MOVIE REVIEW: GODZILLA

The king of all monsters gets a reboot with this Warner Bros./Legendary Pictures production helmed by Gareth Edwards, who gained critical attention with his intimate twist on the giant-creature genre with his feature-film debut, Monsters. Frank Darabont (The Mist) and Max Borenstein provide the script. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi 

Director: Gareth Edwards 

Cast: Aaron Johnson, Elizabeth Olsen, Bryan Cranston, David Strathairn, Ken Watanabe

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of destruction, mayhem and creature violence

Genres: Creature Film, Sci-Fi Action, Science Fiction 

Review:

Gareth Edwards’ Godzilla is filled with top level acting talent.  So much so that Juliette Binoche stops by for a cup of coffee and is gone before you notice it.  Bryan Cranston is there, makes an impression, and is gone.  Then there’s Ken Watannabe and David Strathairn looking stern and concerned for the majority of their screen time.  Throw in Aaron, is his voice really still cracking, Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen for good measure and you have a lot of recognizable faces who really don’t matter in the grand scheme of this film.  This film is name Godzilla for a reason after all.  Edwards, shooting a visually beautiful film, shows a level of restraint that’s rare for big budget blockbuster.  His slow reveal of the titular monster is like watching a monster mash version of a burlesque show, lots of tease before the payoff.  The human stories are clichéd but interesting enough to keep you entertained in between some massive set pieces that feel fresh but familiar.  The monster on monster action, which includes destroying some fun vacation spots, is top notch with excellent CGI throughout especially Godzilla himself.  Some of the battles do lose a tad bit of their luster since Pacific Rim ran through some similar sequences but there are plenty of moments which are filled singular Godzilla greatness that’ll bring a gleeful smile to anyone raised on the original films.  Be sure to watch it on a massive theater screen.

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: NEIGHBORS

Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Rose Byrne lead the cast of Neighbors, a comedy about a young couple suffering from arrested development who are forced to live next to a fraternity house after the birth of their newborn baby. Neighbors is directed by Nick Stoller (Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek).

Director: Nicholas Stoller 

Cast: Seth Rogen, Zac Efron, Rose Byrne, Dave Franco

Release Date: May 09, 2014

Runtime: 1 hr. 37 min. 

Genres: Comedy 

Review:

Neighbors is a refreshing surprise of a comedy.  Not because it’s hilarious, which it is, but because it’s actually a lot smarter than you’d expect from any of the trailers.  Sharply written, the R rated comedy is just as much about a tit for tat war between a frat house and 30 something neighbors as it is about learning to grow up and become an adult.  This may sound a bit heavier than you’d expect but it’s all handled very subtly but the theme is there and it really elevates it about other raunchy comedies.  As for the comedy itself, it’s nearly perfect.  The laughs come at a fast pace hit a wonderful zenith during various moments of its raucous runtime.  Seth Rogan and Rose Byrne make a surprisingly effective combo even if someone like Byrne ending up with something like Rogan and having a baby requires more suspension of disbelief than most comic book movies.  Zac Efron and his chiseled body, flexed throughout, brings some impressively refined comedic chops to his role.  He could have easily fallen into some tried and true stereotypes but he avoids them thanks to the script.  Neighbors is one of those films that’ll be quoted for years to come and for good reason.

B+

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Amazing Spider-Man 2

Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to the pictures for an afternoon with one of my favorite heroes, the Amazing Spider-Man.

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

Spidey faces off with a trio of new foes, while Peter Parker deals with the travails of teen love.
In the Amazing Spider-Man 2, Andrew Garfield reprises his role as the titular web-slinger. Whatever problems this movie has--and, trust me, it has 'em--Garfield's enthusiasm for the role really shines and is something special to watch. As a fan, there's nothing quite like knowing the guy in the suit is as excited about it as you are.

The movie doesn't stretch Garfield's talent, but it's better for having him. The cast boasts some pretty big names, but if there's anyone else worth mentioning it's Dane DeHaan, who is terrific as Harry Osborne.

Like its predecessor, the Amazing Spider-Man 2 has inexcusably poor special effects. For all the money the filmmakers have thrown at the screen, it looks no better than a video game. Jamie Foxx' Electro is pretty badass, but the flying sequences and other CGI are terrible.It goes without saying--but I'll say it anyway--the Amazing Spider-Man 2 is far too long.

There's barely enough substance here for a 90-minute popcorn flick, yet the movie drags on for another 50 minutes beyond that...I considered going for popcorn I didn't want or making a bathroom run I didn't need just to shake off the drowsies.

Most of the humor is juvenile and falls flat, though Garfield and co-star (and real-life love) Emma Stone are just charming enough to make some of it work. I disagree with complaints that there are too many villains in the movie, but I don't think the script really gives any of them their due.

As long as the movie is, they definitely could have done much better on that front. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has its fun moments, but watching it is a little like trying to do a jigsaw puzzle with a cat in the house: just when you think you're getting all the pieces together, they land in a jumble on the floor.

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 runs 142 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sequences of sci-fi action/violence."

It's worth seeing for great performances by Andrew Garfield and Dane DeHaan, even if it doesn't live up to its "amazing" billing.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 gets five.

Until next time...

"A million dollars isn't cool. You know what's cool? 95 million dollars!"

MOVIE REVIEW: THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN 2

The web-slingin' wall-crawler hits the screens once again in this follow-up to Marc Webb's 2012 reboot of the series. Andrew Garfield returns as Peter Parker, who squares off against the villainous Electro, played by Jamie Foxx. Emma Stone heads up the rest of the starring cast, which includes Paul Giamatti, Dane DeHaan, and Chris Cooper. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Marc Webb 

Cast: Andrew Garfield, Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx, Dane DeHaan, Chris Cooper, Paul Giamatti

Release Date: May 02, 2014

Rated PG-13 for seq. of Sci-Fi Action/Violence

Runtime: 2 hr. 21 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure

Review:

I’ll start this review like I’ve probably started the 4 other Spider-man reviews before it.  I’ll never been much a fan of the character, I’m not sure why but he’s just never grabbed my attention like DC’s Mount Olympus of heroes or the X-Men for example.  I did enjoy the first two Sam Raimi and despised the third.  The first film in the rebooted series didn’t hit the mark for me even though I liked Garfield and Stone in their roles.  The 2^nd go around doesn’t fair much better.  The film suffers from some truly awful writing filled with stale dialogue and plot holes just a tad too large to ignore.  It’s never a good thing when certain segments of the film remind you of 90’s era Joel Schumacher Batman films.  As a whole the film feels like a throwback but not in a good way.  While most superhero films are trying to infuse some deeper meaning into their stories or at the very least some fun, this one seems content to give us a few CGI heavy set pieces and the most basic of back stories for the villains and call it a day.  In between this all we get an overdose of Parker and Stacy’s romance which is solid but overdone.  It’s propped up by Garfield and Stone’s chemistry which makes the whole thing more watchable than it should be but they can’t save this bloated mess of a film.  I personally have no problem if a film is 2 and half hours long as long as it earns that runtime, this one doesn’t come close to deserving its runtime, not by a long shot.  It would have been better served with a more focused storyline and villain instead of trying to lay the groundwork for future spinoffs and sequels like the planned Sinister Six films.  The Amazing Spider-man 2 is purely for diehards and anybody wanting to see Paul Giamatti scream out intelligible dialogue in a 2 minute cameo.

D

Cindy Prascik's Review of Brick Mansions

Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to the cinema with a heavy heart to see Paul Walker's final completed film, Brick Mansions.
 
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailer.

A Detroit cop goes undercover in the city's most dangerous housing project, called Brick Mansions, a neighborhood so crime-ridden it's been walled off from the rest of the city.

Brick Mansions easily could have been a straight-to-DVD release, but for an attempt to cash in on Paul Walker's untimely passing. You'll find better performances in a third-grade Christmas pageant, though that's only partially the fault of the actors. The rest of the blame can be fairly divided among a predictable story, ridiculous dialogue, and broad, ugly stereotypes. Stylized action sequences are interesting to a point, but even in a relatively short film they manage to drag on a bit. The movie's dopey humor is ill-suited to the grim backdrop of a Detroit that might be even more depressing than the real thing, and any teeth the movie could have had were knocked out by the filmmakers' obvious determination to water things down enough to secure a PG13 rating.

Having said all that, Brick Mansions is salvaged somewhat by the fact that its ridiculousness seems deliberate. With the right mindset, it's actually kinda fun, and--if only they'd gone for the R rating--it might have been genuinely entertaining.

Brick Mansions runs 90 minutes and is rated PG13 for "frenetic gunplay, violence and action throughout, language, sexual menace, and drug material."

Brick Mansions is predictable, by-the-book action, littered with cliches and offensive stereotypes, but it can still be a good time if you let it.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Brick Mansions gets four and a half.

Until next time...

Nahhh...just messin' with ya!

Cindy Prascik Review of Transcendence

Dearest Blog, yesterday I took full advantage of a day off to sneak out to the cinema. On my agenda was the new Johnny Depp flick, Transcendence.

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

When a brilliant A.I. researcher is gunned down by opponents of his work, his grieving widow and a former colleague seek a way to save him, but the result of their efforts is not quite what they intended.

Well, dear Blog, the first thing I noticed when I got to the theatre yesterday was that I couldn't check in to Transcendence on TV Tag (formerly GetGlue); it wasn't even in their library. I thought to myself, "Self, that can't be a good sign," and I was right. Opening on a holiday weekend to a pretty busy cinema, there were only three other people in the room with me, far fewer than for my second screening of Captain America: The Winter Soldier afterward.

As regular reader(s) and anyone who knows me will be well aware, I think Johnny Depp is the world's finest living actor. I've been a fan since his days on Jump Street, and, while his performance never lets me down (even in sub-par movies), I admit I've grown tired of him playing the quirky guy in the funny hat, and was ready for something at least a little bit more serious. Sadly, after seeing Transcendence, I think I'd almost rather have had another Mad Hatter; the role was so blah I wasn't even looking forward to his screen time as the movie dragged on. Rebecca Hall is fine as his widow, though she, too, has little to work with and does even less with it. (Also, leggings, big shirts, and ballet flats are not her best look. She's one of my favorite girl crushes, and I was deeply saddened by this.) The rest of the cast is a who's who of faces I love seeing, to the point that listing them all here would venture into the ridiculous. Instead I'll just say a movie that can't be fixed by Clifton Collins, Jr. simply can't be fixed at all.

Transcendence doesn't exceed my recommended two-hour guideline, yet it seems to go on forever. The premise is fascinating and the cast solid...yet somehow the execution fails completely. I grew more bored by the second and practically sprinted from my seat when it was over (and not just because I was that eager to see Sebastian Stan again...no matter what you've heard)!

Transcendence isn't a terrible move, but, when you can't help comparing what it is with what it could and should have been, it's bound to be a disappointment.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Transcendence gets four and a half.
Until next time...

 

I call it Transcendence!