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I recently had the bright idea to watch the infamous Street Fighter movie and provide an appropriate review. The problem was that it was so bad that my brain actually shut down and there are substantial parts of the film that I have no memory of. Given this circumstance I thought it was only fitting that I watch a fighting game movie that is still bad but is actually entertaining. Enter DOA: Dead Or Alive (or for the sake of completeness, Dead Or Alive: Dead Or Alive).
DOA takes a refreshing approach to making a movie based on a fighting game by not setting in a post apocalyptic future (Double Dragon or Tekken) or a civil war (Street Fighter). Instead we have the best fighters in the world being invited by the mysterious Donovan (Eric Roberts) to a fighting tournament. Seems like an obvious premise really. The story mainly follows Tina (Jaime Pressley), Christie (Holly Valance) and Princess Kasumi (Devon Aoki) who each have their own motives for wanting to compete however Aoki's plotline is the most relevant to the main plot.
If you know the game then you should have a good idea what to expect. Fighting in revealing outfits for the girls and very little attention paid to the male fighters except for plot or comical reasons. There is even a sequence paying homage to the horrendously voyeuristic DOA Xtreme Beach Volleyball game.
Not much can be said about the performances that range from workable to just plain bad. The good part is that everyone seems to be enjoying themselves and no one is taking the proceedings too seriously. There are a couple of well known faces as well to add just a smidge of legitimacy to proceedings.
This is a good movie to sit back with some friends who are also in the mood for a bad movie. Keep the beer and munchies rolling and you are in for a fun night that you will feel uncomfortable talking about afterwards.
A movie about thanksgiving that hit Australia just after New Years is an interesting choice for late school holiday viewing (especially given the big guns of Frozen and The Desolation of Smaug hit a couple of weeks earlier). So is Free Birds a winner or is it a turkey?
Free Birds sees independent thinker turkey Reggie (Owen Wilson), who appears to be the only turkey who is aware of his impending fate, officially pardoned by the President of the USA and taken to live at Camp David. He quickly makes himself at home only to have his dream life interrupted by Jake (Woody Harrelson) who believes he had been sent by the great turkey to convince Reggie to go back in time to the first thanksgiving and "get turkeys off the menu".
This was an interesting one for me since one of the co-writers/producers is a regular on a podcast I listen to, as such I got to get a heap of info about the movie, well in advance, from Scott Mosier. In case you don't know, he is a long time collaborator with Kevin Smith and was producer on Clerks, Clerks 2, Dogma, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back and so on. Trust me, this diversion is relevant to the following review.
It's hard to say much about this film. The animation is solid, the performances enthusiastic, the plot is insane and it ticks all the boxes but there isn't that much new stuff. A lot of the laughs come from slapstick routines and there are a few good one liners but it seems to be one of those movies that you just want to be a little funnier. That is until you watch it with a bunch of kids.
The group I was with included two boys (9 and 6) and two girls (9 and 5) and they loved it. Their laughter made it funnier for the adults and there was no doubt that they loved it. I can see this being a party movie for a bunch of friends with a bunch of munchies. Why munchies in particular? Because I believe there will be another group Free Birds will appeal to...
To put it bluntly, this is a kid friendly stoner comedy and the influence of Scott Mosier's previous work is very obvious (see, I told you it was relevant). From dopey "woah" moments to insane "WOO-HOAH" sequences and a smattering of references to other stoner favourites (The Bill and Ted reference was a personal favourite) along with a great role for the legendary George Takei this is one movie that will... compliment certain states of mind.
Oh, and make sure you hang around for the now compulsory credits scene.
So, if you are in the mood for a quiet evening with an entertaining animated adventure I'd suggest giving this a miss. However if you want to entertain a bunch of kids and be able to laugh along with them then Free Birds can certainly be put onto your menu.
The second part of the three part adaptation of the relatively short book of The Hobbit has now hit the screens and is doing big business around the globe. So is this movie a fantasy thrill ride or a padded out pile of perfunctory pap?
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug sees everyone's favorite Hobbit, Bilbo (Martin Freeman), and his dwarf colleagues on the run from some rather nasty orcs in their continuing attempt to reach the dwarves home of Erebor. Complicating matters further is the dragon, Smaug (Benedict Cumberbatch), has taken up residence and to get what they need Bilbo will have to sneak past him.
Okay, cards on the table time. I am not a fan of The Lord Of The Ring series or their original written versions. I can certainly admire the visuals and the impressive efforts of Peter Jackson and co in bringing this fantasy series to life but at the end of the day it comes down to style over substance.
Desolation manages to ramp up the action a bit over its predecessor (which I mostly slept through) but the problem remains that every single set up, every conversation, every establishing shoot just takes so long that any sense of urgency just dissipates. I guess it's a good sign that I slept less during this movie but the fact remains that boredom still sets in.
Performances are great, the visual effects and scenery are stunning, it all sounds great and there are plenty of characters who would be interesting if they didn't rabbit on so much so the real issue comes back to how drawn out this whole adventure is. Even the cliffhanger ending failed to instil me with any enthusiasm for the final part.
The Hobbit probably could support a trilogy if the individual movies where a bit leaner. I am pretty sure there is a pretty good 80 minute movie contained within this 160 minute marathon. It's such a shame it got buried in the padding.
Alternative title - The Over Long Conversation Of Smaug.
The latest Disney opus is finally in Australian cinemas. If you go by the trailers Frozen doesn't look that special so the question remains... Is Frozen a heartwarming Disney classic or will it leave you out in the cold?
Frozen sees sisters Anna (Kristen Bell) and Elsa (Idina Menzel) growing up as best of friends until an accident sees Elsa's icy powers (yes, she is magic) almost kill Anna. From that point on Elsa does all she can to conceal her abilities and leaves Anna, whose memory of the event, and her sister's powers, was wiped to protect her, wondering why her sister no longer plays or even comes out of her room. When Elsa comes of age and is crowned queen of the kingdom events cause her to lose control of her magic and she flees, leaving the country in the midst of an eternal winter. Anna sets out to find her sister, bring her home and bring back summer.
Disney has taken on the story of the Snow Queen and the first thing I have to say is whoever was given the job of cutting the trailers should get a serious education in how to sell a movie. From the initial trailer I was anticipating a run of the mill "madcap" Disney romance with an extra annoying talking snow man character. Well, I was definitely wrong on that score.
Frozen sets the relationship between the sisters very early on in the piece and just keeps on building on top of that. It certainly appears to be going down the "insert Prince Charming" line for the first couple of acts but ends up taking a very different, and surprising, tact towards the finale. This is a movie that takes the familiar Disney themes and finds new angles. It is refreshing, surprising and, above all, fun.
The cast of characters are fun and very likeable (even the bad guys) even though the male leads seem a little underdone. The real standout is Olaf the snowman (Josh Gad), an animate pile of snow who dreams about all the fun he will have when summer comes back. He actually has a whole song about it. It's great. He is also the warmest character in a movie that is largely about snow, which I am sure is a deliberate choice by the filmmakers and I applaud them for how well they pulled it off.
Speaking of songs, another thing that really did not come across from the trailer is the fact that this is a full on musical. The songs range from the whimsical amusing ones (In Summer, Reindeers are Better Than People) to the full on epic broadway style (Let It Go, For The First Time in Forever) and they are all enjoyable.
It is honestly very difficult to find fault with this movie. I am willing to stand up and say that this is the best Disney movie in recent memory and it is one that the whole family can enjoy. I can assure you it is not just for the girls as I was accompanied by my two boys (aged 6 and 9) who both loved it.
Add Frozen to your must see list. It is completely worth it!
Alternate Title - Comic Sidekick Snowman Steals Almost Every Scene He Appears In.
Last night I had the opportunity to see the Queensland premiere of The Rep followed by a Q and A with Brisbane's King of Cult Cinema, Kristian Fletcher. Quite a number of interesting subject arose so this will be a bit of a multi-part write up.
First up, the review...
The Rep follows the trials and tribulations of three enterprising Canadians, Alex, Charlie and Nigel (all played by themselves) as they try to make a success of an independent rep cinema in Toronto. Over a year we see the struggles in trying to get enough of a regular crowd to keep the entire venture profitable. This is interspersed with appearances by other rep cinema runners as well as film makers such as John Waters and Kevin Smith.
This movie evolved from a podcast by the main individuals and when people are not discussing things directly with the camera it becomes very much a fly on the wall documentary. As is usual in these circumstances it is impossible to say just how genuine and natural the protagonists are behaving when the camera is turned on. They certainly aren't the easiest bunch to like but given the stress level present throughout much of the film that is kind of understandable.
You often wonder why they don't put on more of the events that bring in the crowds in order to prop up ticket sales to make up for quieter days in their regular programming. Strangely enough not much is said about the distributors of the movies themselves except for a few brief, mostly negative, mentions. I feel an in depth discussion on this front may have helped highlight more of the external factors causing issues... but more on this later.
All up The Rep is a very interesting, if a little inconsistent, look at the problems faced by small independent cinemas in a world of multiplexes. It unfortunately doesn't give much hope for the future of these ventures and really highlights the importance of not just saying you support them but actually getting out there and buying tickets.
Alternate title - Three Slightly Annoying Guys Try Desperately To Run A Cinema
The Rep Movie Trailer
Okay, let's move on to the second part of the show... the Q and A with Kristian Fletcher.
If you live in Brisbane and don't know Kristian, chances are you know someone who does. Famous (and occasionally infamous) for hosting movie screenings of classic, cult and just plain strange films at venues across Brisbane, including the only ongoing Australian Rocky Horror Picture Show screenings with a shadow cast, as well as retro nights revisiting the 70s, 80s and 90s and artists like Madonna, Kate Bush and David Bowie.
Given that the discussion followed on from the film the focus was very much on just how difficult it can be to get enough people coming to movie screenings to make them profitable, and given that he doesn't have his own venue to host them (yet) and has much lower overheads it is easy to see why individuals like Kristian and the guys from The Rep do this for the love of movies rather than the money.
One of the key points to come out of the Q and A shed some light on one of the aspects of the movie that I felt should have got more attention, the distributors. With the push to digital the content owners are really restricting access to content across the board and if a venue doesn't have the equipment to show a film in their preferred format then they simply won't allow a screening to occur. Obviously the big multiplexes have no issues with the upgrades but it puts even more pressure on the independent venues. Kristian listed a number of titles that he would love to screen, including titles almost 30 years old, that the big distributors simply won't allow in anything less than a fully digital cinema. The question was asked of the audience if they really cared if a film was screened of an original print, DVD or Blu-Ray or through a digital projector and the general feeling in the room was that people just wanted the chance to enjoy their favourite movies on the big screen regardless of format.
This really highlights the mentality and greed of the content owners, and how they are their own worst enemies in this day and age. The possibility of allowing cheaper, more varied access for older content seems to be an alien concept. If maximum profit cannot be squeezed out of something they'd rather just not bother. In a world where individuals have easy access to Hi Definition content that they can watch on a big screen in their living room, making it more difficult and expensive to enjoy the big screen is counter productive. People still have fond memories of the old school cinemas, hell I still shed a tear when I think about the old Boomerang Cinema at Annerley (sadly demolished now) where I spent many a Sunday night taking in their cult movie double features. By pushing these places out of business and funneling families into the money boxes disguised as multiplexes a very important aspect of going to the movies is being destroyed.
Preservation of movies is more that just converting them into a computer file. The buildings that have shown films for decades must also be preserved. Unfortunately there is almost a stigma attached to going to the movies now, where the expectation is it is going to be an expensive exercise in feeding the corporate machine while sitting in a characterless box. Those in a position to change this, to allow more freedom in what is screened and where it takes place, appear to have no interest in preserving the cinema experience and will instead blame any losses, any independent cinema shutdowns, wholly and solely on the internet.
I think the big message from this movie and subsequent Q and A is if you see a screening of a favourite movie or an independent movie event that piques your curiosity in your local area then don't just say you'd like to go. Make the effort to get there. Get a bunch of friends to go with you. If you enjoyed it then tell people and try to get a bigger crowd next time. We are in danger of losing history. Not just the venues but also the movies that the likes of Universal, Paramount and Fox do not consider profitable enough to preserve. The only way this can be changed is by showing them that there is a market, that people do care enough to spend their money, otherwise this unique cinema experience may be lost forever... just like the Boomerang...
I'm going to have a quiet cry in the corner now....
Coming of age films tend to follow so similar patterns. Awkward main character, seemingly uncaring parents, childish adult mentor and nascent love interest. The question is does The Way Way Back do anything new with the formula or is it a retread of many movies of a similar genre that have come before it?
The Way Way Back sees young Duncan (Liam James) heading off on a summer holiday with his mother Pam (Toni Collette) and her new partner Trent (Steve Carell) and his daughter Steph (Zoe Levin). Arriving at Trent's beach house we soon encounter the other regular holiday goers. Before long the adults are doing their own thing and expecting the kids to either tag along or amuse themselves. Nathan finds a bike and soon encounters friendly local Owen (Sam Rockwell) who runs the local water park.
As you may have guessed by the opening statement The Way Way Back is a coming of age movie. There is no way around it. Straight up and to the point that is what you get. Since it is compulsory for the focus of these movies to be on the awkward loner character it is very difficult to like Duncan when we first meet him. Since the circumstances of this initial set up scene is a very uncomfortable conversation between him and Trent the dynamic between boy and his mother's new boyfriend is set up in the opening moments and it is not pretty. As the movie progresses and Nathan's character gets to develop it becomes easier to like him, and by degrees the Trent character gets more and more insufferable. To their credit Liam James and Steve Carell play these roles extremely well. Toni Collette is great as the Pam, even though you want to yell at her on a number of occasions for her apparent disregard of her son. Again, as the movie progresses you get to see how she is torn between Nathan and Trent. But the real treat of this film is Sam Rockwell's performance as Owen. The apparent carefree child like adult who seems to not have a care in the world (but you just know has a heart of gold) who takes Nathan under his wing and is the catalyst for most of the situations that help Nathan grow. While most of the remaining adults are played to annoying extremes it's the kids that really steal the show, particularly Peter (River Alexander) who initially seems to be just another obstacle to be avoided but almost steals the show in the latter parts of the film.
The atmosphere of the town and the adult/child relationships add a great sense of realism to proceedings. The cast of characters at the waterpark also contrast well with the residents of the beach houses. It all really keeps a nice balance going and removes the tension that builds with the more annoying and obnoxious characters so you never actually end up shouting at the screen.
Anyway, back to my initial question. Is The Way Way Back something fresh? Well, no. It treads the familiar ground covered by so many coming of age films, but it does it extremely well. The experience of watching the movie almost corresponds with Nathan's journey on screen. You start out feeling awkward and not really liking anyone but by the end you are feeling great and knowing that everything is going to be fine.
See this movie.
Alternate title - Kid discovers water park that makes everything better.
Zack Snyder has joined the reboot train and has bought Super Man back. So is the new Super movie suitably super, or is the man of steel a kryptonite addled ball of fail?
Man Of Steel starts out during the final days of the planet Krypton. Here we find Jor-El (Russell Crowe) desperately trying to save his race and particularly his son Kal-El (Henry Cavill). During this there is an uprising by General Zod (Michael Shannon) who seems happy to kill everyone ton save his race. Jor-El escapes and manages to shoot his newborn son into deep space in the hope he reaches a distant planet. Meanwhile Zod and his cronies are defeated and banished into a black hole. Krypton explodes and El the younger lands in Earth on Kent farm (Diane Lane and Kevin Costner) and renamed Clark.
Man Of Steel has one particular problem. Between flashbacks to Clark's childhood, his journey of self discovery while trying to blend in and the action sequences (particularly after Zod and his cronies reappear) we seem to have three different movies being spliced together. If the various sequences transitioned a bit smoother it may not have been an issue but instead we have sudden leaps back and forth that really impact the flow of the film. This becomes really obvious during the big action set pieces where we are suddenly taken from quiet introspection to obnoxiously loud scenes of mass destruction. Seriously none of these guys can even throw a punch without destroying a building or making something explode.
I can't fault any of the main players though. The sincere desire to help comes through clearly with Henry's portrayal of the title character and Amy Adams gives us a great performance as Lois Lane. (Michael Shannon) really has a great time chewing the scenery as Zod and even though Russell Crowe is very low key as Jor-El it suits the role. Kevin Costner breaks the run as Pa Kent since his entire focus is to mess up the young Clark by telling him to hide who he is. Somehow this is meant to show how Clark ended up such a good guy.
Considering the massive amount of collateral damage and inevitable death toll from the fight scenes the outcome of the final confrontation between Zod and Clark really loses impact. Not going to say anymore than that to avoid heading into spoiler territory.
Should you see this movie I'd suggest some preparation. Make sure you have some earplugs for the action sequences (seriously, they made my ears hurt) and something to read during the Pa Kent scenes. Everything else is perfectly acceptable, definitely not super, entertainment.
Alternate title - Fight Between Indestructible Aliens Kills Millions.
After a Panda, an Ogre, Dragons, Bees and a combination of Lion, Zebra, Hippo and Giraffe... what animal could Dreamworks possibly go for next. Well, it's a snail.
Turbo sees garden variety snail, Theo (Ryan Reynolds) dreaming of racing in the Indy 500 much to the dismay of his brother Chet (Paul Giamatti). Through a series of mishaps Theo finds himself sucked through the engine of a muscle car as nitrous oxide floods through, leaving him with many car like abilities, including super high speed. A series of mishaps sees him and his brother captured for a snail racing promotion. After the other snails see what he can do he gets renamed Turbo and the journey to fulfill his dreams begins.
First up Turbo is a movie that really says it all in the title, there are no secrets or surprise twists here. This is a movie about a super fast snail. It may not be the greatest premise (or movie) but it does have a few things going in it's favour.
Turbo himself isn't the strongest of lead characters, in fact many of the portrayals are pretty mediocre. What saves this film from being run of the mill visual junk food is one stand out performance and the action.
Shining above everyone else is the snail Whiplash (imagine Samuel L. Jackson playing Samuel L. Jackson as a snail - which isn't too difficult considering he is played by Samuel L. Jackson!). I lost it when a particular scene had him repeating a line in Pulp Fiction "Do I look like a b*tch?" style. Come to think of it, from an acting perspective Whiplash is the only standout.
The movie itself moves along at a steady pace with occasional action helping to keep interest going, punctuated by some wonderfully utilised musical interludes from the likes of Tom Jones, through to House of Pain and Run DMC, and to the likes of Pharrell Williams and Snoop Dog (who also plays a one catch phrase repeating role). It really just bides it time till the final third where the absolute ludicrous extended racing scene occurs. You can't help but get excited and get drawn into it and this ultimately saves the movie.
The kids certainly enjoyed Turbo. It was colourful and fast and had enough over the top sequences and a fair amount of slapstick to keep them amused. My two both agreed the racing was the best part of the movie.
Ultimately I'd recommend saving this for a rainy afternoon rental or a cheap day at the movies. It is a fun distraction but certainly doesn't come close to being amongst Dreamwork's best.
Alternate Title - Samuel L. Jackson in "Snails on a Race Track"
Whenever I see "based on a true story", especially if in any way related to the Hollywood social elite, I usually assume the only connection to the truth is a cheery wave as it passes by. If the events of The Bling Ring are indeed true then there are a number of people far stupider than I ever thought possible.
The Bling Ring sees hipster outsider Marc (Israel Broussard) attending a new school full of Hollywood dropouts. He is soon befriended by Rebecca (Katie Chang) who in a very short space of time convinces him to go to an absent friends house. While there they take a selection of items before cruising off in the victims parent's Porsche. When their obsession with celebrities brings the news that Paris Hilton is going to be out of town they work out where she lives and break into her house, again pilfering a selection of items. They share this news with a group of other social media addicted youngsters and so begins a crime spree across a number of celebrity properties.
This is a movie that tries very hard to convey the lifestyle of its main characters, often to the detriment of the audience. While much of the movie is done fairly low key (particularly during the theft scenes) it is punctuated with obnoxiously loud sections of the crew partying hard while taking photos of themselves basking in the loot, taking drugs and posting it all on facebook. They openly brag about their exploits to the seemingly uncaring adoration of anyone in earshot. It really makes you wonder why it takes so long for them to get caught.
As for the characters... well they are so obnoxious, objectionable and unlikeable that you spend most of the movie wishing they'd get caught. The sheer idiocy on display really beggars belief. On top of this the victims are celebrities who generally garner more fame with their off screen antics so you are really left with no one to sympathise with. Even the mostly absent parents are either indifferent or just as annoying as their over privileged offspring.
What we are left with is a movie that is more endurance test than entertainment. It does manage to hold your attention in the same manner as a car crash where the only thing keeping you going is the morbid fascination of wondering just how much these horrible people are going to get away with. On a side note I was particularly horrified by Emma Watson sporting an American accent in her supporting role. The final act also seems like it comes from a different movie leaving an already unpleasant experience disjointed as well.
Alternative Title - "We are in your houses stealing your thingz for the lulz. OMFG, lol!"
What do you get when a bunch of actors decide to "play themselves" in a crazy side project? Well, something like this movie I guess.
This Is The End sees Jay Baruchel visiting long time friend Seth Rogen in Los Angeles. He is hoping for a relaxing weekend chilling but Seth drags him to a housewarming party hosted by James Franco. Then the apocalypse occurs and a small group of survivors including Jay, Seth, James Franco, Jonah Hill, Craig Robinson and Danny McBride are left to work out what is going on and what the hell they are meant to do.
I'll be honest. I've been holding off on this movie because it sounded like a pretentious exercise with a bunch of A-List actors going "Oh look, this is what we are really like and this is how we would react" when we all know that they are still just putting on an act. What I found was a movie that was surprisingly entertaining, quite funny, ridiculously over the top with a bunch of A-List actors going "Oh look, this is what we are really like and this is how we would react" when we all know that they are still just putting on an act.
Jay Baruchel is definitely the main star of this movie. His performance remains consistent and entertaining throughout and he functions wonderfully as the straight guy within a group of people way out of their depth. The rest of the cast perform pretty much as you would expect them to if you are aware of any of their work. Jonah Hill is responsible for some pretty impressive stuff later in the film and Danny McBride, well telling you too much about his highlights would require a big trip into spoiler town. Let's just say there are good performances all round.
Since a crowd like this obviously have plenty of showbiz friends there are a number of cameos. Michael Cera and Emma Watson make great appearances but there is an amazing brief appearance by another well know actor quite late in proceedings where a perfectly delivered still has me laughing.
The apocalypse itself is incredibly well done and there is no holding back. This is the full biblical experience complete with the rapture, demons, considerable fire and brimstone and plenty of other apocalyptic goings on. Effects that by all rights should have been super cheesy end up being wonderfully effective and give this movie one incredible atmosphere.
Adding further to the atmosphere are some wonderfully chosen songs to accompany certain scenes. I am willing to say that this movie contains the best use of a particularly annoying Whitney Houston song ever. And as for the finale... well, I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone.
The biggest triumph though is that through the absolute insanity occurring on screen This Is The End manages to remain a story about friendship. The ups and downs of Jay and Seth's relationship pushes the plot and keeps the story relatable even while the entire world is literally going to hell.
In order to remain objective some of the above praise may come from the fact I had extremely low expectations to begin with, but I feel if you approach this movie with the aim of just enjoying a very silly spectacle then you should have a good time.
Alternate Title - Actors acting like actors freak out while everything goes to hell.
Now You See Me sees a group of four different magicians, J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg), Merrit McKinney (Woody Harrelson), Hanley Reeves (Isla Fisher) and Jack Wilder (Dave Franco), brought together by an anonymous hooded figure in order to stage performances where they appear to magically pull major bank heists and then give the audience the money. They are stage managed by Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine), trying to be debunked by Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman) and being chased by a duo consisting of FBI Agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) and Interpol representative Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent). You may have guessed that this isn't a detailed character piece.
Right from the outset this movie is, well, silly. Everything is played as big as possible, as fast as possible and as busy as possible. Terrible for any sense of believability or character development, but great for making sure you don't notice.
The main players certainly do a good job with their roles. You can tell that they are enjoying themselves and no one takes their part too seriously which is a big plus for this movie. As the action cuts from one group to another the actors make sure they get the most out of their parts.
As this is a movie at least partially about magic there is much discussion about misdirection and the phrase "the closer you look, the less you see" is used constantly throughout proceedings. It is apparent that they wanted to apply this to the movie itself but it seems the makers were worried people might miss subtle hints and red herrings so we end up with a very ham fisted version. The movie is continually going look at this, but what about that, hey can we really trust her or him or them, well these are the good guys or are they, etc. The plot twists come thick and fast and this helps the final big reveal to carry some weight even after it is virtually shouted from the rooftops in the lead up.
Where Now You See Me shines is it's ability to have all of the above problems but still be a straight up, highly enjoyable romp. It lays its cards on the table very early on and it is safe to say that those who enjoy the opening character montages (Woody Harrelson's being the highlight) can expect to have a good, if very silly, time.
I have decided to scrap the "in a word" finale and build on something I used in my World War Z review...
Alternative title - "Now You See Me/That/Him/Her/Them/This/The Other Thing Over There"
World War Z is a novel by Max Brooks which received good reviews after taking a very original and intelligent approach to the well worn zombie apocalypse story. The movie rights were purchased by Paramount Pictures in 2006 (the same year the book was published) for use by Plan B Entertainment, which happens to be Brad Pitt's own production company. After several rewrites filming finally commenced in mid 2011. Why am I telling you all this spurious trivia? Read on and find out.
World War Z (the movie) sees a mysterious epidemic sweeping the globe. Infection is spread by bites and the victims become, you guessed it, zombies. Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) is an ex United Nations investigator who had enough of travel to the world's most dangerous hot spots and wants to live in domestic family bliss. It's not long before he has his first encounter with zombies and a well timed call from his former boss, Thierry Umutoni (Fana Mokoena), gets him and his family to the safety of a naval vessel. There he finds out the reason for the call. They want him back in the field to help find the source of the epidemic to see if there is a cure. If he refuses then he and his family will be sent back to the mainland to face the ever increasing horde.
I am not going to try to compare the events of the movie with the original source material. There really is no point as the only similarity is the title. The above history lesson is really just to show that between inception and completion there has been a number of changes. This is readily apparent in the movie as there are scenes where essentially stuff happens for reasons. You get the feeling that something more was meant to occur in relation to these events but they are just left there as random scenarios that seem significant but ultimately have no bearing on the story.
But is the movie any good?
World War Z is an exciting movie to watch and there is plenty of intense, if uneven, action. Also, considering the theme of the movie, it was released as PG-13 in the US (it's an M in Australia) so there is very little blood and none of the normal dismemberment zombie flicks are infamous for. There is some gore saved for special occasions but there is only one scene that reaches any level of gruesomeness. It almost makes it a good movie to ease someone into the horror genre... almost.
The zombies are just as uneven. These aren't your shambling slow menaces, they are lightning fast and super agile with creepy screams and gnashing teeth, except when important characters need to escape, then they drop down a gear and take things a bit easier. Since this strange phenomenon occurs quite early in the movie some of the tension is lost since it is obvious the main players are never going to be in serious danger. That's not to say there aren't some tense moments. It's just that the actual danger seems to be to anyone unlucky enough to be sharing the scene at the time.
Strangely the atmosphere completely changes about two thirds of the way through and the intense pace up to that point just disappears and the movie transforms to a more focused and contained survival horror. It really feels that the slower paced, claustrophobic atmosphere is what was originally intended before someone said more action was needed. Strangely the zombies also stop screaming and instead issue this strange squawking sound. It's also worth noting that at this point Doctor Who appears, sorry a W.H.O. Doctor played by Peter Capaldi.
Forget about logic though. My alternate title for World War Z is "Brad Pitt Saves The World With Sudden Realisations". There are moments where in amongst all the chaos in the early parts (and the chaos starts in the first 10 minutes) he can keenly notice fine details and retain them which allows him to leap to a sudden conclusion for plot reasons. If there was a leap of logic sporting event then Brad would be the world champion. The conclusion his character reaches is just rendered nearly unbelievable because it's that character that comes up with it. Of course this is really a Brad Pitt vehicle, he is the only major player and everyone else is relegated to supporting cast. Luckily he puts in a decent performance since everything is riding on his shoulders.
This is not a movie that you should put too much thought into, which is also it's biggest flaw since it appears the original intent was to create something thought provoking and more in the spirit of the original novel. There is no denying that it is still an enjoyable experience and is a more accessible horror film since even the more squeamish viewers should be able to get through it without too much difficulty.
This movie has been on my to watch list for quite some time, so when I received a request to give it the Rufus Reviews treatment I finally pulled my finger out and sat down for some musical gruesomeness.
Repo sees a worldwide epidemic cause major organ failures, the only cure is a transplant and a company called GeneCo come to the rescue offering finance on the expensive procedures. It all starts going dark when the head of GeneCo, Rotti Largo (Paul Sorvino) gets the legal okay to order repossessions should repayments not be kept up. The story itself focuses mainly on Nathan (Anthony Head) and his daughter Shilo (Alexa Vega). Nathan is desperate to keep his daughter safe after a tragic turn of events killed his wife when she was pregnant. Nathan is even more desperate to keep his biggest secret safe, the fact that he is one of the masked Repo men charged with retrieving GeneCo's property.
This movie really took me by surprise. I have heard mixed reports but I really found myself enjoying it. There are songs aplenty and while some of them aren't all that great there are still a number of enjoyable set pieces and nothing that gets too annoying. Special mention needs to made of the Graverobber (Terrance Zdunich) who works as combined narrator and plot driver. He has some of the catchier tunes and a very strong presence for a supporting character. Another big surprise is Paris Hilton's performance as Amber Sweet, one of Rotti's three insane children who do their fair share to add to the blood and violence.
There is a lot of blood and violence in this movie. Unsurprising since the central premise is organ repossession. This is of course fatal for payment defaulter and involves considerable amounts of blood and entrails. Anthony Head performing this grisly duty while singing about his work makes for a very memorable scene.
The bit players do their melodramatic best whenever they are on screen, and like with the musical numbers, there are more hits than misses.
So if you have a strong stomach and want to see a very different and dark musical then Repo! The Genetic Opera may give you an entertaining evening. Be warned though, this is a perfect example of a like it or hate it movie so I am not making any promises.
We're The Millers is a "let's force a bunch of very different misfits together" style comedy. It is also Jennifer Aniston's latest "I'm a sex symbol, really" vehicle. So do the laughs add up?
David Clark (Jason Sudeikis), a small time pot dealer, gets robbed of his takings so to fix up the debt with his supplier he needs to bring back a shipment of marijuana from Mexico. Realising that he'd be stopped at the border he forms a fake family with his stripper neighbour Rose (Jennifer Aniston), local runaway Casey (Emma Roberts) and abandoned kid Kenny (Will Poulter) for a pretend RV vacation to avoid suspicion. Crazy shenanigans ensue. Laugh! I almost did.
It is amazing how this movie consistently just misses the mark with the majority of its humour. I found myself actually wanting to enjoy it more just by the sheer fact it was trying so hard to get a laugh out of me. The main players, while being very shallow characters, do enough to be appealing and you find yourself getting drawn in by their antics but they just never quite get there. Emma Robert's rebellious teen girl is really the best of a just above average bunch. I would really like Jennifer Aniston to stop trying so hard to be sexy though, the stripper angle is really unconvincing and detracted from what would have been a perfectly decent performance. She is kind of responsible for the funniest moment in the whole movie, at the end, during an outtake reel.
The supporting characters are really just one note piles of pure cliche. I honestly can not add more than that. I could feel my mouth wanting to smile at some of the performances but, just like everything else about this film, it all missed the mark.
I am sure there will be enough people around who will find this movie funny, but when a series of outtakes are the funniest things in a feature length comedy then you know there is a problem. I'd suggest waiting for this one to be a cheap rental.
Quick word of warning. This review will contain rude words. It is impossible for it not too. The bad guy in this movie is called "The Motherfucker" so it can't be avoided. Are we all clear on this? Good.
Kick Ass 2 is the sequel to 2010's Kick Ass (funny that) and sees Kick Ass (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) donning the trademark wet suit again at the behest of Hit Girl (Chloe Grace Moretz). Hit Girl is subsequently convinced to try to lead a normal life leaving Kick Ass to find other like minded individuals to form a superhero team. In the meantime the son of the big baddie wiped out by Kick Ass at the end of the first movie has sworn revenge and when a tanning booth accident leaves him the sole beneficiary of a substantial fortune he recruits his own crew to help him become a supervillain called The Motherfucker (Christopher Mintz-Plasse).
First up, if you haven't seen the original Kick Ass then do so, as soon as possible. It is an incredible movie where the shocking violence contrasted with the apparent innocence of the main characters creates an experience quite unlike any other movie. It also presents Kick Ass 2 with its main problem, it has to follow on from Kick Ass.
If you can put the original movie aside then Kick Ass 2 is still an entertaining watch. It certainly doesn't have the same sort of impact and since a sizeable portion of the movie is Hit Girl trying to be normal there is significantly less opportunities for action sequences. The main players continue their roles wonderfully and we really get to see some deeper characterisation from them. The supporting cast however don't get much of a chance for development due to the fact that this is also a team up movie. There are still some stand out performances such as Colonel Stars and Stripes (Jim Carrey) and Mother Russia (Olga Kurkulina).
If you go into Kick Ass 2 without expectations you are going to have a better time with it. It does not have the same level of shocks, violence or comedy as the original but it still has a lot going for it. Hit Girl is definitely given more to do and with a bit of rearranging this could have easily become the Hit Girl movie. The Motherfucker works well as a supervillain whose power is he can buy whatever and whoever he wants but it is definitely Mother Russia who steals the show on the bad guy side. There is plenty you'll see coming but it still manages to get a few surprises in there.
With the current focus on superhero movies it is certainly a good time to check out Kick Ass 2 and definitely check out Kick Ass as soon as possible.
White House Down has certainly taken a little while to reach our shores so I guess the question is has it been worth the wait and how does it compare with the grump fest that was Olympus Has Fallen?
White House Down sees the White House taken over by a mysterious militant force. Trapped in the middle of this is John Cale (Channing Tatum) and his daughter Emily (Joey King). Can John (not McClane at all) escape with his daughter and save President (not Obama) Sawyer (Jamie Foxx).
Straight up this movie delivered what I pretty much expected in abundance. Ridiculous action, ham handed acting, explosions, horribly cheesy one liners and a premise that would make even the most hack director have second thoughts. However throughout the movie I wasn't so much asking, "Why am I watching this?", instead the question was, "Why am I enjoying this so much?"
The performances are certainly nothing to write home about, but considering the characters are pretty much one note performances, the estranged dad trying to win back his daughter, the "whatever" daughter with a good heart, the detached bad guy, the psycho, the crazy nerd hacker... this movie certainly doesn't scrimp on types of characters, it's just a pity that none of them really have much room for development.
Of course, by having minimal character development there is loads of room for gun battles, explosions, convenient revealing of plot points in idle conversation, more explosions, helicopters, planes, explosions, bad one-liners about Nike's, gun battles and, oh yeah, explosions.
At the end of the day, if you are in the mood for a mindless action movie White House Down will certainly satisfy that craving. It may be run of the mill and formulaic, but it combines the formula into an exciting and pleasing presentation. It has the now compulsory plot twists which are blatantly signposted and certainly do not take you by surprise yet somehow this does not detract from the film. The action never stops which certainly gives the film the advantage of not giving you much of a chance to think about what is going on.
I got my hands on the Cornetto Trilogy soundtracks (which are fantastic by the way) and they awoke an irresistible compulsion to revisit the first two movies while I wait (im)patiently for the bluray release of The World's End.
Shaun Of The Dead sees Shaun (Simon Pegg) dealing with a dead end job, a loser best friend Ed (Nick Frost), relationship issues with his girlfriend Liz (Kate Ashfield) and stepfather Philip (Bill Nighy). Into this mix he gets thrust head first into a zombie apocalypse.
What raises SOTD above being another zombie flick is the great interaction between characters backed up by fantastic performances by all involved. The jokes come through steadily and are wonderfully funny even after multiple viewings. The humour also provides a counter point to when the movie descends into full horror mode. Throw in some genuinely poignant emotional moments and you have the recipe for an incredible viewing experience.
It doesn't shy away from drawing a parallel between everyday behaviour and zombie style characteristics. There is also much humour to be found with the character's interactions with the living dead.
There is some unconvincing zombie fighting action along the way but ultimately this is a movie about self discovery and relationships, and it does a damn fine job.
If you haven't seen Shaun Of The Dead yet then you need to rectify that as soon as possible. Not only is it the finest British zombie horror romance comedy out there it is also one of the best zombie movies of all time.
With White House Down starting it's run in Australian cinemas pretty soon I thought it would be only fair to see the other recent "invade the White House" movie. I can't do a direct comparison just yet but perhaps Olympus Has Fallen can give us a taste of what to expect, or put us off the idea entirely.
Olympus Has Fallen sees our hero Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) leave the secret service after a mishap causes tragedy for President Benjamin Asher's (Aaron Eckhart) family. It looks like he is destined to be a paper pusher but this all changes when a mysterious force takes on, then takes out, the defences of the White House (codenamed Olympus) and takes the President and a number of his staff hostage. With global tensions mounting and God... sorry Speaker Trumbull (Morgan Freeman) as the acting president can Banning fight the army, rescue the president and save the day? I'm sure you can guess.
First up, this movie takes itself immensely seriously and goes to great lengths to show you every bit of suffering in as much macabre detail as possible. Quite early in proceedings literally hundreds of innocent bystanders get mowed down and the camera lingers on as many as possible. We even get extra slaughter victim close ups as Banning's wife, Leah (Radha Mitchell), happens to be a nurse at the only hospital in Washington that seems to be receiving the injured. This is a movie full of stern faces and ruthless cruelty.
Imagine if you will that all the actors have been replaced by the seven dwarves and their clones, and that all the other dwarves have been replaced with Grumpy and you should get a good idea about the performances in this movie. Given the excessive cruelty on display any snappy one liners would just seem crass so it's lucky the makers of this film obviously decided against including any. And don't think it's just the baddies being cruel, Gerard Butler (hereby renamed Grumpy Butface in honour of his performance in this movie) is just as ruthless in his dealings with the invading force.
Another issue is the invading force itself. The initial push on the White House comprises of a huge force of baddies, but once inside and secured 90% of them just seem to disappear, leaving Grumpy Buttface a small handful of groups and several lone sentries to take out in a suitably gruesome fashion.
Besides that we have a number of cliches. The chilling emotionless bad guy, the surprisingly attractive evil computer genius, the precocious child (who initially seemed to be set up to play a big role in proceedings, but ended up being rescued quite early and never mentioned again), and the wise old janitor... sorry, Morgan Freeman.
Despite all of the above you certainly can't discount that this is a quintessential action movie with spectacular action, fist fights and lots of military weaponry being waved about the place. It's the action that saves the film from becoming a depressing slaughter fest.
I really find it hard to recommend Olympus Has Fallen, but if you are a fan of military hardware and lone wolf action played completely seriously well you should find something to satisfy you here.
I've been digging through a backlog of indie titles and came across this sci fi piece, and given the premise and cast I thought it was at least worth a look. So does Rock Jocks rock?
Rock Jocks sees John (Andrew Bowen) called up to go to work when he is meant to be heading out with his son to watch a meteor shower. We soon find out he works at a top secret facility that uses orbital lasers to shoot down asteroids that are a threat to Earth. The facility, that was set up in the sixties after the alien who crash landed at Roswell informs the government that a planet destroying asteroid is on it's way, has seen steady budget cuts and on this particular evening a bureaucrat is on hand to re-assess the operation.
Okay, straight up, Rock Jocks is a geek movie. There are plenty of geek culture references and each character is essentially a different stereotype. Some of these work, while others are just plain annoying. Most of the action either takes place in bunker style corridors or the control room which is reminiscent of dodgy sixties science fiction films, but considering this takes place in a facility that has seen very little improvement in 40 years that kind of works. There is also occasional visits to the two bored security guards, which essentially boil down to "hey look, Jason Mewes is in this movie!"
I don't want you to think it is all cheap and dodgy though. Despite the characters being very one dimensional (and one being really, really annoying) and swearing like a truckie with 9 flat tires there are some good scenes and funny dialogue which a movie like this has to rely on. We even get to see some frantic, if predictable, action towards the climax which helps keep tedium at bay.
All up Rock Jocks is a fraction above average. Just entertaining enough to be enjoyable, but ultimately pretty forgettable. There are certainly worse ways to kill 90 minutes.
In a word - okay. (I honestly can't think of anything clever to put here)
Michael Bay has stepped away from the giant transforming robots and has decided to bring us a "based on a true story" criminal action drama comedy... okay, that's an awkward description but, well, it works.
Pain and Gain sees a trio of bodybuilders, Daniel Lugo (Mark Wahlberg), Paul Doyle (Dwayne Johnson) and Adrian Doorbal (Anthony Mackie) wanting more out of life. After seeing a motivational seminar featuring Johnny Wu (Ken Jeong), Daniel decides that the time is right to get what he wants and hatches an elaborate plan to force sleazy gym patron and business owner Victor Kershaw (Tony Shalhoub) to sign over all his money and property to him and his partner's in crime. Things do not go as planned.
Pain and Gain goes to great lengths to tell you that it is based on a true story. With several statements at the start of the movie, a reminder during one of the more outrageous scenes and mug shots of the real crooks along with actual crime scene photos over the closing credits it really does not want you to forget the true story aspect. This is necessary since most of the action is so ridiculously over the top and you really find yourself thinking that no one could possible be so stupid. Trust me, the main players in this movie are really, really stupid.
An interesting device within the movie is the narration. While at first it seems that Daniel is going to be explaining plot points and motivations it soon jumps to other characters at different times. This really helps keep the movie interesting and adds a layer of charm to the beef head's antics. It also never lets you forget just how dumb the main characters are. They are so stupid. Explaining how they managed to get away with anything would be a bit of a plot spoiler so you'll have to find that out for yourself.
Performances in the movie are excellent. Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson really shine and are backed up by an outstanding supporting cast. Ed Harris and Rebel Wilson particularly steal most of their scenes.
There are some pretty nasty scenes as well as a smattering of gross out humour. The movie also moves into very dark territory... that I can't talk about without spoiling the movie.
Pain and Gain is an enjoyable movie, even though the "true story" aspect causes a few situations that jolt you out of the movie. This is a very black comedy though, and should you decide to look up the real story it is based on, well, trust me there is nothing funny about what really happened.
