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...

MOVIE REVIEW: THE IMITATION GAME

Alan Turing, a pioneer of computers, led a group of scholars to crack the codes of Germany's WWII Enigma machine. A genius under nail-biting pressure helped to save millions of lives and was ultimately convicted for the crime of homosexuality.

Director: Morten Tyldum 

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Allen Leech, Rory Kinnear, Mark Strong.

Release Date: Nov 28, 2014

Rated: PG-13 for some Sexual References, Mature Thematic Material and Historical Smoking

Runtime: 1 hr. 53 min.

Genres: Drama

Review:

The Imitation Game is a fairly standard biopic that’s finely crafted and well acted even if it’s a bit mechanical at times.  It benefits greatly from some impressive performances by Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley.  Benedict Cumberbatch captures the sadness, awkwardness and intelligence of Turing with subtle power.  There are moments in the film that provide him a perfect platform to display his immense talent.  The always reliable Keira Knightley is excellent in a supporting role.  It feels like a standard role at first but as the film moves on she’s allowed to flesh out the roles giving us a meatier role that what’s on the page.  The Imitation Game is filled some incredibly tense moments along with a fresh bit of humor sprinkled in, something you wouldn’t expect from this type of film and it’s theme.  The film’s script is filled with tons of parallels and metaphors which will keep your mind churning well after it’s done.  It’s a tragic tale but one that deserved to be told with an excellent and entertaining film.

B+

Cindy Prascik's Review of Mortdecai & The Imitation Game

Dearest Blog, lemme tell ya: I'm a little bit exhausted from juggling all these awards hopefuls (that I never expected to see in my area) with regular new releases and weekly screenings of The Hobbit!

However, thanks to an understanding boss, this weekend I was able to catch Johnny Depp's latest as well as one of Oscar's favorites.

First on my agenda: Mortdecai.

Johnny Depp stars as art dealer/thief Charlie Mortdecai, called upon by MI5 to assist with a case.
Well, dear reader(s), even as a die-hard Depp fan, I'm growing bored with his seemingly endless succession of interchangeable goofy characters. Alice in Wonderland, Dark Shadows, and even Transcendence were all terrible disappointments to me. So, as a Depp fan, I'm pleased to say that Mortdecai, while far from perfect, represents a bit of a rebound.

Comedies are a sketchy business...so often you pay ten bucks for a ticket only to find that all the really funny bits were in the trailer. It is, perhaps, because Mortdecai is more amusing than gut-bustingly funny that it doesn't seem that way; instead of a dozen big laughs spread over two otherwise boring hours, Mortdecai is a more evenly-entertaining experience.

Depp is terrific as the self-absorbed Mortdecai, and, if his "weird people with English accents" routine is wearing thin, it works better here than it has in his last few attempts. As Mortdecai's loyal and long-suffering manservant, Jock, Paul Bettany is the movie's highlight.

 A running gag with Jock--not so much as hinted at in the trailers--provides the movie's best laughs.

Mortdecai is a caper as well as a comedy, and it's pretty entertaining. It doesn't drag on or over-inflate itself with unnecessary pretense. It's not too clever, but it IS fun, and, yes, there are even some laugh-out-loud moments.

Mortdecai runs 106 minutes and is rated R for "some language and sexual material." (For my money, I've seen far worse rated PG13...don't understand this rating at all.)

Mortdecai is not a special movie--you won't be talking about it next week, let alone next year at awards time--but Mortdecai IS a bit of mindlessly fun entertainment. Last I checked, that wasn't yet a crime in Hollywood.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Mortdecai gets five and a half.

(It would have been six had it co-starred ANYONE besides Gwyneth Paltrow!)

Next up was The Imitation Game.

During World War II, English mathematician Alan Turing leads a team attempting to break Nazi codes.

Alright, I'm gonna say it straight up: though it has zero chance of taking home the Oscar, The Imitation Game is easily my favorite of the Best Picture nominees I've seen.

 (Still missing Whiplash, which hasn't hit my orbit yet.) Benedict Cumberbatch is phenomenal in the lead, often abrasive but still strangely sympathetic. Again, though he doesn't seem to have a legitimate chance of hearing his name called on the big night, his performance is as good as any I saw last year, and the supporting cast is uniformly strong as well.

The Imitation Game races against the clock to break Nazi codes and prevent further loss of life; as such, it's more "edge of your seat" than it probably seems from the description. The movie also touches on Turing's homosexuality, for which he was prosecuted later in life, under UK laws of the time. It's heartbreaking, but never miserable.

The Imitation Game clocks in at 114 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some sexual references, mature thematic material, and historical smoking."

The Imitation Game is riveting from start to finish, beautifully executed on all levels. The very definition of "must see!"

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Imitation Game gets nine. Just go see it already!

Until next time...

Somehow I knew the Internet wouldn't make me do this myself! :-)

MOVIE REVIEW: SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD

SEEKING A FRIEND FOR THE END OF THE WORLD

Steve Carell and Keira Knightley star in this apocalyptic comedy following two neighbors who set out for one last road trip after learning that a massive asteroid will wipe out all life on Earth in just three weeks. Dodge (Carell) and Penny (Knightly) are both having a very bad day. This mismatched pair spend their time on the road together, their journey takes on a new meaning -- one that neither could have ever seen coming, but which both sense was the way things were meant to be. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Lorene Scafaria

Cast: Steve Carell, Keira Knightley, Connie Britton, Adam Brody, Rob Corddry.

Release Date: Jun 22, 2012

Rated R for language including sexual references, some drug use and brief violence

Runtime: 1 hr. 41 min.

Genres: Romance

Review:

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is a tonally uneven film that goes from one extreme to another. While the cast is committed to their roles and both bring some verifiable heart to the roles and story, you wouldn’t be the only to feel like you are watching 2 different films. During the first half of the film it works well as a dark comedy dealing with all the extremes that seem plausible in the face of impending doom. The 2nd half plays more like a romantic comedy with a heady philosophical slant. The shift is clunky and noticeable occurring as soon as the musical cues become more and more pronounced. Lorene Scafaria, who directed the underrated Nick and Nora’s Infinite Playlist, seems to have a lot on her mind here and there’s some strong themes and ideas at work but she never seems to finds a steady cohesive flow for it all. Carrell and Knightley seem incredibly mismatched at first glance but as the film moves on they find a certain rhythm together, sharing some impressive yet subtle scenes together. Seeking a Friend for the End of the World is a strange film that could have worked had it picked a direction and stuck with it. That being said, if you prep yourself for a massive shift in tone, you may find plenty to like here.

B-

[Trailer] A Dangerous Method

David Cronenberg directs Michael Fassbender, Viggo Mortensen & Keira Knightley in a story of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and a woman that came between them.

This trailer is incredibly impressive and is totally something that right up my alley, personally I can’t wait!