MINI-REVIEW: Chef

MOVIE
Chef

CAST
Jon Favreau, John Leguizamo

RATING
R

RELEASE
May 9, 2014 (NY/LA)
May 16, 2014 (EXPANDED)

DIRECTOR
Jon Favreau

STUDIO
Open Road Films

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 54 minutes







STARS
***1/2













REVIEW:

I was honestly taken by surprise by not only how fresh and sweet Jon Favreau's return to indie filmmaking, "Chef," was, but also how much it incorporated social media into the plot.  Popular sites and apps such as Twitter and Vine are all incorporated into the film's narrative, and it actually helps to move the story along.  This film is about Carl Casper, one of the most renowned chefs in all of Los Angeles.  After having a massive breakdown in front of a prestigious food critic, as well as the hundreds of people around him with their cell phones recording him, Casper travels across the country with his son and supportive ex-wife down to Miami in order to open a food truck business.  The plot might sound a little generic and nothing special, but there's more to this little indie gem that meets the eye.

The acting from everyone, regardless of how large or small their parts are, is great and a lot of fun to watch.  The film, in a way, serves as a metaphor for John Favreau returning to his "roots," meaning his independent film roots from the 90s after years of working on movies like "Iron Man" for the past decade or so.  To me, this movie as a whole is the definition of a modern crowd-pleaser, and the reason for that is because it's so hard not to smile during this movie thanks to its uplifting nature.  Despite the R rating, which is mostly for language, this is a great movie to see with the family.  Despite the ending being rushed and the movie itself having one or two plot holes in there that come to mind, "Chef" is a great little gem that is just as smart and crafty as it is charming and funny.  But, just a suggestion for those who do go see this, this two hour flick will make you hungry thanks to the incredible looking food made on screen.  My suggestion: either have a nice meal before seeing this movie or grab a quick little bite after the film ends.








PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Boyhood

The Green Inferno

The Fault in Our Stars

Jersey Boys

Tammy

MINI-REVIEW: Fading Gigolo

MOVIE
Fading Gigolo

CAST
John Turturro, Woody Allen

RATING
R

RELEASE
April 18, 2014

DIRECTOR
John Turturro

STUDIO
Millennium Entertainment

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 30 minutes






STARS
***










REVIEW:

"Fading Gigolo" is a film that has a clever premise, a really talented ensemble cast, but isn't as great as it potentially could have been.  The premise of this movie is that of two older men taking the positions of a gigolo and a pimp to satisfy the sexual cravings of older women in New York.  My main problem with this movie is, well, it's not exactly as funny as I wanted it to be.  Judging from the trailers, I was expecting a romantic comedy, but that wasn't what was delivered to me.  Plus, there were two characters here who felt a little two overbearing for my liking.  One was Liev Schreiber's portrayal of a Hassidic Jew, and the other was Sharon Stone's portrayal of Turturro's first "customer."  Schreiber's character felt too formulaic for my liking and was played not as a man trying to protect another in his community's faith, but just a jealous man who wants to be with a woman.  As for Stone, I felt that her character shouldn't have been in the film as much as she was, and when she was in the movie after her first sexual encounter, it was as if she was trying to be overbearing and too needy, when really she could have just done the deed one time and then move on with her life.  Having said all of that, the positives that are in this film outweigh the negatives greatly.

For example, I loved the chemistry between John Turturro and Vanessa Paradis.  Everything about their romance together felt natural and real, unlike many romance films that have come out recently.  Plus, I admire Turturro for tackling the duties both in front of and behind the camera, and though his script wasn't that great, I admire the effort.  Also, Woody Allen and Sofia Vergara are both really solid here as Turturro's pimp and another one of Turturro's customers respectively.  "Fading Gigolo" could have been a great movie had it not focused on certain plot elements/characters and instead showed Turturro's ever-growing decline into either happiness or sadness as the Gigolo he becomes.  However, for the product that was given, I was still entertained by it.  It's not something I would go out and strongly recommend, but I did smile a few times, and I didn't regret going. If this movie comes your way in any form and you're curious about it, I'd say it's worth checking it out.  That is, unless something better is out there for you to see instead.




PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Obvious Child

Begin Again

Wish I Was Here

I Origins

Boyhood

REVIEW: Palo Alto

MOVIE
Palo Alto

CAST
Emma Roberts, Jack Kilmer

RATING
R

RELEASE
May 9, 2014 (NY/LA)
May 16, 2014 (EXPANSION)

DIRECTOR
Gia Coppola

STUDIO
Tribeca Film

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 35 minutes






STARS
***1/2









REVIEW:

There's a line that Nat Wolff says at the beginning of "Palo Alto" that pretty much summarizes high school in a nutshell.  Nat's character Fred asks Teddy, played by newcomer Jack Kilmer, what he'd want to be if he could travel back in time to the Middle Ages.  Naturally, Teddy says he wants to be a king.  Fred, being the crazy and committed person he is, says "No, you can't.  You wouldn't be the king, you'd be the peasant probably."  While the quote doesn't seem like much, it's sort of a metaphorical way of saying to teenagers that nobody is the so-called "king" of high school, because in the end we all become peasants in the kingdom that is Planet Earth.  The film, like the world itself, doesn't have a typical beginning, middle, and end.  This film instead is presented in a series of inter-spliced vignettes about people, more specifically high school students, during a brief time in their high school careers.

The Coppola family must have some type of gene in their blood that makes them love film, because it seems that all of them are in the movie business.  Luckily, the Coppola family is a talented one at making movies, so it's always welcoming when a new member of their family continues their long-standing trend of filmmaking.  First time director/screenwriter Gia Coppola takes these stories written by James Franco and not only expands on them, but manages to show sides of high school life that many are dealing with.  Whether a character is wondering if his best friend is the best role model, if having a relationship with her teacher is a smart thing, or if a character wants to be known as a "slut," Coppola manages to show it all here, and even makes it feel like we've known these characters for more than 90+ minutes.

I also admire how much the three lead teen actors put into their performances.  Emma Roberts truly shows how "Unfabulous" (look up the reference if you don't get it) high school life is.  Not only for those wondering about their future, but also to those who are attracted to their teacher, or teachers.  Jack Kilmer, son of Val, gives a quiet, subtle, and yet powerful performance, which is really saying something since this is his acting debut in movies.  And as for Nat Wolff, well, he is insane in this film.  His character is mean spirited, crazy-as-hell, and chews up the screen every time he's on it.  Every performance in this movie is entertaining, but it's these three that shine the brightest out of the large ensemble cast.

This isn't a movie I'd go back and watch immediately, but it is something I would be interested in revisiting in the future.  What I like about movies like this is that they take you into a realistic world with characters you might actually know in real life.  The kids in this movie party, fantasize over teachers, and ponder what life's going to be like after graduation.  Of course the language and drinking might be a little exaggerated, but the purpose of that is to show the presence of these adult things from the eyes of a teenager.  The pacing might have been off at times and some stories might not have been fully resolved, but that didn't take away from my fascination with this movie.  "Palo Alto," regardless of your age, is an important high school film to see that is elevated by Gia Coppola's great script and direction, as well as some incredible performances from its three lead teen stars.  It's no "Perks of Being A Wallflower," but it is still something I could see many teenagers and college kids getting in to and connecting with, especially those of this generation.




PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

The Signal

The Immigrant

Boyhood

Jersey Boys

The Fault in Our Stars

REWIND REVIEW: Pompeii

MOVIE
Pompeii

CAST
Kit Harington, Emily Browning

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
Fabruary 21, 2014

DIRECTOR
Paul W.S. Anderson

STUDIO(S)
TriStar Pictures,
FilmDistrict

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 44 minutes





STARS
**








REVIEW:

It's weird that the makers behind films about history's greatest disasters think that adding cliched characters, a dumb love story, and 3D make a good movie, because it hasn't worked since "Titanic" came out back in 1997.  "Pompeii" comes to us from notorious director Paul W.S. (not to be confused with Paul Thomas) Anderson, whose contributions to the film industry include the panned "Resident Evil" franchise, as well as the "Three Musketeers" reimagining from 2011.  As someone who enjoyed "The Three Musketeers" for its sheer stupidity and sense of fun, "Pompeii" was something I was very curious in seeing.  I wasn't expecting anything amazing, but I at least wanted to have a decent time watching it.  Boy, was I in for a disappointing 104 minutes.

Aside from the pretty horrendous CGI and the obvious looking sets that this movie was shot on, "Pompeii" suffered from W.S. Anderson trying to get not the best performances out of his actors, but the best impersonations out of his actors.  For example, Kit Harrington of "Game of Thrones" fame is basically imitating Orlando Bloom from "Pirates of the Caribbean" here to poor results, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje is trying to do his best Idris Elba/Nelson Mandela impersonation, and worst of all, Kiefer Sutherland possesses a British accent so bad, it sounded almost as if he was trying to mix Jeremy Irons' character from "Beautiful Creatures" with Lord Farquad from "Shrek," resulting in one hell of a horrendous performance.  The only person here who actually managed to give a performance that was somewhat decent was Emily Browning, but that really isn't saying much.

It seems that almost every film revolving around a historical tragedy must involve cliched villains, a piss-poor script that sloppily puts the back-drop of the catastrophe in there for no apparent reason other than to do it, and a sappy love story that every one knows won't last because one or both of the lovers will meet their demise.  The only movie that ever got this formula right was "Titanic," and that was simply because it was the first time it had been done, and that worked really well to the film's benefit.  "Pompeii," on the other hand, is an absolute mess of a movie.  This was just another cheap excuse for a studio to try to get some "easy" money using attractive actors, pretty-ish visuals, and an unnecessary use of 3D.  The best way to watch this film, if any, is with a bunch of friends who you know could easily shred this movie to pieces with you at their side.  Other than that, there is no rhyme or reason to actually view this movie whatsoever.

REVIEW: A Million Ways To Die In The West

MOVIE
A Million Ways To Die
In The West

CAST
Seth MacFarlane,
Charlize Theron

RATING
R

RELEASE
May 30, 2014

DIRECTOR
Seth MacFarlane

STUDIO
Universal Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 56 minutes








STARS
***3/4









REVIEW:

As some of you might remember, I was kind of let down with Seth MacFarlane's 2012 directorial debut "Ted."  While I found the film to be funny, and even found more enjoyment in it upon multiple viewings, there were still problems I had with the film, and I felt that friends of mine overhyped it too much at the time.  When it comes to his latest directorial feature "A Million Ways To Die In The West," I have to say I was pretty excited to see it.  Not just because of the cast, but also because the idea of MaFarlane's crude, raunchy "Family Guy-esque" humor sounded hilarious to me.  And sure enough, I got exactly what I wanted from this film, and more.  Some of the humor might have been juvenile, and some jokes might have been predictable, but I couldn't help but laugh so hard during almost every single bit of humor that this movie presented.  I haven't laughed this hard in any other 2014 release all year so far, and that's saying something considering that there have been a good amount of funny films that have come out already.

I think the biggest surprise that came out of this movie for me was how great Seth MacFarlane was as a leading man.  Though he's not doing any special voices or is playing a character like a talking teddy bear or a fat, Boston-accented family man, MacFarlane shows here that he, by himself, can be likable and even sort of relatable.  The way I saw him is the way I see any person from 2014 growing up in the Old West, meaning that we would point out all of the craziness and grotesque nature of the time period.  We probably wouldn't have had as much fun or would have been as funny as MacFarlane in the situation, but I digress.  Some may be sad that he's not playing anyone with a funny voice, but me personally I thought it was nice to finally meet Seth MacFarlane the actor, and not Seth MacFarlane the voice man.

Charlize Theron seemed to be having a lot of fun with her performance here.  The chemistry between her and MacFarlane is so sweet and genuine, you could almost believe that they've been friends for a much longer time before the idea for this film was even thought of.  Not only did she manage to be very funny, but she also managed to be kind of a badass.  Giovanni Ribisi and Sarah Silverman also deliver plenty of laughs playing a couple where the lady of the group is a prostitute saving herself for marriage.  That is just hilarious in itself.  Unfortunately, the two actors who are underused here are Liam Nesson and Amanda Seyfried.

Seyfried is literally just here to play the ditsy damsel that is the original eye to MacFarlane's affections.  Even with her scenes with Neil Patrick Harris, who's very funny in here as well by the way, she doesn't really have that much to do, and is sort of just there to keep the love story going.  As for Liam Nesson, he has more of a presence here as the film's villain, but he isn't given really anything that allows him to be funny.  Rather, Nesson is just the gruff, cold, villainous villain we've seen in almost every Western out there.  He's fine in the movie, but I just wish that MacFarlane and his co-screenwriters let him be, well, funny.  Regardless of these two, there's nothing much I had wrong with the movie.

"A Million Ways To Die In The West" most likely will not appeal to most adults thanks to its sexual humor, as well as the feeling of this being a 2 hour long "Family Guy" episode.  Teenagers like myself, however, I think will have a ball with this.  There are more juvenile and dumb jokes than there are clever and intelligent jokes, but I honestly couldn't have cared less.  I couldn't stop laughing from start to finish, and I honestly have no shame in saying that.  This is one of those movies where, like 2012's "That's My Boy," I can acknowledge the dumb nature that this movie possesses, but can still be happy to say that I'd be willing to revisit this movie in the future.  It might not be as smart or as clever as "Neighbors" or "The Grand Budapest Hotel," but I laughed so much more in this movie than I did in those two combined.  "A Million Ways To Die In The West" is one of those absent-minded, absurd, and shocking comedies that I can't wait to revisit both in the theaters with my friends and in the comfort of my own home.  And I'm definitely in the minority when I say that I thought this movie was leagues better than "Ted."  

REVIEW: Godzilla: The IMAX 3D Experience

MOVIE
Godzilla

CAST
Aaron Taylor-Johnson,
Ken Watanabe

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
May 16, 2014

DIRECTOR
Gareth Edwards

STUDIO
Warner Bros. Pictures

RUNNING TIME
2 hours 3 minutes







STARS
***








REVIEW:

The last time America released a film with the name "Godzilla" plastered on it, fans and critics walked out of the theater feeling scammed and sad.  Now, 16 years later, Warner Bros. and director Gareth Edwards felt that a new film based on the popular Japanese monster had to happen so the beast can come back in style.  While I will admit that the monster of Godzilla, when he's in the film, is awesome, and the battle sequences between him and these two insect like creatures were awesome and exhilarating.  However, if you take that away, you have over 70% of exposition, character development, and easy to make fun of moments left.  Having said that, all of the stuff that I didn't like about this movie sort of added to the campy type of fun I had with it.  "Godzilla" is flawed, but it all pays off when the monster comes in to kick some serious ass.

In terms of acting, the best performance without a single doubt is Bryan Cranston's role as the father to the lead protagonist, played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson of "Kick-Ass" fame.  Not only is his performance the most believable out of the entire cast, but it also brings the most emotion to the film. The fact that he only plays a pivotal part in the film's first half hour in my opinion is criminal, because THIS is the character who I would have loved to have seen more of in terms of interacting with the world's exposure to Godzilla.  Having said that, everyone else is fine.  Nobody other than Cranston really stands out for me, because everyone was good for what they played.  Nothing special, just good overall.

My biggest problem with the movie is that it focuses too much on the human characters and too little on Godzilla, who doesn't make his first appearance until the 70 minute mark.  When I think of a movie about "Godzilla," I expect a movie that features the titular character prominently and often.  I wouldn't mind that if the story and the characters were developed enough where I actually got to care about everyone, but here, I just couldn't.  It felt as if the screenwriters were trying too hard to cram in as many human characters as possible, and by doing that made the film feel long and kind of boring in a way.  And here's a little nitpick: do we really NEED to have the US Military in ever single monster/disaster movie out there?  I get it, they do a lot for our country, and I admire their field of work.  I don't need to see them in every single movie involving some type of force destroying the world, though.

The visual effects and Gareth Edwards' direction really helped to make this film work with its gritty and dark atmosphere.  While it's not necessary to see this in 3D, the overall IMAX experience is a fun one, and in my eyes is the ideal way to see Godzilla's return to the big screen.  There are several scenes that not only are directed well, but shot well also.  Two scenes that come to the top of my head involve the military officers shooting flares into the sky and the officers skydiving into the destruction that Godzilla and his enemies have caused on the city presented in the film's climax.  Edwards has a keen eye for making a solid monster flick, and I'd love to see him tackle more cinematic monsters in the future, as long as they prominently feature the monster more than the humans.  Hopefully in his next film we don't have to have so many shots of random citizens giving "trailer shots" and just pose to the camera while they're looking at the off-screen destruction.

While "Godzilla" has its flaws, I'm not gonna lie and say I didn't enjoy it, because this was a fun movie.  Not exactly for the right reasons, though, since there were some unintentionally hilarious moments scattered in the film.  However, the action was a lot of fun, and seeing Godzilla himself kick ass was just awesome to watch on the big screen.  As someone though who was expecting an action film about/starring Godzilla, I will admit that this was disappointing.  This is definitely better than the 1998 "Godzilla" film starring Matthew Broderick, so if you were hoping for that then here you go.  As a movie being advertised as the return of the world's most famous monster, I was let down.  On summer-blockbuster standards, however, this is a solid movie that is definitely worth seeing on the big screen.  If you can, try to see the film on the biggest screen in your area.  And if that means going for IMAX 3D, despite the 3D being kind of pointless, then I'd honestly say do it.





PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Transformers: Age of Extinction

Maleficent

Jupiter Ascending

Guardians of the Galaxy

Edge of Tomorrow

Interstellar

REWIND REVIEW: Gimme Shelter

MOVIE
Gimme Shelter

CAST
Vanessa Hudgens, James Earl Jones

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
January 24, 2014

DIRECTOR
Rob Krauss

STUDIO
Roadside Attractions

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 41 minutes







STARS
***







REVIEW:

As the 40 minute mark hits in the movie "Gimme Shelter," I was wondering exactly WHEN this movie was actually going to be somewhat happy and not as mean spirited as it was.  I get that the events in this movie were based on a true story, but that's beside the point.  There were so many points during the first half of the film where I was so close to turning it off, but I decided to keep going on.  The one thing that was getting me through the film was Vanessa Hudgens' unrecognizable look and her raw/emotional performance, which truly is a standout here.  As for the entire film, though, it wasn't particularly sucking me in the way I wanted to.   And then, James Earl Jones pops into the picture and from there comes a sweet, real, and touching drama that I'm glad I got the chance to see.

The film isn't perfect though, for it's filled with forced emotion, lots of melodrama at times, and a pretty horrendous performance from Rosario Dawson.  There are over the top performances in films, and then there's the performance Dawson gave here.  While the filmmakers succeeded in making her disgusting and ugly, it felt like Dawson was trying too hard to pull of a performance like Monique's in "Precious."  Putting that aside, "Gimme Shelter" at its core has a good heart and is a decent watch for those who are looking for an inspiration movie to see.

Vanessa Hudgens, apart from all of the yelling she does throughout the first half of the movie, gives the best performance of her career thus far, which makes me hope that she chooses more roles like this that allow her to show off her dramatic side.  James Earl Jones and even Brendan Fraser give solid and believable performances that help to move the film along.  Overall, "Gimme Shelter" suffers from forced melodrama and Rosario Dawson's wildly annoying performance.  However, it's saved by Vanessa Hudgens' beautiful role and the film's overall inspirational and feel-good essence.  For that, I'd recommend this one for a nice Friday night watch.

REWIND REVIEW: Labor Day

MOVIE
Labor Day

CAST
Kate Winslet, Josh Brolin

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
January 31, 2014

DIRECTOR
Jason Reitman

STUDIO
Paramount Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 51 minutes






STARS
***









REVIEW:

Compared to his previous films, "Labor Day" is Jason Reitman's weakest movie.  Not to say this is a bad film, because I actually kind of liked the movie as a whole, but comparing it to "Juno" and "Up in the Air" this is a step down for the acclaimed director.  There is good acting, a fine story, and solid direction.  However, the script feels very muddled and never tries to pack in a punch with this romantic story at its core.  Not to mention, some plot points really don't go anywhere, and there are characters who are only there for a scene to do what they were written to do.  Despite the problems I had with this movie, I don't get why so many critics were negative on this.  In my opinion, this isn't a bad film.  It has its problems, but I don't regret watching it, and I thought there were some redeemable  qualities to be had here.  If it's on TV one day or you just want to watch a movie in general, "Labor Day" isn't the worst way you could spend 2 hours.  Just know, this movie has a massive thing for pies.  You'll know what I'm talking about if you see the movie.

REVIEW: Neighbors

MOVIE
Neighbors

CAST
Seth Rogen, Zac Efron

RATING
R

RELEASE
May 9, 2014

DIRECTOR
Nicholas Stoller

STUDIO
Universal Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 37 minutes






STARS
***1/2









REVIEW:

The last time a movie attempted to be outrageous and memorable for its party sequences was the 2012 mediocre teen part flick "Project X."  The party might have been fun at first, but the film got way too dark and too crazy for my own liking, plus the characters weren't all that interesting.  In a way, it seems that Universal Pictures and "Forgetting Sarah Marshall" director Nicholas Stoller saw this, and thus "Neighbors" was born.  The film stars hollywood funny-man Seth Rogen and "Bridesmaids" star Rose Byrne as a married couple with an infant child who just moved into a new home in a seemingly quiet and tame neighborhood, only to have all of that thrown out the window when a college fraternity moves in next door.  Of course hijinks ensue, and for the most part, the film is extremely entertaining.  In fact, I'd say that this might be the smartest comedy I've seen all year, which is saying something considering that I've already seen a comedy that doesn't even come out until August.

If there is anything from this movie that immediately comes to mind, it's the performances from Zac Efron and Rose Byrne.  Having seen a sizable amount of films on his resume, I can happily say that this is, without a doubt, the best performance Zac Efron has ever given.  Not only is he entertaining as hell, but as a character Efron manages to flesh him out and make us sort of root for him while he does all of these crazy things to Rogen and Byrne's characters throughout the film.  And believe it or not, there are reasons as to why he does the things he does, which I won't give away here.  As for Byrne, all I'll say about her is that this is the type of wife that guys would want to have.  Everything this lady does not only is very funny, but also kind of awesome and badass in a way.  This is one of those performances you have to see to believe, along with Efron's.

As for the rest of the cast, everyone is good.  Seth Rogen plays Seth Rogen, which is always enjoyable depending on whether or not you're a fan of his work.  Dave Franco, brother of James, has some very funny moments as one of the frat brothers in the house.  He has a pivotal role to the story, and the way that's executed is handled very well.  We also have actors like Christopher Mintz-Plasse, Ike Barinholtz, and Craig Roberts who pop up and are very funny when they're on screen.  Then there are a series of cameos towards the beginning of the film that, if you haven't read anything about the cast on IMDB, are very funny because of how random they are.  And finally, there are the two infant actresses playing the baby of Rogen and Byrne's characters, Stella, played by Elise and Zoey Vargas. I swear, these two babies are the single most adorable creatures put on film in a veery long time, and they help to make the film a lot sweeter and a lot funnier than it was.  Plus, the end credits feature them in the most adorable of ways.  Overall the entire cast was really good, but the two showstoppers were undoubtedly Zac Efron and Rose Byrne.

I give major props to director Nicholas Stoller for taking what could have been just your average, run of the mill college film, and made it into something that is visually stunning.  I'm not kidding, the party sequences are well edited and look awesome to watch.  Not to mention, Stoller shows here that he not only knows how to successfully tell a smartly crafted comedy, but he also knows how to have fun doing it.  Speaking of this film's intelligence, I applaud Andrew J. Cohen and Brendan O'Brien, two first time screenwriters, for making a frat film that can also serve as a metaphor for growing up and being an adult in general.  Plus, there are so many quotes that can be spewed from this film that I wouldn't be surprised if it got as popular as something like "Mean Girls" in the coming years.

While I didn't enjoy "Neighbors" as much as I wanted to, plus I wanted it to be funnier at times, I still had a really fun time with this movie.  The actors, particularly Zac Efron and Rose Byrne, were a lot of fun to watch and were very funny overall.  Nick Stoller's direction was great, which helped to make the party scenes beautiful and awesome to watch.  And finally, the two first time screenwriters behind this film clearly took the ideas in this film from personal experience, and in return have made a movie that may go down as a "classic" amongst the future teenagers and college kids of the world.  "Neighbors" is a raunchy, unapologetic, smart, and very funny comedy that I actually look forward to revisiting with friends in the coming months.  And word to the wise, do your best to see this with a sold-out audience.  Trust me, it will be a lot more fun if you see this movie with as big an audience as possible.




PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

The Purge: Anarchy

Think Like A Man Too

Guardians of the Galaxy

Transformers: Age of Extinction

Begin Again

A Million Ways to Die in the West 
(Red Band)

Let's Be Cops (Red Band)

REVIEW: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 3D

MOVIE
The Amazing Spider-Man 2

CAST
Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
May 2, 2014

DIRECTOR
Marc Webb

STUDIO
Columbia Pictures

RUNNING TIME
2 hours 21 minutes






STARS
****








REVIEW:

Have you ever gone into a movie, sat down, and immediately become your 8 year old self once the film starts?  Well, that's exactly what happened to me throughout the 2 and a half hour duration of "The Amazing Spider-Man 2."  For the first time in a long time, I felt like a giddy little kid in a movie theater seat, practically drooling and gazing in awe at these amazing action sequences being put on screen.  And even when there wasn't an action-packed sequence going on, there was still a fascinating narrative and relatable characters to watch that helped to carry things along.  Having revisited "The Amazing Spider-Man" since seeing it in 2012, I can honestly say that it's far from a perfect movie.

The narrative is off at times and the film as a whole felt a little too much like a cash grab despite some incredible things in it.  This movie, on the other hand, isn't off on its narrative, nor ever feels like it was made just to make money.  Everything about this movie to me felt genuinely real, even with some moments of pure cheesiness.  It seems that this time Sony and the team behind this film got what it took to make a great Spider-Man movie again, and a memorable one as well.  This may be the best Spider-Man movie to date, and I'm not just saying that, I mean it.

Spider-Man is the definition of "love it or hate it" for New Yorkers.  Despite saving countless lives and taking down bad guys, some don't seem to really believe that he is a hero.  As for Spider-Man's alter-ego, Peter Parker, he's just enjoying the thrill of life, while spending time with his girlfriend Gwen Stacy at the same time.  However, things start to get crazy in the Big Apple when a nerdy, mentally unstable man named Max gets into a freak accident involving genetically enhanced electric eels, making him a human electrical outlet known as "Electro."  At the same time, Peter's old best friend Harry Osborn comes back into his life, complicating things anymore.  Peter soon realizes that all of his current enemies now have one particular thing in common: Oscorp Industries.

As I said in my review for the first "Amazing Spider-Man," the chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone is far superior to Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst's chemistry in the original "Spider-Man" trilogy.  Not only is the relationship between these two characters extended in this film, but the filmmakers allowed for Garfield and Stone to show how believable they are as a couple.  It also helps that they're dating in real life, but that's beside the point.  These guys in my opinion are the glue that really help to hold this movie together as a whole.  Plus, as standalone performances, this is some of the best work both Garfield and Stone have done in their career.  Both bring out emotional sides that we haven't fully seen from them, plus they're equally charming and engaging at the same time.  Plus, Garfield as the web-slinger is just flat out awesome because, like in the comics, Spidey is a smart-ass, and I loved that.  These two were absolutely great in the film, but that doesn't mean everyone else shouldn't be mentioned.

Jamie Foxx playing the main antagonist Electro is probably the most controversial casting choice in this movie.  Not because he's a bad actor, but because some were questioning whether or not he could pull off a "blue face," if that makes any sense.  Me personally, I thought he was great in the movie.  While his persona before the big transformation was a little creepy, it worked for the character, and I thought that transitioned well when he eventually did become Electro.  Dane DeHaan plays the other main villain of the film, Harry Osborn/The Green Goblin.

We don't see much of the Goblin here because his presence was merely to set up for the "Sinister Six" movie coming out soon, but as a whole, I thought DeHaan was also great in the movie.  I liked both DeHaan and Foxx for the same reasons personally, and I thought as a whole they made a great set of villains who we, the audience, could surprisingly sympathize with.  And then Paul Giamatti shows up for about five minutes in the beginning and the end as the Rhino, and his character was just there to set up for, once again, the "Sinister Six" movie.  This I didn't mind, and as a whole I enjoyed the goofiness of his character, which makes me excited to see more of him in the future.  Everyone in the film is really good overall, but if I mentioned everyone in the movie, we'd be here all day.

I applaud Marc Webb for successfully proving that he can direct a superhero film really well.  The action sequences, thanks to his eye for direction, are fun, exciting, and make you almost feel like you're there.  Not to mention, the visuals are incredible in this movie too, which work to Webb's advantage.  Also, despite the many stories in the film, I thought the four screenwriters behind this film actually fleshed out each of its characters and took time to explain as much as they could for 2 and a half hours.  Instead of feeling slow or excessive, I was invested the entire time surprisingly enough.  The creative team behind this film seemed to know exactly what they were doing, and in return gave the audience something amazing.

I seriously didn't expect to love "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" as much as I did.  Even though the original "Spider-Man" films are great on their own, the filmmakers behind this movie in my eyes have made the ideal "Spidey" film.  The action is fun, engaging, and so damn exhilarating.  The acting, particularly from Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone, is charismatic, charming, and some of the best work they've done in their careers.  And even though there are some flaws and plot holes present throughout the film, I saw past them and enjoyed the movie for what it is: a fun, serious, and awesome superhero movie that, in a way, is a homage to cheesy 90s action films.  As someone who's not a fan of "Spider-Man 3" whatsoever, I have to say that "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" uses its multiple villains to great use, and in result turns in something of a superhero marvel.  This is, in my eyes, the best "Spider-Man" movie that's ever been made.



PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

The Giver

Earth to Echo

The Expendables 3

A Million Ways to Die in the West

Godzilla

X-Men: Days of Future Past

Guardians of the Galaxy

22 Jump Street

Annie

REVIEW: The Immigrant

MOVIE
The Immigrant

CAST
Marion Cotillard,
Joaquin Phoenix

RATING
R

RELEASE
May 16, 2014 (NY/LA)

DIRECTOR
James Gray

STUDIO
The Weinstein Company

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 57 minutes






STARS
***1/2







REVIEW ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCTOBER 27, 2013 AS COVERAGE FOR THE 22nd PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL


REVIEW:

If "The Great Gatsby" portrayed the glamorous and stylish version of the 1920s, then James Gray's "The Immigrant" has done the exact opposite.  This film stars Marion Cotillard, best known from movies like "Midnight in Paris" and "Inception," as a Polish immigrant whose sister comes down with a bad case of tuberculosis and is taken away into Ellis Island's hospital.  Down on her luck, and with a reputation from the ship after being accused of possessing "low morals," Cotillard's character Ewa is swept away by Bruno Weiss, a charming yet sadistic man who takes the idea of Ewa's low morals and makes use of it by forcing her to become a prostitute in order to snag some quick cash.  When Bruno's magician cousin Orlando comes into town, however, things become a little complicated between the three.

The best thing to come out of this film, by far, is the acting.  Marion Cotillard's portrayal of a desperate immigrant trying to get her sister into America is an effective performance.  A lot of what she does in the movie is quiet and subtle, however when the emotional sequences occur, particularly ones at the beginning and the end of the film, she gives off her deep side and is able to pull out a deep performance overall.  Seeing her in smaller roles in "The Dark Knight Rises" and "Inception" make me forget how fantastic she is as an actress, and this movie luckily reminded me exactly WHY I enjoyed her work.  As great as Cotillard was, though, I felt that the best performances of the film belonged to her co-stars, Joaquin Phoenix and Jeremy Renner.

Phoenix's performance as Ewa's "savior" Bruno was captivating and powerful.  At first, you really like this guy and find him strangely charming.  Then Ewa does something about 15 minutes into the film that really sets him off and shows off his true colors.  Having not seen a lot of Phoenix performances, I gotta say that this might be his best one thus far.  He gives it all he's got and shows how talented of an actor he really is.  Jeremy Renner was also really good as Bruno's suave magician cousin Orlando.  There's something about Renner that just sucks you in as a viewer and just totally be enveloped in his charisma.  As much as I love him in stuff like "The Avengers" and "Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters," this is the type of film I'd like to see him be in more.  There aren't any bad performances in the film overall, and the three leads just kill it as a whole.

Personally, I loved the sets and costume designs of this movie.  Every shot of New York circa 1920s makes you believe that you have traveled back to the time of cheap prostitution and poor immigrants who lose their families at customs.  Even more gorgeous is the film's cinematography.  Darius Khondji, whose previous work includes "Midnight in Paris" and "Se7en," delivers fantastic work and makes this grim and dirty world look surprisingly beautiful and haunting at times.  It's not as memorable or fantastic as maybe "War Horse's" cinematography, but it is well up there, as it is quite fantastic.

While the acting, directing, and the design/cinematography of the film are great, the one thing that sets this film back is the running time.  Honestly, the film feels a bit long at times and seems to drag or have one too many scenes in it.  If this had been cut down by maybe 10 minutes, then I wouldn't have had any gripes with the movie at all.  Unfortunately, there are certain scenes in the movie that really weren't needed and didn't add anything significant to the story whatsoever.  Other than that, there really aren't any other flaws present whatsoever.

Director/writer James Gray effectively captures the bitterness of  New York's Lower East Side in the early 1920s without getting too grim or being overly sexualized.  The film is dark, as well as a sad one for the most part.  However thanks to the superb acting, the beautiful sets, and an overall great story, "The Immigrant" is a film that is definitely worth seeking out when The Weinstein Company decides to release it.  Apparently this film has been transferred to Weinstein's Video-On-Demand label Radius because of the mixed reactions at Cannes.  Personally, I think this is a shame, because Weinstein I think could have made this an awards contender had they stuck to their initial gut feeling.  Alas, though, the film will be available for all to see, and it will get a very limited theater run.  Hopefully word of mouth spreads and Weinstein reconsiders their decision.  Overall, "The Immigrant" is a powerful and compelling drama that is most definitely worth your time when it does get released here in the States.

REVIEW: The Double

MOVIE
The Double

CAST
Jesse Eisenberg,
Mia Wasikowska

RATING
R

RELEASE
May 9, 2014 (VOD/LIMITED)

DIRECTOR
Richard Ayoade

STUDIO
Magnolia Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 33 minutes





STARS
***1/4






REVIEW:

The latest movie from director Richard Ayoade, "The Double," can be described using one word: bizarre.  Saying that this movie's bizarre isn't saying it's bad, but it is saying that the movie is unique, hard to follow at times, and pretty ambitious.  Ayoade's last directorial effort, "Submarine," was a quirky dramady about a boy looking for love.  "The Double" is similar to "Submarine" in terms of the love subplot, the way the film's shot, and the way Ayoade directs his actors.  Tonally and the overall story however are completely different.  While the movie is being categorized as a straight up "comedy," it's honestly not.  Rather, this is a dark psychological thriller with some dry comedic moments.  Coming out of the film upon first viewing, I honestly had no idea what to think of it.  I wasn't sure if I had loved it or if I hated it.  Then I thought about it for about a week, and I finally realized that I did like the film, but I didn't love it as much as I wanted to.

The best thing to come out of this movie, in my eyes, is Jesse Eisenberg's duel performance as both Simon James and James Simon.  Simon is more of the timid and socially awkward side of Eisenberg we've seen in films like "Adventureland," while James is more of the outgoing and fierce side we've seen in "Now You See Me."  Seeing these two clash is not only entertaining, but also incredibly gripping at the same time.  This film truly shows how fantastic of an actor Eisenberg is, and also shows that he's more than what he seems.  Mia Wasikowska is good as both of Eisenberg's love interests, though I've seen better performances from her in other film.  Wallace Shawn, Yasmin Page, and Sally Hawkins all pop up in supporting roles and are all good with the material they're given.  Overall, though, it's Jesse Eisenberg who you'll be thinking about once the film ends.

When I first walked out of the movie, there was something that "The Double" reminded me of, yet I couldnt put my finger on it.  After I thought about this film for about a day, I finally realized what it had reminded me of: the Jim Carrey dark comedy "The Cable Guy."  While both films have different stories, the execution with certain things is nearly identical if you think about it.  However in the case of this movie, most of the characters are really stupid and too oblivious to see the obvious doings that are being presented from Simon's perspective.  However, what if that was the point?  What if the entire movie is just an exaggeration of the way Simon sees and feels about the world around him?  That might just be one of many possible interpretations people could have on the film.  Or it's just an excuse I'm making to myself in order to get something more out of this.  I admire Ayaoade's dry sense of humor and the originality the movie had, but I think it was too strange and bizarre for its own good.

From a filmmaking standpoint, I loved the music in this movie.  Not only are particular song choices great, but Andrew Hewitt's score is very engaging.  There were certain tracks on his score that I couldn't help but admire while I was watching the movie, and I honestly think they helped to elevate the tone of the film overall.  I can't remember the last time the score to a film actually impressed me and made me look up the soundtrack after seeing said film.  As for the song choices made in the film, I liked how each song was chosen to emulate the mood felt either in the atmosphere of the film's world or how Simon felt at a certain moment in time.  It might just be me, but the music in this film was one of the standouts for me here.

I really wish I could have gotten more invested in "The Double" than I did.  Comparing it to this year's other film revolving around doppelgängers, "Enemy," I felt that the latter did this subject more justice because of how realistic and how more interesting it was for me.  "The Double" I felt was too bizarre for its own good.  Even though the movie was darkly funny at times, Jesse Eisenberg's performance was fantastic, and the direction/music selections were great, I just couldn't fully give myself into this film's madness and forgive the fact that every character in the film was so obliviously stupid for their own good.  I don't think I enjoyed this film as much as others I know who have seen it because I took everything from a literal perspective.  Those who don't do that may very well fall in love with this movie.  I overall did enjoy "The Double" for its performances, its comedy, and its creative flare, but I couldn't get past how strange and bizarre everything was.  Maybe after a rewatch I'll enjoy the film more.  Who knows.

MINI-REVIEW: Stage Fright

MOVIE
Stage Fright

CAST
Allie MacDonald, Douglas Smith

RATING
R

RELEASE
April 3, 2014 (VOD)
May 9, 2014 (LIMITED)

DIRECTOR
Jerome Sable

STUDIO
Magnet Releasing

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 28 minutes








STARS
**







REVIEW:

From the film's awesome trailer to the brilliant poster featuring a knife-holding hand with a rock symbol from his fingers, I have to say that I was actually really looking forward to "Stage Fright."  The film was being called a cross between "Friday the 13th" and "Glee," mainly since it's about a musical camp that's being terrorized by a killer in a mask.  This movie could have gone one of two ways: it could have been self-aware and so over the top that it was funny, or it could have been a straight up horror musical ala "Sweeney Todd" or "Repo! The Genetic Opera."  Instead, the filmmakers behind "Stage Fright" tried to mix both options, with the final product resulting in an overall disappointing musical that doesn't know what genre it wants to be.  There were a few shining moments here and there, particularly the opening musical number at the camp and the killer's first murder, but those weren't enough to save the entirety of the movie.

This could have been one of those horror comedies that was so ridiculously over the top in its execution that it was funny.  Instead, "Stage Fright" takes itself too seriously with its storyline and its characters.  The songs are mostly hit or miss, and none of them are remotely memorable at all.  Plus nobody, not even the main character, is even that likable or worth rooting/sympathizing with whatsoever.  It might have been because I saw so much potential in this that I ended up so disappointed.  "Stage Fright" is a movie that a select group of people will love, but honestly this just wasn't for me.  Aside from the first 10 or so minutes of the film, this movie is cliched, predictable, and takes itself too seriously for its own good, and overall I didn't really care for it.