MOVIE REVIEW: CHAPPIE

Neill Blomkamp expands on his 2003 short film Neill Blomkamp in this futuristic sci-fi saga written in collaboration with screenwriter Terri Tatchellmore

Director: Neill Blomkamp 

Cast: Sharlto Copley, Dev Patel, Jose Pablo Cantillo, Sigourney Weaver, Hugh Jackman

Release Date: Mar 06, 2015

Rated R for Language, Brief Nudity and Violence

Runtime: 2 hr. 0 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

Chappie is a worrisome film, not because it’s an awful film by any stretch but because it lays bare Blomkamp’s flaws as a director.  Chappie is filled with big ideas but mired by substandard execution and cartoonishly drawn characters.  Casting South African rappers from Die Antwoord is an odd choice made even worse by the fact that they are main characters.  If they’d been supporting characters it might have worked out a bit better for everyone involved.  Dev Patel, Sigourney Weaver and Hugh Jackman (who’s sporting Wolverine’s hairdo in reverse) are saddled by poorly drawn characters who are types instead of well formed characters with depth.  As for Chappie himself, he’s a well formed creation even though he leans a bit too much on the cutesy side than he should.  When all the explosions have ended and the film has run its course you can’t help but wonder if you’ve watched sub par Short Circuit remake.

C+

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Chappie & The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to the cinema--or, as it's more rightly called this weekend, "The Dev Patel Film Festival"--for a pair of unlikely bedfellows: Chappie and The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

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

First on the agenda, Neill Blomkamp's latest, Chappie.

In the not-too-distant future, human police in Johannesburg have been replaced by a robot force. A young programmer poaches a decommissioned police droid and creates the world's first true A.I.
Chappie is no District 9, however hard it might be trying. With that out of the way, it's not the disaster some early notices would have you believe, either.

Starting with the positives: The robot looks great...beautiful motion capture work, with natural movements that should be the envy of those ridiculous Apes movies. Sharlto Copley turns in a fantastic performance as Chappie, completely sympathetic even when he's behaving like the world's most annoying toddler. The story is entertaining, even though it's never too hard to guess what's coming. As a "message" movie, it's a bit ham-handed, but as an A.I. movie, it's waaaaaaay better than Transcendence. (Talk about backhanded praise!) Dev Patel is his usual wide-eyed, earnest self, perfect for a role like this, and Sigourney Weaver...well...especially when it comes to sci-fi, I guess having Sigourney Weaver is always better than NOT having Sigourney Weaver, and at least she hasn't been saddled with a random weird accent (lookin' at you, Jodie Foster!). Hans Zimmer provides a fantastic score, and the interspersed Die Antwoord tunes are ideally suited to the movie's harsh, ugly landscape.

On the negative side, I have to start with Hugh Jackman. Yes, THAT Hugh Jackman, arguably one of the world's most gifted all-around performers. Can we actually be meant to take him seriously here, a silly one-note baddie, stomping about in a mullet and goofy shorts, shooting the camera his best Snidely Whiplash looks?

Did he really read this script and think it was a good idea? I can't imagine. The movie throws a ton of screen time at Die Antwoord's Ninja and Yo-Landi, relying heavily on viewers finding the two super cool and awesome. In fact, they are anything but...unless you're a 14-year-old boy who is endlessly amused by vulgar t-shirts and tattoos of tiny men with giant penises, then, hey, they're super cool and awesome. In fact, all the characters are essentially caricatures of what they're meant to be, and the movie would have done well to dial everyone back a tick. Finally, though the movie never lost my attention, there's no denying the story is predictable and derivative, with a terribly contrived finish that left me rolling my eyes.

Chappie clocks in at 120 minutes and is rated R for "violence, language, and brief nudity."

It's got more problems than a calculus textbook, but I still kinda liked it. Of a possible nine Weasleys,
Chappie gets five.

Next up was The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.

(Or, "The further adventures of Heaven's Waiting Room.")

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was a fantastic film, sweet and sincere, with more feels than the average teenager's Tumblr.

Did it need a sequel? Of course not.

Did it do well enough for everyone to know it was getting a sequel? Well, hey, when this whole group is still kicking three years later, you gotta take it as a sign, eh? There's nothing I can say about the Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel that you don't already know, whether or not you've seen it. The movie features more wisdom from Mrs. Donnelly, more adorableness from Mr. Ainslie, more cougaring from Mrs. Hardcastle, and more well-intentioned shenanigans from Sonny. The age jokes never get old (see what I did there?), and the beautiful colors of India make it a joy to watch. If we're being honest, of course, you could take all that away and still there'd be no going wrong with this cast; they are the most perfectly perfect bunch of perfect to ever grace the silver screen. Special perfection marks to Maggie Smith and Bill Nighy; minus her deadpan delivery and his lovable awkwardness, the movie would definitely be missing its most special pieces.

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel runs 122 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some language and suggestive comments."

The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a charming, funny, moving film, and, if it never takes a turn you didn't expect, maybe you never wanted it to, anyway. Of a possible nine Weasleys, the

Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel gets seven.

Until next time...

I may look harmless, but I'm taking over your cinema!!

Cindy Prascik's Review of Focus

Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to the pictures for Will Smith's latest, Focus.

After a couple weeks' weather-enforced cinema break, I'd probably have dragged out for a rom-com starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Tyler Perry (*shudder*), but luckily this seemed more promising. (PS: I get royalties when somebody makes that rom-com!)

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

Life is a series of scores for a couple con artists, until they cross a dangerous mark.

Getting the bad news out of the way first, the chiefest and greatest flaw of Focus is that it just HAS to be smarter than it is. If we, as viewers, are to buy these two as the world's greatest con artists, then we, as viewers, must be as victims...we can't ever guess what they've got up their sleeves.

Unfortunately, the exact opposite is true...it took me longer to figure out No Good Deed! That's not to say the plot isn't interesting--it's good fun--but if you're waiting for that "A-ha!" moment...well...you're gonna leave the theatre still waiting. For a relatively short movie, it also seems to take very long getting anywhere. I checked the time about an hour in and couldn't believe it wasn't further along.

On the plus side, the movie IS smart enough to lean heavily on the appeal of its two leads, and Will Smith and Margot Robbie have to be among Hollywood's most likeable. Smith, in particular, is just impossibly appealing for me; I root for him no matter what.

This is the sort of role that allows Robbie to run around in all manner of clingy cocktail dress and skimpy swimsuit, and I doubt anyone's got any complaints with that, either. Among the supporting cast, Adrian Martinez plays for laughs, while Gerald McRaney blusters his way through. The movie is thoroughly enjoyable, if never fully engaging.

Focus clocks in at 104 minutes, and is rated R for "language, some sexual content, and brief violence."

It's nothing special, but Focus is a perfectly passable afternoon of entertainment.

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Focus gets five.

Until next time...

What...what? Were you saying something?

MOVIE REVIEW: THE IMITATION GAME

Alan Turing, a pioneer of computers, led a group of scholars to crack the codes of Germany's WWII Enigma machine. A genius under nail-biting pressure helped to save millions of lives and was ultimately convicted for the crime of homosexuality.

Director: Morten Tyldum 

Cast: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Allen Leech, Rory Kinnear, Mark Strong.

Release Date: Nov 28, 2014

Rated: PG-13 for some Sexual References, Mature Thematic Material and Historical Smoking

Runtime: 1 hr. 53 min.

Genres: Drama

Review:

The Imitation Game is a fairly standard biopic that’s finely crafted and well acted even if it’s a bit mechanical at times.  It benefits greatly from some impressive performances by Benedict Cumberbatch and Keira Knightley.  Benedict Cumberbatch captures the sadness, awkwardness and intelligence of Turing with subtle power.  There are moments in the film that provide him a perfect platform to display his immense talent.  The always reliable Keira Knightley is excellent in a supporting role.  It feels like a standard role at first but as the film moves on she’s allowed to flesh out the roles giving us a meatier role that what’s on the page.  The Imitation Game is filled some incredibly tense moments along with a fresh bit of humor sprinkled in, something you wouldn’t expect from this type of film and it’s theme.  The film’s script is filled with tons of parallels and metaphors which will keep your mind churning well after it’s done.  It’s a tragic tale but one that deserved to be told with an excellent and entertaining film.

B+

Cindy Prascik's Oscar Blog with Daniel's thoughts sprinkled in.....

Guys, guys, guyzzzzzzzzzzz...guess what?? I'm snowed in!! You know what that means? Instead of a third screening of Kingsman: The Secret Service (maybe paired with a sneaky peek at McFarlane, USA...admit it, you want to see it too), I'll be stuck at home and bored out of my skull! So, here, have another Oscar blog...because exactly what you needed right now is yet another person's opinion on other people's opinions.

I must admit up front that there are categories where I haven't had access to all of the films, but I can't let that stop me, because...snow day! And who believes Oscar voters actually watch all their screeners anyway? Also, let it be known that I've skipped categories where I haven't seen anything. (Lookin' at you, Short Form Documentary!)

Without further ado...

BEST PICTURE:

What will win: Birdman

What should win: The Imitation Game

What really should win: Calvary

It's no secret I'm appalled at how 2014's best movie was done wrong by awards season. Having said that, my motto for this category is "Anything but Boyhood!" I don't think The Theory of Everything or American Sniper legitimately belong on this list, either, but both are at least good pictures, whereas Boyhood is an unmitigated disaster. Also, for the last time this awards season: it's time to stop the genre snobbery. Guardians of the Galaxy and/or Captain America: The Winter Soldier should at least be nominated here.

DANIEL'S THOUGHTS - Oscars love splitting up Best Picture and Director unless there's a clear winner, Birdman will win meaning director will go to Linklater's Boyhood.

BEST ACTOR IN A LEADING ROLE:

Who will win: Eddie Redmayne

Who should win: Michael Keaton

Who really should win: Brendan Gleeson

Go on, Academy, sit there being wrong in your wrongness!

 DANIEL'S THOUGHTS - Think Michael Keaton is a shoe in.

BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE:

Who will win: Julianne Moore

Who should win: Rosamund Pike

Who really should win: I'm actually okay with any of the ladies in this category. (Hold onto that, it might not happen again!)

DANIEL'S THOUGHTS - Since I haven't seen Julianne Moore's film I really have no idea except to go with the flow and say Moore has it locked up.

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

Who will win: J.K. Simmons

Who should win: J.K. Simmons

Who really should win: Bradley Cooper

I'm sure it was never seriously considered, but Cooper's Rocket was smart, funny, brave, emotional, sincere...and a raccoon. Top that if you can!! I'm also a little bit afraid "Oscar winner" J.K. Simmons might be suddenly unavailable for that Law & Order reboot.

 DANIEL'S THOUGHTS - J.K. is a shoe in and frankly I couldn't be happier since I think he's great but I think Cindy is right, Law & Order The Next Generation is probably out.

BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

Who will win: Patricia Arquette

Who should win: Emma Stone

Who really should win: Emma Stone

I'm good with my gal Emma on this one, though I do think Rene Russo (Nightcrawler) and Kelly Reilly (Calvary) should be among the nominees.

 DANIEL'S THOUGHTS - Arquette is winning because she's getting Boyhood love.  I thought it was a great performance but not the best I've seen this year.  Stone would be a great option.


BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM:

What will win: How to Train Your Dragon 2

What should win: Big Hero 6

What really should win: Big Hero 6

...but I'd be absolutely fine with The Boxtrolls, too. A travesty that The Lego Movie is not among the nominees.

 DANIEL'S THOUGHTS -Sadly I saw none of the nominees which doesn't matter because The Lego Movie should been nominated and won.


CINEMATOGRAPHY:

What will win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

What should win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

What really should win: John Wick

...and how is Nightcrawler not on this list??

 DANIEL'S THOUGHTS -The Grand Budapest Hotel is wonderful but Birdman was kind of magical as well either is fine with me.


COSTUME DESIGN:

What will win: Into the Woods

What should win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

What really should win: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

From the magnificent detail of Thorin's armor to the snugglieness of Bilbo's bathrobe, nobody matches Middle Earth on this one.

 DANIEL'S THOUGHTS -  I actually think The Grand Budapest Hotel has an excellent shot, well deserved too.

DIRECTING:

Who will win: Richard Linklater

Who should win: Wes Anderson

Who really should win: James Gunn

Listen, I'm not casting aspersions on anyone's talent, but if I randomly filmed some strange family for 12 years, I'd be in jail.



 DANIEL'S THOUGHTS - Linklater is getting this for his impressive experiment, it's hard to ignore what he pulled off and I've loved his "Before" films


FILM EDITING:


What will win: Boyhood

What should win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

What really should win: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

I could also be Team Nightcrawler here.

 DANIEL'S THOUGHTS - Birdman really impressed me on so many levels.


MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING:

What will win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

What should win: Guardians of the Galaxy

What really should win: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Middle Earth is unparalleled in the artistic categories.

 DANIEL'S THOUGHTS - More than happy if Budapest wins....


MUSIC (ORIGINAL SCORE):

What will win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

What should win: Interstellar

What really should win: 300: Rise of an Empire

...and I'd also be good with Henry Jackman's Winter Soldier score here.

MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG):

What will win: Glory

What should win: Everything is Awesome

What really should win: Everything is Awesome

The Academy just has to throw The Lego Movie a bone here.

 DANIEL'S THOUGHTS - In total agreement, everything is awesome should win just so we can say Oscar Winner Andy Samburg.

PRODUCTION DESIGN:

What will win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

What should win: The Grand Budapest Hotel

What really should win: John Wick

...again, how is Nightcrawler not on this list??
  
 DANIEL'S THOUGHTS - Another one for Budapest

SOUND EDITING:

What will win: Interstellar

What should win: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

What really should win: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

Obviously, I'm good with #OneLastOscar for Jackson's Middle Earth.

 DANIEL'S THOUGHTS -Interstellar will win, I know because of the ringing in my ear....


SOUND MIXING:

What will win: Interstellar

What should win: American Sniper

What really should win: The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies

I thought it was great. So sue me.

 DANIEL'S THOUGHTS -American Sniper should win, excellent sound mixing if you ask me but Birdman's beats are still in my head.  

VISUAL EFFECTS:

What will win: Interstellar

What should win: X-Men: Days of Future Past

What really should win: X-Men: Days of Future Past

Time in a Bottle. That is all.

 DANIEL'S THOUGHTS - Guardians of the Galaxy deserves this to be honest, it's effects are just fantastic!


WRITING (ADAPTED SCREENPLAY):

What will win: The Theory of Everything

What should win: The Imitation Game

What really should win: Guardians of the Galaxy

In for a dime, in for a dollar, right?

 DANIEL'S THOUGHTS - Theory or Imitation would be great choices.


WRITING (ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY):

What will win: Birdman

What should win: Birdman

What really should win: Birdman/Grand Budapest Hotel

...but this is another "Anything but Boyhood!" category for me!

 DANIEL'S THOUGHTS - Keeping my Birdman love going


So, there you have it. Discussion is, of course, welcome.

Hope everyone enjoys the Oscars!

Until next time...

Repent, Academy, for thou hast screwed the pooch on this one!

 DANIEL'S THOUGHTS - I really need to see Calvary

Cindy Prascik's Review of Kingsman: The Secret Service

Dearest Blog, yesterday it was off to the cinema for a picture totally worth braving the elements: Kingsman: The Secret Service.

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

A young man headed down the wrong path is recruited as an international super-secret agent.

Dear reader(s), to say I was eagerly anticipating Kingsman: The Secret Service would be the grossest of understatements. In fact, I bought tickets, sight unseen, to watch it back to back, a feat previously achieved only by movies featuring a certain caped crusader. I am pleased to report the film does not disappoint.

Kingsman: The Secret Service is a comic-book movie for grownups. It's fun and funny and crass at times, but it's got a mature feel that has more to do with adult themes than with the film's f-word fueled R rating.

Kingsman features end-to-end action, including brilliantly-choreographed fight scenes, some terrific stunt driving, and even a bit of gymnastics, but it's never in a hurry just to jump from fight to fight, chase to chase; there's a STORY here.

The clever inclusion of just the right tunes in just the right places--tunes most of us likely never would have thought to put in said places--is the best I've seen outside an Edgar Wright picture. Colin Firth is a debonair gentleman spy; in fact, he makes it hard to imagine anyone else ever could have inhabited the film's leading role. Relative newcomer Taron Edgerton seems bound for superstardom if this turn as a smart, cocky ne'er-do-well turned secret agent is any indication.

The supporting cast is uniformly stellar, and, if I had one teensy complaint about this near-perfect movie, it's that I sure would have liked to see more Jack Davenport.

Kingsman: The Secret Service clocks in at 129 minutes and is rated R for "sequences of strong violence, language, and some sexual content."

As a wise friend predicted, of a possible nine Weasleys, Kingsman: The Secret Service gets all nine.

It's a  smart, funny, self-aware spy thriller that proves pushing the envelope has legitimate value and doesn't have to be just to shock.

Until next time...

50 Shades of Who Cares...this is how to be smokin' hot in a suit and tie!