MOVIE REVIEW: DAWN OF THE PLANET OF THE APES

This follow-up to Rise of the Planet of the Apes concerns the next step in the genetically advanced primates' takeover of the world as a virus begins to wipe out the human race. Let Me In's Matt Reeves handles directing duties, with Gary Oldman, Jason Clark, and Kodi Smit-McPhee headlining the human cast. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Matt Reeves 

Cast: Andy Serkis, Jason Clarke, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Gary Oldman, Keri Russell

Release Date: Jul 11, 2014

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi/Fantasy 

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, and brief strong language

Review:

Rise of The Planet of the Apes is one of those rare reboots that actually worked.  Against all odds, and a failed Tim Burton attempt, it set up a prequel franchise properly so the sequel had a lot to live up to.  Dawn of The Planet of the Apes succeeds on various fronts with Andy Serkis, Hollywood’s most underappreciated actor, front and center this go around.  The apes are fully realized creations with definitive personas and motivations.  The script delivers some wonderfully fleshed out characters from the opening sequences with a big chunk of the characterization done without spoken dialogue, its true testament to the work done by the motion capture actors.  In an odd reversal, the human characters get the short end of the stick.  Most of them, even the criminally underused Gary Oldman, are just types there to serve the script.  Jason Clake is appropriately stoic and noble throughout but never given anything meaningful to do.  Oldman is asked to be paranoid and scream Jim Gordon style which he does well but I just wish there was more to the character.  Thankfully the ape characters are interesting enough to keep the film thoroughly engaging even if the actual plot is a run of the mill coup d'état.  Even with it’s faults Dawn of The Planet of the Apes is one of the better summer films of the season with more heart than most other films out.

B

Cindy Prascik's Review of Transformers: Age of Extinction

Dearest Blog, after dodging the bullet last weekend, yesterday I decided to suck it up and see Transformers: Age of Extinction. It would be less than forthright not to admit that I went mostly because I'd heard Luke Evans' Dracula trailer was running before it, and because I wanted to see Jersey Boys again and don't like begging a ride for less than a double-feature.

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

A down-on-his-luck mechanic lands in hot water when he buys a beat up old truck that's not quite what it seems.

I love Transformers and was genuinely excited for this sequel...until I heard it was over two and a half hours long. Despite almost universally negative reviews, I think Age of Extinction would have been quite a lot of fun at 90 minutes or even an hour and 45, but it does nothing to earn its Middle Earthy runtime.

A cast of familiar faces is unremarkable to either the good or the bad, though Mark Wahlberg is a definite improvement over the unlikable Shia LaBeouf, and I, personally, am always delighted to see Titus Welliver in a movie that does good business. The storyline doesn't hold any real surprises, and the dialogue is almost impressively stupid at times. Let's face it, though, dear reader(s), a Transformers movie is never gonna be about the people or the script, am I right?

It's about giant alien robots and big loud effects and maximum destruction. Age of Extinction does pretty well on all those counts, and, even at my most drowsy, I was utterly caught up in the big machines, if not so much in the daddy/daughter drama.

I elected to see this in 2D, not wanting to waste any more money on it than I had to, but it left me no doubt the 3D would be worth it.

Transformers: Age of Extinction clocks in at a very bloated 165 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, language, and brief innuendo."

It has all the components for a great summer blockbuster, but instead it proves that the only thing that's really extinct in Hollywood is the art of editing.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Transformers: Age of Extinction gets four and a half.

Until next time...

PS: No Dracula trailer. Curse you, cinema gods, for depriving me of big-screen Luke!

PPS: If you haven't seen Jersey Boys yet, go see it. If you have seen it, see it again!

MOVIE REVIEW: DELIVER US FROM EVIL

A cop and a priest team up on a case of demonic possession in this Screen Gems horror film. Scott Derrickson directs from a script he wrote with Paul Harris Boardman. Eric Bana, Édgar Ramírez, and Olivia Munn star. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Scott Derrickson 

Cast: Eric Bana, Edgar Ramirez, Olivia Munn, Sean Harris, Joel McHale

Release Date: Jul 02, 2014

Runtime: 1 hr. 58 min. 

Genres: Horror 

Review:

Deliver Us from Evil has an interesting conceit of mixing police procedural with an exorcism tale.  Scott Derrickson’s film establishes a nice bit of atmosphere at the start but the tension and scares are rather lacking.  The main issue at play is that everything is terribly routine for even the greenest of genre fans.  It’s a difficult thing to take something you’ve seen millions of times before and make it interesting, something that made last years The Conjuring so impressive.  Derrickson’s film is watchable if a tad overlong.  Sadly it’s not terribly memorable either except for Bana and Munn’s mega NU YARK accents and Jole McHale’s random inclusion.  The best thing about the film is obviously Edgar Ramirez who’s just effortless as the coolest Jesuit priest this side of The Exorcist.  Deliver Us from Evil is the kind of film that show up on cable at some point in the future and you watch portions of it, never actually watching the whole thing in the long run, cinematic purgatory.

C

MOVIE REVIEW: TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION

The Transformers film series continues with this fourth entry from director Michael Bay and executive producer Steven Spielberg. Mark Wahlberg and Jack Reynor star. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Michael Bay 

Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Nicola Peltz, Stanley Tucci, Ken Watanabe, Peter Cullen

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi violence and action, language

Release Date: Jun 27, 2014

Run Time. 2 hrs. 37 min

Genres: Action/Adventure 

Review:

Transformers: Age of Extinction is going to have a lot of batred shot it’s way most of well deserved.  It’s an over bloated mess that’s got way too many storylines at play to make any of it cohesive.  Had it stuck with the most interesting angle, secret government agency taking out all Transformers, it probably would have been one Bay’s better films.  As is, it’s a absurdly log slog through action set piece in between bits of story with more story followed by action set pieces and more story etc… So is it even worth your time?  Sort of.  As a superfan of the cartoon, I’ve found plenty to like in the previous efforts even the Revenge of the Fallen.  The frustrating part about Extinction is that it fixes a lot of issues from the previous films.  The human side of the story is actually bearable thanks to the addition of Wahlberg, Tucci and Grammer.  Mark Wahlberg is solid as the lead even if it stretches the imagination that he’s some sort of genius inventor.  Kelsey Grammer is fairly solid as the human villain, he poses a creditable threat throughout.  Stanley Tucci proves why he’s a great actor; taking a silly role and making it work.  Another aspect that’s much improved is that the transformers villain, Lockdown, is actually interesting this go around, something they failed to do over 3 films with Megatron.  Additionally, the Autobots at Prime’s side have some characterization that makes them likable and makes this feel the closest to the animated series and any child of the 80s will get chills when the dinobots makes their appearance.  It’s the Bay oddity that this is probably his best Transformers film even though it’s filled with the worse he has to offer.  Sadly, the animated Transformers The Movie is still the best cinematic entry.

C

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Edge of Tomorrow & Jersey Boys

Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to the pictures for the strange-bedfellows double bill of Edge of Tomorrow and Jersey Boys.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers or, you know, if you lived through the 60s.

After weeks of missing out due to my Winter Soldier obsession, yesterday's opener was Edge of Tomorrow.

In the midst of an alien invasion, a US military officer finds himself reliving the same day over and over again. As synopses go, that one's a bit over-simplified, but, dear reader(s) you gotta give me some credit for not saying "Groundhog Day."

Edge of Tomorrow is a clever sci-fi pic that is surprisingly fun. I say "surprisingly" only because I think comparisons to Tom Cruise's last outing, Oblivion, are unavoidable, and though Oblivion was a good movie, it was also pretty joyless. Edge of Tomorrow is anything but.

Cruise is fantastic in the lead, an action hero's action hero who can also be a little bit scared or confused or funny or (*gasp*) not afraid to let a chick to the heavy lifting sometimes. Said "chick" is Emily Blunt, who...um...well, it's fair to say wouldn't have been the first person I'd think of for a role like this, but who does a mighty fine job of it nonetheless. I'm embarrassed to confess I didn't even recognize Jonas Armstrong, despite the fact that I own (and religiously watch) the box set of the BBC's Robin Hood. What's become of me?? Edge of Tomorrow boasts solid effects and scary aliens.

If it bogged down ever-so-slightly a couple times, I can't complain since it clocks in under the two-hour mark...AND they tie it up without getting contrived or being a buzzkill.

Edge of Tomorrow runs 113 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence, language, and brief suggestive material." It's a smart, fun shoulda-been-a-blockbuster that deserves your attention.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Edge of Tomorrow gets seven and a half.

Next on my agenda was the big-screen rendering of the 2006 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, Jersey Boys.

Four kids from the wrong side of the tracks form a band that goes on to make some of the world's best-loved and most enduring music.

In the interest of full and fair disclosure, I admit this movie ticked all the boxes for me before I ever saw a single second of a single trailer. A movie musical about a group I love, that stars actual stage vets rather than big Hollywood names? Yes, please. Of course, the downside is such high expectations could have led to disappointment, but I'm happy to report that's not even close to the case.

I've been to IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes this morning. I've seen that Jersey Boys is carrying middling ratings and has been trounced at the box office by Think Like a Man 2. (Really?) I am confounded by this state of affairs.

Jersey Boys runs slightly longer than two hours, but it never feels slow or boring. A couple numbers from the stage show were eliminated, and a couple more songs relegated to the background; I certainly wouldn't have cut another thing. Telling the story from several points of view means it never patronizes by painting any one person strictly the bad guy or strictly the good guy. John Lloyd Young, who won a Tony Award as Best Leading Actor in a Musical for originating the role of Frankie Valli on Broadway, embodies his part like few actors ever do. He is mesmerizing. Other than Boardwalk Empire's Vincent Piazza, all members of the band are portrayed by actors who have performed in one or more stage versions of the show. This is a good thing, Hollywood! And the songs...OH! The songs!!

If you weren't a fan of the Four Seasons before seeing the movie, you certainly will be after. At both my screening and the one before it, everyone exiting the theatre was smiling and singing, and the movie earned TWO big rounds of applause at the end of my show. I can't speak for the people who rate movies at IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes (nor for those who saw Think Like a Man 2 instead), but, if I'm making movies, that right there is the reaction I'm going for. If there's one tiny negative, I thought there were an awful lot of f-words for a movie whose median audience member easily qualifies for the AARP discount.

Jersey Boys runs 134 minutes and is rated R for "language throughout."

Jersey Boys is a well written, well acted story that is filled with great, iconic music. For my money, it's easily as good as or even better than the screen version of Chicago that won the 2003 Best Picture Oscar.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, I am pleased to award Jersey Boys 2014's first perfect nine.

Until next time..

Cindy Prascik's Review of How to Train Your Dragon 2

Dearest Blog, yesterday I braved the opening-day kidlet rush to see How to Train Your Dragon 2.

Spoiler level here will be as mild as possible for a movie that spoils its own biggest reveal right in the trailer.

Having shown Berk the error of its ways as per human/dragon relations, a more mature Hiccup faces a new challenge with his trusty dragon Toothless.

Well, dear Blog, in all the history of film, there are four movies that I name my "favorite," since it's impossible for me to choose among them. The original How to Train Your Dragon is one of the four, so I could be excused for being a bit skeptical when people (many not involved with the production) started saying the sequel was even better than the original. For as long as I've known that was going to be my opening to this review, I always hoped the next sentence would involve me admitting the error of my ways, but....oh well, let's just get on with it.

The opening scene of How to Train Your Dragon 2, an overlong sequence of dragon games, is the most annoying thing I've ever seen that didn't involve Adam Sandler. Its primary purpose appears twofold: an immediate showcase for the film's stunning digital technology, and an excuse for each character to call his or her dragon by name, so pointedly that I could only assume we'd really need to know the names later. (That never happened.) The scene goes on forever, and by the end I was ready to stand up, shout, "On Cupid! On Comet! On Donner and Blitzen!" and walk out.

Getting the rest of the bad news out of the way: The new characters left me totally flat, and, my dear Cate Blanchett, where on Earth are you going with that accent?? While the first HTTYD boasted clever humor and a sincere charm, the sequel's laughs are few and far between, the good ones mostly poached from the original. Any charm is buried deep by a busy storyline that never quite finds its way. Even John Powell's score seems blah this time around.

Now, the good news: I was afraid that the kids no longer being kids would make the characters somehow less fun, but the returning Vikings are as lovable as ever, just a little more grown-up looking. The dragons also retain their charm, with even more types this time around, and if you're a pet owner you're sure to see your favorite dog or cat in at least one of them. How to Train Your Dragon 2 is also the most beautiful thing I've ever seen onscreen, hands down.

Even when I was getting a little bit bored or annoyed with whatever it was I was getting a little bit bored or annoyed with at the time, the movie quickly brought me back around to its side just by being so damn gorgeous. (I imagine this is what it must be like when Matt Bomer's being a jerk...if Matt Bomer is ever a jerk, which I highly doubt.) I'm not schooled in the art of making movies, so I have no idea what technology filmmakers used to make HTTYD2 so good looking, but full marks are due the art department, VFX, and animators. And the colors...oh, the colors!! Even Rio--my benchmark for visual excellence--might as well be sepia-toned compared to HTTYD2. Time constraints forced me into a 2D show this time, but you may rest assured, dear readers, I'll be seeing this in 3D as soon as possible!

Normally I go to the cinema on Saturday afternoons, when the most pressing thing on my agenda is where I'm having dinner afterward. I saw HTTYD2 after a miserable day at work, with a couple even-more-miserable weeks looming ahead, so I have to admit that may have left me unable to put the world aside to enjoy it as I should. I make that disclaimer only to clarify: the movie's probably better than I'm ready to give it credit for at this writing. Still, to suggest it's even as good as--let alone better than--the original is absurd.

How to Train Your Dragon 2 clocks in at 102 minutes and is rated PG for "adventure action and some mild rude humor."

How to Train Your Dragon 2 is such a glorious feast for the eyes you'll have no problem forgiving its other shortcomings.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, How to Train Your Dragon 2 gets seven and a half.

Until next time...

 "Hail Hydra."