RAMPAGE Review

Rampage is the happy meal version of a movie. It's cheap and easy and you walk away mostly satisfied even if there was no nutritional value whatsoever. It's a strange world where Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson can still be seen in theaters in his last big-budget action adventure that involves a jungle and then the first time we see the chrome-domed former wrestler in Rampage he just so happens to once again be making his way through a similar environment; it’s as if the star is guiding us out of one movie and into the next. As we are welcomed into this new world of Rampage by The Rock himself we are introduced to his Davis Okoye, a primatologist AKA someone who studies nonhuman primates, who works at the San Diego Zoo and has essentially fostered one of the last remaining albino gorillas to be his own. George, as played through motion capture not by Andy Serkis, but by Jason Liles, is a seven foot tall, five hundred plus-pound primate who can communicate with Johnson's Davis with as much ease as a deaf child might be able to communicate with their hearing enabled parent and who also has a good sense of humor about himself and his circumstances. The one thing Rampage does better than it has any right to do is develop this relationship between the two biggest stars on screen meaning Johnson is really just that good at making audiences believe he is the coolest guy around. Not everyone could make befriending a monkey cool and inspiring as opposed to the weird and off-putting looks most would get, but the guy does it; acting as if it's the most normal thing in the world and oh yeah, he was also part of an anti-poaching military force once upon a time too, so stick that in your pipe and smoke it. And sure, the fact it’s The Rock that is both this intelligent and extremely fit guy who clearly has a streak of compassion with an especially soft spot for animals is part of the appeal in Rampage as it is the ability The Rock brings along with his presence that makes a movie as ridiculous as this work as well as it does…even if it probably shouldn't. That said, and having never played the video game on which this is based, I expected the latest from director Brad Peyton (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, San Andreas) to be a little more fun than this ends up being. Yes, there are moments of pure outrageous bliss, but they are too few and far between to make Rampage feel like the large-sized combo it was advertised to be. Rather, Rampage is drenched in that Happy Meal feeling from its quick and easy delivery to its processed if not convenient conclusion.

First Trailer for RAMPAGE Starring Dwayne Johnson

The trailer releases continue in front this week's Justice League with the latest being that of Dwayne Johnson's next action adventure that this tie around is based on an actual video game and not just inspired by a movie based around a game. I'm of course talking about Juman...I mean Rampage, a movie based on the 1980s video game stars Johnson as a primatologist who shares a close bond with George, a remarkably intelligent silverback gorilla, until a rogue genetic experiment transforms the ape into a gigantic, raging monster. This isn't the end of the line though, as Johnson's character comes to discover George isn't the only giant raging monster who has been genetically altered as of late, but that in fact there are more of these predators on the loose including a giant wolf and crocodile. And so, this definitely looks like a movie. That's about as much as I can feel at the moment. Reuniting with director Brad Peyton (Journey 2, San Andreas) it sees as if Johnson is intent on keeping his most vocal demographics happy over the course of the next five months as not only will the sequel to Jumanji stand to put Johnson in good standing with the pre-teen to teenager crowds, but I imagine placing Rampage in a similar time slot to this year's Kong: Skull Island was no coincidence as Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema no doubt hope to once again capitalize on the non-traditional release dates outside the summer movie season for movies that look like traditional blockbusters. Of course, most know video game adaptation don't necessarily tend to do well, but this property is so dated at this point one has to wonder if the brand recognition element will even factor in. To be frank, I hadn't heard and certainly had never played the game that inspired this prior to seeing the trailer and I can kind of understand why as this looks more like an amalgamation of a whole bunch of movies I've seen before if not having done it better. I guess we'll see come next spring, but as for now let's just sit back and enjoy the fact Johnson has seemingly decided to stick with what feel like the safest bets a movie start can make in today's Hollywood while the fact this all feels very 2007 without admitting Johnson sees to be taking steps back in his career rather than moving forward. Only time will tell as this could be a ton of fun, but we shall see. Rampage also stars Naomie Harris, Malin Akerman, Jake Lacy, Joe Manganiello and Jeffrey Dean Morgan, P.J. Byrne, Marley Shelton, Breanne Hill, Jack Quaid, Matt Gerald, and opens on April 20th, 2018.

THE FINAL GIRLS Review

The Final Girls is one of those movies people who love movies could likely watch over and over again. I say this because I've watched it twice already and enjoyed it even more the second time around. Everything about the film is calculated to perfection when considering the genre it is both lampooning and writing a love letter to. Here, writers M.A. Fortin and Joshua John Miller use this self-aware technique not to make fun of the actions of their own movie, but more to examine the staples of nostalgia and how what eventually become these staples begin as innocent, unintentional marks of the decade from which a movie is born. We're unaware of the tropes being created by the countless super hero blockbusters of our current cinematic landscape, but in twenty years there is no doubt the twenty-somethings will find a strange comfort in movies that attempt to recreate the tone and energy of what we can't see in front of us right now. It's an interesting experiment and one that pays off in spades for a certain type of audience member. Lucky for me, I feel a part of the generation that will get the most out of this take on the slasher film that was born out of the 80's horror boom. There are two kinds of spoofs, ones where the characters and genre trappings are exaggerated for mere comical effect and then the ones that mean to point out the aspects that, while admittedly being horrible, also make the characters and genre so endearing. What The Final Girls clearly intends to do is show us why these 80's films about teens dying horribly gruesome deaths have become so endearing to the current generation. The answer is we find a kind of solace in the likes of Freddy Krueger, Jason Vorhees, Leatherface and Michael Myers that wasn't available in the elaborate mind of Jigsaw or the allusive Paranormal Activity villains. It's an atmosphere that feels foreign to the smart phone era and is a reminder of what the world was like when we were innocent while still appealing to our now adult nature with it's horror aspects. The Final Girls capitalizes on each of these components to play perfectly into everything a certain set of audience members need to feel fully enraptured not only in the events taking place in the film, but our own thought processes about such films.

ROCK OF AGES Review

Going into Rock of Ages my main concern was how the makers were going to take a format such as the musical and successfully mix it with a culture that seemed completely opposite what is considered a higher class art form. The funny thing about these two things though is that 80's rock can match the glitz and glam of Broadway musicals step for step. It may represent a stronger form of rebellion while the musicals of the stage are filled with more finesse but these two very distinct brands of entertainment compliment each other well enough for this experiment in the strange to be called a success. I had not previously heard of the hit stage show before reading that Hairspray director Adam Shankman would be at the helm of turning it into a feature. I went into 2007's Hairspray expecting to hate it. It looked campy and cheesy despite featuring a star-studded cast. I came out having loved every minute of it though and so when the first trailers for Rock of Ages came out and it looked like Shankman had done the same for the 80's as he'd done to the 60's I was excited to say the least. While Rock of Ages doesn't carry that same wonderfully bright and bouncy feel of Hairspray, it is just as unabashed and unapologetic about what it is. The main issue with the film is that it builds itself around two less capable stars whose relationship we don't really end up caring about. I would have rather seen Stacee Jaxx: The Movie than to have taken side steps for Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta's characters. Stacee Jaxx is where it's at and if you see the movie for any reason, see it for Mr. Cruise. Even now, as I write this review I have my Pandora station set to 80's rock.

Sherrie (Julianne Hough) and Drew (Diego Boneta)
have a meet-cute in Tower Records.

The film starts out in the most promising and epically cheesy of ways as Hough's Sherrie (no, they didn't use Steve Perry's "Oh Sherrie" from '84 which really bummed me out) is on her way to the big city of Hollywood. Departing her small town Oklahoma roots she has big dreams and intends on giving them her best shot. The musical numbers waste no time showing up as Hough belts out Night Ranger's "Sister Christian" and is joined by her fellow travelers as the chorus kicks in. It is so gloriously ridiculous the movie seems to be heading nowhere but up. Sherrie arrives on the sunset strip and is quickly mugged, her favorite records stolen, but is rescued from the streets by an employee at the famous Bourbon Room named Drew (Boneta). Drew is of course an aspiring singer as well and it is clear after the five minutes into the film that these two are predestined to be together. Drew sets Sherrie up with a job at the Bourbon Room which is under the management of Dennis Dupree (Alec Baldwin) and his quirky British sidekick played energetically by Russell Brand. The Bourbon is in trouble as it hasn't paid taxes in over a year and is counting on a show by the one and only Stacee Jaxx to bring them out of the black. As an Axl Rose type, Stacee Jaxx has become more famous for his strange behavior and off-stage antics than the music that first made him the rock God figure he now so depressingly bathes in. There is a great if not rather typical side story that concerns the hypocritical mayor of Los Angeles (Bryan Cranston) and his wife Patricia (Catherine Zeta-Jones) who plan to clean up the strip which entails doing musical numbers to Pat Benatar's "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" with the local church ladies. Zeta-Jones goes over-the-top in every aspect of her performance while pulling out her experience in the field to create one of the better choreographed numbers. Paul Giamatti shows up as Stacee's manager Paul Gill and gives a slick and sleazy, if not reliable performance. It is clear he, along with lighter supporting cast members Mary J. Blige and Malin Akerman are just having a blast here.

Constance (Malin Akerman) sparks something in Stacee
Jaxx (Tom Cruise) that he hasn't felt in a while...

While Hough has not yet proved herself in film outside the realm of those that are heavily influenced by music I thought she did rather well in the Footloose remake and expected more from her here. This was a starring role in a big summer musical, it was basically tailored for her and while her performance is certainly passable, even heartfelt in certain moments, it just doesn't fit the tone of the overall film. Worse off is newcomer Boneta who handles his singing duties with ease but embodies them awkwardly and feels stilted when he has to deliver dialogue for more than a few moments. For acting as the core of the film, their romance fizzles quickly. In fact, as soon as we set our eyes toward the mystery that is Stacee Jaxx we have completely forgotten about the young, naive, leads who are taking it all way too seriously. Cruise expands his filmography and his list of versatile characters by not only being featured in a musical but by stealing every scene he steps into. He plays the reclusive rock star with an edge that is not so easily seen past. He plays up the stereotypes of the character while delivering a subtle undercurrent of a jaded human being that has become disenchanted with the life he is living and yearns for something more simple. It takes Constance, a reporter from Rolling Stone, to lift the curtain on what he has become and motivate the rocker to return to form. As played by Akerman, Constance is a lively fan girl who tries her best to contain the excitement she holds for meeting Jaxx. She is a super fan who wants to see the man that made her love music in the first place become what she knows he could be. That is the story Shankman and crew should have focused on if they were decided to cast such wonderful supporting players with weaker leads.

Dennis (Alec Baldwin) and Lonnie (Russell Brand) are
inseparable and love the Rock N' Roll lifestyle.

What is best about the whole project though is that the older, supporting members of the ensemble do realize the campiness with which they are playing. Shankman does well to capture this wink and nod tone to the audience. They aren't taking this all too seriously and neither should we. If anything, the movie is simply an exercise in nostalgia. Screenwriters Chris D'Arienzo and Justin Theroux (Tropic Thunder) have re-worked the script to nicely tell a classic boy meets girl story through a collection of songs from the era where men wore just as much make-up as the women they were singing to. I wish the songs used in the film might have dug deeper into the era it was representing rather than relying so heavily on such standards, but I understand it. More kids today will know Joan Jett than they will Foreigner, but at least the oddly fascinating trip had the sense to go out on a blazing, belting , pile of Journey and their countless arena rock anthems. I would have also preferred it had the story been a little more coherent. It wanders a bit in the second act and only finds its footing because again, Stacee Jaxx and his influential past shows up to set things right. I don't mind Mary J. but I don't really know why she is here. I would have liked for the overall feel of the film to be less flashy and more gritty, you know kind of like the musical style it is representing, but then again we likely wouldn't have had Russell Brand and Alec Baldwin singing "I Can't Fight This Feeling Anymore" to one another either. It's hard to speak negatively about a film that doesn't mean any harm, especially when it is as fun as this one. Though it has its fair share of faults, Rock of Ages is pure pleasure and there is no reason you shouldn't let your guard down and give into the music.

  

ROCK OF AGES Review

Going into Rock of Ages my main concern was how the makers were going to take a format such as the musical and successfully mix it with a culture that seemed completely opposite what is considered a higher class art form. The funny thing about these two things though is that 80's rock can match the glitz and glam of Broadway musicals step for step. It may represent a stronger form of rebellion while the musicals of the stage are filled with more finesse but these two very distinct brands of entertainment compliment each other well enough for this experiment in the strange to be called a success. I had not previously heard of the hit stage show before reading that Hairspray director Adam Shankman would be at the helm of turning it into a feature. I went into 2007's Hairspray expecting to hate it. It looked campy and cheesy despite featuring a star-studded cast. I came out having loved every minute of it though and so when the first trailers for Rock of Ages came out and it looked like Shankman had done the same for the 80's as he'd done to the 60's I was excited to say the least. While Rock of Ages doesn't carry that same wonderfully bright and bouncy feel of Hairspray, it is just as unabashed and unapologetic about what it is. The main issue with the film is that it builds itself around two less capable stars whose relationship we don't really end up caring about. I would have rather seen Stacee Jaxx: The Movie than to have taken side steps for Julianne Hough and Diego Boneta's characters. Stacee Jaxx is where it's at and if you see the movie for any reason, see it for Mr. Cruise. Even now, as I write this review I have my Pandora station set to 80's rock.

WANDERLUST Review

I was admittedly worried when "Wanderlust" was pushed from last October to February. Though neither month is usually good stomping grounds for movies that studios expect to do well, February is decidedly worse. It is that time of the year when we are coming off all the high prestige projects that are recieving Oscar nominations and all the big budget effects-driven summer films. That time of year when studios dump movies on unsuspecting crowds that might venture out to something they may not have seen were it released at any other point in the year. Fortunately, "Wanderlust" is as funny and ridiculous as I could have hoped for. Director David Wain has a history of not only collaborating with co-writer Ken Marino but also star Paul Rudd. The three have collaborated on "Wet Hot American Summer" and 2008's "Role Models" as well as "The Ten". While they seem to have really found their groove with "Role Models" they continue to grow in the right direction with "Wanderlust". While this may not be as consistently funny as "Role Models" was it certainly has the amount of charm and despite hitting familiar beats story-wise it also has the guts to go a little gonzo and stretch for the slightly weird. This might appeal only to certain movie-goers tastes but it allows itself this quality by sporting such a widely-liked cast that stand by the out-there material while delivering some seriously good laughs along the way. "Wanderlust" may be all I needed it to be but I can understand where some will not be as pleased with it, but even they have to admit that for this time of year "Wanderlust" is giving us a break from the other releases we might have settled for.

George (Paul Rudd) and Linda (Jennifer Aniston) are
relieved after spending their first night at Elysium.

The story here is rather straightforward and like "Role Models' doesn't really matter all that much because the actors involved create characters (or stick with their personas) that elevate not really the material but simply make us more invested in them and convince us they are worth hanging out with for an hour and a half. Rudd and Jennifer Aniston are George and Linda, two New York Manhattanites who love their city life, well kinda. George has an office job that he hates but does well in supporting Linda who hasn't yet found her niche. When we meet them they have just purchased a "micro-loft" which is realtor speak for studio apartment. Linda is trying to pitch a documentary about penguins with cancer to HBO in her latest effort to find a career when George loses his job and now broke and having to sell their new place they have no choice but to travel down to Atlanta where George's brother Rick (a perfectly macho/idiotic/snarky Ken Marino) has a job for him at his porta potty business. Along their way George and Linda stumble upon a hippie commune posing as a bed and breakfast where they have a night of care-free fun that hasn't seemed to be a part of their life for a long time. As it is called, Elysium is a place of free love, pot smoking, and vegans. "Wanderlust" has such a great supporting cast populating the members of this little tribe we understand why George and Linda are so taken by them. Frequent Wain and Rudd collaborator Joe Lo Truglio as Wayne the nudist wine maker, Malin Akerman (The Heartbreak Kid) is Eva who wants to experiment the free love philosophy with George, Kathryn Hahn as Karen (who always seems to be playing the crazy lady whether it be alongside Rudd in "Our Idiot Brother" or alongside Rudd in "How Do You Know" and let's not forget "Step Brothers", "The Goods" etc...) and Justin Theroux as headmaster Seth who steals every scene he decides to show up in. Even Alan Alda as Elysium patriarch Carvin gets a few solid laughs and seems to be having a great time.

George watches on as Linda loves her new found freedom,
but Seth (Justin Theroux) seems to enjoy her changes more.

It is in this humbled and awkward group of people that George and Linda find a kind of solace from the busy world of, as Seth would put it, "web of beepers and Zenith televisions and Walkmens and discmens and floppy discs and zip drives, laser discs, answering machines and Nintendo Power Glove..." and where director Wain has tapped into a culture with a bizarre sense of humor that is a perfect platform for Rudd and the rest of his cast to lampoon. As Seth, Theroux gets his first real acting break with a role he can really bring something to after being the behind the scenes go-to-man for years. Every line the guy spits out is so full of ridiculous, made-up philosophy it all feels like great improv and on a movie like this you can't ask for much more. He is complimented nicely by the earnest Rudd who is so lovable and has an essence of being that every guy, that family man and to see him go all the way for it and sacrifice himself for a joke is not just endearing but it's hilarious. Every time. Wain knows when to let Rudd shine too, despite the obvious emotional trips his character is taking we watch as George knows what he should do and instead goes completely the wrong direction until his late in the game epiphany that rolls out the expected conclusion. As said earlier though the story stays within a safe structure but it is safe to say the content does not. What made "Wanderlust" so appealing was the idea of being what in essence the movies are about: escaping reality. And as Linda, Aniston continues her winning streak and lets her inhibitions fly free. She is hilarious in small moments and completely convincing in her turn. She is a vet at playing opposite comedic leading men yet this time she is given room to spread her own wings and she nails it.

Rick (Ken Marino) tries to get out of a sticky situation with
wife Marissa (Michaela Watkins).

While "Wanderlust" is certainly not going to be for everyone, for those that love Paul Rudd (how couldn't you?) it is a good time and there are plenty of laughs to be had. Everyone on screen seems to be having such a good time and none of them taking themselves seriously. It is an engaging film that offers up a trip none of us would likely mind taking given the grind of the work week and stress of bills. We are given a buffet of engaging characters and are treated to 98-minutes of consistently funny gags and chuckles. It certainly won't go down as Wain and Rudd's greatest collaboration but it is a noteworthy addition to their already stellar collection. Whether they are sending up cynics and helpful organizations, summer camps or hippies there is a quality about their films that give them a "we're just messin with ya..." vibe that never makes it feel like it would actually offend anyone, rather they would just laugh along at the truth the movie is hitting on and therefor truly bringing the funny. In a cinematic world of comedies that are either big hits or big misses it is nice to have a laid back romp that can offer a getaway and a fun time. Plus if you're not into that whole scene there is always the fall back reason to see this movie which is full frontal nudity by senior citizens. Suck on that for a while and tell me you don't love the idea of "Wanderlust".

WANDERLUST Review

I was admittedly worried when "Wanderlust" was pushed from last October to February. Though neither month is usually good stomping grounds for movies that studios expect to do well, February is decidedly worse. It is that time of the year when we are coming off all the high prestige projects that are recieving Oscar nominations and all the big budget effects-driven summer films. That time of year when studios dump movies on unsuspecting crowds that might venture out to something they may not have seen were it released at any other point in the year. Fortunately, "Wanderlust" is as funny and ridiculous as I could have hoped for. Director David Wain has a history of not only collaborating with co-writer Ken Marino but also star Paul Rudd. The three have collaborated on "Wet Hot American Summer" and 2008's "Role Models" as well as "The Ten". While they seem to have really found their groove with "Role Models" they continue to grow in the right direction with "Wanderlust". While this may not be as consistently funny as "Role Models" was it certainly has the amount of charm and despite hitting familiar beats story-wise it also has the guts to go a little gonzo and stretch for the slightly weird. This might appeal only to certain movie-goers tastes but it allows itself this quality by sporting such a widely-liked cast that stand by the out-there material while delivering some seriously good laughs along the way. "Wanderlust" may be all I needed it to be but I can understand where some will not be as pleased with it, but even they have to admit that for this time of year "Wanderlust" is giving us a break from the other releases we might have settled for.