RUN ALL NIGHT Review

Run All Night is one of those fractured tales. The ones where each individual element is suspect to have greater implications than we might recognize upon introduction. The ones where we know how things must go and yet it is still able to somehow deviate from expectations allowing for the core proceedings of the familiar story to feel fresh. In essence, Run All Night feels much like a perfect storm of ideas and contributions from parties that have a similar goal in mind while each bringing something unique to the table. Obviously the biggest of these contributing factors is the presence of star Liam Neeson. Neeson has made a habit of annually presenting us with a run of the mill action flick that revels in B-movie territory and can be rather hit or miss, but most of the time are entertaining enough. I despise the Taken sequels yet have enjoyed his collaborations with Jaume Collet-Serra (Unknown, Non-Stop) as well as his excursions with Joe Carnahan (The Grey) and Scott Frank (A Walk Among the Tombstones), respectively. And while Neeson may still do his best work when he shows how eclectic he can be (The LEGO Movie) I always look forward to what his collaborations with Collet-Serra have to offer. Compared to their previous efforts Run All Night is much less mainstream and more in the vein of a different era. Whereas Unknown and Non-Stop were both polished and perfected to squarely fit into a genre Run All Night is dirty and grimy and while it fits into a certain type of film, it doesn't necessarily adhere to any one set of expectations. Expectations are key with this type of film though and I realize that. Call it what you will, whether it be that we have tapered expectations for these Liam Neeson actioners now or that this is a case of the film being so much better than the initial black sheep facade it was presented to us with that I'm over-compensating; either way, I really enjoyed myself as I sat and witnessed Neeson get more even than he's ever gotten before and might even call the film pretty great if it holds up under future viewings (which will definitely happen).

BIG HERO 6 Review

Before going into animated movies I'm always somewhat apprehensive due to the fact I fear I won't have much to say about them. They are entertainment intended for children and as a result often offer very little in the way of substance and thus not much to comment on. In the wake of Disney animations current uptrend though there was something to be optimistic about in Big Hero 6. Initially, I wasn't as over the moon about the idea of Disney mining more Marvel material so as to fill in their animated films as we have enough super hero movies at the megaplexes as it is. To lose a release from a major studio many look forward to hearing from each year to yet another comic book adaptation is understandably disheartening. At the same time, it makes sense with Pixar slowly losing steam in its winning streak and Disney's singular animation department delivering the one-two punch of Tangled and Wreck-It-Ralph before last years behemoth that still is Frozen. They needed to offset the princess tale with another video-game/male-centric adventure while not excluding any potential audience members. The good and relieving thing about Big Hero 6 though is that once the film begins and the story starts to roll you forget this is supposed to be a super hero movie at all. There are no capes, no grand transformation montages where our protagonist is supernaturally altered and given powers beyond his comprehension, but instead the film focuses on the interests of its cast of characters and their love of science that will inexplicably come off as nothing short of neat to the children in the audience that don't know they crave a more practical approach to the barrage of Marvel productions they've seen over the past six years. It was probably smart for Disney to officially partner up with Marvel and reveal a new legion of fans to a more obscure comic book though and by the end of the film, when the super hero element becomes more prevalent without ever taking over the narrative, I appreciated it moreso for its restraint and patience to tell an actual story rather than throw fifteen minutes of exposition at us before putting our heroes in spandex suits. Big Hero 6, for all its visual glory, is frequently entertaining though unfortunately it does ultimately lack the component that makes Disney films wholly involving and part of our coding.

TUSK Review

There is instinctively something cool and edgy about a movie like Tusk. It is not that the final film is guaranteed to possess those anticipated qualities, but the prospect of the components coming together with the specific style and tone in which it has been composed allow it to exude an effortless cool factor. A factor that attracts people to become interested in it based purely on the feeling of wanting to be "in" on the conversation. There is somewhat of an exclusivity to the material because it is understood from the outset to be slightly off-kilter and a project only a certain kind of crowd or film fan will "get". With those kinds of expectations in check I walked into the latest horror/comedy mash-up from writer/director Kevin Smith (Clerks, Red State) with cautious optimism. I was excited for the material, it seemed more akin to Smith's talents of writing talkative, funny characters while meshing ridiculously with the horror genre he tried his hand at with his previous feature. While Red State was more a scary movie in the vein of gross-out violence than actual scares it had more style and directorial competency than almost anything Smith had done in the past. In Tusk, he leverages the genre he's experimenting in with the one he knows best and to that effect, he is on to something more interesting here. For the first fifty or so minutes of the film I was hooked as the beguiling premise was still allowed a shade of mystery, an air of tension as we waited to see what exactly our antagonist, Howard Howe (Michael Parks looking strangely like Bryan Cranston), planned to do with the main character of this story. It is when Smith is faced with the challenge of delivering on what the premise, trailer and spectacular poster promises that he fumbles toward the finish line. He goes weird, but not strange enough. It is gruesome, but not as detailed or disgusting as it easily could have been (especially given certain set-ups). It could be chocked up to the idea that Smith was trying to be more subtle with his allusions, but as Justin Long's Wallace Bryton likes to brag, his viewers like him real and raunchy and so he tries to be real raunchy. Smith has written by that rule his entire career and I doubt he would stop now considering he is as much in his element here as ever before.

IDENTITY THIEF Review

It is a tough world for comedies in this critical world. Whereas it seems to be much harder to pull off genuine laughs than it does a satisfying drama it also makes it that much more obvious when people aren't laughing when the complete intention is in fact that. As you've likely heard concerning the latest Jason Bateman vehicle that also features the first headlining act for Bridesmaids breakout star Melissa McCarthy, Identity Thief does a poor job of eliciting as many laughs from its audience as it has the capability to do. Here's the strange thing: I didn't hate it. Call me delusional, but I laughed a few times and had a rather average movie-going experience that dragged a bit, but wasn't unbearable. Both of these lead actors are more than charming, more than able to spin a joke, and are clearly dedicated to the material and making it work. Bateman has a knack for playing the everyman and an ear for how to deliver certain lines with lovely comedic timing. McCarthy is the opposite kind of comedian; she is loud and physical. Her character here is a perfect vehicle for her to exercise her strengths as a leading funny lady and if it weren't for her the film would have no purpose. Good news for us, McCarthy is present in almost every scene of Identity Thief and despite the strong premise (that likely has much more to offer in the way of comedy) the film quickly dissolves into a standard road trip comedy I ultimately didn't mind going along with because I love the people involved. That is my excuse with most comedies that critics tend to bash (The Watch, The Hangover Part II) and yes, I recognize their shortcomings, but I can't say I despised the film or those films for their attempts. I can appreciate Identity Thief for trying and I liked it well enough not to be angry I spent two hours with the characters.

THE LAST STAND Review

You get what you pay for with The Last Stand and though that may be a generic movie, it is a generic action movie in top form. It earns this reputation largely due to the fact it has the man who defined the action genre at its center. It is a good thing Arnold Schwarzenegger chose this as his welcome back film otherwise it wouldn't be nearly as fun or even been made in the first place I imagine. There has been a good amount of positive press going towards these kind of throwback films to 80's no-brainer B-movies that shoot first and think later. Schwarzenegger has been featured in both Expendable films and though he makes his grand return with this one he doesn't plan on stopping anytime soon as he will re-team with pal Sylvester Stallone again later this year in The Tomb. As the first shoot, think later train of thought plays fast and loose with the standard script structure allowing plausibility and logic to fly right out the window, none of it matters as the reason people even go to see a movie like this is not for the insightful story or original storytelling methods but instead to see things and people blow up. There is no shortage of that here as director Jee-woon Kim makes his English-language debut with a film that mixes in tons of over-the-top violence with a cartoonish style that never meshes as well as it should to find a balance in tone. I haven't seen any of Kim's previous films, but despite his lack of story to work with and his tendencies to sway between gritty and silly the guy knows how to utilize his star and he plays that angle nicely. He helps the iconic action star prove he really might be back even if not as many people were waiting on his return as he expected.

CASA DE MI PADRE Review

The first thought that crossed my mind when I saw the trailer for "Casa de mi Padre" was "genius". It was such a broad comedy idea, one that hearkened back to films like "Blazing Saddles" that I was rolling the entire two minutes the trailer lasted. I am also a huge fan of Will Ferrell and while I have always felt people are very divided on the comedian lately it has at least seemed that Ferrell has been attempting to do his best to provide a degree of diversity to his career. Last year his single release was the indie "Everything Must Go" that I rather enjoyed much more than I expected. Later this year he will continue his streak of big studio comedies with "The Campaign" that is likely to be in the tradition of "Anchorman", "Talladega", "Step Brothers", and "The Other Guys". What he has done here though is taken a gem of an idea and extended it to a feature length parody of the Spanish telenova. With it's intentionally low budget looks and over-dramatic performances "Casa de mi Padre" feels like an idea that Ferrell and his friends cooked up on the side as something to do in between bigger projects. Not that this is a bad thing, it has a few moments of pure greatness and the simple aspect of the commitment that Ferrell had to make in order to actually execute the biggest joke of the whole thing is commendable. I found myself glancing at the time a few times, this wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but seeing the running time of the film is a mere 84-minutes it only made me feel the steam was running a bit low in the second act. Luckily, the finale pretty much lives up to everything I could have hoped for this to be.

From Left: Manuel (Adrian Martinez), Esteban (Efren
Ramirez) and Armando (Will Ferrell) hang out
on their cherished land.

What feels like a flash in the pan idea has been fleshed out by including every possible stereotype of the Mexican culture and their campy soap opera's mixed with something like a spaghetti western that looks like it was lost in the VHS era circa 1975. This may sound a tad ridiculous and I guess that is ultimately the point. Like fans of Ferrell the broad response of this film will likely be the same. Those who don't look too critically upon it will see it simply as fun. Those who do not, and those who are not Ferrell fans will likely not be turned by this one, as it could easily be taken as nothing more than ridiculous. The set up includes Ferrell as Armando Alvarez speaking passable Spanish with English subtitles as a Mexican rancher that loves the land and loves hanging out with his friends Esteban (Efren "Pedro" Ramirez) and Manuel (Adrian Martinez). he has never been highly regarded by his father and has always played second string to his more intelligent brother Raul (Diego Luna). When Raul returns home to announce his marriage to Sonia Lopez (a gorgeous Genesis Rodriguez) it is clear Raul has become entangled in the game of drug trafficking and threatens to take over the territory of local drug kingpin Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal). When Armando develops the hots for Sonia he is forced to face his past that has something to do with the death of his mother as well as saving his love from a death battle shoot out between Onza, Raul, and every other Mexican in the region where Armando bides his time.

Onza (Gael Garcia Bernal) confronts Raul (Diego Luna)
about their conflicting drug business.

Though "Casa de mi Padre" is obviously an SNL-like skit that has been pushed to feature length, it still has a number of bits that land with just the perfect amount of comical grace. Such is the example where a big action scene should take place we are instead given a still photo of miniatures while a note from a crew member scrolls across giving us the reason for this unfortunate segment. It is these little quips that keep the movie from completely turning in on itself and hiding from the world. Ferrell also knows where to place a tune and how to make his character so innocent that he comes off genuinely sincere in situations where he is doing something that has nothing to do with the plot. This would probably bother a certain kind of viewer, but the random moments such as the ridiculous songs here are what makes this funnier that it would have been if they would have tried to play it straight without winking at the audience. This isn't to say the film doesn't have its missteps. There is a side plot that involves the great Nick Offerman (Parks & Rec) as a(nother) mustached American lawmen that is here to offer the racist view of how every Mexican is a drug dealer. Offerman certainly deserves more than this bit part and could have serviced the comedy much better were he given lines that really had bite rather than reminded us of jokes that have been around forever. There is also the fact the tone doesn't warrant itself a feature, rather it feels like it would have been more appropriate on the front page of the Funny or Die page. We all loved "The Landlord" but would it make a good feature? Exactly.

Armando protects the love of his life Sofia
(Genesis Rodriguez) from the law.

I can't be too hard on the film though as I land in the pool of opinion that this isn't supposed to be anything more than a harmless parody and in that regard it keeps its head above water. "Serious" actors such a Luna and Bernal seem to be having a blast here, playing up what they have probably had to deal with in every casting call they've been a part of and Ferrell, as always, is so damn committed to the thing that you feel bad not giving into his indulgences every once in a while. This doesn't have the aspirations of something that wasn't meant to be completely absurd. I mean, for heavens sake we have a scene of love making that uses mannequin body doubles and goes on for way too long. That is the charm of Ferrell though as he isn't afraid to bring the weird and not apologize at the end for what you might have thought you were getting yourself into and what he actually delivered. He was committed 100% so he has nothing to be sorry about. "Casa de mi Padre" though does end up being pretty much exactly what I expected, if not a little less outlandish than I anticipated. It's all well and good though, this isn't a movie for everyone but if you have been a Ferrell fan for most of his career you will be pleased with the majority of what we have here and Ferrell himself certainly doesn't disappoint as he holds this whole thing together with that face and vocal tone that proves even without the comfort of being able to improv his way out of a situation he can still be the funniest guy in the room. It may not be his funniest performance, but I can't disagree with the tagline in that this is probably the funniest movie I've ever read.

CASA DE MI PADRE Review

The first thought that crossed my mind when I saw the trailer for "Casa de mi Padre" was "genius". It was such a broad comedy idea, one that hearkened back to films like "Blazing Saddles" that I was rolling the entire two minutes the trailer lasted. I am also a huge fan of Will Ferrell and while I have always felt people are very divided on the comedian lately it has at least seemed that Ferrell has been attempting to do his best to provide a degree of diversity to his career. Last year his single release was the indie "Everything Must Go" that I rather enjoyed much more than I expected. Later this year he will continue his streak of big studio comedies with "The Campaign" that is likely to be in the tradition of "Anchorman", "Talladega", "Step Brothers", and "The Other Guys". What he has done here though is taken a gem of an idea and extended it to a feature length parody of the Spanish telenova. With it's intentionally low budget looks and over-dramatic performances "Casa de mi Padre" feels like an idea that Ferrell and his friends cooked up on the side as something to do in between bigger projects. Not that this is a bad thing, it has a few moments of pure greatness and the simple aspect of the commitment that Ferrell had to make in order to actually execute the biggest joke of the whole thing is commendable. I found myself glancing at the time a few times, this wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, but seeing the running time of the film is a mere 84-minutes it only made me feel the steam was running a bit low in the second act. Luckily, the finale pretty much lives up to everything I could have hoped for this to be.