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Review: “Into Darkness” great, but further twists Star Trek lore

Posted: Fri, 17 May 2013 03:31:00 +0000

“Star Trek Into Darkness” may not be as great as the 2009 movie, but director J.J. Abrams continues to prove he knows how to put on an exciting adventure movie.

“Star Trek Into Darkness” poster courtesy Paramount

(My spoiler-free review)

Strengths

“Into Darkness” is a whole new twist on “Star Trek” lore – like it or not, Abram’s franchise is paving its own cinematic history… if you thought the Spock and Uhura relationship was a change in what you know about Star Trek, this new movies takes the rebooted franchise a giant leap forward. It caters to new and old fans, despite big twists on previous Trek plot/lines of dialogue. Since I’m not a die hard fan of Star Trek, I was okay with the changes in the 2009 “Star Trek” movie, and these changes don’t bother me either, and although the Trekkie that screened the movie with me enjoyed it too, others may disagree.

“Into Darkness” features many of the most important foundations of an action/adventure you need to impress the modern sci-fi audience: great action, good story, good characters, great effects (actually top notch effects), great sets, good flow (cliffhanger, cliffhanger, cliffhanger) and great technology… and of course, a great villain.

The Starfleet cast new and old: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Karl Urban,
Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller, and Alice Eve all work well together with good chemistry…. but its how the mysterious character of “John Harrison”, played superbly by Benedict Cumberbatch captivates the audience as a cold and calculating terrorist and one man wrecking crew – the kind of bad guy that the Enterprise crew has never seen before.

But “Into Darkness” is missing one of the foundations of great sci-fi… more on that in a second.

It didn’t feel like 2 hours and 12 minutes long, even when you think the movie is coming to an end … there was another climatic scene. The movie also looked great, excellent production values and special effects, including great looking tracking shots – bringing us through environment into character close-ups.

“Into Darkness” is also filled with lots of witty and comedic moments, including lots of Kirk’s jokes about Spock, Kirk telling Bones “enough with the metaphors”, and moments like Scotty calling Kirk “James Tiberius perfect hair”. But its not all fun and games, its a growing up movie for Pine’s Kirk – learning humility with leadership, his command crew is in turmoil, and learning to earn the title of Starfleet captain.

Weaknesses

The one foundation of a good sci-fi movie missing here: being smarter than the audience. Many plot points were predictable based on previous Star Trek and sci-fi movies before it. The first one – “Star Trek” (2009) – was so fresh, so different, with things we hadn’t seen before. But this second one borrowed so much from previous Star Trek movies plus visually from Star Wars and the Avengers it’s hard to like it as much as the first.

Some “chase”/”running” sequences in this one go on way too long, there a few over-the-top moments, and definitely one-too-many nods to the original series. Its okay to be connected to the past incarnations of Star Trek, but the new movie also needs to step out on its own, like the first one did.

The first two thirds the movie are very gripping, very strong, very solid, but the last third of the movie seems to unravel a bit – taking too long on some scenes and moving too quickly and others… keeping it from being one of the best sci-fi movies.

Other points of interest

The 3-D does add some to the depth of space and CGI locations, but not a must for total enjoyment.

The movie ends with: “…5 year mission, to seek out new life, and new civilizations”, leading forward to at least one more movie, which has already been announced.

The screening I attended did not have any extra scenes in the credits.

THE BOTTOM LINE: The trailers and clips in the marketing campaign did a good job of concealing the major reveals and twists from the original “Star Trek” franchise and the 1982 movie… although if you like changes to the hallowed story of Star Trek, then you’ll probably be okay with this. I give it 8.0 out of 10 … its not nearly as good as the first in this series, “Star Trek” (2009), which I gave 8.9.

MORE INFO (possible spoilers):

Zachary Quinto, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Chris Pine in “Star Trek Into Darkness” photo courtesy Paramount

“Star Trek Into Darkness”

(2013) (rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of sci-fi action and violence)
(2 hrs, 12 min)

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Zoe Saldana, Benedict Cumberbatch, Karl Urban, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Anton Yelchin, Bruce Greenwood, Peter Weller, Alice Eve

Director: J.J. Abrams
["Star Trek" (2009), "Super 8" (2011), "Mission: Impossible III" (2006)]

Writers: Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman, Damon Lindelof

Genre: Action/Adventure/Sci-Fi

The Plot: After the crew of the Enterprise find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.

So what did you think? Please post a comment!

.
“Star Trek Into Darkness” poster and photo courtesy Paramount

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Laff at the Movies

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My Top Movies of the 2000s: http://blogs.woodtv.com/2010/01/08/best-of-00s-my-favorite-movies-of-the-decade/

Laff’s Lists: http://blogs.woodtv.com/2008/09/27/laffs-lists/
Waterfront 2013: First Look

Posted: Fri, 17 May 2013 02:31:45 +0000

Waterfront Film Festival welcome event in South Haven courtesy https://twitter.com/WaterfrontFilm

The first glimpse of 2013 Waterfront Film Festival, now in South Haven!

After 14 years in Saugatuck, Waterfront Film Festival has a new home, just 15 minutes south in South Haven. Well, at least for this year. Last fall, organizers of the non-profit event had to make some alternate plans due to financial and logistical challenges.

The result was a short move down the road to South Haven, where the city pledged $50,000 in sponsorship and fundraising efforts, committed local business organizations and volunteer groups, shuttle service, office space, and donations.

Today, organizers announced three of the movies coming to the four day festival from distributor Magnolia Pictures. The festival will take place June 13-16 at four new venues: Michigan Theater, Listiak Auditorium, the AV Auditorium at South Haven High School and the screening room at Foundry Hall.

The annual Opening Night Celebration on Thursday, June 13 will be held at South Beach and includes live music, beer garden and food, celebrity guests and an outdoor film screening beginning at dusk.

South Haven wasn’t the only city to make a bid for the 2013 Waterfront Film Festival. Grand Haven and Saint Joseph both submitted proposals, and organizers say they will begin working with these cities to plan future events, and with Saugatuck to plan a future return to its original home.

Organizers are finalizing the schedule of more than 70 features and film shorts, but announced three films today:

“Muscle Shoals”, aquired during the recent 2013 SXSW FF exposes the much under-told story of Muscle Shoals, a unique town in Alabama and home to some of the greatest music ever recorded. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Percy Sledge, Gregg Allman, Clarence Carter, Etta James, Alicia Keys, Bono and others bear witness to Muscle Shoals’ magnetism, mystery and why it remains influential today.
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE: http://youtu.be/FNGtfpim0OM

“Blackfish”, a Sundance FF favorite, tells the story of Tilikum, a notoriously aggressive Orca Whale that killed three people while in captivity. Director Gabriela Cowpethwaite uses shocking footage and emotional interviews to present a convincing case against keeping these wild animals for human entertainment.
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE: http://youtu.be/nNMR_ryelTI

“V/H/S/2″, a follow up to the critical and fan favorite late-night horror film “V/H/S/”, chronicles the search for a missing student. Two private investigators break into a house to discover a collection of chilling VHS tapes. Viewing the shocking contents of each cassette, they realize the terror of the unexpected.
WATCH THE TRAILER HERE: http://youtu.be/sjh-v9Sj-8E

Tickets and passes for the festival will be available at the festival’s website: www.waterfrontfilm.org in late May.

More posts on Waterfront Film Festival:

2013 WFF moving 10-3-12: http://blogs.woodtv.com/2012/10/03/waterfront-2013-to-be-in-south-haven-future-sites-considered/

News post 10-2-12 on Waterfront 2013: http://www.woodtv.com/dpp/entertainment/Waterfront-Film-Festival-moves-for-2013

2012 Waterfront Film Festival Preview: http://blogs.woodtv.com/2012/06/14/2012-waterfront-film-festival-preview/

2011 Waterfront FF: http://blogs.woodtv.com/2010/06/12/waterfront-film-festival-2010/

2009 Waterfront FF wrap-up: http://blogs.woodtv.com/2009/06/18/waterfront-ff-2009-a-blast/

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Laff at the Movies

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Laff’s Lists: http://blogs.woodtv.com/2008/09/27/laffs-lists/
Review: “Iron Man 3″ is franchise’s best

Posted: Fri, 03 May 2013 03:59:17 +0000

Usually by the third movie in a franchise, we’ve come to expect “just okay” or “good enough”.

But “Iron Man” joins elite movie company as a movie that is not only better than the second movie, its better than the first… and one of the best 3rd movies of a franchise… all time.

“Iron Man 3″ poster courtesy Disney

(My spoiler-free review)

So how in the world do you follow “The Avengers” – the highest grossing comicbook movie ever and one of the best reviewed movies in the genre ever?

If you’re Marvel, you start Phase2 with your most popular character … your most charismatic hero… and a superhero movie that plays as much like a thriller as it does a big budget action movie.

The story picks up after the events of “The Avengers” with Tony Stark (aka Iron Man) trying to come to grips with what happened and what to do now. But this chapter is much much better better than the last – “Iron Man 2″ (2010) had its story flaws, production critiques, and overall tone problems that even a talented cast couldn’t make great. This is closer in style and character to the first “Iron Man” (2008) but it also plays more like a really good thriller, putting our hero in peril. Much of the movie has Tony outside the trademark suits from the other movies – we now see our hero as vulnerable – physically and emotionally … allowing the audience a stronger connection to the man inside the superhero suit.

The plot seems simple but is full of cliffhangers and twists to keep us guessing and interested until the final scenes. (see below for more on if there’s a final scene – in the credits*) The basic story is once again grounded in the real world and filled with action and comic relief, as with the other successful Marvel movies. There’s plenty of character development both for the returning characters of Tony (Robert Downey Jr.), Pepper (Gwyneth Paltrow), Happy (Jon Favreau), and Colonel James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) and the new characters of Aldrich Killian (Guy Pearce), Maya Hansen (Rebecca Hall), and The Mandarin (Ben Kingsley).

Its more than just a great cast on paper: in their careers, they’ve won 2 oscars, were nominated for 6 more, won 7 golden globes, and were nominated for 12 more. The individual performances as well as the great on screen chemistry between all the characters make this movie incredibly interesting to watch.

Ben Kingsley as “The Mandarin” in “Iron Man 3″ photo courtesy Disney

RDJ’s Tony Stark is great as always, but even grittier and more vulnerable this time around. Cheadle’s Colonel Rhodes is a great compliment to Iron Man. While Paltrow’s ‘Pepper’ and Favreau’s ‘Happy’ show they are more than just supporting characters this time around. One of Tony’s new supporting characters is a 10 year old kid called ‘Harley’ who helps our hero – he’s played great by Ty Simpkins… a nice touch for the movie to really make itself even more accessible for the young fans in the audience.

But this movie really shows its strength with the mysterious new characters of Aldrich Killian (Pearce), Maya (Hall), and The Mandarin (Kingsley). Pearce always has the uncanny ability to play a character with so many layers that you’re not sure whether you like him or hate him for being who he is… Hall is more than just a damsel in distress, she’s a smart scientist with some baggage, and then there’s The Mandarin.

I’m not sure that another actor could have pulled off what Kingsley did - he’s such a complicated and compelling character as The Mandarin. He’s a villain cloaked in mystery, a shadowy figure reminiscent of Osama Bin Laden who was bent on terrorizing the United States. This isn’t a villain with over-the-top comic book theatrics and a showcase of who has the best powers, this is a tense, terror threat set in the real world, with a scary real world villian. Kingsley’s turn as The Mandarin has to be one of the most unique villains in movie history. Remember without character development we don’t care about the heroes and without scary villains, we aren’t worried about what might happen to our heroes.

The other cool thing about any movie with Tony Stark is the cool new technology we get introduced too, not just the newest versions of the suit, but also weapons, computers, and communications.

*Yes, it is worth staying through the credits for the extra scene at the end of “Iron Man 3″, while its not neccesarily a bridge to the next movie, but it is a fun look at the interaction between two members of S.H.I.E.L.D. There is also text stating that “Tony Stark will return”.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

“Iron Man 3″ is great – full of action, its well crafted, looks great and will have some suprises for you… I give it 9.0 out of 10.

MORE INFO (possible spoilers):

Robert Downey, Jr. and Don Cheadle in “Iron Man 3″ photo courtesy Disney

“Iron Man 3”

(2013) (rated: PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief suggestive content)
(2 hr, 10 min)

Starring:
Robert Downey Jr., Gwyneth Paltrow, Don Cheadle, Guy Pearce, Rebecca Hall, Jon Favreau, Ben Kingsley, James Badge Dale, Stephanie Szostak, Paul Bettany (voice), William Sadler, Ty Simpkins, Miguel Ferrer, Mark Ruffalo

Director: Shane Black [ Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)]

Writers: Drew Pearce & Shane Black

Genre: Action/Adventure

The Plot: When Tony Stark’s world is torn apart by a formidable terrorist called the Mandarin, he starts an odyssey of rebuilding and retribution.

So what did you think? Please post a comment!

.
“Iron Man 3” poster and photos courtesy Disney

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Laff at the Movies

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Review: “Olympus Has Fallen” is an early summer blockbuster

Posted: Fri, 05 Apr 2013 12:08:56 +0000

Start with John Rambo, lose some of the muscle, improve the vocabulary, amp up the thriller element, set it in present day and make it the main character’s job to save the White House instead… and you have “Olympus Has Fallen”.

Warning to Parents: This is rated R for “strong violence and language throughout”… its sometimes brutal and intense, so its not for kids.

“Olympus Has Fallen” poster courtesy FilmDistrict

(My spoiler-free review)

That first line may be unfairly simplistic, but it was meant as a starting point to compliment a March action movie release that I was cautiously optimistic to see and left the theater pleasantly surprised. This is more than a typical 1980s action movie with a bulked up movie star… forget Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, or Jean Claude Van Damme, this is more the Bruce Willis or Jason Statham action hero, who has some vulnerability but lots of courage and training.

Sure we start out with the family dynamics of our main characters Mike Banning (Gerard Butler) and President Benjamin Asher (Aaron Eckhart) but that’s just to get us some backstory and character depth. If you know the premise, the first 15 minutes is all backstory and character development and introductions, but once we get into the attack on the White House, the movie is firing on all cylinders.

For me, this is Butler’s best action performance since 2008′s “RockNRolla” … he’s strong, smart, and courageous but not without his own layers of problems that could make him vulnerable…. not just Butler’s performance, this movie is also one of the best action movies so far this year.

The supporting cast is full of veteran actors: Dylan McDermott, Rick Yune, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Robert Forster, and Ashley Judd… but the way the thrilling story goes, its hard to know who’s going to make it through to the end.

The style of the movie puts us right into the action – its not just an attack, its a well conceived plan – the attackers did their homework, knowing the protocols and government response to what they would be doing. As the attack continues, it goes from being scary to more and more intense… as the attackers use devices and things that – by themselves- may not seem like they’re part of the attack but added up, they are frightening to think of happening.

Gerard Butler in “Olympus Has Fallen” photo courtesy FilmDistrict

“Olympus Has Fallen” has lots of action, but lots of violence, lots of deaths, lots of suffering -the attackers are highly trained, brutal and ruthless – this is clearly not a few terrorists acting alone, we begin to realize this is an organized attack – giving us the gravity of the situation, its more than what the secret service can handle.

We get some standard action storytelling devices with someone to rescue, overwhelming odds, new technology, a device that must also be shutdown, the hero knowing more than the people in charge, someone saying the title of the movie…. but we get some of them in more clever ways than the average action movie. There are also some memorable one liners.

It was also a nice touch having Morgan Freeman as the speaker of the house – becoming acting President after the attack – similar to “Deep Impact” (1998) when he was the calm voice of President Beck during another crisis.

Some of the situations are over-the-top and exaggerated and the plot points ridiculous, but if you can believe that Rambo could take on an entire army by himself, you’ll enjoy this movie.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Sure its quite violent and intense, but with thrilling moments like mini cliff hangers throughout the movie, combined with moments of serious dramatic acting and some comic relief, I found this to be a perfect “bubble gum – popcorn movie”… I give it 7.0 out of 10.

MORE INFO (possible spoilers):

Angela Bassett and Morgan Freeman in “Olympus Has Fallen” photo courtesy FilmDistrict

“Olympus Has Fallen”

(2013) (rated: R for strong violence and language throughout)
(2 hours)

Starring: Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Finley Jacobsen, Dylan McDermott, Rick Yune, Morgan Freeman, Angela Bassett, Melissa Leo, Radha Mitchell, Cole Hauser, Phil Austin, James Ingersoll, Freddy Bosche, Lance Broadway, Sean O’Bryan, Keong Sim, Kevin Moon, Malana Lea, Robert Forster, Sam Medina, Ashley Judd

Director: Antoine Fuqua ["Training Day" (2001), "Tears of the Sun" (2003), "King Arthur" (2004), "Shooter" (2007), "Brooklyn's Finest" (2009)]

Writers: Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt

Genre: Action/Drama/Thriller

The Plot: Disgraced former Presidential guard Mike Banning finds himself trapped inside the White House in the wake of a terrorist attack; using his inside knowledge, Banning works with national security to rescue the President from his kidnappers.

So what did you think? Please post a comment!

“Olympus Has Fallen” poster and photos courtesy FilmDistrict

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Laff’s Lists: http://blogs.woodtv.com/2008/09/27/laffs-lists/
Review: Knowing that “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” is weak – is half the battle

Posted: Fri, 29 Mar 2013 03:17:58 +0000

Franchise ruined.

I’m normally nicer about saying these things but… those two words pretty much sum it all up.

After seeing “G.I. Joe: Retaliation”, I have an even greater respect for Bryan Singer (“X-Men”/”X-Men 2″), Joss Whedon (“The Avengers”), and J.J. Abrams (“Star Trek”) who carefully put together a bunch of popular characters into a movie that worked for both fans and people not familiar with the original stories.

“G.I. Joe: Retaliation” is just the latest mistake, see 2011′s “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” that tried and failed to put a bunch of characters from an 80′s franchise into a movie and make it interesting and satisfy the fans.

“G.I. Joe: Retaliation” poster courtesy Paramount Pictures

(My spoiler-free review)

Let’s start with the good things about the movie, because its a short list.

There is plenty of action – explosions, gun battles, hand-to-hand combat, swordplay, ninjas, reconnaissance, etc.

Sure the action is over-the-top ridiculous and they’re doing things that are basically impossible but so was the 1980s cartoon.

There’s some cool high-tech gadgets, its a little grittier than the first, and there are some new characters and references – familiar to the G.I. Joe cartoons and comics.

The movie leans heavily on the solid charsimatic performance of Dwayne Johnson (Roadblock), the cold and calculating Byung-hun Lee (Storm Shadow), a playful performance by Johnathan Pryce as Zartan playing the president, and convincing new bad guy Ray Stevenson (Firefly).

The best moments in the movie were the interactions of popular characters Storm Shadow (Lee) and his mortal enemy Snake Eyes (Ray Park).   The story arc of these characters will be appreciated by the die hard fans.

Now to the critical stuff:

I am shocked that the Hasbro would put such a potential money making machine of a franchise into the uncapable hands of people that don’t seem to care about the source material… and have therefore, alienated any possible audience they would have left.

I was a fan of the original source material “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” (1982), and the first movie – “G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra” (2009) – which I know, I had problems with, but I eventually accepted most of them. And although the movie looks like a modernized, live action version of the cartoons… I was very disappointed.

If you saw the first movie, this isn’t a spoiler… you’ll quickly notice that there are many characters missing that were in “Rise of Cobra”: General Hawk (Dennis Quaid), Scarlett (Rachel Nichols), Breaker (Saïd Taghmaoui), Heavy Duty (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), RipCord (Marlon Wayans).   They were the main characters… now they are MIA without any explanation. Many of them were very popular characters back in the day. Two of them were on the poster/DVD case. And there is no mention of them at all. Also, Channing Tatum’s role (Duke) is much smaller in this movie.

At the beginning, there is a very weak and confusing explanation to explain what happened since the events of “Rise of Cobra”. Its odd because that movie ended in a way that could have been seamless into “Retaliation”.

Some of the acting was as emotionless as the plastic toy figures that were a big seller when I was a kid. Especially ‘Flint’ (played by D.J. Cotrona). Also troubling was the accent of Elodie Yung playing martial arts expert “Jinx” … is she British? Japanese? American? It seems to change during the movie. But the most distracting performance is RZA as “Blind Master” – he looks like he’s part of a Saturday Night Live skit making fun of G.I. Joe – but he’s serious!!! And he’s supposed to be this wise and respected man… but its hard not to laugh at his makeup and performance.

There was a story but its clunky and disjointed… with many holes in the plot. It goes from one set piece to another and introduces one new character after another and its doesn’t all fit together like a good action/adventure movie puzzle does.

Channing Tatum and Dwayne Johnson in “G.I. Joe” Retaliation” photo courtesy Paramount Pcitures

I could have written a better story in middle school and the fanboys and non-fans would have loved it.   The screenplay would have had the same amount of action, been a little less over-the-top, not the angle this one took to introduce new good guys, I would keep the global trek to find the bad guys and anyone to support the fight against Cobra. Back in those days, I probably would have also included something like the effort to destroy the weather dominator. I definitely would include more memorable charismatic characters to add to this cast: Shipwreck, Mutt and Junkyard, and even Sgt. Slaughter to join with the very popular characters of Roadblock, Flint, and Lady Jaye. Wild Bill, Snow Job, and Torpedo would have fit perfectly into the series’ conventions of adding characters to transport or train the Joes for special missions. Not just a better story, I would also have smoothed out transitions from one subplot to another.

The biggest problem with this movie wasn’t the storyline: the movie has no soul.

“G.I. Joe: Retaliation” is missing any of the chemistry or heart of the first movie. The characters you may have liked from the first that had developed chemistry are absent. In their place: a familiar Snake Eyes and a likeable Roadblock plus a hodgepodge of characters that are either not well developed… or poorly acted.

Also, while I’m on my G.I. Joe soapbox - Joseph Gordon-Levitt didn’t return as Cobra Commander… I understand recasting… its a business… but… the new actor needed to be more animated, more maniacal, more over-the-top like the cartoon and comic book version. Especially since he looks more like that version and less like the Gordon-Levitt version of the first film.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

For many reasons it will NOT be “YOOO Joe” for most… it will be NOOO Joe… I give it 5.5 out of 10 … only the original G.I. Joe fans can find things to enjoy about this movie.

The red flags were there all along:
1. Movie was delayed from original June 2012 opening
2. Movie that has the budget and look of a summer blockbuster releasing in March, instead of May-August
3. Lots of publicity and marketing for the movie (because they know they need a strong opening weekend to break even on the $130 million project)
4. Director not known for pulling off these kind of projects – Jon M. Chu ["Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" (2011), "Step Up 3D" (2010), "Step Up 2: The Streets" (2008)]

MORE INFO (possible spoilers):

Cobra Commander and Storm Shadow in “G.I. Joe: Retaliation” photo courtesy Paramount Pictures

“G.I. Joe: Retaliation”

(2013) (rated: PG-13 for intense sequences of combat violence and martial arts action throughout, and for brief sensuality and language)
(1 hr, 50 min)

Starring: Dwayne Johnson (Roadblock), Jonathan Pryce (President), Byung-hun Lee (Storm Shadow), Elodie Yung (Jinx), Ray Stevenson (Firefly), D.J. Cotrona (Flint), Adrianne Palicki (Jaye), Channing Tatum (Duke), Ray Park (Snake Eyes), Luke Bracey (Cobra Commander), Walton Goggins (Warden Nigel James), Arnold Vosloo (Zartan), Joseph Mazzello (Mouse), RZA (Blind Master), Bruce Willis (General Joe Colton), DeRay Davis

Director: Jon M. Chu [" Justin Bieber: Never Say Never" (2011), "Step Up 3D" (2010), "Step Up 2: The Streets" (2008) ]

Genre: Action/Adventure

The Plot: The G.I. Joes are not only fighting their mortal enemy Cobra; they are forced to contend with threats from within the government that jeopardize their very existence.

So what did you think? Please post a comment!

.
“G.I. Joe: Retaliation” poster and photo courtesy Paramount Pictures

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Laff’s Lists: http://blogs.woodtv.com/2008/09/27/laffs-lists/
Review: “Croods” make Aaron smile

Posted: Fri, 22 Mar 2013 10:54:01 +0000

“Croods” not bad.

Make Aaron laugh and have fun time.

Good drawings.

Family will like.

“The Croods” poster courtesy DreamWorks Animation

(My spoiler-free review)

With a fun adventure story, memorable characters (especially “Belt” the sloth), good animation, and solid acting, “The Croods” is a movie the whole family can enjoy. From five to 75… its a movie that will keep you entertained.

Sure its not going to be nominated for Best Picture and it may be a little corny and cliche, but remember that the target audience is like 5-14… so it works for kids and the adults that go/watch with them.

There are plenty of gags for the kids and jokes that the adults will get (and its all clean humor as far as I can remember). But the strength of the movie is the characters and the fun storyline of a rebellious teen and her family of cavemen that are forced out of their cave and on a historic, I mean prehistoric, adventure.

That teen – “Eep” – is voiced by Emma Stone, and her overprotective father, “Grug” is played by Nicholas Cage. The rebellious teen is a typical storyline of movies we’ve seen before, but kids growing up with this movie may find it refreshing to know they are not alone. Its a story that’s basic enough for kids to follow and although predictable for adults, its enough to keep us interested.

Its looks good too. The animation is crisp and the colors are vibrant.

I don’t think the 3D is necessary for your viewing experience, so if you want to save a few bucks while taking the whole family… just see the 2D.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Good story, good characters, good animation, good voice acting, and clean humor all add up to a recommendation from me… I give it 7.5 out of 10 … while it may not win any awards, it will certainly win over some young hearts.

MORE INFO (possible spoilers):

“The Croods” photo courtesy DreamWorks Animation

“The Croods”

(2012) (rated: PG for some scary action)
(1 hr, 38 min)

Starring the voices of: Nicolas Cage (Grug), Emma Stone (Eep), Ryan Reynolds (Guy), Catherine Keener (Ugga), Cloris Leachman (Gran), Clark Duke (Thunk)

Directors: Kirk De Micco and Chris Sanders

Writers:

Genre: Animation / Adventure / Comedy / Family

The Plot: The Croods is a prehistoric comedy adventure that follows the world’s first family as they embark on a journey of a lifetime when the cave that has always shielded them from danger is destroyed. Traveling across a spectacular landscape, the Croods discover an incredible new world filled with fantastic creatures — and their outlook is changed forever.

So what did you think? Please post a comment!

.
“The Croods” poster and photo courtesy DreamWorks Animation

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Review: “Stoker” starts off good, then what the ???

Posted: Fri, 22 Mar 2013 02:59:21 +0000

I thought initially that I understood what the filmmaker was going for in “Stoker”.

But then things changed and ultimately, I think that they were trying too hard to be different from other thrillers… that it ends up standing out for all the wrong reasons.

WARNING TO PARENTS: This movie is very “R” for what the MPAA calls “disturbing violent and sexual content”.

“Stoker” poster courtesy Fox Searchlight Pictures

(My spoiler-free review)

In the beginning, “Stoker” has a Gothic Hitchockian feel… with odd characters, an ominous tone, and it only hints at what may be to come for both us the audience, and the main characters… it slowly builds suspense, includes some innuendos, and throws in some red herrings to keep you guessing… and then… things get weird.   But not the weird you might be expecting or hoping for… its the kind of change that just takes the movie completely off the rails. Mr. Hitchcock himself would not approve.

“Stoker” is more style than substance.

It has captivating imagery, a unique style, strong production values, dark themes, and mysterious characters.   But it is brutal and disturbing, very much a movie for adults, and the story starts to unravel in ways where the thriller aspect is gone and instead is a glaring question of “what the heck is going on now”. Its almost as if the first half of this movie had one director and writer, and the second half was a different team just trying to wrap up the story in as many crazy ways as possible… and with multiple flashbacks. This movie begged to be cut down and retooled… it was on the verge of becoming a new classic, before it just became a piece of garbage.

I may have even said out loud in the screening: “is this where we’re going with this?” Everything I thought might happen was wrong… and there were many different ways I thought this movie would go. This wrong… was not like a good mystery or suspense where a twist surprises you… this wrong was a bad story that you know the ending and it has many disgusting and perverse layers with fancy camera moves and editing techniques to cover up the shortcomings of the script.

The acting isn’t bad, considering the material…. Mia Wasikowska is intriguing as the main character (India Stoker) who has just lost her father to a tragic accident and her mother Evelyn (Nicole Kidman) is suspicious in her grief.   Her uncle Matthew Goode is good, but a little over zealous as the creepy relative.

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Because of the style of the thriller in the first half … I give it 5.0 out of 10 … which is propping up what turns out to be a very predictable, over zealous attempt, and often disturbing attempt at something new.

MORE INFO (possible spoilers):

“Stoker” photo courtesy Fox Searchlight Pictures

“Stoker”

(2013) (rated: R for disturbing violent and sexual content)
(1 hr, 39 min)

Starring: Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Matthew Goode, Phyllis Somerville, Jacki Weaver, Dermot Mulroney

Director: Chan-wook Park ["Oldboy" (2003)]

Genre: Drama/ Mystery/ Thriller

The Plot: After India’s father dies, her Uncle Charlie, who she never knew existed, comes to live with her and her unstable mother. She comes to suspect this mysterious, charming man has ulterior motives and becomes increasingly infatuated with him.

So what did you think? Please post a comment!

.
“Stoker” poster and photo courtesy Fox Searchlight Pictures

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“Transformers 4″ coming to Michigan

Posted: Wed, 20 Mar 2013 16:34:58 +0000

The untitled “Transformers” sequel is returning to Michigan

Untitled “Transformers 4″ poster courtesy Paramount Pictures

After filming “Transformers” (2007) and “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” (2011) in metro Detroit, the fourth movie in the franchise is expected to spend even more time in the motor city.

“Transformers 4″ is scheduled to film this spring in metro Detroit. The movie will film in other locations as well, but the Michigan Film Office tells me that “significantly more will be done in Michigan than ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’”.

The currently untitled movie, labeled “Transformers 4″ for now, has been approved for a film incentive from the state. According to film film office, the project was awarded an incentive of $20 million on $81.93 million of projected in-state expenditures. The project is expected to hire 368 Michigan workers with a full time equivalent of 339 jobs.

That’s more than three times what the 3rd movie – “Dark of the Moon” spent here… that project received $6.1 million in incentives on $17.4 million on qualified Michigan expenditures.

So far in Fiscal Year 2013, 13 projects have been awarded a total of $30.96 million on an estimated $120.17 million of approved production spending for the year. The projects are expected to create 1,190 Michigan jobs.

Michael Bay is directing “Transformers 4″ and Mark Wahlberg has been cast as the lad actor.

The story picks up soon after the end of “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” after the big battle the destroyed most of the locations filmed in Detroit and Chicago.

The movie is scheduled for a June 27, 2014 release.

From the press release: “It speaks volumes about all Michigan has to offer that Transformers is returning once again to our state,” said Margaret O’Riley, director of the Michigan Film Office. “This project will shine another bright spotlight on Michigan and provide tremendous opportunities for our cast, crew and support services.”

–

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Christmas movie “Silver Bells” to film in West Michigan

Posted: Fri, 08 Mar 2013 19:50:17 +0000

Salvation Army and 10 West Studios team up on holiday movie

10West Studios in Manistee, MI

Michigan Film Office announced that “Silver Bells” has been approved for a film incentive from the state.

A Christmas themed story, “Silver Bells” is a story of redemption and family traditions. It is being produced in association with the Salvation Army and will film in Manistee, Grand Rapids and Ludington. The movie will also film at 10 West Studios in Manistee.

The Salvation Army says that the movie will begin filming scenes Saturday, March 9th for a total of three days from March 9th-11th at the Salvation Army’s Kroc Center on South Division and at the Community Center at Fuller & Fulton.

Actors and actresses from Los Angeles, Detroit, Grand Rapids, Ludington and Manistee as well as the local Salvation Army Brass Band will be featured in the production.

The Fulton Heights Corps Community Center is located at 1235 Fulton Street East in Grand Rapids.

The Kroc Corps Community Center is located at 2500 Division Avenue South.

10West Studios has also produced “Mickey Matson and the Copperhead Conspiracy” (2012), “Jerusalem Countdown” (2011), and “What If..” (2010).

“Silver Bells” was approved for an incentive of $177,655 on $591,213 of projected in-state spending. The project expects to hire 50 Michigan workers.

According to the release: ‘This holiday story revolves around a hyper-competitive father and his journey to discover the true meaning of Christmas and hope. The Salvation Army plays a pivotal role throughout the film as the family volunteers with the organization in various ways.”

Michigan filmmaker Harold Cronk is directing the project. The film office says that Cronk plans to hire the graduates of the Film Crew Training Program at West Shore Community College for the project.

10 West Studios will also lead the post-production efforts on the project, keeping the entire project in Michigan.

The project is expected to air on the Gospel Music Channel after a limited theatrical release in November.

So far, in Fiscal Year 2013, ten projects have been awarded a total of $10.87 million. These projects are expected to create 729 Michigan hires with a full time equivalent of 218 jobs.

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Review: “Oz: The Great and Powerful” is whimsy and fun

Posted: Fri, 08 Mar 2013 05:01:02 +0000

Sometimes what we have built up in our mind creates an unfair disadvantage … such was my struggle to get past one of the most iconic movies in history – “The Wizard of Oz” (1939) – and truly enjoy “Oz: The Great and Powerful”.

That’s not to say that this movie isn’t without merit, its just difficult to be fair with a movie that tells the backstory of a movie I have seen once in the theater and 30+ times on my home tv screen.

WARNING TO PARENTS: some of the images in the movie may be too scary for kids 5 and under, the movie is rated PG for sequences of action and scary images, and brief mild language.

“Oz: The Great and Powerful” poster courtesy Disney

(My spoiler-free review)

The scenery of “Oz: The Great and Powerful” looks incredible… we are immersed in this larger slice of the Land of Oz than we’ve ever seen before… the colors are so vibrant and vivid… everything around the characters just pops… like a storybook come-to-life. The movie will likely get an Oscar nomination for Production Design and/or Visual Effects.

The costumes look good and the acting and writing is pretty solid.

The story is interesting and engaging and connects nicely to the original – explaining some things about what had happened *before* Dorothy arrived.

This “Oz” is fun and whimsy, but even though its a prequel, it will never live up to the original… and that’s almost unfair to try to compare it.

We get a fleshed out back story to who the Wizard is and how he ended up in Oz and why he uses the projection machine with Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. We learn about how the Wicked Witch and her sister became the Wicked Witch of the West and the East. We find out why Glinda the Good is protective of munchkinland and why she travels by bubble.

One of the biggest strengths of story is that “Oz: The Great and Powerful” is a better prequel than “Revenge of the Sith” (2005) because we get a very clear and legitimate explanation of how the Wicked Witch of the West turned to the “darkside”.

I also enjoyed the loving nods to the original movie, in the areas they were able to do that without copyright infringement (see below).

There are also some fun little elements of comedy woven into this fantastical story… some will help lighten the mood or just make us smile.

BUT…. “Oz” still creates some new questions about things going in the classic movie: like the ruby slippers, and where did some of the other characters go? We meet them here, but we don’t see them in “Wizard of Oz”.

I also didn’t like the witch’s transformation into the green skinned villain we all know… it needed to be less CGI and more practical… it also didn’t need to be risque… which we get several little moments of throughout the movie. Which is unfortunate because the movie is a PG movie aimed at families, but “Oz: The Great and Powerful” is not completely family friendly – there are some not-so-family friendly themes and innuendos PLUS some scary images that may be too much for the young kids in the audience.

Some of the scenes seemed were way too much CGI compared to the original… to make it more seamless, it would have been a nice touch to be more practical with many of the effects to add to the believability that this is the same land we see in “Wizard of Oz”.

Those 30+ viewings of “The Wizard of Oz” had me trained to expect a musical number coming up in every other scene… while there was one… I almost wanted at least some music that border-lined on the feeling of the original.

And (sorry minor spoiler)….… I wanted to see the Tin Man. All of the other major characters from “The Wizard of Oz” were either shown or hinted at in some way… except the Tin Man… my favorite character from the classic.

Sometimes prequel movies work -”Star Trek” (2009), “X-Men: First Class (2011)”, and “Rise of the Planet of the Apes” (2011) are three recent movies where we go back earlier in the timeline of the characters/events we are familiar with. But often movie prequels are not as good (for a variety of reasons) as the next original – “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith “(2005), “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey” (2012), and “The Scorpion King” (2002).

THE BOTTOM LINE:

I give it high marks in some areas, middle marks in others, and because its being promoted as a family movie, I have to give it some demerits for some of the non-family themes… I give it 7.5 out of 10 … it should be seen in the theaters, but you can wait for matinee pricing or skip the 3D.

Made in Michigan:

“Oz: The Great and Powerful” was filmed mostly on soundstages in Pontiac, Michigan in 2011 and directed by Michigan native Sam Raimi. Click on THIS link for more info on filming in Michigan. The Michigan Film Office and Pontiac do get some love at end of the credits!

“Wizard of Oz” courtesy MGM

Nods and tie-ins to original 1939 film “Wizard of Oz”:

- movie opens in Black & White and in 4×3 aspect ratio, then changes to color and widescreen when Oscar wakes up in “Oz”, just like when Dorothy opens the door from her house changed from B&W to Technicolor in the original

- reference (although veiled) to Dorothy

- we see what may or may not be the Cowardly Lion

- we find out who makes Scarecrows in the land of Oz and our main characters may walk past a certain famous cornfield while on the Yellow Brick Road

- Witch has troubles with water even at this point in her life

- Winky Guards looking mean, but not green

- musical number by the Munchkins

- there are gifts handed out to characters for their good deeds – like the Wizard handed out to the main characters

MORE INFO (possible spoilers):

“Oz: The Great and Powerful” photo courtesy Disney

“Oz: The Great and Powerful”

(2012) (rated: PG for sequences of action and scary images, and brief mild language)
(2 hrs, 10 min)

Starring: James Franco (Oscar),
Mila Kunis (Theodora), Michelle Williams (Glinda/Annie), Rachel Weisz (Evanora), Zach Braff (Frank/Finley), Bill Cobbs (Master Tinker), Joey King (China Girl/Girl in Wheelchair), Tony Cox (Knuck), Stephen R. Hart (Winkie General), Bruce Campbell (Winkie Gate Keeper), Tim Holmes (Strongman), Abigail Spencer (May)

Director: Sam Raimi

Writers: Mitchell Kapner, David Lindsay-Abaire

Genre: Fantasy/Adventure/Romance

The Plot: A small-time magician with dubious ethics is hurled off to an enchanting land, where he encounters three witches, as well as the opportunity to transform himself into a great wizard — and an even greater man.

So what did you think? Please post a comment!

.
“Oz: The Great and Powerful” poster and photo courtesy Disney

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