Stars Dwayne Johnson, Jonathan Pryce, DJ Cotrona, Byung-Hun Lee, Adrianne Palicki, Elodie Yung, Ray Stevenson, with Walton Goggins, Ray Park, RZA, Channing Tatum and Bruce Willis Directed by Jon M Chu GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra was a fairly entertaining if fluffy piece of action entertainment. It was quite straight forward and slightly futuristic-set action movie with our heroes, the GI Joes, and villains, Cobra, having all sorts of high-tech gadgetry while battling it out with each other. Of course, the heroes won the day, a couple of the bad guys got put into some very high-tech prison, but one got away by impersonating the President of The United States. Come the sequel, and - surprise, surprise - it's actually a step up, thanks to director Jon Chu (of Step Up 2 The Streets and Step Up 3D). It's also a step away from most the high-tech stuff that permeated the first movie, giving this one a little more grounding as the Joes are knocked down to bare basics while Cobra are the ones with the leg-up and all the advanced technology at their disposal. It's almost James Bond-ian upon reflection. The villains have nothing less than World Domination in their sights, although part of their plan is something any average peace loving pundit would utterly admire. It was an utterly ingenious (if radically dangerous) solution to a major problem in the world… and then they become the diabolical villains you want to hate all over again (something given away in the trailers yet again). Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson steps up to head the ensemble of stars with only a small handful of returning players, including Channing Tatum's Duke, Ray Park's fan favourite, Snake-Eyes, Byung-Hun Lee as Storm Shadow and Jonathan Pryce doing double duty as the good and bad versions of the President. Fairly early on, we are made aware that this is a different band of soldiers compared to what was presented before. It's somehow become less international and more gung-ho all-American, even with the addition of Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki) - depending on which version you follow, is either American, as featured in the movie, or Irish (if, like me, you got to know her through Action Force). And with Lady Jaye, we also have Flint (DJ Cotrona) appearing in the movie. Chu's handle on the action is decent, although there are a lot of extreme close-up shots during most of the hand-to-hand fight scenes. However, there are a lot of unique set-pieces which do lend to some truly entertaining moments for action fans. Anytime there's a sword fight scene, it's always cool by me, But Chu takes it one further (as showcased in most of the trailers) by having it as a major set-piece in the middle of the movie, while paying tribute to one of the comic series most famous and popular issues involving Snake Eyes. And like the comic, the set-piece plays out without any dialogue, is brilliantly conceived particularly as a 3D set-piece and makes Snake Eyes the badass he's supposed to be. In all, though, it's still down to being a decent action movie with a cliche-ridden plot, a slight improvement over its predecessor (some might say that's a given), carried by the charm of it's leading man (who has two more movies coming this year). The villains are of the boo-hiss variety although fans would love that Cobra Commander looks exactly as he should. The action choreography is good, but could have been better given what already is on screen. But that's really not going to matter in the end, right? As long as it entertains and you don't expect too much out of a movie that's based on toys and comics.
0 Comments
Stars Gerard Butler, Aaron Eckhart, Morgan Freeman, Rick Yune, Angela Bassett, Finley Jacobson and Dylan McDermott Directed by Antoine Fuqua Just when the Die Hard formula seemed to have worn itself out with the last A Good Day To Die Hard, here comes a fairly decent Die Hard in the White House. Sort of. It's not quite 'wrong place at the wrong time', but it's still one guy against a bunch of terrorists in an enclosed space. Our hero in question is ex-Secret Service agent, Mike Banning (Gerard Butler), who is regulated to a desk job after an unfortunate on-the-job snap decision in protecting President Ben Asher (Aaron Eckhart, moving up from district attorney). When the White House is attacked, the President taken hostage, and the rest of the Secret Service taken out at the same time, Banning manages to fight his way into the White House during the initial firefight… and we have our scenario. This is the first of two movies that put an assault on the White House front and centre, the other being Roland Emmerich's White House Down. It feels like we're back in the late 80s/early 90s when there were duelling movies of similar themes. The implausible scenario is played out here with some gusto and the ultimate plan of the villain is novel, to say the very least. It isn't entirely out of left-field either with subtle hints dropped early on leading to the revelation. Butler does sufficiently well to carry the movie and the action scenes, as does the rest of the cast. The action set-pieces range from thrilling to just being slightly ludicrous, but a majority of the problems lie in the workmanship directing. There isn't anything that really stands out, nothing that sets it part or above the typical action fare aside from the stars in the movie. Although that being said, it's still entertaining and fairly engaging without burning out any brain cells. Then again, it's really down to whether you want to waste some time in the cinema or just wait until it eventually turns up on cable. Stars (vocally) Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds, Catherine Keener, Cloris Leachman and Clark Duke Directed by Chris Sanders and Kirk De Micco Wow - DreamWroks Animation and 20th Century Fox must have had a nightmare in trying to promote this movie. But then, this is a movie best to be seen without any expectations. That's simply because the characters are mostly what you'd expect and there's barely any plot to speak of (hence the nightmare of promoting this film). What you have to go on is the utterly gorgeous boundary pushing animation work from PDI/DreamWorks that has to be seen in 3D. Yet, here I am raising your expectations… And is it just me or is PDI/DreamWorks pushing the boundaries on CGI animation way more than Pixar is managing these days? Y'know what? Go see the movie and then come back for this review. Really. Carry on anyway? Okay, your choice. Since the movie revolves around the family unit, the characters are key. The overprotective dad, the rebellious daughter, the slightly dimwit son, the overly hyper (and fierce) baby, loving mother, funny grandmother… you could almost say it's cliche. In the hands of directors Chris Sanders and Kirk De Micco, they transcend their status. And while the plot itself was more of a road trip move, I had faith in Chris Sanders to deliver an entertaining flick, as he delivered (as co-director) Disney's Lilo and Stitch, and DreamWorks' How To Train Your Dragon. Like I mentioned, it's very much a road movie as the family unit suddenly finds themselves homeless within the opening moments because of the prehistoric world changing. They have to keep moving towards high ground and so with the road trip, the 'plot' becomes slightly unpredictable while the usual familial problems get worked out along the way. It does so in a good way without being preachy or hammering in the point. But Sanders and De Micco manage something else with the movie. Something more. Something that you will - and can - discover for yourself, whether you're just a casual movie viewer or an art student, an animation aficionado, a couch-philospher or media savant. Let's just say a lot of things caught my attention and if I were so inclined, I could write pages and pages on it all - but I won't. The animation is gorgeous from the crude design of the characters (they're supposed to be cavemen or neanderthals) to the way action is depicted on screen to the lush world that we see throughout most of the movie. Even the cinematography and camera moves stand out, which might be rare for an animated feature. Even the score by Alan Silvestri stands out. Of the excellent voice cast, Emma Stone does very well as the rebellious daughter, Eep while Nicolas Cage seems far more invested as the father, Grug, than he's been in most of his recent movies. Ryan Reynolds completes the primary triangle as the slightly more evolved Guy, accompanied by some kind of monkey like pet called Belt (because he helps hold up Guy's pants), who's pretty much a scene stealer. Almost every animal that appears has a personality (something Sanders does really well). For me, PDI/DreamWorks has been churning out some great stuff of late, far more appealing than Pixar's output (okay, Brave was good and beautiful if a little shy of their best work, but not really looking forward to this year's Monster's University or Cars spin-off, Planes). Going with something wholly original that's a far cry from their early years with spot-the-cultural-references is another step in raising the bar for PDI/DreamWorks. They even managed to make the last Madagascar movie actually fun, and that's something. Stars Jaime Foxx, Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio, Kerry Washington with Walton Goggins, James Remar, Michael Parks, Don Johnson and Samuel L Jackson. Special appearances by Zoë Bell and Franco Nero Written and Directed by Quentin Tarantino Quentin Tarantino movies tend to play with references, particularly to the genre the director enjoys. As one would expect, his films tend to be rather 'talky', filled with dialogue that drips like honey. When any bit of action does happen, it's usually explosive, brutal, in-the-moment and fairly bloody. It's the kind of action that truly does belong in the Spaghetti Western genre, which Django Unchained pays homage to. Classified more as a 'Southern' than a 'Western" by the director himself (because the movie takes place more in the Southern United States than the typical Western locales), Django Unchained plays to the conventions of the hero's journey, going so far as to spell out the sequence about a third into the film. After Django (Jaime Foxx) is liberated from slavery by bounty hunter, Dr King Schultz (Christoph Waltz) and assists him in taking down a trio of wanted men, Schultz learns of Django's wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington). Schultz then very briefly relates the tale related to Broomhilda's namesake (The Ring of the Nibelung or some earlier fairy tale version) before he decides to assist Django in his quest. Shot very much like a Spaghetti Western, the cinematography is quite gorgeous in the first half as our heroes travel to and fro to collect their bounties. The occasional odd zoom shots here and there might remind you of the time in which such movies were made, and might seem a bit distracting to younger viewers - who may not be likely to watch this movie in any case) - but then, Tarantino loves to 'homage' such things. Even the use of music range from Ennio Morricone classics (and a new one too), to the original Django scores and music by Luis Bacalov to some current tunes. Jim Croce's "I Got A Name" also pops up. For most of the film, despite being the lead star and character, Jaime Foxx is overshadowed by Christoph Waltz (deserving his recent awards) who, despite his line delivery, is miles away from Hans Landa. Waltz obviously loves the dialogue he's got and pretty much carries the movie, dominating every scene he's in. In comparison, Foxx barely manages to keep up until the second half, but by then, he's got to go against the double act of Leonardo DiCaprio's Calvin Candie and Samuel L Jackson's Stephen, Candie's head-of-the-household slave. DiCaprio in particular plays Candie with such menace that this is person you wouldn't just hate but love to utterly loathe. It would be interesting to see if DiCaprio can actually top this. And It's not that Foxx doesn't deliver - he manages, even with his dialogue and delivery - it's just that he seems utterly out-classed. When he gets his moment, he know how to shine, particularly with the action, but in most scenes… One in particular that felt so odd to me was the same scene mentioned above, when Schultz is relating the tale of Broomhilda. Django sits himself down to listen to the tale, constantly interrupting with questions and such. I couldn't tell if he was meant to be inquisitive or naive or being childlike in fascination with Schultz story. It's a minor quibble in an overall excellent movie that holds your attention through it's over two and a half hours run time. The performances in particular are solid and engaging while the action is bloody and violent as one would expect of the genre (and a little funny in some parts, disturbing in others). Some scenes are meant to turn your stomach tho, as it should given the period the movie is set in and the topic of slavery being prevalent throughout. After playing in a Django movie (Takeshi Miike's very odd Sukiyaki Western Django), it's nice to see Tarantino tackle a Django movie with aplomb and pull it off superbly. Stars James Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz, Michelle WIlliams, Zach Braff, Joey King, Bill Cobbs and Tony Cox Directed by Sam Raimi Given that this is a Disney production, touted to be in the vein of their recent take on Alice In Wonderland, and tackling the world of Oz before the 1939 classic, The Wizard of Oz, well… I had reservations (no, I didn't book tickets way in advance). Despite having Tim Burton as director, I didn't quite take to Alice In Wonderland, but I did marvel at the production design and other design work that went into that movie. Sure, it did have some of Burton's sensibilities coming through, but not really enough to be the typically strange and unusual you'd might expect from the director of Beetlejuice, Big Fish or Frankenweenie. Thing is, the same could be said about director Sam Raimi's take on this Oz adventure. The quirky directorial stylings of Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2, Darkman, Spider-Man or The Quick and The Dead are something you might expect. Like with Alice tho, it's all in the design of the movie. This is a visually sumptuous movie, and probably best seen in 3D, if you can afford it (I passed). Still, Raimi did manage to keep his stylised montage sequence intact here. Keeping in tone with the 1939 movie, Oz: The Great and Powerful opens in Kansas (after an impressive and 3D immersive credit sequence) in black and white and 1:1.33 frame ratio, turning into colour and a wider screen ratio upon arrival in Oz (just like in the trailer). The story's focus is mainly on Oscar "Oz" Diggs, a carnival magician who fall foul of some of the other performers, and in his escape attempt, hops into a hot-air balloon and then finds himself headed for a tornado. When he arrives in the land of Oz, he is assumed to be a wizard of legend who is expected to kill the wicked witch and lead the people of Oz. While this is all supposed to play out based on the books of L Frank Baum, the visual style borrows quite liberally from the Warner Bros. classic, with enough variation to probably escape litigation. This does include the look of Emerald City from afar, the throne room, the yellow brick road and even the appearance of the wicked witch of the west among others. The world of Oz itself is beautifully realised with lots of eye-candy for any design student and casual film-goer. While no one in particular stands out, the primary stars do well, although it is left to James Franco to carry the movie as the smarmy Oz. How well you accept him will depend on how much you might enjoy the movie. His Oz is not entirely sympathetic (that's a given, especially knowing how the character is supposed to be), even right from the beginning. It's supposed to be his journey, and while it might be a predictable path, it's sometimes hard to care especially when everything that appears on screen practically screams, "Prequel!" It also means we know where he's supposed to end up and that the wicked witch of the west won't be defeated here (although why a bucket of water can take her down might make a little more sense now. Then again, they did the same thing in Wicked.). Among the three who play the witches, Indie darling, Michelle WIlliams (playing Glinda), looks a little lost for the most part while Rachel Weisz (Evanora) makes the most of her role. Mila Kunis (Theodora) does as well as she can given the role she has to fill, in more ways than one. There's not really much one can find fault with, but that would also depend on how much you care about the 1939 movie, or the overall saga of the land of Oz. As a movie, it comes across as a design spectacle first, adventure movie second with some very impressive effects. The story is predictable and trite. Personally, and honestly, I felt bored throughout the movie's screening. My mind kept looking at the design, how most of it all was designed for 3D and how it would play in 3D. The only surprise I was anticipating was which of the two - Theodora or Evanora - would become the Wicked Witch of the West, and that was a given really early on (it's been mentioned elsewhere, but I won't mention it here). So, no real surprises in any case. Not even how dull it felt in the end. The design alone warrants the extra rating tho. |
Archives
December 2017
|