MOVIE REVIEW: A MOST VIOLENT YEAR

An immigrant and his family strive to maintain their burgeoning business while contending with urban violence and corruption during a particularly harsh New York City winter in 1981. Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac star in this urban drama from writer/producer/director J.C. Chandor.

Director: J.C. Chandor 

Cast: Jessica Chastain, Oscar Isaac, Albert Brooks, David Oyelowo, Alessandro Nivola.

Release Date: Dec 31, 2014

Rated R for some Violence and Language

Runtime: 2 hr. 4 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama

Review:

A Most Violent Year is a slow burner of a film that’s a fascinating character study.  J.C. Chandor’s film is a morality tale at its heart as we watch a man fight to keep his principles in tact while trying desperately to succeed.  It’s the kind of film that’s light on action and heavy on dialogue which can turn off some people, especially since the film is sold as a crime drama which it is an and isn’t.  It’s very much in that vein but doesn’t follow the well worn path.  At the center of the film is Oscar Isaac who is incredibly engaging and captivating as the lead.  Isaac has a simmering intensity throughout which keeps the film engaging as its moves at a methodical pace.  Jessica Chastain nearly steals the show as his wife and the film is so much better when she’s on screen.  Chastain’s an actress whose impressed me more and more with each passing film and this maybe her best yet.  Throw in some strong, if understated, supporting turns from Albert Brooks and David Oyelowo and you have a wholly impressive drama which feels like a throwback to headier films from the 70s. 

A

MOVIE REVIEW: PROJECT ALMANAC

David Raskin (Jonny Weston) is a high-school science nerd who dreams of going to MIT. When he and his friends (Sam Lerner, Allen Evangelista) find a "temporal displacement device" built by his late father, David can't wait to start tinkering. When they finally get the device to work, the teenagers jump at the opportunity to manipulate time in their favor -- but their joy is short-lived when they begin to discover the consequences of their actions.

Director: Dean Israelite 

Cast: Sophia Black-D'Elia, Allen Evangelista, Ginny Gardner, Jonny Weston.

Release Date: Jan 30, 2015

Rated R for some Language and Sexual Content 

Runtime: 1 hr. 46 min. 

Genres: Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Suspense/Thriller 

Review:

Found footage films are well past the point of expiration, so if you’re watching one you’re probably one of those people who still enjoys the genre to a certain extent.   Project Almanac uses the conceit fairly well while mixing in the time travel into the mix.  Time travel stories have built in issues to begin with and the plot here doesn’t really do anything special and its solutions to some of the bigger logical issues is just to ignore them.  Luckily, the film’s cast is likable enough to make the film fairly enjoyable even though it’s a tad too long for its own good.  It’s a solid bit of mindless fun even though it takes a good while to get going and once it takes off the film’s over, leaving an endless amount of possibilities on the table unexplored

C+

Cindy Prascik's Review Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of & Wild Card

 Dearest Blog, by my count there were no less than seven movies opening this weekend.

Four of them looked pretty good, and the other three are playing at my local cinemas. So...to the cable box we go for Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of and Wild Card.

Okay, dear reader(s), if we're being honest, and fair to my local cinemas (even the gross one), it would have taken a helluva movie to compete with folks as near to my heart as BSB and Jason Statham.

Were The Hobbit still in play, I'd almost certainly have paired one of the stinkers with another Hobbit screening, but no Bilbo meant a weekend of "home cinema" for yours truly.

Spoiler level here will be mild, I guess. Is it even possible to spoil a documentary?

Anyway...first on my agenda: Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of, a behind-the-scenes look at the ups, downs, and enduring popularity of BSB.

Show 'Em What You're Made Of is an honest and heartfelt documentary. The peaks and valleys of fame, and of essentially living in each other's back pockets for two decades, are on full display, and the group members often bicker like old married people.

The conflict and raw emotion make for some hard viewing when you're a fan! (I'm scarred for life by watching Beatles yell at each other in Let It Be, and never did get all the way through Some Kind of Monster.) Still, it's clear Howie, Brian, Kevin, AJ, and Nick love one another like brothers, and it seems no dispute is significant enough to derail the BSB train for long.

The movie touches on the group's legal dispute with former manager Lou Pearlman (currently serving prison time for perpetrating one of the world's largest Ponzi schemes) but is mostly filled with clips of new and old videos, live performances, and behind-the-scenes goings-on, bringing back great memories and making some new ones. And of course there are the songs...oh, the songs! The voices! Backstreet Boys are as fine a vocal group as ever there was, and it's terrific to see how they've stood the test of time and outlived their "boy band" designation.

Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of runs 101 minutes and is unrated. If you're considering age-appropriateness, there are a number of F-words and the usual adult themes you'd expect for this sort of thing.

I suppose I'm not the only one itching to say "Backstreet's Back" while writing about this movie, but it's clear that Backstreet was never gone. 20 years later, I'm still proud to be a fan.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Backstreet Boys: Show 'Em What You're Made Of gets seven.

Next up was Wild Card.

Jason Statham stars as a Las Vegas bodyguard who lands on the wrong side of some very dangerous people.

Ahhhh...Jason Statham...a name that sends me to the cinema on opening day every time. Of Statham's three most recent "starring" vehicles, this is the second to go straight to VOD, so I had to assume it was, perhaps, not his best work. While that proved a correct assumption, it wasn't quite as bad as Redemption, so I'm counting it as a win.

Statham is great as always in the kind of role he could play in his sleep, and, if it's nothing new, it's still fun to watch. Unfortunately, Wild Card has little else to recommend it. It's only about an hour and a half, yet it drags along, never really getting anywhere.

The generally-likable Milo Ventimiglia is awful in such an awful role that it's hard to even look at him. Most characters are so poorly developed that you just aren't interested, and it's impossible to like/sympathize with the one person with whom you're probably supposed to like and sympathize.

If you look at the cast list and see a name you like, but that name's not "Statham," well...don't waste your time. The handful of other notable cast members probably don't have ten minutes' combined screen time. There is a bit of classic Statham action, but not nearly enough to keep Wild Card from being something of a snoozefest.

Wild Card clocks in at 92 minutes and is rated R for "strong violence, language, and some sexuality/nudity."

My love for Jason Statham is undiminished, but if I'm looking for a fix I'm probably gonna go dig out Death Race again.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Wild Card gets four.

Until next time...

*squee*

Cindy Prascik's Review of Mortdecai & The Imitation Game

Dearest Blog, lemme tell ya: I'm a little bit exhausted from juggling all these awards hopefuls (that I never expected to see in my area) with regular new releases and weekly screenings of The Hobbit!

However, thanks to an understanding boss, this weekend I was able to catch Johnny Depp's latest as well as one of Oscar's favorites.

First on my agenda: Mortdecai.

Johnny Depp stars as art dealer/thief Charlie Mortdecai, called upon by MI5 to assist with a case.
Well, dear reader(s), even as a die-hard Depp fan, I'm growing bored with his seemingly endless succession of interchangeable goofy characters. Alice in Wonderland, Dark Shadows, and even Transcendence were all terrible disappointments to me. So, as a Depp fan, I'm pleased to say that Mortdecai, while far from perfect, represents a bit of a rebound.

Comedies are a sketchy business...so often you pay ten bucks for a ticket only to find that all the really funny bits were in the trailer. It is, perhaps, because Mortdecai is more amusing than gut-bustingly funny that it doesn't seem that way; instead of a dozen big laughs spread over two otherwise boring hours, Mortdecai is a more evenly-entertaining experience.

Depp is terrific as the self-absorbed Mortdecai, and, if his "weird people with English accents" routine is wearing thin, it works better here than it has in his last few attempts. As Mortdecai's loyal and long-suffering manservant, Jock, Paul Bettany is the movie's highlight.

 A running gag with Jock--not so much as hinted at in the trailers--provides the movie's best laughs.

Mortdecai is a caper as well as a comedy, and it's pretty entertaining. It doesn't drag on or over-inflate itself with unnecessary pretense. It's not too clever, but it IS fun, and, yes, there are even some laugh-out-loud moments.

Mortdecai runs 106 minutes and is rated R for "some language and sexual material." (For my money, I've seen far worse rated PG13...don't understand this rating at all.)

Mortdecai is not a special movie--you won't be talking about it next week, let alone next year at awards time--but Mortdecai IS a bit of mindlessly fun entertainment. Last I checked, that wasn't yet a crime in Hollywood.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Mortdecai gets five and a half.

(It would have been six had it co-starred ANYONE besides Gwyneth Paltrow!)

Next up was The Imitation Game.

During World War II, English mathematician Alan Turing leads a team attempting to break Nazi codes.

Alright, I'm gonna say it straight up: though it has zero chance of taking home the Oscar, The Imitation Game is easily my favorite of the Best Picture nominees I've seen.

 (Still missing Whiplash, which hasn't hit my orbit yet.) Benedict Cumberbatch is phenomenal in the lead, often abrasive but still strangely sympathetic. Again, though he doesn't seem to have a legitimate chance of hearing his name called on the big night, his performance is as good as any I saw last year, and the supporting cast is uniformly strong as well.

The Imitation Game races against the clock to break Nazi codes and prevent further loss of life; as such, it's more "edge of your seat" than it probably seems from the description. The movie also touches on Turing's homosexuality, for which he was prosecuted later in life, under UK laws of the time. It's heartbreaking, but never miserable.

The Imitation Game clocks in at 114 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some sexual references, mature thematic material, and historical smoking."

The Imitation Game is riveting from start to finish, beautifully executed on all levels. The very definition of "must see!"

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Imitation Game gets nine. Just go see it already!

Until next time...

Somehow I knew the Internet wouldn't make me do this myself! :-)

MOVIE REVIEW: WHIPLASH

A talented young jazz drummer experiences a trial by fire when he's recruited by a ferocious instructor whose unyielding search for perfection may lead to his undoing. For as far back as Andrew Neyman (Miles Teller) can remember, he's been watching his father fail. Determined to make a name for himself no matter what it takes, Andrew enrolls in a prestigious east coast music conservatory where his talent quickly catches the attention of Terence Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) a esteemed music teacher who's notorious for his caustic approach in the classroom. The leader of the school's top jazz ensemble, Fletcher promptly transfers Neyman into his band, giving the ambitious young drummer a shot at true greatness. He may achieve it, too, if Neyman's methods don't drive him to madness first. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

Director Damien Chazelle

Cast: Miles Teller, J.K. Simmons, Paul Reiser, Max Kasch, Damon Gupton.

Release Date: Oct 10, 2014

Rated R for strong Language and Some Sexual References 

Runtime: 1 hr. 46 min. 

Genres: Drama 

Review:

The best kind of films are the ones that can make just about any subject riveting, even ones you have very little knowledge or interest.  Whiplash is that kind of kinetic freight train of a film.  Writer/Director Damien Chazelle allows his film to build steadily and surely until it reaches its nearly exhausting climate.  It’s an impressive feat when you think about the subject matter.  At its core the film is elevated by two spectacular performances by Simmons and Teller as they engage in some brutal psychological warfare.  J.K. Simmons performance is stunningly powerful.  At first glance it looks like a variation of R Lee Ermey’s drill sergeant in Full Metal Jacket but it becomes readily apparent that it’s a much more complex role as the film progresses.  Teller is just as focused and impressive as the student reaching for greatness at all cost.  Miles performance allows you to feel the nearly insane amount of drive his character feels.  The duo is entrancing when they’re onscreen each focused, performing at an incredibly high level.  You can’t really ask for more from a film. 

 
A

MOVIE REVIEW: AMERICAN SNIPER

Biopic of Chris Kyle (Bradley Cooper), the most-celebrated sniper in American military history. In the aftermath of 9/11, Kyle decides to serve his country by becoming a Navy SEAL. But with each tour of duty, he grows more detached from his wife and children. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, Rovi

Director: Clint Eastwood 

Cast: Bradley Cooper, Luke Grimes, Sienna Miller, Kyle Gallner, Ben Reed

Release Date: Jan 16, 2015

Rated R for some Sexual References, Language Throughout and Strong Disturbing War Violence

Runtime: 2 hr. 12 min. 

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama 

Review:

American Sniper is an interesting film that manages to be straightforward but complicated at the same time.  Eastwood doesn’t really give us much of a point of view on the Iraq War; he’s more interested in the personal story of Chris Kyle which is refreshing since it could have easily devolved into a jingoistic anthem.  Eastwood’s film alternates between the war and Kyle’s home life but it’s clear that Eastwood is far more comfortable with the war portion of the story.  He delivers some impressive battle sequences with the final one being the most impressive and tense of the entire film.  At the heart of the film is Bradley Cooper who does fine work embodying Chris Kyle and chartering his growing internal struggle as his military career wears on.  Cooper is reserved and understated throughout but he captures the intensity and drive that ran through Kyle’s life.  Even though it’s a biopic the film does seem to focus on Kyle almost exclusively which means that doesn’t get a good feel for his friends or even his wife whose under characterized.  It doesn’t help that she’s played by Sienna Miller who’s not nearly a strong enough actress to believably deliver the emotional moments required.  Some creative choices also left me scratching my head, such as the villainous enemy sniper which was always within earshot of Kyle, regardless of which tour of duty he was on.  Even with its faults, the film does a fine job of honoring Chris Kyle’s memory and legacy. 

B-