Cowboys and Aliens

      Cowboys and Aliens is a film based on the 2006 graphic novel of the same name by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg.  The movie is about exactly what it promises...Cowboys and Aliens.  Every trailer or mention of the title has illicited snickers from the audience because of the retro 40’s serials, in all their cheesiness, that it pays homage to.  However, once one realizes that this is a Steven Speilberg/Ron Howard production and Jon Favreau is directing and the star power of Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig are involved, then one not only takes it seriously, but one starts to get excited.  I have to say that this was a worthwhile attempt to be an epic movie and I enjoyed it immensely, but there was definitely something missing.  I couldn’t quite put my finger on it.  I did love the mixing of two totally separate genres; Sci-fi and Westerns.  It made me wonder why we haven’t seen anything like this before (at least at this scale).  What’s the next mix?  The King’s Speech meets the Terminator.  I would see that in a second.

The part of this film that really works is that it takes itself completely serious.  It doesn’t have any knowing winks to the audience or try to parody itself.  This is a movie.  Quite frankly, I thought the Western part of this story was worth a movie of it’s own.  It’s a good Western story (unfortunately out of vogue in today’s Hollywood [True Grit being the exception]) with Aliens being thrown in to up the ante.

The time is 1873 in the Arizona territory.  A stranger (Daniel Craig) with no memory wakes up in the desert with a strange metallic object shackled to his wrist.  He stumbles into the nearby town of Absolution.  He quickly comes to learn that the town is ruled with an iron fist by a local cattle rancher, Colonel Dolarhyde (Harrison Ford).  It’s a town where even the Sheriff must bow to the wishes of the Colonel and it lives in oppression and fear.  Oddly enough, many people in the town recognize the stranger as Jake Lonergan, a feared outlaw.  Unfortunately for Jake, it seems that the Colonel has a grudge with him for stealing his gold.

Whatever terror the town thought they lived under pales in comparison to the sudden appearance of flying metal marauders from the sky who come and kidnap people at random while unleashing horrific destruction upon the town.  Jake realizes that the wristband he is shackled to is a weapon and uses it to fight back against the invasion.  Dolarhyde and Lonergan realize that they have mutual need for each other and everyone puts there differences aside and set out to find the kidnapped town folk.  Along the way, they come across Indians and outlaws who all have been attacked and realize that their only hope for survival is to band together.  This sets the stage for an epic showdown between Cowboys and Aliens.

The film does a good job developing the characters.  Lonergan is the protagonist, yet he clearly is not pure of heart and has done questionable things in his past.  Harrison Ford portrays antagonist Dolarhyde ruthlessly, yet as the movie unfolds you see a different side to him and you come to respect him if not care for him despite his ruthless ways.  I’ve never much thought highly of the quality of Harrison Ford’s acting in the past, but he does a really good job showing depth with this character who in any other movie would just be played generic evil.  Sam Rockwell plays the saloon owner named ‘Doc’.  Rockwell is always good and doesn’t disappoint here.  He plays a weak man who is forced to show courage and valor if he is to save his wife.  Great performance.

The wildcard in this situation is the local towns woman Ella Swenson (played exotically by Olivia Wilde.  I have to say I sincerely doubt they had women who looked like Olivia back then.  Ms Wilde truly won the genetic lottery as she is breathtaking.  I think she may be a worthy successor to Angelina Jolie).  Ella knows something about Jake and as Jake slowly starts to piece back his memory her role starts to become clearer.

One thing in this movie I thought could have been played better were the aliens.  They were generic evil bogey monsters.  For such an advanced race they sure did make some basic security blunders too.  I wish the movie would have developed the aliens the way they developed the cowboy’s characters.  Now that I write this, I am sure that is what I felt the movie was missing.  More insight and understanding of the aliens other than space invading monsters.  That’s too easy of a plot device.

Overall, I am glad the movie was made.  It was a fun and unique experience as well as bringing back the Western genre that is currently on life support in Hollywood

I give this film *** stars.

Friends with Benefits

Friends with Benefits

Friends with Benefits is another ‘chick flick’ that I have to say, with embarrassment, that i actually enjoyed.  It was in large part due to the comedic acting and great chemistry of the two leads; Mila Kunis and Justin Timberlake.  I’ve said this before about Justin, but he truly is outgrowing his boy band past and becoming a Hollywood star.  And Mila Kunis to me was always the annoying girl on ‘That 70’s Show’,but she is maturing into a movie star in her own right in the mold of a Meg Ryan.  This is one of those mediocre movies that the actor’s abilities brought out something that made it truly enjoyable.

Dylan (Justin Timberlake) and Jamie (Mila Kunis) are two young professionals who are good friends.  They think that adding the simple act of sex to their friendship would be both easy and convenient despite what Hollywood comedies would have you believe.  Of course, complications do arise, otherwise you wouldn’t have a movie.  While this movie is  light-hearted, I think that they showcase some great observations about the nature of modern male-female relationships.  The line between friendship and romance is tight and you cannot easily cross back and forth between the two.  The dialogue is smart and funny, but the true showcase is the chemistry between Dylan and Jamie.  They are fun to watch and their closeness and comfort with each other seems genuine.  

While lying on the couch one day watching cheesy ‘chick flicks’  (the on-screen parodies of the chick flicks they were watching were almost as enjoyable as the movie) and commiserating over their failed relationships, Dylan comes up with the idea of the two of them having sex until their romantic lives get back on track with someone else.  After setting some ground rules, the two of them decide this is something that could work.  In fact, it could be better as they have no reason to hide anything from each other or be anything less than blunt about their likes and dislikes.  Some of the funniest moments in the movie are the arguments they have during sex.

Of course, sex with a friend starts to confuse boundaries and the film starts to fall prey to the complications inherent in all chick flicks.  One thing that I always find distracting in these films is just how well off financially characters in their mid-twenties are living in New York.  Justin has a glamour job as art director at GQ magazine.  His apartment alone made it worth my trip to see this film.  Mila seems less well off, but is still very prosperous as a corporate head hunter.  Anyway, fantasy jobs aside, Dylan brings Jamie into his family’s life and with his family’s utter acceptance of Jamie, the definition of what they have really becomes complicated.

The movie is meant to be an un-romantic romantic comedy.  It scores much of it’s humor from laughing at traditional romantic comedies on the road to becoming one itself.  They even throw in cliche side kicks.  Why is it that in these films the best friends of the leads are always quirky or eccentric?  There must be a template out there. Woody Harrelson plays an over the top flamboyant gay sports writer.  I must admit that he was funny, but it was so over the top sometimes that I go back to that word; ‘distracting’. 

All cliches (which the movie openly embraces) and obviousness aside, this movie does have honest dialogue as well as exploration of interesting perspectives between me and women.  It is a great movie to see if you are in the mood for a long discussion afterwards about what you saw.  It’s nice to see Justin and Mila forging an onscreen relationship that might lead to other movies featuring the two of them.

I rate this movie *** stars

Captain America: The First Avenger

     Captain America: The First Avenger!  You can measure your level of geekdom by your level of understanding the significance of the title.  This movie is the final salvo in the series of movies that will culminate next year in the much anticipated Avengers movie.  I will say that I had contradictory feelings about this movie.  I was not impressed with this film overall, but in reflection, I had a fun time and thoroughly enjoyed it.  If you view this film as another addition in the overall tapestry of the Marvel Universe, it is a respectable addendum. 

Chris Evans (already with super hero pedigree as The Human Torch of The Fantastic Four) takes on the title role of Steve Rogers aka Captain America.  Captain America is not a well-known super-hero to the mainstream public.  What I mean is that everyone has heard of him, but there is not the level of pop culture awareness of his story or history as say a Spiderman or Superman.  For the fanboys out there, one cannot underestimate the significance of this character.  Once used as a propaganda tool during World War II, the character was later resurrected in the 1960’s as the cornerstone of the Marvel Comics universe.  In the world of shades of heroic grey that marked Marvel heroes as so different from others of the time, Captain America was the one exception.  He stood for and personified everything that we aspired to be as Americans and held true to those beliefs even when it became unfashionable.  

What I did enjoy about this movie is that it was a movie.  Not just a collection of special effects and loud explosions.  This movie has texture, depth, and characters we care about.  The film’s retro feel of World War II era New York is impressive as is its’ ability to capture the clarity and innocence of the time despite the onset of global war or viewed through the cynicism of modern times.  The movie is infused with patriotism and it’s PC moments do not dilute the overall American pride that was once a birthright of being American.  Chris Evans perfectly exemplifies the square jawed hero that was once the standard of heroes.

The story, for those not aware, is about 90lb asthmatic weakling Steve Rogers (The technology used to make Chris Evans look like a 90lb weakling is impressive.  The illusion is virtually seamless).  He is a true red-blooded American who only wants to serve his country during a time of war.  Unfortunately, his frail physical condition does not support his heroic ambitions.  He is rejected every time he tries to enlist with the humiliating rating of 4F.  However; his pure heart and drive does not go unnoticed.  An ex-pat German scientist working on a super soldier program for the American government identifies Steve’s innate goodness as the perfect quality for his project.  Stanley Tucci plays the German scientist Dr Erskine with heart and depth.  This could have been just a generic supporting role, but Tucci does a fantastic job establishing the relationship between Rogers and his character.  Erskine has deep admiration for Rogers who he feels is truly a good man, which is more important than any other attribute.  

There are many good supporting characters that exemplify the time period.  Tommy Lee Jones plays the hard boiled Colonel in charge of the project.  Hayley Atwell plays Steve’s confidante Peggy Carter like a 40’s pin up girl.  As typical for the time period, their sexual tension is portrayed chaste and wholesome.  Sebastion Stan plays his sidekick Bucky Barnes.  This character was much better fleshed out than in the book.  The role reversal of Steve, once Bucky’s sidekick, who becomes Bucky’s protector is one of the driving forces in the movie.  One of the most fun supporting characters is Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, engineer extraodinaire and future father of Tony Stark (Iron Man for those keeping score).  We see where Tony gets his showmanship.  

 With the magical scientific transformation of Steve into Captain America the stage is set for the rest of the movie.  Every hero needs a villain and Hugo Weaving plays villainous better than anyone.  Hugo is Johann Schmidt aka the Red Skull;  a brilliant scientist whose mad ambitions cause a failed medical experiment that transformed his skin and face into something that resembles a red skull (hence the nickname).  He leads a division of the Nazis called Hydra.  Schmidt feels confined by Hitler and has world domination ambitions of his own.  His discovery of an other worldly Cube (The Cosmic Cube for those fanboys who are smiling smugly) gives him the power needed to pursue his goal.

The movie leads up to the epic confrontation of good vs evil in the tradition of all action movies.  The Red Skull was never one of my favorite villains, but Hugo Weaving does an adequate job in creating the sense of menace and megalomania necessary to make the character work.  The ending attempts to pull at the heartstrings, but it really is just an excuse to prepare us for the upcoming Avengers movie next year, featuring all the characters we come to know and love over these past years; Iron Man, The Hulk, Thor, and now Captain America. Make sure you stay until after the credits to see the trailer for the Avengers.

I rate this movie *** stars.

Horrible Bosses

Horrible Bosses is a great and fun summer comedy. It’s hard to analyze it further because that is exactly what it is; no more, no less.  This is just a fun movie starring a large ensemble of well known actors pushing the boundaries of good taste.  It delivers what a comedy is supposed to and that is laughs and lots of them.

Nick, Kurt, and Dale (played by Jason Bateman, Jason Sudeikis, and Charlie Day respectively), play three friends that have one thing in common.  They all work for horrible bosses.  The true joy of this movie is that the supporting roles of the three horrible bosses are played by the biggest names in the movie.  Each working outside their comfort zones.  Kevin Spacey plays a sadistic boss who delights in stringing Nick along and dangling promotion opportunities that he never delivers.  Jennifer Anisten plays a sexually harassing dentist who constantly ‘crosses the line’ with Dale, her newly engaged dental assistant.  Dale’s buddies sympathize, but don’t feel that having a hot boss who is always trying to have sex with him is quite as bad as their problems.  Finally, the most hilarious performance in the movie is Colin Farrell as the coked up spoiled son of the company’s owner that Kurt works for.  When the boss (Donald Sutherland) dies suddenly, the son takes over and wants to soak the company for all he can to keep himself in coke and prostitutes.  Irish Heartthrob Collin Ferrell does an incredible physical transformation to play a totally disgusting sleezeball, complete with greasy combover and all.  His first initiative as head of the company is to ‘trim all the fat’ and by that he means, get rid of the fat people; ‘Get Large Marge in here!”.  

While commiserating over their problems at a local bar, they naively come up with the idea to have their bosses killed.  Having no idea how to do this, they use their car’s navigational OnStar system to take them to the bar most likely to have someone they can hire to kill a person.  The majority of the movie’s humor comes from these three otherwise square guys trying to navigate the world of crime to have their bosses killed.  They finally find a ‘murder consultant’ in Jamie Fox, whose very name causes giggles every time someone says it.  Jamie plays Motherf****r Jones, their guide to murder.  Jamie plays menacing and comedic simultaneously and every time Nick, Kurt, and Dale address him by his first name, the audience can’t help but laugh.

I felt their wasn’t a single weak comedic performance in this film and it was a lot of fun.  I like seeing actors outside their comfort zone.  Who knew PG rated Jennifer Aniston could pull off an R-rated comedy and who knew uber-handsome Collin Ferrel would be capable of being ugly?  There is really nothing to analyze in this movie.  No deep messages or moral conclusions.  This is just a fun summer movie for people in the mood for a laugh.  I really have no critique of this movie other than that.

I rate this movie ***1/2 stars.  I would rate it four, but I would feel guilty doing so for some reason.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Move over Green Lantern because Transformers: Dark of the Moon has taken the title of worst blockbuster of the year from you.  I was never a fan of the previous Transformers, so maybe I’m not unbiased enough to judge this one, but this really is the personification of everything that I don’t like in movies.  This was more than 2 hours of an excuse to have special effects and loud ‘Boom’ noises.  The movie had no coherent plot, nor characters we could care for.  I wish I could go back and have done something more constructive with my day, but it’s too late.

The Director Michael Bay is a rich man and this type of film making has made him one, so I mainly blame the viewing public for keeping him employed.  His background is music videos and it shows.  Much like videos, his movies are all style and visual candy with no substance.  He makes me appreciate someone like James Cameron, who can create a blockbuster with intelligence and substance, that much more.   What’s even more frustrating is that this film contains a huge amount of talented actors who are utterly wasted in this pointless movie.  Hollywood execs think the more star power the better the movie, but the opposite is proven time and time again.  With rare exceptions like ‘Ocean’s Eleven’, multi star movies invariably disappoint.

Surprisingly enough, the pre-credit scene actually piqued my hopes.  The basis of the whole movie was that an alien crash landing on the moon in 1961 is what  really sparked the space race of the 1960’s.  America was the first to the moon and discovered the secrets of the Transformers first (what conspiracy fanatic wouldn’t love that premise).  As soon as the opening credits ended, the whole movie went downhill.  The movie was 2 hours of random fight scenes that were an excuse for cool morphing effects.  Humans definitely seemed to be doing things at a frantic pace, but nothing they did ever made the slightest difference, so I’m not sure what the point was.  

Shia LeBoeuf reprises his role as Sam Witwicky and provides nothing to the story other than manically running around.  It appears he has attended the William Shatner school of over acting, but even Shatner would tell him to “Calm down”.  He runs around like a coke addled maniac, yelling things at Transformers that are obviously too far away to hear.  Super stunner Megan Fox is replaced by super stunner Rosie Huntington-Whiteley.  Sam does rather well with women for a short hyperactive teenager who works in a mail room.  Rosie is so far out of Shia’s league that it is distracting.  The chemistry and acting is wooden (she is a Victoria Secret’s model after all) and her primary job is walking around looking good (in that respect, she succeeds).  We are meant to believe that Sam is her true love, when she is being wooed by an extremely rich and successful Patrick Dempsey, who gives her a $200,000 Mercedes (talk about science fiction).

Like I said earlier, there was a lot of great talent in this film, most of whom were wasted in their cartoony roles.  The great Frances McDormund plays her Security Director role comedically, I think.  I felt they were going for laughs, but I never smiled once at anything she said or did.  John Malkovich was just collecting a paycheck (I can respect that on occasion).  In bad comedies or dramas, they throw in gratuitous sex scenes to try and keep the audience interested.  In bad blockbusters, they throw in gratuitous comedy to provoke some reaction from the audience.  Usually, I am against this practice, but the gratuitous comedic scenes from Ken Jeong and John Turturro were really the only scenes I enjoyed in this movie.  Ken Jeong, playing  the conspiracy minded corporate exec; Jerry Wang, is fast becoming one of my favorite comedic actors and his short scenes in this film were the most memorable thing about it.  The guy plays over the top better than anyone.  

The plot (what little there was) involved the evil Decepticons planning to take over the Earth (isn’t that always the plot) and the noble Autobots trying to stop them.  This time we are introduced to the addition of Optimus Prime’s mentor; Sentinal (voiced by Lenard Nimoy [they even squeeze him saying; ‘The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few’ to please all of the Star Trek geeks]).  The plan this time was to bring the Transformer home world to Earth.  I’m not sure why they needed to bring their whole planet to Earth, but it made for bigger special effects.  Downtown Chicago is randomly chosen as ground zero for the final battle for the fate of the planet.  Most of the fighting was held at the corner of Michigan and Wacker.  Not sure why this locale was picked, but I liked seeing my home on the big movie screen, so no further analysis from me on that.

All the other characters, human and Transformer alike, were one-dimensional cartoonish characters and extremely replaceable and interchangeable.  I was finally able to tell the good ones from the bad ones half way into the film as the good guys had colors in their armor where the evil ones were all metallic grey.  I will say, I wish they would have given more screen time to Tyrese Gibson.  He reprises his role as Special Forces soldier; Epps.   I hope that guy gets his own big budget action movie soon (I know he’s starred in some low budget ones), because he just screams ‘Action Star’.   

Because this is a special effects mega movie, it will make money and careers will be enhanced and Michael Bay will be encouraged to make even more movies like this.  All I can say is that this type of movie is a genre that I dislike intensely in American movie making.  You can have blockbusters, but have some depth to it (Avatar).  This had all of the depth of one of Bay’s music videos and I wished it would have lasted as long as one.

I rate this movie * star  (and only because of Jeong and Tuturro)