The Hangover 2

The Hangover 2

           Stu, Phil, Alan, and Doug are back for more adventures of ‘The Wolfpack’.  The movie is getting mixed reviews and, reading the reviews, the frustration seems to be that it is a recycling of the first movie.  Given the fact that the whole premise is in the title, I’m not sure how far they could have varied from the formula that made the first one great and still make it a film that people wanted to see.  I will say, there are a lot of similarities, but half the fun for me was the ‘Here we go again’ feeling during a variety of scenes.  The exotic location of Bangkok provided enough variation of depraved antics that I still found the movie very enjoyable.

                Last time it was Doug (Justin Bartha) who got married (The most forgettable member of the Wolfpack and more so in the sequel).  This time Stu the Dentist (Ed Helms) is getting married and his wife is Thai American, so they travel to Thailand for a big wedding held by her disapproving father.  Bless the movies because only in movies can a guy like Ed Helms end up with Heather Graham in the first movie and marry a stunningly beautiful Thai woman (played by the angelic Jamie Chung) in the second.  This is the movies and that’s how it works.  The scenery in Thailand was equally beautiful and the debaucherous city of Bangkok is the perfect backdrop. 

                In fairness to the critics, the story does follow the pattern of the last one.  The one variation is that the Wolfpack loses Stu’s young brother-in-law after toasting each other on a beautiful Thai beach and waking up in a slum hotel in Bangkok.  Once again they must retrace their steps from their blackout to find the brother-in-law before the wedding.  The audience laughs and cheers when they wake up and somehow the effeminate gangster Chang (Ken Jeong) is in the room with them (how did he show up in Bangkok?).  The producers were smart to have a larger role for Chang as he steals every scene that he is in.   I love every role this guy plays.  I think he has a bright comedic future for some time to come.

                So as they retrace their steps each clue leads to an even more horrific discovery of what they did the night before.  The scene in the Thai Strip club gets the most horrific shock laughs in the film.  Over the top pricelss, but I saw it coming a mile away. Knowing a bit of the back story of this film, I did know there were supposed to be some big name cameos.  Unfortunately, many backed out (like Bill Clinton) or were replaced (Mel Gibson, who had his very public melt down after his scene was shot).  It was a little distracting not to see them in those scenes (I would love to have seen Mel has the grizzled tattoo artist).  Still, the laughs are what we loved from the first one; shock value raunchy.  Paul Giamatti’s scene did stay in the film and he did his usual great comedic job.

                I do think they over played the character's personality traits too much.  The slightly off Alan (Zach Galianakis) was played over the top crazy.  Stu was a little too wimpy, and Phil was too handsome and charming (amazing how handsome he is after waking up from a hangover).  Still, a minor critique of a funny movie.  Perhaps the critics were right and the movie followed the template of the first one too closely, but all I know is that I laughed often and hard.  How can you fault a movie too much if that is what I got out of it?

I rate this movie *** ½ stars



Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Pirates of the Caribbean:

On Stranger Tides

                Captain Jack Sparrow is back for a fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean series.  I have to confess, that I was finished with Jack Sparrow after the first movie.  It’s not to say I didn’t love his performance, but sometimes a character that is seen less is appreciated more.

                The original Pirates of the Caribbean, in my humble opinion, was not a great movie.  In fact, I found it incredibly mediocre.  It was only the incredible icon creating performance of Johnny Depp that made the movie memorable.  His magnificent interpretation of the eccentric pirate Captain Jack Sparrow created a character that will be remembered in the annals of movie history.  However, in this sequel obsessed movie era that we live in (I do my part in enabling those sequels) Disney continues to go to their money well and brings us back a character who should be more respected than to continually put into sequels.

                This time out, Kiera Knightley and Orlando Bloom are dumped to make room for a former lover of Jack Sparrow; the enchanting Angelica (played by the fetching Penelope Cruz).  They put aside past differences to set sail in search of the Fountain of Youth.  They are in a race against the Spanish Armada, King George’s navy (lead by Barbossa, in which Geoffery Rush reprises a role that seems to get increasingly tiresome), and the villainous legendary Blackbeard (Ian McShane does a fantastic job and brings a little freshness to the movie).   Geoffery Rush is a great actor and portrays a stereotypical pirate excellently, but much like the franchise, this character is tired.  Besides, is Barbossa alive or dead?  I’m confused by the past movie progressions. 

                I will say, I enjoyed the lover’s sparring between Sparrow and Angelica.  Their chemistry was really the only thing that held the movie.  There was a sub-plot involving a young cleric (Sam Claflin) and a French mermaid (Astrid Berges-Frisbey).  This was meant to substitute for the Bloom-Knightley dynamic from the previous films, but it was too little and too obvious to be engaging.  Still, I found it to be a little more interesting than the Bloom-Knightley romance.  It merited more screen time to develop, but Depp and Cruz were so out there in their performances that they commanded the films focus.

                Rob Marshall takes the director’s reins and does a good job recreating the feel of the previous films. It’s just that the genre is tired and lacks any luster.  The movie uses sword fights, chases, and clever quips to replace any real plot.  The secret of the Fountain of Youth is so complicated that they had to keep explaining it so we could figure it out.  Other than the Depp-Cruz dynamic, the other intriguing new slant was the introduction of Mermaids.  They were at once beautiful and deadly.  It was the one part of the movie where they had my entire attention.  A well crafted take on the old sailor’s legend.

                The movie will do what it was intended and that is make money.  I felt it diluted a great character and recycled a mediocre movie.  Go for the chases, sword fights, and the over the top acting and you can probably have a good time.  I was a little bored.

I rate this movie:  * ½ stars

               



Priest

Priest is the latest adaptation of a Graphic Novel to the big screen.  I never read the Graphic Novel, but from what I understand it has a strong cult following.  If this movie is any indication of the book, then I won’t be reading it anytime soon. 

                Priest is a collection of action movie stereotypes all rolled up into one unsatisfying mess.  Think Blade Runner meets Road Warrior meets Blade with a heavy layering of the Clint Eastwood Spaghetti Westerns and you have what they tried to do in Priest.  Instead of coming up with a plot greater than the sum of it’s parts, you get an uninspired dilution of action classics. Paul Bettany brings his usual class with a surprisingly respectable action performance to the title role of Priest.

                For Sci-Fi or Super Hero fans, the plot is promising. After a global war between humans and vampires which humans barely won, mankind lives in a post apocalyptic world where the Church has unquestioned authority over the remaining cities.  The Warrior Priests, who turned the tide of the war, are now obsolete and live in obscurity amongst the downtrodden people. They struggle to fit into a world where civilization is only a shadow of what it was.  Their cool cross tattoos on their face forever mark them as outcasts.

                When Priest’s niece is kidnapped by what appears to be a vampire attack in the wastelands, Priest breaks his sacred vows and leaves the walled city to venture out into the wastelands in an obsessive quest to save his niece before she is turned.  Little does he know that the head vampire he is after is a former warrior priest himself (Karl Urban doing his best Clint Eastwood impression).  Priest is accompanied by a young wasteland Sheriff, who is Priest’s niece’s boyfriend (Cam Gigandet, who is incredibly clean cut for someone living in the wastelands).  The two set off to follow the trail of the rogue vampires.

                The Church elders, disapproving of Priest breaking his vows, reinstate the other Priests to go after him.  Needing some eye candy in an otherwise bleak looking film, Maggie Q provides it in the form of the leader of the group.  Her name is Priestess.  If his name is Priest and her name is Priestess, I’m not sure what they called all the other priests in the group.  The two most obvious names are already taken.  The director seemed to go to great lengths to try and explain the age difference between Priest and Priestess (while also throwing in the fact that the super model is a virgin in her early 30’s), but I found it unnecessary and forced as I never even noticed a difference until it was pointed out.  The requisite sexual tension is forced and heavy handed.  She did have some cool fight scenes though.  It’s amazing how tough a 90lb model can be.

                Karl Urban (who approached genius with his take on Dr McCoy in Star Trek) is wasted in this film.  He channels an evil Clint Eastwood and cycles through every bad guy cliché in the book.  I wish the movie would have explored some type of inner conflict or other dimension than just ‘stoic evil guy’.  He was Priest’s comrade in arms until he fell to the vampires during the war.  Great actor in a sub-par movie.

                I spent a lot of the movie marveling how they never ran out of clichés to recycle.  One after another until it almost became enjoyable just spotting the clichés. I know the movie was trying to stay faithful to the novel, but the vampires were like no vampires I’ve ever seen.  They seemed straight off the cover of Fangora magazine  (Is that still around?).  Poor CGI added to my disappointment.

                I think comic books have overcome their previous bad reputation with almost every modern blockbuster being based on some sort of graphic novel.  Priest drags the genre down and hearkens back to the age when comic book movies were shoddy and dismissable.  I would have been mad that I spent money on this if I hadn’t gotten in on a Free Pass.  Still, it was 2 hours of my life I’ll never get back.

                I rate this film:    * star

Bridesmaids

Bridesmaids

Finally, they have made a chick flick a guy can go to.  This movie is about women and for women, but everyone (at least those without sensibilities to crude humor) can enjoy this.  Judd Apatow produces this film and brings his unique style of crude humor with a heart to the big screen.  It always amazes me how a film can be such a smut fest, but at the same time be a wholesome and sweet life affirming story at its’ heart.  I don’t know how Apatow does it, but he does it well.

                This movie will finally be the breakout role for SNL cast member, Kristen Wig.  She has stolen every scene where she is in supporting roles such as “Knocked up” or “Paul”, but this is a movie that showcases her.  Like Adam Sandler and Mike Myers, she has a very distinctive sense of humor.  If you enjoy her characters on SNL, then this movie for you.  Others who don’t appreciate her unique brand might not find it so funny.

                Even though this film is a Kristen Wig showcase, the director, Paul Feig, has assembled an equally impressive supporting cast of TV women of comedy that add to the laughs.  I will tell you that as great as everyone was, Melissa McCarthy playing the role of the unfeminine Megan stood out and stole every scene she was in.  You literally hold your breath waiting for every comment or action she makes.  Truly a great comedic turn for this actress from ‘The Gilmore Girls’ and ‘Mike & Molly’.

                The film itself follows Annie (Kristin Wig) as a woman whose life is crumbling around her. Her bakery business folded and her boyfriend (Jon Hamm) will not admit he’s her boyfriend.  The one bittersweet bright spot is that her long time best friend Lillian (Maya Rudolph) is getting married and she has been asked to be the Maid of Honor.  Annie tries to take on the expensive and complicated rituals of being the Maid of Honor.  Unfortunately, Lillian’s new friend Helen (Rose Byrne) from Chicago is perfect and rich and upstages Annie’s plan to have the perfect shower and bachelorette party.  The harder Annie tries, the more her plans don’t work out.  Unfortunately for Annie, Helen is always there to clean up the mess and to make it even better.

                Keeping to Judd Apatow’s style, the gags try to top each other with their crudeness and the movie is filled with non-stop guilty laughs.  Kristen Wig wrote this movie, but it fits perfectly what Judd Apatow likes.  I’ve already mentioned Melissa McCarthy, but there are many other strong supporting performances. Wendi McLendon-Covey of ‘Reno 911’ fame plays the sex starved housewife better than anyone.  She is almost violent in her desperation to have a girl’s night out.  Ellie Kemper from ‘The Office’ turns in another solid performance as a mousy and cutesy girl friend.  I think that is her comedic niche.  Of course, Maya Rudolph is always strong as the best friend.  I’ve wondered if she is strong enough to carry a movie someday, but for right now, she does well in these types of roles.  Jon Hamm (Mad Men) plays studly and goofy equally well as Annie’s rich ‘adult sleep over’ buddy who doesn’t like to acknowledge they have a relationship (who knew Jon Hamm could be so funny).  Jon plays a cad with such honest sincerity that you can’t help but sort of like him.  His comment when he wakes up to Annie in the morning; “This is awkward; I want you to leave, but I’m not sure how to ask without sounding rude” sort of defines their relationship.

                Kristen Wig’s comedic timing is perfect and her style of muttering awkwardness works every time.  I’m trying to think if there have been any female breakout movie stars from SNL’s long history of breakout stars.  I can’t think of any (Molly Shannon and Gilda Radner being the closest), but I predict that Kristen has a bright future ahead of her in comedy.

                I rate this film *** ½ stars

The Beaver

The Beaver

                Walter Black is a depressed man.  He is so depressed that he can no longer function in his life.  The Beaver tells the story of a man who uses a hand puppet as the sole way of communicating in his life.

                The Beaver is a small low budget film that is gaining a lot of attention due to the fact that it is Mel Gibson’s first movie since his very public fall in the media.  Jodie Foster directs and stars as his suffering wife Meredith.  Despite the cutesy look of the trailers, this movie is a heavy drama of a family dealing with a father who has a mental illness.   The movie is slow and at times ponderous, but is made bearable by superb acting performances by Mel Gibson and Jodi Foster.  One thing that is forgotten in the spectacle of Mel Gibson’s personal life is that he truly is a gifted actor.  It is a pleasure to watch two actors executing their craft at such a high level. 

                The film opens aptly on Walter Black’s craggy and weary face as he floats in a pool.  His depression is palpable.  One wonders if Mel was drawing upon personal experience to capture the tone so perfectly.  The voice over is a narrator with a crusty cockney accent.  It takes a bit before the audience realizes that it is the voice of the Beaver.  Walter has reached the depths of his depression where his business is failing and his wife asks him to leave the house.  In a drunken stupor, Walter tries to kill himself only to fail at that attempt as well.  When Walter awakens from his botched attempt, he finds that the Beaver puppet he was wearing on his hand is talking to him.  This is not ventriloquism as Walter lips move along with the Beaver’s mouth as he talks.  The Beaver convinces Walter that he is his only hope to wake up from his fog and he must communicate through him alone. 

                When Walter returns home, his wife Meredith is understandably confused, but their young son Henry is so happy that his Dad is playing with him and is so charmed by the puppet that she gives in to the bizarre situation.  Walter, through the voice of the Beaver, comes alive again and becomes the husband and father that he wants to be.

                The elder son Porter (played by Anton Yelchen) is not so charmed.  Having lived for years under his father’s depression, he has nothing but anger for Walter trying to reenter their lives after having been thrown out.  The puppet is further proof to him that his father is completely crazy.  Porter has his own issues at school and his story runs apart and is equally interesting as Walter’s story.  Ultimately, Porter is terrified that he will end up like his father and endlessly obsesses on ways to be different.  He confesses at one point in the movie that he spent his childhood wanting to be just like Walter, but as he grew up he wanted to be anything else but Walter.

                Walter begins to claim his life back through the Beaver.  He becomes the family man his wife and kids missed.  At work, his new found energy begins to turn around his family’s toy company.  In fact, using the Beaver as an inspiration, Walter creates a new line of toys that gain the nation’s attention.  Soon, the toy executive who talks through a Beaver, becomes a media celebrity. 

                The movie begins to take a macabre turn at this point as his wife realizes that this is not just some psychological coping mechanism rather a true sign of his mental illness.  Any attempt to separate Walter from the Beaver causes him to tumble back into his depression.  The relationship between Walter and the hand puppet becomes less comical and more dark as Walter’s mental illness begins to deepen.

                His elder son Porter tries to cope with his own problems and he struggle with the knowledge that he is his father’s son and depression might be his legacy to him.   The movie becomes more disturbing and offers no easy resolutions.  It is a heavy portrait of a family dealing with mental illness, not a charming movie about an eccentric man with a puppet.  I won’t say the trailers misrepresented the movie, but it definitely didn’t prepare me for this tone.

                I have nothing but respect for Jodi Foster.  Both her directing and acting is top notch here.  Combine that with an incredibly heartfelt and nuanced performance by Mel Gibson and I don’t see how I could not recommend this film.  However, I can’t recommend this film (unless it is to see the redemption of Mel Gibson).  It was just a little too dark and too ponderous to be engaging.

I give this film: ** stars



Thor

Thor

Disclaimer:  I am an unabashed, slightly ashamed, super hero geek.  That being said, I walked into this film wary as the trailers left me less than thrilled.  Also, Thor was always a tricky comic book to pull of successfully.  At its’ best, it was an epic recounting of the Norse myths.  At its’ worse, it was a ridiculous ‘fish out of water’ story of a Norse God trying to fit into everyday earth life and fight super villains.  It all depended on the artist/writing team.  Ironically, the team of Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, who created the character, gave us some of the cheesiest stories.  It wasn’t until  Walter Simonson took over the reins that Thor became more respectable in the annals of comic book lore.

                Still, this movie is another mile marker on the road leading up to the Avengers movie coming out next summer featuring the characters of Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, and the upcoming Captain America.  I had to go see it.  I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised.  This is not the best of the super hero movies, but definitely a welcome addition to the Marvel movie universe.  Kenneth Branagh was sourced to be the director.   He is an inspired choice because he brings an appropriate level of Shakespearean drama to the Norse myth (factoid: the English uber-thespian Branaugh says one of the reasons he decided to take the directer's role was because he was such a fan of the comic book growing up).  He layers it over an earthbound story that effectively captures the spirit of the comic book.

                Chris Hemsworth plays the title role of Thor, the Norse God of Thunder.  He brings a charm and swagger befitting the Thunder God.  He has an impish grin that makes it impossible to dislike him despite his arrogant ways.  Thor and his brother, the treacherous Loki (played flawlessly by Tom Hiddleston), are heirs to the kingdom of Aesgard, ruled benevolently by the wise All-Father Odin (played to Shakespearean perfection by Anthony Hopkins).  The Kingdom has known peace since the All-Father led the armies of Aesgard against the Frost Giant hordes of Jotunheim to protect the planet Earth.  The epic battle led to a truce between Aesgard and the Frost Giants and cemented the Aesgardians into the minds of humans in the form of the Norse deities. Odin keeps the power of Jotunheim in a casket locked away in his palace to guarantee the truce.

                On the day of Thor’s ascendance to the throne of Aesgard, the Frost Giants break the truce and attempt to steal back the casket.  Thor, in a fit of arrogant bravado, defies the command of his father and goes to the realm of Jotunheim to confront the King of the Frost Giants.  The ensuing battle permanently breaks the truce between the worlds.  Thor shows the full extent of his mighty power in wielding his mighty hammer, Mjonir.  He lays a path of righteous destruction before being saved by Odin. Thor is defiant and unrepentant in the face of his father’s disapproval. Odin strips him of his power and Hammer and banishes him to Earth to teach him humility.  Odin places a mystic spell on the Hammer that Thor may only wield it again once he has proven himself worthy.

                On Earth, Thor encounters a team of scientists lead by Jane Foster (Natalie Portman), the most attractive worm-hole physicist I’ve ever seen.  The rest of the film walks the tight rope of fish-out-of-water comedy versus heroic action drama.  It’s fun for comic book nerds such as myself to see not only all the cameos (how did they work Hawkeye into this story and did you catch Stan Lee?), but all the characters that start to overlap as well.  Tony Stark’s name is mentioned more than once and the existence of The Hulk is hinted at.   Shield Agent Coulson (Clark Gregg) from the Iron Man films plays a major role as the government investigates the mysterious appearance of an unmovable Hammer in the New Mexico desert.

The earth bound love story between Thor and Jane Foster runs parallel to the cosmic pageantry of Loki perfidiously vying to wrest the Aesgardian throne from Odin.  While Loki is definitely the bad guy, one sympathizes and feels his torment over his conflicted loyalties and pain. The truth of his birth adds an additional dimension to a one-sided character. The movie captures the magic of a ridiculous comic book character and made me remember why I loved comic books so much.  They’re just fun.

There’s one more movie that needs to come out; Captain America: the First Avenger, then the stage is set for the Avengers movie.  Like I said earlier, this wasn’t the best of the comic book series but it was a lot of fun and I enjoyed it immensely.  Long live Thor, God of Thunder.

                I rate this movie ***1/2 stars.



Fast Five

Fast Five

Okay, sometimes you don’t have to intellectualize every film you watch.  It doesn’t have to be a great piece of art for one to enjoy it.  “Fast Five” is the fifth installment of the “The Fast and The Furious” film franchise.  All snobbery and pretentions aside (as well as a belief in logic and the laws of physics), this film is a fun, fast-paced action packed roller coaster that features manly men doing manly things in a manly way, with hot chicks thrown in for aesthetics. 

                The core team of Dominic Torretto (Vin Diesel), Brian O’Conner (Paul Walker), and Mia Torretto (the incomparable Jordana Brewster) reunites in only the third film of the series to feature them.  As fans recall, the last one ended with breaking Dom out of a prison transport and all of them going on the lam.  The film opens with Brian and Mia living a life in hiding in Rio de Janeiro.  Impoverished, they are talked into one last car heist by local friends.  All the while, wishing Dominic were there to help (using his name with almost religious reverence).  Of course, when he arrives, he seems to act like he is the Savior.

                The car heist is everything you would hope for and beyond.  It defies all credulous possibilities of physics and human endurance, but it’s a lot of fun.  You keep thinking that there has to be an easier way to steal cars from a train. Really, do you have to hijack sports cars from a high speed moving train?  I would think taking the cars after the train stopped would be an easier plan.   Not as much fun I guess.  Of course, you can’t end the movie in the first fifteen minutes, so this heist sets up the betrayal and revenge motive for the rest of the movie and the stakes get raised even further as Dom and crew become public enemy number one. 

                The person they ripped off was the local Brazilian crime lord, Reyes (played by the always villainous, Joaquim De Almeida) and of course he wants their heads. Reyes also has the local authorities in his pocket and utilizes them to their fullest.  Dom and Brian decide they can only do one thing (as one does in every action movie); “We need to assemble a team”.  I will say that the director, Justin Lin does a great job assembling a fun group of characters (of course all with a super hero style skill set that defines them).  The group includes such action favorites as Tyrese Gibson, Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges (trying to phase out his rap name to become a serious actor), Sung Kang, and a few impossibly attractive women (still not sure what they brought to the team other than eye candy).  Throw in two bickering Brazilians for some comic relief and you have your super team.  They decide to strike back at the crime lord by stealing all of his $100 million dollars (which he keeps conveniently in cash in vaults).  We’re all set, right? Wrong!

                Let’s add another major action star who hasn’t had a hit in a few years.  Super Federal Agent Hobbs, played by Dwayne ‘The Rock’ Johnson (who’s had better luck shedding his stage name than Ludacris).  Hobbs and his team are the super feds they call in to go after the biggest and the baddest.  The Rock plays the character over the top and everyone loves it.  He believes in ‘Old Testament’ style of law enforcement and the team is visibly shaken (except Dominic of course), by the mere mention of his name.

                The roller coaster starts and never stops with both the good and bad guys after the Fast Five team.  The machismo is spread on thick and the manly feats are impossible.  Buckle up and enjoy the ride.  The film tries to portray the lead up to the meeting of Vin Diesel and The Rock as a meeting of Titians.  Not sure I felt that way, but the film tried to tell us that was the way we should feel. Of course, when you have two leading male action star’s egos in action films, they have to fight.  And the fight can only lead to a standstill in which each man gains a begrudging respect for the other even though they communicate only through macho insults.  Admittedly, I would be the first to say ‘Yes Sir’ to Vin Diesel if I ever met him in public, however; I must say that The Rock’s physical presence and stature dwarfed Diesel’s and I never bought the fighting to a standstill.  The Rock truly has a super hero’s presence where Diesel reminds one of a bar room bouncer.

                I won't insult the action premise of this film by trying to describe the plot anymore than I already have.  I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the film despite (or maybe because of) all the eye-rolling over every action cliché being recycled, yet expanded upon.  I would call it a guilty pleasure, but I don’t feel guilty.  It’s just a fun film.

I rate this film *** 3 stars