Movie Review: SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR

SIN CITY: A DAME TO KILL FOR
Director: Frank Miller, Robert Rodriguez
Starring: Eva Green, Josh Brolin, Mickey Rourke, Jessica Alba, Bruce Willis, Powers Boothe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Christopher Meloni, Jeremy Piven, Christopher Lloyd, Dennis Haysbert

The violence and bloodshed is always high in the corrupt underworld of fictional town Basin City. Like its predecessor, the film is composed of various vignettes with some characters overlapping from one story to the next. Nancy (Alba) is an exotic dancer at Kadie’s Saloon and is severely damaged after the death of her lover John Hartigan (Willis). She plans on seeking out revenge on Senator Roark (Boothe) who was involved in his death. Marv (Rourke) is a regular at Kadie’s and keeps a steady eye on Nancy. He has his own issues and is someone you don’t want to mess with in a dark alley. Johnny (Levitt) is a hot-shot gambler who never loses. Let’s just say that after winning against Senator Roark, he needs to watch his back. The title storyline involves Dwight (Brolin) who is caught in a web of mysterious torture when his former flame Ava (Green) shows up and begs for forgiveness. She can’t escape from his head, and yet again, he is lured into her deceitful ways. What he doesn’t know is that she may have ulterior motives.

Nine years have passed since the release of the first film which was an adaptation of the popular Frank Miller graphic novel. He has teamed up again with director Robert Rodriguez for a follow-up that has been in the works since the first one was released. Back then, Angelina Jolie was being considered for the lead role. The first film was groundbreaking in its approach with using the digital effects and colorization techniques to effectively recreate Miller’s work into a different medium. Many frames in the movie were identical to the way they were illustrated in the novel. The same look and feel accompanies this film, but it doesn’t quite have that same dynamic punch that the first one had due to the fact that we now have already seen it used and have seen other movies attempt it as well. There is also a consistency issue here where I don’t feel like Rodriguez or Miller took the time to really craft each scene using this technique. They used up a majority of their energy on the opening sequence and some of the more action heavy scenes, but neglected the more dialogue filled scenes. It’s the kind of effect that really pops and is visually stunning when it’s used, but it is clearly evident and sorely missed when it’s not added in. It’s very rare when I endorse 3D, but it really enhances the effects here and really brings Miller’s vision to life as you witness the artwork and storyboards coming off the page.

Miller adapted some of his older stories for this film and wrote two new ones in addition. It’s pretty imperative to watch the first film before seeing this one. Even if you’ve seen it before, give it another viewing before watching the sequel. We have many returning characters as well as new ones with direct references to what happened in the first movie. For instance, Jessica Alba’s Nancy storyline is a continuation of her story in the first one. Josh Brolin’s Dwight storyline acts as a prequel with him playing the younger version of the same character Clive Owen previously played. If I hadn’t read about this before seeing the movie, I might not have picked up on it. Rodriguez is billed as having shot and cut the film, and I think the sequencing of it all is oddly structured. We get introduced to the Marv, Johnny, and Nancy plots in the beginning and then it shifts to tell the whole story of Dwight/Ava and then it goes back to finish those first few stories we were introduced to. It feels too choppy and inconsistent without it feeling as cohesive as the first movie.

It is fun seeing a majority of the original cast come to play their corrupt and flawed characters. Some roles have been recast. Dennis Haysbert takes over the role of Manute, Ava’s bodyguard, who was previously played by Michael Clarke Duncan. Jeremy Piven fills Michael Madsen’s shoes as Bob. I don’t know how the directing duties were split up between Rodriguez and Miller, but the acting is a bit inconsistent at times. I found it odd that all of the men spoke in this slow, deep, mysterious tone that is very repetitive after a while. There was no real variety in their vocal tone. At the same time, some actors are having a devilishly good time and are definitely playing into the comic book nature of the material. Green, Rourke, and Boothe are the definite stand-outs. Green is sultry, sexy, and nude a majority of the movie. Boothe is as diabolical as always as Senator Roark. I am a big fan of his and have seen him in numerous film and television roles, and he is always playing the evil and corrupt bad guy. I honestly don’t think I’ve ever seen him play a gentle, loveable character. He’s so great at being these brutal characters, but I’d love to see him do a complete 180 next time. The scene-stealer belongs to Christopher Lloyd. Yes, that Christopher Lloyd, the genius that never seems to work anymore. He shares a funny scene with Joseph Gordon-Levitt. If you are in your early 30s, like yours truly, you may get a kick out the fact that this is a mini Angels in the Outfield reunion from when Gordon-Levitt was a child actor. My brother and I grew up on that movie!

It’s hard not to leave the movie and have that feeling like this sequel has come out a bit too late. The first movie came out before the superhero/comic book movie trend really took off. It was groundbreaking in its approach to the style and vision of Miller’s world. Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is, by no means, a bad movie, but there is a bit of a disappointment that it just isn’t as good as the first one. It is still fun to watch the visuals and wonder how they shot all of it. It has a great ensemble as some of the characters are wickedly juicy. I am curious if fans will either be severely disappointed or like it just enough because they enjoy Miller’s work and style. I don’t believe it will gain the attention of any newbies

Is It Worth Your Trip to the Movies? If you loved the first one, you will like this one.

RATING: 3 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

Movie Trailer: THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES

THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Martin Freeman, Benedict Cumberbatch, Ian McKellen, Lee Pace, Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Richard Armitage, Cate Blanchett

Fans have been a bit hesitant when it comes to The Hobbit movies. I can understand the frustration as Peter Jackson and his writing team of Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens took one book and turned it into three movies by adding characters and taking details from the appendices. So far, they are nowhere near as good as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, but I feel like The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug was heading in the right direction.

It's Comic-Con time which means we get the first glimpse at the new "teaser" trailer for the final installment, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. I have a strong inclination that this will be the best of this trilogy. Jackson may redeem himself from how the series started. I haven't read the book yet which I am embarrassed to admit, but I think that makes it a bit easier to judge the movies without any preconceived notions of what Tolkien's story originally had in store.

For all the LOTR and Hobbit fans out there, what are your thoughts? Does this third one have promise?

RELEASE DATE: December 17, 2014

Here's the trailer

Movie Trailer: FIFTY SHADES OF GREY

FIFTY SHADES OF GREY
Director: Sam Taylor-Johnson
Starring: Jamie Dornan, Dakota Johnson, Jennifer Ehle, Marcia Gay Harden, Rita Ora, Luke Grimes, Max Martini

I'm pretty sure that if you have never heard of the book Fifty Shades of Grey, you are probably living under a rock. Maybe that's harsh, but that little book known as "mommy porn" became an international bestseller and was talked about to death. It was only time before they rushed the movie version into production. Jamie Dornan and Dakota Johnson (Don and Melanie's daughter) were cast as Christian Grey and Anastasia Steele, respectively. The first trailer was released today on The Today Show, and I have to admit, it looks better than I had anticipated. I haven't read the book yet, so you will have to fill me in. Is this perfect casting? Will it be as "steamy" as the book? Feel free to sound off below!

RELEASE DATE: February 13, 2015

Here's the trailer

Movie Review: DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES
Director: Matt Reeves
Starring: Andy Serkis, Toby Kebbell, Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, Gary Oldman, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Nick Thurston, Judy Greer

2011’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes ended with the apes attacking the Golden Gate Bridge. The movie as a whole was rather dull and full of bad acting, but it culminated to a rather intriguing ending that left me wanting more. I was optimistic that this series still had some life left to it. Ten years have passed since those events and the Simian flu has wiped out a majority of the human population. There is a small group of humans that are immune and sequestered in a small colony in San Francisco. The exact opposite has happened to the ape population. They have grown, evolved, and populated. Caesar (Serkis) is seen as the authority figure amongst all of the apes. They believe the humans have been destroyed as there has been no trace of them since the outbreak of the virus. While walking through the forest, Caeser’s son Blue Eyes (Thurston) encounters a small group of them who have entered the ape territory.

It’s not long before Malcolm (Clarke), Ellie (Russell), and the others are surrounded by a legion of apes. Malcolm learns right then and there that the apes are far more advanced than they had expected. Caesar demands that they leave and never return. Back on the colony, Malcolm informs their leader (Oldman) that the apes can talk. The humans are in a bind as they are running low on energy and there is a dam in the ape territory that could be resourceful. Malcolm decides to face Caesar again and claims he only wants peace between the humans and apes. They come to an agreement, and Caesar allows Malcolm and his small crew to use the dam. Some of the apes including Koba (Kebbell) are not so pleased with Caesar’s decision to trust the humans. He proceeds to betray Caesar and disrupts the peace that has been building between both sides.

In a way, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is like X-Men: Days of Future Past or The Amazing Spider-Man 2. You could consider it a sequel to a reboot or just look at it as the latest in a longer series of movies. It definitely feels like the second part of what will end up being a new trilogy as Rise of the Planet of the Apes set the groundwork for this storyline. With the time frame jumping ahead ten years, we get a whole new set of human characters played by Jason Clarke, (Zero Dark Thirty), Keri Russell (Felicity), Gary Oldman (The Dark Knight trilogy), and Kodi Smit-McPhee (Let Me In). With these new characters, I would have liked a bit more in terms of character development in the script. There is a bit of background given in random lines just to add a bit of context, but it is sparse. Am I asking for too much here? I suppose so as the story really belongs to evolution of the ape characters. The team of screenwriters including Mark Bomback, Rick Jaffa, and Amanda Silver continue to push the line of how advanced the apes are and how they are continually becoming closer and closer as a species to humans. I was intrigued by the choice to have the language of the apes be a basic form of sign language with broken English added into it as they continue to learn how to communicate.

The use of motion capture technology brought a whole new vision to the series as we no longer had actors in ape costumes. The actors wear full body suits with censors and cameras to capture the actor’s complete performance including their movements and emotions. In post-production, Weta Digital uses those images and replaces the CGI ape design over it. It’s a technology that continues to evolve and is proof that you can have a CGI driven film but still capture the acting and emotional arch involved. The technology has come so far that the actors can shoot their scenes on location with the other human actors involved instead of being stuck in a studio or sound stage. Every ape character seen in the film has a human performance behind it. While it may be easy to think of Jason Clarke, Keri Russell, or Gary Oldman being the faces of the movie, the true life and breath of the movie belongs to Andy Serkis and Toby Kebbell (Wrath of the Titans) as Caesar and Koba, respectively. Serkis was the perfect actor to bring Caesar to life. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, he is a master craftsman. He has been a leader in this work ever since using it as Gollum in The Lord of the Rings trilogy. He should have been given some sort of award for his work in that series, and he continues to prove he’s more than just that character. These reboots wouldn’t be the same without him. There is a cartoonish feel to the other movies, but he brings a depth and emotional connection to Caesar like he would for any other human character he would play. I have never seen Toby Kebbell in anything else, and I was mesmerized by the menacing qualities of Koba and how truly evil he becomes toward the other apes.

Director Matt Reeves (Cloverfield, Let Me In) keeps the pace and action up throughout the whole movie. I thought the first one was a bit slow, but that is not the case this time around. The central conflict between man versus ape and ape versus ape is set in place fairly early on and the tension continues to escalate until the final battle. That battle is epic and quite frightening at times. The camera is kept pretty panned out throughout a majority of the action scenes which gives a clear scope and magnitude of the bigger picture at hand. I get so sick and tired of action films that are shot so up close and fast that you can’t see what’s going on. I think it proves far more stunning and visually cinematic seeing the hordes of apes ascending into the colony and fighting with a wide shot. Michael Giacchino’s score is present and drives the intensity even further. There is a vintage feel to it which is an interesting juxtaposition to the futuristic world of the movie.

When a film series continue on and on you sometimes get a bunch of movies that are rehashes of the same crap we’ve seen before (ahem Transformers: Age of Extinction). They are made with the pure intent of making money over quality. I think there was a lot riding on this movie to keep the series going by pushing the boundaries in a thought provoking way. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes is a pleasant surprise by doing just that and rises to the pile of being one of the better movies of the summer. The closing shot of the movie is the perfect bookend for how the movie opens. It makes me even more excited to see what direction they take the next film.

Is It Worth Your Trip to the Movies? Who would have expected that the eighth movie in the Planet of the Apes series would be so riveting?

RATING: 4 out of 5 TICKET STUBS

Movie Review: TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION

TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION
Director: Michael Bay
Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Stanley Tucci, Kelsey Grammer, Titus Welliver, T.J. Miller

I should have known that when I heard the line “My face is the warrant” from Titus Welliver that I was in for a certain kind of cinematic “treat”. I actually went into Transformers: Age of Extinction with a little bit of hope that it could actually be good. The trailers looked awful, but I had faith in Mark Wahlberg and Stanley Tucci that they wouldn’t have signed on for a crappy movie. One would assume they saw the first three movies and knew what they were getting themselves into. This is the fourth film in this Michael Bay series, but we have a brand new set of characters thanks to returning screenwriter Ehren Kruger. Wahlberg and Tucci must have seen something different in this script that prompted another go after the first trilogy ended. Surely they weren’t just doing it for the residual checks that will come down the road.

Wahlberg is seen tinkering around in his barn as engineer and inventor Cade Yeager. He loves salvaging old machine parts of all sorts trying to make robots and other homemade inventions in hopes of earning a buck or two. He lives there with his college bound daughter Tessa (Pelz), and they are flat broke. Eviction notices are piling up as Cade can’t seem to make a profit off his creations. Cade and his friend Lucas (Miller) buy an old semi-truck at a run-down theater in hopes of breaking it down for parts. After spending some time with it back at the barn, it starts to come alive and Cade realizes that it’s a Transformer. Oh no, it’s not just some random Transformer, its OPTIMUS PRIME!

This big reveal can’t stay a secret for too long. There is a government project called “Cemetery Wind” led by Kelsey Grammer’s Harold Attinger. His team is led by Titus Welliver’s James Savoy, and they come knocking on the Yeager barn door pretty quickly. The project plans on eliminating all of the known Transformers that survived the attack on Chicago which happened in the original trilogy. Let’s not forget about Stanley Tucci who comes into play as a scientist trying to build his own type of Transformers. An all-out war ensues between Optimus Prime and his fellow Autobots versus these new Transformers that have come into play. Cade, Tessa, her boyfriend Shane (Reynor) and the rest of the humans are along for the ride as they follow the Transformers and their battle from Chicago to Beijing to Hong Kong.

I already feel exhausted trying to remember what happened or what didn’t happen during that 2 hours and 45 minutes I won’t get back. Most movies that are that long better have a decent plot and interesting characters in order for that kind of runtime to feel warranted. This has NONE of that. In what kind of cinematic world do we live in where we allow a movie that is this long with no redeeming qualities to exist? There is no need for a Transformers movie to be this long, yet all four of them have exceeded a two hour run time. The story is a series of explosions, attacks, and battles repeated over and over each taking place in a different city cranked up some ridiculously high sound volume. With such high octane and fuel going into this movie, there are about two different tempos going on. The cinematography is so frantic that the camera wizzes around so fast that you can’t see straight which is even more problematic if you see it in 3D. Am I already getting that old that it was hurting my eyes? The other tempo comes at that the opposite end of the spectrum with the multitude of “slo-mo” shots with our various characters running away from the action in order to survive. I would understand one or two but it was so excessive it was comical.

Let’s not forget all of the added moments of unnecessary bits, one-liners, and cheesy declarations that further add on run time. Screenwriter Ehren Kruger penned the second and third film, so he is very familiar with this series and working with Michael Bay. I wonder if they just sat around and thought of the most obnoxious and ridiculous lines of dialogue imaginable. A bad script typically leads to some bad acting. Have no fear as that concept still holds true here. Mark Wahlberg is doing a really good impression of Andy Samberg’s impression of Mark Wahlberg that he used to do while on Saturday Night Live. If you’ve ever seen Samberg’s sketches, you know what I’m talking about. Stanley Tucci comes off a bit better as there is a bit of campiness with his character that Mr. Wahlberg couldn’t pull off. Then there's poor Nicola Peltz, who does good work on Bates Motel, but is left screaming “Daaaaaad!” or “I’M. NOT. LEAVING. MY. DAD!”

I suppose one could say that you know what you are getting yourself into when you see any sort of Michael Bay movie. Do you go in expecting it to be this dumb, loud, action film? Yes. However, I don’t think that means it has to be completely stupid, over-the-top, and laughable or that he gets a free pass for how the final product turns out. I feel like making a Transformers movie could work. You could have decent characters, witty dialogue, and a movie that clocks in under two hours. Isn't this supposed to appeal to kids? I don't have any kids yet, but I am curious if a young moviegoer would sit through that run time? Are the explosions enough to keep them interested?  Godzilla is a good example of how you take movie that has some camp and make it fun and exciting. With so many awful one-liners, slo-mo runs, explosions, and fits of rage thrown around, I started to wonder if Bay and Kruger were trying to make the worst movie possible? Did they think they were making gold and has the audience been had in some sort of meta sense? I’ve talked to numerous people who have seen Transformers: Age of Extinction, and a majority of them that it was epically awful as well. At least I’m not the only one.

Is it Worth Your Trip to the Movies? Why would you waste $15 and 2 hours and 45 minutes of your day on this garbage?

RATING: 1/2 out of 5 Ticket Stubs