BOYHOOD

Richard Linklater should be my favorite filmmaker, his DAZED AND CONFUSED is one of my top ten favorite movies of all time. I have never seen a film of his I did not like. I just got back from seeing BOYHOOD, and after tonight Linklater might very well be my favorite filmmaker.

He has this amazing ability to make the uninteresting interesting. His first film (I think) SLACKER is about nothing. It's a day in the life look at a bunch of twenty-somethings living in Austin, Texas. The film has no real narrative plot and is just linear vignette's that seamlessly move from one scene and character to the next. Some of the characters in certain scenes get long winded and may seem boring but in some weird way it works. You realize, like it or not, that you're hanging out with these people. You're experiencing a film version of life.

BOYHOOD isn't just a 12 year look at the life of Mason, a boy from Texas. It's a 12 year snapshot of family and life itself. I mentioned SLACKER earlier because that film is very similar in that it uses a lot of the same structure as this one does. Each of the vignettes chronicle a year or so of Mason and his family's life.

As for a synopsis the best thing to say is that the film is about family, parenting, and of course growing up. To describe the plot would just be paragraph after paragraph of me telling you scenes. I wouldn't know where to begin or end without fear of really ruining the experience of seeing it for yourself?

What I can do is tell you what I liked about the film. Everything felt genuine. No bullshit. What I mean by that is there was nothing dramatic for dramatic sake. Two examples. One scene there is an abusive drunken stepfather who hits Mason's mom. Any other movie would make this a big “Oscar bait” moment. You know, if the mother was played by Barbra Streisand or something clichéd like that. Not here. The film acknowledges it, deals with it, and then moves on.

Another scene that I thought was smart was when Mason was in eighth grade and him and his buddies were hanging with high schoolers. The kids were just hanging out doing what teenagers do. They start messing around with a saw blade. Like I said before, in any other movie this would be some dramatic plot point for our little Mason to learn a “life lesson”. The scene doesn't teach us anything, thank god. It's just a snapshot showing us and reminding some what it was like to be a teenager.

The use of music to signify the passage of time was cool. Very cool. I just love stuff like that. They also used stuff like Harry Potter and the Nintendo Wii which was fine, but to me the use of music was the coolest and most effective trope.

The cast was amazing as well. Ellar Coltrane who played Mason was amazing, probably the best child actor I've seen in a long time if not ever. And the funny thing is, this is his first and probably only film. Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette, who played the parents were great.

This is the first time for a movie (that's not a summer blockbuster or genre picture) that I can honestly tell you to believe the hype. This is a masterpiece that needs to be seen! Go see it!

Highly recommended!

THE EXPENDABLES 3

What happened? Really? What the heck happened with this franchise? I'll tell you what happened! PG-13, that's what happened! Something way more important than gory shoot em' up violence got sacrificed in this film, and that's attitude. The bad ass element that made the first two Expendables movies great is watered down if not gone. What we're left with is a pretty good GI:JOE movie for teenagers.

The film starts off promising with a jailbreak aboard a train. But by the second action sequence I was starting to worry a little bit, and sadly things did not get better in my opinion. You know the drill. Shaky camera, bloodless shootouts, jerky editing so you can't tell who's shooting who, and big super duper explosions to distract the audience and compensate for well thought out action scenes.

During a routine job the Expendables see a ghost. Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson), co-founder of the Expendables and traitor thought to be dead is alive and well as a notorious arms dealer. The job all goes to hell when Conrad is identified and Barney Ross(Sylvester Stallone), the leader of the Expendables tries to end his ass. Conrad escapes but not without giving his former teammates a proper goodbye present by leaving one of them mortally wounded.

Shaken by what Conrad did Barney decides to disband the crew. Now it's out with the old and in with the new as Barney recruits some new blood. Plans for revenge quickly change as the CIA wants Barney and his team to bring Conrad in alive so he can go on trial for war crimes. The new team is young and full of energy but even with the aid of Barney they are no match for a seasoned old hat like Conrad Stonebanks. So it's up to Joe Christmas (Jason Statham) and the rest of the Expendables to save Barney and the new class of mercenaries.

This movie was just not for me. I was bias to begin with because of the PG-13 rating so that may have clouded my judgment from the start. I don't have a problem with PG-13 anything if the movie/story is good. What I have a problem with is that for this type of film it needs to be rated R. Period. But it is what it is so I can move on and make the best of it.

I was enjoying EXPENDABLES 3 for the most part, that was until it was time for Barney to recruit some new young blood. I was already two steps ahead, I knew he was going to get this new team only to get their asses handed to them by Conrad and had to get saved by the original bad asses. The idea of a new team didn't bother me, in fact I thought it was going to be kinda cool. But they messed it up. They messed it up big time. The new class of Expendables sucks. Not just the characters but the actors as well. Zero personality. I didn't care about these guys one bit. The original Expendables crew gets sidelined for a better part of the film for these punks? Screw you! No thanks!

At least the movie had some humor in it. Schwarzenegger had a few one liners that I laughed out loud at. Including a classic one that wasn't “I'll be back”! And I wanted more of Antonio Banderas who played a cool character Galgo, a mercenary who doesn't know how to shut up.

EXPENDABLES 3 was also the return of Wesley Snipes which sadly felt lackluster due to him only being in the movie for 30 minutes it felt like. Gotta make room for Kellan (Legend of Hercules) Lutz and MMA superstars who can't act I guess? It was good to see Wesley back nonetheless.

According to Stallone this is the final installment of the franchise, but I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of The Expendables: The New Class. (Sigh)

I recommend THE EXPENDABLES 3 as a matinée at best.

TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES (2014)

So the new TMNT movie is not the train wreck I was expecting it to be. It's still not very good. A mediocre film at best. And the worst part isn't the subtle changes in the origin. Nor is it the films leading star Megan Fox. No, the biggest problem I had with this movie was the script. Uninteresting characters spewing out droll boring exposition. Scene after scene of characters telling us what's happened or what is about to happen.

I even think that director Jonathan Liebesman knew how boring the script was so he livened up scenes of people talking with dramatic close-ups and swooping pans. The film is shot well and looks nice but boring is boring.

In this latest incarnation of the popular franchise there are some minor changes, luckily none of them involve our favorite heroes in a half shell being from outer space.

Our story begins with fluff piece reporter April O'Neil trying to cover the story of a rampant crime wave by the mysterious Foot Clan. Hot on a lead she gets into trouble only to be saved by some strange looking heroes. Upon further investigation her super-hero like saviors turn out to be 6 foot tall walking, talking, ass kicking turtles. Not only does she become friends with them but things become a reunion of sorts when April finds out they used to be her pets when she was little.

Back when April was a young girl she had a pet rat and 4 turtles in her fathers lab. Her father was a scientist working on a experiment with mutagen and cell regeneration. One day the lab goes up in a gulf of flames killing April's father.

Excited by all of this, April tries to break the news about the cities new saviors. No one at work believes her and she gets fired for such a crazy idea. The only person that believes her is Eric Sacks, her fathers colleague. Unfortunately Mr. Sacks is a servant to Shredder and his Foot Clan. Eric betrays the trust of April and wants to capture the Ninja Turtles and use their mutagen blood as a ransom, for he and Shredder have a plan to unleash a toxin upon NYC. And the mutagen is the only cure.

Man this movie is kinda lame.

Not only is the climax of the film stolen out of the ending to THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN (nothing like grabbing low hanging fruit guys). But your villains motives are stupid and make zero sense. The character Eric Sacks going turncoat is dumb and doesn't gel at all, but that's what you get for such poorly written characters. I wanna focus on how poorly they treated Shredder, the arch nemesis of the Ninja Turtles.

Remember those slight changes I was talking about? Like the Turtles being April's pets when she was younger. That didn't bother me. the change that was odd to me was the fact that Master Splinter and Shredder did not have a past together. Usually how it goes is Splinter was a pet rat to Hamato Yoshi a ninjutsu master. Hamato Yoshi and Oroku Saki (who later becomes Shredder) are bitter rivals. It's TMNT scripture. Here it's only kinda sorta alluded to.

The filmmakers leave it up to the audience/fans to already know the back story. That's bad storytelling, especially if your movie is a reboot or whatever. It's the same problem I had with AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2 and the friendship between Peter Parker and Harry Osborn. Do they or do they not know each other? Oh? They are best friends remember, because the comics and previous unconnected films said so. Minor issue I understand, but it's just so sloppy in my opinion.

So back to my issue with the climax of TMNT. At the beginning of the film it's pretty apparent that Shredder knows nothing of the mysterious ninjas kicking Foot Clan ass up and down NYC. So fast forward to the big fight between Splinter and Shredder. I may have missed something? But to my knowledge this is the first encounter with these two. So when Splinter yells “SHREDDER”!!! His proper response should be “Yes...and you are...”? As I write this it does sound like a nitpick and I think I've made my point so I'll move on. But again like I said, poor storytelling.

On the subject of Shredder, you can tell Micheal Bay was a producer on this because Shredder must shop at the same store as Optimus Prime! My gosh where did Shredder get his outfit, freaking Cuisinart? The guy looks like an all purpose kitchen utensil from hell! How can he freaking move in that thing? My suspension of disbelief runs pretty high, but I had to laugh out loud a number of times. It's just too much.

Okay now to the good stuff, the mediocre stuff I should say. I liked how the Ninja Turtles look. The motion capture looked pretty good when the environment was them fighting at night on the roof tops or in a warehouse. What I didn't care for was whenever the action took place in their sewer home. There the action was too much CGI and it felt like I was watching a cut scene from a video game. Other than that it was fine.

Now to address the elephant in the room of TMNT which is none other than the star of the picture herself, Miss Megan Fox. Boy, is she a terrible actress. I remember thinking she did an okay job playing a emotionless demon in JENNIFER'S BODY. Come to find out she's just naturally emotionless. I'll end my criticism on that because what's left to say about her acting that hasn't been said already.

I know it sounds like I hated this movie but I didn't, the issues I have with it just stick out like a sore thumb. The more that I am bored with a movie the more I tend to pick up on laziness.

I give TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES a moderate recommendation. Catch a matinée or wait for Netflix or Amazon Prime.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY

Someone pinch me because I must be dreaming. Let's go back to summer of 2012 and the midnight showing of MARVEL'S THE AVENGERS. The auditorium is full and everyone in attendance saw comic book movie history. The excitement of what we all saw was deafening to our ears. Then the post credit scene happened. For those that did not know, they just saw a giant purple guy. But, for the rest of us Marvel Studios just blew our freaking minds. Thanos! Thanos just made an appearance in the MCU! I was shocked that the powers that be were taking it this far. The flood gates have be opened.

With introducing Thanos in the MCU the possibilities of where Marvel Studios took us in the future are now endless. Every comic geek leaving the theater that night knew that a Infinity Gauntlet adaptation was on the horizon. My first thought was the next time we see Thanos will be in the second Thor movie. Nope. Phase II was going to grace us with a new addition to the MCU, and that new film would be GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY.

Wait. What? A talking raccoon and a giant tree alien? Um, no thanks Disney but some things should be left on paper. No kidding. It wasn't until last years Guardians panel at San Diego Comic Con that I was 100% on board for this new Marvel movie. Sure I was going to see it, but until that first glimpse of production I really felt this was going to be the dud that would send Disney into a panic. Then the first trailer hit, and at that moment I knew all was well (for me anyways).

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY is awesome! Total 110% space opera. It's every thing I imagined it would be and a whole lot more. Star Wars, Flash Gordon, and most importantly the Marvel Cosmic Universe. My knowledge of this Marvel sub genre is limited. I read a few Silver Surfer issues here and there along with one or two of those Marvel Universe books. So I knew what a Kree, Ronan, and The Collector were. There is a good balance here to make the die hard geeks happy and to keep movie fans from getting bored from cosmic who's who.

The Marvel Cosmic Universe is something I never thought we would see on the silver screen. It took this long to get a Marvel team-up movie so why would we ever see one set in a galaxy far far away? It's kinda sad now really because I don't think the MCU can surprise us anymore? Really the only surprise Disney has left is paying Sony a dump truck size amount of money for the rights of Spider-Man. Sony you've really messed things up.

Outlaw Peter Quill,(or Star Lord as he likes to be called ) goes after a mysterious artifact with a rather large bounty on it. Several people want the artifact including Ronan the Accuser, a Kree Empire terrorist. The Kree Empire, long time enemies of the Nova Empire are about to make peace with one another. This does not bode well with Ronan so he makes a deal with Thanos. Thanos will destroy the home world of the Nova Empire in exchange for the mysterious artifact. This mysterious artifact is in fact a orb containing one of the most powerful items in the universe.

Ronan learns that Quill is in possession of the orb and sends assassin Gamora to retrieve it. The odds do not look so good for Quill who is being hunted by bounty hunters Rocket and Groot. And now added to the mix is Gamora. After an amazing action sequence the four are arrested and sent to prison.

In lock down they all get to know each other pretty well. During that time they meet Drax the Destroyer, who ends up being some much needed muscle. After their escape the five of them band together with a plan to sell the orb for the biggest payday they have ever seen. The group quickly learn of the contents of the orb, a infinity stone. One of the most powerful objects in the known universe.

Ronan acquires the infinity stone and sets out to destroy the Nova Empire himself without the aid of Thanos. Will our group of “heroes” high tail it to the far reaches of space to avoid destruction? Or will the Guardians of the Galaxy try and save the Nova Empire with what is destined to be a glorious suicide mission!

I cannot praise this movie enough! See this film as soon as you can. I'm going again as soon as I finish writing this review.

Everyone does a wonderful job in this thing. The biggest surprise for me was how great Dave Batista was as Drax the Destroyer. His character takes everything seriously and is not familiar with metaphors. It's wonderfully done. Zoe Saldana is great as always (big fan) as the assassin Gamora. But it's Rocket and Groot who steal the show. Meet the new Han Solo and Chewbacca. Like I mentioned earlier this film is total space opera. Complete Star Wars wheelhouse. The other standout is Chris Pratt as Peter Quill. This guy is on fire right now. With this, his sitcom, and JURASSIC WORLD coming up he's kinda like the new Bruce Willis.

The Guardians cast is perfect but my favorite character of the film was Yondu, played by Michael Rooker. I am a huge Michael Rooker fan. He always does an amazing job. Yondu, leader of the Ravagers is so bad ass in this. And he has the most coolest weapon in the MCU. We better see more of him come AVENGERS III time!

With the exception of Loki, villains have been one of the weak elements in these films. With Ronan the Accuser it gets a little better but not quite. He's like Darth Vader but a one note Darth Vader. I'm sure next year James Spader as Ultron will shut me up, in fact I'm counting on it. And speaking of villains GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY gives us are real first look at Thanos. Stellar job by Josh Brolin. Things are about to get real in the MCU.

Eventually the Guardians will cross paths with The Avengers and I'm sure it'll be cool, but hopefully they won't get to carried away with it. I love this film so much I want these films to go their separate way from The Avengers. Sadly we know Disney won't let that happen (ANT-MAN).

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY is highly recommended!

SCANNERS (1981)

After 33 years I have finally seen SCANNERS! It was worth the wait. For years I've wanted to see this movie but factors always got in the way. I must have been 5 or 8 years old when I first discovered SCANNERS. My dad worked at a supermarket that had a video rental department. He would bring a movie home every weekend if not every day it seemed! Already having a movie picked out, I would still spend the better part of an hour browsing the selection. One movie that would always catch my eye was SCANNERS. The VHS box cover was iconic! Michael Ironside on the verge of spontaneous combustion is classic modern day cinema imagery. That box cover haunted and intrigued me for years.

My parents would never let me rent horror films, especially something like SCANNERS. There was plenty of times I tried to get my dad to rent it but I'd always get the classic “nice try bud”, or the “your mom will never let us watch that” response.

The closest I would get to seeing something like SCANNERS was looking at Starlog and Fangoria magazines at the bookstore in the mall. One of these magazines had a cover story on David Cronenberg's THE FLY, and I remember seeing a bunch of pictures from the movie SCANNERS. Thinking back on it now I bet the issue was a retrospective of the directors career leading up to his remake of THE FLY.

It was around this time that we got Cable T.V at our house and HBO became my new babysitter. Over the years I had forgot about SCANNERS, until I saw it listed in the HBO/Cinemax program guide. Unlucky for me the movie only showed on Cinemax and not HBO. If you were a child of the 80's you could have a pretty good guess why we had HBO and not Cinemax. Thanks a lot Cinemax After Dark!

So for me SCANNERS and Micheal Ironside's spontaneous combustion became legend, and legend became myth. So many movies so little time. Maybe one day I'll get my merit badge for seeing the horror movie with the exploding heads?

So now it's 2014 and The Criterion Collection just released David Cronenberg's SCANNERS on Blu-Ray. Criterion putting out a genre picture? It's happened before, but this is a movie I'd expect Shout Factory to give the special treatment not Criterion? (By the way, Shout Factory IS the “Criterion” of genre films). Anyways, I was happy to see it finally get the high def treatment here in the States. With Criterion doing the honors I knew I was in for something special.

The day had finally come. I was going to see “the one with the exploding heads”!

So Thursday night is movie night! Got my snacks, popped in the movie and I only took a couple sips of my drink. That's how good SCANNERS is, that's how well it holds up.

This movie is awesome! Classic Cronenberg, not quite a masterpiece but close. SCANNERS is a pitch perfect mix of horror and science fiction. I always knew what the film was about but had no idea what I was in store for. Bravo for a film to hold up as well as this one has. Let's get right to the dessert, the exploding head! Long live practical effects! It happens early in the film, and boy is it glorious. I won't lie, it put a smile on my face. Not because I am a gore hound but because for too long has CGI dulled my cinematic senses.(Looking at you MAN OF STEEL)! The art of CGI has come a long way and make the impossible possible. The new DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES is a good example. But I will always be a fan of the organic.

A Scanner is someone with extraordinary psychic ability, and Darryl Revok is the most powerful one of all. Revok is a terror and must be stopped. Dr. Paul Ruth who specializes in Scanners recruits Cameron Vale, a Scanner that might just be powerful enough to stop Revok and bring him in. The closer Vale gets to finding Revok the more things start to spiral out of control. Come to find out Revok is part of a underground movement set on world domination. Can Vale be strong enough to stop Revok or is this the beginning of the end?

I love SCANNERS. Love it! No doubt about it, the film is classic David Cronenberg. When it comes to horror mixed with science fiction he has an eye for it like no other. A style he would master even more with films like VIDEODROME and his remake of THE FLY. Like I said SCANNERS is classic 'body in revolt' horror/science fiction, but I also saw something else that's pretty cool about the film.

With the risen popularity of comic book movies, SCANNERS can totally be looked at as a comic book movie. I'm not saying it is one, but the viewing experience does go up a notch viewing it in this new light. Telekinetic vs. Telekinetic hell bent on world domination, yeah in this day and age it's a X-Men movie! Now I want to see a Cronenberg X-Men movie! That would be awesome!

It took 20 years or so but I've finally seen “the one with the exploding heads”, and I am happy to say it was well worth the wait. SCANNERS isn't my new favorite film of all time, but it did exceed my expectations and that is always a good thing. As the saying goes with most David Cronenberg films, long live the new flesh!

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST

X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST is my favorite film in the X-franchise. It's also a strange one if you think about the time travel too much.

Bryan Singer has made a summer blockbuster that has some gravitas to it which is rare these days. While Marvel Studios is the reigning champion of comic book movies, Singer has given them a run for their money. Go see the film. You'll be glad you did!

So it's the future and Mutants are on the verge of extinction because of the Sentinels. A Sentinel is a mutant-hunter-killer robot that does just that, hunt and kill mutants. The X-Men are no match for these Mutant Terminators because they can adapt, learn, and counter any mutant power. And I do mean any. How the Sentinels became this badass is because of the mutant Mystique. You see, her power is that she can shape change and mimic any human being. She can also mimic any mutant ability now for some reason. I don't remember her having this ability in any of the other movies? Maybe Rouge would've been a better lab rat? Anyways, so the Sentinels can now counter any mutant attack.

The remaining X-Men are running out of time. Kitty Pryde and her time travel trick can only save them for so long until the Sentinels finally get em. Magneto and Professor X come up with a plan to have Kitty send Charles back to 1973 and stop the Sentinel program from ever happening. It turns out that the trip would be too hard on the brain of the world's most powerful mutant. According to Miss Pryde it would tear Professor X's brain apart. So the next best candidate is Wolverine (Cool!!!), the world's most popular mutant.

So The Wolverine is told when he gets to 1973 find Charles and Erik because it's going to take the two of them to help Mystique from taking her dark path. Logan finds Xavier who is now a recluse living in his mansion due to the eventful ending of X-MEN: FIRST CLASS. He cannot deal with the pain and loss given to him by the actions of himself and his once best friend Erik Lehnsherr. To help this he gets high on heroin (not really, but you know it is) which blocks his mutant gene in his DNA. Once Logan tells him about the bad things Mystique is about to do he agrees to help.

We learn Erik is being held prisoner underneath the Pentagon for the assassination of JFK. With the help of a super fast mutant Logan happens to know they break Erik out.

Now that everybody is assembled it's time to find Miss Mystique before she goes all Terminator on poor Bolivar Trask.

Before I get into spoilers let me talk about what I really really like about this movie.

From the opening shot I fell in love. The bleakness of a worn torn future sets the tone nicely. There is a lot of neon in the future and it looks awesome. Very comic book looking! The same has to be said about 1973. The past looks pitch perfect with set design and camera work. Many times it looks like you are watching a film from the 70's. I just love details like that!

Director Bryan Singer has vastly improved his skills in terms of action. X2: X-MEN UNITED felt restraint in the action, especially when mutants were fighting each other. This time around the action and fights are more interesting.

And lastly the cast is just awesome! I love the main ensemble, James McAvoy, Micheal Fassbender, and Jennifer Lawrence are just fantastic. The First Class iteration is by far my favorite of the franchise.

Here are some things I didn't like but overall fine with:

So what is up with Mystique and her new powers? I don't ever remember her having the ability to actually mimic a mutants power? Wouldn't Rouge be a better candidate for Trask to experiment on?

JFK a mutant? Because as Erik put it “he was one of us”. Really? Surely it's not literal and just because he was big on civil rights.

Hank “Hulking-out” when he becomes Beast. We all know why the studio insisted on this idea. Just have him be Beast.

!!!SPOILERS!!!

Here is one of the main reasons why X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST is the best X-movie thus far. Bryan Singer has successfully removed most if not all of the dumbest plot threads in X-MEN: LAST STAND and X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE. How awesome is that!

Jean Grey and Scott Summers are back, and It's quite possible that the first Wolverine movie never happened or if it did it's more in line with X2 continuity. Who's to know for sure? I like to think X-MEN: DAYS OF FUTURE PAST has changed everything for the better.

So X-MEN: APOCALYPSE is next. Man, I really want them to go all out on this one. So far only the First Class cast are returning and it is set in the 80's. I pray we get to see a young re-cast of Cyclops, Jean Grey, and Storm in this one.

My biggest fear is that 20th Century Fox doesn't realize X-MEN: FIRST CLASS was the reboot and they make the same mistake Sony has with the Amazing Spider-Man series.

Brief Thoughts on The 86th Academy Awards

The 86th Academy Awards are tonight, and like always I cannot help but watch. It's my love of movies that keeps me watching every year. I've made it a tradition ever since OLD COUNTRY FOR OLD MEN won Best Picture.

This year I'm expecting a pretty lack luster show. We know 12 YEARS A SLAVE will be taking home the big prize of the evening. I'm just rooting for GRAVITY and THE WOLF OF WALL STREET to win as many golden boys as possible! Bruce Dern winning an Oscar tonight would be cool too.

I've seen all but two of the Best Picture nominations (PHILOMENA and NEBRASKA), and from what I've seen and heard all the movies are worthy. GRAVITY and THE WOLF OF WALL STREET made me believe in the power of cinema again! THE WOLF OF WALL STREET was my favorite film of last year, so you know who I want to win. Sadly that film will walk away with nothing I'm afraid.

So tonight It looks like the only film worth rooting for is my second favorite film of 2013, GRAVITY. It should have all the technical categories in the bag. The one I'm really counting on is Alfonso Cuaron for Best Director!

Two films that I really think are missing at this years awards show are THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES and MUD. But the real head scratcher is no nomination for Tom Hanks in CAPTAIN PHILLIPS?

Best of luck to all the nominees!

ROBOCOP (2014)

I tried. I tried really hard to enjoy this remake. Turns out, ROBOCOP (2014) is one of the better remakes to come out in recent years; unfortunately, the movie is just down right boring. What I mean by saying that its one of the better remakes is because they actually try different things instead of just being a shot for shot clone. Too bad the film is boring and suffers from serious pacing issues.

It's clear from the beginning that director Jose Padilha is not trying to mimic the classic 1987 original. The filmmakers update the 'franchise' by giving the story a face lift and making it topical by adding drone warfare into the mix. Added to that is a story that focuses on the science of what is to be a RoboCop. This is all interesting and different, but do we really need to spend what feels like half the film going over the origin of turning a man into a machine?

We get repeated scenes dealing with the construction of RoboCop. Too much time is also wasted on talking heads wondering if what they are building is safe/ethical. Seeing the science of RoboCop is cool but after awhile it gets boring. How many scenes do we need to have of OCP executives sitting around a table talking? I kept telling myself to be patient, they are building up to something. Not to worry, RoboCop will be kicking ass any moment now.

So RoboCop finally makes his debut to the public and things start off great. We get some decent crime fighting scenes. Overall the action isn't too bad for PG-13, except for the overabundant use of his stun gun. I realize cops use stun guns all the time, but this isn't real life, it's a movie. It's a blatant PC move that I didn't much care for. In this day and age PG-13 is a real disservice to action movies. What teenager is going to find your movie cool or memorable if the hero is going around kicking ass with a stun gun the majority of the time? The video games he or she are playing at home are more bad ass than your boring PG-13 action movie.

The film starts to get interesting (for the most part) when Alex Murphy/RoboCop begins to solve his own murder. Now I don't know if it was an artistic move by the director or a flat out mistake but RoboCop forgets to kill the man that murdered him. Wait! What? That's what I thought leaving the theater, that RoboCop didn't even kill his murderer . It took me a second to realize that he did, but it was done so nonchalantly that you barely notice it.

Here is where the movie really starts to slip off the rails.

Now that RoboCop has started to piece together his murder and all who were involved, we're ready for a climatic conclusion. Wrong. The final act of the film goes in a direction that makes no sense. RoboCop has the bad guys dead to rights when all of a sudden the villains change. I'll try and not spoil it completely but it's as if the studio came in and told the filmmakers that their movie has no Dick Jones in it. Remember Dick Jones? The memorable cooperate bad guy from the original film. Yes, how could you forget. Well, at the end of this movie the spirit of Dick shows up because Drone warfare is bad. And while nobody at OCP is truly bad enough to be considered a 'villain', just the thought of Drone warfare is bad enough I guess? Weak! RoboCop just killed an innocent man if you ask me.

All in all this film just wasn't for me. Kudos to Padilha for trying something different, it's just too bad that the finished product is a studio attempt to reboot a 'franchise'.

HER

When I had heard about HER, the new film from director Spike Jonze, I could not wait to see it. A story about a guy falling in love with his OS seemed extremely clever and interesting. The trailer did not win me over, it made the movie seem really hipster and pretentious. The reviews kept me optimistic. Sadly I was duped. Duped by my own self. You see, I went into HER thinking one thing and in return getting something more complex. A satire about how our culture is becoming to dependent on technology, smart phones, and social media is what I was expecting. I should have known a film from Spike Jonze wouldn't be as simple as that.

Jonze goes deeper than a commentary on people falling in love with their "iPhones". HER is one of the most smart and honest films about love and relationships I've seen in awhile.

Theodore, a writer still getting over the break up of his soon to be ex-wife. He's been in and out of the dating game with no success in finding the right woman. One day he decides to install the latest and greatest OS. This OS is designed to be the perfect operating system for its user. Theodore immediately bonds with Samantha, his new artificially intelligent OS. The bonding quickly turns into a relationship that becomes full blown love.

HER is one of the most original films I've seen in years. That being said, I could just not get into it. The reason, I'm embarrassed to say is because it wasn't cliched enough for me. Maybe I was thinking too literal at times? One thing for sure, the performances sell it. Joaquin Phoenix is stellar as usual. Scarlett Johansson gives what is probably her best performance as the voice of Samantha.

i really wanted to love HER but came away only liking it. It may grow on me with future viewings much like last years THE MASTER.

I recommend HER based solely on how original and smart the film is.

 

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NINJA II: SHADOW OF A TEAR

Scott Adkins is awesome! Unfortunately you've probably never even heard of him. He's Jean Claude Van Damme's right hand man in THE EXPENDABLES 2. If you have seen that movie, then you understand when I say he is pretty bad ass. My fingers are crossed he gets some more prolific roles in the next few years. Bullseye in the upcoming Daredevil television show would be awesome. Heck, he'd make a good Daredevil now that I think about it.

Casey (Scott Adkins) is a ninja master. While going to the market to pick up a late night snack for his pregnant wife, a intruder breaks into their home and murders her. Hell bent on revenge Casey takes out two common thugs who he thinks are responsible. To help cope with the loss of his wife Nakabara, a friend of Casey tells him he should train and meditate at his dojo. Casey's anger gets the best of him and it's not long until he is back on the trail of his wife's killer Goro, a barbed wire gauntlet wielding ninja bad ass!

This film has to be one of the best action films of last year. I want to go ahead and give it that title but I've yet to see DRUG WAR. Regardless, NINJA II has it all in terms of an action movie. At every turn it seemed like Casey was kicking someone's ass. Every turn. One moment he is roundhouse kicking peoples faces off in Taiwan , and the next he is taking out a military compound in Burma. It reminded me a lot of those late 80's early 90's pay per view action films, but done correctly. You see, a lot of action movies back then just had tough looking people with big guns or swords walking around and doing nothing. There is nothing boring about NINJA II thanks to filmmaker Issac Florentine and his star Scott Adkins.

I can't say much about Mr. Florentine with only having seen but a few of his films, but it is apparent he is perfecting his craft. Cannot wait to see what future projects are in store for him!

Now I've seen enough movies starring Scott Adkins to say that he is the next Chuck Norris. NINJA II had better fight choreography than any other big budget blockbuster I saw last year.

At a recent movie night the evenings choice was a extended cut of THE WOLVERINE. I like that version quite a bit but I was left with wanting more. Marvel/Disney is sort of cool for giving fans a R rated Wolverine film. I'm thankful for that but while watching NINJA II, I kept thinking wouldn't have been cool if THE WOLVERINE was like this! I'm probably asking to much a genuine R rated Wolverine movie would rule. Just sayin'.

So if you're looking for an amazing action movie to watch then NINJA II is your movie. Now don't worry about seeing the first film. It's equally as cool but might be tough to find.

 

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PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES

Well this is a surprise! PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 5, I mean PARANORMAL ACTIVITY:THE MARKED ONES is good. Really good. The third installment left a bad taste in my mouth so I skipped part 4. Turns out I did not miss much.

A brief history on my thoughts of the series. I love how the first film took Hollywood by storm and practically destroyed the torture-porn horror genre overnight. Part 2 (my favorite) kept the gravy train rolling. While still being a huge success this second entry split fans apart on what constitutes a good PA movie and what does not. PA3 pissed me off. I loved the trailers leading up to the movies release. I missed opening night due to some family issues. The next few days all I kept hearing was how nothing from the trailers were in the movie. I hate that crap! I caught the film later on Netflix. It was an underwhelming experience to say the least. I still haven't seen PA4 nor do I plan to.

In the coming years supernatural horror was where it's at with blockbuster hits such as INSIDIOUS, SINISTER, and THE CONJURING.

So it's 2014 and we have a new Paranormal Activity in January. January? Man, sorry for all you fans but that's not a good sign. Turns out the movie is good. The more that I think about it, PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES is probably my favorite of the series! It's genuinely scary with moments that are not 100% loud jump scares. It's the first film in the franchise that really embraces it's R rating.

For a graduating present (I think), Hector gets a camera. Quickly him and his friend Jesse start filming everywhere around their apartment complex. Filming everything from Grandma getting drunk to dancing with the family dog. Strange things start to occur when a neighbor is murdered. While snooping around the crime scene the two friends find some weird trinkets and a notebook full of demonic script. In the following weeks Jessie is not himself. Hector and Marisol find some possible answers to what is wrong with their friend. They find out Jesse is a "Marked One", someone selected by a coven of witches (I forget the name if the movie gave one) for a demon army. If you've seen any of these films then you can already guess if Jesse's friends save him in time.

This spin-off added a lot of cool interesting elements, namely time travel or more appropriate teleporting. I won't spoil it but for a moment we see the apartment from the first film. A twist I found very enjoyable.

I highly recommend PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES to fans of the series. Best of luck to what is in store for us with PARANORMAL ACTIVITY 5 or PARANORMAL ACTIVITY: THE MARKED ONES II.

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MY FAVORITE 15 FILMS OF 2013

There is still a lot of movies that I wanted to see before making this list but I've run out of time. Some pretty big films I still haven't seen because of laziness (CAPTAIN PHILLIPS, BLUE JASMINE, and DALLAS BUYERS CLUB) and reasons beyond of my control (HER and INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS).

Before we get to my favorite 15 here are some other notable lists.

Close But No Cigar:

STAR TREK INTO DARKNESS

WORLD WAR Z

ONLY GOD FORGIVES

STOKER

THE ABC'S OF DEATH

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN

Worst Of 2013:

A GOOD DAY TO DIE HARD

TEXAS CHAINSAW 3D

MOVIE 43

A HAUNTED HOUSE

WHITE HOUSE DOWN

ELYSIUM

KICK ASS 2

Here we go, my Favorite Of 2013.

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET – Excess, excess, and more excess. A lot of people are missing the point of this movie. THE WOLF OF WALL STREET isn't glorifying Jordan Belfort. Showing us the evil that men do and why they do it is what Scorsese is doing, and nobody does it best. Nobody.

GRAVITY – Easily interchangeable with my number 1 pick. GRAVITY was one of the greatest theater experiences I've had in years. I'll probably never own this movie until I get a legit home theater. Anything less would just not cut it.

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES – The most epic drama of 2013. Three films in one. Sins of the father(s) bestowed on the son(s). Giving too much away would ruin the journey that is this amazing film.

THE WORLD'S END – A fitting end to the Three Flavors Trilogy.

AMERICAN HUSTLE – I cannot wait to see this again! A common reaction I have to great con artist movies. So many memorable scenes. One of the best cast ensembles 0f 2013!

THE SPECTACULAR NOW – One of the best films about being a teenager I've seen in years, or probably ever.

THIS IS THE END – In the hands of anybody else, this would've just been a prequel to GROWN UPS.

THE CONJURING – This was my favorite film for quite awhile. It's still no question my favorite horror movie of 2013.

YOU'RE NEXT – My second favorite horror movie of 2013. In fact 2013 has been a great year for horror. Haven't been this excited about the genre in a long time.

THE KINGS OF SUMMER - Nostalgia wins every time with me. 2013 was a great year for coming of age films.

IRON MAN 3 – At this point I really believe Marvel Studios can do no wrong. It'll be Sony or Warner Brothers that causes the demise of comic book movies.

PACIFIC RIM – The coolest movie of the summer!

RUSH – I hate racing! But watching these two rivals go back and forth was one of the most entertaining things I've seen all year. Great acting! Great film!

MUD – What alternate reality did we all step in where Matthew McConaughey is now one of the best and coolest movie stars working today?

FRANCES HA – Some just see hipster B.S when it comes to this film. I see one of 2013's most charming films and a nice love letter to 60's French New Wave.

FRIDAY THE 13TH: THE FINAL CHAPTER

FRIDAY THE 13TH PART IV: THE FINAL CHAPTER is my favorite film in the franchise. Not the original you say? How come? I don't know really. Sure I'll acknowledge that FRIDAY THE 13TH is the one that started the slasher movie craze. And it is a classic in that respect, but I've never been a fan of Jason's mother being the killer. It wasn't till I was 12 years old that I watched my first Friday The 13th movie. The years leading up to that, Jason was the poster boy for these films. I'd see his image at the video rental store, on the cover of Fangoria, and even in a Nintendo game. Jason Voorhees was always the killer at Camp Crystal Lake.

I think of FRIDAY THE 13TH PART IV: THE FINAL CHAPTER as the quintessential film in the series. It has a nice recap of the series, some of the best characters, good production value, some of the best camera work in the series, the best gore effects (before the MPAA really started to censor things ridiculously), and Jason actually dies at the end. Like I said quintessential, a best of the best if you will.

By now the slasher formula in these films is pretty much set in stone, but director Joesph Zito put a lot of heart and extra touches not found in the series until now. Instead of camp counselors we have teenagers looking to party at a lake house. Next door is a mother and her two kids. Even without going into detail, this is a refreshing change in dynamic.

Dead with an ax to the face at the end of Part 3, Jason Voorhees is presumed dead. At the hospital in the morgue Jason jumps back to life and kills a couple of morgue assistants. Now alive and kicking Jason starts to make his way back to Crystal Lake. We come across some teenagers looking to have a nice weekend at the lake house. These teens aren't your typical stereotype victims which became the norm sometime in the 90's with horror films. No. These kids all have personalities that make them seem real that way you can worry about them latter when Jason comes to kill them.

My favorite of the bunch is Ted and Jimmy. Jimmy is played by Marty McFly's dad, Crispin Glover. The character Jimmy at one point does a dance in the movie that has to be seen to be believed. Seriously go to You Tube and type “Crispin Glover dance”. It's amazing. What the heck is Crispin doing?

Next door to the lake house is where the Jarvis family live. Trish and her brother Tommy get to know their new neighbors and get invited to party with them. Along the way they meet a hitchhiker who in actuality is hunting down Jason in the woods to kill him. His sister has been missing and is presumed dead after the events of Part 2 and Part 3. The first time I saw the movie I thought this was an awesome concept, a bounty hunter type going after Jason for revenge. The end result is not as cool as you think it'd be. In fact it's kind of embarrassing. Let's just say the guy turns out to be a wus.

The inevitable happens and Jason starts killing off everybody one by one. In a way the events start to pan out like your everyday slasher film, but the slow burn leading up to it makes all the difference. Like I said before it's the time spent with the teens and Tommy Jarvis that set's this apart from the other movies.

The ending is the big enchilada with the death of Jason. Effects master Tom Savini was brought back for the “final chapter” and he did not disappoint with the gore. Seeing that this was planned to be the last “Friday”, the filmmakers went all out with killing Jason. It's my favorite non-zombie Jason death sequence.

Out of all the Friday The 13th films released by Paramount Pictures this one is my favorite because in my opinion it's the one that best represents the series. When I talk to people about these films I tell them there are two movies to watch, FRIDAY THE 13TH PART IV: THE FINAL CHAPTER and THE BURNING. THE BURNING is another slasher film that has a camp setting. It's a rip-off of the Friday The 13th films, but it's a rip-off that truly rivals the majority of that series!

In 2009 New Line Cinema along with Paramount Pictures decided to remake FRIDAY THE 13TH. Instead of a shot for shot remake they combined the first four films together. On first viewing I really liked this idea (except for the lame ending). The main reason for liking it was because I really did not care for Part 2 and 3. I've seen the remake now four times and each time I started hating it more and more. Recently I have had a rediscovery of sorts with the originals and appreciate them more than I ever had. One day I may do a retrospective of the whole series?

If you ever watch 1 Friday The 13th film in your life I recommend it being FRIDAY THE 13TH PART IV: THE FINAL CHAPTER.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

ALIEN

Ever since 2010 I've wanted to blog about Ridley Scott's ALIEN. Probably my favorite film in the Alien movie franchise. I say probably because my opinion changes constantly between it being my favorite or the sequel, ALIENS. This is post is going to be about ALIEN but I do want to talk first a little about ALIENS, the one that started it all for me.

The year had to have been 1987 or 1988 the first time I saw ALIENS. I do know it was on HBO the first time I saw it. It scared the crap out of me. Looking at the film now as an adult, it's just a bad ass action movie in space with some spooky atmosphere. But when I was a kid it was the most intense movie I had ever seen. When the Colonial Marines first encounter the Aliens, it was like watching a living nightmare.

It wouldn't be until the early nineties that I finally watched ALIEN. With ALIEN 3 being released in 1992, the early nineties me and my friends were all about the Alien movies.

My best friend at the time had all the films on VHS. Not only that but he had comics, toys, novelizations, and he even had a ALIENS role playing game. When I told him I had never seen ALIEN he didn't act all that surprised. Knowing my tastes at the time he warned me that the film is a little slow and not action packed as the sequel. We watched it anyway and he was right, I was bored and fell asleep. I was such an amateur back then. It wouldn't be until 1999, the 20th anniversary of ALIEN that I would watch the film again. This was also the year that film was really becoming important to me. Along with ALIEN, I was blown away by other science fiction masterpieces such as 2001: A SPACE ODDESY and BLADE RUNNER.

With ALIEN I love how it's science fiction horror. You have the “space truckers” going to other systems mining for minerals. The blue collar aspect of these characters brings a sort of realness to it all that I really really love. The production design still to this day resonates a believability that 200 years from now this is what space travel could look like.

Not only is ALIEN a gorgeous science fiction film it's also a great slasher flick in space. There is a reason the movie's tag line is “In Space No One Can Hear You Scream”. Fans should already know that director Ridley Scott was influenced by the horror film THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE when making ALIEN. And by golly there is a reason I watch ALIEN every year right around Halloween. The final act gets by blood pumping every time!

When it comes to these films as a quadrilogy, ALIENS is my favorite. But I like to think of ALIEN as a stand alone “haunted house/slasher flick” movie. The first hour being the “haunted house” when they explore the crashed spacecraft on LV-426. The mystery of the fossilized Space Jockey I still find fascinating and creepy as all get out. And of course the face hugger scene is still a classic.

The second half of the film is pretty much a slasher film in space. A cat and mouse game with finding the alien. To some this is when the film gets kinda predictable but I still find it pretty scary. When the crew split up to capture the creature and blow it out of the air lock, they have no idea just how big the sucker has grown. They are expecting to catch something no bigger than a cat when they go hunting for it the first time. So watching the movie with that in mind is still a scary thing.

The other day I watched a video review of ALIEN and it got me thinking about the possibility of the movie having an anti war message somewhere between the lines? My speculation has something to do with Weyland-Yutani wanting the creature for a weapon. I may dig into that when I blog about PROMETHEUS which I've been dying to do since last year.

HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH

Oh the memories of HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH. Before seeing or even knowing about that famous slasher flick with Michael Myers, the third installment was my first exposure to the film franchise. No way did I watch it! Turning on the television and seeing a kid wearing a jack o lantern halloween mask that's rotting with snakes and bugs crawling out of it was enough for me. That image haunted me for years. For the longest time I just figured it was an episode of TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE?

The year had to have been 1987 or 1988 when I first became interested in horror. It was probably on a Friday or Saturday night watching television when I came across the coolest thing ever on HBO. This guy using a chainsaw to cut off his possessed hand. Way too intense for me, but before I changed the channel what was once horror quickly turned to comedy. I quickly grabbed the monthly HBO program guide and learned what I was watching was called EVIL DEAD II: DEAD BY DAWN. It wouldn't be till seven or eight years later that I really knew what this movie was or what it means to me.

While seeing Ash fight his possessed hand was the coolest thing ever, my real love of horror began with Freddy Kruger and the Dream Warriors. A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 3: THE DREAM WARRIORS was the very first slasher film I ever watched in it's entirety. I watched it on late night broadcast television because I was so scared. Turns out the film was more funny and cool than scary. At school friends knew more about the Elm Street movies than EVIL DEAD II: DEAD BY DAWN, so Freddy it was then.

So it's the mid nineties and me and my buddy watch one of the classics, John Carpenter's HALLOWEEN. This film changed my life. How? That's a whole other post my friend. HALLOWEEN was the first horror film that I found important. If I remember correctly we did a double feature with the sequel HALLOWEEN II? My reaction to HALLOWEEN II made me a fan of slasher films for life. It's not my favorite slasher film but because of HALLOWEEN II the genre clicked with me.

So what's next, HALLOWEEN 3? My buddy had done his homework and told me this is one we can avoid, it doesn't have anything to do with Michael Myers. Which leads us to HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH.

For many years I have hated HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH. No Michael Myers in your movie? Lame. Thank goodness for HALLOWEEN 4: THE RETURN OF MICHAEL MYERS. This was my line of thinking for the longest time. It wasn't until a few years ago that I wanted to watch “the one without Michael Myers” just to see if I could enjoy it as a stand alone horror film. The answer is kind of. The film does things I like about it, but as a whole I see the movie as a misfire. The attempt to make the Halloween film franchise a horror anthology was indeed a step in the right direction but with the box office boom of slasher flicks it was a mistake to try something different.

I could see myself enjoying this film as a double or triple feature with other horror movies. Or sharing it at movie nights with the uneducated.

Shop owner Harry Grimbridge is taken to the hospital after colapsing holding a Silver Shamrock jack-o-lantern mask. After an apparent suicide/murder Dr. Challis and Ellie, the victim's daughter immediately investigate. Their clues lead them to the small town of Santa Mira, California, home of the Silver Shamrock mask making factory. The two learn of Conal Cochran, Mr. Cochran is the sole reason for the towns prosperity. After meeting some townsfolk, Dr. Challis and Ellie get the feeling that something just isn't right about the town or the Silver Shamrock factory. Things get ugly when the two discover Grimbridge's car. They are captured and Cochran tells Challis of his evil plan to kill thousands on Halloween. The Silver Shamrock trademark on the masks contains a computer chip containing fragments of Stonehenge. When the Silver Shamrock commercial airs on Halloween night, the chip will activate, killing the wearer and unleashing a lethal swarm of insects and snakes, killing those around the wearer. Cochran explains his plan to resurrect macabre aspects of Gaelic festival Samhain, which he connects to witchcraft.

Will Dr. Challis stop this madman in time or will it truly be the “season of the witch”?

The idea behind the movie is cool but the filmmakers should have just stuck with Micheal Myers.

The few things that I like about HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH is the fact that the film is indeed creepy from time to time. The cameos from actors that were in HALLOWEEN are cool. Listen for Jamie Lee Curtis as you hear her voice over a P.A system reminding the town of it's curfew. But the best thing about the movie is actor Tom Atkins! Such a cool guy. If you've never seen NIGHT OF THE CREEPS I highly recommend it!

Would the film have been more of a success if it had dropped the Halloween moniker? I honestly do not think that it would. It would have the same cult classic appeal that is does today. That's what I think anyway, who knows really?

I only feel comfortable recommending HALLOWEEN III: SEASON OF THE WITCH to horror movie buffs like myself.