SUPERNOVA Review

Harry Macqueen's Supernova opens with a demonstration of what the title refers to: a star exploding thus allowing its molecules and all the other fantastical, unknown elements it's made up of to fall from the heavens. Some of this dust is destined to make its way to the earth where one day it will help to make-up the organisms that populate the planet. An exploding star, a burning love...we're lucky if we experience either in our lifetime. The film fades from this demonstration to the serene, static shot of two men in bed together, their hands intertwined and their love apparent. A crossfade to an overcast sky where pillowy white clouds still manage to somehow pop through pans down and lands on an older model RV where the two men we first met a moment ago are now on a road trip together. Despite the quick-wit and sarcasm of one Tusker (Stanley Tucci) and the frustration of the other, Colin Firth's Sam, it's already been established this is not a tale of two aging, grumpy fellows on an adventure to sow their wild oats, but rather it is a tale of two lovers hoping to find some peace and solace in what is likely the last moments of their being together. We are first made aware of the reasons for this holiday when Sam stops at a grocery store on the side of the road only to return to find Tusker has disappeared. While Sam locates his partner shortly thereafter it is clear to both men that Tusker's early onset dementia is getting worse at a pace neither was likely prepared for. How could anyone ever be prepared for as much? No matter the amount of time given to process the pain it would never seem to cease. The film though, is a brisk and very tidy ninety minutes and that is all Macqueen requires to paint his sweeping yet pulverizing love story. It's almost astonishing really, how invested we become in both Tusker and Sam despite the brief running time and further, how many moments are absolutely a punch to the gut whether it be in the way Firth's voice cracks when he gets emotional or through as simple a gesture as one helping the other button his shirt. Anchored by these two effortlessly affectionate and grounded performances from Tucci and Firth (but especially Tucci, my God!), Supernova is a film about coming to terms with reality no matter how inequitable it may seem and the honest conversations that are eventually unearthed around it. A true portrait of companionship, a meditation on legacy, and the impact it all has on the lives of those most important to us.   

TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT Review

Twenty minutes into the fifth Michael Bay directed Transformers film, this one subtitled The Last Knight, Optimus Prime comes face to face with a robot God named Quintessa (as voiced by Gemma Chan) if that gives one any indication as to how insane these movies have truly become. No? Not good enough? How about the fact Anthony Hopkins' character (or the fact Anthony Hopkins is in a Transformers movie) has a Transformer butler that the film acknowledges is more or less a rip-off of C-3PO? Not far enough? Let's go ahead and make the robot butler a sociopath of sorts, shall we? Point being, there is no seeming cohesion between any parts of the many layers that make up The Last Knight as well as most of its predecessors. Personally, I walk into a new Transformers film with the expectation of being bombarded by sound, image, and story and am more or less pleased if I can walk away saying I understood the main point of the plot and was, at the very least, entertained. Of course, without such expectations one could view these things as complete messes, as mind-numbing fun, or fall somewhere in between where it's easy to recognize the idiocy of the picture, but acknowledge the merit in big, colorful, summer blockbuster filmmaking. Many will make jokes, but Bay is one of the more unique directors working today by virtue of the fact he consistently operates on such a scale that it's almost inconceivable he could craft something that wasn't inherently bloated; every aspect of his process and his product has to be big and this latest endeavor is no different. While Age of Extinction felt like something of a breaking point in terms of the director going so far into his wheelhouse that he couldn't possibly possess any more tricks we are still here three years later and Bay, along with returning cast members Mark Wahlberg, Josh Duhamel, John Turturro, and Stanley Tucci, have somehow managed to at least match if not best their previous Bayhem effort. The Last Knight is scattered, plot-heavy, overly complicated, and generally non-sensical to the point of genuine hilarity, but there is still a craft to it all and the fact Bay can somehow orchestrate these massive characters, set-pieces, and story into something resembling a movie while at the same time maintaining a visual aesthetic that is bar none one of the best you'll see on the big screen today is truly impressive and deserves at least a little bit of credit.

Final Trailer for TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT

Nearly a decade on from the first time Michael Bay graced us with his vision of the eighties cartoon series about two opposing factions of transforming alien robots who engage in a battle and we're on the fifth entry in this massive (and massively lucrative) franchise. In the interim between Transformers flicks Bay has shown some interesting tendencies as a director with the genuinely thrilling, funny, and entertaining Pain & Gain as well as the admirable if not overlong and somewhat indulgent 13 Hours. I've always appreciated Bay's visual style and the mastery he has over it as well as the simple energy he seems to possess in pushing himself and his crew to the limits so as to deliver the biggest kinds of blockbusters he can, but I don't think anyone would debate, including Bay himself, that what he's crafting is little more than junk food. Movies that will appease the masses and afford escapism to those willing to pay for two and a half ours of such, but not much else. There is no substance to the spectacle and unfortunately the same looks as if it can be said for the board room concoction that is The Last Knight. That said, this latest trailer for the film makes it look incredibly bad ass and I'm still very much excited to see Bay's latest foray into maximizing the IMAX experience on an IMAX screen. The question that will follow this unique anticipation is, "will I enjoy The Last Knight?" Only time will tell. Age of Extinction, the previous Transformers film that traded Shia LaBeouf for Mark Wahlberg, was a close tie for the worst in the series with Revenge of the Fallen still retaining that title. Extinction was a re-boot that didn't know how to re-boot itself. I can only hope that this time around writers Matt Holloway, Art Marcum, and Ken Nolan give the director a more straightforward, lean story that gives audiences what they came for with little to no more ambition, but I won't hold out too much hope. Transformers: The Last Knight sees the return of Wahlberg as well as starring Laura Haddock, Anthony Hopkins, Isabela Moner, Jerrod Carmichael, Gemma Chan, Stanley Tucci, John Goodman, John Turturro, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and opens on June 23rd, 2017.

BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Review

When I was a little kid and would take in a particular Disney animated feature multiple times within a very short window I always wondered what it might be like to see such characters and such worlds come to life. Real life. I never thought it would happen after the live action versions of 101 Dalmatians and its money-grubbing sequel underwhelmed (at least they did in my adolescent mind), but then again I also desperately hoped that one day movie studios might wise-up and begin building a shared universe where my favorite super heroes interacted on the big screen as well. As I've grown up and become a parent myself it seems Disney has decided to make all of my dreams come true while also giving their most iconic of animated classics updates so that they might reach wider audiences and new generations-including my daughter's. Over the past seven years or so now we've seen an uptick in the number of live-action films based on classic Disney properties. Whether they be from the respective studio that originated the tale in popular culture or not it seems many have noticed this as a way to garner solid returns-despite the brand recognition formula not always working (I liked you, Tarzan, but you cost too much). Though Disney began this recent trend by attempting to re-work properties such as Alice in Wonderland and the Sleeping Beauty story in the form of the Angelina Jolie vehicle that is Maleficent, it has been the last two live action adaptations in Cinderella and The Jungle Book that have yielded the best results in terms of quality (with all doing rather well financially). The point being, when it comes to these re-imaginings the best bet for both pleasing audiences and critics alike seems to be sticking with the source material and simply adding flourishes where might be necessary. This is one of the highlights of this latest incarnation of Beauty and the Beast as more logic and depth are applied to the characters and their plights despite the film as a whole being little more than a pound for pound remake of the Oscar nominated 1991 animated version. One would be hard-pressed to even call what director Bill Condon (Dreamgirls) has made here an interpretation, but while there isn't anything in particular that separates the film apart as being great in its own regard, it pays honorable enough homage to this reviewer's childhood memories that it would be difficult to argue with the thrills and excitement it delivered in selling such a fantastical story come to life.

Teaser Trailer for TRANSFORMERS: THE LAST KNIGHT

Well, here we are. Nearly a decade on from the first time Michael Bay graced us with his vision of the eighties cartoon series about two opposing factions of transforming alien robots who engage in a battle that starred Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox. Ten years later and both LaBeouf and Fox have long since left the franchise, but Optimus Prime and Bumblebee (and apparently Bay) have little where else to go. In the interim between Transformers flicks Bay has shown some interesting tendencies as a director with the genuinely thrilling, funny, and entertaining Pain & Gain as well as the admirable if not overlong and somewhat indulgent 13 Hours. I've always appreciated Bay's visual style and the mastery he has over it as well as the simple energy he seems to possess in pushing himself and his crew to the limits so as to deliver the biggest kinds of blockbusters he can, but I don't think anyone would debate, including Bay himself, that what he's crafting is little more than junk food. Movies that will appease the masses and afford escapism to those willing to pay for two and a half ours of such, but not much else. There is no substance to the spectacle and unfortunately the same looks as if it can be said for the board room concoction that is Bay's fifth Transformer film, The Last Knight. I'll see Bay's latest foray into maximizing the IMAX experience and I'll no doubt be wowed by the scale of the action set pieces as it is clear from this first look that Bay isn't skimping on the explosions despite the energy level for the franchise seeming to wane. Will I enjoy The Last Knight-only time will tell. Age of Extinction, the previous Transformers film that traded LaBeouf for Mark Wahlberg, was a close tie for the worst in the series with Revenge of the Fallen as it felt like a total slog, a re-boot that didn't know how to re-boot itself. I can only hope that this time around writers Matt Holloway, Art Marcum, and Ken Nolan give the director a more straightforward, lean story, but I won't hold out too much hope just yet. Transformers: The Last Knight sees the return of Wahlberg as well as starring Laura Haddock, Anthony Hopkins, Isabela Moner, Stanley Tucci, John Goodman, John Turturro, Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson and opens on June 23rd, 2017.   

Full Trailer for BEAUTY AND THE BEAST Starring Emma Watson

After glimpsing the teaser trailer for Disney's live-action adaptation of one of if not their most celebrated animated films this past summer it wasn't hard to sense the amount of anticipation for this thing. It's going to be huge. If you thought The Jungle Book was big. Watch out. That said, just in time for the holidays the mouse house has finally released the full-length trailer for director Bill Condon's (Dreamgirls) Beauty and the Beast and based on what we see here I'm still fairly optimistic. Condon, despite his several serviceable credits, gives me caution as he has a few other credits that don't bode so well for this incarnation of the only animated movie to ever get a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars, but taking into consideration that Perks of Being a Wallflower writer/director Stephen Chbosky assisted in penning the screenplay (along with Evan Spiliotopoulos who seems to fit the bill of generic Hollywood writer) I have something of a renewed faith. This fact, coupled with the rather unbelievable cast that look and sound great from what we see here is enough to hope that Disney can pull off with Beauty and the Beast what they were able to do with Cinderella and the aforementioned Jungle Book. The visuals are especially stunning here as Watson looks pitch-perfect in both her physical and mental approach to the titular beauty that is Belle. While I still harbor some concern for the amount of CGI that it seems Condon and his team are relying on to bring the other half of the title as well as the remaining inhabitants of the castle to life I can only hope that there is still work to be done and that the representations of the talented casts' voice work will come through as effortlessly as Jon Favreau and his animators were able to make it feel in their Disney adaptation. These live-action remakes of animated classics are certainly turning into big business for the studio, but given we've essentially seen these movies before these new versions have to be both faithful while at the same time bring something new to the table. Based on what we see here one really can't see through the nostalgia of it all to know how good or bad Condon's version might turn out, but darn it if I'm not rooting for this thing to work and for these re-imaginings to keep on comin'. Beauty and the Beast also stars Dan Stevens, Kevin Kline, Luke Evans, Josh Gad, Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, Ian McKellen, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and opens on March 17th, 2017.

SPOTLIGHT Review

Note: This is a reprint of my review for Spotlight, which originally ran on September 23, 2015 after seeing it at the Toronto Film Festival. I am publishing it again today as it hits theaters this weekend.

Spotlight is a fine example of what perfect execution looks like. From the outset we are given the broad scope of the issue the film looks to tackle and from there we dive right into Boston, 2001 to meet the key players in the game the film will be playing. There are no hiccups, no time for second guesses and nothing narratively to take away from the main objective. Spotlight is a prime piece of meat with all of the fat trimmed and only the juiciest parts left so as to make the whole experience one of pure, concentrated excellence. That said, it is certainly an interesting case in a couple of areas. The first being that director Thomas McCarthy (The Visitor, Win Win), who is generally regarded as both a solid writer and filmmaker, was coming off the worst reviewed film of his career a year ago with The Cobbler and so to bounce back so ferociously with this effortlessly intelligent thriller makes it clear there is something more to be said for the process of filmmaking. The other, is that this reviewer in particular is a Catholic. This is an influential piece of information considering Spotlight is about the Boston Globe's investigation into the Church's sexual abuse scandal that gave cause for people everywhere (Catholic or not) to take a second look at one of our most respected and trusted institutions. Because the film plays it straight down the middle, with no time for subplots or unnecessary qualms, no one party is ever viewed unfairly, but rather the irrefutable facts presented allow the audience to make up their own minds.

TIFF 2015: SPOTLIGHT Review

Spotlight is a fine example of what perfect execution looks like. From the outset we are given the broad scope of the issue the film looks to tackle and from there we dive right into Boston, 2001 to meet the key players in the game the film will be playing. There are no hiccups, no time for second guesses and nothing narratively to take away from the main objective. Spotlight is a prime piece of meat with all of the fat trimmed and only the juiciest parts left so as to make the whole experience one of pure, concentrated excellence. That said, it is certainly an interesting case in a couple of areas. The first being that director Thomas McCarthy (The Visitor, Win Win), who is generally regarded as both a solid writer and filmmaker, was coming off the worst reviewed film of his career a year ago with The Cobbler and so to bounce back so ferociously with this effortlessly intelligent thriller makes it clear there is something more to be said for the process of filmmaking. The other, is that this reviewer in particular is a Catholic. This is an influential piece of information considering Spotlight is about the Boston Globe's investigation into the Church's sexual abuse scandal that gave cause for people everywhere (Catholic or not) to take a second look at one of our most respected and trusted institutions. Because the film plays it straight down the middle, with no time for subplots or unnecessary qualms, no one party is ever viewed unfairly, but rather the irrefutable facts presented allow the audience to make up their own minds.

First Trailer for SPOTLIGHT Starring Michael Keaton

Open Road Films has released the first trailer for director/co-writer Thomas McCarthy’s (The Station Agent, The Visitor) new film, Spotlight. This is somewhat interesting given McCarthy's last film, the critically dismissed The Cobbler, opens in the UK this weekend but is also expected given it was announced the film would have its premiere at the Venice Film Festival and screen at the Toronto International Film Festival yesterday. Telling the true story of the Boston Globe reporters who investigated and exposed the Catholic Church’s systemic cover-up of sexual abuse, this is a film that will both touch on some hot button issues while at the same time being immediately engaging for doing so. This first look at the film offers a solid look at both how McCarthy has executed what is essentially one of the biggest stories of the 21st century as well as the stellar ensemble cast he has recruited. Hot off his Best Actor nomination for Birdman, Michael Keaton will play legendary reporter Walter 'Robby' Robinson while it seems Mark Ruffalo will serve more as the lead in the role of Michael Rezendes, the Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter and political writer for The Globe. Spotlight was co-written by The West Wing‘s Josh Singer and also stars Rachel McAdams, Brian d’Arcy James, John Slattery, Liev Schreiber, Stanley Tucci, Billy Crudup, Paul Guilfoyle, Len Cariou and opens in theaters on November 6th.

WILD CARD Review

Wild Card starts off by quickly setting up two intriguing predicaments. One is to show what our main character, Nick Wild (Jason Statham), does for a living while the other is an unspecified woman being dropped off, beaten and battered, at the emergency room. There is no need to understand how the two scenarios might connect as the movie isn't intent on making a major mystery of anything, but rather Wild Card is more intent on simply hooking you in hopes that you might stick around to see what scenario the next Statham caricature might be forced to use his martial arts skills to take care of. Giving credit where credit is due, the hook is nicely placed and I'm a fan of Statham so I was willing to go along with what could of course never rise to become more than a mediocre action flick. That is simply what we expect from Statham in his solo outings, but somehow he always manages to bring something more to the table than we ever expect. Whether it be the tone and setting of Homefront, the large amount of sympathy and goodwill contained in his character from Safe, the twists of War, the time period and fellow actors in Killer Elite or even the gritty, grimy style of something like The Mechanic-there is always an aspect of these Statham films that allow them become more than what we bargained for which was a direct to video movie so trashy and standard it is instantly forgettable. Instead, Statham operates on the principles of intriguing character pieces despite him being pegged as playing the same guy over and over again. This is partially true as each of the characters the action star portrays resembles one another in some form or fashion, but their circumstances always paint a different picture and it is this information that informs the state of mind of the character that allows Statham leniency from his British accent and bad boy facade. In Wild Card he is again a kind of bodyguard, but he is a man with an addiction and one that doesn't derive from drugs or alcohol, but that of one he could make a clean break from if he so chose. It's the choices that make Statham's characters different and if anything new comes to light in this otherwise generic film it is why Statham is equally as heralded as he is crapped upon.

Official Trailer for THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY - PART 1

At long last, the full-length trailer for the first installment of director Francis Lawrence’s conclusion to the Hunger Games franchise has been released. Lionsgate has been playing this entire series close to the chest after the first film became somewhat of a phenomenon simply because it knows what it has on its hands. At this point, people are going to show up to this no matter if they've seen a trailer or not and so we get glimpses of what is to come, but not a marketing onslaught that wears us out before the final product arrives (take note, Sony). Having read all three of Suzanne Collins' books on which these films are based I found "Mockingjay" to be the least satisfying which has always made me weary of the film adaptation yet Lawrence took "Catching Fire" (my favorite reading experience of the series) and made it a much better film that the initial installment giving me hope for what he might do with the conclusion of this story. It was inevitable that the studio would split the final book into two features (despite the book length being about the same as the first two) and with this first real look at footage from the first half of the finale it looks like Lawrence has taken the themes of what this world of districts represents and has turned the emotional repercussions up to eleven. The book did take some interesting avenues with the characters though and naturally I look forward to seeing those play out on the big screen. It also looks like Gale will finally get his due after being heavily sidelined in the first two films, only building to a more emotional ending than we might be ready to handle. here's hoping it actually gets to us that much, signaling some real depth in blockbuster filmmaking. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 stars Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson,  Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harrelson, Julianne Moore, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Elizabeth Banks, Jena Malone, Sam Claflin, Jeffrey Wright, Stanley Tucci, Natalie Dormer, Donald Sutherland and opens in theaters on November 21st.

TRANSFOMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION Review

Is escapism really that if the relief we seek turns out to be just as unpleasant as the reality? It is questions such as this that begin to seep into your mind during the exhausting, nearly three-hour experience that is Transformers: Age of Extinction. Director Michael Bay has no intentions of creating anything other than grand escapism here in that this is not a film intended for a specific audience or niche, but is mass appeal in the largest sense possible. The thing about Bay that most people hate is that he has the mentality of a 12 year-old boy and composes his films from that perspective while being technically proficient. While there will be those who ask what might be wrong with the imagination of a pre-teen boy splattered across an IMAX screen the answer is technically, nothing, but might result in some incohesive story elements and slight exploitation of the young female body. There are stereotypes thrown around here from time to time, but the racism has been dialed back considerably from the truly messy second installment, Revenge of the Fallen. There is no mention of Sam Witwicky anywhere and thus there is no forced feeling of having to evolve that character from where we saw him last allowing for the new humans to simply exist in order to aid the giant robots in whatever quest they are out to achieve this time. The film is unnecessarily, even punishingly long in that you'll be sitting in the theater for over three hours if you arrive early and catch the previews. Bay could have easily kept this at a strict two hours while providing some solid entertainment, some stunning visuals and a story the majority of us could follow with ease, but he doesn't. Bay is not one to avoid indulgence and so what we have actually been given is an over-complicated version of a rather simple story that in being so big forgets the little things such as a reason for shoe-horning in robot dinosaurs. To be fair, Age of Extinction is in some ways an improvement over the last two films in that Bay seems to try and take the criticisms he's given and apply them to improving his work (the streamlined story, the less distracting human characters) yet in the end it more or less feels like we're watching the same things we've already seen before.

MR. PEABODY & SHERMAN Review

Let's just be up front about this whole Mr. Peabody and Sherman thing: it's a little weird. I mean, the whole concept and everything is a little out there when it comes to typical, safe family entertainment in that it's just straight-up odd to think about what is typically considered a pet adopting what typically takes care of said pet. That said, I'm not familiar with the original series that apparently ran as part of the Rocky & Bullwinkle universe and really had no idea of what type of story I was getting myself into or what adventure I was going to be taken on as I hadn't paid much attention to the marketing for the film, but as Dreamworks originals tend to go I expected to at least have a nice, colorful and randomly funny entertaining time if not receiving the deeper, more introspective character moments and more honest themes that come along with what we have become accustomed to with Pixar. Many people will disagree and say that Pixar has been slipping lately and I won't argue with you when it comes to defending the Cars series, but I enjoyed both Brave and Monsters University to a point that Mr. Peabody & Sherman can't even touch. Of course, this is really like trying to compare a January release to an Oscar-bait film as it seems Dreamworks productions have both lower standards and naturally a lower set of expectations for their final product than that of the major summer tentpoles Pixar is akin to putting out. Still, it is hard to discern the difference in the two when they exist in the same genre and are targeted (mainly) at the same audiences, but it is only when the first offering does well and/or have the right people behind it to truly invest and push it to something more, something deeper that we get the eventual sequels with a more pristine release date a la How to Train Your Dragon (we all saw how Turbo turned out last year when they through a non-franchise, non-re-make in the throws of summer). With Mr. Peabody & Sherman the studio has concocted what is essentially an extended TV episode and it feels this way without me, again, never having seen the original show. It is fine that it is episodic though because it is so brief of an experience that instead of coming away feeling short-changed, we feel satisfied with the amount of adventure packed into these pint-sized characters.

Full Trailer for TRANSFORMERS: AGE OF EXTINCTION

It has been three years since we've seen Optimus Prime and his fellow Autobots on the big screen and that last impression left by Dark of the Moon was at least better than Revenge of the Fallen though it came with -an air of conclusion, that this was the end of a good run and one that would be re-visited by youngsters again and again as time went by and the films became more regarded for what they were rather than what grown-up fanboys wanted them to be upon initial arrival. They are beautifully rendered images of giant robots fighting one another that provide guilty pleasure entertainment for the more sophisticated mind and awe-inspiring wonder for those who are just discovering what movies can really do when the cinema screen is taken advantage of. Unfortunately, most of Michael Bay's films get a bad wrap on the fact he takes pleasure in consistently directing as if he were a 13 year-old boy. Still, when this mentality is applied to the premise of, again, giant robots fighting one another I don't necessarily understand why it is a bad thing and have to wonder how it could be done better? Today we get our first look at the fourth installment in the series (the one Bay said he wouldn't be back for, but is) and how the franchise will live on with Shia LaBeouf (I think it will be fine, they got Mark Wahlberg). I was skeptical of where Bay would take his robots this time around, but getting a certified movie star like Wahlberg to take the leading role does nothing but lend this installment a renewed sense of credibility. Though it is hard to take a robot riding a dinosaur robot while holding a sword seriously, the first trailer for Age of Extinction does its best to make us believe this will be a nice departure from the previous trilogy and that there is renewed reason for us to be investing in these robots again. Transformers: Age of Extinction stars Nicola Peltz, Jack Reynor, Kelsey Grammer, Stanley Tucci, T.J. Miller, Titus Welliver, Han Geng, Sophia Myles, Li Bingbing and opens June 27th.

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE Review

There are plenty of perks to being the middle installment of a giant trilogy. Whether you've read the books or not I think it goes without saying that Catching Fire, the film, is a much bigger and more impressive exercise than what the first film was able to deliver after it finished setting up the world all of this would be taking place in. This, coming from the benefit of being that middle child. It has always been the case though (Empire Strikes Back, The Dark Knight, X2: X-Men United, Spider-Man 2) that without having to deal in exposition and not having to worry itself with how to wrap everything up nicely, that the second chapter of a larger story is the one where we get to dig in, where we are able to see the meat of the conflict, and get to really know the characters and what drives them, what makes them different and why we remain interested in their plight past the unbelievable circumstances they were thrown into the first time around. All of this remains true in director Francis Lawrence's follow-up to Gary Ross's faithful and fervent opening chapter. Yes, it is important to note that I am a fan of the books, all three of them, but that Catching Fire was by far my favorite and for all the reasons I've listed above I desperately hoped the film turned out the same way. As we reach the final shot of this film it became all the more clear that we'd just witnessed something rather special. It may not have been a game-changer like The Dark Knight or as exceptional as X2, but it has some clear moments and techniques that are more than impressive and more than intriguing that lead us to becoming intensely wrapped up in the world of Panem and the brewing revolution. The scope and scale, the performances all-around, the more confident hand behind the execution; it all adds up to a film that knows what it is, what its message and main themes are, and where it is going because there is a driving force behind the narrative that makes the briskly paced film (not a bad thing with a run time of two and a half hours) feel like a consistently mounting piece of music that perfectly staggers its force and intensity until hitting that crescendo. This is only one passage though, and that perfectly timed climax of this specific progression only leaves us wanting more which can only mean part two has done its job and done it well.

THE FIFTH ESTATE Review

We go to the movies to be entertained and not necessarily for history lessons. That hasn't stopped writers and filmmakers from making countless films that chronicle historical events since the beginning of the mediums inception. Even D.W. Griffith's The Birth of a Nation which is credited as one of the first motion pictures and innovating several techniques that shaped modern filmmaking is a story revolving around the Civil War and reconstruction-era America. The majority of the time though there seems reason to bring these stories and settings to the big screen by way of there being an inspirational, harrowing, unbelievable, or simply engaging story that deserves to be told and expressed to the largest audience possible. That something engaging about the story would likely be the key element were you to talk to any writer or filmmaker and it is easy to see how writer Josh Singer who has written for several credible TV shows such as The West Wing and Law & Order, and Lie to Me and director Bill Condon (Dreamgirls, Kinsey and yes, the last two Twilight films) saw the inherent drama and, to use that word again, engaging elements of the story of Julian Assange, the Australian activist who began the website WikiLeaks which publishes secret information that has been submitted to his website as he claims to protect his sources who would otherwise be too afraid to come forward with said information. There is naturally a human element to this story as Assange is an intriguing public figure that has received plenty of press coverage over the past few years as his name and image might very well be more popular or recognizable than the reasons why this is so, but there is also a cultural aspect of Assange's story that addresses the changing of the tide on how the world receives information and this aspect, while I didn't see it coming as a part of the narrative, has a very interesting idea to it that could have been taken advantage of and conveyed in a much more interesting way while the human element is simply left to the performers trying to make the drama function while having nothing solid to work with. They are left to trying to make staring intently at a monitor and typing ferociously as intense as possible rather than backing up and dealing with the actual emotions that come with the weight of what they're typing on their laptops. It isn't so much engaging as it is facts being stated with nothing for us to be moved, shocked, or entertained by.

THE COMPANY YOU KEEP Review

Robert Redford has always slightly eluded me. I haven't seen much of his work except for a few major players like Butch Cassidy and The Sting, as well as several of his directorial efforts, but I've never felt particularly close to the guy despite the kind of status he has commanded in Hollywood for quite some time. That may sound odd or even a little delusional, but in terms of growing to feel as if you know an actor by the kinds of roles they play, or figuring out what they might be like in real life, and what conversation topics might come up if you had the chance to speak with them make viewers feel as if we could actually get to know these people. This usually happens with what turn out to be our favorite actors or at least people who are considered movie stars, and it usually means they have the charisma and the charm to connect with a mass audience on different levels thus the reason they are granted that precious title of "movie star". And though Redford has clearly been knighted with that honor and been in the high ranks of movie-making for a long time I've never quite understood the fascination. He's clearly a talented and attractive figure and he seems to have a real love for making movies and creating pieces of art that mean something. While The Company You Keep may not be the best example of that kind of high art what it does do is serve a purpose as a fairly satisfying exercise in the investigative drama that features an all star cast who will have you playing a guessing game of who might pop up next. It is easy to see how this might be passed on as tired and conventional but the story is intriguing enough and the chase to the end to find a resolution and sort out the mess of politics these people have gotten themselves into had me from the beginning and I was willing to run with it, whatever it was they asked me to do and wherever it was they asked me to go.

JACK THE GIANT SLAYER Review

After being postponed nearly a year for post production reasons that involved more time for the special effects (where were the results of that?) as well as for a bigger marketing push we finally have the first new film from director Bryan Singer in four years. A retelling of the classic fairy tale, Jack the Giant Slayer (formerly titled Jack the Giant Killer) is another in a long line of Hollywood attempting to capitalize on a trend that never made it past the first lap. You can't completely fault them as this film was greenlit in 2009, well before Tim Burtons Alice in Wonderland began the trend of bringing old fairy tales to the modern audience with gigantic budgets.Though this trend hasn't exactly proved a winning one it will surely continue far past this fun, forgettable film that brings nothing new to the genre of fantasy and pure escapism but does nothing to harm it either. It is a perfectly acceptable two hours of amusing and imaginative storytelling that plays out exactly as we imagine it might, but the keyword is imaginative. Director Singer has always had a fun imagination and has incorporated it into both his stories and filmmaking techniques. Whether it be The Usual Suspects, X2, or even Superman Returns and Valkyrie I have always found something about the guys films to be endearing and impossible to dislike (yes, I liked Superman Returns, so sue me). This feeling continues with this film and whether it be the fact I have a soft spot for Singer or that I am more easily convinced in a pure fantasy world that everything is fun, I had a good time watching this movie. I didn't love it and it certainly has room for improvement in several areas, but it was enjoyable nonetheless and I'm not too upset about that outcome.

THE HUNGER GAMES Review

For most fans of "The Hunger Games" series the film adaptation has been a long time coming. Since it was first announced a year ago who would be directing and starring in the film a slew of other news and information, photos and trailers have come out prepping everyone for the next huge series based on a young adult book series. I think it is important to note that this reviewer has read all three books and loved them. Since seeing the movie I have spoken with others who have also read the books and heard their thoughts on it as well as with those who went in without knowing anything more than a plot synopsis. Both have had equally interesting things to say ranging from it being the best adaptation that could have possibly been made from the book to those who were a little confused as to what all of this meant but at least engaged with where all of this might be going. I tend to agree that director Gary Ross and his team have constructed what is probably the best visual representation of Suzanne Collins imagination as they could. The dystopian world in which 12 districts remain in the ruins of North America is delivered in the opening moments of the film with that outermost district of 12 being a place of hardship and citizens barely making it by in their day to day lives. On the other end of the spectrum is the capitol, a place that visually is like a technologically advanced Oz with crowds of large wigs and ridiculous face paint. The books are of a certain commentary on the world today and the type of entertainment we can find enjoyable. Will fans of the book think the movie is better? Probably not, but that has never been a fair judgement. Where the book gave us the internal thoughts and reasoning's of our characters the movies give us the how. What is so appealing about "The Hunger Games" film is that while it certainly delivers the "how" of Suzanne Collins world it is able to tap into the "why" as well and give us hints of what is to come while setting everything up in this first chapter with satisfying results.

Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Gale Hawthorne
(Liam Hemsworth) ready themselves for the reaping.

For those that are still unaware of what the story is here it can basically be summed up in that each year a boy and girl tribute between the ages of 12 and 18 from each of the 12 districts are chosen to compete in the hunger games. The 24 contestants are placed in an arena to fight to the death until their is only one victor remaining. This is done to remind the citizens of Panem (the nation that now exists in place of North America) of the rebellion that happened previously and why it should never happen again. By the time Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) are chosen as the tributes from district 12 Panem is now on their 74th hunger games. For those of you who have heard the comparisons to the "Twilight" series you can stop thinking that here because the only similarity between the two series is the angle of the love triangle between Katniss, Peeta, and Katniss's long time friend Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth). This also isn't the main focus of the story either, and even throughout the series it serves as a second string subplot to the games. For the first hour of the film director Ross is able to introduce those who are unfamiliar with the world of Panem to the ins and outs and rules of the game while giving those anxious to see their imaginations materialized on screen reason to be excited as the tone is pitch perfect and the players couldn't be better.

Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) interviews Katniss after she
takes the place of her sister as the girl tribute from district 12. 

Katniss is a strong female lead that has taken care of her younger sister, Primrose, since her mother lapsed into simply existing after her husbands death. Katniss doesn't have time for feeling sorry for herself, she hunts and keeps the family well fed and as you've probably seen in the trailer volunteers to take Primrose's spot when she is originally chosen for the games. In this role, Jennifer Lawrence does look and sometimes feels a little too old to be playing the 16 year-old, but she is so honest and sincere in her performance that it is hard to picture a better Katniss. Lawrence is the sole reason why some of the emotions elicited from Collins words are to be felt as if they were perfectly translated to the screen. She is forced, as Ross was to tell an elaborate story and set up a large universe within a certain amount of time while trying to please themselves and fans of the series. It is not an easy task, but Ross knew what he was doing when he placed Lawrence in the role because not only does she have the tomboy-ish rogue side to pull off the district 12 Katniss, but also the beauty and stamina to pull off the Katniss that is forced out of her comfort zone and the vulnerability of the girl on fire who has to survive in the capitol where there are more games being played than just the ones in the arena.

The same can almost be said for Hutcherson as Peeta. In the books, Peeta is the most genuine kind of person that expresses such a pure, unselfish love for Katniss that he knows from the beginning if anyone is going to win it will be his fellow tribute. Hutcherson is a gentle faced young actor with a humble persona that for me, felt like it fit perfectly with who Peeta was. On screen, Hutcherson is not able to convey as much depth as the literary Peeta did, but I am anxious to see how Hutcherson grows as a performer throughout the series as Peeta becomes a character that will require the skills of a very talented actor to portray. As for Gale, Hemsworth does his best with his limited screen time here while setting up why Katniss will have such a hard time determining what her relationship with her best friend could be and if the new feelings she is experiencing for Peeta are even real or if they can outweigh that bond with Gale. Thank God director Ross didn't feel the need to force this triangle to the front just for the sake of competing with "Twilight" but instead goes for the more subtle route of simply cutting to a shot of Gale when Katniss and Peeta have their first onscreen kiss. Now that's drama.

From left: Cinna (Lenny Kravitz) Haymitch (Woody Harrelson)
and Peeta (Josh Hutcherson) discuss the games.

The remainder of the cast is sprinkled with pros who, as in any good franchise, support the more unknown leads with a stable backdrop to handle such massive movies. Whether it be the perfectly cast Elizabeth Banks as the love to hate her Effie Trinket, an intimidating Donald Sutherland as President Snow, or the great Stanley Tucci showing off his charisma as the hunger games emcee Caeser Flickerman. It only gets better when we are introduced to Lenny Kravitz as Cinna. Cinna is a beloved character in the books, a rock for our protagonist and in the most unexpected of choices with Kravitz he proves to be a rather inspired, soft-spoken mentor that truly understands the horrifying truth of the games. The man who steals the show though is Woody Harrelson as the drunken mentor to our two tributes, Haymitch Abernathy. Haymitch is the only tribute for district 12 to have ever won the hunger games and Harrelson easily transitions him from the alcoholic we first meet who could care less whether his district wins or loses to a mentor that not only knows the best ways to survive in the arena but the best tactics to win over the sponsors outside of it. There is obviously going to be much more of the page dedicated to these characters then there will be available screen time and so to have actors inhabit these roles that can bring out the defining characteristics in such short amount of time is a real credit to not only their talent but to Ross and his skills not only as a director but as a writer on the script.

Peeta runs into some tough times in the arena.

Early on, to capture the tone and desperation of district 12 director Ross uses a lot (maybe a little too much) of the handheld camera and stages the reaping (the lottery-like picking of the two tributes) to almost resemble a World War II Nazi concentration camp. The color palette is filled with faded grays and blues while the capitol guards stand in attention in pure white in case anything decides to disrupt the ceremony. Ross has said repeatedly how he did not intend to give the production a glossy, over-stylized feel in that this would almost be a way of conforming to what the capitol would want the movie to be. His intentions were brave and he has succeeded in making a film that stays absolutely true to the spirit of the book while only managing to lose a small amount of the social commentary that is contained within them. The stories have also been accused of being taken from a 2000 Japanese film "Battle Royale" about a class of 9th graders being dropped on a deserted island and forced to kill one another. That film though does not feature the lush back story or government force that is the foundation of conflict in "The Hunger Games". That film is more a commentary on the moral flexibility and impressionable minds of the youth while Collins stories seem to be more of a social commentary on the entertainment industry and how we as a society eat it up.

Katniss practices her bow & arrow skills by hunting in the
woods outside of district 12.

Collins said her inspiration for the books came from channel surfing one night and coming across a reality show where contestants were competing for a prize and then seeing footage of the war in Iraq. The meshing of these two can certainly form an unsettling idea, but even more so the world that Collins has since conceived from this idea is something of a canvas for people with different sets of ideas to see the story as they want to see it. Whether it be a political message where the government flourishes off the day to day work of the less important population or that the elite in the capitol are the 1% forcing those from different economic standings to fight for their own amusement. The reason for this is simple in that both Collins in her books and Ross with his film have left a lot of things open for our own conclusions. Whatever conclusions may be drawn it is certainly a mirror for its audience (us) to take a good hard look at ourselves. Does it make you feel bad about the obsession you have with reality TV? That what we see as entertainment really might be a tragedy for that person on screen who has to deal with it and go through that? No matter the point of view or interpretation you might perceive from the series it is clear that at least it is making its audience think, something not found to often in blockbuster movies.

Effie, Haymitch, and Katniss watch the results of the
gamemaker's judgements on each contestant.

"The Hunger Games" is a film that while provoking a variety of reactions from its audience is also an entertaining thriller that introduces us to a cast of characters and a world that leaves us wanting more. The one drawback to the film is that for all of the implications this story makes the film version does not make those strong impressions that Katniss feels alone in this world. The actual games, which don't start until an hour into the film feel rushed and too easily dealt with whereas in the book the games showed a character simply trying to survive with no other worries on her mind. Ross in his film has already began to imply where the outside world is going and that is fine seeing as this truly is an origin story, but to do this also means the film needs to capture the heart of why those in the outer districts feel the strong courage to rebel. It needs to not just paint President Snow as the villain but everyone who is not with Katniss in her quest to save and protect the ones she loves. That it looks over the implications of what Katniss is actually going through when she is primped and made-up to put on a performance for the camera is glassed over as if the story was being told from Effie's point of view rather than Katniss's. We need to know that Katniss is not enjoying herself, that in all reality she is conflicted about how she is acting versus what her gut is telling her to do. This will of course come to more fruition in the second and third installment of the series, but I can only hope this aspect of the story was slighted from the first film because of its need to introduce the world to Panem and its population. From this point on there is no need for pleasantries but instead we can immediately get down to business. "The Hunger Games" is nothing short of an entertaining film and is a fine adaptation but for the films to really go somewhere they will have to dig deeper into the psychology of our heroine in "Catching Fire".

  

THE HUNGER GAMES Review

For most fans of "The Hunger Games" series the film adaptation has been a long time coming. Since it was first announced a year ago who would be directing and starring in the film a slew of other news and information, photos and trailers have come out prepping everyone for the next huge series based on a young adult book series. I think it is important to note that this reviewer has read all three books and loved them. Since seeing the movie I have spoken with others who have also read the books and heard their thoughts on it as well as with those who went in without knowing anything more than a plot synopsis. Both have had equally interesting things to say ranging from it being the best adaptation that could have possibly been made from the book to those who were a little confused as to what all of this meant but at least engaged with where all of this might be going. I tend to agree that director Gary Ross and his team have constructed what is probably the best visual representation of Suzanne Collins imagination as they could. The dystopian world in which 12 districts remain in the ruins of North America is delivered in the opening moments of the film with that outermost district of 12 being a place of hardship and citizens barely making it by in their day to day lives. On the other end of the spectrum is the capitol, a place that visually is like a technologically advanced Oz with crowds of large wigs and ridiculous face paint. The books are of a certain commentary on the world today and the type of entertainment we can find enjoyable. Will fans of the book think the movie is better? Probably not, but that has never been a fair judgement. Where the book gave us the internal thoughts and reasoning's of our characters the movies give us the how. What is so appealing about "The Hunger Games" film is that while it certainly delivers the "how" of Suzanne Collins world it is able to tap into the "why" as well and give us hints of what is to come while setting everything up in this first chapter with satisfying results.