Conjuring’ Has Going For It (Movie Review)’

‘Turbo’ Allows Us To Watch A Speedy Escargot (Movie Review)

Turbo presents the idea of a snail racing in the Indy 500.  There are reasons why this happens and the fact that the film is animated and intended for children allows for an obvious amount of suspension of disbelief, but let me reiterate that this is a film that presents the idea of a Snail racing in the Indy 500.  Sometimes my tone is not too clear, but I can just say right now that did not like this movie.  It is certainly bright, colorful, and full of talent from all sides, given the production value of the animation, voice cast, etc., but in terms of being entertained by Turbo, that just wasn’t happening.  I can imagine that those who buy into the premise will be more entertained, but given that the movie settled in its groove early on and did not have me on board, I can say pretty easily that I just did not care for this film.

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