Captain America – Civil War: Marvel Defies Sequel Standards

Living in a world of remakes, reboots, prequels, and sequels, we’ve grown accustomed to lowering our expectations when it comes to the second, third, or even fourth adventure of our beloved characters. Now that many of us have flocked to the theaters to see the third installment in Marvel’s Captain America franchise (and pretty much a third Avenger’s move as well), it’s safe to say that they’ve cracked the code to making sequels good again.

Now, Marvel sequels haven’t always been better counterparts to the original, or even good in general (I’m thinking Iron Man 2, Thor: the Dark World), but the so-called “Phase 3” of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) seems to be turning things around.

Captain America: Civil War was by far the best Marvel movie we’ve seen. Yes, even better than the cherished Iron Man that started it all. With the amount of characters this film was composed of, writers and the director were walking a fine line of balancing the heavy-hitters (Cap, Iron Man), the “New Avengers” (Scarlet Witch, Vision, Falcon), and even introducing new guys just in time for their solo films (Spiderman, Black Panther, and Antman – though he’s had his own movie ahead of time). Even typing all that out I’m thinking that’s way too many characters, and I didn’t even mention the lesser-powered Black Widow and Hawkeye. And yet, when watching Civil War, I really didn’t think characters were shoed-in just to make room for their upcoming movies and I really expected to, especially coming fresh off of Batman V. Superman (i.e. Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Aquaman, Flash).

What’s clear is that the team behind Civil War carefully considered the relationships between these characters that have been for the most part developed independently, which added to the believability of super-friends fighting super-friends. Their marketing efforts are pushing audiences to decide if they’re “Team Cap” or “Team Iron Man,” but when I was watching I didn’t know which side I was on, because both sides had legitimate arguments without an easy answer. Outside of Loki in the first Avengers flick, Marvel has had a lot of problems writing believable villains, though we’re given Zemo in Civil War, whose motives are at least somewhat believable, the real villain is the inner conflict of the team, which was an innovative way to circumvent their villain problem.

I can’t say for sure that if Civil War had been another lackluster blockbuster I wouldn’t continue to go see the coming onslaught of Marvel movies, but because it wasn’t, because it was in fact a fantastic movie, I am even more excited for what is to come. Spiderman: Homecoming is now my most anticipated movie of 2017 (let’s hope I don’t live to eat those words later), and I eagerly await Black Panther’s solo film in 2018. The light-hearted web-slinger and the brooding kitty-king both stole the show in Civil War.

Other “Universes” and franchises take note, just because audiences have granted you the love and support to make a sequel, prequel, reboot, or remake, doesn’t mean that you have carte blanche to phone it in and expect us to croon over thinly veiled duplicates of characters once worthy of our adoration. You can do better than that, and Civil War was a testament to that fact.

“Jurassic World”: Can’t Help Lovin it

Honestly I’m mad at myself for waiting this long to see “Jurassic World.” What an fun movie. Being raised on “Jurassic Park” and “Lost World,” (and not finding the least bit of shame in enjoying “Jurassic Park III”), I was at first suspicious of the reboot and I think I avoided seeing it in fear that it wouldn’t be anything at all like the ones that came before it, or worse, it would be so totally unrecognizable, full of non-stop CGI effects.

As I found out when I finally watched “Jurassic World,” neither of those catastrophes happened. “Jurassic World” keeps all the right elements from the previous films while revitalizing the series with an action-backed and humorous adventure.

In a world where dinosaurs can be brought back to life due to DNA stored in amber encased mosquitoes, early on viewers have to suspend their disbelief or else fight their way through unanswered questions and plot holes through the original Jurassic movies and “Jurassic World” is no different. What makes the holes in “Jurassic World” so entertaining is the call-backs to the previous film. Centered around two children, the plot is loose at best. Unlike in the first film, when the park has yet to open to the public, “Jurassic World” is twenty years later and the park has been in full swing for some time. How they were able to get the funds or the clearance to get all this up and running again is beyond me, but you have to roll with it. Other things you have to roll with is the idea that a man would be able to control velociraptors, that scientists designing dinosaurs for weapons wouldn’t have a fall-back plan to take them down if they got loose, and that Claire can outrun a T-Rex in three-inch heels. But these things don’t matter in the slightest, and that is the glory of “Jurassic World.”

Perhaps its just the nostalgia blurring my vision, but “Jurassic World” gets a big pass in my book for all of these and many other plot holes that any other movie would get teared to pieces for. Finally getting to see Jurassic Park in action; Mosasaur Sea World-esque shows, cross-bred mutant dinosaurs, Jimmy Fallon led tours through the plains (okay maybe not that last one), was something we’ve waited for since Dr. Grant and Sattler first drove through the unopened Jurassic Park, stopping for sick triceratops and marveling at Brachiosaurus. As much as I couldn’t care less about the two adolescent boys that take the lead roles in “Jurassic World,” their symmetry to the kids in “Jurassic Park” is uncanny. Whether it is climbing through mud, having their vehicle land on top of them, and just in general having a crappy time with dinosaurs, the call-backs to the original plot with these two was fantastically done.

Not unlike Dr. Alan Grant in “Jurassic Park,” the real hero of the story is the smart but strong rough-riding, dinosaur respecting Owen, played by Chris Pratt. Now they’ve got me again, with the nostalgia and the hole-in-one trick of putting the charming and witty Chris Pratt in the lead role, how could you go wrong? And honestly, all they did wrong was not having him in every scene. Oh good, more shots of the kids rolling around in the “bullet proof” sphere that turned into a total piece of crap when faced with dinosaur claws, how great. What we really want this whole time is more Chris Pratt, more velociraptors, and more one-lines, dammit!

And that is exactly what we get at the climax of the movie. I was out of my chair yelling at this point, “oh damn, the big one is talking to the little ones! Oh damn, its part velociraptor!” I have to say, I didn’t see that coming. Again, probably way too wrapped up in the nostalgia of it all, but come on, the T-Rex busting through those bones and taking on the big hybrid dino was freaking awesome. I don’t know why but suddenly the main villain (T-Rex) of all the original films was suddenly the big hero but it worked so well. Whatever happened after that point was moot, that fight was awesome.

I couldn’t have been more pleased with this reboot, which is not what I expected when I first saw the trailers. I know this movie has a lot of issues but it is done well enough that you won’t mind them. One scene that will always stay with me is the Mosasaur show, and the conclusion of the fight with the giant beast. I thought I was about to have a panic attack watching that show, as the seats lowered I knew there was no way in hell I would have stayed there had it been me, no need to watch that underwater, thank you very much. Terrifying.

If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it. “Jurassic World” is a lot of fun, I will definitely be watching it again, though probably not ever as much as I have the original “Jurassic Park.” I’m not often a fan of reboots, and was glad to be pleasantly surprised.

“Gone Girl”: What to Expect

When I watch movies I hate to be influenced by what the media or other people have already said about the film I’m watching. That being said, sometimes that’s hard to avoid like in cases of “The Interview” when the media coverage was so prevalent. In the case of the films that have been nominated for an Academy Award its also incredibly difficult to avoid spoilers and critics. Luckily for me, when I set out to watch “Gone Girl” the only thing I knew about it was the lead actress, Rosamund Pike, had been nominated for the 2015 Best Actress Academy Award and that it was based on a book. Honestly I hardly even remembered the previews. I’m laying this all out for you because, if  you haven’t seen “Gone Girl” yet, you shouldn’t read this review. In order for you to get the optimal viewing experience, I don’t want a single thing ruined for you and in order to give the optimal reviewing experience, I’m going to have to discuss the second half of the movie, which basically means:

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*BEYOND THIS POINT YOU ARE NO LONGER SAFE FROM SPOILERS*

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With only eight nominations for best picture this year out of the possible ten spaces that the Academy could have filled, its interesting to note that “Gone Girl” is not one of the nominees. Perhaps I’ll have a better opinion once I’ve finished watching the five and a half nominated films I haven’t seen, but already I think I can see that “Gone Girl” doesn’t quite hold its ground with the others. Now, I am rating the film at 7.5 out of 10, which is certainly nothing to baulk at. In fact, I really enjoyed this film.

Audiences always seem conflicted over Ben Affleck when he is in front of the camera instead of behind it, but in the role of Nick Dunne, the protagonist of “Gone Girl,” I think you’ll find a well developed character and passionate performance. What aspects of that character are to be given credit to Affleck and which to the writer of the Gone Girl novel, Gillian Flynn, may be difficult to figure out, but what is clear is that he fills a complicated role very well. Unfortunately for him, his performance is entirely overshadowed by Rosamund Pike, who plays Amy Dunne.

The film starts on “one day gone,” the day that Nick Dunne came home to find his wife Amy missing from their home. Up until almost the exact middle point of the film the events that unfold lead the detectives on the case, as well as the general public following the disappearance, and the audience, to believe that Nick Dunne murdered his wife. As mad as I am that I didn’t figure it out sooner, it is a very well thought-out twist that occurs half-way through the movie that Amy Dunne has deliberately and methodically framed her husband for murder. What aids this blind-side turn of events is the way the director portrayed the timeline of events through the film. While most of the film takes place in a current time-line of Nick trying to prove his innocence, the film often skips backwards a few years to the beginning of Nick and Amy’s relationship, usually narrated by Amy as she writes in her journal. Never would you suspect that what she was writing in her private journal was mostly lies, told in very calculated ways, to be found and read by the police.

As the first half of the film progresses you can feel your decision about Nick’s innocence change as well based on how the director leads us through the timeline of events. Of course there are hints as to what is really going on, but never out of place enough to make you even think that a twist is coming. I had pretty much decided he was guilty during the scene in which we are introduced to Andie, the young woman whom which Nick had been having an intimate affair. How quickly that darkly lit mise-en-scene reinforced and committed my guilty judgement, as well as Nick’s sister. And yet, it was just a cleverly placed and arranged scene to do exactly that. When the whole plot is revealed its shown how Nick’s faults pale in comparison to the sins of his wife.

The character of Amy Dunne is phenomenal and phenomenally portrayed by Rosamund Pike. Beginning, in the audiences’ perception, as an intellectual and gentle woman, and turning into the murderous psychopath that she really is, was an incredible feat to accomplish without giving anything away before its time. I was in rapture watching the second half of this film as the mystery was unraveled and the woman behind it as well. Whether she was chemically imbalanced from birth or being raised in an environment where your fictional self was constantly showing you up was what made her snap, its clear that Amy has a lot of problems. Nick, when asked by the police what it is his wife does all day, has no answer; as the oblivious and unfaithful husband that Nick had been set up to look like, the thought didn’t cross my mind that she was at home doing something devious.

Okay now here’s the part of the film that really gets me: the end. Honestly the end of this film is what brings it from that Mad Rad acclaimed spot on my rating scale all the way down to a 7.5. Think about the commitment that Amy must have had for, what, months? a year? planning this whole convoluted plot. The film shows that she read at least an entire stack of crime novels, did research, wrote entries into her diary that not only took place over years of time but also maintained consistency with certain truths of their relationship to keep it believable, and set up an entire intricate scavenger hunt to further the guilt of her husband. All of this on top of appearing normal every day for Nick and planning her suicide so that Nick’s blame would be so clear he received the death penalty.

Think about that level of commitment, she had to be really dedicated to ending Nick’s life and her own to go through all that planning without ever wavering. There had to be moments where Nick was really trying with her where she would have doubted her plans and yet she still did it all. Then, she’s almost completely gotten away with it before two of her white trash new neighbors prompt her to divulge she is no longer planning on killing herself. When that decision was made was very unclear. After those neighbors rob her, the Amy in hiding, she ends up “running into” her ex-lover played by Neil Patrick Harris, Desi Collings. In almost a matter of random Hollywood convenience, Desi has the perfect safe-house for Amy to stay at, complete with cameras. And then because she sees a fabricated version of Nick on TV calling her home, she decides to abandon all those months of planning for a plan she cooked up in a single day but still requiring the same level of intricate details. Honestly I’m mad that the film ended when it did because I’m sure that given a couple more weeks that lady detective would be all over the discrepancies in Amy’s story. I mean the woman noticed when picture frames were standing upright when they shouldn’t have been and now Amy’s claiming it was a legitimate kidnapping, why would someone stage the kidnapping? Why was all of Amy’s blood all over the kitchen floor if she wasn’t murdered there but just taken? Where are those wounds?

I think that where it was an interesting choice for Nick and Amy to actually end back up together, its totally unbelievable. Yes, we’ve been shown plenty of evidence towards Amy’s unstable mind but wasn’t what she wanted was for them to be honest with each other so she wouldn’t have to pretend to be that “cool girl” that she thought he wanted? How is that ending anything but the start of another cycle of resentment and murder? This ending was trying way too hard, when the film itself had already proven how twisty and unpredictable of a story it was. Nick would have to be a much more deeply confused or insane person than was ever portrayed in the film in order to let Amy back into his life in any other capacity but fear. The dynamic of Amy going to live back with Nick and him fearing for his life was at least believable but to end the film with the idea that Nick is staying with Amy for the sake of his unborn child is basically ridiculous. Amy would have been found out in a second if any of the precedents that had set up earlier in the film held true for the investigation once she returned, which just makes the random pregnancy and Nick’s decision, almost a desire it seemed, to stay with Amy all that more maddening to me.

For an incredibly well thought-out thriller with an amazing twist I didn’t see coming they really called it in at the end there. I still think its worth the first watch but this won’t likely be a film that will pull me into another two hour sitting now that I know the whole spiel.

IMBD

Offical Website

“Boyhood”: Wonderful

Last night was the 72nd annual Golden Globes awards ceremony; if you’re like me and are still trying to find time to watch all the masterpieces from 2014 I would recommend starting at the top of their list. Richard Linklater brought home Golden Globe awards for best director and best film (drama) for his film “Boyhood,” a story told over 12 years in an cinematic journey unlike any I have experienced before. In fact, I have to admit that I didn’t watch the Golden Globes, I was too enthralled watching “Boyhood” to pause. There is so much that I could say about this film and so much that the critics have already said but when I watched the film I knew almost nothing about it, which really affected the way I watched it so I don’t want to spoil the same effect for you. I’m going to talk about why I liked the film and I hope by the end you all want to see it as badly as I want you to.

The film began production and has its opening scene in the year 2002. “Boyhood” has been a life-long project for its star, Ellar Coltrane, who plays Mason, a younger brother to one older sister with a single mother to raise them. Mason is six years old when the film begins, three years younger than I was in 2002 and the same age as my own younger brother. If you were also a lower-middle class 90’s baby then you’ll find this film hauntingly congruent with your own childhood. In the dialogue, the sets, the costumes, down to everyday details like the yellow toy binoculars we used to have at my house, I was instantly pulled back to elementary school and what it was like growing up in a post-9/11 world. I felt like every scene in the film was straight out of my life or a friend of mines; neighbors across the street, cousins, acquaintances, enemies, they were all going through what Mason and Samantha go through in this film. As Mason Sr. says during the film, “its all the same, but different.”

To see a story told in increments over 12 years is a breathtaking experience. Mason grows before your eyes along with every single other character, not only to the extent that these actors can portray growth and change but to physical changes as they actually grow older and more mature in their own ways as filming went on. On top of that, it doesn’t feel like a gimmick or a waste of time, it is a well-rounded and well-thought-out film that plays upon the subtle intricacies of the human experience.

In a beautiful moment near the end of the film, as Mason leaves for college, his mother breaks into tears. Her youngest child leaving her to an empty house and the feeling she expresses is that she doesn’t know what she is doing with her life, that it all had moved so fast. Again, another chapter taken from my own life and from many of your own I’m sure. What made this scene stunning to me was how well it paralleled the angst and confusion that Mason felt as a teenager. The film creates these cycles throughout, showing the audience how similar the children are to the adults and yet how differently they treat and regard each other. Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette perform brilliantly as perfectly flawed parents and human beings, offering amazing support to the young stars that really made this film into what it is.

Director Richard Linklater has commented saying he didn’t have a detailed plan for filming over 12 years and he let the film develop as he and the actors developed. For not outlining how all the pieces would fit together, he has done a brilliant job putting together not only a look at 12 years of a boy’s life but also a story with scope and focus that keeps you hooked for all of almost three hours of film. Although many characters are introduced throughout the story, they all play a key role in each of the family members’ lives, never feeling like filler roles or creating unnecessary dialogue. What must have been so difficult is capturing what is necessary and what isn’t. Life doesn’t come with an editor to pick out 12 moments to sum it all up and is so much more than those moments could ever show. And yet, Linklater writes the right moments and keeps a perfect balance between what is drastically important and what is subtle but equally necessary.

I was lucky enough to grow up in a home in which my parents loved each other and loved my brother and I deeply and yet even we faced many of the trials that faced Mason’s family in “Boyhood.” Although it won best drama this year, nothing about what happens in the film seems over-dramatized, it feels like what happens to all of us. If it wasn’t me or my brother I was picturing in Mason’s place, it was our best friends down the street or a classmate, living lives of divorced parents, remarried parents and new step-siblings, middle school bullies, high school break-ups. Although Mason’s story wasn’t real, it was real to me.

There isn’t enough praise in the world to bestow upon Linklater and the whole production cast and crew for maintaining such quality work over the past 12 years and having the patience for creating something so long in the making for us all to enjoy. The plot of “Boyhood” on the most basic level will draw you in and keep you enthralled, wondering what will happen to Mason next, or really any of the family members. The deeper plot that connects the film to all of us, to life itself, will bring you to tears, pull at that pit in your stomach, and bring up memories long forgotten. Boyhood, childhood, it goes so quickly and is only just a small fraction of our lives that we forget so much that was important to us or that mattered when we were young and then we go through those same trials and missteps again and again as life goes on, learning and growing but still a part of what really is “the same, but different” for all of us. I am not only pleased that Linklater took on such an impressive project, but grateful that he did, for all that the film offered as a mirror to my own life and to all of human life.

To find out more about the film you can visit the official website, IMBD, and Wikipedia.

Next week I’ll be watching another Oscar best picture contender. Indiewire is pointing me towards “Birdman” and “The Intimidation Game.” Let me know if there’s another potential nominee that you’d like me to review in the comments!

“The Interview”: Another Rogan Masterpiece

What started, for me, as a film I hoped to make my Christmas Day screening, quickly turned into a story of controversy and censorship. Of course I’m talking about Seth Rogan’s latest and greatest, “The Interview.” Starring himself and James Franco, my favorite big screen dynamic duo take on interviewing and assassinating the leader of North Korea, a ridiculous plot that perhaps brought these two more than they bargained for (although not all of me is convinced this wasn’t mostly a publicity move). Sony planned on releasing the film Christmas Day, then after receiving a threat from North Korea as well as an onslaught their systems being hacked, pulled the film from cinematic release. Of course, theaters refusing to play the film must have impacted that choice. Then we get The President of the United States taking charge of the situation, calling out for freedom of speech, prompting Sony to release the films and theaters to show it. What an amazing moment in the history of the cinematic arts, where an admittedly ridiculous buddy-comedy film can result in such a conversation of the rights of film makers and censorship in the U.S. For those of us who still just really wanted to see the movie just to see it, I think this whole situation really ended up benefiting us as well. I can confidently say that if getting threatened by North Korea is what it took for a feature film to be offered on YouTube for less than a price of a theater ticket then it was worth it!

Yes, instead of trekking out (in my miserably sick state for Christmas weekend) to the local Regal, I was able to stay right here in my computer chair and pajamas and laugh my ass off with the click of the play button. Perhaps my only qualm with YouTube’s new feature film feature is that we couldn’t switch to HD; guess I’ll have to wait for DVD to see the whole glory of “The Interview.” But that alone didn’t detract me from my viewing experience and all this political controversy aside, I have to say that I really enjoyed the film.

I have been a Seth Rogan fan since his days on “Freaks and Geeks,” and have seen 11 out of 11 films he’s both starred in and produced according to Wikipedia. This guy makes me laugh; he gets my sense of humor. I think he deserves a little shameless sucking up, just so we’re all sure he’ll keep making movies. Without trying to give a complete review of all his work, I have to say I was quite pleased with how “The Interview” fits in with the other most recent releases. In my opinion, the humor that you get in “Knocked Up,” “Zack and Miri Make a Porno,” and “Pineapple Express,” all early 2000 films starring Seth Rogan, is the perfect blend of sweet and funny, messed up and cute. Now, I honestly really enjoyed “This is the End” as well, but I was getting a little worried. Seth Rogan’s success was something that could go to a lot of people’s heads and with the star-studded cast of “This is the End” really didn’t make up for the lack of a sweet underlying story or the bizarre scenes that seemed to just be pushing envelopes instead of trying to make us laugh. Don’t get me wrong, I love that movie too, it makes me die laughing, but it doesn’t have the same charm.

Now, maybe I’m crazy to say this about a film describing an assassination attempt on a foreign leader, but I really found a lot of the original charm of those earlier Seth Rogan films in “The Interview.” The relationship between Seth Rogan and James Franco permeates every scene of the film and is ultimately the best thing about the film and what brings that, almost, sweet story underneath it all. Rotten Tomatoes may disagree with me, the film’s currently at a %54, but I have to say that there’s a perfect balance of ridiculousness and lightheartedness that keeps the film from going over the top. Even now I’m sure a lot of you are shaking your heads, after all the film does end after a battle to the death between tank and helicopter, but what was significant to me was how the jokes were kept smart and quick, never blatantly stupid or merely relying on the expected response to Seth Rogan just being Seth Rogan.

I almost wish there hadn’t been so much publicity and hype for the film, turning it into a spectacle when it was really just a solid funny movie. Lines like “they’re peanut butter and jealous!” and “they hate us ’cause they ain’t us” kept me laughing long after the film was over. I’m constantly impressed by the way James Franco and Seth Rogan act together, both in their comedic timing as well as their commitment to their work. In interviews I’ve seen the passion that these two have for making quality comedies and it is refreshing in a world of sequels and reboots to see someone creating almost completely all original works. If pushing the envelop is what it takes to get an audience then I say go for it, but the jokes speak for themselves and I hope that Seth Rogan can find continued success in his films after enduring such a controversial release with “The Interview.”

I hope people will watch the film and appreciate it for the humor that it has instead of any political statements it may make. The character of Kim Jong-Un is played beautifully by Randall Park, who I will always think of as Asian Jim from that episode of “The Office.” His attempts to get David Skylark, Franco’s character, on his side, proving to him he’s just a normal, misunderstood guy, was a complete surprise to me, making their attempts to assassinate the dictator all that much more difficult as Aaron (Seth Rogan) must also re-convince Skylark that Kim Jong-Un deserves to die. Overall, the plot of the film was concise and well written, avoiding a lot of unnecessary tangents. Of course there were a lot of Seth Rogan tropes; he has to get injured in some terrible way, there’s a love story thrown in there with a strange woman, and poking fun at his laugh, which seems to happen in everyone of his films. I think Franco and Rogan put together a great comedy here that is definitely worth watching. Even if you aren’t a fan of Seth Rogan’s work, this film is now a part of history and deserves a watch for that sake alone.

Here’s the film’s official website and IMBD page.

“Snowpiercer” (2013): How Did I Miss This Movie!?!

Honestly I have no idea why I didn’t know this movie existed until it became available on Netflix recently. “Snowpiercer” is based on a South Korean action film based on a French graphic novel that faced difficulties upon release when the director refused making big cuts and adding opening and closing monologues to the film (so glad he did!). But I’ve seen it now and I am so excited to tell you all why I’m giving this film a 9 out of 10!

Taking place in the future, after humanity’s attempt to stop global warming goes terribly wrong, “Snowpiercer,” starring Chris Evans (our beloved Cap’), is the classic dystopian story alike “1984” or “A Brave New World,” two of my favorite books, retold in a fresh new way. Built by the mysterious Wilfred, a gigantic train traverses the frozen wasteland of Earth at incredible speeds, making a full rotation every year. The passengers are the survivors and last remnants of society. Curtis, our protagonist, has been on the train for all of the 17 years the train has been running in the tail section of the train. On board there is a strict hierarchical system of the passengers; the closer to the engine, the higher status the passengers have. Our proletarians, the lowest of the low, the tail section, is the worst way to live on the train and as “Snowpiercer” begins, it is clear that they are tired of it.

Following an action packed and puzzling journey though the amazing train from tail to engine, this film did everything right for me. I am an ardent fan of all things dystopian, and this film was not an exception. Not only that, I felt the film offered new insight into the genre as well. Don’t forget anything you see while watching this film, if you think it didn’t matter, it probably will later. So much of the train is kept a mystery to the audience as well as to the main character that I was constantly curious and attempting to put the pieces of the puzzles, the clues the film gives, into place. The director/writer, Joon-ho Bong (“The Host,” (2006)) has obviously  put a great deal of thought into the construction of the train, not only in the fantastic visuals and dynamics built within single train cars, but the logistics of keeping people alive on a constantly moving train, which makes this film so enjoyable. Although fantastical and unrealistic, the world that is created in “Snowpiercer” seems fiercely tangible.

What I love about the story of this film is that you can think you’ve figured out how it will end or go on and then there’s something you didn’t expect right around the corner. I’m finding it difficult to write a lot about this film because I really don’t want to give it all away. You can, however, expect a wonder cast of actors in some very interesting roles, including Ed Harris, Tilda Swinton, and Octavia Spencer.

What you should take away from this review is that if you love dystopian films or books then you are going to love this movie. I can’t think a thing wrong with how this film was executed, which is why I’m so bummed I missed out on seeing this a whole year earlier when it was in theaters! Although now it is available for streaming on Netflix, so make sure you all catch it there while you can, and let me know what you thought in the comments!

Here’s the film on IMBD and it’s official website.

One-Star One-ders of Netflix: “Nightmare City” (1980)

This is the first post in a series of reviews of films found on Netflix that have a one-star rating as well as something a little special for Halloween tomorrow!

Today I did some research into the best Halloween movies to watch on Netflix and came across an article from this week by the Huffington Post, which outlined director Eli Roth’s (“Hostel”, “Hostel 2”) Top 6 Horror Film’s on Netflix. Wanting to also get a running start on the One-Star One-ders of Netflix as well, I chose to watch the film at the bottom of his list: “Nightmare City,”an Italian film directed by Umberto Lenzi, which, for reasons that quickly became apparent, has been given a one-star rating. I happen to think that while this movie may not have been completely mad bad, it was no where near mad rad and that’s why I’m assigning this film a 2 out of 10.

Let me say that my expectations were very low as I started on this cinematic journey, although my interests were piqued upon reading the plot summary: “An airplane exposed to radiation lands, and blood drinking zombies emerge armed with knives, guns and teeth! They go on a rampage slicing, dicing, and biting their way across the Italian countryside.” (From IMBD). As a proud member of “The Walking Dead” generation, I happily consider myself a zombie aficionado who could easily find some enjoyment from good ole’ blood drinking zombies.

Oh how I was wrong. Think about that description for a moment. “Blood drinking zombies” that use “knives, guns and teeth.” You don’t even need the description to realized that these are by no means the iconic zombie of old, the moment these “zombies” casually stroll out of  the contaminated aircraft and swiftly overtake the incredibly disorganized Italian military unit through techniques such as; stealing automatic weapons out of trained soldiers’ hands, stabbing people in the shoulder with various crude weapons and knives, and even, god forbid, reaching blood covered hands threateningly towards people literally paralyzed with fear! For some of these “zombies,” they get their kick from a quick slash across the throat before they move on, and yet for others their vampiric tendencies take over and the blood drinking begins.

I do give this film credit for never calling these creatures “zombies,” in fact I think the word used is “supermen.” Oh yes, contaminated by nuclear radiation, the creatures spread their contamination through the smallest of bites or scratches, so effectively in fact that the entire country seems overrun in what I can only assume was a day, as well as supposedly have super-human strength. Luckily for the “zombies,” they even maintain most of their ability to think, often with better results than those who haven’t been infected yet! Within a matter of hours the government is able to determine that shooting the creatures in the head is the only way to kill them (just about the only zombie-related characteristic). Of course, this information really has no significance since the only good the military seems to do is escorting people to their deaths and making sure word doesn’t get out about their entire nation being under siege from blood-sucking “zombies.”

Follow along as the creatures transport themselves from airport to television station to military base to hospital more quickly than our heroes in cars. Enjoy as they take extra consideration for their female victims, never forgetting to rip through their shirts, dresses, nurses scrubs, even sexy thong-leotards to be sure the victims breasts are exposed before getting to the stabbing. Obviously fabrics are no problem when it comes to the men victims as knives and bullets are able to pierce through their clothing without the strip search. And if the death scene nudity isn’t doing it for you, don’t look far for randomly inserted sex scenes, sexy dances, and more. Gotta meet that 80’s horror-flick boobies quota!

So if you approach this movie expecting mutated men turned into cannibalistic murderers whom also seek the destruction of Italian infrastructure instead of the zombies or walkers that we’re used to, you’re going to fully get that 2 out of 10 rating that I know this film deserves! If you can ignore the plot holes, poor acting, shaky camera shots, subtitles, and the total inability of characters to run away (One woman was nice enough to stand still for her murderer as her eye was slowly gorged out of her body), and instead find satisfaction in the new and exciting ways the creatures take down their victims and the the hilarity of the film as a whole, as something so bad it’s good, then you may find yourself loving it.

Try challenging yourself to a fun drinking game; take a shot every time the zombies surprises the audience with a new killing tactic. Before you know it you’ll be too drunk to keep up with the subtitles and will just be laughing along as breasts are sliced off, zombies politely wipe blood from their face onto their sleeve, and just for kicks become silent and stealthy assassins when the occasion calls for it. What more could you ask for on Halloween night?

If you have other one-star one-der suggestions or what to discuss the intricacies of “Nightmare City” with me further, please leave a comment and follow my blog! Look forward to more reviews soon!

“The Judge”: Drama with Heart

Skip past around 60 films on Box Office Mojo’s 2014 yearly box office results to find “The Judge,” currently reaching 35 million in gross revenue. With so many amazing films to see from this year, especially ones with huge  budgets filled to the brim with CGI settings, props, and even characters, there’s a lot of movies that you’ll miss seeing. Don’t let “The Judge” be that drama that slips past your radar this year or you’ll regret it. Still being in theaters, this film has the chance to still make a huge impression on a lot of people, as it did for me.

David Dobkin (“The Wedding Crashers”, “The Change Up”), showed his true directorial talent in “The Judge.” Very easily I could spend a day discussing the intricacies of the film’s plot, even more so once I see it again I’m sure, but instead I want to focus on the one reason why this film shouldn’t be missed. Dobkins, with the stellar support of  brilliant actors Robert Downey Jr., Robert Duvall, and the entire supporting cast,  has created an honest picture of the world from within the relationships of this one family. Hank, played by Robert Downey Jr., is a lawyer who returns to his estranged family when his mother passes away and is forced to interact with a father whom he felt mistreated him as a son by being too strict due to his profession as a judge, as well as two brothers and an ex-high-school-sweetheart who all felt abandoned when he left. To make tensions higher, Hank’s father, played by Robert Duvall, becomes a suspect in a murder case shortly after Hank arrives and this is what the plot revolves around.

The question of “what is justice” comes up a lot in this film and is exemplified in the different opinions of the characters. Joseph, Hank’s father, believes that justice will always prevail when the truth is told whereas Hank defends those who are guilty and uses the justice system to their advantage. The way this theme develops throughout the movie is something you should pay attention to the next time you see it. Justice to Joseph at the beginning of the film would be proving that his story was the truth whereas justice for Hank would be finding Joseph not guilty regardless of the truth to his story. With the dynamic character development that Joseph goes through to lead the audience through the events of the night of the murder, we are never sure ourselves what the truth is until the very end. Like the jury we are making our own decisions throughout the process of the film and perhaps like the jury in the film we end up satisfied that justice was served but remorseful that it has to be that way. I really don’t want to spoil the ending for you so I’ll end it there.

What I really want to get to in this review was THE ONE REASON why you shouldn’t miss this film. Honestly for me it is one scene that makes me what to see this film again and again; the bathroom scene. Joseph is dying of cancer, you learn this shortly into the film when Hank learns it as well. The film becomes the plight a dying man fighting for his dignity with his son as the only one who knows. I will praise Robert Duvall’s portrayal of a terminal cancer patient to the end of time because he got it right. As someone whose own father faced a similar diagnosis and a sharp decline in health and mental awareness, I have always felt that the reality of sickness and losing someone who is still right there with you is one of the most difficult parts of humanity to portray on screen. Most people don’t want to see that and there often really isn’t much to see. Duvall’s character is portrayed as such a strong man but when cancer starts affecting his memory and control of his own body,  he so quickly becomes vulnerable. The vulnerability of Duvall’s character in the bathroom scene brought tears to my eyes. Gross, uncomfortable things happen to a sick person’s body that a large part of society doesn’t like to talk about. After all the fighting they had, all the history of hurt between them, when Hank finds Joseph barely coherent and covered in his own filth there is not a moment of hesitation before he is picking his father off the ground and bringing him to the bathroom to clean him up. The familiarty and bonds of family take over in this moment of pure compassion; son caring for father as father cared for son as a child. Robert Downey Jr. and Robert Duvall, in the shower together, hosing off shit and dealing with death staring them right in the face. What a powerful scene already, but once Hank’s daughter knocks on the bathroom door asking to come in, this scene really becomes one of my favorites in movie history.

Its funny. Life stinks and ends to quickly but it is funny; and this scene gets that. As Joseph gains consciousnesses, Hank flounders with what to tell his daughter to stop her from coming in and seeing the mess. Joseph whispers, “tell her we’re fixing the sink” and the tension just falls apart. Father and son, both trying to conceal their laughter at the situation and at themselves. Both characters portray so well the feeling of ridiculousness that comes with hopelessness. What a ridiculous thing life is to put people in a situation like this in the midst of death and fear of what is to come and how amazing of a director and actors to see this aspect of reality and give it such meaning in this scene. Life keeps moving around those who are facing death and the intricacies of losing someone goes so much further than grieving after they are gone. Finding humor in aspects of life was something I always cherished in my own father when he faced his death and was so very heartwarming to see in this film. Seeing these characters need each other and seeing these men provide for each other, laugh with each other, when so much about them is at odds was a beautiful moment and one I will always remember.

The relationship between father and son in this film was something I hadn’t seen a lot of before on screen and was poignantly unique. The way Robert Downey Jr. and the director has portrayed relationships between all characters in this film avoids a lot of common movie tropes and each deserves as much introspection as given here. I highly recommend watching this film, especially if you found this review intriguing. The plot is beautifully designed, never giving too much away and not getting distracted by irrelevant tangents. I’ve only skimmed the surface of thoughts and emotions that this film gave to it’s audience and I hope you’ll continue the discussion with me here once you see it!

Film’s official website: http://thejudgemovie.com/

IMBD: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1872194/

“John Wick”: My Kind of Action Flick

A lot of people are talking about Keanu Reeves’ new film, “John Wick,” which hit theaters this week but I was able to get to the theater to see it yesterday without having heard much about it at all. I’m starting this blog with a review of “John Wick” because what I have to say about this film will give a lot of insight into my opinions on modern films and in particular the action genre. I totally disregard the stereotype that girls don’t like action movies, that being said, I don’t like action movies, or at least, I don’t like what action movies have become today. Look at this year’s line up of “action” films on IMBD and you’ll see entire cities, planets, even galaxies threatened and heroes facing impossible odds. Don’t get me wrong, those movies can be great, but what I’m missing, and I don’t think I’m the only one, is the “Die Hard” and “Speed” type films of olden times, one man doing what he does best: kicking ass. No planet ending consequences, just the protagonist’s life on the line and a bad guy to really hate.

There’s been a few movies I could argue have come close to achieving this in recent years, such as “Drive” or “The Transporter,” but “John Wick” has stood out to me as a piece-de-resistance for my action movie palette.While the fate of the galaxy may not have rested on his shoulders, John Wick went about his story of revenge with about as much determination as if it did. There’s something immensely satisfying about rooting for a guy who just wants to kill the jerks who killed his dog and stole his car. That’s all “John Wick” is and never pretends to be anything more and that is what I love about this movie. When you go see this movie (and you should), think about how they set up John Wick’s character. As the audience we are first introduced to him as a grieving widower and are given glimpses into his ex-assassin life; the conversation with his old partner after his wife’s funeral, speaking Russian at the gas station, these are clues that tell us John Wick is something more, but it isn’t until one of my favorite scenes in the film that we learn the truth about John. In what I can only describe as a fit of determined rage, John smashes through his concrete floor to reach his hidden weapons. The scene cuts between John hammering and Viggo berating his son for killing John’s dog and stealing his car and letting his son and the audience know that John Wick is basically a badass. This is all the audience needs to know to feel that rush of excitement knowing that John may really be able to take down basically an entire mob group and even the leader’s son, that at the very least this is going to be awesome.

Now, don’t get your expectations up for a grand masterpiece of cinema. I love Keanu Reeves, I do, but when he’s in a serious role there’s a serious lack of emotion in the way he delivers his lines and that is noticeable in this film. But let me tell you, actions speak louder than words and for this film they spoke volumes! The choreography involved in the fight scenes in this film blew me away, as well as the fact that the cameras followed all the quick action shots very well. With all the CGI and special effects available today I think a lot can be lost in the overwhelming amount of detail and speed that can be shown on screen. I hate to point fingers but films like the new “Transformers” movies are very guilty of fast paced, disorienting action sequences. In comparison it was very clear that the cinematographers and choreographers of this film put a lot of effort into making beautiful action sequences. Bloody, gory, guys-getting-shot-in-the-head, violent as hell but beautiful all the same. After the quick initial set-up you will constantly be on the edge of your seat, and since John Wick is mostly the strong-silent type, you won’t be too distracted by the robot one-liners.

A final aspect that really drew me to this film was the way they portrayed the hidden world of assassins. The hotel in which John and other assassins stay while attending to “business” offered witty interactions between John and the hotel manager as well as other guests. Having characters there that recognized John right away from years ago when he was an assassin was a great tool to add to the mystery and intensity of the character. I would be happy to see a whole film delving deeper into the mysteries of The Continental as well as the gold coin system that the assassins use.

I say “John Wick” is my kind of action flick because it was unpretentious, at times humorous, and constantly faced-paced and filled with violent, intense, but awesome action sequences without the need for calamitous or “world-ending” events to fuel the protagonists actions or force additional stress on the audience. A hero without many morals, who kills all those who stands in his way just for a “stupid dog,” that can still manage to get an audience on his side and even wanting to stand up and cheer him on at times is a wonderfully written and played character indeed. Keanu has brought back the action movie that I love and with those expectations I don’t see why you won’t love it to. I highly encourage you to check this one out.

The film’s official website can be found HERE.

I’d love to hear what you thought about “John Wick” or action movies these days in general so leave me a comment and I’ll be sure to reply or bring up your thoughts in the future if you happen to change my mind or bring up a great point!