MAZE RUNNER: THE DEATH CURE Review

As it goes with these adaptations of popular dystopian YA franchises it is best to know from which perspective a particular review is coming and how passionate the (re)viewer is about the source material they have just witnessed adapted for the big screen. Warning: I have not read James Dashner's version of the "chosen one" narrative so, for me, The Maze Runner series sits somewhere comfortably in between the gold standard that is The Hunger Games and the deplorable Divergent series that couldn't even muster enough fandom for Lionsgate to follow all the way through on it (I guess the first one was fine). Maze Runner is nestled comfortably in between these two opposite ends of the spectrum though, because it is more or less a different take on the exact same story Divergent tried to pull, but done so in a much more enthusiastic manner (which is saying something as these Maze sequels have lacked the energy of that initial flick) as well as being much less convoluted with the main detractor being they have failed to create anywhere near the emotional investment on the part of the audience in these characters; sorry, Tommy, Teresa, and Brenda, but you are no Katniss, Peeta, and Gale. That said-there are A LOT of characters in these movies as tends to be the case in each of the examples cited thus far and by virtue of this requirement there is ample opportunity for solid talent to enlist themselves as part of a guaranteed series of jobs and to that point it is nice to see the likes of Barry Pepper, Giancarlo Esposito, Patricia Clarkson, Aidan Gillen, and Walton Goggins in supporting roles where they are hamming it up the best each of them can even if at least three of them are playing the same type of ringleader role. To this end and to the end that I'm thankful 20th Century Fox decided against splitting this finale into two movies Maze Runner: The Death Cure is a well-made and well-executed action thriller that is more or less comprised of the same sequence of events again and again until our gang of ragtag heroes reaches the last standing city and faces the bad guys down once and for all. That may be a bit harsh as there are shades of honor on both sides of the line that make things more complicated than one might expect from such a film and there is a clear theme of loyalty that screenwriter T.S. Nowlin and franchise director Wes Ball have never strayed from, but much like WCKD, the evil corporate enemy in these movies, The Death Cure delays the inevitable conclusion we all know is coming due to our genre conditioning just a little too long.

First Trailer for MAZE RUNNER: THE DEATH CURE

Man, I really need to see Maze Runner: Scorch Trials, but it's been so long since I missed it and have't heard much about the series since that the whole thing just kind of slipped from my radar. Still, I know that I purchased Scorch Trials because I was out of town at my first Toronto International Film Festival when the film came to theaters and was bummed I never caught back up with it before it was released on home video because I was genuinely surprised by how much I enjoyed the first one. And, of course, this third and final installment in the series was set to come out earlier (and by earlier, I mean February of this year), but was delayed due to production having been halted for over a year as a result of star Dylan O’Brien suffering severe injuries as a result of an on-set accident. Filming resumed nearly a year later, after O’Brien had thankfully recovered and was ready to complete the series. With the series finale of Teen Wolf happening last night, in which O'Brien also starred, I'm assuming that's why we're now getting our first look at this final film, but it seems director Wes Ball (who has been with the franchise since the beginning) and 20th Century Fox weren't completely ready for the launch as the first twenty seconds or so of this trailer are scenes from the first two films while the remainder of the trailer clocks in at less then fifty seconds. Still, what we get here looks to be pretty satisfying in terms of the scope and of the action and the intensity of the story. Granted, having still not seen the middle chapter I'm not sure as to where the characters heads are at or where the plot has since taken them since the reveal at the end of the first film, but this quick teaser makes me want to rectify that as I'm eager to see what the whole of this series will offer as Ball seems to have constructed a worthy finale for a series that has flown just enough under the radar to be a good and smart investment for Fox while maintaining its credibility as a fun YA action/adventure. Maze Runner: The Death Cure also stars Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Giancarlo Esposito, Walton Goggins, Aidan Gillan, Patricia Clarkson, Rosa Salazar, Nathalie Emmanuel, Will Poulter, Ki Hong Lee, Jacob Lofland, Barry Pepper and opens on January 26th, 2018.

AMERICAN ASSASSIN Review

When you're one of those people that goes to the cinema a lot it is movies such as American Assassin that seem to become the most stale and the most generic the fastest. Of course, to audiences that only see a few movies in theaters every year American Assassin will be a perfectly acceptable piece of action pulp. American Assassin is a film that will no doubt fulfill expectations for those that felt intrigued enough by the trailers to go out and buy a ticket, but while American Assassin is acceptable in terms of technical prowess, some interesting performance choices, and a rather straightforward if not clichéd plot it fails to really exceed in any way within the narrow parameters it has given itself to operate and exist within. No doubt hoping to piggy back off the success of last September's secret assassin thriller, The Accountant, American Assassin has neither the intrigue nor the style that picture had, but rather with this adaptation of the Vince Flynn airport novel director Michael Cuesta (the criminally overlooked Kill the Messenger) has settled squarely into middle-of-the-road  territory with a story that isn't afraid to go big, with Cuesta (in his first major studio movie) unfortunately deciding it best to stay as safe as possible. This inherent feeling stay as safe as possible is to be understood in many ways for, by making this a competent action/thriller and little more, Cuesta stood more of a chance to please the general public than he did taking risks and appeasing a few critics. With such a consensus comes a solid return and more opportunity and eventually, more power over ones endeavors. Cuesta is playing by the rules in American Assassin. To the movie's credit, it does subvert a handful of expectations within certain scenarios while never being afraid to flaunt its more brutal aspects, but it also never embraces its own genre for the more exciting aspects that such a genre has to offer. Rather, this is a movie that is given ample opportunity by its genre to do some cool things with the story it is telling, but rather than take advantage of them American Assassin seems to consistently waste each and every one of them.

Teaser Trailer for AMERICAN ASSASSIN

Lionsgate and CBS Films have released a first look at their feature adaptation for the late Vince Flynn's long-running series that centers around character Mitch Rapp. While I haven't personally read any of Flynn's novels there are apparently a lot of people who do. Each one of Flynn's fifteen (fifteen!) novels that are set in the world of counter terrorism and feature Rapp have been a New York Times best-seller, the three most recent entries having gone to number one, with the series as a whole having sold nearly 20 million copies to date. While we're on the subject, it seems American Assassin is actually the eleventh book in Flynn's series, but the first chronologically. This makes sense as to why the studio would then cast Dylan O'Brien in the lead role at the ripe old age of twenty-five as they are no doubt hoping this film might potentially kick-off a profitable franchise for them. All of that taken into consideration, this teaser for American Assassin is quite terrific and promises everything one could hope for from a piece of genre filmmaking like this. Director Michael Cuesta made one of the more underseen investigative procedural's and all-around underrated films of three years ago with Kill the Messenger and with the tone of the story he's working with here as well as an screenplay adapted by the likes of Michael Finch (Predators), Marshall Herskovitch (The Last Samurai), Stephen Schiff (The Americans), and director Edward Zwick (Blood Diamond) it would seem Cuesta might be able to bring that same sense of urgency, suspense, and intrigue that he did with his last feature. Here's to hoping this is more along the lines of Christopher McQuarrie's Jack Reacher than that of Zwick's lackluster sequel from last year. American Assassin also stars Michael Keaton, Sanaa Lathan, Shiva Negar, Taylor Kitsch,and opens on September 15, 2017.

DEEPWATER HORIZON Review

There is something to this formula director Peter Berg and star Mark Wahlberg have cooked up together. They've found a composition of elements that when brought together in their capable hands more than appeals to a large type of audience while simultaneously being thrilling and intelligent enough for the seasoned moviegoers to look past the standard genre elements they fit squarely into. This formula largely resides in the telling of American stories that focus on the little guy. The man's man who isn't sitting somewhere in an office with a suit on pulling the strings, but rather the men on the front lines. This is appealing to a whole region of the country not accustomed to seeing mirrors of themselves on the big screen in such big budget productions, but Berg and Wahlberg (lots of German ancestry going on here) have now told two sweeping stories concerning two "based on real life events" (and have a third coming later this year) that are more or less simple stories when taken at face value, but that permeate more meaning about the state of affairs in our country and world than a pointed essay about the state of affairs in our country and world ever could. This is how Berg captures his core audience and pleases his critics: he's able to say something boldly heroic about the men who risk their lives for others or perform in composed and exceptional manners when finding themselves in a set of insane circumstances while hinting at what this illustrates in the larger scope of things. In essence, it is those who are unassuming and voluntary in their heroics who continue to be the pulse of this country's integrity and not the house of governmental leaders or the big business tycoons who cut corners and jobs for their own personal gain. Thus the reason why the big business tycoon or better yet BP, AKA what was once known as British Petroleum, but changed their brand to that of "Beyond Petroleum" in the wake of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, fulfills that role of antagonist here. Why that spill happened, which resulted in severe environmental, health and economic consequences, as well as serious legal and public relations repercussions for BP, happened in the first place is the story Deepwater Horizon is telling and much like their previous collaboration, Lone Survivor, Berg and Wahlberg tap into a real understanding for the value of life and that it is not worth throwing away for inconsequential details such as how many days past schedule one large oil and gas company might be.

Teaser Trailer for DEEPWATER HORIZON Starring Mark Wahlberg

Deepwater Horizon made my most anticipated of 2016 list for the sole fact it was co-written and produced by J.C. Chandor (Margin Call, All is Lost, A Most Violent Year). Other than this the film appears to be as generic as one can imagine. The title sounds like something you've probably seen on a 90's VHS tape while the idea of it starring Mark Wahlberg and some type of ocean rig immediately brings thoughts of the already forgotten Contraband rushing back. What separates the film for me, and makes me rather excited to see it, is both the involvement of Chandor and director Peter Berg. Granted, Berg hasn't had the best streak of directorial efforts (2012's Battleship sticks out sorely on his resume), but he did team with Wahlberg once before to create the truly brutal and truly moving Lone Survivor. Lone Survivor was one of my favorite films of 2013 and with a story revolving around the titular oil rig that exploded in 2010 off the Gulf of Mexico, resulting in the catastrophic oil spill, the likes of which hadn't been seen since the Exxon Valdez incident in 1989 it seems there is great potential here. And so, while I was on board before this teaser trailer more than closes the sale. It is effective in its way of explaining how oil rigs work through Wahlberg's daughter and her school project while intercutting footage of the impending doom. It builds real tension in a tight two minutes and tells audiences all they need to know to be sold on the project. More or less kicking off Oscar season in late September I look forward to seeing not only how the film turns out, but how its narrative throughout 2016 plays into awards season if it's as impressive as this first look. Deepwater Horizon also stars Kurt Russell, Dylan O'Brien, Gina Rodriguez, Ethan Suplee, Kate Hudson, John Malkovich and opens on September 20, 2016.

First Trailer for MAZE RUNNER: THE SCORCH TRIALS

The race to find the next big young adult adaptation has been one of fierce competition and many failures that now seems all but tired and pretty much over. That said, last falls The Maze Runner turned out to be something of a nice distraction and a second-tier financial hit to the tune of $340 million worldwide on a $35m budget. This was more than anyone expected and now it stands as kind of the last game in town, which believe me, is a nice advantage. While we still have the last two screen adaptations of Veronica Roth's Allegiant to go through, I am now more excited to see where Thomas (Dylan O'Brien) and his friends wind up in this twisted world of betrayals, backstabbing's and lies than anything having to do with Tris and her one-dimensional friends. Many attempted to capitalize on the YA trend, but it seems the time has passed and the likes of The Maze Runner and its remaining film adaptations might be the last true examples of a trend that will inevitably rise again in due time, but for now-this is it. I haven't read the five-book series by James Dashner and likely won't given I'm already along for the ride, but I hope the movies are able to keep up with the solid momentum of the first. If this teaser trailer is any indication it looks as if director Wes Ball has a keen intention of doing just that as the pacing and ensuing adventure of the concluding bombshell the first film presented look to be on point here. This time around, Thomas and the surviving members of his maze face a new set of challenges on the open roads of a desolate landscape filled with unimaginable obstacles. The Maze Runner: Scorch Trials also stars Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Kaya Scodelario, Giancarlo Esposito, Ki Hong Lee, Rosa Salazar, Jacob Lofland and opens on September 18.

THE MAZE RUNNER Review

Young adult literary adaptations have become as much a genre to themselves as the super hero or comic book movie. They exist in a vacuum where many of the same rules apply to the different worlds being brought to life. As of late, and meaning after the breakthrough of Harry Potter, the solidification of Twilight and the confirmation of not simply being a fad by The Hunger Games, we have received several female-led, dystopian-set tales of rebellion and individualism that employ fantastical creatures and environments to communicate their bigger themes to the youth of today. In all honesty, I've enjoyed a great deal of them for either their tone (Beautiful Creatures) or extent of creativity (Divergent) while others have been downright terrible (Mortal Instruments). While it may be easy to spot a YA adaptation from a mile away these days it doesn't mean the trend is fading, in fact it is the opposite, for if anything it feels these types of titles are just ramping-up in the way that studios have finally found solid ground on which to build these series hopefuls. It is in the same vein that it took Marvel nearly a decade to establish their own cinematic universe after the X-Men hit the screen for the first time, but now that wehave a type of blueprint things are moving much faster. No matter the eventual box office return, the feature adaptation of a popular teen-lit series can't presently be labeled as a bad idea and thus we have been brought The Maze Runner. Based on a series of four books (which, if successful, will eventually mean five movies) by James Dashner this is the first real departure for the genre since becoming an institution that deviates from the formula of female lead in a failing, dystopian societal structure. Instead, what we are given is a very stripped down, human survival story with plenty of mystery surrounding the circumstances to keep audiences intrigued as our host of characters slowly peel back layers of the secrets within twisting both our expectations and hopes while consistently keeping us engaged in its proceedings. It is as much an accomplishment as any non-branded, non-sequel movie to hit theaters these days and become a hit as it is for the first installment of a YA adaptation to stand completely on its own while still setting itself up for more stories and if The Maze Runner has a single great strength, that is it.

First Trailer for THE MAZE RUNNER

The race to find the next big young adult adaptation has been one of fierce competition and many failures and with the premiere of what has the best shot at claiming the title, not necessarily from The Hunger Games as it will only have one film left after Katniss leaves the screen for good, but more a placeholder that will make enough money to justify its two sequels while we wait on the next Hunger Games installment and then of course ease the pain of having nothing more to look forward to after Mockingjay Part 2 is released, are the screen adaptations of Veronica Roth's bestselling Divergent series opening this Friday. Thus the reason why we now have a trailer for another contender in what hopes to capitalize on this trend, but it seems the tide is more favorable toward The Maze Runner than something like Beautiful Creatures or The Mortal Instruments. I have yet to read the four-book series by James Dashner, but based on this trailer alone I plan on doing so before seeing the first film. Yes, it still centers around a group of teens in peril and having to fight against some type of system to no doubt prove how individuality can never be truly suppressed by conformance, but at least this time around the premise seems genuinely intriguing and nowhere near as forced or put together by a committee as some of the aforementioned young adult lit hits. Dylan O'Brien (Teen Wolf, The Internship) leads the cast as Thomas, a young man thrust into the middle of this maze that may hold the secret to why he along with countless others have been trapped inside said maze, but more importantly, how they might be able to make it out. The Maze Runner also stars Will Poulter, Kaya Scodelario, Aml Ameen, Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Ki Hong Lee, Patricia Clarkson and opens on September 19.

THE INTERNSHIP Review

Going into a movie like The Internship you already know what you're going to get and if you have convinced yourself of what this will be and have set your expectations to a certain level then this PG-13 comedy of misfits will have you more impressed than those initial standards might have inclined you to believe. I personally am a big fan of the people involved here and would have welcomed a Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson reunion much sooner after their 2005 runaway hit Wedding Crashers, but instead of going for the easy way out and continuing to team up with one another these guys ultimately decided to stray from their core comedy group altogether. Sure, Vaughn made a few with his little crew of friends that include Jason Bateman, Peter Billingsly, and Jon Favreau, but he also made one too many Christmas-themed movies and didn't fully take advantage of the opportunity that Wedding Crashers ultimately afforded him. Wilson has had similar troubles as of late not starring as a leading man in a genuine hit since 2008's Marley & Me. He has gained more credibility after the success of Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, but his mainstream efforts like Hall Pass and The Big Year didn't do much to keep his name strong in the genre he became most notable for. Granted we are no longer in the first five years of the new millennium and efforts like Old School, Zoolander, Starsky & Hutch, and Dodgeball are now relegated to a time long past, but nonetheless I've always enjoyed watching these guys individually and the one time they teamed up prior will forever be a point of nostalgia, so I was more than open and willing to give The Internship a fair shot. Maybe it was because the trailers weren't too impressive, maybe because I expected it to receive a lukewarm reception, or maybe because I finally admitted to myself these guys are getting older and a time will come when they no longer make broad comedies and that this may in fact be the nail in the coffin, but whatever it was I came out more pleased with the film than I ever expected. Maybe these guys have a little more to give after all.      

First Trailer for THE INTERNSHIP

I'm a big fan of comedy, I'm a big fan of The Frat Pack and in their prime they unleashed Wedding Crashers. Coming out the summer after my senior year of high school Wedding Crashers will always be one of those movies that reminds me of a certain period of time, a certain point in life. I understand that and I understand that this is no longer 2004-05 when big name comedians ruled the box office. Last year wasn't dominated by Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller; Seth Rogen, Jason Segel, and Steve Carell each had flops yet Mark Wahlberg and a CGI teddy bear came out on top. I don't know if it is simply peoples tastes that are changing or have folks truly grown tired of these once dependable "stars"? If there is any way to test modern audiences it would be to re-unite Vaughn and Crasher co-star Owen Wilson and thus we have The Internship. I've been anxious to see how this Shawn Levy (Night at the Museum, Date Night, Real Steel) directed vehicle based on an idea from Vaughn would turn out and now that we have the first trailer I'm getting bad feelings for it already. I think Carell will have a strong year, look at Burt Wonderstone as well as the fact he's reprising Brick for Anchorman 2 late this year. Both Rogen and Segel will likely hit a home run this summer with This is the End and Ben Stiller will deliver a directorial effort later this year that always tend to be a higher level of comedy than something he simply participates in for the paycheck. This is the first of two films for both Vaughn and Wilson this year though this is naturally the more anticipated one and I only hope this first glimpse is holding out because it will eventually receive an R-rating and is unable to show the best parts in the trailer. I have hope and no matter what, I will give it a shot come June 7. The Internship also stars Max Minghella, Rose Byrne, Dylan O’Brien, and Jessica Szohr. Hit the jump to watch the trailer.