SHAZAM! Review

Shazam! immediately sets itself apart from its comic book brethren by opening the film not with a flashback to that of the titular heroes origin, but to that of the origin of its main villain; an antagonist that very easily could have been the protagonist and caused this story to be quite different had one slight outcome been different. Maybe slight is the wrong word as Mark Strong's Dr. Sivana takes a certain defeat to heart and dedicates his life from this point on to figuring out why he wasn't worthy of dawning the Shazam suit. The point being, director David F. Sandberg (Lights Out, Annabelle Creation) and screenwriter Henry Gayden (Earth to Echo) begin their movie by filling in the blanks of the bad guy and immediately set-up the audience with an understanding and empathy as to how the rest of the events we see unfold do in fact unfold in the manner they do. This is a key ingredient in a recipe that is repeated so often these days with so many super hero and comic book films saturating the market. Such is the case that filmmakers, studio heads, and whole creative teams alike have essentially been forced to find ways to differentiate their hero from the next studio's hero. While personally, I'm as sincere a fan of both sides of the studio rivals as I could imagine to be Shazam! does a pretty damn good job of making a full-length, fun feature out of what could arguably be one of the corniest super heroes ever put to panel. Shazam is a super hero that is actually a kid and is costumed like a hero out of a 1940's serial series wearing his cape with pride and his spandex with dignity as the large, luminescent lightning bolt that is the symbol of his heroism shines brightly at the costume's core. While most modern super hero films will tend to dial back the costumes that graced the pages of the source material so as to ground the film and the character in more of a familiar reality, Shazam! embraces the corniness whole-heartily and then balances it with a true threat in the aforementioned villain, true tension in that villain's master plan, and real stakes that aren't cataclysmic in nature, but more personal both in relation to the characters we come to know and invest in as well as in making the film feel more like a small movie made for a specific group of people rather than the big movie that appeals to everyone it so very clearly is.

THINK LIKE A MAN TOO Review

In the two years since the adaptation of Steve Harvey's best-selling book became a "surprise" box-office smash Kevin Hart has gone on to become one of the biggest box-office draws when it comes to comedies. The makers of Think Like A Man Too would have been remiss not to take advantage of that. Don't worry, they do and if you didn't know how big Hart was before you will after this. The pint-sized comedian goes so far as to get his own dancing in his underwear montage that lasts a good two minutes if not more. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with this, I find Hart an appealing and funny guy even if his features haven't been anything special (though I enjoyed his About Last Night re-make much more than I expected). Last summer, the man had a successful stand-up movie run in theaters and any comedian with that kind of power has every right to flex his muscles any way he wants and headlining a summer comedy sequel isn't a bad way to go. While I didn't catch Think Like A Man in its initial theater run the buzz around it was enough to warrant a rental and though I don't remember much of what occurred in that first film the one thing that did pop up as reminiscent as I flipped through info about the sequel was the fun character dynamics that were created. If there was any need for a sequel it would be to further explore the developing relationships between these men and women and to use them as examples to spell out the lessons that I'm assuming Harvey speaks of in his book. Returning screenwriters Keith Merryman and David A. Newman make sure to imbue these little encouragements or lessons through Hart's narration, but it never melds in the way it should. It is almost as if the writers are attempting to say one thing while the actual movie is trying to be another. It isn't obvious that the movie has some kind of identity crisis, but it does become painfully apparent that there is little in the way of genuine emotion going on here. Each of the men are an archetype who play into these manufactured roles that lead to easily overcome obstacles that would never be as effortless were the film grounded in any kind of reality. Think Like A Man Too is a light comedy by nature though and so it plays everything safe, from the jokes to the conflict and thus the result is little more than a colorful distraction.

First Trailer for THINK LIKE A MAN TOO

Back in 2012 Think Like A Man became a break-out hit when it seemed African American audiences had grown tired of Tyler Perry productions while the large ensemble cast put together by seasoned director Tim Story and based on a book by Steve Harvey seemed to be appropriate alternative programming. It is clear the black audience in America is one that is largely ignored by mainstream studios as they still look at these entries in the African American genre as financial risks when it has become more and more clear over time that there is most certainly an audience for them. Think Like A Man was a film that featured a cast almost completely made up of African Americans and was a genuine box office hit where the story didn't center around the struggles of being black or the issues of race that have or still exist. Last year alone we saw 42, The Butler, 12 Years A Slave and Fruitvale Station either make impacts critically, commercially or both, but while still dealing with those issues. This all came to a head though with the release of last Novembers The Best Man Holiday which debuted at $30 million and went on to earn over $70 on a $17 million budget and was a pure Christmas-themed dramedy. It was the combination of this finally striking a chord with studio execs surprised that such a film would be a hit and the wave Kevin Hart is currently riding that will seem to shape a brighter future for the African American genre. Hart, who has already scored a massive hit with Story this year in Ride Along and made About Last Night bigger than the RoboCop movie this weekend shows no signs of slowing down as he is clearly the highlight of this trailer and looks to completely dominate the summer box office when this sequel will likely win out over Clint Eastwood's Jersey Boys and the rushed sequel to The Purge. The trailer impresses that this is perfectly fun, summer fare and will have no problem convincing those that loved the first that they are in for better times with the second. Think Like A Man Too also stars Michael Ealy, Regina Hall, Meagan Good, Jerry Ferrara, Gabrielle Union, Romany Malco, Adam Brody, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Terrence Jenkins, Jennifer Lewis, Gary Owen, David Walton, Dennis Haysbert and opens on June 20th.

ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND CONTINUES Review

I understand that when compared to other genres that those falling into the comedy classification don't really compare no matter how funny or enjoyable they are, but because they are more exercises in pure entertainment than trying to convey raw emotion or serve a bigger purpose. They don't look to teach us anything or expand our minds necessarily and they rarely offer anything innovative when it comes to the world of filmmaking, no, all a comedy really wants to do is make us laugh and while it may seem more admirable to adapt a historical figures life for the screen or create real substance for a man with a cape I'd argue it is probably tougher to make people consistently laugh at the jokes you're spewing. Unfortunately, much of the time the end result proves that and so we don't often get comedies that we feel really connect with a majority of us because 1) humor is extremely subjective and 2) jokes aren't easy to write when you sit down and have to think about them. When looking at the Anchorman films and the group of people collaborating to put these together it becomes clear why they may have more of a pulse on the eclectic tastes of audiences and that is simply due to the spontaneity of it all. There is a freshness to it that doesn't feel forced, no pre-determined jokes that fall flat in execution, but instead just a few master improv artists hanging out, gathering around a central idea and then growing off of it until it reaches ridiculous and often hilarious heights. So, I understand that while most don't consider comedy one of the higher art forms and that films like Anchorman, much less its sequel, don't make critics top ten lists or are hailed as great films for how funny the absurdity of it all is, but the fact of the matter is that I laughed more at Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues than any other film this year and while that still may not be enough in many peoples eyes to verify it as a "film" rather than just your typical mainstream comedy, this is one of the few times in recent memory when upon going into a film with such high expectations that I came out and without any inhibition was able to say that it more than lived up to what I hoped it would be and in many instances, even surpassed it.Yes, in many ways this is better than The Legend of Ron Burgundy, but that is only because it is the continuation of a legend and as I'm sure Mr. Burgundy would attest, "How could it not be MORE legendary?"

New Trailer for ANCHORMAN: THE LEGEND CONTINUES

In what is my most anticipated film of the year (I realize how ridiculous that may sound to some of you, but Anchorman defined the comedy of my teen years) Ron Burgundy returns to the screen for the first time since 2004 and it couldn't be with more excitement that I welcome the news team back for another round. Every single collaboration between star Will Ferrell and writer/director Adam McKay might as well have been a home run. The first Anchorman film is beyond cult status now that the sequel is coming out, Talladega Nights has more quotable lines than anything else I've seen in the past seven years while Step Brothers was the "one for them" that also pleased everybody else and remains as hilarious now as it was the first time I saw it in 2008. Even The Other Guys is an under-appreciated gem that should really get more credit for Mark Wahlberg's comedy renaissance that Ted receives. Because of this track record I have nothing but faith in the Ferrell/McKay team and that they wouldn't risk tarnishing their legacy with anything less than spectacular when it came to making not only their first sequel, but the sequel to the film featuring their most beloved character. If this first trailer with all new footage is any indication we are in for more of the same humor with plenty of new faces and a new decade to riff on that will bring a fresh perspective to the comedy. Paul Rudd looks appropriately ridiculous with his facial hair as Brian Fantana and Steve Carell is already delivering lines as Brick that will be repeated countless times until something new comes along in future trailers or in the film itself. We don't get too much of Dave Koechner's Champ here, but we are given a glimpse of how cameo-filled this film is going to be with Ed Helms, Kristen Wiig, and James Marsden (who actually has a strong supporting role it seems) already popping up here. I am beyond excited for the film, but I am also optimistic about the results as the makers have given me no reason to doubt them. The stars seem to have aligned and hopefully this will deliver as much legacy to the legend as the first film came to do. The film also stars Christina Applegate, Dylan Baker, Meagan Good, Greg Kinnear, and Harrison Ford. Anchorman: The Legend Continues opens on December 20th.