Cindy Prascik's Review of Murder Mystery

Having zero interest in sleeping through the latest Men in Black installment, this weekend I enjoyed another double-shot of Rocketman at the cinema while turning to Netflix for something new. On the docket, the suspenseful comedy Murder Mystery.

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

Americans on a belated honeymoon accept an invitation from a mysterious stranger, only to find themselves at the center of a murder mystery.

Of late, Netflix originals have done a fine job of competing with the big studios. It comes as something of a surprise, then, that Murder Mystery feels more like an old-school network Movie of the Week.

Murder Mystery moves quickly through a by-the-numbers, "Clue"-like plot. It's amusing enough, and a stable of reasonably-famous faces keeps it from feeling *too* low-rent, despite the fact there's very little mystery in the murder. None of the leads plays against type: Jennifer Aniston is the girl-next-door, Adam Sandler her over-earnest husband, and Luke Evans the dashing and mysterious stranger. Netflix won't be hanging its hat on this one come awards season, but it's decent fun nonetheless.

Murder Mystery clocks in at 97 minutes and is rated PG13 for "violence/bloody images, crude sexual content, and language."

Murder Mystery is unmemorable, but if you're looking to shut off your brain with a bit of entertainment that doesn't challenge, it's just the ticket. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Murder Mystery gets five.

Fangirl points: Luke Evans! Gemma Arterton!

Until next time...

Cindy Prascik's Review of Skyscraper / Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation

Dearest Blog: This weekend it was off to Marquee Cinemas for a pair of movies that were right up my alley: Skyscraper and Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation.

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

First on the agenda: Skyscraper.

When the world's tallest and most technologically-advanced building is sabotaged, it's up to Security Consultant!Rock to rescue his family and take down the baddies who are after his boss.

Something you should know about Skyscraper from a glance at its one-sheet, nevermind a single trailer, is that the movie is stupid. We are talking Fast & Furious levels of epic stupid; nothing about it makes any sense in the real world. I feel like the advertising doesn't leave room for doubt, but since unrealistic expectations seem to make a great many folks unhappy with movies, I'm telling you anyway. I'm also telling you this does not in any way, shape, or form make Skyscraper a less-than-great summer blockbuster.

First we have Dwayne Johnson. The beauty of Dwayne Johnson is...well...Dwayne Johnson. By the time the CGI embers have settled, you'll find yourself believing he really could wrangle all this ridiculousness and emerge the victor. Ice that cake with his boundless charisma, and the result is always a supremely watchable film. His supporting cast hardly matters, but Neve Campbell and Chin Han are solid, while Pablo Schreiber and Kevin Rankin are even better despite being woefully underused. The kids are cute and not irritating, which is essentially all I ask of kids, onscreen and off. Skyscraper boasts terrific disaster effects and insane stunts, but the best thing I can say about the movie is it features a lead character with a disability, but never becomes *about* the disability. He's just a guy doing what he has to do, and that sort of representation in a blockbuster like this is quite encouraging. A few small warnings and negatives: If you are squeamish about heights, best sit this one out; heights don't really bother me, and I haven't closed my eyes so much since The Walk. (That's without the 3D.) Some of the action/fight sequences are too comical even for a film this over-the-top, and, despite end-to-end action, the movie does feel a little long.

Skyscraper runs 102 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sequences of gun violence and action, and for brief strong language."

Bolstered by its charismatic lead and stellar effects, Skyscraper is an exciting bit of pointless summer fun. 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Skyscraper gets six and a half.

Next up, one of my most-anticipated titles of 2018 (yeah, you heard me): Hotel Transylvania 3.

Mistaking Drac's loneliness for exhaustion, Mavis arranges a family vacation on the high seas.

Despite my intense dislike of Adam Sandler, I have always had a soft spot for the Hotel Transylvania movies. It may be that I'm predisposed to like movies about Dracula, or just that Sandlier is strictly limited to doing only one stupid voice, rather than a bunch of them, but, whatever the reason, I really, really look forward to these movies and I have loved every one.

Hotel Transylvania 3 is surprisingly original. Its humor is more amusing than laugh-out-loud funny, but sharp animation, bright colors, and lively tunes will keep kids and adults engaged. Action sequences are outstanding, with a terrific opening sequence setting a fun tone. A standout score by Mark Mothersbaugh ties up the whole thing in a charmingly creepy bow. HT3 has a sweet message that's more than adequately conveyed as it plays out, so, if I had one small quibble, it's that the movie does belabor its point a bit at the end.

Hotel Transylvania 3 clocks in at a quick 97 minutes and is rated PG for "some action and rude humor."

Hotel Transylvania continues to surprise with a third installment that may be its best yet. 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Hotel Transylvania 3: Summer Vacation gets eight.

Until next time...

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Everest & Hotel Transylvania 2

Dearest Blog, today it was off to the pictures for strange bedfellows Everest and Hotel Transylvania 2.

 Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers or (I assume) actual events.

First on my agenda: Everest. Several groups of climbers take on the world's highest mountain. Okay, dear reader(s), admit it: From the very first trailer, you were trying to pick out who among Everest's cast of critical darlings would be first to bite the dust, and who might make it out alive.

It's a teen-slasher flick, except, instead of a masked maniac, the big bad is Mother Nature. I read a piece earlier this week that suggested the movie would keep people from wanting to climb Mount Everest, but I'ma be straight: it didn't take a movie to convince me life-threatening hobbies are a bad idea; rather, once you've seen Everest, you'll be lucky if you aren't scared to walk to your car if it's parked on a grade in a little snow.

Everest has a lot going for it, not least its stellar cast. Josh Brolin and Jake Gyllenhall are always big draws for me, but there are no missteps among this group. John Hawkes is terrific as always, as are Kiera Knightly and a woefully underused Robin Wright. The breathtaking scenery is worth the price of admission all on its own...just stunning.

Visual and sound effects are also top notch. (When sound effects are so good a person who doesn't do sound effects for a living notices, those are some good sound effects!) Both make you feel as though you're right on the mountain with our crew of climbers.

The film does a great job of maintaining tension throughout; in fact, there was not a peep out of anyone in my theatre for the entire two hours; the crowd was mesmerized.

Having said all that, Everest does have a couple weak points, too. Some sequences are drawn out for effect, but a trim here or there wouldn't have hurt. During the most harrowing climbing scenes, everyone is so bundled up it's impossible to tell who's who, unless you had the presence of mind early on to make mental notes of whose jacket was what color.

Necessary for realism, certainly, but not so much fun for the guy with the popcorn trying to keep score. Overall, though, those are petty quibbles with a mostly solid flick. Everest clocks in at 121 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense peril and disturbing images."

Everest is a good movie sure to convince you mountain climbing is the world's most insane hobby.

I'm glad I learned macrame in the eighth grade!

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Everest gets seven.

Next up, Hotel Transylvania 2. Having grown up, married, and had a baby, Dracula's daughter Mavis considers moving out of Hotel Transylvania to raise her child among "normal" people.

I gotta admit, after the stressful Everest, I was never so grateful for the idiocy of Adam Sandler. Despite my general aversion to Mr. Sandler, I truly enjoyed the first Hotel Transylvania, and hoped for more of the same from the sequel. As with most Sandler vehicles, HT2's voice cast is a who's who of Saturday Night Live alums. It won't do anything for my cinephile cred to admit I laughed my butt off at BOTH Grownups movies, but, well, there it is. No movie was ever worse for a bit of Steve Buscemi, either, and Mel Brooks is a terrific addition to the cast.

Transylvania boasts beautiful art and animation, but the 3D is essentially useless. If it's a bit slow towards the end, the movie mostly moves at a good clip, and I laughed out loud more than a few times.

There are some cute moments to which the older among us are sure to relate, and plenty of gross-outs for the kids. Finally, the not-so-subtle "can't we all get along" message is more than welcome in our contentious times, even if it's buried in a kids' cartoon. Hotel Transylvania 2 runs 89 minutes and is rated PG for "some scary images, action, and rude humor."

It won't come close to any Best Animated Feature awards, but, for my money, Hotel Transylvania 2 is good fun for all ages.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Hotel Transylvania gets six.

Until next time...

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Southpaw & Pixels

Dearest Blog: The weekend's bad news: The cinema schedule was impossibly awkward, forcing me to stretch my new-release double-bill over two days. The good news: The crappy timing allowed me to sneak in a second screening of Spy yesterday, and extra Statham isn't exactly a hardship.

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

On Friday's agenda, the Kurt Sutter-penned boxing drama Southpaw.

A former world champion boxer has to rebuild his life after his wife's murder sends him into a downward spiral.

If I had to describe Southpaw in one word, it would be "intense." I don't think Sutter is a great writer, but he is an exciting writer, and it's to his credit that I was a nervous wreck for the duration of the movie, despite being relatively certain I knew how it'd play out. (In the interest of remaining unspoilery, I won't say whether or not I was correct in that assumption.)

Southpaw's boxing scenes are extremely real, and sometimes difficult to watch. The personal drama is equally so. Performances are superb in roles large and small, and Jake Gyllenhaal is amazing in the lead. Gyllenhaal is frustrating and sympathetic, inspiring and heartbreaking, and ridiculously fit, handling all his own boxing chores in the interest of realism. (My movie popcorn and soda have never, ever made me feel more guilty!) July is hardly a hotbed of awards contenders, but hopefully folks won't forget Gyllenhaal's incredible performance when awards season rolls around.

Southpaw is marked by Sutter's characteristic violence, family angst, and anger issues. The movie is predictable and broadly drawn at times, but it moves at a good clip and has no problem holding your attention right up to the last minute. By the end I was so wound up I was talking to the screen just like I would while watching a real sporting event. (Thank goodness for almost-empty weekday theatres!)
Southpaw runs 123 minutes and is rated R for "language throughout, and some violence."

You don't have to love boxing to love Southpaw; it's a straight-up great film.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Southpaw gets eight.

On the docket for Saturday, Adam Sandler's comedy/adventure Pixels.

Aliens mistake video of an arcade competition for a threat, and attack Earth in the form of 80s video-game characters.

I make a point of not reading reviews before I write mine, but, being online as much as I am, I couldn't miss the fact that a lot of people think Pixels really stinks. I'm here to ask those folks, in the immortal words of the Slowskys, "Why don't you like fun?"

I do not like Adam Sandler, not even a little bit. On occasion I like a movie despite Adam Sandler, but never because of Adam Sandler. I continue to give Adam Sandler chances to win me over, because I felt the same way about Ben Stiller before Tropic Thunder, and I figure everyone deserves a second, tenth, or 250th chance, right?

I won't pretend Pixels should sweep the Academy Awards or anything. Much as I enjoyed it, I even understand a little bit why critics are bashing it, though I'd bet some of them didn't bother watching it before doing so. I'm pretty sure you lose your Official Critics' Card if you say anything nice about a movie starring Adam Sandler. For the rest of us, though, Pixels has more than a few things going for it.

As with many Sandler vehicles, the nostalgia is laid on thick and heavy. If you're in the 40-60 age range, you're almost guaranteed to love the movie based solely on the musical selections and pop-culture references. The first half of Pixels is consistently laugh-out-loud funny. The second half is more action heavy, and, if the laughs taper off a bit, they're replaced with truly marvelous special effects. Due to time constraints, I saw Pixels in 2D, but you can bet I'm seeing it again in 3D as soon as humanly possible, and I have no doubt it's going to be worth it.

The look of this film is TOP-NOTCH. Pixels isn't going to change your mind about its cast; you'll enjoy the actors you already like, and continue to be annoyed by the ones you don't. To Sandler's credit, he only does one (1) of his trademark stupid voices the whole time, making him at least 95% less irritating to me than he normally is.

Pixels clocks in at a quick 105 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some language and suggestive comments."

It's possible Pixels won't connect with people of a certain age, but young kids are sure to love the action and eye-popping effects as much as we older folks do the tunes and 80s jokes.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Pixels gets seven.

Until next time...

Movie Reviews: FUNNY PEOPLE

Sunday, August 02, 2009
Movie Reviews: FUNNY PEOPLE
IN THEATERS

FUNNY PEOPLE


Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen and Leslie Mann star in the story of a famous comedian who has a near-death experience... and what he does with a second chance. Director Judd Apatow addresses a question that hasn't before been touched with such trademark bluntness: If you had the chance to start all over again, would you be the same jerk you always were?


Cast: Adam Sandler, Seth Rogen, Leslie Mann


Opened ..July 31, 2009..


Run time: 2 hr. 16 min.


Rated R for some sexuality, language and crude sexual humor


Director: Judd Apatow


Genres: Comedy Drama


Review:





Judd Apatow’s third directorial effort is very much like his previous works, filled with rauchy humor mixed with bromance and sentimentality. Apatow take a more slightly more serious tone here dealing with issues of mortality and regret about the choices you’ve made. It’s an intriguing mix and fairly engaging but it occasionally veers terribly close to Lifetime territory. Luckily the sharp comedic dialogue keeps the film entertaining even during its most A Christmas Carol moment. Apatow does occasionally find some authentically poignant moments mainly through some superb work by Sandler. I’ve never been a big fan of Sandler’s movies for the most part but he has shown dramatics chops as shown in Punch Drunk Love. Here, he again benefits from using restraint and he creates a wonderfully layered character that isn’t likeable for the duration of the movie but the audience does feel his loneliness and regret written all over his face. He also delivers plenty of funny lines with such ease that it makes me wonder why he’d stuck to his man child persona for so long. Working as a capable foil Seth Rogan delivers an equally impressive performance as Ira. Rogan gives his character a wide eyed innocence and palpable likeability sans any cynicism. It’s one of Rogan’s better performances in his career thus far and he really outshines everyone else when he’s onscreen. Jason Schwartzman is good fun as Rogan’s working actor roommate. Johan Hill is surprisingly underwhelming here as his lines feel forced when compared to the rest of the cast. Leslie Mann, who’s mostly relegated to the 2nd half of the film, is fun but her character isn’t sufficiently fleshed out enough to allow any depth in regards to her and George Simmons previous relationship. Eric Bana is incredibly funny as Mann’s philandering husband and he unleashes his natural Aussie accent with great effect. There are also cameos aplenty from the comedy and rap world which vary in terms of effect. Some bring some great laughs whiles other feel more like a visual pat on the back. Celebrity cameos are the only case of over indulgence here though. Apatow’s previously films have all been a tad overlong and Funny People is no different. Clocking in at nearly 2 and a half hours it’s a film that starts to test your endurance. Once the action moves to Laura’s home it bogs down and kind of just meanders aimlessly. While it’s not a huge drawback but it does kind of make you wonder what finale Apatow has in mind if any and strangely the ending comes rather abruptly. Regardless of it’s flaws Funny People is an interesting funny and fairly engaging film that shows a bit of maturation on Apatow as a film maker.





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