MOVIE REVIEW: DIRTY GRANDPA

Straight-laced lawyer Jason (Zac Efron) goes on a road trip to Daytona Beach with his horndog grandfather Dick (Robert De Niro), who was recently widowed and is eager to party hard on spring break now that he's a single man. Along the way, Dick prods Jason to let loose and have fun, and tries to convince him that he shouldn't get married to his controlling fiancée (Julianne Hough). Aubrey Plaza, Dermot Mulroney, Zoey Deutch, Jason Mantzoukas, and Adam Pally co-star. Directed by Dan Mazer. ~ Jack Rodgers, Rovi

Director: Dan Mazer

Cast: Robert De Niro, Zac Efron, Julianne Hough, Aubrey Plaza, Dermot Mulroney

Release Date: Jan 22, 2016

Rated R for crude sexual content throughout, graphic nudity, and for language and drug use.

Runtime: 1 hr. 42 min.

Genres: Comedy

Review:

If you walk out of Dirty Granpa offended then I’m not sure exactly what you were expecting.  It’s a crude vulgar comedy that always shoots for the lowest common denominator.  It hits its marks a handful of times due to the cast and Dan Mazer’s speedy direction.  Mazer doesn’t let his film linger too long on anything.  As a result, you almost don’t notice the clichéd characters and paper thin story.  It’s easy to forget when you see Robert De Niro and Zac Efron clearly having a blast film the bawdy comedy.  Some have decried the downfall of De Niro with roles like these but he seems to really enjoy them otherwise he wouldn’t make as many of them, it helps that he’s got some comedic chops.  So personally, I don’t fault him too much.  Efron does a solid job of playing the straight man to De Niro’s wild man.  The film is helped along by a strong supporting turn from Aubrey Plaza who deserves more movie roles to take advance of her comedic talents.  All in all, Dirty Grandpa isn’t anymore or less than it says it is.  It won’t be a classic but it’s good for a chuckle.

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: 13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is an action thriller based on the 2014 non-fiction book written by journalist Mitchell Zuckoff with the Annex Security Team. The film depicts the harrowing true story of the attack on a CIA annex in Benghazi, Libya, on September 11, 2012, which killed four Americans. After the assault begins, a U.S. Special Ops team are sent to the annex to protect those still trapped within the compound. Directed by Michael Bay, the film stars John Krasinski, James Badge Dale, and Pablo Schreiber. ~ Tom Ciampoli, Rovi

Director: Michael Bay

Cast: John Krasinski, Pablo Schreiber, James Badge Dale, Max Martini, Toby Stephens

Release Date: Jan 15, 2016

Rated R for strong combat violence throughout, bloody images, and language.

Runtime: 2 hr. 24 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi is a surprisingly mature and somewhat restrained effort from bombastic director Michael Bay.  It still has many of the hallmarks of most of Bay’s work but it’s not as garish as it’s been in his most recent films.  Bay doesn’t take any time before he throws the audience into a series of well choreographed action sequences which make up the better part of the films runtime.  The characters don’t get nearly as much time as they deserve to get properly fleshed out and what little characterization there is falls into some well worn clichés.  It’s a shame Bay didn’t spend more time with some of these characters because John Krasinski and James Badge Dale are game with their performances.  You get the feeling that if they had a bit more to work with we might have had something more meaningful.  As it is Bay gives us a solid auctioneer that feels like a modern day Alamo on more than a few occasion.  It’s a tad overlong and some clunky dialogue hampers some of the slower sections.  Even though it’s an imperfect film it still qualifies as one of Michael Bay’s best films in recent memory.

B-

Cindy Prascik's Review of Spotlight & The Danish Girl

 

 

Dearest Blog: Yesterday I had the opportunity to catch a couple of awards darlings before they're chased out of town by Adam Sandler or Transformers 47: The Search for Shia LeBeouf. On the docket: Spotlight and The Danish Girl. Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers. 

 

First up: Spotlight. The Boston Globe exposes the cover-up of a horrifying pattern of sexual abuse by Catholic priests. Spotlight is simultaneously one of the most brilliant and one of the most difficult-to-watch movies I've ever seen. 

 

The events depicted in the film turned my stomach more than any death-defying stunt or gratuitous gore, not just a systematic failure to protect the defenseless, but, worse, a conspiracy to hide and excuse (EXCUSE!) such abuse. 

 

Performances are top notch across the board, with Mark Ruffalo especially impressive in what amounts to the leading role among the strong ensemble. Liev Schreiber is outstanding as always in a smaller part, one of the top five actors in the world, for my money. 

 

The plot is gripping, as the reporters dig deeper and deeper into a plot that reaches higher and higher into the hierarchy of the Catholic Church. Despite a runtime that's well over two hours, I was riveted the entire time, even though I wanted to scream at the screen as family members, Church authorities, and legal officials made excuses and attempted to keep the story from getting out. 

 

As the end credits began to roll, and the film presented a list of the many, many communities impacted by this epidemic, I was overcome with grief, not only for what happened, but for how much could have been prevented. 

 

I cannot remember the last time a movie left me this angry and heartbroken. Spotlight runs 128 minutes and is rated R for "some language, including sexual references." 

 

This year's Oscar Best Picture race is a tight one, but Spotlight has won my heart and my vote. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, Spotlight gets nine. 

 

Next on my agenda: The Danish Girl. Oscar winner Eddie Redmayne stars as transgender pioneer Lili Elbe. 

 

Whereas Spotlight is a captivating story featuring stunning acting, The Danish Girl is mostly noteworthy for the performances alone. 

 

The story itself *should* be fascinating, but, as told here, is just slow and somewhat dull. 

 

Though much decorated, I find Eddie Redmayne an awkward performer, almost painful to watch in this film. It's undeniably a brave performance, but I'm not sure it's a great one. 

 

Ben Whishaw, delightful in a smaller role, would have been far more effective in the lead, if you ask me. (And, if you're reading this, I guess you're asking me!) 

 

Alicia Vikander is stellar, really a co-lead even though she's been considered a "supporting" player for awards purposes, and Amber Heard provides some welcome light in what's overall a pretty angsty tale. 

 

The film boasts beautiful locations and a lovely score, and, though we may have a long way to go, it's a nice reminder of just how far the world has come on the issues faced by transgender individuals. 

 

The Danish Girl clocks in at 119 minutes and is rated R for "for some sexuality and full nudity." (And they really, really mean that last bit!) 

 

Though sluggishly paced, The Danish Girl is worth seeing for its solid performances and important subject matter. 

 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Danish Girl gets six. 

 

Until next time..

Cindy Prascik's Review of The Revenant

Dearest Blog: After suffering through The Hateful Eight on New Year's Day, a short-and-cheery flick would have been welcome this week. 

Alas, Oscar nominations drop Thursday, so instead I found myself at Marquee Cinemas for another marathon of misery, The Revenant. Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers. Survival and revenge are a long and painful road for a man who has lost everything. 

Dear reader(s): When I tell you The Revenant is miserable, I mean that happy is not in its dictionary. I do not mean I didn't like it; on the contrary, I absolutely loved it. 

Most news about The Revenant focuses on the physical difficulties of making the picture, no doubt to convince the Academy that Leonardo DiCaprio deserves that elusive Best Actor trophy. DiCaprio's Oscar desperation is so palpable the movie might as well have been called, "Please Let Me Win This Time." 

Luckily, his performance is mostly brilliant, dipping only the occasional toe into unintentional comedy with his overacting. (To clarify, Leo's deserved an Oscar since Gilbert Grape, but he definitely sells it a little too hard at times.) Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, and Will Poulter are equally fantastic, with far less histrionics. 

The story is fascinating, beautifully told, but full of deception and brutality. A lovely score underlines the film, taking a quiet backseat but for its powerful climax. The Revenant's real stars, however, are its stunning locations and the expertise with which they're filmed. Magnificent snowy mountains, icy rivers, and majestic forests are presented in such striking big-screen glory it takes your breath away. 

I'd ordinarily complain about a runtime so far in excess of two hours, but I happily could have watched two more hours of this beauty. The Revenant runs 156 minutes and is rated R for "strong frontier combat and violence, including gory images, a sexual assault, language, and brief nudity." The Revenant doesn't have many flaws, but, if we're being honest, I'd have forgiven it just about anything for its visual splendor alone. 

Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Revenant gets eight and a half. 

(Small bonus for having an actual Weasley!) Until next time... 

MOVIE REVIEW: THE REVENANT

In 1820s America, frontiersman and fur trapper Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) joins a pelt-gathering expedition along with his teenage son Hawk (Forrest Goodluck). When attacks by Arikara Indians claim the lives of many of the men in the party, Glass leads a small group on a new path back to a U.S. fort. While attempting to hunt game on the journey, Glass is mauled by a grizzly bear and horribly wounded. Assumed he'll be dead soon, Glass is left under the care of roughneck John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy), and the young and inexperienced Jim Bridger (Will Poulter) as Hawk watches on in horror. Fitzgerald betrays Glass and leaves him for dead, alone and unarmed. Glass nurses himself back to health and charts a course of revenge. Alejandro González Iñárritu directed this pulse-pounding epic. ~ Daniel Gelb, Rovi

Director: Alejandro González Iñárritu

Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Lukas Haas

Rated R for strong frontier combat and violence including gory images, a sexual assault, language 

and brief nudity

Runtime: 2 hr. 36 min.

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller

Review:

Alejandro González Iñárritu’s follow up to last years Oscar winning Birdman is beautiful film which shows you a lot more than it ever tells you.  Iñárritu leans on symbolism and some quasi spiritual visions more than outright exposition throughout, leaving us with a soulful, if grittier, Jack London style story.  The bear attach scene and the opening attach sequence, which looks like it’s shot in a single take, will leave the biggest impression but at its base it’s a straightforward revenge tale with very little else going on.  Its bear bones approach might turn off some since it only gives us passing details of DiCaprio’s character but never goes into much detail about it.  DiCaprio’s performance is mostly based off grunts and screams intermixed with passing bits of dialogue.  He’s impressively committed to the roles especially through the adverse conditions he went through while filming the movie.  While, DiCaprio is excellent, I left the film more impressed by Tom Hardy’s performance.  Hardy is a given a slightly meatier role, so much so that sometimes he feels like the main character more so than DicCaprio’s.  It’s an interesting juxtaposition to watch, each succeeds, along with the film.  The Revenant falls just short of reaching the level of Birdman but still an impressive bit of film making none the less.

B

MOVIE REVIEW: THE HATEFUL EIGHT

The passengers, bounty hunter John Ruth and his fugitive Daisy Domergue, race towards the town of Red Rock where Ruth, known in these parts as “The Hangman,” will bring Domergue to justice. Along the road, they encounter two strangers: Major Marquis Warren, a black former union soldier turned infamous bounty hunter, and Chris Mannix, a southern renegade who claims to be the town’s new Sheriff. Losing their lead on the blizzard, Ruth, Domergue, Warren and Mannix seek refuge at Minnie's Haberdashery, a stagecoach stopover on a mountain pass. When they arrive at Minnie’s, they are greeted not by the proprietor but by four unfamiliar faces. Bob, who’s taking care of Minnie’s while she’s visiting her mother, is holed up with Oswaldo Mobray, the hangman of Red Rock, cow-puncher Joe Gage, and Confederate General Sanford Smithers . As the storm overtakes the mountainside stopover, our eight travelers come to learn they may not make it to Red Rock after all…

Director: Quentin Tarantino    

Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Walton Goggins, Demián Bichir.

Release Date: Dec 25, 2015    

Rated R for Strong Bloody Violence, Some Graphic Nudity, Language and Violent Sexual Content.    

Runtime: 2 hr. 47 min.    

Genres: Action/Adventure, Suspense/Thriller    

Review:

The Hateful Eight will probably end up being one of Quentin Tarantino’s most divisive films of his careers.  Personally I found plenty to love here as he pulls from Sergio Leone with a healthy dose of Agatha Christie but it’s a slow burn sort of film.  It’s easy to see why many people could be turned off.  The film plays out like a cinematic stage play with a heavy focus on dialogue and characters.  As always Tarantino brings out the best in his actors, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Walton Goggins benefit the most here, even while they’re playing some fairly despicable characters.  Each character is a fascinating twisted sort that populates most of Tarantino’s films but with an old west slant.  Watching him sets them up in a twist version of Twelve Angry Men with a healthier dose of blood and carnage especially in the final act.  The final act does sort take a different tone as things get more extreme and violent which might turn off some people but it’s just Tarantino  being Tarantino, grindhouse will always be in his blood.

B+