Category: Movie Reviews

‘Lion’: A potent tale about family lost and found

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The best thing about the Oscar nominated film, “Lion”, is that it doesn’t take a shortcut to wrecking your emotions, but it doesn’t take your attention for granted either.

The film is unapologetically powerful in the scope of its story, but chooses a bare bones manner with which to transcend its message towards the audience over a two hour running time that never feels too quick or too slow.

“Lion” isn’t just a story about being lost and found, but all the emotional chaos in between and the toll it can take on several people involved in a process that can span not only years but decades. Saroo(the scene stealing Sunny Pawar) is only 5 when he is left at a train station by his brother on a night of gallivanting through a small city in India. When his sibling doesn’t return, poor Saroo is stuck on a train for two full days. (more…)

The Founder: Michael Keaton at his best

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“Business is war. It’s dog eat dog and rat eat rat. If you are drowning, I’ll come over and stick a hose in your mouth.”-The Founder

The American Dream means something different for everyone. For Mick and Mac McDonald, the dream was simple; opening a popular way to deliver fast food with quality and efficiency. They did that in San Bernardino, California after a few failed endeavors. For Ray Kroc, a struggling salesman: the dream was to find something truly revolutionary, grasp it, and never let go.

When these three men met, the world and the fast food industry changed forever. The Founder is an entertaining, if light and tone deaf, ride for cinema audiences to endure. Director John Lee Hancock doesn’t aim for the Oscars here with his routine retelling of a bittersweet tale, but that doesn’t mean it is worth skipping. The film works for a few good reasons.  (more…)

Hidden Figures: An entertaining history lesson

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Perception is a dangerous thing. Sometimes, it can rob you of what really lies beneath the surface. Welcome to “Hidden Figures”; a film with purpose and swagger that informs without tiring the soul.

In 1961, three African American women helped John Glenn reach outer space. They were smarter than most and were relentless in their drive to become “the first” to do something extraordinary. Without them, space travel wouldn’t have reached its peak fast enough and the United States may have lost the race to space to Russia. Perception nearly robbed America of a monstrous leap forward and advancement in a field that few could conquer back then. (more…)

John Wick 2: Proof that great action films still exist

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“Do you want a war, or do you want to just give me a gun?”-John Wick

Let’s hope that John Wick never really retires, because the action lovers need him.

“John Wick: Chapter 2” is proof that great action films still exist. You will leave this film on a high that few films can produce, and you will exit the theater needing more of it. In a day and age where pure guilty pleasure action adventures are dying nearly as quick a death as westerns, here comes a sequel to the best action film of the past decade(the original “John Wick”) that doesn’t just earn its place, but improves on the original. You heard me right: “John Wick: Chapter 2” takes the world of the original and expands on it with great delight and panache.

Thank goodness a studio head allowed former stunt man Chad Stahelski to direct a film and recruit the actor he doubled for in The Matrix; Keanu Reeves. Watching the action-lover’s ballet that takes place in this film is like revisiting an old friend that you thought died a while back. The exact dose of adrenaline that it takes to acknowledge that a film is doing its job is on display here. Stahelski and Reeves deserve an Oscar for the stunts they create and execute here. It’s the little things that stand out. The roles that a waterfall and a row of cars on a declining street play in a gunfight. The way that a crowded room can turn into a dedication to a 1980’s John Woo action flick. Too much action and blood in “John Wick” is simply not enough.

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All I hear about Reeves is how he is a wooden actor and he doesn’t do a good job, but those people don’t get the point. Action stars aren’t required to act. They need to convince, have a presence and do the grunt work. Keanu Reeves didn’t enter Hollywood to win an Oscar, so he puts in the hard work of an action star, and that is where he flourishes.

“Speed”, “Point Break” and “The Matrix” are good doses of Reeves, but his best work is playing John Wick with restraint and confidence. He doesn’t have a lot of dialogue as this character, but the greatest action heroes in the history of cinema didn’t either. He goes to work when the bullets fly and the knee caps snap. Reeves is 50 and simply doesn’t care anymore. He’s leaning into what he knows best.

Derek Kolstad’s script is a perfect tool for the outrageous stunts and kinetic energy of the franchise, and the little quirks are the real kickers. The way these deadly assassins live by certain codes, and have the honor that bad guys in other films don’t have. The action stretches from New York to Rome in this film, and fans of the first film get to see a new Continental Hotel in action. A particular sequence that shines is where Wick is walking wounded down a street and has to take out hitman after hitman, because they all get the open contract on his head at once. The script is precise without losing the touch of what made the original great. Make the action the star.

The supporting cast is great, and pairs well with Reeves. Ian McShane, Lance Reddick and John Leguizamo have small — yet vital — parts. There’s a wonderful Neo-Morpheus reunion with Laurence Fishburne, and Common has a few killer battles with Reeves. Everybody fits into their roles seamlessly.

The action is like a well-written symphony, with layered entertainment that doesn’t just end with a bullet or punch. You’ll chuckle at the sight of Wick sending a man flying with his car door, or an extended fight that gathers intensity as it escalates or the patience of a final gun battle between Wick and his main adversary in a diverse maze of mirrors and doors. John Wick enters the dragon at one point in this film, and it’s a great homage to action films that cut the nonsense and delivered the goods.

That is what “John Wick: Chapter 2” does so well. It expands on the plot of the original, brings in new players, assembles two gadgets, but retain the direct entertainment process that made the 2014 film so good. There are no romantic subplots or slowing devices. At two hours, the film moves quick, and doesn’t waste a second of your time.

If you have a fever and a methodical action film made with true artistry is the cure, “John Wick: Chapter 2” is the prescription. It is the rare sequel that wasn’t just required and desired, but improves on the original and leaves you asking for a third dose.

2017 Oscars: Envelope mix-up disguises boring show, tired formula, and breakthrough wins

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When people look back on the 2017 Academy Awards, they will remember two films being announced as Best Picture and a pair of producing groups huddling on stage like a couple sports teams confused after a coin-flip. That’s it, painfully.

It wasn’t exactly Bonnie and Clyde: Part Two on stage with Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway, but it was a bizarre scene.  The 79 year old actor was given the wrong envelope for the night’s biggest award, but were movie fans given the wrong show on Hollywood’s biggest night?

First, Jimmy Kimmel didn’t leave a mark as host, and that’s on him and the writing team. Perhaps people find him funny near the stroke of midnight or after dark, but on Sunday he was anything but funny. He’s the guy who gets up on the stage at open mic night at an underground comedy club, and literally slices through the room with his dry wit and arsenal of recycled jokes that had been overcooked by someone else already.

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On a night where Donald Trump’s new role as executive in chief was mocked more (not that much more though) than Oscar winner Mahershala Ali’s first name, Kimmel didn’t do much to impress. He was a popular yet tired dish as the Academy ordered.

As thoughts begin to move around the room for next year’s host, it’s important to look back on a show that was a spectacle for all the wrong reasons: the show’s late gaffe and mismanagement of a very long show. When it was all said and done, the channel was flipped and a smirk was on my face, and I love the movies.  (more…)

The Lego Batman Movie: The 2017 PG version of Deadpool

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Welcome to a good time at the movies. A comedy that you deserve and need. The Lego Batman Movie, the spin-off from the super-popular Lego Movie, is one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in months. Whether that brings up a fair point about my comedy diet is up for grabs, but what is not happens to be a truly delightful outing at the cinema. Here is a film that is quick on its feet, smart, and hilarious.

The film is great for a few healthy reasons, and let’s start with the Bat himself:

Will Arnett is a revelation as the voice of Bruce Wayne and The Caped Crusader of sadness. There should be a clause in the DC Comics handbook that Arnett has to voice every single physical and voiceover Batman character until the end of time. The man’s voice is made for it, and will mark the actor’s finest achievement in a film where he goes unseen. With all the complaining about Christian Bale’s Bat voice and Ben Affleck’s take on the tonal output of the character, Arnett’s work is signature, and gives the film its legs to run on.

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It’s not just about the comedic deliveries, but also the way Arnett switches up the delivery that goes above and beyond. He can be full of gusto one moment, silly in another, and then sad. Voice work is an underrated craft, and Arnett’s work here is some of the best I’ve heard. (more…)

“The Comedian” dies a slow romantic subplot death

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The first warning sign for a movie can be found in the screenplay credits. If you see four different names for a small independent film like The Comedian, something is very wrong, and you should abort the mission to pay 12 dollars to see it. The new Robert De Niro film, directed by Taylor Hackford, is a misguided adventure that loses its edge and overall effectiveness in a lazy second half.

De Niro is Jackie Burke, an aging lion trying to stay afloat in the competitive land of stand up comics. Best known for an annoying fan favorite television series, Burke is desperate and takes jobs in cheap bars and clubs to keep his name from the dust. He often can’t control his temper, and gets into fights during shows, which requires him to borrow money from his brother(Danny DeVito). When he meets Leslie Mann’s rebellious yet kind hearted Harmony, Jackie sees an opportunity to make himself better, or possibly, just have a good time.

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The Comedian is at its best when it’s painting a picture of the underground comedy scene, and using real laugh artists like Jim Norton and Brett Butler. There’s something unique about getting up on a stage, and getting complete strangers to laugh at your jokes. This film, in parts, shows that bare bone struggle to make a name for yourself in a digital world that is run by clicks and not skill.

Burke is an insult comic, and the role provides De Niro with a chance to plug into his strengths as a performer. He’s one of the best, and that’s because he can mix comedy and drama with sadness without losing a beat. He makes you root for, despise, and love Jackie at once, and that’s not easy to do. This guy wants to make a buck, breaks down anybody in his way, and doesn’t care about it as long as the check clears. If you mention the TV show, he loses his mind, because it represented his biggest commercial hit yet also his weakest creative effort. He’s a wolf who wears sheep’s clothing, because it pays the most.

In Harmony, he sees escape and fun, but for the audience it’s a predictable tiresome romantic subplot. The film loses its way in the second half, because the comedy driven pursuit of fame is shoved to the side and the Harmony quest is put front and center. When something happens, we can tell what’s next. It’s like screenwriters Art Linson, Jeffrey Ross, Richard LaGravenese, and Lewis Friedman passed the laptop around when they tried to finish this script. There simply isn’t enough material for a film like this to work. If it was smart, the simplistic approach of “the old lion chasing one last laugh” would have sufficed. Once they went for the romance, The Comedian lost its teeth.

The cast is good, but largely wasted. Edie Falco came out of television show hiding to play De Niro’s agent, and Billy Crystal, Cloris Leachman, and Charles Grodin all have amusing cameos. De Niro and Harvey Keitel spar on film for the ninth time, and that’s cool. The film made me laugh in parts, roll my eyes in others, and largely leave wondering what could have been if one screenwriter got his vision realized instead of four different sets of hands making the cinematic silverware dirty.

The Comedian isn’t a bad film, but its inability to find an identity and stick to its roots doesn’t make it movie theater worthy.

2017 Academy Award nominations: The good, bad, and ugly reactions

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The 2017 Academy Award nominations take place two weeks from now, and here are my reactions to a few of the nominees.

While it’s good to let these nominations marinate on the brain for a month as it wages war with the cinematic heart over what is good or bad, there’s always a good quick reactionary dose to provide. A few thoughts on the picks, via the bullet point.

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  • Ruth Negga for Best Actress in Loving is great. Here is a performance that decided to wait a little while before he knocked you over the head. Negga is a slow building hurricane in this film, playing a woman who simply wanted to raise a family with a man in a state where interracial marriage was outlawed. Her scenes with Joel Edgerton are fantastic.
  • Lucas Hedges for Manchester by the Sea is a pleasant surprise, and well deserved. The movie hinged on the scenes between Casey Affleck and Hedges, and the young thespian didn’t overdo the troubled teen role. Restraint is a tough tool to teach young actors, but Hedges showed a good portion of it in this film.
  • Casey Affleck should win for Manchester by the Sea. If not him, then Viggo Mortenson for Captain Fantastic. Both actors delivered performances that didn’t require a ton of dialogue or overpowering monologues. You felt every bit of pain in Affleck’s Lee Chandler. He could have hammed it up, and instead he went with the less is more approach. I love a loud Denzel Washington, but Affleck was superb in a role that didn’t have the aplomb of his peers.
  • Mel Gibson getting a Best Director nod is proof that the man is a genuine talent, and should be allowed to make more big budget mainstream features in Hollywood. He said terrible things a while back, and apologized until the cows came home. What is so wrong about giving a guy a second chance? So he doesn’t believe what others believe and he’s somewhat vile and blunt about his beliefs. We don’t award these actors for being great people. We award them for being great at their job, and at their craft. Creating fine films. Hacksaw Ridge wasn’t just a loud war flick. Gibson gave it a heart. Let him back into the party.
  • Unpopular opinion: La La Land doesn’t deserve 14 nods. It wasn’t that great of a film. Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone could charm the pants off a cynic, but I didn’t leave the film thinking it was top 10 worthy. I felt that I went to a “make it in Hollywood commercial” with good looking people. Well done, but not so Oscar worthy. The film was a promo for Hollywood. Seriously.
  • Jeff Bridges for Best Supporting Actor is well deserved. The aging talent gave something extra to a lawman chasing down his last case across Texas. Bridges installed the man with humor, and you were so interested in what he did that a prequel about his character would be desirable.
  • Hell or High Water is a solid Best Picture candidate. It was powerful without being showy. A moralistic tale about bank robbers doing something incredibly wrong to make something right came out of nowhere.
  • Taylor Sheridan’s script for Hell or High Water could really contend with Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester script.
  • While Viola Davis was overwhelmingly good in Fences, Octavia Spencer was just lovely in Hidden Figures. She carried parts of the underrated Fruitvale Station and dominated The Help, but Spencer could find some heat with the box office darling true story.
  • Arrival is my best picture pick. It told a blockbuster type tale with more heart than required, and redefined what an alien story has to contain in order to be entertaining and thought provoking. It’s not a single performance. It’s the entire flick.
  • Gleason deserved a documentary nod, because Steve Gleason’s battle with ALS touched on the non-flashier moments of a terrible disease.
  • It landed on my list for Top Films of the year, but Deepwater Horizon should take home the visual effects and sound editing awards. That film stepped out of the screen and sat next to you for the final hour. Breathtaking.
  • Go ahead and hand all the musically related awards to La La Land. There’s no sense in making folks dress up for the other contenders.
  • Watch out for Natalie Portman in the Best Actress race. Her take on Jackie Kennedy is gathering steam.
  • Moonlight is a quiet upset candidate for Best Picture. Timely tale.

I’ll have more reaction as the show gets closer. Please don’t brush these awards off as publicity stunts. The Oscars are the World Series for performers. They are it.

The 2017 Academy Awards take place on February 26th.

Split Review

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Ho. Lee. Shit!

Misdirection is writer/director M. Night Shyamalan’s greatest tool as a filmmaker. He uses it like a chef uses a knife in a kitchen. The man aims to make movies that nobody else has made yet, and while elements of horror are sprinkled throughout his body of work, there’s a genuine dose of heartfelt drama at the core of his stories. Sometimes, the guy just likes to freak you out. His latest film-Split-does just that, and contains a twist that is going to BLOW YOUR MIND in the very last scene.

That’s right. Shyamalan, nearly 18 years later, has created a twist that pulls the rug out from under you even if you go into the film looking for it. Fellow film critic Landon Burris told that there was a mega twist waiting for me at the end, and I still didn’t see the guy coming. Up until that knockout punch, James McAvoy had anchored this gripping thriller.

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Blumhouse Pictures

The actor has put together a very good career, including not just a young Charles Xavier aka Professor X, but also roles in Last King of Scotland and Atonement. Split is easily McAvoy’s greatest achievement as an actor. How many actors could pull off a role of a troubled war vet with 23 personalities, one of whom has kidnapped three girls and held them hostage in a mysterious basement? The answer is few, and only one or two could pull off this role like the British actor could.

There’s Barry, a loquacious artist with a New York accent. Hedwig is a nine year boy that doesn’t know right from wrong, but can’t be fooled either. Patricia is a stern matriarch, and Dennis the madman with an obsession for teenage girls. Throughout this film, the personalities battle each other and the three girls that range from frantic(Haley Lu Richardson’s Claire and Jessica Sula’s Marica) to quiet yet practical(Anya Taylor-Joy’s Casey). The girls try to work together to stop the many speeds of McAvoy’s Kevin, but have to deal with the intertwined efforts of his many minds. It’s a good ride for the audience to take.

Throughout the film, we hear about a potential 24th personality, and one that can take the shape of  “a beast”. This also puts a clock on the girls breakout efforts, and that is attached to a subplot involving Kevin’s caring therapist, Dr. Karen Fletcher(Betty Buckley). Can the four women find a way to befall a man with so many personalities? Shyamalan never fails to build tension like an artist slowly moving a brush around a canvas. He never feels rushed in his movies, and it aides the whodunit of this plot.

The filmmaker also doesn’t waste budget on well known actors. The young females who play the hostages are mostly unknown, and the supporting players aren’t big names either. Last year’s The Visit’s biggest star was Kathryn Hahn, and that helped the shock and awe of the twist at the end of that film.

Over the years, Shyamalan has taken flack for being “The Twist Doctor”, and it’s a warranted perception. He completed a three peat of films(The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs) that few directors have pulled off, but he created an anticipation that crippled his following efforts with The Village, The Happening, and Lady in the Water. With The Visit, he started a comeback that has been fully realized with Split.

Before the big twist-which I am dying to talk about and may write about later-the film produced a solid conclusion that would have satisfied me if that were all. Before the credits rolled though, Shyamalan hit me where I least expected it, and it all started with a score. After all these years and films, M. Night can still pull a fast one on his audience.

If you weren’t among the 40 million plus to see this film last weekend, I urge you to reconsider and check this film out. Shyamalan aims to create a specific brand of entertainment that hasn’t been put out to the masses just yet. He doesn’t want to do what others have done; he wants to do way better. That visionary firepower should be applauded and aspired to by other auteurs.

I can’t properly explain how good McAvoy is. The fact that it’s a horror/thriller in January will hinder the actor’s chances of award recognition, but he’s truly deserving. Playing so many different minds while not changing his appearance isn’t easy, and making the audience feel for you while they fear you is a hard task that McAvoy succeeds at. Wow is the idea.

See Split for the thrills, McAvoy, and the twist, but stay for the discussion Shyamalan will ultimately begin in your head and among your friends and family who see it. Great films get you talking. This one definitely starts a fire in your head.  Using his greatest tool-misdirection-Shyamalan has confounded audiences once again.

Patriots Day: Peter Berg does right by Boston

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Patriots Day is all heart and delivers on so many levels.

There’s a scene near the end of Peter Berg’s mesmerizing film that defines the film as a whole. Tommy Saunders(Mark Wahlberg) is talking to another cop about the battle that police officers(and humans as a whole) face everyday. The battle between good and evil, and how love can be the make or break factor in winning that fight. In any other film, the exchange would come off as corny and over the top. In this film, which documents the Boston Marathon bombing in 2013, it fits in perfectly. This film is about getting knocked down and rising back up to take back a city. Patriots Day is the Rocky Balboa story of true story comeback flicks.

When the film was announced, there were people who wondered if the film was needed and if so, was it too soon?  The bombings took place nearly four years ago, so the wounds are still fresh with emotional sutures. Berg’s work here puts that to rest, because he handles these brutal yet true and triumphant tales like a master. Take one look at Berg’s resume and it’s full of go for broke heroic tales. Lone Survivor documented a failed Navy Seal mission and Deepwater Horizon detailed the events of the BP Oil Spill. Each were done tastefully and with the assistance of real players, participants, and victims. Berg and Wahlberg were born to bring this movie to audiences, and the timing couldn’t be more perfect. We need this movie and it needs us.

The film starts up the night before the bombings, with an introduction to Wahlberg’s Sergeant Tommy Saunders. It’s a composite character due to the fact that several officers played a key role in this five day ordeal that stretched from Boston to Watertown, Massachusetts. Saunders is our moral compass, and there’s nobody better to play a Boston roughneck cop than one of the true sons of the town. Wahlberg is an underrated actor, and slips into the role of Saunders easily. One can tell the actor spent many days and nights talking to real cops, people, and communities affected by this tragedy. Sometimes, actors have to put the hours in to rightfully do a role justice, and that is what Wahlberg did here. It’s not a great performance, but a solid one that gives the film all it needs.

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The supporting cast is impeccably put together, with John Goodman stealing scenes as the commanding Ed Davis, the former Commissioner of Boston who worked with FBI Special Agent Richard DesLauriers to help track the bombers. J.K. Simmons plays Watertown Sergeant Jeffrey Pugliese to a tee and Michelle Monaghan is effective in the role of Carol Saunders. She is the face of hundreds of Boston police officer spouses that day who wondered how much of a toll the attack would take.

It doesn’t just end with the big names here, because James Colby’s performance as Superintendent Billy Evans is fantastic. Colby looked and walked like the real Evans, and is a true face of film. The roles of Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev aren’t easy to play, but Alex Wolff and Themo Melikidze really embue these two troubled men with feeling and something deeper than pure evil. Michael Beach has a good role as Governor Deval Patrick and Khandi Alexander steals a scene late as a gritty nonsense-less interrogator. There isn’t single actor here where you’d refer to as fake or forced.

The tough as nails script was put together by Berg, Matt Cook, and Joshua Zetumer, with the story adding Paul Tamasy and Eric Johnson as credited hands as well. A large bowl of writers usually stands out as a red flag, but with a story of this scope, the sense is there in needing to fully tell this story right. The film was adapted from Boston Strong, an account of the events written by hardcore journalist Dave Wedge and esteemed novelist Casey Sherman(The Finest Hours), and the film feels like a passionate and thorough retelling.

The attention to detail here is impeccable, with so many moving parts and story adventures. Berg allows you to meet many of these people before the madness begins, so once it does, those character are true people and not mere props for a film to spring off. One of the biggest souls behind the Wahlberg character construction was retired Boston cop Danny Keeler, and there is a scene in the film where Saunders goes into a restaurant near the bomb site and takes a swig of Jameson simply because he needs some kind of release. Keeler did that and it is those kind of reactions that make this film hit hard and honest. Berg is a master chess piece mover here, and always keeps the action moving forward.

The film is all heart, and never forgets what it’s truly about. The hard working and charging folks of Boston coming together to bring down these terrorists. The scenes of victims in hospitals watching their lives change and evolve from terror are as powerful as it gets. The film serves a powerful reminder that love can be the biggest weapon in fighting hate. As long as there is more good than bad, the war can be won. Patriots Day is as much of a celebration of a city’s willpower than a basic retelling of an event.

The film is remarkable, knocks you down, picks you back up, and should be seen by everyone. As Wedge told me in an interview this week, people go to movies for different reasons. Entertainment is one of them. The need to feel something and learn something also exists there. Patriots Day does all three and then some, and succeeds off the strengths of Berg’s classy direction that is equal parts visceral, blunt force equipped, and passion filled. The finale is soulful and takes a piece of you.

Berg and Wahlberg are just like us. They get out of bed every morning, and are built to break. They just get up and make gold records on film. Powerful flicks that recount a time in history where blue collar folks had to dig deep to save themselves and their city. They are a dream team.

Patriots Day is Berg’s masterpiece. He’s the true star here. If you would have told me the supporting actor from Aspen Extreme would be directing heavyweight dramas based on true terror attacks, I would have offered you a ride to the crazy house. From Friday Night Lights to The Kingdom to Lone Survivor to Deepwater Horizon to this, Berg has created a field of versatile entertainment that doesn’t stray too far from realism.

When I left this film, there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. Everybody felt something. Berg used real footage of the interviews with the victims and police officers who were a part of that week. This film can melt the toughest of cynics, and remind us that goodness is out there. Sometimes, it just has to be tested.

Here is a film that is worth your time, money, and a conversation afterwards. If you brew the coffee, I’ll have it with you.

See you at the movies.