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Sunday, September 20, 2015
Cindy Prascik's Reviews of Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials & Black Mass
Dearest Blog: Yesterday it was off to the pictures for a double-feature that, if we're being honest, was only ever about Johnny Depp. On the docket: the second installment in the Maze Runner series, The Scorch Trials, and the Depp vehicle Black Mass.
Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.
First up: The Scorch Trials.
Having escaped the maze, Thomas and company face new threats on several fronts.
I hated the first Maze Runner so much that I was actively rooting for the maze to just go ahead and crush everyone. It was mostly the promise of Aiden Gillen, and the fact there was nothing else to round out a double-bill, that convinced me to drop seven bucks on Scorch Trials. This one's not a great movie, either, but I'm pleased to report I very much preferred it to its predecessor; at times it strangely even reminded me of one of my 80s favorites, the Lost Boys, by way of Wayward Pines.
Some welcome new faces turn up--in addition to Gillen, Barry Pepper also features--and the returning kids have settled into an easy flow that works in the movie's favor. Thomas Brodie-Sangster is always a delight, and, according to some Internet quiz, Dylan O'Brien is my celebrity boyfriend, so...well...I guess it's good to know who that guy is, then. (Celebrity boyfriend? I could be his MOTHER!!) There were a couple dramatic "impact" shots that were probably a bit hokey, but that I especially loved. Tension is well-maintained, though sadly offset by cheap haunted house jump-scares at times.
Scorch Trials is too long by a good 20-25 minutes, and many too-dark scenes with annoyingly jiggly camera work are such a jumble it's hard to even tell who's who, yet I can't pretend I was bored or I didn't enjoy the movie; on the contrary, I must grudgingly admit to liking it.
The Scorch Trials runs 131 minutes and is rated PG13 for "extended sequences of violence and action, some thematic elements, substance abuse, and language."
It's no Hunger Games, but Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials wasn't nearly as bad as I'd feared.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Scorch Trials gets five.
Rounding out yesterday's double-header was the mobster drama Black Mass.
A violent criminal from South Boston uses his informant status to further his own agenda.
Black Mass is being touted as Johnny Depp's return to "serious" acting. For the record, let it be noted that this reviewer does not value dramatic performances over comedic ones; as a longtime Depp fan, my problem with his recent choices has been not the type of project, but the quality...and I'm one of the few who even admits to enjoying Mortdecai! Black Mass represents a fantastic turn by Johnny in a pretty solid movie, and, for Depp Devotees, it's been awhile since we've had one of those.
Black Mass is a slow burner, and I can almost understand why some folks have been impressed with the performances but underwhelmed by the whole. For myself, though, I loved it. If the movie's not in a hurry to get anywhere, it never wanders aimlessly or wastes time either. It runs a little over two hours and could probably have been trimmed a bit, but doesn't seem like it *needed* to come in shorter. The film is violent, of course, though not unnecessarily gory, and the writing is sharp and smart. The cast is uniformly excellent, but, as is ever the case, nobody compares to Johnny Depp, and I do mean nobody.
While Gary Oldman has long been my favorite actor, it's Depp who's been perched atop my Acting Holy Trinity for three decades now, for my money, the greatest actor in all the world. Depp tends to details like no other, perfect accents and mannerisms, with innumerable small touches that might overtly go unnoticed, but that add layer upon layer to every single performance. A scene early in the movie that focuses on Bulger's facial expressions, reacting to a companion's terrible table manners, is a perfect example; I happily could have watched two hours of just that, and it was only the beginning.
Black Mass clocks in at 122 minutes and is rated R for "brutal violence, language throughout, some sexual references, and brief drug use."
It's not quite perfect, but Black Mass represents a definite win for Johnny Depp, an award-worthy lead in a genuinely good movie.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, Black Mass gets seven and a half.
Until next time...
N
MOVIE REVIEW: BLACK MASS
The true story of one of America's
most violent and infamous gangsters, Whitey Bulger. Johnny Depp stars as
Bulger, who was the brother of a state senator and was eventually convinced to
wear a wire for the FBI to bring down the Italian mafia in Boston
after they invaded his territory. Scott Cooper directs, with Mark Mallouk
penning the screenplay based on Dick Lehr and Gerald O'Neill's 2001 best-seller
Black Mass: The True Story of An Unholy Alliance Between The FBI and The Irish
Mob. ~ Daniel Gelb, Rovi
Director: Scott Cooper
Cast: Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch, Jesse Plemons,
Joel Edgerton
Release Date: Sep
18, 2015
Rated: R for brutal Violence, Language Throughout, Some
Sexual References and Brief Drug Use
Runtime: 2 hr. 2 min.
Genres: Action/Adventure, Drama
Review:
Black Mass is an engaging gangster film that’s gripping
enough to keep your attention for most of its 2 hour run time. Its greatest assets are it’s actors with
Johnny Depp delivering some of his best work in years. Depp is fully committed to the role, losing
himself into it easily. It’s a
fascinating character study and Depp’s performance gives the audience a strong
sense of what the real man was like, to a chilling degree. Depp will be getting a lot of positive
returns for his work but Joel Edgerton is just as good playing the FBI agent
who partners with Bulger. Edgerton is an
incredibly talented actor who easy to overlook because he eases into his
characters so well. His turn here is
fantastic giving you a strong sense of why the character’s broken logic made
sense to him ultimately leading him to his downfall. Benedict Cumberbatch is a strong supporting
character even if it takes a moment for your mind to wrap around his Boston
accent which is great but sounds strange coming out of his mouth. Sadly, he’s under used and his character is
underdeveloped. Scott Cooper does solid
work throughout, keeping a steady pace but he can’t quite overcome the film’s
biggest drawback which is something totally out of his control. In the end, it’s a well worn story that
doesn’t deliver any surprises. It’s a
strong film all around but it’s been done countless times.
B
Sunday, September 13, 2015
Cindy Prascik's Reviews of A Walk in the Woods & The Transporter Refueled
Dearest Blog, being on my deathbed last weekend, I missed out on my weekly trip to the cinema.
Hollywood very thoughtfully released only crap this weekend to give me a chance to catch up.
Thanks, Hollywood!
First on my agenda: A Walk in the Woods.
Two older men attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail.
If you take Wild, subtract annoying women who say things like, "I've never been in the driver's seat of my own life!" and add two pretty cool old dudes, you've got A Walk in the Woods. It's not normally the kind of picture I'd need to see on a big screen, but the lure of Robert Redford is strong. He shares excellent camaraderie with co-star Nick Nolte, and their banter is mostly good fun. There are a couple moments where the writing seems a bit awkward, and the movie runs maybe just a hair too long, but otherwise the men's adventure is both funny and uplifting.
A Walk in the Woods runs 104 minutes and is rated R for "language and some sexual references."
Despite its cast's pedigree, this film isn't likely to scare up any awards attention, but throw in some lovely scenery and a bit of screen time for the wonderful Emma Thompson, and it's still an entertaining couple hours.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, A Walk in the Woods gets six.
Next up: The Transporter Refueled.
Cars, cars, chicks, cars, cars, cars, fight scene, cars, fight scene, chicks, cars, cars, cars.
Disclaimer: I missed maybe the first five minutes of The Transporter Refueled. A lousy schedule left me the choice of slightly too little time between shows, or two hours between shows, and, frankly, I didn't care enough about either of these movies to waste two extra hours. I'm telling myself there was something in those first five minutes to keep this from being the worst movie ever made, but I don't think I believe myself.
The thing about the Transporter movies is: they're silly. Of course they're silly. But when you've got the right person at the fore (*cough* Statham *cough*) they're enough fun that you don't mind so much. The Transporter Refueled is absolutely no fun, and you'll mind the hell out of every minute.
The delightful Ray Stevenson is sadly wasted, and the everyone else is just a collection of the worst teeth you've ever seen. It's like the filmmakers went out of their way to find actors who never met a dentist. I had the room to myself for this one (shocking) and I confess I was bored enough to take a peek or two at my phone.
The Transporter Refueled clocks in at a mercifully short 96 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sequences of violence and action, sexual material, some language, a drug reference, and thematic elements."
Do not, under any circumstances, waste your money on this.
Of a possible nine Weasleys, The Transporter Refueled gets one.
Until next time...
Still dreamy! <3 br="">3>
Saturday, August 29, 2015
MOVIE REVIEW: NO ESCAPE
An intense international thriller, NO ESCAPE centers on an American businessman (Wilson) as he and his family settle into their new home in Southeast Asia. Suddenly finding themselves in the middle of a violent political uprising, they must frantically look for a safe escape as rebels mercilessly attack the city. Directed by John Erick Dowdle and written together with his brother Drew, NO ESCAPE stars Owen Wilson, Pierce Brosnan and Lake Bell.
Director: John E. Dowdle
Cast: Owen Wilson, Pierce Brosnan, Lake
Bell, Sterling
Jerins.
Release Date: Aug
26, 2015
Rated: R for strong Violence Throughout, and For Language
Runtime: 1 hr. 41 min.
Genres: Suspense/Thriller
Review:
John E. Dowdle’s No Escape feels like a mash up of The Purge:
Anarchy, The Warrior and Hostel. It’s a
tense mess of a film that really hits all the worse clichés of the dangers
abroad genre. Dowdle’s direction is
fairly strong as he ratchets up the tension to insane levels particularly
during the first half of the film.
Sadly, there’s little to no characterization of any of the characters
and only the thinnest and cheapest of explanation about the coup that sets off
the action. Pierce Brosnan appears
disappears, reappears and disappears for good from the movie remaining the most
interesting character in the whole production.
Owen Wilson and Lake Bell
deliver solid work hitting all the panicked notes you can think of. They’re continually frazzled and on edge but
seemingly have time for some family discussions regardless of whatever is going
on. There’s logical plot holes left and
right even as the film beats its message over your head with it literally
spelled out for you. And then, just like
that, it’s over since the escape route was conveniently close and far enough to
keep the film rolling.
C+
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