MOVIE REVIEW: TOP GUN: MAVERICK

 

After more than 30 years of service as one of the Navy's top aviators, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. Training a detachment of graduates for a special assignment, Maverick must confront the ghosts of his past and his deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who choose to fly it.

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Cast: Tom Cruise; Miles Teller; Jennifer Connelly; Jon Hamm; Glen Powell; Lewis Pullman; Ed Harris; Val Kilmer

Release Date: May 24, 2022

Genre: Action, Drama

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action, and some strong language

Runtime: 2h 11m

Review:

Top Gun: Maverick is the rare decades delayed sequel that somehow manages to recapture the magic of the original while standing on its own merits.  Joseph Kosinski's film works on multiple levels as it echoes classic scenes from the original while allowing his movie star to shine in his iconic performances.  It’s a fascinating bit of alchemy that allows him to bring back that feeling of a 80's blockbuster while delivering some insanely updated aerial acrobatics which may leave some people with a serious sense of vertigo.  The script is lean with a straightforward story that doesn't dig too deep into many of the characters even though it does manage to touch on themes of legacy and age.  Some of the dialogue does come off as stilted and old fashion in spots but it’s easy to forgive. Tom Cruise eases back into his iconic role with such gleeful ease that you can feel his deep affection for the character.  He carries the film with tangible energy that comes through the screen as he leads the newcomers of fresh faced up actors.  Miles Teller and Glen Powell get the biggest spotlights in supporting turns with Powell echoing Kilmer's Iceman throughout.  Kilmer himself gets a surprisingly touching sequence with Cruise that works well within the film and as a tribute to both characters and actors.  It's the type of moment that plenty of revived franchises have attempted but never quite nailed, it's a testament to the cast and crew to pull off such a satisfying sequel.  

A-

MOVIE REVIEW: ALITA: BATTLE ANGEL

Set several centuries in the future, the abandoned Alita is found in the scrapyard of Iron City by Ido, a compassionate cyber-doctor who takes the unconscious cyborg Alita to his clinic. When Alita awakens, she has no memory of who she is, nor does she have any recognition of the world she finds herself in. As Alita learns to navigate her new life and the treacherous streets of Iron City, Ido tries to shield her from her mysterious past.

Director: Robert Rodriguez

Cast: Rosa Salazar, Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly, Mahershala Ali, Ed Skrein, Jackie Earle Haley, Keean Johnson

Release Date: February 14, 2019

Genres: Fantasy/Science Fiction

Rating: PG-13 for sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and for some language

Runtime: 2h 22min

Review:

Alita: Battle Angel is a movie I've been hearing about for round about 20 years now, if that's not completely accurate it's pretty close.  James Cameron's passion project has been gestating in one shape or form for a long while.  Originally he'd intended to direct the script he'd co-written but he'd become engulfed in Avatar and its subsequent sequels.  He finally handed off the film to Robert Rodriguez to finally bring the whole thing to life.  So simply put, is it worth the wait?  I believe so and that's coming at this Manga adaptation completed unfamiliar with the source material, like say Ghost in The Shell.  

The film is a surprisingly cynical free, cyberpunk adventure that has a lot to offer.  First and foremost, the world building and CGI visuals are all top notch with only a few hiccups here and there.  Alita, herself, is a fully realized motion capture CGI creation, after getting used to her large Anime inspired eyes, that's a true testament to the technical prowess of the people behind the film.  Rose Salazar's motion capture performance is endearing as she plays a nice balance between naive and lethal.  The world feels lived in and diverse even if it doesn't feel as fresh as most post-apocalyptic cyber punk landscapes did back in the 90s.  Still, it's well done and populated with a large variety of different characters to keep things fresh and interesting.  

The story itself feels familiar, which is a common issue with Mangas from the 90's or even William Gibson novels, but there are enough disparate story threads to keep you engaged in what's going on.  There are issues that pop up throughout, mostly due the script which has its fair share of clunky dialogue.  There's also the massive misstep of casting top line actors like Christoph Waltz, Jennifer Connelly and Mahershala Ali to support Salazar and the story but never taking full advantage of their talents.  Instead the film opts to give Keean Johnson a spotlight even though he and Salazar don't share much chemistry.  Alita: Battle Angel's issues and how they affect your enjoyment of the film is totally dependent on whether you buy in early on.  The film throws a lot at you, everything from Motorball (a sort of Nascar meets cyborg roller derby), cyborg bounty hunters, cities in the sky and some sort of cataclysmic war that occurred 300 years before the start of film.  Does it resolve all plot points, not even close and a reveal at the end shows that Rodriguez and Cameron have more entries in mind, but I believe the film will either leave you wanting more or hating it with a passion.

B+

April Sokol's Reviews of Only the Brave & Geostorm

***Note from Daniel – “Here’s a quick introduction to our newest reviewer joining Cindy Prascik and yours truly”***

Hello fellow movie lovers. My name is April. I am a wife and mother of 3 boys. I have loved everything about the movie going experience ever since my parents took me to see ET. I find that I'm pretty easily entertained so my reviews will always reflect that.

My favorite movie ever made is 1995's Heat. I am highly opinionated on all things, but especially when it comes to movies. I'm thankful for a place to share my thoughts with others. I hope you enjoy the ramblings of my over caffeinated, sleep deprived mind.

Only the Brave is the true story of the Granite Mountain Hot Shots. The first municipal hot shot team ever assembled.

Directed by Joseph Kosinski

Starring Josh Brolin, Miles Davis, Jennifer Connelly and Jeff Bridges

My review:

Only the Brave is a straightforward, unflinching look at some of the bravest among us: firefighters. But these aren't your average community volunteer firemen. This is the Navy Seals of fire fighting. These men are dropped into the biggest, nastiest fires with only an axe and shovel.

There is quite a lot to love about this movie. I feel compelled to mention that I am not a fan of Brolin or Connelly and have at the very most a love/hate relationship with the work of Teller. So I was incredibly surprised by how deeply I fell in love with this story.

The first act sets the stage. Teller's Brendan McDonough is a young out of control guy freshly out of jail. He's got a million reasons to finally get his act together if only someone will give him a chance. McDonough is given that chance by the grizzled, wise Eric Marsh (Brolin). There is plenty of heart and humor to be found in his new community. Now we're off to the races. The entire second act of the movie is one beautiful shot after another. The cast does an amazing job of portraying men and women who come together as family in the harshest of situations. Nothing is prettied up. The strain put on the spouses, the distance with their children. It's all there to draw you into this world that so very few people actually live and experience.

You can feel that this will end with a big fire. So when it finally comes it's not a surprise. But still hugely effective. For those of us who were not familiar with this true story, it was a nail biting bit of cinema.

Overall I am more than willing and able to overlook the small issues I had with the tropes that were included in the script. Only the Brave has a run time of 143 minutes and it rated PG 13 for thematic content and brief sexual references. I enjoyed almost every minute. 

A very solid 4 out of 5 stars is my rating. Only the Brave is the best thing currently playing at my local cinemaplex by leaps and bounds.

Geostorm is this year's natural disaster spectacle of a movie. The system put into place to protect Earth from natural disasters has malfunctioned and it's a race to fix the problem before all of Earth is destroyed.

Directed by Dean Devlin

Starring Gerard Butler, Jim Sturgess and Abbie Cornish

Before I begin I feel like I should make a confession. Armageddon is one of my all time favorite movies. Yes. I said it. I love the cheesy dialogue and completely unrealistic plot because it's FUN. Geostorm brought Armageddon to mind more than once during my viewing.

The plot is straightforward. Gerard Butler plays Jake Lawson, the hot head developer of the Dutch Boy Program. A system of satellites that are designed to neutralize any and all natural disasters before they happen. It's not a stretch to see Lawson struggling to maintain his vision's integrity when faced with politicians who want to control Dutch Boy. None of this is groundbreaking cinema. The hero has a bad attitude. The government is shady and shifty. There are plenty of estranged relationships. Lots of familiar movie cliches are thrown at the viewer in quick succession.

But if you can suspend reality for the 1hr49min run time there is some good stuff in here. The special effects, both on Earth and on board the Dutch Boy itself are fun. There are huge typhoons, massive sandstorms, eruptions, tornadoes...all of the good stuff! The big reveal of the bad guy is not exactly shocking. The dialogue is silly. The science is nonsensical. But despite all of that, I found myself smiling through the whole thing. Special points given for Cornish's portrayal of a Secret Service agent who is pretty badass.

Geostorm is rated PG 13 for destruction, action and violence. My viewing had plenty of smaller children who all seemed to be having just as much fun as I was. There is absolutely nothing award worthy to be found here. But if you're looking for a few hours of popcorn eating entertainment, this is what you're looking for. I give Geostorm a rating of 2 ½ out of 5 stars.

Cindy Prascik's reviews of Sabotage & Noah

Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to the cinema with all the Rainy Day People for a double-feature of Sabotage and Noah.

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

Arnie was first on the docket with Sabotage.

An elite, undercover DEA unit comes under suspicion when ten million dollars in drug money disappears.

Dear Blog, I'm going to tell you something you might not know: Sabotage was made JUST for me. It's Hollywood's way of saying, "Look, we're sorry for all the pretentious Oscar drivel and Easter-season religious propaganda, but you've been a good sport, so here are a couple testosterone-fueled hours of mayhem for your trouble. Well, Hollywood, apology accepted.

Sabotage is yet another attempt to thrust an aging Arnold Schwarzenegger back into the leading action hero mold. Like previous efforts, the general reception seems middling, but it's once again made me a happy action fan. If Schwarzenegger is getting a bit long in the tooth, it doesn't keep him from carrying a picture with flair, and at no time is there any doubt that this is Arnold's movie. The supporting cast is comprised of actors both very good (Terrence Howard, Mireille Enos) and pretty bad (Sam Worthington, Joe Manganiello), but none really stands out either way, aside from Enos, who is ah-maz-ing.

These days most action movies have to pick a side. Either they go too vanilla to secure the coveted PG13 rating, or the gore and swearing are so extreme that shock value seems the only objective. Sabotage definitely leans toward the latter, and it suffers some laughably bad dialogue, but a well-executed, suspenseful plot saves the movie from being just a big-screen bundle of bad words and maximum carnage.

Sabotage clocks in at 109 minutes and is rated R for "strong bloody violence, pervasive language, some sexuality/nudity, and drug use."

A solid action flick with a good cast and a hero that's familiar and easy to root for, of a possible nine Weasleys, Sabotage gets seven.

Next on Saturday's agenda was the Biblical epic, Noah.

A man suffers a terrifying vision of the world destroyed by a great flood, and must battle Sauron's legions as he attempts to get the One Ring to Mount Doom. Wait, what? Sorry...wrong movie.

There's been much fuss about Noah's lack of faithfulness to the Bible story on which it's based. In the interest of full and fair disclosure, I admit that means about as much to me as a less-than-accurate adaptation of any novel or comic book. I don't say that to be offensive or provocative, merely to be clear: If the rumor is non-religious people will love this and religious people will hate it, this card-carrying heathen is here to tell ya, there's no shortage of reasons to hate this movie, whatever you believe.

Russell Crowe is one of my top three actors, and, in my opinion, the most magnetic screen presence working in movies today. Not once in his long and storied career have I seen a movie and thought, "Boy, even Russell Crowe couldn't help that." Until now, that is. Instead of a man tormented by difficult choices he feels his "Creator" has forced him to make, this Noah is a profoundly unlikable nut job who comes dead even with the movie's villain in the "I really hate that guy" sweepstakes. Then there's the bloat. Yes, that's "bloat," dear Blog, not "boat." Pared by 20-30 minutes, Noah would have been a far more bearable exercise creative license. As it stands, I had plenty of time to count ceiling tiles (I think there are 180 in theatre eight, but it was a little tricky in the dark) and ponder what I was going to eat at Olive Garden after the movie (spaghetti marinara, if you're wondering). During the interminable ark-building, I wondered why they didn't just ask Hermione to wave her wand and get it done. Hang on... Huh? Oh, sorry, there I go again. Somewhere around a halfway point that seemed to take 12 hours to reach, I wrote "TERRIBLE" on my notepad, in all caps and underlined three times, as if I'd need a reminder when I sat down to write this review.

There are positives, of course, among them some glorious cinematography and a couple time-lapsey sequences that are quite stunning...if possibly seizure inducing. The CGI procreation-ready pairs of animals look pretty great, and Emma Watson continues to be a revelation in a role that's at least half an underwater world away from the studious Miss Granger of the Harry Potter movies. There's also a sneaky pro-vegetarian message that made me think I might have had a chance of bunking with the Noah family instead of dog paddling for my life.

Noah runs 138 minutes and is rated PG13 for "violence, disturbing images, and brief suggestive content."

Whether you believe the Bible or not, Noah is a bloated mess that might as well have starred Adam Sandler for all the credibility it's got. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Noah gets two. Oh, and when someone films the book of Revelations, remind me to get high before I see it.

Until next time...

 Hands up, who's ready for that Gladiator prequel?

MOVIE REVIEW: NOAH

Darren Aronofsky brings the story of Noah's Ark to the big screen with this Paramount/New Regency religious drama. Aronofsky directs from his own script cowritten by Ari Handel and John Logan. Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Anthony Hopkins, and Emma Watson head up the starring cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Release Date: Mar 28, 2014

Rated: PG-13 Disturbing Images, Brief Suggestive Content and Violence

Runtime: 2 hr. 17 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Director: Darren Aronofsky

Cast: Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly, Ray Winstone, Emma Watson, Anthony Hopkins

Religion films are always going to be a touch call because they’ll either be too faithful or they’ll deviate too far from the scripture.  Either option will result in factions of believers and non believers being turned off by the material on display.  Darren Aronofsky’s Noah isn’t a by the letter retelling of the story even though it hits all the major points.  Within 10 minutes of the film you’ll be able to tell where you stand with it, depending on your beliefs.  Personally, I found a bombastic but loving cinematic take of a very familiar tale.  Aronofsky delivers a film that’s beautiful to look at and engaging at the same time.  The film is over 2 hours long but in never really drags as the story keeps you engaged throughout.  Russell Crowe gives us one of his most earnest performances in a long while with supporting cast rounding an all around well made movie.  Jennifer Connelly in particular has a wonderful moment to shine near the end of the film but its Crowe’s film through and through.  Crowe gives us a realistic idea of what Noah would have experienced mentally while Aronofsky gives us a wonderfully dense thesis on hard line scripture vs. interpretation.  It’s a fascinating idea played out with characters that are so ingrained in most of our collective psych that is sure to upset one faction or the other.  In the end your personal enjoyment of the film will depend on your beliefs. At it’s core, it’s a wonderfully filmed, acted and produced film which deserves to be seen.

A

[Trailer] Noah

The first trailer for the upcoming religious epic is finally out and we get 2 tonally different trailer. The American trailer seems to hit more traditional beats playing up the religious angle more so than the International trailer which plays more like a traditional FX event film. Honestly, if Darren Aronofsky and Russell Crowe weren’t attached to this project I probably would have ignored it.

With Aronofsky in the director’s chair it leaves the door open to all kinds of possibilities, just think about his underrated film The Fountain. Both trailers look intriguing if a tad safe, either way I’m interested enough to mark this one on my calendar.

Official Trailer


International Trailer