MINI-REVIEW: The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

MOVIE
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.

CAST
Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer

RATING
PG-13

RELEASE
August 14, 2015

DIRECTOR
Guy Ritchie

STUDIO
Warner Bros. Pictures

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 56 minutes








STARS
***1/2










REVIEW:

Back in 2010, director Guy Ritchie helped Robert Downey Jr. class up the 1800s in the reboot of the "Sherlock Holmes" franchise.  Five years later, Ritchie is back with a new lead actor, a new period setting, and a new franchise to reboot.  If you haven't heard of "The Man from U.N.C.L.E" before, then you're probably not alone.  This film is an adaptation of a TV series from the 1960s of the same name about a CIA agent who must team up with a KGB agent to stop crime and other world problems during the Cold War.  Henry Cavill, best known as Superman in "Man of Steel," plays CIA agent in Napoleon Solo, while "The Social Network's" Armie Hammer plays KGB agent Illya Kuryakin.  Add in the likes of "Ex Machina's" Alicia Vikander and the irresistible Hugh Grant, and the formula for this reboot is in place.  But the question that remains is whether or not the formula works.  To answer that blatantly, yes it does.

There are moments where the movie gets a little full of itself, as well as a bit confusing at times.  However, once the action and comedy kick in, the film becomes a non-stop montage of crazy fun.  Alicia Vikander and Armie Hammer deliver some solid performances though the scene-stealer comes in the form of Henry Cavill.  Cavill brings this level of class to his performance that makes him so charming to watch as the story goes along.  As an action movie, it features some of the fastest action put into a recent movie.   It also manages to be a comedy as it has some of the funnier moments to come out of a summer blockbuster.  I never expected this movie to do well at the box office, but I do feel like this is still something that should be checked out.  "The Man From U.N.C.L.E." is an energetic, self-aware, and entertaining spy caper that may be one of the most fun surprises 2015 has had to offer.

MINI-REVIEW: The Gift

MOVIE
The Gift

CAST
Jason Bateman, Rebecca Hall

RATING
R

RELEASE
August 7, 2015

DIRECTOR
Joel Edgerton

STUDIO
STX Entertainment

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 48 minutes






STARS
***3/4










REVIEW:

Unlike the majority of trailers to come out these days for horror-thrillers, the one created for "The Gift" surprisingly gives just the right amount of the film away.  Instead of showing the creepiest stuff, the trailer gave the audience a feel of the suspense to come.  It even leads the audience to believe that the story was going to go in a different direction than the film itself ended up doing.   This movie comes from the mind of actor Joel Edgerton, who makes his directorial debut and stars in the film with Jason Bateman and Rebecca Hall along with writing the film's screenplay.  The basic plot of the film has Bateman and Hall's married couple moving into a new home.   Bateman's Simon ends up being confronted by a strange guy he knew in school named Gordo, played by Edgerton, and let's just say that Gordo does some unusual stuff that leads to borderline horror-film material.

What could have been just a standard home-invasion thriller ends up being something a lot creepier and more intelligent than expected.  As with most horror films, there are a couple of jump scares that feel very cheap.  Having said that, the real tension this movie has relies on how the characters react to the actions of others, along with the fact that we don't know a whole lot about Gordo's past with Simon.   Not to mention, this movie keeps the audience guessing until the very end, which in today's world of film is pretty hard to accomplish.  Overall, "The Gift" is a gift that keeps on giving, pun intended.  Along with being a thrilling film, it also features solid writing, great acting, and a lot of promise from Edgerton as a director.  Check out this one if it's still playing near you, and hopefully with at least one person at your side in the theater.




PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

The Visit

Zoolander 2

Sicario

Hitman: Agent 47 (Red Band)

The Transporter Refueled

Sinister 2

Secret in Their Eyes

MINI-REVIEW: Shaun The Sheep: The Movie

MOVIE
Shaun The Sheep: The Movie

CAST
Justin Fletcher, John Sparkes

RATING
PG

RELEASE
August 5, 2015

DIRECTOR(S)
Mark Burton, Richard Starzak

STUDIO
Lionsgate

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 25 minutes








STARS
***1/4










REVIEW:

Aardman Animation is a studio I admire very much.  While their films aren't the best of the best compared to the work from other studios, they manage to make genuine comedy thanks to visual and audio gags from the characters.   They do this rather than resorting to pop-culture or bathroom references as seen in many other kids films these days.  The film adaptation of their series of shorts entitled "Shaun the Sheep" manages to continue their tradition of pure visual and audio gags while also keeping in touch with the show's dialogue-less ways.  In a way, that makes this film accessible and enjoyable for just about anyone.  Sure the villain gets annoying, and the movie itself drags at times, but at the end of the day this is a delightful and innocent film that the whole family can watch together and enjoy.  It may not be as strong as other films Aardman has made in the past, but "Shaun the Sheep: The Movie" is still a solid product from their department.

MINI-REVIEW: The Runner

MOVIE
The Runner

CAST
Nicolas Cage, Sarah Paulson

RATING
R

RELEASE
August 7, 2015 (LIMTED/VOD)

DIRECTOR
Austin Stark

STUDIO
Alchemy

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 30 minutes







STARS
**










REVIEW:

With every year comes a Nicolas Cage movie to talk about, and for 2015 we have "The Runner."  The film has the Cage-meister playing a New Orleans congressman during the aftermath of the BP oil spill.   He ends up in a scandal of his own after surveillance footage of him having an affair with another woman pops up on the internet.  For those wondering if Cage gives an over-the-top performance, he doesn't.   Despite the lack of Cage's typical craziness, his performance overall is fine.   Not the best performance of his career, but it's better than usual.  Unfortunately, his performance can't save the movie as a whole.  "The Runner" is a cliched, occasionally unintentionally hilarious, slow-paced, and forgetful 90-minute film that feels like it's just trying too hard to be more grabbing and impactful than it is.  Connie Nielson is pretty awful here, as is Peter Fonda.  If you're looking for a good Nic Cage film, this isn't it, unfortunately.   If this wasn't on your radar before, there's no real reason to put it on there now.  Not much else to say about this one.

REVIEW: The End of the Tour

MOVIE
The End of the Tour

CAST
Jesse Eisenberg, Jason Segel

RATING
R

RELEASE
July 31, 2015

DIRECTOR
James Ponsoldt

STUDIO
A24

RUNNING TIME
1 hour 46 minutes







STARS
***1/2









REVIEW:

In today's day and age, people seem only to talk through the use of digital devices.  Texting, Skyping, and calling are just some of the examples on how people communicate these days.  That's pretty sad to think about in all fairness. Movies like "The End of the Tour" show just how reliable our generation has become to modern technology.  This film tells the true story about a road trip between two strangers.  David Lipsky, a writer for the New York Times, gets the opportunity to interview and join author David Foster Wallace on the last run of the book tour for "Infinite Jest."  Jesse Eisenberg plays Lipsky, and comedian Jason Segel steps out of his comfort zone to play David Foster Wallace.

Segel has done dramatic work before, most recently in the overlooked "Jeff, Who Lives At Home," but this is the first time he has truly stepped out of his comfort zone.  As Wallace, Segel loses himself both in his look and in the way he acts.   It's the first time where he becomes another character, so much so that it's as if the audience is watching the real David Foster Wallace on screen.  Jesse Eisenberg also delivers some great work as David Lipsky.   Although it's still easy to see Eisenberg playing a character, this felt like his most genuine and human performance to date.  The scenes with Eisenberg and Segel, whether they're arguing or getting along, are the glue that holds everything about this movie together.   The supporting actors are good and all as well, but it's these two that will stay in the mind long after the credits role.

Credit must be given to director James Ponsoldt for, like Segel, stepping out of his comfort zone.  His previous two films, "Smashed" and "The Spectacular Now," both involved struggling alcoholic protagonists and how they're trying to adapt to society and be with the ones they care about the most.   This film is just about these two individuals going on a trip together and bonding over their similarities and differences.  Nothing about it feels cinematic, but rather like a found-footage documentary involving these two on this escapade of theirs.  Donald Margulies, in his first theatrical screenplay, doesn't sugar coat anything shown on screen and allows the audience to see these characters as real people, nothing more and nothing less.   Considering other films to come out about people connecting, this is pretty rare to come across.

There's nothing that feels groundbreaking or monumental in "The End of the Tour," but that works to the movie's benefit.  The pacing is slow at times, and the ending didn't feel as impactful as it should have been, but, all in all, this is a great example of a "slice of life."  The main comparison that comes to mind is Richard Linklater's "Before Sunset."   That movie takes place over the course of 80 minutes in real time and is just a long conversation between Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy.  Out of context, that sounds like a boring concept for a movie.  However, it's because of the written dialogue and the chemistry between the main leads that make a story like that, and like this, engaging and entertaining to watch.  "The End of the Tour" at the end of the day is a quiet, raw and powerful indie drama that manages to work without the use of unneeded melodrama or any significant kind of conflict affecting the outcome of the story.




PREVIEWS YOU MAY SEE:

Goodnight Mommy

Sleeping With Other People

Star Wars: The Force Awakens