R.I.P.D

                                                               

      In the world of fan boys and girls, this is a very happy time. With the success of all the comic book movies, studios are looking to different titles, trying to find that next Iron Man or The Dark Knight. Well just like everything in life, there are comics that will make a good movie, and there are the ones that well, not so much. Now with that statement what you are wondering is which of those two choices does “R.I.P.D” follow under?

   Well I am going to do my best to answer that question. Nick’s (Ryan Reynolds) day did not go very well. No his boss didn’t yell at him, and traffic was definitely not the cause of it, no Nick died. Nick you see was a cop, and if you are a good cop you are for some reason needed in the afterlife. Nick is placed with Roy (Jeff Bridges) who has been around for awhile judging from his outfit. Their job is simple; protect the earth from the dead, who did not want to leave. The dead or how they are called deados, look like you and I , that is until you get some cumin power next to them, then they just become ugly. Nick and Roy do not look like themselves either, instead Nick is an old Asian gentleman and Roy is a hot blonde. Together they must stop the dead and their inevitably evil plans.

    Now I know what you are thinking I didn’t answer the question, is this one of the good ones or bad? Well if this film came out in 1996, it might have been pretty cool, but it didn’t and that is a big part of the problem. You see in 1997 a movie called “Men in Black” came out, and “R.I.P.D” feels a little too much like that film. You replace aliens with dead people, there is even the grumpy veteran paired with the hot shot new comer. The other problem with this film is both actors seem to be channeling past characters.  You have Bridges (who may or may not be picking roles based on his facial hair) doing his best Rooster Cogburn from “True Grit” and you have Ryan Reynolds playing, well, the same guy he always plays. I mean at least Bridges is trying to be the guy that helped him win an Oscar, Reynolds has been playing the same guy since “Van Wilder”.  Directed by Robert Schwentke (R.E.D) and with a screenplay by Phil Hey and Matt Manfredi, this is one of those forgettable films.  Now with a title like “R.I.P.D” there is the obvious thing to say about how not good this movie is, but I will refrain from saying it. Instead I say, skip this movie, watch the original “Men in Black” and at least be entertained, because this is one film that is dead on arrival.

Brian Taylor

The Way Way Back

                                                                     

      Growing up is so hard to do. As adults we look at teenagers and wish we had their life again, one of which there is little to no responsibilities. Meanwhile those same teenagers envy adult’s lives of being able to have the freedom to do what they want. Now wouldn't the perfect life lie somewhere between those two existences? Now “The Way, Way Back” does not try to answer such a deep question as the one I posted above, but it does try and convey the difficulties of a kid growing up after a divorce.

      Now I know you are saying, “This doesn't sound like a fun movie at all.”  Although the subject matter does not sound appealing, there is plenty good to make this worth a view. Duncan (Liam James) is your typical awkward kid. Lucky for him his mother Pam (Toni Collette) is taking him to the beach for the summer with her boyfriend Trent (Steve Carell) and his daughter. Duncan does not want to go, even if it is the beach, he would rather spend the summer with his father. Once he arrives he wants to escape and finds himself at a water park. That water park’s manger Owen (Sam Rockwell) takes a liking to Duncan and even offers him a job for the summer. At the park Duncan assumes the name “Pop N Lock” and turns what he thought would be a summer to forget to one he will always remember.

     “The Way, Way Back” has a lot of things working in its favor. Things like being written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash who brought us “The Descendants”. The other things it has working for it is Steve Carell in a smaller role. Now don’t get me wrong, I like Carell, I just like him more in roles like this, which I think makes him more likable  although his character in this movie is not that at all. Rockwell though is the guy you want to hang out with and maybe even date, just not settle down with. He is fun and tells jokes that no one else gets or gets it way after the fact. The movie feels like it takes place back in the past, with only a few things to remind you that it is set in modern times. That is part of the appeal of the movie, because the story in timeless and could have taken place at any point in the last thirty years. “The Way, Way Back” is not one of those movies where you want to watch it multiple times. Instead it is one of those movies you want to watch once, because that is all you need to see of it. This is a story told many times over, but “The Way, Way, Back” still finds a way to put a fresh take on an age old story.

Brian Taylor

                

The Conjuring

                                                   
                                                                   

                 Everyone has a ghost story or at least knows someone who does. Some people use these stories as a game, something you do while you sit around a campfire or something. To others those stories are not to be retold, instead they are locked away and you hope you can forget. I have heard stories from people that I couldn’t believe and would never want to experience them personally. The only things I have seen that terrified me have been on a movie screen, and I have seen enough of those to know the rules. You never go and investigate a noise in a cellar by yourself, also if things start moving by themselves just get out, and finally never buy a house or some land if you don’t know it’s history. Unfortunately for the Perron family they didn’t follow any of those rules.

            “The Conjuring” is a story of a family in the 1970’s who buys what they think is their dream home in Rhode Island. Not long after moving in, things start to happen that are unexplained. Things like the house being cold, doors opening and closing on their own, and seeing people that were not really there. After a few months of these things happening, the family seeks out Ed and Lorraine Warren, who are experts on such unexplained occurrences. What the Warren’s find is the worst thing they have ever investigated.

          Let’s face it; we all like to be scared. We want to find that horror movie that makes us fear the noises we hear at night when the lights are off. With so many stories out there, you would think that they could make a movie that did that. Well “The Conjuring” is not there, but it is pretty close. Not since watching “The Exorcist” as a child, have I experienced the chills that ran up my neck. This is not a “jump out of your seat” scary movie, this is a tense and at times terrifying scary movie. Making you jump is easy, have someone appear out of nowhere, or a loud noise break dead silence. The trick for me though, is feeling like I should leave the closet light on because of the things I saw. Ed and Lorraine Warren’s case files have been used as basis of a few films. Films like “The Amityville Horror”. “The Haunting in Connecticut”, and “The Haunting”.  Just like in “The Amityville Horror” in 1979, “The Conjuring” brings a story that will make you believe in things that are unbelievable. I think the best review I can give this movie is after the credits rolled, I believed what I just saw really happened.  Imagine that, a based on true horror story that I believed.

This is a movie that will have some of you watching it through your fingers. It may not answer all questions or prove to you that some things really exist. What “The Conjuring” will do that most movies like it don’t, it will remind you of a time when horror was good and scary.

Brian Taylor

R.E.D. 2

                             
                                                             

         When I was younger the aging marquee stars of the past would take roles that fit their age. Like Henry Fonda in “On Golden Pond” or the whole cast in “Cocoon”. Well times certainly have changed, because now either because there is no one worthy to take their place, or Clint Eastwood has taken all their roles, action stars of the 80’s will not go away. I once heard someone say that you won’t see Mick Jagger up on stage at 60, well like that person I never thought Bruce Willis would be killing bad guys on screen 25 years after “Die Hard”, I guess we were both wrong.

        In 2010 Summit released “R.E.D.”, a movie based on a limited comic book series from DC. The move did surprisingly well and Summit green lit a sequel. Take the aging actors that were in the first film and add more aging actors seems like was their battle cry. Bruce Willis and John Malkovich are back, as well as Helen Mirren and Mary-Louise Parker. Added to that cast is Anthony Hopkins, no one plays crazy better than him. Catherine Zeta-Jones, who plays a sexy Russian, and Byung-Hum Lee who is the baby in the main cast. The plot is simple enough, the R.E.D. crew must come together to stop a nuclear bomb that was placed in Russia during the cold war. Lots of shooting, plenty of explosions, and of course witty dialogue follows.

       It is easy to hate sequels, and for good reason, most of them are not as good as the original. “R.E.D. 2” becomes one of those rare movies, where part 2 is as good, or even better than the original.  I think it is because everyone was having fun when they make this movie, and that translates to the audience. Bruce is Bruce, and brings the same things that have made him an action star for the past 25 years; you see how he has been doing it longer than most of his targeted audience’s ages? Everyone is good in this movie, and they embrace their characters and you want them to win. The movie wouldn't be the same though if Mirren or Malkovich were not there, because they provide some of the best lines of the movie. Bringing on a new director in Doug Parisot is what maybe makes this film miss the sophomore slump, or maybe it is just bringing back the original writers Jon and Erich Hoeber.

Whatever the reason, you will have more fun and enjoy “R.E.D. 2” more than the first film. I for one am glad that the action stars of the eighties have not gone on to roles that more fit their age. There is simply no one who kicks ass like they do. Just keep is coming Bruce, Arnold, and Sly, because no one can do it better than you.  Well, maybe Jason Statham.

Brian Taylor 

                                         

Turbo

          Everyone loves an underdog story. They are done so much in film, and it’s such a common notion that the line is even spoken in the new Dreamworks film “Turbo”.  The best part in this instance though is, unlike other movies, it’s genuine.  You feel for this animated snail and his new friend a part owner of a taco shop.  Both have dreams and do all they can to make them come true, even when their own family doesn’t believe in them.  The second best part is that it’s fun for the entire family and could very well be the best animated film of the year.

Theo is a snail who wants to be fast, much like Tom Hanks wanted to be Big and Rocky wanted to be champion.  After a freak accident of Spider-Man proportions, he gets his chance to compete in the Indianapolis 500.  Along the way he finds a friend and fellow dreamer he never actually speaks with in Tito (Michael Peña).  Together they both reach for the impossible dreams that live in us all.  The filmmakers of “Turbo” use both wish fulfillment and the belief on oneself to tell a familiar story with most of the troupes we’ve seen before.  What sells it here is voice actors ranging from the comedic Ryan Reynolds as Turbo, to the dramatic Paul Giamatti as his brother Chet.  In between you have actors that have a foot in both dramatic works as well as comedy, like Luis Guzmàn, Maya Rudolph, Michelle Rodriguez, Richard Jenkins, and Samuel L. Jackson.  It also tells its story with a singular goal in mind and still manages to have fun with sight gags, great one-liners, and involvement of the supporting cast.

My kids loved this film as did I, every year we get so many sequels there’s quite a few this summer alone, and it’s always refreshing to see a movie with the originality and the bravery to take a chance on a story that could have been a bad rip-off of Rocky, but instead reminded me of it in that good way.  So go see “Turbo” this weekend, Adam Sandler and his pals have enough of our money, give it to real grown-ups who know how to make really enjoyable films like “Turbo”.

--Robert L. Castillo

Flashback Corner--Gotcha!

“Our side, their side.  I don’t know about that shit.  But I got a friend who’s in trouble, and I’m on his side…Who’s side are you on?”

 

          Three years before Bruce Willis became the ordinary man in an extraordinary situation.  Before every movie after was “Die Hard” on a plane, or on a train, or on a boat or in the rain.  Before John McClane, there was Jonathon Moore, and it was “Die Hard” on a college campus in 1985’s “Gotcha!”

Actually “Gotcha!” was more of a young man’s James Bond fantasy, seeing how that was the most popular spy at the time.  Anthony Edwards (Revenge of the Nerds, E.R.) is an 18 year old bright yet inexperienced with the ladies typical 80’s college student.  He plays a campus game called Gotcha where he and others hunt each other between classes with paintball guns.  Something that sadly, will never happen on any school grounds again, ever.   While on a trip to Europe with his friend Manolo (Jsu Garcia) he meets a sexy Czechoslovakian named Sasha (Linda Fiorentino) who seduces him into going with her to West Germany where he gets pulled into the world of secret microfilms, thugs with guns and spies with strudel.

The script is as cheesy as the bad Bond films, the acting is not much better, but you can feel that the filmmakers enjoy the material enough to go through the motions and try to make a good film.  Released the same year as an actual James Bond movie “A View to a Kill” starring Roger Moore, “Gothcha!” is less of a slog to sit through.  It’s entertaining for what it is and after almost thirty years it’s aged pretty well.  Edwards moment after leaving West Germany still made me laugh out loud.  There are decent on-liners and funny fish-out-of-water moments that still work today.

Aside from director Jeff Kanew’s best film “Revenge of the Nerds” also starring Edwards this is probably his second best effort.  The writers of the film included Dan Gordon who would go on to write “Murder in the First”, “The Hurricane” and had Wesley Snipes utter the classic line “Always bet on black” in “Passenger 57”.  If you’ve never seen this one or not seen it since the 80’s, check it out again, you may find yourself singing along with the catchy theme song.

--Robert L. Castillo     

Pacific Rim

                                                                     

         How do you make the perfect summer movie? I’m not just talking about the best action movie, or the best summer comedy, just the perfect summer movie. Some would say lots of explosions, while others may say a good love story will always do the trick. Every year all the studios aim to release a movie that you will want to see, their idea of that great summer movie. Well I think Guillermo del Toro has figured it out, Robots Vs. Monsters.

       I know it can’t be that simple, since we already had a Cowboys and Aliens that didn't live up to expectations, but for me “Pacific Rim” really is. We have always looked to the stars for where we thought visitors might arrive on our planet one day. But, what if they come from deep within our oceans? That is the question “Pacific Rim” poses. Creatures called “Kaiju” have attacked the coastal cities in the Pacific. They start in San Francisco, and then attack cities like Manila, and Cabo. After conventional weapons have little effect, the world’s governments decide the only way to fight monsters, is to build monsters of their own. The “Jaeger Program” is born, where giant robots are built to fight for mankind. Each Jaeger is controlled by two pilots, who control each hemisphere in the Jaeger. The Jaegers become mankind’s best weapon against the “Kaiju” and their only way to save the planet.

       This is what “Transformers” could have been, if del Toro had been at the helm instead of Michael Bay. While Bay has always been a visual director, he just does not have the complete package like del Toro. This movie has something for everyone, but above all it is just fun to watch. It is a big and loud, and one of those movies that are made to be seen on the biggest screen you can find. For everything that is wrong with summer movies like “After Earth” and “The Lone Ranger” this movie gets it right. This is not a movie that is going to get praised for its great story, even though it has a decent one. The main selling point is “come see this movie and you get to see giant robots and monsters beat the crap out of each other.” I mean really after that what more do you need?

I went in expecting to see one of the best movies of the summer and walked out not thinking any different. The performances for the most part are not anything special, except for every time Idris Elba is on the screen. Given the best dialogue, including a speech any football coach would love, Elba just commands your attention. In a world where sequels rule, we should embrace originally. I mean didn't we say all we needed to say with the original “Grown Ups”? Do we really need another? I say this weekend when you go to the movies see “Pacific Rim”. It’s like sequels are the “Kaiju” and this is your chance to command a Jaeger and to tell the world you are tired of all the “Kaiju”. And if you can, see it ‘IMAX’ big, because this movie doesn’t do anything small.

Brian Taylor 

Despicable Me 2

                                                                 

          In a perfect world or in movie-world there is a clear line between good and bad, hero and villain. Well, life isn't that black and white, nor are the movies now for that matter. Why can’t we have a bad guy who is good as well? Movies have already dabbled in the anti-hero, so I think it is time for the lovable villain, or at least one who has a heart. I am not talking about having the next James Bond villain want to take Mr. Bond for ice cream instead of killing him. What I want is someone like Gru (Steve Carell), a bad guy who discovers his heart, but still has that evil streak in him.

       In 2010’s “Despicable Me” we were introduced to Gru as he tried to take over the world, only to have his life taken over by three little girls. These girls Agnes (Elsie Fisher), Margo (Miranda Crosgrove) and Edith (Dana Gaier) melted Gru’s heart and made him not want to be so evil. In fact Gru is out of the ‘Evil’ business now and no longer has his minions preparing for world domination, instead he has them making jam. Super villains are still out there, and one of them has stolen a formula that could cause the world problems if they are not found soon. So how do you catch a super villain you ask? You use an ex-super villain to track them down. The Anti Villain League recruits Gru and teams him with Lucy Wilde (Kristen Wiig). Together they must find the mystery villain and save the world from whatever evil plan he has in store for us all.

       It seems that most animated movies now are just franchises waiting to happen. Even the mighty Pixar has started to return to the well more often. Why does it seem every animated movie has a sequel now? Well it is pretty simple.  Dollar signs.  Unlike most sequels though, animated movie’s quality can stay relatively the same. Maybe it is because they keep it simple, they don’t try to outdo the first film, and they just make a good movie. In the case of “Despicable Me 2” they don’t let you down, they bring the same laughs as the first film. Stephen Carell is great as Gru, but the minions once again steal the show. Who doesn’t love a little yellow guy who always seems to want to do well by his boss, but always seems to cause trouble. It’s like watching those old Saturday morning cartoons, waiting to see what the minions will get themselves into next. The other thing about this film is the 3D looks good, especially as you watch the credits sequence. I look forward to animated movie sequels, because the filmmakers who make them know what they are. These movies are suppose to be fun, something the whole family can enjoy, and with “Despicable Me 2” they did what they were suppose to do, make a fun movie.

Brian Taylor