Cindy Prascik's Review of The Judge & Dracula Untold

Dearest Blog, today it was off to the pictures for what looked like an Oscars/Razzies double bill of The Judge and Dracula Untold.

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

First on the docket was The Judge. (See what I did there?)

A hotshot big-city attorney (Robert Downey, Jr.) returns to his smalltown home for his mother's funeral, but ends up defending his father (Robert Duvall)--a respected judge--against a murder charge.

The Judge layers family drama with legal thriller in an interesting, if unsurprising, tale. It's Awards Season, so it goes without saying the movie runs long, and I suppose it's meant to give you a case of the warm fuzzies about smalltown America (versus the big, bad city), a ploy that never, ever fails to annoy me. The Judge is littered with respected and decorated actors: Duvall, Vera Farmiga, Billy Bob Thornton, and Vincent D'Onofrio. Most everyone has the opportunity to weep his or her way through a potential Oscar clip or three, but it's Downey who will get you through the movie's bloated runtime without looking at your watch.

He is the most watchable person making movies today, and round about the 90-minute mark, you'll be ever grateful for that, trust me. To gauge The Judge's true merit, then, it's only fair to ask: How good is this movie if it stars somebody else? The answer is maybe a little better than average.

The Judge clocks in at 141 minutes and is rated R for "language, including some sexual references."
Minus Robert Downey, Jr., The Judge is a well acted but predictable and excessively-long drama. With Robert Downey, Jr., it's infinitely watchable and easily forgiven for its sins.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Judge gets seven.

Next up was Luke Evans' first real starring vehicle, Dracula Untold.

Having left life as "the Impaler" behind him, Prince Vlad Tepes makes a deal with the devil to protect his family and his people.

Dear reader(s), as something of an expert on the subject, I want to remind you up front that Luke Evans is a truly talented, multi-faceted actor, and his films have yet to scratch the surface of his potential. It's important for me to make that clear for reasons that will become apparent later.
Dracula Untold is more like Dracula Untrue, turning the fabled Count into a bizarro mix of superhero and romance novel cover boy. Evans can't be blamed (much to the relief of this longtime fan), and, to his credit, he manages to pull off the silly action and terrible dialogue with a fair bit of charm. The usually reliable Dominic Cooper is miscast as the movie's villain...and where ya goin' with that accent, Coop?? Blandly pretty Sarah Gadon is...erm...bland and pretty as Drac's missus, but in the end both she and the role are entirely forgettable. Though the movie is smart enough not to wear out its welcome, and there are some decent effects scattered about, it is, for the most part, a laughable exercise. Having said all that, you really should go see Dracula Untold, because Luke Evans: a.) kicks ass, b.) makes out, and c.) takes off his shirt. That's worth your ten bucks any day.

Dracula Untold runs 92 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of warfare, vampire attacks, disturbing images, and some sensuality."

It's nowhere near as silly as Twilight, but Dracula Untold isn't the movie vampire fans have been waiting for, either.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Dracula Untold gets five. (But I'm sure I'll be seeing it again and again!)

Until next time...

So...uh...see you at the theatre, then?

MOVIE REVIEW: DRACULA UNTOLD

Director Gary Shore revamps the mythos surrounding Vlad the Impaler in Dracula Year Zero, a Universal Pictures release from a script by Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless. The horror tale is set to take place in Romania during the Turkish invasion as Vlad (Luke Evans) goes to the greatest of lengths to fight for his homeland -- even if it means selling his soul and becoming forever doomed as a creature of the night. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: Gary Shore

Cast: Luke Evans, Sarah Gadon, Dominic Cooper.

Release Date: Oct 10, 2014

Rated PG-13 for Intense Sequences of Warfare, Disturbing Images, Some Sensuality and Vampire Attacks 

Runtime: 1 hr. 32 min. Genres: Action/Adventure, Horror 

Review:

Dracula Untold desperately wants to be the start of a new franchise.  Everything about it screams origin story, something we’ve seen countless times before in countless other films.  This take on Dracula borrows heavily from the superhero genre mixed with a healthy dose of Lord of the Rings style battles.  Luke Evans is appropriately grim and determined as the titular Dracula even if he can’t quite find a solid grip on something original about the character.  That’s hardly a surprise since the character has been done so many times most children could probably recite the standard mythology, most of which is rehashed yet again here.  Still, Evans tries hardily to trudge through the pedestrian storyline hitting all the standard notes.  The film might have been strong if Dominic Cooper had been given better material to work and made better use of the villain.  On the plus side, Gary Shore keeps his movie moving at a brisk pace throwing in enough visual flourishes to keep it interesting enough to hold your attention.  The ending leaves open a massive door for future sequels which could be more intriguing than this run of the mill origin story.  

C

Cindy Prascik's Review of Gone Girl

Dearest Blog, yesterday I headed out to the cinema for one of the year's most-anticipated titles, Gone Girl.

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

Ben Affleck (Batman! Batman! Batman!) stars as Nick Dunne, a man who becomes a suspect in the disappearance of his wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike).

I haven't read the book on which Gone Girl is based, so no comparisons here as to how the film stands up against the source material.

On its own merits, Gone Girl, the movie, stands up pretty darn well. It's a twisting, turning affair, where almost nothing is quite what it seems, yet it never gets so convoluted it feels like it's lost its way. Dear reader(s), by now you know me well enough to know I can't possibly look at Ben Affleck without thinking (Batman! Batman! Batman!), but, even prior to his much-debated casting as the caped crusader, he seemed a very polarizing actor.

That makes Affleck (Batman! Batman! Batman!) an inspired choice for his role, as you're never quite sure how you're supposed to feel about Nick. Rosamund Pike continues to make good use of her patented wide-eyes-heaving-breasts act, but does a fine job of portraying all facets of one of the more...erm...*interesting* characters I've seen onscreen of late. The supporting cast is uniformly solid, with Carrie Coon turning in an especially good performance as Nick's ever-loyal twin sister.

Even Tyler Perry, whom I generally despise with the fire of a thousand suns, is pretty okay here. Another stunning score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross sets the mostly ominous tone. The movie is too long by at least 20 minutes, but it's easy enough to forgive in such a well-spun, surprisingly fun yarn.

Gone Girl clocks in at 149 minutes and is rated R for "a scene of bloody violence, some strong sexual content/nudity, and language."

Whether or not you were already a fan of the book, Gone Girl gives you every reason to get out to the theatre.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Gone Girl gets eight.

Until next time..

 
Are you the hero Gotham deserves?

MOVIE REVIEW: GONE GIRL

GONE GIRL – directed by David Fincher and based upon the global bestseller by Gillian Flynn – unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On the occasion of his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports that his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick’s portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?

 Director: David Fincher 

Cast: Rosamund Pike, Ben Affleck, Tyler Perry, Neil Patrick Harris, David Clennon

Release Date: Oct 03, 2014

Rated R for a scene of bloody violence, some strong sexual content/nudity, and language

Runtime: 2 hr. 25 min.

Genres: Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Gone Girl is a wonderfully dark decent into the recesses of martial hatred and resentment.  It’s something that anyone who’s been in long term relationship can relate to and David Fincher’s new film takes it to its most extreme points.  Any other director might have fallen into some of the most glaring Lifetime movie tropes of the story but Fincher elevates the entire proceedings giving us something closer to his criminally underrated The Game.  The story’s big reveal isn’t much of a surprise to be honest but it makes for an interesting turn where things really start to kick off in extreme ways.  The cast is generally fantastic even Tyler Perry who’s pitch perfect as the high priced lawyer.  Ben Affleck is perfectly suited for the smug but terribly tone deaf husband and Rosamund Pike is just stellar as his wife.  It’s an impressive dissection of our tabloid culture while hitting on some uncomfortable truths about inattention and lingering resentment that burrows into peoples souls.  It’s probably needless to say but Gone Girl is the type of film that sticks with you once you’ve left the theater. 

A

MOVIE REVIEW: ANNABELLE

The demonic doll from gets her very own feature in this spin-off produced by James Wan, written by Gary Dauberman, and directed by John R. Leonetti. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director: John R. Leonetti  

Cast: Annabelle Wallis, Ward Horton, Alfre Woodard, Tony Amendola, Kerry O'Malley

Release Date: Oct 03, 2014

Rated R for Intense Violence and Terror

Runtime: 1 hr. 38 min.

Genres: Horror

Review:

If you are going into Annabelle expecting an equally powerful follow up to last years The Conjuring you will be mildly disappointed.  Annabelle is a serviceable horror film but it hits every cliché you can think of all the while channeling Rosemary’s Baby for some reason. First time director John Leonetti has a good eye but doesn’t know how to bring anything new to the proceedings even though he delivers a nice stairwell sequence in the latter half of the film.  That isn’t enough to make you forget that we’re left with some incredibly bland leads who moves from possession trope to another while you keep reminding yourself that Tony Amendola is not F. Murray Abraham.  Alfre Woodard deserves special notice because even though she’s collecting a paycheck, she’s still worlds better than the rest of the cast.  Annabelle isn’t a terrible movie per say it’s just one of the many film that’s a retread of better movies.

C

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of The Boxtrolls & The Equalizer

Dearest Blog, today it was off to the cinema for a pair of flicks I've been pretty would up about: The Boxtrolls and The Equalizer.

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

First on my agenda was The Boxtrolls.

Underground dwellers the Boxtrolls are threatened by the above-ground humans who fear them.
The Boxtrolls looks for all the world like a movie Tim Burton might have made when he used to be interesting. Pretty much everything in it is expressly designed to be ugly (you haven't seen teeth like this since Austin Powers!), but the artwork is stunning. Boxtrolls is a dark movie, taking place mostly underground or at night, with neutral colors setting the perfect tone. The entertaining voice cast includes Ben Kingsley, Jared Harris, Elle Fanning, Nick Frost, Richard Ayoade, Tracy Morgan, Simon Pegg, and Isaac Hempstead Wright. The story is a little dark and pretty slow at times; I would be hard pressed to try selling this as a movie for kids, even though that's obviously what the filmmakers intended. The second act is somewhat brighter than the first, and even has a few laugh-out-loud moments, though, truth be told, I found them ill fitting and less enjoyable than the rest of the movie.

The Boxtrolls runs 97 minutes and is rated PG for "action, some peril, and mild rude humor."
It's not the game-changer I'd anticipated, but it's pretty darn great nonetheless. Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Boxtrolls gets seven.

Next on the docket was The Equalizer.

A seemingly ordinary man, living a quiet life, resurrects some old skills to help a young acquaintance who gets into trouble.

Okay, dear reader(s), you know me well enough to know that my review of The Equalizer can be summed up in two words: HELL YEAH! First there's Denzel Washington. Now, here's the thing about a movie that has Denzel Washington: it really doesn't need anything else. Chloe Grace Moretz, Bill Pullman, and my best gal Melissa Leo, among others, have a cup of coffee in the film, and Marton Csokas makes an able foil, but when push comes to shove it's Denzel's movie to carry and, as always, carry it he does. The man is on screen for nearly all of the prohibitive two-hours-plus runtime, and he is riveting, seamlessly dialing between "regular guy" mode and "stone cold killer" mode.

The oft-repeated vengeance tale is nothing new, but thanks to Washington's commanding lead and plenty of YESSSSSSS! moments, it doesn't seem that long...which is not to say it couldn't have been trimmed a bit without suffering for it, either. There are some...erm...interesting kills, and the language is pretty rough at times, but nothing out of the ordinary for your average R-rated flick. If I had one complaint, it's that at times the direction seems amateurish, too much exaggerated slow-mo, but it's a petty gripe about what's otherwise an exceedingly entertaining film.

The Equalizer clocks in at 131 minutes and is rated R for "strong bloody violence and language throughout, including some sexual references."

It may not be a perfect movie, but it sure is a perfect movie for me. Of a possible nine Weasleys, The

Equalizer gets eight.

Until next time...

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Hell. Yeah.