The World's End Review

The World's End Review

Director : Edgar Wright

Cast Headliners: Simon Pegg, Nick Frost, Martin Freeman, Rosamund Pike

Original Release Date: August 23rd, 2013 (in the US)

Seen: Late August 2013

 The apocalypse has been a popular film topic over the past couple of years. Perhaps it is due to our modern troubling times, in which it seems like the event can happen any day. Some movies thought the December 2012 prediction would come true and played off that to add to their appeal. But, it didn’t happen. And thus any movies based around this theme might seem pointless. However, both This is the End and now The World’s End both show that there is a ton of potential for greatness. The World’s End takes the “apocalypse comedy”, and turns it on its head in typical Edgar Wright fashion.

            This movie, as with the past two team ups of Edgar Wright/Simon Pegg/Nick Frost, combines witty British-style comedy with a central “theme”. This is the “finale” of the so-called Cornetto trilogy, and in some ways encapsulates the themes into a final mix. With Shaun of the Dead, it was zombies, the familiar transforming into the unknown. In Hot Fuzz, it was cultists and the familiar hiding the unknown.  Here, what is familiar and unknown is mixed up when space robots are involved.

            But this is a comedy right, what is this talk of space robots? Any good fan of director Edgar Wright knows things start of “normal”.  The opening prompt here is that back in the 90’s, the fun-time boy crew of edgy Gary (Simon Pegg), clean-cut Andy(Nick Frost), average guy Steven(Paddy Considine), charismatic Oliver/”O-man” (Martin Freeman), and paranoid Peter(Eddie Marsan)., tried to go on a pub crawl through their home town after graduation. Shenanigans happened, and things did not go as planned.  Like any good comedic story, it jumps to 20 years later and re-unites the old friends.  Gary is now a loser, still living in the past. He re-unites the crew for another go at the crawl, to finally reach the titular World’s End with a pint in each pub along the way.  However, things get….interesting real fast.

            This movie gets many things right. It’s interesting to note that Simon Pegg and Nick Frost, the usual Laurel and Hardy-esque laugh causing duo, are each playing characters out of type here.  Pegg’s Gary is a sarcastic jerk, an anarchist, a partying rebel. Totally different than the hard worker he was in Hot Fuzz.  And Frost, arguably the most funny of the duo, is shockingly serious and anti-fun here. That’s probably a nod by Edgar Wright, swapping the stereotypes of the two heroes.  The dialogue between them, and all of the characters, is great. It’s witty and high-brow humor, really about the words said.  Though some moments of zany-ness happen too.  

            The cast is filled with some great people besides Pegg and Frost, especially the characters of Steven and Oliver, and Oliver’s sister Sam (Rosamund Pike).  It’s an ensemble crew for a ensemble adventure. One really gets attached to these characters, and no one is really forgotten about. That’s a rare aspect of movies sometimes.  It’s not a spoiler to say that things on this pub crawl get crazier than old friends disagreeing. The space robots come, appearing as clones of the townsfolk.

            Edgar Wright has a knack for making an exciting adventure. It’s great seeing the guys fighting off common people , violently, in pubs and simple streets.  The action is flashy and high speed as usual, with incredible choreography. The soundtrack is pumping, with some awesome 90’s callbacks.  The pace, both in epic-ness and humor, keeps ramping up as the film goes on. This is essential Wright, snappy fast editing in full awesome force.

            It’s not perfect however. As funny as it is, some of the gags are repeated to the point of losing their humor. The plot starts of strong, but too feels repetitive at parts.  Luckily it all ties up for the ending. And, in my opinion. Nick Frost’s wasn’t right for that role. It kind of feels weird seeing him in the movie, and only rarely laughing at him.  

            The World’s End is a movie which sums up the greatest trademark aspects of Edgar Wright’s filmmaking career.  The laughs are great, the action is fun, and the story and characters are interesting. The formula of mashing the real and fantastical works once again, but in some ways it has reached its creative as well as spiritual limits.  However, this movie is worth seeing for a lighthearted good time. The end of the World’s End is worth the wait.  8.35 out of 10

            

Kick Ass 2 Review

Kick Ass 2 Review

Director : Jeff Wadlow

Cast Headliner: Aaron-Taylor Johnson, Chloe Grace Moretz, Jim Carrey, Christopher Mintz-Plasse

Original Release Date: August 9th, 2013

            The first Kick-Ass film, based on the comic series of the same name, was a wonderfully unique film. It looked at how a superhero would work in the real world. It was also delightfully violent and humorous, being outrageous despite being in the real world.  By the end, scrawny Dave Lizewski(Aaron-Taylor Jonhson) had become a true super hero called Kick-Ass, and gained a comrade in Hit-Girl/Mindy (Chloe Grace Moretz), an enemy in Red Mist/Chris (Christopher Mintz-Plasse), and lost a mentor in Big Daddy.  What could happen after that?

            Well, Kick-Ass 2 deals with the aftermath of the first film. Dave is adjusting to being a hero still, and after her father’s death Hit-Girl is adjusting to being a normal girl with her new step-father. It’s interesting to see that Kick-Ass has inspired others to become homemade superheroes, and he soon joins a gang called Justice Forever. The members of this are funny and awesome to behold, from Insect Man with his stun batons, Dr.Gravity with his “gravity bat”,  a mom and pop team called Remembering Tommy, the clearly named Night Bitch, and even Marty(Clark Duke) the friend of Kick-Ass who’s is calling himself Battle-Guy ( in one of the funnier scenes of the film when they discover each other). The cast has certainly expanded, doubling if not tripling with many great characters good or evil. The most important member of the team, besides Kick-Ass, is Colonel Stars and Stripes played by the legendary Jim Carrey. Carrey is entirely unrecognizable as the gruff and burly hero. Carrey is always great when he is going extreme in his acting, and this fits right in with his classic roles. The best jokes, and the best punches, come from Colonel Stars who becomes one of the main protagonists. Justice Forever has some great interaction as they fight crime, sort of a street smart version of the Avengers.

            It must be mentioned, without spoiling too much, that pretty much none of the events of Justice Forever involved Hit-Girl. Mindy has her own parallel storyline involving her time in high school and dealing with bullying.  There are some good moments of humor, but unfortunately it feels like a cliché teen movie. This was perhaps done as satire, but in my opinion it really distracts from the vibe of the rest of the movie. I think that’s because this film is both an adaptation of the Kick-Ass 2 comic arc, AND of the Hit-Girl interquel spin off line which focused on her. Luckily, when she is actually being  Hit-Girl she is incredibly awesome as usual.

            Good must always have an evil counterpart, and of course every bad guy character is just as wackyily interesting as Justice Forever. At the end of the first one, Red Mist declared himself as using the new name and attitude “The Motherf#cker”. MFer is quite a villain, oh my. The normally geeky Christopher Mintz-Plasse is deliciously evil and charismatic here, delivering many of the best jokes to even rival Colonel Stars and Hit-Girl in swagger.  MFer’s main henchman Mother Russia is also a fun sight, with special mention of the scene where she takes out three cop cars with her bare hands.

            The (ironic) vibe of extremeness is the main highlight of Kick-Ass 2. Camera cuts feel like a comic book. Action sequences bounce and pop with color.  There’s no such thing as too much blood for this movie, which is a good thing here.   It’s not all zaniness however, as the plot is even more complex and darker than the first film. Things get genuinely emotional and epic sometimes. It’s a rollercoaster of vibes, and it totally works.

            Kick-Ass 2 is a bloody good time.  It feels like more of the same, which has drawn some criticism from fellow peers. However, it’s the same but with the knobs cranked up. There’s more action, more blood, more humor.  It delivers on its deeper themes of looking at what it means to be a hero. Some scenes may be too zany and delve into “stupid” for sure. But overall, it is simply a fun movie. It is entertaining and worth seeing, and it kicks some ass too.   8.6 out of 10

Elysium Review

Elysium Review

Director : Neill Blomkamp

Cast Headliner: Matt Damon, Jodie Foster, Sharlto Copley

Original Release Date: August 9th, 2013

What will the future be like? Will it be better; shall humanity live in a utopia?  Will our flaws manifest themselves into a horrific wasteland of stagnation?  According to director Neill Blomkamp director in this film Elysium, it’s both. The year is 2154 and up in space the most elite citizens and the government have a wonderful, bright existence on the titular Elysium space station. Meanwhile on Earth, at least where we see in Los Angeles, is a gigantic ghetto. Think of it as an extreme version of the Berlin Wall.  In this world, Matt Damon plays Max Da Costa, a robot factory worker in the slums. He has, basically, a very hard life.

For, this film is set in the future and thus classified as science fiction, but it is really more  about sharing a political message too. An obvious class struggle is at play here, with the rich abusing the poor and etc.  At times the message, while perhaps true, can be too preachy. I felt as if some scenes with Max being abused  by cops were unneeded.  And aside from the vile Secretary Delacourt (wonderfully portrayed by Jodie Foster), the government seems to not be that evil aside from being apathetic.   

Most importantly perhaps then is the focus on the story of Max. He ends up needing to reach Elysium, where the machines can fix you. He joins some rather “risky” people, and essentially gets into trouble with the governmental forces.   The plot makes some interesting twists and turns, certainly defying most expectations. It ends up being predictable, but a few moments will certainly shock.

The themes and atmosphere are certainly interesting, but two things shine about this film. The action and special effects during them are stellar. Blomkamp has a knack for creating mind-blowing scenes and using slow motion. The robots, or droids as they’re called ala Star Wars, appear incredibly lifelike. The visuals of the Elysium space station are beautiful, and it’s a different yet equally great kind of beauty to see it be damaged in the fights.   

Now the other thing to mention is Sharlto Copley’s Krueger character. He is one of those perfect villians. A villain so evil, so vile, so mean that you just can’t help but appreciate him. Copley does a great job at being wicked, and all of the heart and humor of the film comes whenever he’s on screen. Ironic in that he is the character that has the highest kill count. Aside form his charisma, he is also formidable combat threat.  Both he and Max are equipped with cyborg strength suit, and even better for him in that he has a plasma shield and a sword. There isn’t much reason to use a sword in a age of plasma guns 100 years from now, but it can be excused in that Krueger is such a superb villain.

            Unfortunately though, Krueger is the only interesting character in the whole movie. Matt Damon is a decent hero, but pretty basic. Love interest Frey is bland, and his comrades in Spider’s gang are slightly annoying.  The scope of the film also could have been more, after District 9 I expected more action. Nonetheless, it is a unique and original well-crafted science fiction film. Even when ignoring the class propaganda, it is a very fine piece of cinema. 8.3 out of 10 

The Wolverine Review

The Wolverine Review

Director : James Mangold 

Cast Headliner: Hugh Jackman

Original Release Date: July 26th, 2013

Seen: Early August 2013

         Within the X-Men franchise, there is no one who can compete with Wolverine played by Hugh Jackman. He’s a comic book fan and audience favorite, and one of the main centers of focus in the series.  It makes since that he would get a spinoff of his own, and in 2009 there was in “X-Men: Origins Wolverine”. That was a controversial film, between its mediocrity and plot flaws and ruining the adaptation of some comic characters. Luckily, this film “The Wolverine”, is a vast improvement and one of the best of the series.

            This actually (and for the best) takes places after the third X-men film, which makes it all new material for the timeline. Wolverine aka Logan is back to his old wandering ways in Canada, and is still stricken with grief and haunted by visions of his former lover Jean Grey/Phoenix (Famke Janssen back in a surprising amount of new material). It is definitely nice to see these two old cast members again, and interesting to see how it has this affects his psyche.   He is soon found by a mysterious Japanese warrior and mutant named Yukio( Rila Fukushima).  She is employed by a Mr.Yashida(Hiroyuki Sanada) , who wants to thank Wolverine ,in person in Tokyo, for saving his life during the atomic bombing of Nagasaki in World War 2.  Logan begrudgingly follows, and he is greeted with a twisted world of danger.

            The greatest aspect of this film is that it is set in Japan. Previous installments have sort of blended together, with similar locales and characters. Aside from Wolverine, everyone else in the film is a new character. An effort is really made to create an authentic atmosphere, with Asian cast members and beautiful cinematography.

            The careful directing hand of James Mangold is evident here, with some great angles and intense camera in fight scenes. A problem which plagued “Origins” was bad quality CGI and effects compared to films in its era, but here everything is top notch.  From the atomic bomb drop in Nagasaki to the Silver Samurai mech suit in the end, everything is very believable. Never before has Wolverine’s claws shone with so much sheen.

             Besides the many great and unique fight scenes (Logan vs Yakuza! Logan vs Ninjas!), there’s heart at this story. Wolverine has to deal with where his life is going, and what it means to be immortal. Some astonishingly good dialogue is here, and also some decent romance with Mariko Yashida(Tao Okamoto)  of whom the antagonists are targeting. Yukio deserves special mention as her role of wisecracking sidekick.   So far this all may make it seem like a Yakuza or martial arts film, but it doesn’t forget that it’s a part of the X-Men franchise.

            Wolverine is awesome and nearly unstoppable in his claw slashing and healing abilities, but he has a match in Viper played Sveltana Khodchenkova.  This villain is not only the other white cast member but also has formidable combat abilities. I would say that besides the fights against the Yakuza, the final sequence involving her, Logan, the “Silver Samurai”, and others is cool and classic X-Men in vibe.

            The Wolverine is both an excellent classic X-Men movie, and also a successful experiment. Looked at as a X-Men movie, it’s a look at what happens with Logan’s (and in a slight way, Jean’s) life after the finale that was X3. Yet also, it deals barely with mutants and super powers and instead is a tale of Japanese crime drama. The classic sequel film which spices things up by making things nuanced.   This makes it a great watch, and a sign of good things to come. 8.15 out of 10

World War Z Review

World War Z Review

Director : Marc Forster 

Cast Headliner: Brad Pitt

Original Release Date: June 21, 2013

With zombies being so popular these days in pop TV and video games, it’s no surprise that more mainstream movies will try and cash in on that rush. The Zombie Survival Guide is a fantastic book useful and funny by Albert Brooks, and the follow up World War Z is perhaps even better and a modern classic novel. Now a movie of the same name has been made, and adaptation-wise it is unfortunately mostly in name only.  Brad Pitt stars in and helped to make this, and it well… let’s get started.

Zombies are supposed to be scary, a threat of the deformed familiar. One of the highlights of the TV shows the Walking Dead is that each monster is hand-crafted with polish and amazing makeup on actors.  Pitt’s Gerry character, in this plot essentially made up for this movie, faces the terrifying threat of bad CGI.  With a budget so high, you’d think more makeup on actors could be used. It’s an artistic choice, a bad one, that the enemy in this are super high speed infected people who look are basically humans but can run nearly 20 or more mph. It’s “dangerous” for sure, but because in most scenes they are barely seen the tension is not there.

Another flaw of this movie is that it’s only rated PG-13. So even when zombies do appear, the killing of them is quick or off-screen. There’s also a useless token “I gotta help my family” thing with the Gerry clan, but his daughters are way more annoying than sweet. Besides maybe his motivation in protecting them  through a deal with the army, and a moment near the end, I pretty much forgot about them.

Gerry gets sent around the world tracking down the cause of this zombie disease and never really finds the answers. What he does find are some action set pieces scattered around the globe , in a plot which definitely has signs of development trouble , that  are mostly extremely cheesy and ridiculous.  The scene where he meets some marines in a derelict army base in South Korea and has to escape, well. The lauded siege of Jerusalem with millions and millions of zombies, uhh wacky I guess and cool just because its so extreme.  There are moments of tension even with the messy low quality CGI.  World War Z actually makes a huge improvement in the last 15 minutes or so, with a thrilling final encounter. I think the reason it’s so good is because there’s no army backup, there’s no “war”   , it’s just Gerry and some people fighting hand to hand in building corridors.

It’s a shame that a “non-war” action sequence is the best part in a movie called WORLD WAR Z. Brad Pitt is a cool action hero and charming as always, but without him this movie would lose even more.  It has its moments, but overall it’s a shame that this has the same name as a great novel.  Go for the extreme-ness of the zombies and if you like Pitt, but otherwise there’s better zombie fare out there. 7.1 out of 10

Born on the Fourth of July Review

Born on the Fourth of July Classic Movie Review

Director : Oliver Stone

Cast Headliners: Tom Cruise

Original Release Date: December 20, 1989

Seen: June 2013

   Born on the Fourth of July is undeniably the magnum opus of Oliver Stone and simultaneously the crowning achievement highlight of Tom Cruise’s acting career. This is the true story of Ron Kovic , a Vietnam war veteran and public speaker. It is a hard touching journey, and every minute of it is fantastic.

            The structure is almost like a dark Forrest Gump.  Kovic has a childhood in the idyllic 60’s, a time of bright hope for America.  Stone interweaves clever metaphors into the film, an example being the “violent” opening scene of kids playing war. A older Ron Kovic is played by Cruise from here on out, and as his high school graduation approaches he has to deal with the responsibility of choosing to be a marine. Special mention goes out to Tom Berenger who appears as a marine speaker at Kovic’s high school, and also to Willem Dafoe who appears as another Vietnam veteran much later in the film. It is a long movie, but the tension of it keeps the pace moving. In a way it is a follow up to the ideas of the fellow Vietnam War movie Platoon, building upon its ideas as I’ll soon mention.

            Born on the Fourth of July, like Cruises’ role in Kovic, constantly changes.  The scenes actually in Vietnam are both beautifully and realistically shot, really bringing the horrific war to life. While there, the proud Kovic is unfortunately injured and left paralyzed.  A young war hero is left defenseless, and this is where the real movie starts. Because really, this is a post-Vietnam aftermath film and not a Vietnam war film.  Kovic goes through horrible things abroad, but perhaps faces even greater challenges when he is crippled and confined to a wheelchair.   Cruise has some tear-inducing moments trying to survive and be successful. He shows such a range and grace as Kovic, transforming his trademark charm into emotional power. He certainly would have been worth winning the Oscar nomination he got for this.

            Stone has crafted a very emotional drama, with scenes aided by a stellar soundtrack.  As with any Oliver Stone creation, there is a not-so-subtle message at play.  The anti-war movement Kovic interacts and drifts into has some dramatic clashes with the government. Perhaps the message gets repetitive, but it is thought provoking.

            This is touching drama about what soldiers who experience the tragedies of war really feel. Ron Kovic was brought to the cinema with expertise by Tom Cruise, and this should be remembered. 9 out of 10  

Monster's University Review

Monster's University Review

Director :Dan Scanlon

Cast Headliners: Billy Crystal, John Goodman

Original Release Date: June 21 , 2013

            Monster’s Inc was a classic Pixar film, with great humor and charm.  Now they have returned, and rather than a number 2, with Monster’s University Pixar have chosen to create a prequel. Prequels can be hit or miss, but it is safe to say this is one of the better ones.

            All of the old voice actors return for this, so it’s good to hear Billy Crystal as Mike and John Goodman as Sully again. This shows their first meeting, and it is actually not what one would expect. Mike and Sully were rivals at first, and the events of the movie cause them to have to work together. It’s interesting to see Mike be even more of a dweeb, and Sully being even more of a jerk.  Don’t worry as the story makes them more into what they are later. Also be on the lookout for cameos of younger versions of characters from the first film.

            Every great college movie stereotype is used here, and the humor is plentiful. You can tell they had a lot of fun coming up with all of the different frats and sororities who compete in the “Scare Games”.  The events are entertaining to watch, and especially with the characters involved.  Pixar are no strangers to having tons of lovable side characters, and this time it continues with everyone Mike and Sully befriend. There’s the odd Art (played by funnyman Charlie Day), the unique guy Squishy, the strange twins Terry and Terri, and the charming Don Carlton.  They’re not the greatest team in Oozma Kappa, but they try.

               The humor and visuals and characters are classic Pixar, but there is some deeper meaning as always. The plot starts going in one direction then takes a few surprise twist turns.  The emotion is sometimes lacking, especially when compared to Boo’s story in “Inc”. Boo is missed for sure, but there’s definitely still some cute and charming moments.

            Overall Monster’s University is a solid Pixar film, back to tradition after Brave’s experimentation.  It’s not perfect or anything, but it’s certainly very funny and will put a smile on your face. 8.65 out of 10