Cindy Prascik's Review of Kingsman: The Secret Service

Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to the cinema for a picture totally worth braving the elements: Kingsman: The Secret Service.

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

A young man headed down the wrong path is recruited as an international super-secret agent.

Dear reader(s), to say I was eagerly anticipating Kingsman: The Secret Service would be the grossest of understatements. In fact, I bought tickets, sight unseen, to watch it back to back, a feat previously achieved only by movies featuring a certain caped crusader. I am pleased to report the film does not disappoint.

Kingsman: The Secret Service is a comic-book movie for grownups. It's fun and funny and crass at times, but it's got a mature feel that has more to do with adult themes than with the film's f-word fueled R rating.

Kingsman features end-to-end action, including brilliantly-choreographed fight scenes, some terrific stunt driving, and even a bit of gymnastics, but it's never in a hurry just to jump from fight to fight, chase to chase; there's a STORY here.

The clever inclusion of just the right tunes in just the right places--tunes most of us likely never would have thought to put in said places--is the best I've seen outside an Edgar Wright picture. Colin Firth is a debonair gentleman spy; in fact, he makes it hard to imagine anyone else ever could have inhabited the film's leading role. Relative newcomer Taron Edgerton seems bound for superstardom if this turn as a smart, cocky ne'er-do-well turned secret agent is any indication.

The supporting cast is uniformly stellar, and, if I had one teensy complaint about this near-perfect movie, it's that I sure would have liked to see more Jack Davenport.

Kingsman: The Secret Service clocks in at 129 minutes and is rated R for "sequences of strong violence, language, and some sexual content."

As a wise friend predicted, of a possible nine Weasleys, Kingsman: The Secret Service gets all nine.

It's a  smart, funny, self-aware spy thriller that proves pushing the envelope has legitimate value and doesn't have to be just to shock.

Until next time...

50 Shades of Who Cares...this is how to be smokin' hot in a suit and tie!

MOVIE REVIEW: BIRDMAN

A fading actor (Michael Keaton) best known for his portrayal of a popular superhero attempts to mount a comeback by appearing in a Broadway play. As opening night approaches, his attempts to become more altruistic, rebuild his career, and reconnect with friends and family prove more difficult than expected. Lindsay Duncan.

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Cast: Michael Keaton, Lindsay Duncan, Zach Galifianakis, Edward Norton, Andrea Riseborough, Emma Stone

Release Date: Oct 17, 2014

Rated: R for brief Violence, Some Sexual Content and Language Throughout

Runtime: 1 hr. 59 min.

Genres: Comedy, Drama

Review:

Birdman is a dizzying powerhouse of a film that’s showcases it’s cast and director on multiple levels.  Alejandro González Iñárritu has crafted a fascinating dissection of fame and celebrity culture through the guise of a mental breakdown.  Michael Keaton’s soul baring performance is simply amazing.  It’s an unglamorous performance which shows every inch of age on Keaton’s face while showcasing his impressive talent.  Aided by excellent supporting turns by Edward Norton and Emma Stone, Birdman maintains an impressive energy throughout as it builds to its crescendo.  There’s nary a moment when the film drags and it’s at it’s best when Norton and Keaton share the screen together since you can tell they are both having a blast while putting on some impressive performances.  If there’s a small drawback it’s the film does reek of self importance even smugness at some points.  That being said, Birdman is the type of prestige film that should hold up well upon repeat viewing thanks to some wonderfully crafted filmmaking and acting.

A

MOVIE REVIEW: BOYHOOD

Richard Linklater's Boyhood is a coming-of-age drama that the director spent twelve years making. He cast a young boy, Ellar Coltrane, and shot the film a few days at a time for over a decade so that he could capture how his leading actor, and the rest of his cast, aged. The film's story simply follows a boy named Mason (Coltrane) as he progresses from age 6 to 18 and deals with the typical travails of childhood like his parents' divorce, bad stepparents, falling in love, finding his artistic voice, and fighting with his bratty older sister. Ethan Hawke and Patricia Arquette co-star as Mason's parents. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi

Director: Richard Linklater 

Cast: Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Lorelei Linklater, Steven Prince, Libby Villari

Release Date: Jul 11, 2014

Rated R for Sexual References, Language and Teen Drug and Alcohol Use

Runtime: 2 hr. 42 min.

Genres: Drama

Review:

Richard Linklater’s audacious cinematic experiment is truly unlike anything you’ve seen before in a movie.  It’s a ground breaking experience that truly takes us through a journey that all of can relate to.  At its core it’s a fairly straightforward film about the ups and downs of life but by letting us see the growth and aging of the cast of as a whole, it creates a certain singular effect as you watch the film.   Ellar Coltrane is truly authentic and effective as Mason from childhood up through the film’s finale.  Occasionally there’s some chunkiness’ in his delivery but overall it’s an impressive coup all things considered.  Patricia Arquette really shines as his mother as we follow her journey throughout the twelve years covered.  She brings a high level of believability and honesty to the role that’s hard to pull off.  Ethan Hawke is equally impressive while working with much less screen time.  The characters transformation is impressive and believable mainly due to Hawke’s impressive work.  The story is anything but idyllic and while some of the relationships presented do tend to follow a certain routine it never feels inorganic or cheap.  Linklater has a certain ability to capture reality on celluloid much like he’s done before on his Before series and he’s done it here with this masterpiece.

A

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Jupiter Ascending & Paddington

Dearest Blog, with no Hobbit and nary a single decent-looking new release, there was really nothing to draw me to the cinema this weekend aside from the fact that I couldn't imagine sitting out two weekends in a row. Since I also lacked the wherewithal to sit through two stinkers in a row, I paired one of the weekend newbies with my sadly-neglected Paddington.

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

First on my agenda, the comically horrible Jupiter Ascending.

Mila Kunis stars as a seemingly-normal Earthling whose life is endangered when she discovers she's universal royalty.

Dear reader(s), I shan't insult your intelligence by trying to tell you Jupiter Ascending isn't a mess; in fact, it is the cinema equivalent of your family room after the Super Bowl party, the Mall on Black Friday, Morgantown after a big game. I spent a good portion of the movie trying to determine whether the acting is literally the worst in history, or if the dialogue is just so poorly written there was nothing the actors could do with it.

Come next week he'll likely be an Oscar winner, but Eddie Redmayne is an embarrassment, a strangely-sweaty version of Gary Oldman's most over-the-top mid-90s baddie. I adore Sean Bean and Mila Kunis, but I hope they both fired their agents for getting them into this! Curious that a guylinered Channing Tatum, hardly the most respected name among the cast, was pretty much the only one who didn't make me cringe.

The story is a jumbled disaster that sometimes drags worse than the slowest David Cronenberg slog. A chase scene at the beginning is so long and repetitive that I fell asleep twice and woke up while it was still going. Having said all that, Jupiter Ascending is still oddly entertaining at times.

The sets and effects aren't anything special, but they are often very pretty, as are some of the costumes. There are plenty of funny moments--intentional and not--and (at risk of sounding girly) Kunis and Tatum make an adorable couple; it's not hard to root for them.

Jupiter Ascending clocks in at 127 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some violence, sequences of sci-fi action, some suggestive content, and partial nudity."

Bad as it is, I didn't hate it. How's that for backhanded praise? Of a possible nine Weasleys, Jupiter Ascending gets four and a half.

Next up was Paddington.

A young bear from "darkest Peru" comes to London looking for a home.

I admit, for a movie about which I'd been pretty excited, I've been shamefully neglectful of Paddington.

Its schedule never seemed to work with other movies I wanted to see, and, after a couple weeks, I'd sort of resigned myself to waiting for DVD. I am so glad I didn't! My first thought upon seeing a Paddington trailer was, "Please don't mess this up." When Colin Firth jumped ship (to be replaced by my beloved Ben Whishaw) and the US release was pushed from a perfect holiday date to mid-January No Man's Land, I couldn't help but expect the worst. I am pleased to report that, whatever the reasons for those bumps in the road, Paddington is a pretty perfect movie.

The story is sweet, but never sugarey. The cast is top-notch, and Whishaw couldn't be more perfect as the voice of our beloved bear. There are many great laughs, for kids and adults alike, with enough action to keep things moving along at a good clip.

Finally, the movie manages to bring home an important message without beating viewers over the head with it.

Paddington runs 95 minutes and is rated PG for "mild action and rude humor."

Paddington is perfect for folks of any age, a genuinely terrific afternoon at the movies.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Paddington gets eight.

Until next time...

 
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