The Expendables 2 Review

The Expendables 2 once again gathers former and current action film stars (and some not-so action stars), Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Liam Hemsworth, and Nan Yu, placing them in a series of action scenes 1 hour and 42 minutes long, with little story between scenes, which are simply meant to set up the next action sequence. If one can manage to enjoy it for what it is, one will find epic action scene after great action scene after grand action scene, and good laughs that reflect the quirks of each character, such as Stallone’s, Schwarzenegger’s, and Willis’ ages, the stature of Jason Statham and Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren’s intelligence, Randy Couture’s ear, Nan Yu’s gender, and even Chuck Norris manages to tell his own Chuck Norris joke.

The story is centered around Barney Ross’ (Stallone) team taking on a mission from Church (Bruce Willis) under blackmail to get plans for a large source of plutonium in underground mines. When one of Ross’ team is murdered by Jean-Claude’s Sang, a colt of apparent Satanists, Ross’ team continues onward in their fallen member’s stead to avenge his death. A very simple story,  meant for nothing more than to give reason for the action.

There are some very visible cosmetic flaws. The use of special effects for a helicopter, tank, hand-full of jeeps, and water tower are so obviously computer generated, the graphics would have been much more appropriate for a television series, which causes one to think with all these big stars, how could better CGI not been afforded, or why not use actual vehicles? Not to mention there is a fixed location scene thrown in. On location filming must have been outside of the budget, too. And not that there are award winning actors playing here, but some soap opera stars could have done just as well in a few moments.

In the end, though, as said above, if one can manage to simply be entertained by what is offered–action, which is done very well–the entertainment value is undeniable.

6/10

The Dark Knight Rises Review

                                                   

excellent entry from a producer/director/writer who has come to be expected of nothing less. The inevitable and unavoidable question that will be asked during the first day of its release, the weeks it spends atop the box office, the months until it is brought to DVD & Blu-ray, and the proceeding years is: is it better than 2008’s The Dark Knight? The answer is, as was written in “The Dark Knight Review,” there will never be a comic book movie better than The Dark Knight, maybe more of one’s personal favorite, but never better as in the quality of the film. However, TDK Rises is different. No ground is retreaded in the least bit, and that is what makes this one good.

Picking up 8 years after part 2, Rises features a Bruce Wayne (Christian Bale), who has given up the cape and cowl, because Gotham seems to no longer need him. The city streets are clean, leading new character officer John Blake (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) to joke with Commissioner Jim Gordon that they will soon be chasing down overdue library books. Meanwhile, Bruce becomes an old, partially crippled recluse, obliviously driving the family empire into the ground, seemingly saddened that his Batman nights are behind him, and forever haunted by the death of his childhood friend Rachel Dawes.

   

Whereas The Dark Knight was more quickly paced, Rises is more methodical in its storytelling, as it features a Gotham without a Batman to put a stop to major crime, as that sort of criminal activity has ceased to exist. It radiates a nostalgic feel toward Begins in a way how it was an origin story, and now with Rises the same mood is taken, with 8 years having gone by and the need to explain what has been going on during that time.

   

That no major crime exists, happens to be a false belief, as crime in the form of Bane’s mercenaries lies dormant, until their planned “rise.” Once they are discovered by Commissioner Gordon in the sewers of Gotham, Bruce Wayne, Batman, and Jim Gordon mutually agree that it is time for the Dark Knight to return.

   

The need for Batman seemingly brings Bruce Wayne back to life. He steps outside of his home to meet with Luscious Fox, who no doubt shows him new toys, and takes a more active role in his company again. However, there is Alfred, who attempts to keep him out of the life of the cape and cowl, and instead into a life where he actively works as Bruce Wayne. At the heart of his ventures at discouraging the Wayne heir, he wants to see Bruce move on in happiness, not ultimately killed by the criminals he faces.

The main villain Bane (Tom Hardy) may never have had a chance at becoming as iconic as Heath Ledger’s Joker, however, his performance lacks nothing. From his off putting accented voice, with the added hum from that strength enhancing mask, to his ominous build, he is not a man one would feel very comfortable standing in the same room as. Yet there is more to the strong villain than an intimidating shape. Hearing him talk, it will not take long to note that he is also intelligent, a kick back to the original version of the character. His own origins tell the story that he learned from the League of Shadows, and now has come to Gotham, rising from the literal depths–he is building his army of mercenaries in Gotham’s sewer system–to finish what Ra’s al Ghul started some decade ago.

Anyone who knows the story of Bane, knows that he was the character that broke Batman’s back. To say that this movie follows that tale in many ways, would not be a spoiler. As Batman has and always will be my favorite superhero, there was a sadness, seeing him throw everything he had at Bane, pulling out all the tricks, but still being dominated.

In character development, Rises surpasses Begins & TDK, by creating more characters that the viewer can invest in. There is the aforementioned officer John Blake, an optimistic upstart, who never bought into Batman’s coverup crimes of 8 years past. He believes in the vigilante hero, though it is not a popular stance.

   

And there is Selina Kyle (Anne Hathaway), who moonlights as a cat burglar, claiming to take from the rich only what she needs to survive. Having a history with the law, her goal is to rid her legal record of those negative incidents, giving herself a clean slate and hopefully a new life.

   

Though he is a mainstay for the series, even Commissioner Gordon must be mentioned here. In a time where every other citizen of Gotham is running victory laps around the city, Gordon, like Bruce Wayne, though for different reasons, has a heavy heart, knowing his only true friend, Batman, is considered the city’s greatest villain, for taking the blame of the crimes of the supposed hero Harvey Dent.

   

Amongst all the likable characters, there are a couple more in the form of Foley (Matthew Modine), Commissioner Gordon’s would-be replacement, while he is injured, and Daggett (Ben Mendelson), a businessman attempting to absorb Wayne Enterprises, who one may hope and wait for to die, just because they are kind of annoying to watch.

In terms of action, Rises also surpasses its predecessors. There is Bane, breaking bones with every swing of his limbs, Catwoman, though she is not once called by that name, agile and fast hitting, and of course Batman, attacking from shadows and mixing it up with the best of them in any brawl.

   

Though the knuckle-to-knuckle brawls are entertaining, the best bits of action come when Luscious Fox’s inventions take to the field. Bane has Tumblers, yes, plural, Catwoman man’s the Bat Pod, while Batman pilots new toy “The Bat,” and the excitement flares during every moment of footage. 

If there are any criticisms for Rises, it is that, at least from what I saw, there was no clear explanation as to why Bruce Wayne was in such a crippled condition that he would have need of his latest accessory, a walking cain, then later a knee brace. Yes, he is older, but most do not age that way. And maybe I was not so much a fan of one particular character knowing who Batman is. But neither mess up the story.

In directing The Dark Knight Rises, Christopher Nolan has brought a fitting end to undoubtably the best comic book movie series to date. And now the debate of whether The Dark Knight, Inception, or The Dark Knight Rises is Nolan's best work. And will he ever again create a movie that is less than movie of the year?

10/10

Comments are appreciated

The Dark Knight Review

                                                    

Groundbreaking. Monumental. If there are enough of those sort of words, The Dark Knight deserves every single one of them. From long before the first minutes of the film began to roll, one probably got the sense that this movie would be more than any of us movie fans could have expected.

   

Sequel to 2005’s Batman Begins, The Dark Knight is a far superior film in every facet. Skimming through old reviews, one may be left to wonder when the day came when critics stopped criticizing art, and instead began to stand in admiration of achievements. Surely there are complaints, however, with those critiques, it far more often seems as though one is reaching for a complaint. Because nothing created of human hands is supposed to be perfect, right? No, likely a lot closer to wrong. The Dark Knight appears on my short list of “perfect” films, which includes the likes of Gladiator, The Last Samurai, and Inception, to name a few. This motion picture, Christopher Nolan’s magnum opus, has become something of legend to the point where, as far as the consensus goes, there will never be another comic book movie to surpass it. 

   

With so many compliments to pay, the first has to go to the performances, especially one in particular. No surprise that this performance is the late Heath Ledger’s Joker, the agent of chaos. The portrayal of this classic and iconic villain, in a way, makes this film, pushes it over the edge of greatness to legendary. During one part, the Joker claims to not really have a plan, and it seems to reflect on how Heath played the roll. In watching, one may never get the feeling that he is operating on a how-to-play-the-Joker manual. Every single scene seems to so widely differentiate itself from the last that it seems as though he is really out of his mind.

   

Needless to say, the rest of the cast hold their own, with performances to stand up to the groundwork they had lain in Batman Begins. Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhart were newcomers to the the Batman franchise, yet they seamlessly fit right in with the rest of the cast (Gary Oldman, Morgan Freeman, Michael Cain). 

The pacing of the movie is another excellent factor. It feels like there is 3 1/2 hours of content here, jam packed into just 2 1/2 hours of screen time. Yet it does not seem rushed. Instead it has a scene-to-scene formula that does not waste an extra second on unneeded stares and overacted performances.

   

The genius in the scripting of the Joker was that he was not over thought with purposes of why he is evil. As Bruce Wayne’s loyal friend and butler Alfred said, some people just want to see the world burn.

   

Then there is the closest thing to a mastery of the two-villains-in-one-movie idea that before this movie had yet to be done very well on screen, with Joker/Two Face. The most disappointing facet of that formula in most other previously released comic book movies is that they are always in cahoots together, a part of the same plan, with the same agendas, or one works for the other, etc. Though they have contact, the Joker and Two Face are independent of one another. The mold was broken, with the aforementioned Joker being about the senseless chaos and destruction of Gotham city, while Two Face went on a mean streak, targeting policeman and city officials for their betrayal of justice.

   

Endless paragraphs could be written to speak of how good The Dark Knight is, but I will stop here, giving this film a perfect rating.

10/10

Comments are welcome

The Amazing Spider-Man Review

                                                                     

The Amazing Spider-Man is a retelling of Stan Lee’s classic comic book franchise. When it was first made clear by the original news and trailers that it is a reboot, I must admit, my initial reaction was one full of disappointment that I would have to sit through another 2 hours of a story I was told a decade ago via Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man.

The idea in starting from the beginning of Peter Parker’s (Andrew Garfield) tale, however, is a respectable one. Sony was so displeased with the direction the last trilogy took, they wanted to cut ties completely, and a complete overhaul was the only way.

   
The movie plays out much the same as the original, the radioactive spider bite, Uncle Ben’s (Martin Sheen) death, Peter seeking revenge, and on the way becoming Spider-Man, etc. What separates the Amazing Spider-Man, however, are the intricacies. 

   
Probably the best change is that Peter Parker is actually a scientist. He develops his own webbing, using the classic web shooters. He does research to create his costume, basing it around the spandex that professional athletes. And the list goes on to the point where one gets the sense he is actually passionate about science.

   
Peter’s love for science plays a rather large part in the overall plot of the movie, too. After impressing Dr. Connors, he is invited to the Oscorp tower, wherein he helps further research that is important to the story. To keep from spoiling the movie, though, I will leave it at that.

Becoming a “superhero” does not entirely change who Peter Parker is as a character. He still caries all the insecurities that come with being a high-school teenager. He stalls, stutters, and stumbles over words, when talking to his crush Gwen Stacey (Emma Stone), and makes her the screen saver for his computer. (More to say about Gwen later...) Yet it is when he puts the Spider-Man costume on, added with his newfound abilities, that he gains the confidence to trash-talk, like the character is known for.

  
(...Back to Gwen) Luckily for both the character and the sake of the viewers, Peter’s  crush is not unshared; Gwen likes Peter, as he likes her and, too, has her uncomfortably shy moments, like when she invites him to dinner. Emma and Andrew work well together to say the least and are very much a high point of this film.

   
Many people have said that the Amazing Spider-Man is a darker take on the franchise than what Tobey Maguire’s Spider-Man. I think “more serious” is more of an appropriate term, however. It lacks some of the humorous moments that the last trilogy had, i.e. when Peter was trying to figure out how to use his webbing, but replaces those moments with Peter’s aforementioned trash-talk and his and Gwen’s lighthearted crush. People should not at all make the mistake thinking this is “dark” like Batman: The Dark Knight, though.

   
In closing, I am thinking there is not too much bad I can really say about it. The Lizard is certainly not the most intriguing of villains, but outside of the Green Goblin, Dr. Octopus, and Venom, Spider-Man does not have very many interesting bad guys. Aside from anything minor, I think it is an absolute upgrade over the last 3 movies and definitely one to watch.

Chronicle Review

Chronicle chronicles the story of 3 unlikely high school friends, brought together by their common telekinetic abilities. Viewed through the lens of one of their camcorder, the majority of the film features the found footage style of cinematography.

The storyline is vague in spots, i.e. how the three acquire their powers: (spoiler...I guess) go into an underground tunnel, find a glowing...something, blackout, and there you have it. Otherwise it is nicely detailed, not under nor overdone, kind of just right, especially considering it lasts only about 84 minutes.

Starring are three young actors, Dane Dehaan, Alex Russell, and Michael B. Jordan, who are without enough of a history to say, "I'm seeing Chronicle because Dane Dehaan is playing in it," but enough experience that each carries their roles respectively. Taking advantage of the young cast, there are a lot of lighthearted immature moments that lead to a few laughs.

I have heard a few complaints concerning the found footage format Chronicle was shot in, but in a way, I actually think it helped the low budget movie (I have heard $15 million) not look so low budget. From one of the earliest moments where the high schoolers manipulate their newfound powers to connect legos, to  a later point where the least popular of the three gains his 15 minutes of fame at a talent show,  the special effects are not that of Star Wars or Transformers. Later on in the movie, however, watchers will be amazed at what has been accomplished on such a small budget, when the storyline begins to expand on what they can do with their powers. It is quite the ambitious small film.

I am not a big fan of buying many DVDs nowadays, I kind of like I watch a movie in theaters once and let there be some years before I seer it again. However, Chronicle will be a Blu-ray I will have in my small collection.
—ThomasGrand

The Grey Review

Most modern stories are built around a skeletal system: there are the bad guys, with their evil scheme, and the good guys to disband said wicked plans.

The Grey, starring Liam Neeson and a handful of lesser knowns to unknowns, opts for a different formula. The story starts with a plane crash, leaving 7 survivors from what was originally maybe 25-30  Alaska based oil workers.

Being somewhat of a survival expert, Ottway (Liam Neeson) takes charge, with an intent to lead these men back to the families and  lives they were all headed toward before their plane went down.

There is peril and grave desperation, yet wolves replace the much more commonly used  evildoers, though those eyes, hidden in fur, that glow in firelight, and teeth like a mouthful of daggers make them look like Satan's hounds. While the stranded, plane crash survivors are used in the place of good guys,though not all of them are very good at all to the point that I didn't mind the possibility of them dying.

Outside of its plot setting, The Grey is layered in good storytelling. One of the movie's strongest elements, in my opinion, is its ability to make the characters seem like actual people, though that is also something to applaud the cast for. Amidst all the "we're stranded in the cold, with wolves" stress, there is one lighthearted, campfire discussion, wherein the characters talk of what is keeping them going, and a few jokes said had me thinking that I could imagine the people I know saying those exact things.

It is early in the year, and I refuse to be that guy, saying, "best film of the year so far!" I already had high expectations for this movie based on the trailer alone, and the actual film lived up to my hype. If you have the slightest interest, make time to see The Grey.

—Thomas

Red Tails Review

History often crafts better stories than most Hollywood writers. Red Tails, though a mixture of historic facts and cinematic make believe turns out to be a good combination.

About the 332nd Fighter Group, an all black division of aviator pilots, Red Tails chronicles their rise from flying hand-me-down planes over afterthought routes miles behind the front lines of World War II to a premier squadron, famous for having not lost a single bomber during the war.

Meanwhile, on the front lines of something of a more civil war, Colonel A.J. Bullard (Terrance Howard) wrestles with the powers that be over issues of racism and discrimination to give the Tuskegee Airmen a chance to prove their worth to the United States, fighting for more meaningful bomber escort runs. Eventually, after the U.S. continues to lose entire fleets of bombers, the 477th Bombardment Group is given a chance, and succeed they do (don't call it a spoiler, call it history), with brand new planes, which they take to painting the tails red, giving both the group and movie their names. By making it their to return every bomber safely home, the famed pilots gain respect from the pilots of the bombers themselves.

From the mouth of Executive Producer George Lucas, who funded the movie, though it was not popular across Hollywood offices, he chose to take up this project to inspire young black males. But what this movie can easily do is inspire anyone to overcome obstacles in their own lives because, in the bigger picture, these men were not fighting for a chance at a hero's honor, but rather for a chance to possibly die for the people of the U.S.A.

The film has a few notable actors, including the above mentioned Terence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr., Nate Parker, etc., who all give solid performances.

Industrial Light & Magic, the special effects company noted for their work on the Star Wars series and others like Transformers, did a good job on the battle sequences here. I was personally left wanting more after each skirmish was done.

Red Tails is a good movie that does not go over board in an attempt to preach at the world against racism, though it does not sweep it underneath the rug, either. It tells the story how it was meant to be told, which turns out to be very entertaining.

—ThomasGrand