“Star Wars: The Force Awakens” – Movie Review

Director:  J.J. Abrams

Writers:  J.J. Abrams and Lawrence Kasdan

Stars:  Harrison Ford, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver, and Carrie Fisher

IMDb Logline:  Three decades after the defeat of the Galactic Empire, a new threat arises. The First Order attempts to rule the galaxy and only a rag-tag group of heroes can stop them, along with the help of the Resistance.

Pros:

1. Old pros Harrison Ford (Han Solo) and Carrie Fisher (General Leia), and new arrivals Daisy Ridley (Ray), John Boyega (Finn), and Adam Driver (Kylo Ren)
2. Han Solo and Kylo Ren character arcs
3. Chewbacca
4. Major emotional character plot point handled deftly and in service to both the story and another character arc
5. Made you forget, and did not reference the Prequel Films
6. Pratical Effects

Cons:

1. Too many characters–underutilized characters could have been introduced in later films
2. Too many call-backs to the original trilogy
3. Too many coincides (i.e. how Han & Chewie get back the Falcon; BB-8 all of a sudden being there at different scenes)
4. Did not emotionally connect with the movie until major character plot point

Review:  Star Wars is back and in good hands.  The story is linear, has characters you love, and an emotional punch that leaves you reeling.  The film moves fast–sometimes too fast–covering a lot of new ground while trying to catch you up on the last thirty-five years of events.

Rating = B+

Click on image to view trailer

“Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck” – 32nd Annual MIFF – 2015

Writer / Director:  Brett Morgen

With:  Kurt Cobain, Courtney Love

IMDb Logline:  The authorized documentary on late Guitar/lead singer Kurt Cobain from his early days in Aberdeen Washington to his success and downfall with Grunge band Nirvana.

Pros:

1. Personal videos from Kurt’s childhood and marriage to Courtney Love
2. Animation to dramatize certain episodes of his life
3. Use of his personal notes to show Kurt’s creative process
4. Choice to play Nirvana music on children’s musical instruments while showing early family videos
5. Present day Courtney Love interviews

Cons:

1. Lack of present day Dave Grohl interviews
2. Follow-up with the girlfriend who supported him before he was famous on how she reacted to his success, and if he ever said thank you.
3. His suicide is told as a title card at the end of the documentary with no commentary  from Love or his family

Review:  Kurt Cobain:  Montage of Heck does an excellent job showcasing Kurt Cobain’s talent and creativity, but ultimately misses out on getting key information from important people in his life.  Simple questions such as if he seeked mental help once he was able to afford it after his success; how soon after Frances was born did he get back on heroin;  did Courtney think he would ever go through with killing himself are not asked nor shown.

Rating = C

“Being Evel” – 32nd Annual MIFF – 2015

Director:  Daniel Judge

Writers:  Davis Coombe and Daniel Judge

With:  Evel Knievel, Johnny Knoxville, George Hamilton

IMDb Logline:  The real story behind the myth of American icon Robert ‘Evel’ Knievel and his legacy.

Pros:

1. Definite must for Evel Knievel fans
2. Never before seen footage from the Snake River Canyon Jump
3. ABC Wide World of Sports sportscaster interviews
4. 70s setting, 70s characters, 70s fashions, and only in the 70s stories
5. Evel Knievel stunt cycle toy

Cons:  

1. Not enough information from the wilderness years after Evel’s fall from grace and before his redemption

Review:  Though not groundbreaking in terms of documentary style, Being Evel more than delivers on letting you know who Robert “Evel” Knievel was and his importance on American culture.  You don’t have to be a fan of the man or the times to appreciate the story being told.  What you walk away with is an appreciation for a driven and ultimately flawed man, who initially created and then became a prisoner of a persona that he could–in the end–not live up to.

Rating = A-

Click on image to view Sundance Spotlight

“Inherent Vice” (2014) – Review

Writer/Director:  Paul Thomas Anderson

Stars:  Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Owen Wilson, Joanna Newsom, and Katherine Waterston

IMDb Logline:  In 1970, drug-fueled Los Angeles detective Larry “Doc” Sportello investigates the disappearance of a former girlfriend.

Pros:

1. Martin Short’s performance
2. Owen Wilson
3. Period Setting

Cons:

1. You don’t care about the characters
2. The relationship/history between Doc (Joaquin Phoenix) and Big Foot (Josh Brolin) does not make sense, and is not sufficiently explained
3. Martin Short’s character is superfluous

Review:  Inherent Vice is the rare film that feels both too long and not long enough.  While you feel the entire 148 minute runtime of the film, you also feel like the filmmakers left too much on the cutting room floor–with vital information left out while non-pertinent scenes were left in.  For a better detective film that makes you think, watch Brick again or for the first time.

Grade = D

Click on image to view trailer.

“Space Pirate Captain Harlock” (2013) – Review

Director:  Shinji Aramaki

Writers:  Leiji Matsumoto (Manga), Harutoshi Fukui & Kiyoto Takeuchi (Screenplay)

IMDb Logline:  Space Pirate Captain Harlock and his fearless crew face off against the space invaders who seek to conquer the planet Earth.

Pros:

1. Excellent CGI work
2. Steampunk look of the Arcadia and its crew and technology
3. Fairly well-developed characters

Cons:

1. The train comes off the track in the third act with some head scratching developments
2. The protagonist is Logan and not Captain Harlock

Review:  A very surprising update of another late 70s anime cartoon based off the manga of Leiji Matsumoto; fun for the whole family even though the finale doesn’t live-up to the build-up.  The characters are well-defined with both the protagonist and antagonist having complete story arcs.  The look of the film is incredible as well as well detailed.

Grade = B

Click on image to view trailer.

“Space Battleship Yamato 2199” (2010) – Review

Director:  Takashi Yamazaki

Writers:  Leiji Matsumoto (Manga), Yoshinobu Nishizaki (Story), Shimako Sato (Screenplay)

Stars:  Takuya Kimura (Susumu Kodai), Meisa Kuroki (Yuki Mori), Toshiro Yanagiba (Shiro Sanada)

IMDb Logline:  The crew of the space battleship Yamato set out on a journey to the planet Iscandar to acquire a device that can heal the ravaged Earth.

Pros:  

1. Battlestar Galactica set design and space battles
2. The realization of the actual battleship
3. The activation of the Wave Motion Cannon
4. Fairly decent update of the first season story arc into a feature-length story

Cons:

1. At 2 hrs and 20 mins in length, way too long
2. Acting is weak with some characters over acted and others constantly looking straight ahead blankly
3. Enemy characterization is weak

Review:  Nostalgia for the late 70s anime cartoon Starblazers is not enough to overcome bad acting, weak enemy, and some serious plot holes is this live-action modern re-telling.  Also, the screenwriters make the mistake of assuming the audience is familiar with the cartoon series and its characters.  If you have never watched the series, then you will be scratching your head wondering why the ship’s doctor is always running around with a sake bottle in hand.

(NOTE:  Clicking on the movie poster will allow you to watch the entire film w/ English Subtitles.  You will also have to click on the second link beneath the poster to watch the final twenty minutes.)

Grade = C (B for fans of the original late 70s cartoon)

Click on image to watch MOVIE

Click here to watch the final twenty minutes w/ English subtitles.

PS:  I am a big fan of the original Starblazers series, and in fact would wake-up at 5:30 AM to watch the series on the local UHF station every week day.

SERIES FACT:  The show is only known as Starblazers in the United States, and the ships name is Argo and not Yamato.  The real battleship Yamato was sunk by the US Navy during WWII.

“Guardians of the Galaxy” (2014) – Review

Director:  James Gunn

Writers:  James Gunn and Nicole Perlman

Stars:  Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldana, Dave Bautista, Bradley Cooper, and Vin Diesel

IMDb Logline:  Light years from Earth, 26 years after being abducted Peter Quill finds himself the prime target of a manhunt after discovering an orb wanted by Ronan the Accuser.

Pros:

1. Great character development for all the protagonists
2. Impressive voice work from both Bradley Cooper (Rocket) and Vin Diesel (Groot).  Cooper for his lightning fast and surprisingly emotional performance, and Diesel for delivering expressive and emotive readings of his one phrase of dialogue throughout the entire film.
3. James Gunn’s, the director, world building is a balance of the original series Star Trek with humanoid painted aliens & story telling, and the adventure & fun of the original trilogy Star Wars films.
4. Action packed third act the audience can follow sprinkled with moments of comedy and sacrifice
5. General Eddie Murphy action comedy vibe similar to Beverly Hills Cop and 48 Hrs but with much less cursing

Con:

1. Generic principal villain

Review:  Much like Raiders of the Lost Ark, Guardians of the Galaxy knows how to make an audience enjoy itself.  Released from the sometimes heavy burden of established comic mythology, Guardians lets loose with a band of misfits that learn to love & care for each other.  In turn, this allows the audience to love & care for them.  From its impressive special effects, camaraderie & chemistry among characters, easter-eggs for comics and 80s fans, and genuine emotion at the end of the film, Guardians of the Galaxy does no wrong.

Grade = A-

Click on image to view trailer.

 

Other great Guardians‘ images:

When (not if) will Captain America die in the Marvel Cinematic Universe?

 

After watching The Guardians of the Galaxy this weekend, a completely random thought unrelated to the movie popped into my head, “someone better die fighting Thanos in the 3rd Avengers movie.”

The innate flaw of the superhero genre is that you know going in the superhero(s) are going to survive.  As franchises go on, this conceit is what basically causes them to creak, then crack, and ultimately crumble–the original Superman franchise comes to mind, as well as the Bond films before the Daniel Craig reboot.  But how much more would we enjoy a film if the survival of all the protagonists was not assured?

Steve Rogers’ death is assured.  Chris Evans has stated in interviews he would like to take a break from acting.  Sebastian Stan has a nine feature film contract with Marvel as Bucky Barnes.  It has already been established in the comics that Bucky takes on the mantle of Captain America after Steve is killed.  So the question is when and not if.  I believe it will happen during the 3rd Avengers movie against Thanos.  Why

The destruction of Captain America’s shield is a very symbolic and powerful symbol.  And though the shield has been destroyed in the history of the comics a few times, only one of those times also involved Steve Rogers’ death:

 

And unlike the comic death, this one will stick.  Quite frankly it has to.  Marvel has been upping-the-ante with each subsequent film.  With Guardians they have basically identified Thanos as the ultimate evil in the galaxy and the collection of the infinity stones the creation of the ultimate weapon.  How can there be no consequences to fighting him?  How can someone not die in the confrontation?  If no one does, then anything that follows cheapens everything.  I would be surprised if only Steve Rogers dies.  My guess would be Rogers, the Hulk, and Loki in an act of redemption saving Thor.

And what about Avengers 2 Age of Ultron?  Will anyone die then?  Who knows outside of the filmmakers and the studio.  But I wouldn’t be surprised if there is at least one major casualty:

 

Like Captain America, Iron Man is also a mantle.

Ultron in the movie is created by Tony Stark.  will Avengers 2 be a modern retelling of the Frankenstein story?

 

“Boyhood” (2014) – Review

Writer/Director:  Richard Linklater

Stars:  Ellar Coltrane, Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, and Lorelei Linklater

IMDb Logline:  The life of a young man, Mason, from age 5 to age 18.

Pros:  

1. Interesting idea excellently executed
2. Outstanding performances from Ellar Coltrane (Mason), Patricia Arquette (Mom), and Ethan Hawke (Dad)
3. Refreshing to see a role played by someone who is actually the age of the character they are playing
4. True to life

Cons:

1. Weak performance from Marco Perella (Mom’s second husband) nearly derails the middle-school years
2. Some years feel flatter than others–as life sometimes is
3. Lorelei Linklater’s ambivalence to the project in the middle years of shooting also comes across in her performance

Review:  Boyhood is a well crafted, acted, and scripted film.  And though the story is immediately relatable, I personally felt a disconnect with the film.  But something about the film stays with you–little details you remember or conversations between characters.  The rawness of some scenes is very affecting; the tenderness between characters genuine.  Though I do not agree with all the high praise the film is currently garnering, I have a feeling that upon a re-watching in a year or two I may change my tune.

Grade = B-

Click on image to view trailer

(Not So) Weekly Wednesday Funny