MOVIE REVIEW: TED

IN THEATERS

TED



A man wrestles with the lingering consequences of a childhood wish in this live-action comedy from Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. As a young boy, John Bennett wanted nothing more than for his beloved teddy bear Ted (voice of MacFarlane) to come to life. Incredibly, that wish was granted. But now that John (Mark Wahlberg) is all grown up, his boyhood dream has become a nightmare nuisance. Mila Kunis, Joel McHale, and Giovanni Ribisi co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Seth MacFarlane

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Mila Kunis, Seth MacFarlane, Joel McHale, Giovanni Ribisi.

Release Date: Jun 29, 2012

Rated R for some Drug Use, Pervasive Language and Crude and Sexual Content

Runtime: 1 hr. 46 min.

Genres: Comedy

Review:

If you are familiar with Seth MacFarlane’s brand of humor from Family Guy, American Dad etc… then you’ll know what to expect in his first feature film. It’s very much in keeping with those way lengths, even teetering closely into full crossover with Ted sounding very much like Peter Griffin. MacFarlane transposes a standard rom-com plot; annoying friend comes between couple, and mixes it up with a foul mouthed CGI bear. It’s raucous vulgar and generally a lot of fun. MacFarlane is allowed to go balls to the wall without having to worry about TV censors and it’s pretty much what you’d expect, frat boy humor gone wild. Along the way a certain 80’s cult movie star shows up during a crazy party scene and one of the most hilarious fights I’ve sat through since Borat. It’s all utterly silly and stupid and it never takes itself too seriously. The cast is all game with each actor and actress hitting their marks around an impressively realized CGI star voiced with great gusto by MacFarlane. A few hiccups come in the form of the aforementioned well worn plot and kind of unnecessary subplot that adds an extra 15 minutes to the film that could have been excised without much issue. Regardless, Ted is the kind of comedy that’ll end up on many a shelf when it hits video.

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: BRAVE

BRAVE



An impetuous princess discovers that her reckless choice has put both her family and her father's kingdom in peril in this animated adventure from Pixar films. As a toddler, Merida (voice of Kelly MacDonald) saw her father, King Fergus (Billy Connolly), do battle with one of the fiercest animals in the kingdom -- a horribly scarred hulk of a bear named Mordu. Though Fergus lost his leg defending his family, Merida and her mother, Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson), managed to escape the beast before it vanished back into the forest. Years later, Merida has grown up to become not just a skilled archer, but also a beautiful princess who inspires a competition among the eligible bachelors in the land. But Merida has little interest in getting married, and the harder her mother pushes the issue, the more fiercely she resists it. When the tournament for her hand gets under way and a deep divide opens between mother and daughter, Merida makes a wish that threatens the future of both her family and the entire kingdom. Now, with only a brief window of time to set things right, Merida must summon the courage to atone for her mistake and prevent a past tragedy from destroying any hope for a peaceful future. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Brenda Chapman

Cast: Kelly MacDonald, Emma Thompson, Billy Connolly, Julie Walters, Kevin McKidd

Release Date: Jun 22, 2012

Rated PG for Some Scary Action and Rude Humor

Runtime: 1 hr. 40 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Animated, Comedy

Review:

The rousing first act of Brave enchants the way you’d imagine a Pixar created film should. We are given a fully realized Scottish landscape that’s beautifully rendered, even more impressive in 3D, which is populated by wonderfully conceived character designs. It’s feast for the eyes and there a strong sense of self the moment Merida’s uncontrollable fiery red hair hits the screen. Kelly MacDonald, a favorite of mine from Broadwalk Empire, gives Merida the perfect blend of strength, drive and impetuous energy. Emma Thompson and MacDonald have good chemistry together in their mother daughter roles with Billy Connolly bringing a good sense of fun to the king. MacDonald’s work remains the driving force throughout the film but sadly the film falters by taking a far too conventional and safe route. It’s not a bad story by any measure but it’s not the type of cutting edge fare we’ve come to expect from Pixar. It’s enjoyable and once we hit the crux of plot, we all know how the plot will play out. It follows course fairly carefully rarely stepping to far into the deep end of some of the themes presented. As is the film works well but you can’t help but wonder if it wasn’t a bit of a missed opportunity for Pixar to make a truly different princess for the Disney stable.

B

[Trailer] Taken 2

Silly Bryan Mills thinking he could take a family vacation without all hell breaking loose….

Trailer for the sequel looks like it’ll continue the ass kicking that started in the first film. Liam looks like he’s ready to go again, can’t wait to see it….

MOVIE REVIEW: ROCK OF AGES

IN THEATERS

ROCK OF AGES



A small-town girl and a big-city boy find their fates intersecting on the Sunset Strip, riding a wave of romance through the height of the "hair metal" scene as the off-Broadway musical rocks its way to the big screen courtesy of choreographer-turned-director Adam Shankman (A Walk to Remember, Hairspray). Arriving in Hollywood with stars in her eyes, Sherrie (Julianne Hough) meets Drew (Diego Boneta), and together they plunge headlong into the local rock scene. Meanwhile, as Sherrie struggles to stay afloat in a churning sea of rock 'n' roll excess, she gets swept off her feet by audacious rock star Stacee Jaxx (Tom Cruise). Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, and Bryan Cranston co-star in a movie featuring music by Journey, Def Leppard, Poison, Whitesnake, Bon Jovi, Foreigner, Joan Jett, and REO Speedwagon. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director:Adam Shankman

Release Date: Jun 15, 2012

Cast: Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Russell Brand, Paul Giamatti, Catherine Zeta-Jones

Director: Adam Shankman

Rated: Sexual Content, Language, Some Heavy Drinking and Suggestive Dancing

Runtime: 2 hr. 3 min.

Genres: Music/Performing Arts

Review:

80’s hair band rock has that incredible ability to get pretty much anybody to sing along, many a drunken karaoke bars are a testament to that. The musical Rock of Ages strikes me as one of those golden ideas that everybody wishes they would have thought of first, its easy money. The film version of the musical is like mother’s milk, easy to love and hard to criticize. A steady sense of fun permeates throughout the film’s runtime. Adam Shankman, who directed the equally energetic Hairspray, knows the film’s songs are its strong suit and he delivers them in wonderfully garish set pieces. His cast is all strong even if the leads are a tad bland and almost intrusive in the latter half of the film. Julianne Hough is a annoyingly cute and suffers from duck voice. Diego Boneta is capable but easily forgettable. The supporting cast is impressive, made up of big names taking their turn at singing classic songs from the 80’s. Catherine Zeta-Jones is such a wonderful little powder keg that it’s easy to overlook her shoehorned character, the role was created for the film, even if it feels a tad out of place from time to time. Alec Baldwin and Russell Brand might as well be considered a single character as they bounce off each other regular and exclusively. Paul Giamatti could be cast as a sleazy character for the rest of his career and nobody would complain. Mary J. Blige has a small role but reminds everybody what a real singer sounds like. Needless to say the supporting actors are all strong but this is truly one man’s movie. Tom Cruise simply owns the film as soon as he shows up on screen. He turns in a performance that makes you forget the other actors and count the moments he’s off screen.s. His turn as Stacee Jaxx is an awards worthy performance period. While Cruise is in top form even he can’t mask some of the flaws of the film. The film’s runtime is a long slog of 2 hours, if you had drinks it might be easy to sit through but otherwise it’s overlong for no good reason since the plot is as thin as you’d expect. Said plot is an after thought, which is to be expected, really hammering the point that there’s no reason to make the film 2 hours plus. A simple note to film makers, just because you use a monkey in your production doesn’t mean we have to linger on it’s actions throughout the film. It’s not hilarious every time. As is this film is the kind that will work best on video where you can skip to your favorite songs while you have a drink in hand.

B

MOVIE REVIEW: SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHAWDOWS

ON DVD

SHERLOCK HOLMES: A GAME OF SHAWDOWS



Brilliant detective Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) matches wits with the nefarious Professor Moriarty (Jared Harris) after uncovering a diabolical plot to destabilize the entire Western world in this sequel from director Guy Ritchie. A criminal mastermind without a conscience, Professor Moriarty is Holmes' worst nightmare -- a man who uses his incredible intellect for unspeakably evil purposes. When the Crown Prince of Austria dies and Inspector Lestrade (Eddie Marsan) rules the death a suicide, Holmes steps back to see the big picture. But little does Holmes realize that Professor Moriarty is about to commit a crime that will shock the entire world, and that solving it may be the death of him. Jude Law returns as Holmes' faithful sidekick Dr. Watson in a sequel also featuring The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo's Noomi Rapace and Rachel McAdams. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Guy Ritchie

Cast: Robert Downey, Jr., Jude Law, Noomi Rapace, Rachel McAdams, Jared Harris

Release Date: Dec 16, 2011

Rated PG-13 for some Drug Material, Intense Sequences of Violence and Intense
Sequences of Action

Runtime: 2 hr. 9 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a long walk taken briskly. Guy Ritchie directs his follow up to his 2009 re-imagining of Holmes with the same frenetic energy and visual flair with all the hallmarks of a blockbuster sequel. Everything is bigger, the set pieces are massive and impressive flung at the screen in such a rapid fire motion that there’s rarely a moment to let the plot breathe. It’s fund but kind of mindless at the same time, plot points and details are thrown in as quickly as possible so that we can get back to Ritchie’s Holmes’s style of action. Robert Downey Jr. is again clearly having a blast in his role. Between this and Tony Stark, you’d think Downey Jr. just walks around in a constant state of glee, his joy in these roles shines in such a manner it’s hard to resist. Sadly his rapport with Jude Law this go around, a strong point of the first, feel a tab more forced and uneven. It’s still fun seeing both bounce off each but it lacks the spark from the first film. The supporting players are strong actors who are asked to do very little. Rapace make a fine looking gypsy but serves as noting more than window dressing, her character could appeared or disappeared with nary an issue to the main plot. Stephen Fry should be given more to do but he’s on and off the screen all too quickly. Jared Harris, in the biggest crime, is short changed as Holmes arch nemesis Moriarty. He’s only given one substantial scene with Downey Jr. which is great fun, an intellectual cat and mouse game. It’s a shame more time wasn’t given to his character because he could have been a proper foil to Holmes as he was intended. It’s all still terribly watchable rarely dragging but ultimately soulless.

C

Bluray quality; Video is captivating across the board showcasing the wonderful visuals throughout; Sound is top notch and nearly display quality, extremely active sounds stage.

I was hand-selected to be a member of Blu-ray Elite, a beta program from Warner Home Video which has graciously sent me this free Blu-ray disc.

MOVIE REVIEW: PROMETHEUS

IN THEATERS

PROMETHEUS



A team of space explorers embarks on a fantastic voyage to the edge of the universe after making a profound discovery that hints at the true origins of the human race. Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Guy Pearce, Idris Elba, and Charlize Theron head-up the cast of this epic sci-fi saga from director Ridley Scott and writers Jon Spaihts (The Darkest Hour) and Damon Lindelof (Lost, Star Trek). ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Ridley Scott

Cast: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce

Release Date: Jun 08, 2012

Rated R for Sci-Fi Violence, Brief Language and Some Intense Images

Runtime: 2 hr. 3 min.

Genres: Horror, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Grandiose and epic in scale, Ridley Scott’s return to sci-fi is simply an achievement in filmmaking. His film is a visual feast for the eyes, shot in stunning 3D, and an endless buffet for genre fans to digest. This sort of prequel to his original masterpiece Alien offers enough visual and script hints winks and nods to keep franchise fans happy but never content. Answers to many plot threads are left dangling in the wind by the film’s runtime. This can be a good or bad thing depending on the individual viewer. Hints of Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 pepper the film right from the start and Scott never shies away, it’s clear he’s going for something larger with this film. Its plot is an endless landfill of spoilers to those that haven’t seen it but if you’ve seen enough of the trailers some of the major points are fairly evident. While Scott is in top form behind the camera, the script does leave some room for improvement. It sets up and telegraphs major twist in such an obvious way that it sucks any tension or surprise right out of the film. Plot holes are readily apparent but the director and the cast do their best to move past them. The cast itself is stellar with Noomi Rapace delivering a tender and subtle turn as the film’s lead. Rapace’s character will be compared to Ripley from Alien but it’s not an apt comparison. Her character is driven by a variety of forces outside of survival; it’s an interesting centerpiece which could have benefited from left heavy handing scripting. Michael Fassbender continues his current run of seeming less endless run of fantastic performances. His android David is a singular and engaging performance which is reminiscent of many sources yet never feels tired. Idris Elba, sporting one of most interesting American accents, is incredibly fun as the ship’s captain, easily becoming the coolest character in the whole film. The remaining cast isn’t given much to do and even stalwarts like Theron are left with mostly one note characters. Even with the most obvious issues, Prometheus is cinematic flypaper never letting your eyes or mind go once it’s got a firm grip.

A-

[Trailer] Django Unchained

Oh such a delicious first look at Quentin Tarantino’s latest film. This blacksploitation / western entry looks like it’ll deliver the usual QT trademarks along with Leonardo DiCaprio just having an absolute ball…..

MOVIE REVIEW: SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN

IN THEATERS

SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN



The enchanting Snow White (Kristen Stewart) joins forces with the fierce Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth), who was recruited by the diabolical Queen (Charlize Theron) to kill the fair beauty, and together they fight to rid their kingdom of evil in this bold new take on the fairy-tale classic from commercial director Rupert Sanders. Obsessed with being the fairest woman in the land, the Queen learns that Snow White will soon surpass her in beauty, and seeks to achieve immortality by consuming the young girl's heart. But the Huntsman is the only one capable of braving the dark forest to seek out Snow White. Threatened with death should he refuse to follow his order, the Huntsman finds Snow White, and begins training her for the arduous battle ahead. Meanwhile, a handsome prince (Sam Claflin) falls hopelessly under Snow White's spell. Ray Winstone, Ian McShane, Eddie Izzard, Bob Hoskins, Toby Jones, Eddie Marsan, and Stephen Graham co-star as the seven dwarfs. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Directed by Rupert Sanders

Cast: Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Sam Claflin, Ian McShane

Release Date: Jun 01, 2012

Rated: Intense Sequences of Action, Brief Sensuality and Intense Sequences of Violence

Runtime: 2 hr. 7 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

Rupert Sanders showy, visually opulent freshman film is occasionally impressive. Sanders knows how to shoot impressive visuals and does so quite a few times, letting you savor the set design and fabulous costuming at work. Unfortunately, his inexperience shows in various ways. The film lacks any sort of dramatic and thematic flow through leaving you emotionally detached as sequences pass by. Even though you are exposed to a few characters, you never really make any connection to any of them. Kristen Stewart, she of the mopiest face around, is blank barely registering throughout the film’s run time. Her acting is terribly underwhelming and the character is strangely underwritten. Chris Hemsworth gets by, play a Thor-lite character, on general screen presence and charisma. Charlize Theron should have just killed this role but instead is allowed to embellish in the worst kind of over the top performance imaginable. Being a fan of hers, it was tough watch her scream insanely throughout the better part of the film. Subtly is entirely thrown out the window, it’s a massive misstep considering she could have nailed this role had she attacked it with more tact. Some strong character actors are used for the dwarfs even if they appear primarily in the 3rd act. A few well directed, if derivative, round out a film which is watch able but never as impressive as it looks.

C