What's on Redbox--Stolen

          As a film lover, there is one type of film that still hope against hope to discover.  The ‘good’ direct-to-video movie.  After watching the new collaboration between Nicolas Cage and director Simon West “Stolen” all I can say is “The search continues.”

Cage is Will Montgomery a master thief, we are meant to assume this since we only see him actually pull one job which takes place at the opening twenty minutes of the film, and he gets caught.  So we have to take everyone’s word for it that Cage is the best there is at what he does.  So we catch up to him eight years later where after being in prison so long he’s still considered the best as the cops are following him around and a former partner played extremely over the top by Josh Lucas decides to kidnap Will’s daughter in exchange for the money that was lost on the eight year old job.

The film is filled with clichés from beginning to end and the script is laughably bad, like I said we only see Cage’s character use his supposedly incredible thieving skills twice throughout the course of the film, mostly we are just told, one character even says the words “Who steals from the world’s best thief.”  Everything else from the cops, to the cab drivers, to the criminals, all are reading from the action movie handbook.  And not in the fun, action-packed “Expendables” kind of way.  More like the, well, like the home video kind of way.  Which is a shame seeing as how West directed the dead-on "Expendables 2".

Though there is usually a reason a film is shot with the intention of wide release and winds up on the direct-to-video shelves, I still get tempeted to see if it really is that bad.  I mean the last time Cage and West got together was “Con-Air”.  Unfortunately they don’t capture the same magic here and sadly the only thing that is "Stolen" is your time.

--Robert L. Castillo

Flashback Corner--The Dead Zone

“THE ICE IS GONNA BREAK!”

 

          When you mix a Stephen King story, the visionary director David Cronenberg and a top of his game Christopher Walken, you get the 1983 classic “The Dead Zone”.  It’s the story of Johnny Smith who after a car accident has left him with the power of ‘sight’.  He can see the past, as well as the future and more so, he discovers he can change it.

I had not seen this film in years and when I saw pieces of it in my younger days, I only remember the times where Walken’s character uses his ability, when he puts himself in the situation where someone may die or has died.  I always remember the creepy Michael Kamen shriek of strings signaling when we were seeing another time along with Johnny.  And no one who sees it ever forgets the fate of the Castle Rock Killer in the film.

Watching it now I was really impressed with the performance by Walken, mostly subdued but hot when he needed to be.  He’s just brilliant in the entire film.  Yeah there are clear plot holes, and the performance turned in by Martin Sheen doing his best pre-anti-West Wing impression that at times seems laughable, but I get sense that Cronenberg was going more for atmosphere with this film.  There are many quiet moments spread though out the more terrifying ones and while there seems to be very little character development it doesn’t take away the impact the visions have on Walken’s character Johnny. 

There have been plenty of films since that have utilized visions of the future to propel the story forward, but “The Dead Zone” brings it to a crawl on purpose and gives you a glimpse of what affect it can have on the human psyche.  If you haven’t seen it in a while give it a turn, it’s a great quiet film that ends with a fantastic final twenty minutes that are still as memorable as ever.

--Robert L. Castillo

Jack Reacher

                       

     

      Tom Cruise is one of the biggest Hollywood stars in the last 30 years. Everyone has their favorite Cruise movie, and let us face it, it’s kind of hard not to with as many entertaining movies he has been in. For a few years it looked like he lost his appeal to most movie goers, but with some good choices he has worked himself back into the public’s good grace. With a couple movies hitting the theaters in the next few months, the question is, will he keep his good streak going?

      “Jack Reacher” is a character out of a set of novels by Lee Child. In Child’s books, Reracher is a brawny 6’ 5 blond guy, most things that Tom Cruise is not. Cruise though doesn’t disappoint in portraying him just how you thought Reacher should act. There has been a shooting, where five people are killed. The police have all the evidence they need and find the shooter pretty quickly. Give the choice to choose life or death, the shooter instead writes find Jack Reacher. What the police so not know is that upon hearing the shooters name, Reach instead finds them. Reacher (Tom Cruise) meets with the D.A Rodin (Richard Jenkins) and Detective Emerson (David Oyelowo) to know where the shooter is. Instead of helping the D.A, he decides to help investigate the case for the shooters attorney, Helen (Rosamund Pike), who also happens to be the D.A’s daughter. What Reacher finds is a mystery every time he opens a new door that leads him on a chase to find out what really happened. 

    It is real easy to get caught up in this thriller that has just right amount turns in the story to remain enjoyable. Sometimes a thriller can try and have too many twists, not this one.  Writer and director Christopher McQuarrie is a master of hiding the truth and having you discover it when he is ready. The movie though wouldn’t work without Cruise, who delivers each line like he means it. McQuarrie has a way of writing dialogue that you don’t forget, and this movie is no exception. I do wish that Jenkins and Pike had a bigger part, it really feels like you could have gotten anyone to play those roles, and it wouldn’t had mattered much. This is Cruise’s movie and the way he becomes Reacher, you will be glad that it is. Cruise may never win an award for his acting, but how much does that really matter? As long as he takes good roles like this one, people will not care what is on his mantle at home. The movie paces its self perfect, never feeling too long or to slow. Thrillers come and go, but this is one thriller that you will be glad came your way.

Brian Taylor

                                         

Les Miserables

     

    Oscar season is upon us. It’s the time of year when the studios bring out the best, all for a shot at objects that are shiny and gold. Sure there are good movies that come out all during the year, but make no mistake about it, the movies that are coming are out now are the pride and joy of every studio. Some of these films are small and come from nowhere, like “Silver Linings Playbook” while others are large, like the grand “Les Miserables”

    For those who do not know about “Les Miserables”, all I can say is where have you been. Written by Victor Hugo as a novel and turned into a film, then to a musical and then back to a film that is a musical (everyone following?). The story follows Jean Valjean (Hugh Jackman) from being released from prison, after serving time for stealing a piece of bread. After taken refuge in a church, he is given a second chance by a priest, and decides to shed his old life and start a new one. Flash forward nine years, and we find Valjean now know as Monsieur Madeleine, who is now a wealthy factory owner. Valjean has done well to hide his past life, but fate brings a police inspector named Javert (Russell Crowe) back into his life. Javert has sworn to never give up in his pursuit of Valjean, and you can tell he means it in the way he sings. Valjean saves a prostitute names Fantine (Anne Hathaway), who he discovers he may have been the cause of her downward spiral in life. On Fantine’s death bed, Valjean promises to take care of her daughter Cosette, and to always make sure she is never without.

    It is easy to go on about the story, because there is a lot of it. With a running time of 157 minutes, you might feel like an intermission would have been in order. Director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) tired something new while filming”Les Miserables”. Instead of having his actors sing there verses during post production, he had them sing live while they were being filmed. I believe this helped and hurt some of the performances. Hugh Jackman is good, while Russell Crowe sounds like he missed his calling to be a rock star. The real star is Hathaway, who uses the small amount of time on the screen to make sure you remember her. Her performance of “I Dreamed a Dream” maybe the best ten minutes I have seen on film in the last ten years. The problem is that the rest of the film doesn’t live up to that moment. “Les Miserables” is a good movie, which has more than a few moments in it that will make you looking at your watch. It will also have you not being able to take your eyes of the screen at other times. Musicals are not for everyone, and this is one of those movies some will have a hard time sitting through. For those who love movies like this, there is some magic, but for those who don’t you are not missing to much.

Brian Taylor

                                                  

The Guilt Trip

   

     Whenever I think about a road trip movie, I always picture a group of teenagers or a family traveling in a green station wagon. I think I just covered eighty five percent of every road trip movie ever made with that sentence. The one thing every one of those movies has in common with each other is that the road trip is the perfect bonding experience, and the cause of great comic hijinks. I can think of a lot of road trips I would love to take, but the one that would maybe be the least appealing, would be a week on the road with just me and my mother. Well that is exactly what “The Guilt Trip” is all about.

    Andy (Seth Rogen) is an inventor of an all organic cleaner. He is trying his best to sell his product to a store with an old fashion door to door routine. Andy’s mother Joyce (Barbra Streisand) is one of those mothers that always want to make sure her son is taken care of. You know the type, calling numerous times to make sure you are doing something; you know just being a mother. Andy returns home for a few days before he embarks on a cross country trip to sell his product. After hearing a story from his mother, Andy adds a stop and invites her to come along with him for the ride. Joyce is good at a few things, saving money, which she shows when she talks Andy into renting an economy car and of course being overly motherly. What transpires next is Streisand eating half a cow, every road trip’s favorite stop at the Grand Canyon and of course a stop in Vegas, where Joyce discovers piercings. When it is all done, both Joyce and Andy have discovered something they didn’t know about each other.

   I have to admit the mother/son road trip didn’t sound to appealing when I first heard about it. The addition of Rogen and writer Dan Fogelman (Crazy, Stupid, Love) did make it sound a lot better. What I learned is something I have learned many times before, never judge a movie by its premise. This is a very fun road trip movie, the kind you could take your mother to (no pun intended). It’s got the humor that a mother could really appreciate (ok no more bad mother jokes). What is great about this movie is how great Rogen and Streisand are together, they are so good in fact you might leave the movie asking yourself, are they really mother and son? There are plenty of moments that will make you laugh and just enough moments to feel Rogen’s character’s pain. This movie has me wanting to plan a road trip with my mother, just to see if it would be as much fun as this movie. I cannot say this about most films, but this is one movie that is more than your mother will love.

 Brian Taylor

                                               

What's on Redbox--V/H/S

The found footage movie has yet to run its course as a subgenre, usually allocated to the realm of horror.  Some argue it’s here to stay, what with the “Paranormal Activity” series fourth installment shot for $5 million and raking in almost $120 million worldwide.  One of the more recent attempts involves a group of genre writers/directors who have come together and add their own vision to the screen.

“V/H/S” is a horror anthology that brings five stories bookended by a sixth that has a group of misfits who record their illegal activity like destroying houses with bats and attacking women in parking lots.  The group is hired to break into a house to steal a videotape.  When they get in they find a dead man and a bunch of tapes.  So naturally they start to watch them.  What follows is a series of shorts that vary from clever, gory, shaky, cheesy, to more cheesy, back to gory.

Most are supernatural in nature and utilize the caught on video element to hide effects and to use the ever popular jump-scare.  For the most part the film has moments that work, whether you like this type of film or not.  Other times they rely on the used VHS angle which is understandable why they would want it to look authentic, but it became bothersome.  The only one I took to was a caught on video chat session between a girl and her long distance boyfriend. I liked the twist mainly because that’s my taste.  If you like this kind of horror, give it a watch and chances are you’ll like at least one of them.  Or you could just seek out 2007’s “Trick ‘r Treat” one of the best horror anthologies since “Creepshow” then again just wait for the next found footage horror, I think the next “Paranormal Activity” is set in Mexico.  Deus Meo.

--Robert L. Castillo

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

Back when “Avatar” came out and everyone was talking about the amazing visual achievements that James Cameron had reached and film would never be the same.  I was not on that wagon.  The movie was good albeit a rip-off of “Dances with Wolves” which in turn was a rip-off of “A Princess of Mars” or the film version, this year’s underrated “John Carter”.  The eye-popping 3-D was just the same too dark-looking foreground and background, and not much else.  With the new format for Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” HFR (High Frame Rate) which is shot in 3-D but at 48 frames per second which is double the usual 24 frames for every other film…in history.  And like “Star Wars” in ’77 and “Terminator 2: Judgment Day” in ’92, “The Hobbit” is a benchmark in film history.  I can promise anyone who views the film this way will see something they never have seen before, and it is breathtaking.  If you don’t get motion sickness that is.

“The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” is the follow-up but the prequel to “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy, also directed by Peter Jackson.  It is set 60 years before the story of the one ring, and involves an adventure taken by a young Bilbo Baggins who is recruited by the wizard Gandalf (Ian McCallen) to help a band of 13 dwarves reclaim their home which has been taken over by the fire-breathing dragon Smaug.

You will see many, and probably too many similarities to the previous films, not just the music, characters and settings, but the series of adventures really bring the first three films to mind, which on the whole, did it better.  The only big difference here that works is that it’s the most fun and light-hearted of the Middle-Earth films.  As the characters bounce around from battling rock giants, to a goblin city, to a run in with the ‘Three Stooges’ of trolls it’s all done in a jaunty and entertaining way, only occasionally stepping into the realm of silly.

The only major drawback was that in its almost three hour running time, you feel it.  When you think it should speed up, it slows to a crawl, and when you want more time, it speeds up. You can certainly feel that Jackson is making room for the next two installments, but we want it to move now, he already had three films worth to show us Middle-Earth, now let us see it and have fun exploring it.  Even Bilbo wants that, and he’s fictional. 

What this keeps you into the story as much as it did in the first films is the performances.  Martin Freeman as Bilbo is spot on perfect and Ian McKellen fits right back into the role of Gandalf, not much can be said about the dwarves, though Thorin (Richard Armitage) is the center of the film and he plays it well, mostly with his looks.  The other dwarves are just filler and rarely stand out, like the dwarf that feels like a cross between the elf Legolas and the hobbit Merry, both in look, humor and his expert use of bow and arrow.  And it almost goes without saying, the scene with Gollum (Andy Serkis) is one of the best in the film.

The most unfortunate part of the release of this film is that there are over half a dozen ways you can watch it.  You will meet people that would have had a completely different viewing experience than you did.  My suggestion, seek out the HFR (High Frame Rate) because while they clearly still have a ways to go (fast-moving action is hard to focus on) you still get a truly amazing looking film and an extraordinary way to see 3-D, You can probably skip the IMAX Experience.  Unless you wanna see a 9-minute prologue to “Star Trek Into Darkness”.  I know I will.

 

--Robert L. Castillo

The Twelve Top Christmas Movies

 

    It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s time for family, presents, food and of course movies. So in keeping with the spirit, I present to you the twelve best Christmas movies. Why twelve you ask? Well I am writing this on 12/12/12, and it goes great with that song “Twelve Days of Christmas”. Plus If I just did ten I would leave out some of my favorites, so without further ado (drum roll please) Here they are.

 12. Lethal Weapon: Yes I know not much to do with the Holiday Spirit, but every time I hear a mall Santa Claus say “I am getting to old for this” I cannot help to think of this film. It also takes place during Christmas and let’s just admit it, who didn’t love Mel Gibson when he was just pretending to be crazy.

11: Elf: I have it this far down the list because it has not paid it dues yet. I love this Will Farrell comedy about one of Santa’s elf’s finding out that he isn’t a real elf and seeks out his real father played by James Caan. This movie I know will move up this list as the years go by.

10: Die Hard: I know another movie that isn’t so much about Christmas, but about one guy who is in the wrong place at the wrong time. To me Christmas screams “Die Hard”, and of course Bruce Willis does a great job of showing what can happen when you make the naughty list.

9: How the Grinch Stole Christmas:  This is not a great movie, but you know what is great? That you can sing along with Jim Carrey as he sings “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch”. The other great thing is that we all grew up on this book, so just for that reason alone, this film makes the list.

8: White Christmas: There is nothing better to me then hearing Bing Crosby sing “White Christmas”. I know I just may have lost half the readers, but this movie really brings the Christmas spirit and you can’t beat the singing. It brings back memories of Christmas past for me, when this time of the year wasn’t all commercialized, and it was just Christmas.

7: Polar Express:  This is just a magical movie. I say anytime you can have Tom Hanks play a train conductor on a magical train to the North Pole, you got to do it. This movie looks amazing and it just is spilling over with Christmas.

6: The Nightmare Before Christmas: A movie about the King of Halloween, Jack Skellington, who is bored with just Halloween and decides that he wants to be Santa Claus. This great film by Tim Burton and Henry Selick, does not scream Christmas, it’s a must see on Christmas and on Halloween.

5: Nation Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation: We have taken trips with the Griswolds, which seem to turn out not-so-right. So it makes since that their Christmas gatherings might have a few setbacks. This hilarious addition to the Vacation series is still fun to watch, if for any reason alone, because you love Christmas lights.

4: Home Alone: Everyone’s favorite, the kid who got left alone and stops burglars from breaking in his house with cool booby trap Christmas movie. I still love seeing a kid get left at home on the Holidays. The question that still bothers me to this day though is, how did they forget this kid twice?  Oh right, sequel money.

3: It’s a Wonderful Life: Till this day, every time I hear a bell ring, I believe an Angel gets its wings. This Frank Capra classic starring Jimmy Stewart reminds us every year the true meaning of Christmas. It also doesn’t play on TV five million times before Christmas. This is a classic and will always be “The” Christmas movie for me.

2: A Christmas Story:  “Merry Christmas” is said quite often this time of the year, but coming in a close second just might be “You’ll shoot your eye out”. This essential Christmas tale about a boy named Ralphie and the one present he wants more than anything still holds up today.  It has taught us so much, things like never put your tongue on a frozen flag pole, and of course that you really can shoot your eye out.

1: Scrooged:  Nothing says Christmas more than being hit with a toaster. This is one of the many memorable scenes you will see in this Bill Murray film on the classic take on Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol”. It shows how seeing three ghost can turn a grumpy old man who hates Christmas to a guy who learns what Christmas is truly about, and plus it is about as funny a movie as you will see, no matter what time of the year.

   So there is the twelve must see movies for Christmas, I know my list may be different from yours, but this is the time of the year for sharing, and I share with you, a very entertaining twelve days of Christmas.

Brian Taylor

                                                            

Flashback Corner--Poltergeist

“To her, it simply is another child…to us…it is The Beast.

 

          If you ask critics about the films from 1982, they will spout how “Gandhi” ran away with Oscars, about how maybe in retrospect “E.T.” was robbed, “Tootsie” totally deserved its love, and how well “Blade Runner” holds up.  You’ll hear geeks talk about the birth of Rambo in “First Blood”, the still considered best Star Trek “Wrath of Kahn”, classics like “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” “Tron”, “The Secret of NIMH”, “The Dark Crystal”, “Creepshow”, “Conan the Barbarian”, (to hell wit you Krom) “John Carpenter’s The Thing”, and again like the critics you will hear about “Blade Runner” it’s amazing in everyone’s eyes.  And believe it or not the list goes on.  Really it does: “The Beastmaster”, Airplane II: The Sequel”, “Night Shift”, “Annie”, “Porky’s”, “48 Hrs.”, “An Officer and a Gentleman”, “Rocky III”, ‘Swamp Thing”.  Okay, you get it- “Deathtrap”, “The World According to Garp”, “Diner” …see what I mean?  And there are still more worth mentioning, honestly it was an awesome year at the movies.

There is one film though released that year that not only is still a great piece of cinema, my memory of watching it was with my eyes covered for almost 80% of it but when I finally had the courage to watch it in its entirety it for sure cemented a portion of fear in me that will stay buried there, forever I think.  It’s the classic collaboration from Tobe Hooper and Steven Spielberg “Poltergeist”.

Set in every town USA in familiar suburb the Freeling family deals with every day worries, lazy construction workers building their pool, dying family birds, scary lightning storms, and neighbors fighting over satellite supremacy.  Then what starts as creepy noises from the TV, and moving furniture leads to a missing little girl that may have been taken by spirits within the house.  Thus begins the terrifying journey into the world of ghosts and visions of the evil that can exist on the other side, and believe me like the poltergeist in the film, Spielberg and Hooper knows what scares you.

This film really did a number on me when I was a kid, much like “The Exorcist” not wanting to watch certain scenes and settling for the horrifying soundtrack was not the wisest choice, the sounds that came from this movie were equally disturbing as I later found the visuals to be.  Though unlike the scarring nature of Linda Blair in white contacts and spinning head “Poltergeist” was a film I revisited, over and over again for years to come.

The film is littered with watchable scenes, scary or not.  The afore mentioned satellite scene, mosquitos, the chairs moving from the floor to the top of a table in one shot, man-eating trees, the face peeling scene, the emotional climax in the empty room with the light shooting out of the door.  And of course the true ending of film.  It all works and even though it lost its three Oscars to its big brother “E.T.” it’s audio and visuals and Jerry Goldsmith score still look and sound great.

It had all the Spielberg troupes, great visuals, an interesting family dynamic, well placed humor to break up the tension.  But add to the mix a great script, phenomenal performances by JoBeth Williams, and Craig T. Nelson, truly scary to gory moments throughout, and a creepy clown doll like no other, this puts “Poltergeist” at the top of the list for one of the best horror films of all time.

While many other films have ripped off this classic, few have been able to match it.  It’s withstood the test of time, from when I first watched it with family and remember my aunt refusing to watch the “clown” scene insisting that she had clowns in her house and she just couldn’t look at it, to recently sitting through the whole thing and not once closing my eyes.  Though I did watch it in the day time.  I’m not crazy.

 

-Robert L. Castillo    

Life of Pi

         

        The art of filmmaking is something that’s not as appreciated or celebrated as much as other mediums are, like books, painted art, and music…well lately it’s been two out of three.  Anyway, I blame the system for that, because more often than not, it’s about the bottom line and not so much the quality of the product that is eventually put on the screen. Then something comes along that makes you love what movies are and what they strive to be. “Life of Pi” is one of those movies that, on the screen make you really appreciate the art of filmmaking and what it can achieve.

     Pi has what seems as a pretty normal life, as a kid, Pi’s family owned a zoo in India and that is where the fantastic part of his story comes from. Owing a zoo can be quite costly, and when Pi’s family can no longer afford the Zoo, Pi’s father sells all the animals and moves his family to Canada. Passage for the family on a cargo ship is included in the purchase of the animals. On the voyage to Canada, Pi’s life changes forever. During a storm, the ship that Pi and his family are on sinks, but Pi somehow makes it to a lifeboat.  During the chaos a zebra somehow makes it on as well. After the storm it doesn’t take long for Pi to realize that another animal made it on board as well, a hyena, who wants nothing more than to eat. An orangutan also survives the disaster, and is brought on board after floating on a bunch of bananas.  The hyena makes short work of the other two passengers, and just when it seems like Pi would be next, Richard Parker makes the hyena his dinner. Richard Parker though is even a bigger problem for Pi, because he is a Bengal tiger. Pi must survive being stranded at sea and having to share a life boat with a hungry tiger, and after all of this, his story just might make you believe in God.

      Ang Lee is one of the best and diverse directors out there and with “Life of Pi” he shows you why. It’s like a great painter painting his masterpiece and Ang Lee may have made his. “Life of Pi” is everything you want in a movie, and on top of that it is beautiful. The thing that helps make this so is the vividness of the 3D, and it is 3D done right. Too often 3D is used to bring the movie to you with water or an object coming at you, and it usually causes the image to be darker.  “Avatar” got it right, and “Life of Pi” has as well, the 3D is used to enhance the movie in a visual sense. The best part is that this movie has substance as well, not only does it look amazing but the story is just as good. The screenplay was written by David Magee, from Yann Martel’s unforgettable novel and keeps the important parts of the novel intact.  This is why you go to the movies, to be amazed, to feel transported, and this is the perfect movie to remind how magical going to the movies can really be.

 Brian Taylor

                                                   

What's on Redbox?--The Expendables 2

          "Track 'em, find 'em, kill 'em!"

There is one branch of movies that I hope I never lose my love for, and that is the well done action movie.  Back in 2010 I saw and didn’t much care for the Sylvester Stallone action-star packed “The Expendables”.  When people asked me why I didn’t like it, I always said, it wanted to be a throwback to that 80’s action movies that most of the cast were a part of.  I feel they didn’t succeed.  There were just too many trademark elements missing.

“The Expendables 2” picks up the pieces of the first and blows them all to hell in a glorious hail of gunfire.  I really dug this movie.  It had what the first film was missing.  There was a story worth following, the villain was more memorable, the action was bigger and better, but most importantly the movie had heart.  Not a lot, but you don’t need much to keep you invested in the action even if it is mindless and over the top.

Barney Ross (Stallone) is picked along with his band of mercenaries all from the first film, Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham, Terry Crews, and Randy Couture, with newcomers Liam Hemsworth and Nan Yu to do an easy recovery job.  But it’s never that simple in these movies is it?  Something goes wrong and they lose one of their own.  I won’t say who, but by the first twenty minutes, if you’ve seen any action moive, you’ll guess which one it is.  The best part is that it doesn’t matter, that’s the ‘heart’ that was missing from the first one.  It leaves the team hell-bent on revenge.  Add to that a way better and probably intentionally more subdued villain by way of JCVD himself (Jean-Claude Van Damme for the non-fans).  As well as the bad one-liners that characters steal from them-selves from other films, enter Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and best of all, every moment with Lundgren, from writing out Einstein theories on napkins to throwing chickens around, this is a fantastic movie.

What I think helped this sequel to the Expendables was the direction, having Simon West, an action director who knows his way around a gun fight ever since his classic debut of the awesomely fun “Con Air” was the right move.  I appreciate a movie that knows what it is and plays to those strengths.  And while “The Expendables 2” is more of a 90’s action movie with 80’s stars, it works enough to be a really good movie you’d want on your shelf.  Best of all, they leave room for a part 3.  I look forward to it.

 

--Robert L. Castillo

Silver Linings Playbook

           The holidays are always the best time of the year. You get to spend time with the ones you love, and for the most part they are pretty joyful. The other thing that the holidays bring, are all those movies hoping for an Oscar, in other words the best movies of the year usually come out about now. For the next two months you won’t be able to miss a movie that doesn’t hope to take home some kind of award come early next year. Well I might just have found one that is destined to take home more than a few.

          What makes a movie great? Well so many things have to come together to do that. All the elements need to be there: The writing, the directing, and of course the acting.  “Silver Linings Playbook” has all that in just the right mix. Pat (Bradley Cooper) has problems. You might say we all have problems, but Pat’s problems had him locked up in a mental hospital. That also changes when his Mother Dolores (Jacki Weaver) comes and gets him out. It seems Pat had an episode after he found his wife with another man. Pat returns to live at home, and stay with his father Pat Sr. (Robert De Niro) with his obsession with the Philadelphia Eagles. Pat has plans to get his wife back; he just wants to show her that he is different now and has everything under control. Pat is invited to a dinner with a friend and he meets Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), who might be as crazy as he is. Their conversations have no filters and they say whatever comes to their mind to each other and others as well. Pat wants Tiffany to help him get a letter to his wife, and in return Tiffany wants Pat to enter in a dance contest with her. Pat reluctantly agrees, but soon finds that he enjoys the discipline and structure that dancing requires. Pat and Tiffany seem to have a chemistry that is hard to miss, but will Pat see it before it is too late?

      Just like their characters Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence have some great chemistry together. Every time they share the screen it is hard to take your eyes of the magic that is happening on the screen, which is most of the film. The movie was written and directed by David O.Russell (Three Kings, The Fighter), which is based on the novel of the same name by Matthew Quick. There have not been many performances better this year than you will see from Cooper, Lawrence and De Niro. It is great to finally see De Niro not be in a film that has the word ‘Focker’ in it and still show why he is one of the best out there. This movie will make you laugh and at times cry, but when it is all over I promise that you will be clapping, for this is truly one of the best movies you will see all year.

Brian Taylor

                                                             

Rise of the Guardians

             

         Growing up everyone believed in Santa Claus, or at least wanted to. Our parents did the best they could to keep that belief strong, doing whatever it took sometimes to make the stories true. There is a magic to Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy, and all of the other figures that added to our childhood. Though, what if they all knew each other and their job was to protect children from the darkness that is out there.

         Everything in the world seems great, except Santa Claus (Alec Baldwin ) sees trouble in the form of a black cloud.  It is a figure from the past, long thought to have been contained.  Santa decides he must let the others know what he has seen, and sends out a single call to get everyone together. The group he calls on is called The Guardians; they consist of, Santa, The Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), and the silent Sandman. Together they protect the children, and they are needed as the Boogeyman is back and wants to fill the children’s world with darkness. His name is Pitch (Jude Law) and he is tired of not being believed in anymore, and is going to give the world proof he exists. The Guardians must add a new member to their group in order to defeat Pitch again, and that new member is Jack Frost (Chris Pine). The Guardians power comes from children believing in them and Pitch’s plan is to end that belief. Jack is not like the other Guardians, he too like Pitch is not believed in, and so kids do not see him. Jack doesn’t want to join The Guardians, he has always been a loner, but they cannot defeat Pitch without him. It is up to Jack to put aside his differences, so that children everywhere have something good to believe in.

        The idea that these mythical creatures exist has always been magic. The thought of them knowing each other and form a super group that protects children, now that is just plain cool. This idea was thought of by a simple question many parents have been asked by their children, “do they know each other?” Now if the movie could only be as good as the original idea. First time director Peter Ramsey does a good job, the problem seems to be in the writing. David Lindsay-Abaire just doesn’t add too much excitement to the story. Adapted from the novels by William Joyce, it just seems that the cinematic version just doesn’t deliver. I love the idea, but sometimes great ideas do not translate in the end. While the film’s story is lacking, the visuals are a treat, with some of the best 3D to date. Is that enough to make “Rise of the Guardians” watchable?  I wish I could say this movie was amazing as its original idea, but I can’t. What I can say is that your children will enjoy it, and if it keeps their beliefs in these characters with them for a little bit longer, then just for that, it is worth it.

Brian Taylor

    

                                             

Lincoln

I was going to start this review with a joke about vampire hunters, but “Lincoln” the latest from Steven Spielberg deserves more respect than that.  It’s not just a story, it’s an intimate and focused look back at a very important time in our history.  The film does not show Abraham Lincoln as a boy, or tough lawyer, or even trying to become president.  This film shows us the worn down aged prize fighter of the people, all the people and what he did and inspired others to do in order to claim equality among all Americans.  Or more to the point, African Americans.

Set in the weeks leading up to the end of the Civil War and the voting of the 13^th Amendment we see the trials and tribulations that Lincoln’s administration had to endure to make his dream a reality.  Leading the way is Daniel Day Lewis (There Will be Blood) as Lincoln, who plays it very quiet and understated leaving it to others to play it big like Sally Field who is amazing as his wife Mary Todd, David Strathairn as his Secretary of State, as well as ‘incredible in every scene they are in’, both Bruce McGill and James Spader, yes, that James Spader, Steph from “Pretty in Pink”, most notably is Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens who brings it “The Fugitive” style.  They are just a few of the great performances that carry the film.  There is air of Shakespeare to the film as well, as we hear people talk unlike they do now.  There is also that sense of Shindler, as we get the feeling of Lincoln knowing that his actions will be important for the future of mankind and letting little stand in his way.

The only thing that takes away from this being a classic is that the filmmakers try to juggle the 13^th Amendment and the Civil War in a very short period of time.  There are really great scenes revolving around both, some with Lincoln just sitting in a chair shouting about the importance of the Amendment, and other scenes with his eldest son played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt.  These scenes are powerful but don’t add up to the whole in a satisfactory way, and what that comes down to is “stakes”.  We all know the history, even if we don’t know exactly how it played out, but there is no real weight to the build-up when you know the outcome here.  Some movies do it well, mostly sports movies, and Spielberg even did it in “Shindler’s List”, but even though everything feels centered around the finale, it just doesn’t deliver all the way.

In the end what we get with “Lincoln” is a beautiful film, with fantastic performances, a great sense of history, and while it is not destined to be a classic, I would love for this to be required watching in schools for years to come.

--Robert L. Castillo    

Twilight: Breaking Dawn Pt. 2

         I have always tried to look for something good in all the films I see. For the first four films in the Twilight series all I could think was “well the state of Washington sure looks good.” It was real hard to find anything else worthwhile. I think it was because first off I am not a teenage girl and second I think I have good taste. So here we are with the final offering in a very forgettable film series, so what do they have in store for us this time?

      Well Bella (Kristen Stewart) is now a vampire. She awakens from her near death experience with a new look on life, or in her case not being alive. Everything looks and sounds different, except of course how she looks at Edward (Robert Pattinson). The whole Cullen family welcomes her to her new existence. Of course she wants to see her daughter Renesmee (Mackenzie Foy), who has her own special gift. Things though are not all rosy, as the Volturi believe Renesmee is something other than what she really is. The Cullens do not want to fight the Volturi, and instead gather witnesses to help persuade them to tell the truth of who Renesmee truly is. The Cullens know that this may not be possible and also prepare for a fight that most of them may not survive. The Volturi come to punish the Cullens, for what they believe is a crime, but will they be persuaded to believe the truth or will they fight in order for Renesmee to be safe?

     I will say my expectations were rather low coming into this film. I have seen nothing from the previous films to give me any hope that this will end well. I do have some good news, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be, and dear I say it, some parts were actually enjoyable. Now the acting is still questionable, especially the lack of it by both Stewart and Lautner. Also the story is still not something that will ever be confused with being quality. The thing the film lacks though is given life by a few elements. First I will say Bill Condon has added a beauty that the first three films lacked. With Condon’s direction, the Breaking Dawn films had a more clear vision.  I had heard stories that these were the weaker books in Stephanie Meyer‘s series, but I would disagree. The series definitely ended on a good note. With Condon’s direction and a very enjoyable soundtrack, this final film is at more times than I thought possible, worth watching.  Now I won’t be running out to join team Edward or team Jacob, and I am still very glad that this is the last Twilight film I will ever have to see.  Unless Meyer gets hard up for more millions.  All in all I can say though it ended very well, and a small part of me, and I do mean a very small part of me thought it was just starting to get good.

 

Brian Taylor

Flashback Corner--Creepshow

“I can hold my breath for a long time!”

 

          This is one of the best comic book adaptations that was not from a comicbook but was based on a series of comicbooks from the 1950’s was 1982’s horror anthology “Creepshow”.  The comics that inspired this collaboration between horror legends George A. Romero and Stephen King were the EC books like Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror and House of Mystery.  They told grotesque tales of horror that usually ended with a twist of the supernatural or just plain human nature gone evil.  The five shorts that make up “Creepshow” are two based on King’s short stories and the other three and bookends starring King’s own son Joe and future author Joe Hill are originals.

The first tale which begins as panels on a comicbook is straight out of “The Twilight Zone”, only more rated ‘R’ with a family reunion years after the brutal murder of their father who had the fortune they all want.  I think this was the first time I had seen anything by Romero, and I remember being fascinated by the crazy camera angles and bright colors out of nowhere.  It’s a creepy short with an awesome ending.

The next is “The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill” another in the long line of great Stephen King names.  Here King himself plays the main character, a hick who sees a fallen meteorite as a big payday, only things don’t go his way.  This one terrified me as a kid.  I was old enough to stay at home by myself when I saw this on cable years later and the thought of being infected by something and not knowing what to do about it was and still is horrifying.  Though the infected crotch moment is still funny.

The third story revolves around a subject I couldn’t relate to at the time, love triangles.  All I remember thinking, was why was the “Airplane” guy torturing that bartender from “Cheers”.  This is my favorite one now, the tension and build-up to the end is really good, as is the hammy acting of both Leslie Nielsen and Ted Danson.

The fourth story is much like the first one, only instead of daughter wanting to kill her father it’s a husband wanting to dispose of his alcoholic wife.  Which he finds his chance with a 100 plus year old crate that lives a creature with huge fangs and an appetite for humans.  I still like the monster, the story is so-so.

The fifth and final tale of terror is the one most people remember because of the universal hatred of cockroaches.  A rich business man lives in a sterile, sealed off apartment with electric locks and cameras.  The creepy crawly-ness begins during a lightning storm that unleashes a horde of roaches that invade the man’s home.  The final shot is the one that sticks with people.

Watching “Creepshow” now, you can see how it’s aged, but still has remnants of that classic nature of anthologies.  I do miss them, I wished more were made.  It did make me want to watch “Creepshow 2” again which in its own right, is a solid follow-up to the original, and in my mind has the more quotable lines. (you know you all just said “Thanks for the ride lady.”)  Nothing however takes away from the great collaboration between Romero and King, who both were able to capture the feel of terror, gore, and that little bit of humor that always seem to fit in the great films of horror.

--Robert L. Castillo     

Skyfall

                   

         There is an old saying that things get better with age. Now that may not always be true, especially with older franchises, but in some instances it is exactly the truth. This past year the Bond franchise turned fifty, and although it has had its downs and even more downs over the years, it’s still going strong. The big question that is on a lot of people’s minds is has Bond gotten better with age? I think “Skyfall” answers that question.

        Six years ago, the Bond franchise had a sort of reboot. They went back to the first novel by Ian Fleming, to take Bond back to his roots. Gone were the gadgets and the glitz, and enter the gritty and emotionless Bond. It seems Bond (Daniel Craig) is getting back the Bond of old.  The latest film “Skyfall” starts off like a classic Bond movie, with a traffic action sequence, and a great chase scene on the roof tops of Istanbul. Things don’t work out for Bond and he is thought to be dead. We all know Bond would never be killed, so when he turns up after M I 6 is attacked it is not much a surprise. It seems someone with a bone to pick with M (Judi Dench) is releasing every name of every uncover agent M I 6 has. Also breathing down M’s neck is Gareth Mallory (Ralph Fiennes) who needs answers for what is going on at M I 6. Things always work out when you have James Bond at your disposal. Bond sets to track down the man behind the attack, with the help of two beautiful ladies. First being Eve (Naomie Harris), and then Severine (Berenice Malohe), who gets Bond to the man he is looking for. This is where we meet Silva (Javier Barden), who plays bad so good. Bond must stop Silva and save M and the rest of M I 6, a job he is more the up for.

     “Casino Royale” and “Quantum of Solace” were not bad films; they were just not the Bond we all knew and love. The Bond we knew went through women like he went through martinis, and always had the coolest toys. Well that Bond is almost back, and I have enjoyed the road they took to get us back there. We get to meet characters that we already knew form the Bond films of the past, like Q. The other thing is Daniel Craig has made Bond his own and has put his stamp on a character that is so popular. Even as good as Craig has become, the real reason to see this movie is how good Barden is with a bad haircut and just being bad like in “No Country for Old Men”. With the outstanding direction of Sam Mendes (Road to Perdition), who seems to bring a mood of his own to this entire movie, there is not many things that go wrong. It is good to have this Bond back, even the great musical sequence that just makes these movies feel complete.  I look forward to the direction Bond is going, but for now it is fun to just sit back and enjoy the present, because Bond is back and in a very good way.

 Brian Taylor

                                 

Flashback Corner--For Your Eyes Only

          When I was a kid I saw this movie where this guy was taking out bad guys left and right, doing impossible feats, and gettin’ the ladies.  He wasn’t a superhero, and he didn’t ride around in a spaceship, he was by all accounts a regular guy, only there was nothing regular about him.  He was Bond… James Bond.  And the film was twelfth in the Bond series, but my first, “For Your Eyes Only”.

The opening of the film has Bond played here by Sir Roger Moore, at a grave of someone, and then he’s attacked by a mysterious man in a wheelchair and a cat.  At the time I had no previous knowledge of film rights for characters from “Thunderball” or Blofeld, I just thought the fact that you never saw his face made it creepier.  Then the Sheena Easton jam kicks in, with naked women swimming around and shadows of a guy with a gun, what seven year old wouldn’t instantly fall in love?  I still have a bit of nostalgia for the song.

The MacGuffin of the film is the ATAC which is a device that in the hands of the enemy could bring down the British fleet.  So Bond is sent in, I noticed how they say his name a lot throughout the movie, that or “007” as they do as well in the run of the series.  Bond meets the Bond girl Melina (Carole Bouquet) where he is instantly held at gun point which he escapes from by using a beach umbrella as a parachute (yeah, I tried that jumping off a roof of a shed once).  Then from there it’s all standard Bond troupes, car chase, Q’s gadget room, villains and their henchmen, a great ski chase, and the eventual capture of Bond where the bad guy doesn’t just shoot him, he rather tie him to a beautiful woman and drag him behind a slow turning yacht.  Great plan, oh yeah, and he monologues as well.

The whole film seems very formulaic now, but after coming off the mostly absurd “Moonraker” this slightly more grounded Bond was a return to form.  My favorite moment as a kid and I still enjoyed some of it this time around was the climax where Bond has to scale the side of a mountain.  The sounds, the tension, the silence, really sold it for me, and I became a fan of the James Bond films ever since.

While there are much better Bond films than “For Your Eyes Only” and there are some considerably worse ones, overall it’s where it belongs, right in the middle, and aside from the steady pace and old school spy action, it’s still a really enjoyable Bond film.

 

--Robert L. Castillo

Wreck it Ralph

                               

         


      Video games and movies go together like peanut butter and chocolate to a geek, I should know because I am one. Video games have had a bad run when it comes turning them into movies, with most of them being forgettable.  Even more so now, video games have become inherently cinematic.  So we all have been waiting for someone to figure it out, to tie the two together with the right story and characters to make a movie work. Well thankfully someone found the secret and we have a movie that will be enjoyed by all ages.

      Ralph (John C, Riley) is a bad guy in a game called “Fix it Felix Jr.”. He is been doing it for over thirty years, and is starting to wonder what it would be like to be a good guy. Ralph sees how the other characters in his game love Felix (Jack McBrayer) and wants to know that feeling. During a meeting for bad guys in video games, Ralph voices his feelings to everyone. He is told just because he is a bad guy; it doesn’t make him a bad guy. Ralph does not listen and game jumps into a game called “Hero’s Duty”, hearing that is a place he can win a medal. After getting what he wanted he accidently goes into another game, a racing game that takes place in a world of sweets. It is there he meets Vanellope (Sarah Silverman), who is an outcast in her game, because she is a glitch. Ralph learns what it is like to have a true friend with Vanellope, who he helps build a car so that she can be a closeable character in the game. It’s in doing that, which Ralph discovers, what it truly means to be a good guy.

      Disney has always made great animated movies. It seems over the last fifteen years that Pixar has stolen that magic and made the better films. With “Wreck it Ralph” Disney recaptures that magic and makes a film that can stand up to their best work.  Animated movies depend so much on the voice talent, and that is what this film has got completely right. John C. Riley is perfect as Ralph as is every other character in the movie. I believe “Wreck it Ralph” took a page out of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” when it comes to why this movie works so well. Like Roger Rabbit, you see some of your favorite characters interacting with each other, only from the video game world. This film is hard not to love, especially when you can capture a magic that you don’t see often in movies, even less so this year. This movie made me feel like I felt after I saw “Toy Story” and I am sure you will understand that after experiencing this movie for yourself.

Brian Taylor