Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy,
Ben Whishaw, Tom Holland
Release Date: Dec
11, 2015 RealD 3D
Rated PG-13 for intense Sequences of Peril, Intense
Sequences of Action, Brief Startling Violence
and Thematic Material.
Runtime: 2 hr. 2 min.
Genres: Action/Adventure
Review:
In the Heart of the Sea is a serviceable film that sadly
never achieves the epic scope it aspires to.Ron Howard, workman as always, diligently directs his film with a clear
earnestness which shines through the filming.It’s a fine looking film, occasionally bogged down by some shoddy
looking CGI, that does nearly everything we ask from our films but it just
seems to be missing something.The characters
and tension is poorly drawn with little to no depth on either end.Chris Hemsworth looks the part but his
character, the proto Ahab, isn’t very compelling or interesting.The supporting characters is a venerable
whose who of strong actors and all of them end up in thankless roles,
particularly Brendan Gleeson and Cillian Murphy.The film does perk up a bit during the
pivotal whale act which is much more thrilling than the rest of the film
combined.
Dearest Blog: After a weekend on the town, yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas to make up for lost time with The Good Dinosaur and Krampus.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
First up: The Good Dinosaur.
A young dinosaur learns to face his fears.
There's no getting around it: The Good Dinosaur is kind of a stinker. Animation doesn't always have to be game-changing--I mean, I quickly forgave a sub-par outing from our little yellow friends the Minions because they're adorable--but I feel like it should at least be cute and fun.
The problem with The Good Dinosaur is there's almost nothing to like, and certainly nothing to like enough to make amends for what's not to like. The characters aren't cute at all, and the voices--though they include mighty talents like Sam Elliott and Frances McDormand--nearly annoyed me right out of the room.
Outside of some nifty water effects, the artwork and animation are ho-hum, and the movie's message is heavy-handed. Sadly, The Good Dinosaur was about the least-enjoyable time I've had at the movies this year.
The Good Dinosaur runs 93 minutes and is rated PG for, "peril, action, and thematic elements." The film is accompanied by a trippy little short called Sanjay's Super-Team, which adds about seven minutes to the total runtime.
Gotta be honest: while watching The Good Dinosaur, I was rooting for the asteroid.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, The good Dinosaur gets two.
Next on the day's schedule, the holiday horror-comedy Krampus.
A family pays the price for having lost the true spirit of Christmas.
Unless I have an ulterior motive (read: one of my favorite actors has a role), I seldom bother with horror movies, as I almost always find them stupid and not at all scary.
Benefitting from a fun trailer and a weak schedule of new releases, Krampus became the exception to my rule, and I'm pleased to report I didn't have reason to regret it.
There are no A-Listers, but Krampus boasts a great cast and the performances are quite good. Kid actors can be hit or miss, but the adorable Emjay Anthony is a nice surprise in what essentially amounts to the lead.
If I was never really scared, the movie still does a great job of maintaining tension, and the monsters are genuinely creepy. In fact, the entire look of the film is exquisite, from the festive holiday decor to cold, snowy exteriors, to some pretty badass baddies.
The laughs are equally solid and well timed, making Krampus a truly entertaining outing.
Krampus clocks in at 98 minutes, and is rated PG13 for, "sequences of horror violence/terror, language, and some drug material."
It may never become *that* classic you watch with grandma every Christmas Eve, but Krampus is good holiday fun.
Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) never knew his famous father, world
heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, who died before he was born. Still, there’s
no denying that boxing is in his blood, so Adonis heads to Philadelphia,
the site of Apollo Creed’s legendary match with a tough upstart named Rocky
Balboa. Once in the City of Brotherly Love,
Adonis tracks Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) down and asks him to be his trainer.
Despite his insistence that he is out of the fight game for good, Rocky sees in
Adonis the strength and determination he had known in Apollo—the fierce rival
who became his closest friend. Agreeing to take him on, Rocky trains the young
fighter, even as the former champ is battling an opponent more deadly than any
he faced in the ring. With Rocky in his corner, it isn’t long before Adonis
gets his own shot at the title...but can he develop not only the drive but also
the heart of a true fighter, in time to get into the ring?
Director: Ryan Coogler
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Michael B. Jordan, Tessa
Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Ritchie Coster
Release Date: Nov
25, 2015
Rated PG-13 Violence, Some Sensuality and Language
Runtime: 2 hr. 13 min.
Genres: Drama
Review:
Ryan Coogler’s Creed is one of the rare sports films that
works for an actual sports fan.It’s
structure is very similar to the past Rocky movies and there isn’t much
surprise about what goes down during it’s somewhat extended runtime.Still it works on various levels because of
some excellent direction and strong performances from Michael B. Jordan and
Sylvester Stallone.Coogler pulls off an
effective redux of the original Rocky story that’s engaging enough to keep
everyone engaged throughout.It’s clear
that Coogler is a big fan of the original film and it come through the
screen.Michael B. Jordan is focused and
believable as the upcoming boxing trying to make a name for himself.The real surprise though is Stallone who
delivers one of his best performances in years.It’s been so long since Stallone has fallen into a parody of himself
that it’s easy to forget that he was a capable actor at one point.Stallone’s work is heartfelt and
reflective.He and Jordan share some
solid chemistry together making it easy to care about their journey.Creed isn’t a perfect film though.The structure is very well worn and
characters seem to appear and disappear regularly with Phylicia Rashad left
acting alone reacting to a TV.Its far
from a fatal flaw but it does feel like a missed opportunity to expand on
certain relationships and characters.As
a boxing fan, nothing takes me out of a film quicker than staged fights that
instantly feel inauthentic.It’s a
difficult thing to pull off because of the nature of the sport but Creed does
an excellent job of pulling off the illusion for the most part, there’s rarely
that much chatting between rounds from the fighters.As a whole though, Creed finds the essence of
the original film which isn’t a small feat considering this is 7th
entry in the long running franchise.
Dearest Blog: Thanks to my employer's generous early dismissal yesterday, I got an early start on the holiday weekend at Marquee Cinemas.
Hollywood owed me an apology for those two stinkers last weekend, and I'm pleased to report they couldn't better have made up for it than with Victor Frankenstein and Creed.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
First on my agenda: Victor Frankenstein, a new twist on an oft-told tale.
Victor Frankenstein is much more a story of man than monster, a sort of "origins" movie, told from the perspective of Frankenstein's young associate, Igor. Daniel Radcliffe effectively continues to distance himself from his Harry Potter days, running the physical and emotional gamut as Igor. He is fantastic! James McAvoy brings the crazy to his entertaining portrayal the (in)famous Victor Frankenstein, perpetual frantic motion and spit. (Seriously, had this been filmed in California, they'd no longer have a drought problem.)
The movie boasts lovely costumes and set design, a healthy dose of humor, some groovy effects, the expectedly-high gross-out factor...annnnnd...for as much as we see of him, the Monster looks terrific.
Victor Frankenstein runs a quick 109 minutes and is rated PG13 for "macabre images, violence, and a sequence of destruction."
As with any re-imagining of a classic, Victor Frankenstein won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I kinda loved it.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Victor Frankenstein gets seven.
Next on the docket, the latest installment in the Rocky saga: Creed.
An aging Rocky Balboa reluctantly signs on to train the young son of his friend and former rival Apollo Creed.
It's a holiday weekend in the US and I'm sure everyone's busy with family and friends and shopping, but as a self-decreed Internet authority, I must insist you MAKE TIME TO GET OUT AND SEE THIS MOVIE.
Michael B. Jordan is amazing as the young Creed--so good you'll have no choice but to forgive that last Fantastic Four movie!--and Sylvester Stallone is as reliable as you'd expect as the reluctant mentor.
I'm sure he could play Rocky in his sleep by now, yet he's no less effective, sympathetic, or heartbreaking for it. Creed moves at a good clip, despite a runtime that's a tad longer than it needs to be.
The boxing action is well executed--and thus a bit much for the non-enthusiast--and the story is extremely well crafted. If the movie is a tad hokey at times, it's so much more genuine and emotional and inspirational, with just enough of the right kind of humor at the right times.
The Liverpudlian baddie is so broadly drawn I half-expected his walkup music to be Love Me Do, but that's a tiny quibble with what's overall a really-extra-super-great movie. (Also his handler is Dwalin from the Hobbit, so...POINTS!)
Creed clocks in at 133 minutes and is rated PG13 for "violence, language, and some sensuality."
Creed will leave you feeling like Judd Nelson at the end of The Breakfast Club. It is everything I love about movies.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Creed gets eight.
Until next time...
