MOVIE REVIEW: MOONFALL

 

The world stands on the brink of annihilation when a mysterious force knocks the moon from its orbit and sends it hurtling toward a collision course with Earth. With only weeks before impact, NASA executive Jocinda "Jo" Fowler teams up with a man from her past and a conspiracy theorist for an impossible mission into space to save humanity.

Director: Roland Emmerich

Cast: Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson, John Bradley, Michael Peña, Charlie Plummer, Kelly Yu, Donald Sutherland

Release Date: 2h 10m

Genre: Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for violence, disaster action, strong language, and some drug use

Runtime: 2h 10m

Review:

Roland Emmerich's latest sci-fi disaster film is a campy busy mess of a film that never embraces it's overall absurdity and just have fun with it.  Emmerich's film feels more like a relic from the early 2000s with it's tired redemption arches and shoehorned product placement. Halle Berry, Patrick Wilson and John Bradley do the majority of the heavy lifting with the main story thread.  Patrick Wilson does the best he can with the material but at least he doesn't phone it in like Halle Berry who looks like she's just a collecting a paycheck here.  John Bradley is likeable as the conspiracy nerd and he seems to be the only one who's having a good time.  A secondary story thread drags the entire film down with a pointless earthbound subplot dealing with the leads kids and some overly persistent thieves.  That subplot is as ludicrous as it is boring and could probably have been excised from the film altogether and streamlined the story.  A third act reveal is a goofy fun but thematically interesting even if the movie doesn't explore it in any sort of depth.  Moonfall is the type of film that will run on cable endlessly which will make for perfect background noise.  

C-

MOVIE REVIEW: AD ASTRA

Thirty years ago, Clifford McBride led a voyage into deep space, but the ship and crew were never heard from again. Now his son -- a fearless astronaut -- must embark on a daring mission to Neptune to uncover the truth about his missing father and a mysterious power surge that threatens the stability of the universe.

Director: James Gray

Cast: Brad Pitt, Tommy Lee Jones, Ruth Negga, Liv Tyler, Donald Sutherland,

Release Date: September 20, 2019

Genre: Adventure, Drama, Mystery

Rated PG-13 for some violence and bloody images, and for brief strong language

Runtime: 2 h 3 min

Review:

Ad Astra answers a question nobody ever asked, what if Apocalypse Now and Solaris had a baby.  The answer is laid bare in beautifully filmed, poetic film that thinks subject matter is meatier than it actually is.  James Gray delivers an impressively filmed movie that’s filled with striking visuals that echo 2001 and Solaris on multiple levels.  It’s hard to not appreciate the level of craftsmanship even if the film moves at a snails pace with random bit of surprising violence.  To say that Brad Pitt carries the film would be an understatement.  Pitt delivers one of the best performances of his career with measured, thoughtful delivery.  While the film’s story has a big celestial basis, it’s a very much a personal story.  Unfortunately, the main crux of the film deals with daddy issues which seems like a theme that’s been beat into the ground.  It’s hardly a fatal flaw but do sort of wish that the story had something new or more meaningful behind it.  It still doesn’t take away from those few passing moment of Pitt and Tommy Lee Jones performing together in some incredibly moving and heartbreaking sequences.  Ad Astra is the type of film that will be remembered fondly by cinefiles but rarely revisited.


A-

MOVIE REVIEW: THE MECHANIC

THE MECHANIC



Seasoned hitman Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) sets out to avenge the brutal murder of his mentor, Harry (Donald Sutherland), and finds himself joined by Harry's vengeful son (Ben Foster), who is eager to follow in his late father's footsteps, in this remake of the 1972 action thriller starring Charles Bronson and Jan-Michael Vincent. Harry taught Arthur how to be a detached killer who always hits his mark. Now Harry is gone, and for the first time in Arthur's career it's about to get personal. As lone-wolf assassin Arthur prepares to hunt down Harry's killers, he is approached by his fallen mentor's vengeful son, Steve, who is eager to take up the lethal tools of his father's trade. Unadept at working with a partner yet compelled to help Steve carry on the family tradition, Arthur agrees to take him on as a protégé. Later, the duo begins to methodically eliminate their targets, forging a partnership born of blood with each new hit. The closer Arthur and Steve get to the name at the top of their list, however, the more apparent it becomes that his job will be anything but business as usual. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Simon West

Cast: Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Tony Goldwyn, Donald Sutherland, Jeff Chase

Release Date: Jan 28, 2011

Rated R for strong brutal violence throughout, language, some sexual content and nudity

Runtime: 1 hr. 40 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

To say this film feels familiar is a tad of an understatement, not just because it’s a remake of the 70’s Charles Bronson film of the same name. Jason Statham has made a career of churning out mindless action flicks. The quality of these films varies wildly but Statham is consistent and seems more than happy to stick to the formula. The Mechanic, directed by Michael Bay Jr., Simon West, is a hollow superficial ride which never tries to be more than it sets out to be. It’s bloody occasionally gory sprinkled with nudity and sex. Ultimately it’s easily digestible and enjoyable for the most part. At times it feels like this would have been perfectly at home in the 80’s which a plot that feel like nothing more than excuse to propel the action. There’s a tad bit of pathos there enough to make it feel like they could go deeper into these characters but nobody involved, outside of Ben Foster, seems terribly interested in doing so. Jason Statham delivers his usual tough guy persona, gravelly voiced with the perfect amount of stubble. By this point Statham can play this type of character in his sleep, so much so that it leaves you wondering if he ever gets confused as to which movie he’s actually shooting at anyone time. Ben Foster brings a bit more depth to his character. Foster gives his character greater depth, showcasing the simmering tortured persona of his character. That being said it’s never explored to great depth, along with the fact that the character becomes a master hitman in the span of a few days. These aren’t the kind of films that are terribly interested in that kind of stuff and that’s alright as long as they deliver enjoyable action set pieces. The Mechanic has plenty to like with inventive settings and impressive looking locals. If there is one nitpick it’s that the last big action piece leaves you feeling a tad disappointed since the film seems to be building to a nice action crescendo.

C+

[Trailer] Horrible Bosses

From the look at this trailer it’s almost impossible to figure out how this film could disappoint.

An allstar cast, Jennifer Anniston thrown in there as well and according to chatter she might go topless...desperation anyone...

Anyway back to the movie, it looks like it'll be a more twisted version of the 80’s flick 9 to 5.

MOVIE REVIEWS: THE EAGLE

IN THEATERS

THE EAGLE



Academy Award-winning director Kevin MacDonald re-teams with The Last King of Scotland screenwriter Jeremy Brock for this historical epic set in second century Britain and following young centurion Marcus Aquila on his quest to solve the mystery of the missing Ninth Legion. The year is 135 A.D. It's been 15 years since the Ninth Legion went missing in the mountains of Scotland, and it's up to Marcus Aquila (Channing Tatum) to find out what happened. His own father was the commander of the Ninth, and by discovering what fate befell the fearless leader, Aquila could restore his failing reputation. Crossing Hadrian's Wall and navigating the treacherous highlands of Caledonia won't be easy though, especially since Aquila's only traveling companion is his British slave, Esca (Jamie Bell). Along the way, Aquila will attempt to make peace with his father's memory as he and Esca confront the savage tribes of the land and attempt to recover the lost legion's golden emblem -- the treasured Eagle of the North. Donald Sutherland and Mark Strong fill out the rest of the starring cast. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Release Date: Feb 11, 2011

Rated PG-13 Battle sequences and some disturbing images

Runtime: 1 hr. 54 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Director: Kevin Macdonald

Cast: Channing Tatum, Jamie Bell, Donald Sutherland, Tahar Rahim, Denis O'Hare

Review:

The Eagle is on one of those films that suffers from being released in the wake of a much better, if little seen, film about the same subject matter handled in a much better fashion with better actor. Neil Marshall’s Centurion was fantastic bloody period piece and compared to that The Eagle is a pale soulless facsimile. Kevin Macdonald clumsily directs this unfocused endeavor which meanders and never really allows you to invest in the characters or the storyline. Worse yet, Macdonald can’t direct action very well with all the action shot in extreme close up, making it incredibly difficult to figure out what’s going on during the infrequent action scenes. The story carries all the emotional weight of a pillowcase. Channing Tatum has zero screen presence and even disappears during big chunks of the film. Jamie Bell does most of the heavy lifting and he does the best he can with a hackney script that occasionally borders on homoerotic. It’s not a total failure but just not worth your time when there is a much better iteration of the subject matter. Do yourself a favor skip this one and rent Centurion especially since it’s not neutered with a PG-13 rating.

C-