MOVIE REVIEW: CREED

Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) never knew his famous father, world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, who died before he was born. Still, there’s no denying that boxing is in his blood, so Adonis heads to Philadelphia, the site of Apollo Creed’s legendary match with a tough upstart named Rocky Balboa. Once in the City of Brotherly Love, Adonis tracks Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) down and asks him to be his trainer. Despite his insistence that he is out of the fight game for good, Rocky sees in Adonis the strength and determination he had known in Apollo—the fierce rival who became his closest friend. Agreeing to take him on, Rocky trains the young fighter, even as the former champ is battling an opponent more deadly than any he faced in the ring. With Rocky in his corner, it isn’t long before Adonis gets his own shot at the title...but can he develop not only the drive but also the heart of a true fighter, in time to get into the ring?

Director: Ryan Coogler

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Ritchie Coster

Release Date: Nov 25, 2015

Rated PG-13 Violence, Some Sensuality and Language

Runtime: 2 hr. 13 min.

Genres: Drama

Review:

Ryan Coogler’s Creed is one of the rare sports films that works for an actual sports fan.  It’s structure is very similar to the past Rocky movies and there isn’t much surprise about what goes down during it’s somewhat extended runtime.  Still it works on various levels because of some excellent direction and strong performances from Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone.  Coogler pulls off an effective redux of the original Rocky story that’s engaging enough to keep everyone engaged throughout.  It’s clear that Coogler is a big fan of the original film and it come through the screen.  Michael B. Jordan is focused and believable as the upcoming boxing trying to make a name for himself.  The real surprise though is Stallone who delivers one of his best performances in years.  It’s been so long since Stallone has fallen into a parody of himself that it’s easy to forget that he was a capable actor at one point.  Stallone’s work is heartfelt and reflective.  He and Jordan share some solid chemistry together making it easy to care about their journey.  Creed isn’t a perfect film though.  The structure is very well worn and characters seem to appear and disappear regularly with Phylicia Rashad left acting alone reacting to a TV.  Its far from a fatal flaw but it does feel like a missed opportunity to expand on certain relationships and characters.  As a boxing fan, nothing takes me out of a film quicker than staged fights that instantly feel inauthentic.  It’s a difficult thing to pull off because of the nature of the sport but Creed does an excellent job of pulling off the illusion for the most part, there’s rarely that much chatting between rounds from the fighters.  As a whole though, Creed finds the essence of the original film which isn’t a small feat considering this is 7^th entry in the long running franchise.  

B

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Victor Frankenstein & Creed

 

 

 

Dearest Blog: Thanks to my employer's generous early dismissal yesterday, I got an early start on the holiday weekend at Marquee Cinemas. 

 

Hollywood owed me an apology for those two stinkers last weekend, and I'm pleased to report they couldn't better have made up for it than with Victor Frankenstein and Creed. Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers. 

 

First on my agenda: Victor Frankenstein, a new twist on an oft-told tale. Victor Frankenstein is much more a story of man than monster, a sort of "origins" movie, told from the perspective of Frankenstein's young associate, Igor. Daniel Radcliffe effectively continues to distance himself from his Harry Potter days, running the physical and emotional gamut as Igor. He is fantastic! James McAvoy brings the crazy to his entertaining portrayal the (in)famous Victor Frankenstein, perpetual frantic motion and spit. (Seriously, had this been filmed in California, they'd no longer have a drought problem.) 

 

The movie boasts lovely costumes and set design, a healthy dose of humor, some groovy effects, the expectedly-high gross-out factor...annnnnd...for as much as we see of him, the Monster looks terrific. 

 

Victor Frankenstein runs a quick 109 minutes and is rated PG13 for "macabre images, violence, and a sequence of destruction." As with any re-imagining of a classic, Victor Frankenstein won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I kinda loved it. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Victor Frankenstein gets seven. 

 

Next on the docket, the latest installment in the Rocky saga: Creed. An aging Rocky Balboa reluctantly signs on to train the young son of his friend and former rival Apollo Creed. 

 

It's a holiday weekend in the US and I'm sure everyone's busy with family and friends and shopping, but as a self-decreed Internet authority, I must insist you MAKE TIME TO GET OUT AND SEE THIS MOVIE. 

 

Michael B. Jordan is amazing as the young Creed--so good you'll have no choice but to forgive that last Fantastic Four movie!--and Sylvester Stallone is as reliable as you'd expect as the reluctant mentor. 

 

I'm sure he could play Rocky in his sleep by now, yet he's no less effective, sympathetic, or heartbreaking for it. Creed moves at a good clip, despite a runtime that's a tad longer than it needs to be. 

 

The boxing action is well executed--and thus a bit much for the non-enthusiast--and the story is extremely well crafted. If the movie is a tad hokey at times, it's so much more genuine and emotional and inspirational, with just enough of the right kind of humor at the right times. 

 

The Liverpudlian baddie is so broadly drawn I half-expected his walkup music to be Love Me Do, but that's a tiny quibble with what's overall a really-extra-super-great movie. (Also his handler is Dwalin from the Hobbit, so...POINTS!) Creed clocks in at 133 minutes and is rated PG13 for "violence, language, and some sensuality." 

 

Creed will leave you feeling like Judd Nelson at the end of The Breakfast Club. It is everything I love about movies. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Creed gets eight. Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: THE NIGHT BEFORE

Every Christmas Eve for the last decade, best friends Isaac (Seth Rogen), Ethan (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), and Chris (Anthony Mackie) have reunited for a wild night on the town in New York City. But since the guys are getting older and have to face new responsibilities, their tradition is about to come to an end. As a result, they plan one last epic night together, which includes finding their way to a legendary party called the Nutcracka Ball. Lizzy Caplan, Miley Cyrus, Mindy Kaling, Jillian Bell, and Michael Shannon co-star. Directed by Jonathan Levine. ~ Jennifer Lackman, Rovi

Director: Jonathan Levine     

Cast: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Seth Rogen, Anthony Mackie, Lizzy Caplan, Michael Shannon.

Release Date: Nov 20, 2015    

Rated R for

Runtime: 1 hr. 41 min.    

Genres: Buddy Film, Holiday Film, Comedy    

Review:

The Night Before is a solid stoner comedy that never really hits its marks consistently enough to elevate it above better comedies of its ilk.  Jonathan Levine moves his film along at a brisk pace which helps when we run into one of the many dead spots in the film.  When it hits its mark it’s really funny with Seth Rogen and Michael Shannon delivering the best bits.  Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Anthony Mackie are decent but they don’t quite have the comedic timing that Rogen pulls off so well.  The film is pepper with plenty of comedy stalwarts and each takes advantage of their time on screen.  It has all the hallmarks of what should be a classic comedy but it just never gets there for some reason.  

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 2

In the conclusion of the global-phenomenon, Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) stakes her claim as the leader of District 13 and commands the revolution against the brutal dictatorship of President Snow (Donald Sutherland) and the Capitol. Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Elizabeth Banks, Jena Malone, and Julianne Moore all return to reprise their roles one last time, with Francis Lawrence continuing his directorial duties. ~ Daniel Gelb, Rovi

Director: Francis Lawrence    

Cast: Jennifer Lawrence, Natalie Dormer, Julianne Moore, Wes Chatham, Elden Henson.

Release Date: Nov 20, 2015    

Rated PG-13 for Intense sequences of violence and action, and for some thematic material    

Runtime: 2 hr. 16 min.    

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Family, Sci-Fi/Fantasy    

Review:

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 is unfortunately a laborious slog to the finish line of the franchise.  It’s never a particularly bad movie Francis Lawrence’s direction is solid throughout as are most of the performances from the films cast.  Jennifer Lawrence is fairly comfortable in Katniss skin and she does a solid job of showing us all sides of the character’s constant perturbness.  Donald Sutherland does get plenty of credit for perfecting the art of eyebrow acting.  The biggest issue at play here is the film’s story just isn’t that interesting.  The story plays out exactly as expected throughout with very little surprise and it never really builds to a crescendo to finish off the story.  It’s probably a result of unnecessarily stretching the story out to 2 films when it could have been handled ably in 1 film.  As it stands the final film delivers some solid action sequences and throws some character deaths at you to keep you awake during the 2 hours plus runtime but none of it carries all that much weight when it’s all said and done.

C+

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2 & Secret in Their Eyes

 

 

 

 

Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for the depressing double-bill of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2 and Secret in Their Eyes. Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers. 

 

 Mama always said, "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all." If I adhered to that advice, I'd have a free day today, but since I wasted yesterday watching these movies, it seems fitting that I waste today writing about them. 

 

First on the docket: The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2, the further and final adventures of Katniss Everdeen. Dear Reader(s), let it be noted that I consider myself a fan of the Hunger Games franchise. 

 

It doesn't talk down to its audience, and the folks responsible for bringing it to the screen have done so with genuine regard for quality, rather than just milking a popular franchise for a cash grab. 

 

It's a miserable premise--the sort of thing I'd never watch more than once--but to this point I've given HG full marks for execution. 

 

Sadly, this final installment is a real letdown. For as much as Mockingjay-Part 2 has got going on, it is insufferably slow and dull. Perhaps stretching the final book to two movies was a bad idea, or maybe they've just done a poor job of translating events from page to screen, but I was ready to claw out my eyes long before the halfway point. 

 

The film yadda-yadda-yaddas over at least one thing that seems pretty important, and the ending feels like the author just got bored and turned it over to a 14-year-old fan-fiction writer. On the plus side, James Newton Howard has provided his usual strong score, and there are some nifty effects. 

 

The acting is solid from top to bottom, and Jennifer Lawrence is no less outstanding than when she's fronting something the Academy takes seriously. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2 clocks in at an excessive 137 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of violence and action, and for some thematic material." 

 

It's not without its good points, but The Hunger Games: Mockingjay-Part 2 is, overall, a disappointment. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Mockingjay-Part 2 gets five.

 

Next up: Secret in Their Eyes. A group of law-enforcement professionals presses the law's limits when one of their young daughters is murdered. It's clear, at some point, someone fancied Secret in Their Eyes a legitimate awards contender, The film on which it's based has already collected an Oscar (thanks, Maynard Maynard, for that tidbit!), the cast is mint, and it's a Very Serious Story. 

 

Sadly, it's also a tedious affair in which the twists happen exactly how and when you'd expect, and two-thirds of the decorated principals are embarrassingly bad. 

 

Nicole Kidman is about as expressive as a ventriloquist's dummy, which may be less about her actual acting than it is about her tinkering with her face 'til it no longer moves. On the other end of the spectrum, Julia Roberts flails through the proceedings "as if there were no such thing as overacting." (I have shamelessly poached that glorious insult from an old review of Gary Oldman's performance in Bram Stoker's Dracula!) 

 

Chiwetel Ejiofor is terrific, making it hard to believe he's the only one of the three who doesn't (yet) have an Oscar. 

 

An unnecessary romantic subplot adds nothing, and the movie seems to take it as a matter of personal pride that each storyline reaches the least-satisfying resolution possible. Secret in Their Eyes runs 111 minutes and is rated PG13 for "thematic material involving disturbing violent content, language, and some sexual references." 

 

Secret in Their Eyes has all the pieces of a great bit of cinema, but, unfortunately, it fails to put them together. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Secret in Their Eyes gets four. 

 

If you are visiting the cinema this weekend, and--like me--you weren't lucky enough to get Legend or Spotlight, I suggest you revisit Spectre or The Peanuts Movie, and take a pass on these two downers. 

 

Until next time...

Cindy Prascik's Review of The 33

Dearest Blog: today it was off to Marquee Cinemas for an uncommon treat: Lou Diamond Phillips on the big screen in The 33. Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers or the news. 

 

A mine in Chile collapses, trapping 33 miners underground for over two months. 

 

Dear reader(s), make no mistake: This is a fascinating, inspiring story that's more than worth hearing. 

 

Shame somebody couldn't do a better job of telling it. 

 

For The 33's purposes, it's not good enough that these men survived such extraordinary circumstances. 

 

Not good enough, the genuine angst of family and friends camped out waiting for any small bit of news. Not good enough, the folks whose great leaps of faith ensured hope was never abandoned. 

 

The melodrama is laid on so thick that connecting to any real emotion is...well...about as easy as finding a bunch of guys buried under thousands of feet of solid rock. The miners' personalities are so broadly-drawn they're little more than caricatures, and the dialogue is just plain cheesy. 

 

That's the bad news. The good news is, an excessive runtime doesn't really feel like it. Despite a well-known outcome, the movie still expertly maintains tension as the audience waits with the miners' loved ones for any positive sign. We West Virginians are no strangers to holding our collective breath through such events, and the painful experience is effectively portrayed onscreen. 

 

There's some strong work among the supporting cast, even if most of the headliners are quite over the top. Lou Diamond Phillips is amazing, because Lou Diamond Phillips is always amazing. (That's a scientific fact.) There are some good laughs and some cheap ones--the good ones lightening the mood at just the right moments--and James Horner's score is terrific. 

 

Overall, an imperfect exercise, but still worth a look. The 33 clocks in at 127 minutes and is rated PG13 for "a disaster sequence and some language." The 33 isn't a terrible movie, yet it's hard not to think such a great story deserves better. Of a possible nine Weasleys, The 33 gets five. Until next time...

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of The Peanuts Movie & Spectre

Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for the latest offerings from a pair of iconic franchises: The Peanuts Movie and Spectre.

 

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

 

First up: Hapless Charlie Brown tries to reinvent himself in The Peanuts Movie.

 

As animation goes, The Peanuts Movie is classically cartoonish, nothing revolutionary. If you pay to see it in 3D, you've probably wasted your money; you'd do better to put the extra two bucks towards a second 2D screening. That out of the way, The Peanuts Movie is otherwise PERFECT. The story is classic Peanuts: luckless Charlie Brown attempts to impress the Little Red-Haired Girl. 

 

That sounds pretty thin, but the film--even including an Ice Age short--is barely longer than your average TV special, and the main storyline is spelled by chapters of the WWI Flying Ace's never-ending battle with the Red Baron, so it holds up just fine. There's nothing in the movie that requires viewers to have previous Peanuts knowledge, but if you're a fan...boy are you going to be happy. 

 

This movie has absolutely everything a Peanuts lover could want...Vince Guaraldi's musical themes, Lucy's "Psychiatric Help" booth, Schroeder's Beethoven obsession, and "Sirs" and "Blockheads" to spare...hell, even Marcie and Franklin get a decent amount of screen time! Nostalgia is laid on good and thick, but not in a patronizing way that detracts from what's overall a delightful film for the entire family. The Peanuts Movie also bears a lesson about self-worth that's important, but never overbearing. My theatre gave the movie an enthusiastic round of applause as the end-credits rolled.

 

The Peanuts Movie runs 93 minutes and is rated G.

 

When classic properties are remade or rebooted, the Internet is fond of saying: "Childhood: ruined;" however, in the case of The Peanuts Movie, it's more like Childhood: regained. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Peanuts Movie gets eight.

 

Next on the agenda, James Bond's latest outing: Spectre.

 

Bond's past haunts his present as he tries to derail a sinister foe's dastardly plan.

 

Dear Internet Blurbs: Spectre is no Skyfall, we get it. It's still pretty great, though, eh? Well, at least I thought so.

 

Spectre is looooooong...like, almost-two-and-a-half-hours long. I'm always the first to cast the stinkeye at any runtime that exceeds two hours, but in this case it would be an unfair complaint; I'm sure the movie could have been trimmed here or there, but it never feels like it should have been. 

 

The spectacular opening scene--beautifully set in Mexico City during a Dia de los Muertos celebration--sets the tone for what follows: a sexy, funny, sometimes cheesy (in the best way), fast-paced thriller that does the 007 franchise proud. Craig's Bond is on point as both super-spy and ladies' man, with a healthy dose of "haunted by the past" thrown in for good measure. 

 

The supporting cast is terrific, though the always-wonderful Christoph Waltz is MIA for most of the first hour, and I'd hoped for a bit more Ben Whishaw. *sigh* Well-placed humor lightens the tone amid frenetic action sequences, all set against the backdrop of some of the world's most beautiful locations.

 

Spectre clocks in at 148 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of action and violence, some disturbing images, sensuality, and language."

 

Spectre may be a less perfect outing than its predecessor, but it's still a lot of fun. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Spectre gets seven and a half.

 

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: SPECTRE

A cryptic message from Bond's past sends him on a trail to uncover a sinister organization. While M battles political forces to keep the secret service alive, Bond peels back the layers of deceit to reveal the terrible truth behind SPECTRE.

Director: Sam Mendes

Cast: Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, Ralph Fiennes, Ben Whishaw, Naomie Harris

Release Date: Nov. 6, 2015

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some disturbing images, sensuality and language

Runtime: 2 hr. 28 min.

Genres: Action, Adventure

Review:

Spectre is a totally serviceable Bond film that hits all the expected beats but rarely surprises.  Coming after Skyfall, which is probably one of the best Bond films, doesn’t help Spectre since the comparisons are unavoidable.  Skyfall felt fresh and had a strong sense of immediacy something Spectre lacks.  Spectre delivers all the globe trotting set pieces and love interest required for a Bond film.  Its biggest issue is that it feels rather paint by the numbers throughout.  Even the big reveal feels kind of perfunctory when it should be a jaw dropping moment.  In lesser hands this would be a total miss but Sam Mendes is an incredibly talented film maker.  He delivers a beautiful film that has some great moments with the opening sequence in Mexico City and a thrilling chase in the Austrian mountains leaving the biggest impression.  For all the grumpiness during the press tour, Daniel Craig delivers another strong performance as Bond.  I’ve always enjoyed the level of intensity that he’s brought to the role, something that’s been missing from previous incarnations.  Bond’s supporting cast gets some slightly expanded roles with Ben Whishaw bringing some much needed to energy to the middle portions of the film.  Sadly, some of the new faces like Christoph Waltz, Lea Seydoux, doing her best Eva Green impression, and Monica Belluci are woefully underused.  Christoph Waltz was born to play a Bond villain but he’s left on the sidelines for the better part of the film meandering runtime.  Spectre has a steady sense of finality for Craig’s run as Bond which is a shame on so many levels.  Sadly, Spectre stands closer to Quantum of Solace instead of a worthy follow up to Skyfall.

C+