MOVIE REVIEW: STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKEN

In this continuation of the epic space opera, a downed stormtrooper (John Boyega) goes on a journey that brings him face-to-face with heroes from the past (Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill). Directed by J.J. Abrams. ~ Violet LeVoit, Rovi

Director: J.J. Abrams

Cast: Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Adam Driver, Domhnall Gleeson, Harrison Ford, 

Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher

Release Date: Dec 17, 2015

Rated PG-13

Runtime: 2 hr. 16 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi/Fantasy

Review:

Star Wars: The Force Awakens is probably one of the most hyped movies in recent memory and the question quickly arises, can it possibly live up to the hype.  It does to a certain extent but it’s far from a perfect delivery.  The good news is that J.J. Abrams brings back the sense of fun and wonderment to the series that was sorely lacking from the prequels.  Abrams has a clear affection for the franchise, countless youtube videos will soon be dedicated to dissecting shots that reference the original trilogy, and it shines through the screen and through the plot.  It’s both a love letter to Star Wars: A New Hope and a redux of it.  Even if the nostalgia is a bit much at times, Abrams knows how to keep the film fun with plenty of space battles and adventure.  The new and old characters mesh surprisingly well even if the Daisy Ridley and John Boyega scale closer to Luke Skywalker than Han Solo.  Boyega does stand out with his comedic timing which is used throughout the film.  A persistently sweaty Ridley does a solid if unremarkable job.  Oscar Isaac on the other hand plays the most intriguing new character in the film.  He’s so impressive that you can’t help but wish that he was the main character instead of a supporting one.  The returning cast does well as expected with Harrison Ford impressively easing back into his Solo character and providing a solid center to the whole film.  Adam Driver on the other hand is a mixed bag as the new baddie Kylo Ren.  He’s world more effective when he’s in full character.  The mystique they work to create during the first two acts is kind thrown to the wayside when he’s unmasked and we’re left with an all too familiar whiny child with Driver’s face.  This is part of the persistent problem with the film, it lack any real surprise because it telegraphs “surprises” from miles away.  The only way you’d really not see them coming would be if you showed up late or fell asleep for some reason.  That’s not even to mention the Death Star, hey lets make it huge this time that’ll work, device that used again.  Still, even with it’s faults The Force Awakens delivers what people expected from the prequels, a fun adventure back in this universe.

B+

Cindy Prascik's Review of Brooklyn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dearest Blog: Awards Season means sacrifices. 

 

Anyone who suffered through Boyhood can tell you that. Thus, yesterday I found myself at the icky cinema where my feet stick to the floor and the toilets never work to catch Brooklyn before Star Wars chases it out of town for good.

 

Spoiler level here will be mild, probably nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers if you've seen any, which I haven't.

 

A young Irish girl seeks opportunity in 1950s Brooklyn.

 

A list of the sort of films I most despise would look something like this:

 

1.) Movies about women;

 

2.) Movies for women;

 

3.) Movies by women;

 

4.) Movies about romance;

5.) Movies where nothing blows up.

 

Brooklyn is most of those things, but, somehow, I liked it anyway.

 

Brooklyn manages to tell its love story sans the manufactured angst that dumbs down most romances to a Nicholas Sparks level. 

 

The movie is an effective reminder of a time when going away meant *really* being apart from everyone and everything you knew and loved...no Facebook or Skype for keeping up with the folks back home. The heartache is palpable, as is the joy at finding that special someone that turns a new place into "home." 

 

Sincere, engaging performances by Saoirse Ronan and Emory Cohen, and fantastic supporting turns by Julie Walters and Jim Broadbent, make it easy to see why this little love story is considered one of the year's best pictures.

 

Brooklyn clocks in at 111 minutes and is rated PG13 for "a scene of sexuality and brief strong language." 

 

A romance that could make me forget I hate romances, Brooklyn is a wonder to behold. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Brooklyn gets seven and a half.

 

Until next time...

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Suffragette & In the Heart of the Sea

Dearest Blog: yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas for a double-feature of Suffragette and In the Heart of the Sea, or, as I like to call it, the Ben Whishaw Film Festival. Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers. 

 Yesterday's opening act: Suffragette. The war for equal voting rights has a great personal cost for the women fighting it. Regular reader(s) will be well aware that Suffragette is hardly my kind of movie. 

It's about women. It stars Carey Mulligan, whom I loathe. No cities get crushed by aliens or giant robots...and I don't even know what the filmmakers were thinking there, as surely giant robots could have facilitated voting rights much more quickly than a few rocks through windows! 

At any rate, it's awards season and we all must make sacrifices, so, Suffragette it was. I'm pleased to report I didn't hate it. The bad news is, obviously, Carey Mulligan. If the woman were any more bland she'd be invisible, and, since she's the primary star of the film, it's a little hard to get around that. 

The good news is, she's surrounded by people who do a pretty good job of getting around it, including Helena Bonham-Carter, my beloved Ben Whishaw, the brilliant Brendan Gleeson, Romola Garai, and Meryl Streep, doing her very best impersonation of Mother Nature in A Year Without a Santa Claus. 

All in all, it's pretty easy to forget about Mulligan, which is probably not what the "star" of any movie wants to hear. In typical British fashion, Suffragette understatedly tackles an epic story; no one will be unaware that this fight was eventually won, but the movie plays out the victory sans the fireworks and trumpet fanfare that surely would have concluded an American telling of the tale. 

Finally, though it's mostly talkey rather than actioney, the film moves at a good clip and is smart enough not to bog down and wear out its welcome. Suffragette runs 106 minutes and is rated PG13 for "some intense violence, thematic elements, brief strong language, and partial nudity." 

Suffragette is a well-paced, finely-acted reminder of the cost of standing up for what matters, and why it's worth it. 

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

Yesterday's headliner: In the Heart of the Sea. The kinda-sorta true story of the kinda-sorta true story that inspired the classic novel Moby Dick. 

By now anyone reading this likely will have heard that In the Heart of the Sea is being pummeled by critics and sinking at the box office (see what I did there?), the second "serious" project fronted by Chris Hemsworth to achieve these dubious honors. 

Hemsworth isn't a terrible actor, though his accent is all over the place, but I think perception of him is a big part of In the Heart of the Sea's biggest problem, that is: the movie just doesn't know what it's supposed to be. Inspired by a literary legend and dropped smack-dab into the middle of awards season, the supporting cast is littered with some of moviedom's most talented actors, but in the end it can't help itself being a big-budget actioner with a Marvel hero front and center. 

It's a little like that Benghazi trailer, which looks serious as a heart attack until it says "Directed by Michael Bay," and then you chuckle quietly and check your phone one last time before the feature begins. Brendan Gleeson, who deserved an Oscar last year for Calvary (still holding a grudge, thank you), is (again) nothing short of brilliant, as is the always-stellar Cillian Murphy. 

Ben Whishaw is terrific, because Ben Whishaw is always terrific, though this role hardly stretches his abilities. I'm also delighted to see that Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter (which, for the record, I loved) hasn't killed Benjamin Walker's career, though it looks like he's gonna give career-suicide another go with that Nicholas Sparks movie next year. 

*sigh* I saw In the Heart of the Sea in 2D, and, outside of a bit of wonky green screen, it looks great, but I didn't notice anything that would be appreciably better for seeing it in 3D. In the Heart of the Sea isn’t short on superficial assets--great water and disaster effects, nice cinematography, stupidly handsome principals--but under the surface there's little to get or hold your attention. 

The unfortunate truth is the film is rather dull. In the Heart of the Sea clocks in at 121 minutes and is rated PG13 for "intense sequences of action and peril, brief startling violence, and thematic material." 

If there's one thing a movie about a boatload of hot dudes getting attacked by a giant whale should never be, it's boring; sadly, that's exactly what In the Heart of the Sea is. 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, In the Heart of the Sea gets five. 

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: IN THE HEART OF THE SEA,

Director: Ron Howard     

Cast: Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Cillian Murphy, Ben Whishaw, Tom Holland

Release Date: Dec 11, 2015 RealD 3D    

Rated PG-13 for intense Sequences of Peril, Intense Sequences of Action, Brief Startling Violence 

and Thematic Material.    

Runtime: 2 hr. 2 min.    

Genres: Action/Adventure    

Review:

In the Heart of the Sea is a serviceable film that sadly never achieves the epic scope it aspires to.  Ron Howard, workman as always, diligently directs his film with a clear earnestness which shines through the filming.  It’s a fine looking film, occasionally bogged down by some shoddy looking CGI, that does nearly everything we ask from our films but it just seems to be missing something.  The characters and tension is poorly drawn with little to no depth on either end.  Chris Hemsworth looks the part but his character, the proto Ahab, isn’t very compelling or interesting.  The supporting characters is a venerable whose who of strong actors and all of them end up in thankless roles, particularly Brendan Gleeson and Cillian Murphy.  The film does perk up a bit during the pivotal whale act which is much more thrilling than the rest of the film combined. 

C+

Cindy Prascik's Reviews of The Good Dinosaur and Krampus

 

Dearest Blog: After a weekend on the town, yesterday it was off to Marquee Cinemas to make up for lost time with The Good Dinosaur and Krampus.

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

First up: The Good Dinosaur.

A young dinosaur learns to face his fears.

There's no getting around it: The Good Dinosaur is kind of a stinker. Animation doesn't always have to be game-changing--I mean, I quickly forgave a sub-par outing from our little yellow friends the Minions because they're adorable--but I feel like it should at least be cute and fun. 

The problem with The Good Dinosaur is there's almost nothing to like, and certainly nothing to like enough to make amends for what's not to like. The characters aren't cute at all, and the voices--though they include mighty talents like Sam Elliott and Frances McDormand--nearly annoyed me right out of the room. 

Outside of some nifty water effects, the artwork and animation are ho-hum, and the movie's message is heavy-handed. Sadly, The Good Dinosaur was about the least-enjoyable time I've had at the movies this year.

The Good Dinosaur runs 93 minutes and is rated PG for, "peril, action, and thematic elements." The film is accompanied by a trippy little short called Sanjay's Super-Team, which adds about seven minutes to the total runtime.

Gotta be honest: while watching The Good Dinosaur, I was rooting for the asteroid. 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The good Dinosaur gets two.

Next on the day's schedule, the holiday horror-comedy Krampus.

A family pays the price for having lost the true spirit of Christmas.

Unless I have an ulterior motive (read: one of my favorite actors has a role), I seldom bother with horror movies, as I almost always find them stupid and not at all scary.  

Benefitting from a fun trailer and a weak schedule of new releases, Krampus became the exception to my rule, and I'm pleased to report I didn't have reason to regret it.

There are no A-Listers, but Krampus boasts a great cast and the performances are quite good. Kid actors can be hit or miss, but the adorable Emjay Anthony is a nice surprise in what essentially amounts to the lead. 

If I was never really scared, the movie still does a great job of maintaining tension, and the monsters are genuinely creepy. In fact, the entire look of the film is exquisite, from the festive holiday decor to cold, snowy exteriors, to some pretty badass baddies. 

The laughs are equally solid and well timed, making Krampus a truly entertaining outing.

Krampus clocks in at 98 minutes, and is rated PG13 for, "sequences of horror violence/terror, language, and some drug material."

It may never become *that* classic you watch with grandma every Christmas Eve, but Krampus is good holiday fun. 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Krampus gets six.

Until next time...

MOVIE REVIEW: CREED

Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) never knew his famous father, world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, who died before he was born. Still, there’s no denying that boxing is in his blood, so Adonis heads to Philadelphia, the site of Apollo Creed’s legendary match with a tough upstart named Rocky Balboa. Once in the City of Brotherly Love, Adonis tracks Rocky (Sylvester Stallone) down and asks him to be his trainer. Despite his insistence that he is out of the fight game for good, Rocky sees in Adonis the strength and determination he had known in Apollo—the fierce rival who became his closest friend. Agreeing to take him on, Rocky trains the young fighter, even as the former champ is battling an opponent more deadly than any he faced in the ring. With Rocky in his corner, it isn’t long before Adonis gets his own shot at the title...but can he develop not only the drive but also the heart of a true fighter, in time to get into the ring?

Director: Ryan Coogler

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad, Ritchie Coster

Release Date: Nov 25, 2015

Rated PG-13 Violence, Some Sensuality and Language

Runtime: 2 hr. 13 min.

Genres: Drama

Review:

Ryan Coogler’s Creed is one of the rare sports films that works for an actual sports fan.  It’s structure is very similar to the past Rocky movies and there isn’t much surprise about what goes down during it’s somewhat extended runtime.  Still it works on various levels because of some excellent direction and strong performances from Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone.  Coogler pulls off an effective redux of the original Rocky story that’s engaging enough to keep everyone engaged throughout.  It’s clear that Coogler is a big fan of the original film and it come through the screen.  Michael B. Jordan is focused and believable as the upcoming boxing trying to make a name for himself.  The real surprise though is Stallone who delivers one of his best performances in years.  It’s been so long since Stallone has fallen into a parody of himself that it’s easy to forget that he was a capable actor at one point.  Stallone’s work is heartfelt and reflective.  He and Jordan share some solid chemistry together making it easy to care about their journey.  Creed isn’t a perfect film though.  The structure is very well worn and characters seem to appear and disappear regularly with Phylicia Rashad left acting alone reacting to a TV.  Its far from a fatal flaw but it does feel like a missed opportunity to expand on certain relationships and characters.  As a boxing fan, nothing takes me out of a film quicker than staged fights that instantly feel inauthentic.  It’s a difficult thing to pull off because of the nature of the sport but Creed does an excellent job of pulling off the illusion for the most part, there’s rarely that much chatting between rounds from the fighters.  As a whole though, Creed finds the essence of the original film which isn’t a small feat considering this is 7^th entry in the long running franchise.  

B