As Pantages’ Theater passes 130 reviews, I realized that I wouldn’t be much of a critic if I didn’t weigh in on Hollywood’s biggest night. Granted, I haven’t seen every performance being honored on Sunday, but I still feel that seeing 7 of the 9 Best Picture Nominees does qualify me to give an educated opinion. Because the Academy votes based on different criteria than those used by the general public, I have split the predictions to reflect those who deserve the award and those who will more than likely win based on Hollywood politics and Academy voting styles. I realize that there are many different aspects of film that will be honored during the ceremony, but the following seven awards are by far the most recognizable and those that everyone will be tuning in to see. Rather than simply following the opinions of professional industry analysts, let’s see if everyone’s favorite movie buff has enough insight to predict the winners.
Best Supporting Actress
Nominees:
Octavia Spencer – The Help
Melissa McCarthy – Bridesmaids
Bérénice Bejo – The Artist
Jessica Chastain – The Help
Janet McTeer – Albert Nobbs
Who Deserves to Win: Bérénice Bejo
Who Will Actually Win: Octavia Spencer
: There are few absolute deadlocks on Oscar Night, but in portraying an outspoken maid who steals nearly every scene in The Help, Octavia Spencer was won nearly every accolade a supporting actress can garner, and it looks like the Academy Award is simply next in line. That being said, if I were to choose, I would have to give the honor to Bérénice Bejo, who lit up the screen and dominated every second of her screen time during the remarkably passionate and heartfelt Best Picture heavyweight, The Artist. No offense to the other nominees (I LOVED Melissa McCarthy in Bridesmaids), but this race only has two true contenders, and I think that Spencer has the edge; especially since the Academy might try and balance things out, considering how many other awards The Artist will win.
Best Supporting Actor
Nominees:
Christopher Plummer– Beginners
Nick Nolte – Warrior
Kenneth Branagh – My Week with Marilyn
Jonah Hill – Moneyball
Max Von Sydow – Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
Who Deserves to Win: Max Von Sydow
Who Will Actually Win: Christopher Plummer
: I was shocked by the transformative performances of Nick Nolte and Jonah Hill, but just like Best Supporting Actress, the race for Best Supporting Actor is going to be a dead-heat between two contenders. I loved Max Von Sydow’s subtle performance as the reclusive and mute tenant who only communicated through shorthand notes, and as such I hope he is able to pull an upset, but Christopher Plummer is not going to be easy to take down. General audiences probably recognize Plummer’s biggest contribution to this cinematic year as The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but critics and analysts have been charmed by his work in Beginners, and as such, he is the front-runner to take the gold.
Best Actress
Nominees:
Viola Davis – The Help
Michelle Williams – My Week with Marilyn
Meryl Streep – The Iron Lady
Glenn Close – Albert Nobbs
Rooney Mara – The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Who Deserves to Win: Meryl Streep
Who Will Actually Win: Meryl Streep
: Make no mistake, Viola Davis gave a characteristically strong performance in The Help and deserves the praises and awards she has received as an actress to-date, but no one can hold a candle to Meryl Streep’s portrayal of Lady Thatcher. Streep has been nominated for an Academy Award 17 times, only winning twice, and many analysts believe that she has more than paid the necessary dues to start improving that ratio, especially with a performance like the one she delivered in The Iron Lady, regardless of how many were charmed by Viola Davis and consider her win a lock. I cannot comment on Michelle Williams’ or Glenn Close’s performances, and I am happy that Rooney Mara was recognized for her work as Lisbeth Salander, but it is time for the strongest actress in Hollywood to add another award to her mantle.
Best Actor
Nominees:
George Clooney – The Descendants
Jean Dujardin – The Artist
Gary Oldman – Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy
Demián Bichir – A Better Life
Brad Pitt – Moneyball
Who Deserves to Win: George Clooney
Who Will Actually Win: Jean Dujardin
: Prior to seeing The Artist, I would have declared the Best Actor race a two-man contest between Pitt and Clooney, with Clooney coming out ahead, but after watching Dujardin carry a story on facial expressions alone, I can see how he will generate votes. Still, I think that Clooney is the most deserving of the top honor, as he delved so deeply into his role that he generated a range of emotion that goes far against his normal characterizations. Dujardin was consistently charming, and Brad Pitt essentially played an ever cooler version of himself, but to have audiences crying and laughing from scene-to-scene as he transitions flawlessly from denial, to rage, and then on to despair…that is why Clooney should win.
Best Director
Nominees:
Michael Hazanavicius – The Artist
Terrence Malick – The Tree of Life
Martin Scorsese – Hugo
Alexander Payne – The Descendants
Woody Allen – Midnight in Paris
Who Deserves to Win: Michael Hazanavicius
Who Will Actually Win: Michael Hazanavicius
: No offense to my man Marty Scorsese, who told a beautiful story with Hugo, but the most brilliant directing I’ve seen this year was offered to audiences from Michael Hazanavicius, who faced down a seemingly insurmountable challenge and achieved unprecedented success. I guarantee that when the idea of a black-and-white silent film was first pitched, studio heads had to question the appeal outside of the film festival group, but Hazanavicius grabs your attention and flawlessly delivers a beautiful and uplifting story…with virtually no dialogue. I’m not trying to downplay the contribution of the other nominees, but do you honestly think you would have been able to follow The Descendants or Hugo with no dialogue and only the occasional intertitle?
Best Animated Feature
Nominees:
A Cat in Paris
Chico & Rita
Puss in Boots
Kung Fu Panda 2
Rango
Who Deserves to Win: Kung Fu Panda 2
Who Will Actually Win: Rango
: Alright, this year the animated category is an absolute insult…forget the fact that Disney-Pixar threw away their usual nomination/win with the sub-par Cars 2, but how in the hell did Puss in Boots and Rango get nominated ahead of The Adventures of TinTin (the Golden Globe WINNER) or Rio? There are usually a few foreign entries in this category, and naturally no one has seen them, but what infuriates me is the inclusion of Rango, which critics loved but I absolutely hated in every way imaginable. In the absence of far superior animated entries, Kung Fu Panda 2 is the most deserving, but with so many critics inexplicably charmed by a mediocre/boring tale of a chameleon, the category as a whole is going to take a hit in credibility.
Best Picture
Nominees:
The Artist
The Descendants
Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
The Help
Hugo
Midnight in Paris
Moneyball
The Tree of Life
War Horse
Who Deserves to Win: The Descendants
Who Will Actually Win: The Artist
: If you can get past the novelty of the silent film format, the story told by The Descendants is superior, but looking past the accolades of The Artist is one hell of a tall order. Like I mentioned earlier, I’ve seen most of the nominees in this category, the notable exceptions being Midnight in Paris and The Tree of Life, but nobody expects those entries to pull what would be an extraordinary and unprecedented upset. The other nominees that I have seen were strong in their own way and surprisingly enjoyable, but it looks like the French romantic comedy drama will earn the top distinction in Hollywood.
I’ve made my predictions, so we’ll just have to wait until Sunday night to see if my analysis was able to pick the winners. This night is my Superbowl, so regardless of whether I am right or wrong, I’m going to love it.
Friday, February 24, 2012
Thursday, February 23, 2012
The Artist: Short and Sweet
It may have premiered at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, but I am willing to bet that The Artist was not on the radar of a majority of moviegoers until the unconventional romantic comedy/drama tore through the Golden Globes with six nominations and three wins. The Weinstein Company hasn’t exactly made its name by selling traditional films, and the marketability of a black-and-white silent film amongst today’s audiences certainly provided one hell of a challenge, but no one could deny that critics everywhere were singing this Oscar contender’s praises. Lack of mass appeal aside, after over 100 reviews, there is very little that I am unwilling to see in the theater, and as a former film student, I was both curious and impressed by the sheer nerve it took to produce the project. However, there was one distinct problem, as excited as I was to see and review The Artist, I couldn’t find it at any of the theaters I frequent, and that fact certainly was unacceptable once the film was nominated for a staggering 10 Academy Awards. Thankfully, I was finally able to track down this testament to a simpler era of filmmaking in Hollywood, and I couldn’t wait to see if all the hype that had been generated over Awards Season was justified.
Beautiful and brilliant in almost every way imaginable, The Artist is one of the best films of the year, one that will leave you cheering and one that is fully deserving of every accolade it has thus far received. You wouldn’t think that a silent film would be easy to follow or get emotionally invested in, but the lack of dialogue forces you to pay attention and appreciate other filmmaking elements, the most notable being the mesmerizing soundtrack. When it comes to acting, Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo set a new standard, showing so much emotion and passion in their facial expressions that they not only help drive the themes of the narrative, but also display considerable chemistry…it doesn’t hurt that Bejo is intoxicatingly beautiful either. If there is any criticism to be offered, it is that the story does drag at a few points and that its format probably won’t appeal to the masses, despite its quality. Nevertheless, The Artist in its entirety is creative and resoundingly positive; something that should not be missed by anyone.
Overall Recommendation: Very High
Beautiful and brilliant in almost every way imaginable, The Artist is one of the best films of the year, one that will leave you cheering and one that is fully deserving of every accolade it has thus far received. You wouldn’t think that a silent film would be easy to follow or get emotionally invested in, but the lack of dialogue forces you to pay attention and appreciate other filmmaking elements, the most notable being the mesmerizing soundtrack. When it comes to acting, Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo set a new standard, showing so much emotion and passion in their facial expressions that they not only help drive the themes of the narrative, but also display considerable chemistry…it doesn’t hurt that Bejo is intoxicatingly beautiful either. If there is any criticism to be offered, it is that the story does drag at a few points and that its format probably won’t appeal to the masses, despite its quality. Nevertheless, The Artist in its entirety is creative and resoundingly positive; something that should not be missed by anyone.
Overall Recommendation: Very High
The Artist: Full Review
The Artist - (November 25, 2011 – limited; January 20, 2012 – wide): PG-13
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
Opening Weekend Box Office (wide): #17 with $2,371,803
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $28,070,412
Gross Revenue: $72,742,717
Production Budget: $15 million
Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Perhaps the most common complaint surrounding Oscar Sunday involves the fact that a majority of the nominees for Best Picture are films that wowed critics at a film festival but no one from the general movie-going public has seen, and for a while it looked like The Artist would fit that unfortunate mold. Despite the fact that the unconventional romantic comedy had already garnered a number of Golden Globe and BAFTA awards, I’m willing to bet that a majority of my readers had yet to find anyone who had actually seen it…lord knows I was unable to find a theater that carried the film. The Weinstein Company eventually recognized this shortcoming and decided to distribute the awards contender to wider audiences, but it certainly wasn’t a good sign when rumors surfaced that a few mass audiences had left the film in disgust and demanded their money back. The cast itself was also a question mark, as aside from a few familiar faces, the key players weren’t anyone you’d recognize on the street; Jean Dujardin is largely unknown to American audiences (despite being labeled France’s George Clooney), and I haven’t seen Bérénice Bejo since she played a handmaiden in 2001’s A Knight’s Tale. Still, as a former film student, I had to appreciate the guts it took to release a black-and-white silent film, and I was curious to see exactly what was driving all the critics and Academy voters wild.
Set in Hollywood between 1927 and 1932, the titular “artist” is George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), the top actor in silent cinema who is reveling in the success of his newest blockbuster. At the film’s premiere, George comes across lifelong fan and struggling film extra Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), whom he kindly takes under his wing and to whom he gives valuable advice so that she will make an impact in the industry. Soon enough, Peppy starts building a presence on the silver screen, while George is warned by Studio President Al Zimmer (John Goodman) that the public is losing interest in silent film and starting to embrace the emergence of talkies. Dismissive of the passing “trend” of sound in film, George resolves to produce his own film, which fails miserably and combines with 1929 stock-market crash to place him on the edge of bankruptcy; in a twist of fate, Peppy is on the other end of the spectrum, skyrocketing in popularity and rapidly climbing the A-list of the sound genre. Struggling with his newfound inadequacy, George slips into depression with no companionship aside from his dedicated valet, Clifton (James Cromwell), and his loyal dog (Uggie); all the while hoping that his career and legacy are not forgotten in the wave of a changing Hollywood.
While I doubt a majority would list the silent film as one of their favorite genres, The Artist will definitely renew your faith in the brilliance of the format, as it paves the way for considerable creativity and shockingly strong acting and storytelling. With virtually no spoken dialogue, the occasional intertitle, and no reprieve from silence aside from the astounding non-diegetic soundtrack, it is a true testament to the direction of Michel Hazanavisius that modern audiences are able to follow the story. As for the acting, Jean Dujardin showcases considerable talent, displaying a wide array of emotions, from humor, to arrogance, to despair, to anger; all without speaking a word…you’ll support his character’s plight with interest almost immediately and be rooting for him on Oscar Night. Then there is Bérénice Bejo…where in the hell has she been hiding all these years? Not only is she unfathomably beautiful, she lights up the screen and showcases a fearless personality that complements Dujardin perfectly; the two have insane amounts of chemistry, and is she is my definite pick for Best Supporting Actress on Sunday. Strong acting and directing aside, there are a few elements within The Artist that audiences might not respond to, but upon closer inspection, they just pave the way for other accolades.
When I heard the story about regular audiences walking out thoroughly dissatisfied with The Artist, I knew that it wasn’t related to film quality, and in retrospect I can understand how a silent film might not translate with everyone. The Artist is a loving testament to classic Hollywood, showcasing a simpler time with painstaking quality and attention to detail, but for casual audiences who might not appreciate that recognition; I can see how the story tends to drag at a few points. Also, it may have been sold as more of a romantic comedy than a drama, so be warned, the film delves into some pretty mature territory, and when Valentin slips deeper into depression and toys with suicide, things get considerably dark. Still, these qualifications aside, the use of black-and-white and virtually no sound paves the way for a creativity that demands your attention…about halfway through the film, Valentin has a nightmare where he experiences sound for the first time yet is unable to speak, and the sequence is so reminiscent of a Hitchcock-era style that it is one of the most brilliant things I have seen on film in some time. Make no mistake, The Artist is clever and tells a resoundingly positive story that will bring you to tears and have you cheering during the feel-good and surprising ending…do not miss it.
Considering how long The Artist has thus far been in theaters and the changes that have been made to its distribution schedule, it is not fair to analyze opening weekend numbers or compare it to other wide-release blockbusters. Still, being a French film and a gargantuan buzz-builder, The Weinstein Company cannot be upset that the $15 million movie has already grossed over $72 million…a number that will skyrocket if it takes Best Picture on Sunday. I have seen 7 of the 9 Best Picture nominees, so I am more than qualified to offer an opinion, and I have no problem in declaring The Artist as a top contender for the top honor. However, if I had to declare the accolade for which The Artist is most deserving, my vote would have to go to Best Supporting Actress; I cannot wait to see what Bérénice Bejo can do once she gets the chance to speak. Plain and simple, whether you are a casual moviegoer or someone who will be at a party on Sunday breaking down every nominee, you owe it to yourself to see the remarkably well-made and thoroughly unconventional (by today’s standards at least) comedy/drama.
Overall Recommendation: Very High
Distributor: The Weinstein Company
Opening Weekend Box Office (wide): #17 with $2,371,803
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $28,070,412
Gross Revenue: $72,742,717
Production Budget: $15 million
Director: Michel Hazanavicius
Perhaps the most common complaint surrounding Oscar Sunday involves the fact that a majority of the nominees for Best Picture are films that wowed critics at a film festival but no one from the general movie-going public has seen, and for a while it looked like The Artist would fit that unfortunate mold. Despite the fact that the unconventional romantic comedy had already garnered a number of Golden Globe and BAFTA awards, I’m willing to bet that a majority of my readers had yet to find anyone who had actually seen it…lord knows I was unable to find a theater that carried the film. The Weinstein Company eventually recognized this shortcoming and decided to distribute the awards contender to wider audiences, but it certainly wasn’t a good sign when rumors surfaced that a few mass audiences had left the film in disgust and demanded their money back. The cast itself was also a question mark, as aside from a few familiar faces, the key players weren’t anyone you’d recognize on the street; Jean Dujardin is largely unknown to American audiences (despite being labeled France’s George Clooney), and I haven’t seen Bérénice Bejo since she played a handmaiden in 2001’s A Knight’s Tale. Still, as a former film student, I had to appreciate the guts it took to release a black-and-white silent film, and I was curious to see exactly what was driving all the critics and Academy voters wild.
Set in Hollywood between 1927 and 1932, the titular “artist” is George Valentin (Jean Dujardin), the top actor in silent cinema who is reveling in the success of his newest blockbuster. At the film’s premiere, George comes across lifelong fan and struggling film extra Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo), whom he kindly takes under his wing and to whom he gives valuable advice so that she will make an impact in the industry. Soon enough, Peppy starts building a presence on the silver screen, while George is warned by Studio President Al Zimmer (John Goodman) that the public is losing interest in silent film and starting to embrace the emergence of talkies. Dismissive of the passing “trend” of sound in film, George resolves to produce his own film, which fails miserably and combines with 1929 stock-market crash to place him on the edge of bankruptcy; in a twist of fate, Peppy is on the other end of the spectrum, skyrocketing in popularity and rapidly climbing the A-list of the sound genre. Struggling with his newfound inadequacy, George slips into depression with no companionship aside from his dedicated valet, Clifton (James Cromwell), and his loyal dog (Uggie); all the while hoping that his career and legacy are not forgotten in the wave of a changing Hollywood.
While I doubt a majority would list the silent film as one of their favorite genres, The Artist will definitely renew your faith in the brilliance of the format, as it paves the way for considerable creativity and shockingly strong acting and storytelling. With virtually no spoken dialogue, the occasional intertitle, and no reprieve from silence aside from the astounding non-diegetic soundtrack, it is a true testament to the direction of Michel Hazanavisius that modern audiences are able to follow the story. As for the acting, Jean Dujardin showcases considerable talent, displaying a wide array of emotions, from humor, to arrogance, to despair, to anger; all without speaking a word…you’ll support his character’s plight with interest almost immediately and be rooting for him on Oscar Night. Then there is Bérénice Bejo…where in the hell has she been hiding all these years? Not only is she unfathomably beautiful, she lights up the screen and showcases a fearless personality that complements Dujardin perfectly; the two have insane amounts of chemistry, and is she is my definite pick for Best Supporting Actress on Sunday. Strong acting and directing aside, there are a few elements within The Artist that audiences might not respond to, but upon closer inspection, they just pave the way for other accolades.
When I heard the story about regular audiences walking out thoroughly dissatisfied with The Artist, I knew that it wasn’t related to film quality, and in retrospect I can understand how a silent film might not translate with everyone. The Artist is a loving testament to classic Hollywood, showcasing a simpler time with painstaking quality and attention to detail, but for casual audiences who might not appreciate that recognition; I can see how the story tends to drag at a few points. Also, it may have been sold as more of a romantic comedy than a drama, so be warned, the film delves into some pretty mature territory, and when Valentin slips deeper into depression and toys with suicide, things get considerably dark. Still, these qualifications aside, the use of black-and-white and virtually no sound paves the way for a creativity that demands your attention…about halfway through the film, Valentin has a nightmare where he experiences sound for the first time yet is unable to speak, and the sequence is so reminiscent of a Hitchcock-era style that it is one of the most brilliant things I have seen on film in some time. Make no mistake, The Artist is clever and tells a resoundingly positive story that will bring you to tears and have you cheering during the feel-good and surprising ending…do not miss it.
Considering how long The Artist has thus far been in theaters and the changes that have been made to its distribution schedule, it is not fair to analyze opening weekend numbers or compare it to other wide-release blockbusters. Still, being a French film and a gargantuan buzz-builder, The Weinstein Company cannot be upset that the $15 million movie has already grossed over $72 million…a number that will skyrocket if it takes Best Picture on Sunday. I have seen 7 of the 9 Best Picture nominees, so I am more than qualified to offer an opinion, and I have no problem in declaring The Artist as a top contender for the top honor. However, if I had to declare the accolade for which The Artist is most deserving, my vote would have to go to Best Supporting Actress; I cannot wait to see what Bérénice Bejo can do once she gets the chance to speak. Plain and simple, whether you are a casual moviegoer or someone who will be at a party on Sunday breaking down every nominee, you owe it to yourself to see the remarkably well-made and thoroughly unconventional (by today’s standards at least) comedy/drama.
Overall Recommendation: Very High
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
This Means War: Short and Sweet
On paper, the premise for This Means War wasn’t going to turn many heads during Awards Season, and I wasn’t exactly thrilled the first time I caught the trailer, but 20th Century Fox certainly had more than enough star power to fill theaters. In terms of the leading men, Chris Pine has been relatively low-key since his enjoyable performance in 2009’s Star Trek, but Tom Hardy has been skyrocketing towards the A-list since he first charmed audiences in 2010’s Inception. When it comes to Reese Witherspoon, with the exception of her voice-work in 2009’s Monsters vs. Aliens, I actually haven’t paid to see one of her film’s since 2002’s Sweet Home Alabama, and that was the one and only time I have nearly fallen asleep in a theater. Don’t get me wrong, I fully acknowledge Witherspoon’s talent as an actress, but the biggest selling point for me concerning This Means War was director McG, who with the Charlie’s Angels series proved an undeniable talent for mixing familiar faces with explosive and ridiculous fun. Early critical reaction was anything but kind, but I wasn’t exactly expecting anything deep from this romantic comedy/spy-action hybrid; at the very least, I just wanted the likable cast to be entertaining.
It is not often that I dramatically deviate from popular opinion, but where a majority of critics hated This Means War, I actually really enjoyed the film, and I feel that is thanks largely to the on-screen buddy chemistry between Chris Pine and Tom Hardy. Anytime these two are together onscreen, they make very believable best friends whose bickering and competitiveness paves the way for considerable humor. Even Reese Witherspoon charms, but the strongest appeal of the film has to be the creative blending of genres, which uses considerable imagination to illustrate how top government operative might use their skills for more immature means. Granted, the gross invasion of privacy highlighted is a little disconcerting, but I doubt a majority of audiences will take that misstep too seriously; if anything, the true criticism lies in the predictable storyline and some of the downright ridiculous plot elements. Far from perfect as it may be, This Means War is still fun and well-worth seeing as long as you don’t take it too seriously.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
It is not often that I dramatically deviate from popular opinion, but where a majority of critics hated This Means War, I actually really enjoyed the film, and I feel that is thanks largely to the on-screen buddy chemistry between Chris Pine and Tom Hardy. Anytime these two are together onscreen, they make very believable best friends whose bickering and competitiveness paves the way for considerable humor. Even Reese Witherspoon charms, but the strongest appeal of the film has to be the creative blending of genres, which uses considerable imagination to illustrate how top government operative might use their skills for more immature means. Granted, the gross invasion of privacy highlighted is a little disconcerting, but I doubt a majority of audiences will take that misstep too seriously; if anything, the true criticism lies in the predictable storyline and some of the downright ridiculous plot elements. Far from perfect as it may be, This Means War is still fun and well-worth seeing as long as you don’t take it too seriously.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
This Means War: Full Review
This Means War - (February 17th, 2012): PG-13
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Opening Weekend Box Office: #5 with $17,405,930
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $21,616,717
Gross Revenue: $32,416,717
Production Budget: $65 million
Director: McG
Dueling superspies is usually a pretty bankable cinematic formula, but skepticism certainly increased when it was announced that This Means War would tweak the genre by adding-in a little romantic comedy and having the government operatives childishly bicker over Reese Witherspoon. 20th Century Fox would have little trouble selling the aforementioned spies, as widespread curiosity has been hounding Tom Hardy ever since it was announced that he would be playing Bane in The Dark Knight Rises; Chris Pine was the best part of 2009’s Star Trek, but he has yet to headline another true blockbuster beyond Unstoppable…man, was I disappointed when the lost the lead in Green Lantern to Ryan Reynolds. As for Reese Witherspoon, the award-winning actress has been a sporadic presence in theaters lately, and after the extremely poor opening of 2010’s How Do You Know, there was no guarantee that she could still draw a respectable crowd. At the very least, This Means War would be anything but a traditional romantic comedy, with the buddy dynamic between the lead actors and the undeniable energy of director McG sure to entertain some of the male demographic. In the simplest terms, the trailers made it look like This Means War would have some fun and throw logic out the window, a welcome change from the Awards-contenders saturating the theater just prior to Oscar Sunday.
This Means War opens by introducing audiences to CIA agents and lifelong friends FDR Foster (Chris Pine) and Tuck Henson (Tom Hardy), who are among the agency’s top assets but polar opposites when it comes to finding romance. Ladies’ man FDR encourages the shy and recently divorced Tuck to begin online dating, and soon enough Tuck is matched with consumer product executive Lauren Scott (Reese Witherspoon). Though the date goes very well, Lauren also meets FDR, completely unaware that the two men know each other; at the urging of her best friend, Trish (Chelsea Handler), the normally reserved Lauren decides to play the field and date both men simultaneously. When FDR and Tuck discover that they are both seeing the same woman, they make a gentleman’s agreement to stay out of each other’s way and let Lauren decide, but soon enough both begin to use their government resources and spy skills to gain the competitive edge. As both men’s feelings for Lauren begin to grow, the friendship suffers, but both must make a decision when their professional life spills over and begins to threaten the innocent woman’s safety.
Childish as it may seem, the imagination behind Tuck and FDR’s courtship of Lauren is easily the most entertaining part of This Means War, taking a considerably more lighthearted approach to the spy genre than has ever been attempted. For instance, when Tuck learns that Lauren considers him a little too “safe,” he takes her to the paintball range and proceeds to brutally and unforgivingly unleash his combat training on a group of young children, taking headshots and lobbing paint grenades at groups of crying adolescents; not to be outdone, FDR has a historian feed him information through an earpiece as he impresses Lauren with his knowledge of her favorite artist. Now, this simplistic bickering had a definite risk of not coming across as the script originally intended, but Chris Pine and Tom Hardy work surprisingly well together, illustrating a very believable friendship that showcases both actors’ comedic talents and is sure to entertain audiences. Now, Reese Witherspoon may not be the first name that jumps to mind when someone thinks of an actress worthy of the attention showed by two wannabe James Bonds, but she still shows enough charm to illustrate the sunny personality that audiences first fell in love with all those years ago. Unfortunately, the creative story elements and strong cast chemistry are simply not enough to overshadow some of the bigger flaws that exist within This Means War.
For as creative a use of its premise as was showcased in This Means War, there were still a surprisingly large amount of weak, predictable, and nonsensical elements present that severely weakened the quality of this project. First and foremost, there is a subplot within the thriller that involves an arms dealer seeking revenge on Tuck, but this “threat” receives so little attention that, when he finally shows up and kidnaps Lauren, the sense of urgency and peril is almost nonexistent. And I may have said before that Reese Witherspoon was charming, but there are times where her character is so gullible that it is almost sad…her lack of reaction when Tuck and FDR tear apart a restaurant in a bloody brawl is nauseating. Finally, to address the elephant in the room, the tactics used by the friends to gather “intelligence” represents a gross invasion of privacy that would represent the worst nightmare for anyone who has been stalked over Facebook…not sure that something like that should be portrayed as okay. Still, if you can get past these elements, I’m sure that you will enjoy the film that is more buddy comedy than romantic comedy, something that has not been successfully achieved outside crude, rated-R humor in years.
Wow, Reese Witherspoon just cannot catch a break at the box office, as This Means War debuted at a decidedly disappointing fifth place with $17 million, nowhere near enough to make a dent against strong holdovers Safe House and The Vow. Personally, I am curious as to whether this lackluster debut can be blamed on a very simple mistake in distribution strategy…as a romantic comedy that could have appealed to both sexes, I guarantee that there are a bunch of men who would have much rather taken their wives/girlfriends to this than The Vow over Valentine’s Day weekend; the movie may have simply been released one week too late. 20th Century Fox cannot be thrilled with the performance of their newest project thus far, and the harsh critical opinion certainly isn’t going to help things in the near future. At the very least, the silver lining here is that both Tom Hardy and Chris Pine can now enjoy the benefits of increased exposure amongst larger audiences…I cannot wait to see more from both. Trust me, the film is much better than you’ve heard from the media outlets, but you’re only going to get true enjoyment out of This Means War if you can turn off your brain and let some gaps in logic slide.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Opening Weekend Box Office: #5 with $17,405,930
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $21,616,717
Gross Revenue: $32,416,717
Production Budget: $65 million
Director: McG
Dueling superspies is usually a pretty bankable cinematic formula, but skepticism certainly increased when it was announced that This Means War would tweak the genre by adding-in a little romantic comedy and having the government operatives childishly bicker over Reese Witherspoon. 20th Century Fox would have little trouble selling the aforementioned spies, as widespread curiosity has been hounding Tom Hardy ever since it was announced that he would be playing Bane in The Dark Knight Rises; Chris Pine was the best part of 2009’s Star Trek, but he has yet to headline another true blockbuster beyond Unstoppable…man, was I disappointed when the lost the lead in Green Lantern to Ryan Reynolds. As for Reese Witherspoon, the award-winning actress has been a sporadic presence in theaters lately, and after the extremely poor opening of 2010’s How Do You Know, there was no guarantee that she could still draw a respectable crowd. At the very least, This Means War would be anything but a traditional romantic comedy, with the buddy dynamic between the lead actors and the undeniable energy of director McG sure to entertain some of the male demographic. In the simplest terms, the trailers made it look like This Means War would have some fun and throw logic out the window, a welcome change from the Awards-contenders saturating the theater just prior to Oscar Sunday.
This Means War opens by introducing audiences to CIA agents and lifelong friends FDR Foster (Chris Pine) and Tuck Henson (Tom Hardy), who are among the agency’s top assets but polar opposites when it comes to finding romance. Ladies’ man FDR encourages the shy and recently divorced Tuck to begin online dating, and soon enough Tuck is matched with consumer product executive Lauren Scott (Reese Witherspoon). Though the date goes very well, Lauren also meets FDR, completely unaware that the two men know each other; at the urging of her best friend, Trish (Chelsea Handler), the normally reserved Lauren decides to play the field and date both men simultaneously. When FDR and Tuck discover that they are both seeing the same woman, they make a gentleman’s agreement to stay out of each other’s way and let Lauren decide, but soon enough both begin to use their government resources and spy skills to gain the competitive edge. As both men’s feelings for Lauren begin to grow, the friendship suffers, but both must make a decision when their professional life spills over and begins to threaten the innocent woman’s safety.
Childish as it may seem, the imagination behind Tuck and FDR’s courtship of Lauren is easily the most entertaining part of This Means War, taking a considerably more lighthearted approach to the spy genre than has ever been attempted. For instance, when Tuck learns that Lauren considers him a little too “safe,” he takes her to the paintball range and proceeds to brutally and unforgivingly unleash his combat training on a group of young children, taking headshots and lobbing paint grenades at groups of crying adolescents; not to be outdone, FDR has a historian feed him information through an earpiece as he impresses Lauren with his knowledge of her favorite artist. Now, this simplistic bickering had a definite risk of not coming across as the script originally intended, but Chris Pine and Tom Hardy work surprisingly well together, illustrating a very believable friendship that showcases both actors’ comedic talents and is sure to entertain audiences. Now, Reese Witherspoon may not be the first name that jumps to mind when someone thinks of an actress worthy of the attention showed by two wannabe James Bonds, but she still shows enough charm to illustrate the sunny personality that audiences first fell in love with all those years ago. Unfortunately, the creative story elements and strong cast chemistry are simply not enough to overshadow some of the bigger flaws that exist within This Means War.
For as creative a use of its premise as was showcased in This Means War, there were still a surprisingly large amount of weak, predictable, and nonsensical elements present that severely weakened the quality of this project. First and foremost, there is a subplot within the thriller that involves an arms dealer seeking revenge on Tuck, but this “threat” receives so little attention that, when he finally shows up and kidnaps Lauren, the sense of urgency and peril is almost nonexistent. And I may have said before that Reese Witherspoon was charming, but there are times where her character is so gullible that it is almost sad…her lack of reaction when Tuck and FDR tear apart a restaurant in a bloody brawl is nauseating. Finally, to address the elephant in the room, the tactics used by the friends to gather “intelligence” represents a gross invasion of privacy that would represent the worst nightmare for anyone who has been stalked over Facebook…not sure that something like that should be portrayed as okay. Still, if you can get past these elements, I’m sure that you will enjoy the film that is more buddy comedy than romantic comedy, something that has not been successfully achieved outside crude, rated-R humor in years.
Wow, Reese Witherspoon just cannot catch a break at the box office, as This Means War debuted at a decidedly disappointing fifth place with $17 million, nowhere near enough to make a dent against strong holdovers Safe House and The Vow. Personally, I am curious as to whether this lackluster debut can be blamed on a very simple mistake in distribution strategy…as a romantic comedy that could have appealed to both sexes, I guarantee that there are a bunch of men who would have much rather taken their wives/girlfriends to this than The Vow over Valentine’s Day weekend; the movie may have simply been released one week too late. 20th Century Fox cannot be thrilled with the performance of their newest project thus far, and the harsh critical opinion certainly isn’t going to help things in the near future. At the very least, the silver lining here is that both Tom Hardy and Chris Pine can now enjoy the benefits of increased exposure amongst larger audiences…I cannot wait to see more from both. Trust me, the film is much better than you’ve heard from the media outlets, but you’re only going to get true enjoyment out of This Means War if you can turn off your brain and let some gaps in logic slide.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - Short and Sweet
Everyone knows that I am an absolute comic book and superhero fanatic, but there is no character over whom I am more conflicted than Johnny Blaze/Ghost Rider, the supernatural antihero whose first transition to film has haunted me for years. In my freshman year of college, I convinced a large group of dorm-mates to go see Ghost Rider, including one who was taking his longtime crush on their first date…as anyone can imagine, it was a disaster, and it was my fault. I am a huge fan of Nicolas Cage, so despite the apparent miscasting of him as Johnny Blaze, I had been excited to see the film that was nothing short of an epic failure; for the next five years, I was known as the only guy that liked Ghost Rider, despite my repeated acknowledgments that the film was, in fact, terrible. Needless to say, my first reaction to the trailers for Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, in 3D no less, was along the lines of: “Oh dear God, why!?!” My closest friends were going to have a field day, so I knew that I had to see this newest superhero sequel to have any chance of rectifying the abuse that I had suffered over the years; and really, I didn’t see how filmmakers could do any worse, so maybe there was light at the end of the tunnel…then again, given the character, that light could signal my entrance to the gates of cinematic hell.
It may not be saying much, but Spirit of Vengeance actually improves on 2007’s Ghost Rider in every way imaginable, with stronger characters, a better story, and cooler action…at its best though, it can probably still only be described as trashy fun. Unlike its predecessor, Spirit of Vengeance does not take itself too seriously, often poking fun at the ludicrous subject material and only going over the edge a handful of times. Thankfully, Nicolas Cage is notably more subdued in his performance as the demonic bounty hunter, and he is strengthened by an entertaining supporting cast, including Idris Elba who sports an inexplicable yet workable French accent, and Johnny Whitworth, a supernatural antagonist who is the type of villain you love to hate. The story actually has a coherent conflict that needs to be resolved, while the chaotic direction and cinematography actually complement the ridiculous character, so add-in some cool special effects and gratuitous violence, and the film ends up being more than tolerable. To think, if the original Ghost Rider had followed similar guidelines to Spirit of Vengeance, maybe the franchise wouldn’t be the laughing-stock that it is today; but, that still doesn’t mean that any awards are going to be granted or that non-fans of comic books should rush to the theater.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
It may not be saying much, but Spirit of Vengeance actually improves on 2007’s Ghost Rider in every way imaginable, with stronger characters, a better story, and cooler action…at its best though, it can probably still only be described as trashy fun. Unlike its predecessor, Spirit of Vengeance does not take itself too seriously, often poking fun at the ludicrous subject material and only going over the edge a handful of times. Thankfully, Nicolas Cage is notably more subdued in his performance as the demonic bounty hunter, and he is strengthened by an entertaining supporting cast, including Idris Elba who sports an inexplicable yet workable French accent, and Johnny Whitworth, a supernatural antagonist who is the type of villain you love to hate. The story actually has a coherent conflict that needs to be resolved, while the chaotic direction and cinematography actually complement the ridiculous character, so add-in some cool special effects and gratuitous violence, and the film ends up being more than tolerable. To think, if the original Ghost Rider had followed similar guidelines to Spirit of Vengeance, maybe the franchise wouldn’t be the laughing-stock that it is today; but, that still doesn’t mean that any awards are going to be granted or that non-fans of comic books should rush to the theater.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - Full Review
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance - (February 17th, 2012): PG-13
Distributor: Columbia Pictures (Sony Pictures)
Opening Weekend Box Office: #3 with $22,000,000
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $22,000,000
Gross Revenue: $22,000,000
Production Budget: $57 million
Directors: Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor
Alright, let’s clear the air right now, 2007’s Ghost Rider was a terrible movie in almost every way imaginable; that being said, I still enjoyed the ludicrously subpar entertainment, but I prayed that studios would never again subject audiences to what was declared the worst superhero film of the decade. When I first learned that Columbia Pictures would be resurrecting the project with a 3D sequel released almost five years to the date of the original, I couldn’t fathom the logic behind the decision; but there were a number of factors that could prevent this newest superhero film from committing box office suicide. Once one of the top A-listers in Hollywood, Nicolas Cage has made consistently lousy film choices over the past few years, but other filmmaking elements seemed to add some hope for the quality of Spirit of Vengeance. As the second film released under the Marvel Knights banner (a subset of Marvel Studios that aims for a grittier and darker superhero story), Spirit of Vengeance would hopefully steer away from the hokey focus that plagued the original; and maybe directors Neveldine/Taylor (Crank and Crank: High Voltage) would bring just enough of their crazy filmmaking style to the fore to rejuvenate the mistaken antihero. 3D glasses in hand and determined to prove to myself and other naysayers that the character could be translated from comic book page to silver screen successfully, I was ready to see and review Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.
Time for some character background: Within the Marvel Comics Universe, there exists a supernatural entity that once known as the Spirit of Justice that was corrupted by The Devil into becoming the Spirit of Vengeance…The Devil attaches this spirit to a human host to act as his bounty hunter, turning the host into the Ghost Rider in order to punish evil. In 2007’s Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) made a deal with The Devil to sell his soul in exchange for his father’s life, and The Devil turned Blaze into the Ghost Rider, who transforms in the presence of evil, has superhuman strength and healing, and the ability to manipulate hellfire. Spirit of Vengeance picks up the story in Eastern Europe, where Blaze is living in isolation and still struggling with his curse, but is soon sought out by a warrior priest, known only as Moreau (Idris Elba), for a special assignment. Blaze is told to locate and deliver a special child and his mother, who are being chased by ruthless bounty hunter Ray Carrigan (Johnny Whitworth), to the safety of a monastery, and in exchange, Blaze’s soul will be purified and the Ghost Rider curse lifted. Things get infinitely more complicated when it is revealed that the boy is actually the demonic spawn of The Devil (Ciarán Hinds) himself, who took human form and conceived the child after the mother (Violante Placido) sold her soul. If The Devil gets his hands on the boy, he intends to transform the child into the Antichrist and set forth the Apocalypse; so Johnny must embrace his inner-demon and use his curse to effectively save humanity.
As hard as it may be to believe, there are actually a number of positive elements that make Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance the kind of trashy fun that the original failed miserably in trying to achieve. First and foremost, Ghost Rider in himself is a pretty badass character that belongs nowhere near the mainstream, and the film recognizes and exploits this fact by simplifying things and focusing on the cool and brutal action that was negated in the original in favor of focusing on Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze. Thankfully, this time around, Cage was subdued enough for more focus to be placed on the supporting characters, and beyond the sinister Ciarán Hinds and the amusing Idris Elba, I was most entertained by Johnny Whitworth, who clearly had fun bringing an evil persona to life and was more than enough to be a genuinely threatening villain who still delivered one of the best jokes I have seen within a movie in years. The direction also gives the film a distinct comic book feel, creating a chaotic pacing and style that works surprisingly well in keeping energy levels high and genuine tension present during the central conflict. Add in some clever humor and impressive special effects, and I think even the most skeptical of comic book fans will enjoy Spirit of Vengeance.
Now, while the positive spin I have awarded to this sequel thus far might have you believe that Spirit of Vengeance may be a great film, please note that a majority of the accolades I pointed out are simply comparisons to the first movie. As a standalone project, Spirit of Vengeance was clearly made for fans of the titular character alone and no one else…and trust me, it is understandably small market that would derive pleasure from watching a biker with a flaming skull use a chain to reduce demons and gun-runners to ash. Even the fans themselves are forced to sit through some shockingly bad jokes puns, whether that involved Johnny Blaze describing urinating in his demonic form as wielding a flamethrower, simply quipping “road kill” when dispatching an enemy, or always responding “hell yes” when replying in the affirmative. Even if you are at your most forgiving related to gaps in logic, I guarantee that there are more than a few moments when you will roll your eyes. It is largely your call…if you are looking for some stupid fun and cool explosions, are a motorcycle enthusiast, or someone who occasionally watches Ghost Rider when it pops up on FX, then you may not find the movie of the year, but you will still enjoy this film.
Given the ridicule and reputation surrounding the original Ghost Rider, I certainly didn’t expect this February sequel to break any records, but analysts still seemed to expect the big budget popcorn flick to appeal to audience recognition and reign supreme over President’s Day weekend. Unfortunately, hold-overs Safe House and The Vow from Valentine’s Day weekend are still drawing crowds and were able to deliver strong enough performances to relegate this franchise entry to third place with an estimated $22 million. Needless to say, Columbia Pictures’ hopes of turning a profit against a $57 million production budget may be a bit of a tall order, but if I’ve learned anything over the years, it is that box office analysis is, at best, an imperfect science. Now, critical reception has been unforgivingly brutal, especially in comparison to the original, but I beg to differ and maintain that Spirit of Vengeance is far better than the current 9% quality gap in approval between films that exists on RottenTomatoes. In the end, the true tragedy is that this sequel illustrates how the Ghost Rider films should have been approached from the beginning, and maybe my credibility wouldn’t have been severely damaged all those years ago.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
Distributor: Columbia Pictures (Sony Pictures)
Opening Weekend Box Office: #3 with $22,000,000
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $22,000,000
Gross Revenue: $22,000,000
Production Budget: $57 million
Directors: Mark Neveldine and Brian Taylor
Alright, let’s clear the air right now, 2007’s Ghost Rider was a terrible movie in almost every way imaginable; that being said, I still enjoyed the ludicrously subpar entertainment, but I prayed that studios would never again subject audiences to what was declared the worst superhero film of the decade. When I first learned that Columbia Pictures would be resurrecting the project with a 3D sequel released almost five years to the date of the original, I couldn’t fathom the logic behind the decision; but there were a number of factors that could prevent this newest superhero film from committing box office suicide. Once one of the top A-listers in Hollywood, Nicolas Cage has made consistently lousy film choices over the past few years, but other filmmaking elements seemed to add some hope for the quality of Spirit of Vengeance. As the second film released under the Marvel Knights banner (a subset of Marvel Studios that aims for a grittier and darker superhero story), Spirit of Vengeance would hopefully steer away from the hokey focus that plagued the original; and maybe directors Neveldine/Taylor (Crank and Crank: High Voltage) would bring just enough of their crazy filmmaking style to the fore to rejuvenate the mistaken antihero. 3D glasses in hand and determined to prove to myself and other naysayers that the character could be translated from comic book page to silver screen successfully, I was ready to see and review Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.
Time for some character background: Within the Marvel Comics Universe, there exists a supernatural entity that once known as the Spirit of Justice that was corrupted by The Devil into becoming the Spirit of Vengeance…The Devil attaches this spirit to a human host to act as his bounty hunter, turning the host into the Ghost Rider in order to punish evil. In 2007’s Ghost Rider, Johnny Blaze (Nicolas Cage) made a deal with The Devil to sell his soul in exchange for his father’s life, and The Devil turned Blaze into the Ghost Rider, who transforms in the presence of evil, has superhuman strength and healing, and the ability to manipulate hellfire. Spirit of Vengeance picks up the story in Eastern Europe, where Blaze is living in isolation and still struggling with his curse, but is soon sought out by a warrior priest, known only as Moreau (Idris Elba), for a special assignment. Blaze is told to locate and deliver a special child and his mother, who are being chased by ruthless bounty hunter Ray Carrigan (Johnny Whitworth), to the safety of a monastery, and in exchange, Blaze’s soul will be purified and the Ghost Rider curse lifted. Things get infinitely more complicated when it is revealed that the boy is actually the demonic spawn of The Devil (Ciarán Hinds) himself, who took human form and conceived the child after the mother (Violante Placido) sold her soul. If The Devil gets his hands on the boy, he intends to transform the child into the Antichrist and set forth the Apocalypse; so Johnny must embrace his inner-demon and use his curse to effectively save humanity.
As hard as it may be to believe, there are actually a number of positive elements that make Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance the kind of trashy fun that the original failed miserably in trying to achieve. First and foremost, Ghost Rider in himself is a pretty badass character that belongs nowhere near the mainstream, and the film recognizes and exploits this fact by simplifying things and focusing on the cool and brutal action that was negated in the original in favor of focusing on Nicolas Cage as Johnny Blaze. Thankfully, this time around, Cage was subdued enough for more focus to be placed on the supporting characters, and beyond the sinister Ciarán Hinds and the amusing Idris Elba, I was most entertained by Johnny Whitworth, who clearly had fun bringing an evil persona to life and was more than enough to be a genuinely threatening villain who still delivered one of the best jokes I have seen within a movie in years. The direction also gives the film a distinct comic book feel, creating a chaotic pacing and style that works surprisingly well in keeping energy levels high and genuine tension present during the central conflict. Add in some clever humor and impressive special effects, and I think even the most skeptical of comic book fans will enjoy Spirit of Vengeance.
Now, while the positive spin I have awarded to this sequel thus far might have you believe that Spirit of Vengeance may be a great film, please note that a majority of the accolades I pointed out are simply comparisons to the first movie. As a standalone project, Spirit of Vengeance was clearly made for fans of the titular character alone and no one else…and trust me, it is understandably small market that would derive pleasure from watching a biker with a flaming skull use a chain to reduce demons and gun-runners to ash. Even the fans themselves are forced to sit through some shockingly bad jokes puns, whether that involved Johnny Blaze describing urinating in his demonic form as wielding a flamethrower, simply quipping “road kill” when dispatching an enemy, or always responding “hell yes” when replying in the affirmative. Even if you are at your most forgiving related to gaps in logic, I guarantee that there are more than a few moments when you will roll your eyes. It is largely your call…if you are looking for some stupid fun and cool explosions, are a motorcycle enthusiast, or someone who occasionally watches Ghost Rider when it pops up on FX, then you may not find the movie of the year, but you will still enjoy this film.
Given the ridicule and reputation surrounding the original Ghost Rider, I certainly didn’t expect this February sequel to break any records, but analysts still seemed to expect the big budget popcorn flick to appeal to audience recognition and reign supreme over President’s Day weekend. Unfortunately, hold-overs Safe House and The Vow from Valentine’s Day weekend are still drawing crowds and were able to deliver strong enough performances to relegate this franchise entry to third place with an estimated $22 million. Needless to say, Columbia Pictures’ hopes of turning a profit against a $57 million production budget may be a bit of a tall order, but if I’ve learned anything over the years, it is that box office analysis is, at best, an imperfect science. Now, critical reception has been unforgivingly brutal, especially in comparison to the original, but I beg to differ and maintain that Spirit of Vengeance is far better than the current 9% quality gap in approval between films that exists on RottenTomatoes. In the end, the true tragedy is that this sequel illustrates how the Ghost Rider films should have been approached from the beginning, and maybe my credibility wouldn’t have been severely damaged all those years ago.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Safe House: Short and Sweet
No one can deny that Denzel Washington is a talented actor, and he has been a key part of some of my favorite films, but the star has developed a less than flattering reputation related to his personality over the past few years, so I wasn’t exactly thrilled when I first caught wind of Safe House. Granted, titles like Training Day and American Gangster prove Denzel is at his absolute strongest when portraying a villain, so his characterization in this newest action thriller was a definite plus. For me, the biggest question mark was the inclusion of Ryan Reynolds, someone who is a definite hit-or-miss in terms of film quality and someone that I still haven’t fully forgiven for Green Lantern. Universal Pictures definitely had bankable names to exploit in order to sell tickets, but the vast gap in personalities between the leading men had no guarantee of being able to work together effectively. Skeptical to say the least, I didn’t have high hopes for Safe House, but I do admit to being curious regarding whether this risky formula could end up being truly entertaining.
In retrospect, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Safe House, thanks largely to the energetic and action-packed narrative and the powerhouse performance delivered by Ryan Reynolds. Given his body of work, I understand how difficult it may be to buy Reynolds as an action hero or a capable spy, but the intensity of his on-screen presence gives off a definite Jason Bourne-vibe and has effectively renewed my faith in him as an actor. Denzel is at his manipulative best, but it almost seems like he delivers more of a presence as opposed to a performance, with minimal dialogue and altogether incomplete character development. Director Daniel Espinosa clearly understands the need to keep the audience’s attention, with any lull in energy closely accompanied by a jolting chase or fight sequence and a consistent level of mystery, but the shaky camerawork gets distracting and the predictable storyline is sadly underwhelming. In its entirety, Safe House is an enjoyable film, but if you look past the distraction of familiar faces and strong acting, you will notice gaping weaknesses that severely compromise this action thriller’s chances of being remembered or revered past the theater.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
In retrospect, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed Safe House, thanks largely to the energetic and action-packed narrative and the powerhouse performance delivered by Ryan Reynolds. Given his body of work, I understand how difficult it may be to buy Reynolds as an action hero or a capable spy, but the intensity of his on-screen presence gives off a definite Jason Bourne-vibe and has effectively renewed my faith in him as an actor. Denzel is at his manipulative best, but it almost seems like he delivers more of a presence as opposed to a performance, with minimal dialogue and altogether incomplete character development. Director Daniel Espinosa clearly understands the need to keep the audience’s attention, with any lull in energy closely accompanied by a jolting chase or fight sequence and a consistent level of mystery, but the shaky camerawork gets distracting and the predictable storyline is sadly underwhelming. In its entirety, Safe House is an enjoyable film, but if you look past the distraction of familiar faces and strong acting, you will notice gaping weaknesses that severely compromise this action thriller’s chances of being remembered or revered past the theater.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
Safe House: Full Review
Safe House - (February 10rd, 2012): R
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Opening Weekend Box Office: #2 with $40,172,720
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $51,712,035
Gross Revenue: $61,912,035
Production Budget: $85 million
Director: Daniel Espinosa
If you consider his vast and diverse film career, there are few actors as successful, celebrated, or recognizable as Denzel Washington, so his presence in any film virtually guarantees a strong audience and high quality. However, after 2010’s lackluster entries The Book of Eli and Unstoppable, the talented actor hasn’t been top-of-mind for moviegoers for a while, so his inclusion in a new action thriller alongside rising star Ryan Reynolds seemed primed to pique everyone’s curiosity. When it comes to Ryan Reynolds, I doubt anyone will ever forget him as Van Wilder, but while he has tried to expand his characterization beyond sarcastic and charismatic funnyman, he has had a number of recent missteps, including Buried, Green Lantern, and The Change-Up…plain-and-simple, Safe House would be a much-needed chance for redemption. At the very least, Universal Pictures would be banking on these two recognizable faces pumping some energy into the spy thriller genre and selling tickets, which has not had that much of an impact outside of the highly-successful Bourne series. Clearly different from anything currently at the theater, especially with a glut of family and romance entries surrounding Valentine’s Day, it looked like Safe House had as good a chance as any of shaking up the box office and defying expectations.
Set in Cape Town, South Africa, Safe House introduces audiences to Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington), and ex-CIA agent who meets with a rogue MI6 agent and purchases a classified file; this traitorous act immediately makes Frost the target of the brutal mercenaries who were tracking the MI6 operative. In order to escape, Frost surrenders to the American embassy, thereby quickly popping up on the CIA database and warranting immediate removal to a CIA safe house, which is run by low-level agent Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds). Weston is informed by his superiors that Frost is a high-priority target that has been on the run for years while selling damaging government secrets, thereby putting this inexperienced “housekeeper” at the center of a government scandal; however, Weston’s levity related to this important assignment is soon shattered when the same mercenaries who were chasing Frost breach the safe house and kill all the agents inside. Narrowly escaping with Frost in his custody, Weston is contacted by his mentor, Sam Barlow (Brendan Gleeson), and CIA official Catherine Linkater (Vera Farmiga), both of whom order him to stay off-grid until an extraction team can be mobilized. Clearly troubled by the breach of a supposedly secured facility, Weston begins to question who he can trust, all while trying to dodge violent mercenaries and maintain Frost, a master manipulator who has more than his share of secrets.
Offering a surprisingly high-level of action and suspense, Safe House is bolstered by strong acting and injects some much-needed adrenaline into the spy genre. In addition to bloody and brutal hand-to-hand combat, the narrative throws enough car chases and explosions around to keep audiences on the edge of their seats…anytime you think things might be slowing down or that the dialogue is beginning to drag, you are never more than five seconds away from something violent happening. While I was initially skeptical of funnyman Ryan Reynolds playing a believable spy, he dominates the role, delivering an intensity that has not been seen since Matt Damon first introduced an amnesic superspy. In terms of chemistry between lead actors, Denzel and Reynolds work remarkably well-together, with sinister manipulation and idealistic innocence blending for a deep character study between the two government operatives. Unfortunately, beyond flashy and distracting action and a strong performance from Reynolds, Safe House has some pretty glaring weaknesses.
When I first walked out of the theater, I was raving about the quality of Safe House, but once the excitement wore off and I started to think, I could not help but notice the weak and predictable storyline and the underuse of a veteran actor. While the billing and advertisements would have to you thinking that Denzel would dominate the screen, he serves as more of a secondary character, one who is talked about more than actually seen and receives little character development. In terms of script, the story progression and “conspiracy” are razor-thin, with any twists offered being easily visible from a mile away…I realize that the volume of movies I see warrants some qualification to that claim, but trust me, venture a guess and you will probably be right. I commented earlier about how the film kept mystery intact, but one too many questions were ultimately left unanswered, making have sat through the shaky camerawork a little too anticlimactic. While I wouldn’t go as far as describing the film as mindless entertainment, an awful lot of flaw is hidden behind a glossy sheen, none of which absolutely has to be seen by devoted moviegoers.
Opening up against The Vow on Valentine’s Day weekend, a second place finish for Safe House is anything but surprising…it is the sheer volume of theater attendance across the board for the four new releases that is astounding. Safe House took in just over $40 million for second place, just behind The Vow and well ahead of the respectable $20 million+ performances of family crowd pleasers like Star Wars: Episode I 3D and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. Time and again I have commented on the historically low draw of the February box office, so you can imagine my surprise concerning the weekend numbers…Denzel can undoubtedly draw a crowd, but analysts have to be surprised at the film’s performance beyond projections. Despite some weaker points, word of mouth has still been very positive, so I don’t think the release of Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengeance this weekend will threaten Universal’s chances of recovering the production budget. So, in the end, it is up to you…Safe House is far from perfect, but if you can look past a weak story, I guarantee that you will still be entertained.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Opening Weekend Box Office: #2 with $40,172,720
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $51,712,035
Gross Revenue: $61,912,035
Production Budget: $85 million
Director: Daniel Espinosa
If you consider his vast and diverse film career, there are few actors as successful, celebrated, or recognizable as Denzel Washington, so his presence in any film virtually guarantees a strong audience and high quality. However, after 2010’s lackluster entries The Book of Eli and Unstoppable, the talented actor hasn’t been top-of-mind for moviegoers for a while, so his inclusion in a new action thriller alongside rising star Ryan Reynolds seemed primed to pique everyone’s curiosity. When it comes to Ryan Reynolds, I doubt anyone will ever forget him as Van Wilder, but while he has tried to expand his characterization beyond sarcastic and charismatic funnyman, he has had a number of recent missteps, including Buried, Green Lantern, and The Change-Up…plain-and-simple, Safe House would be a much-needed chance for redemption. At the very least, Universal Pictures would be banking on these two recognizable faces pumping some energy into the spy thriller genre and selling tickets, which has not had that much of an impact outside of the highly-successful Bourne series. Clearly different from anything currently at the theater, especially with a glut of family and romance entries surrounding Valentine’s Day, it looked like Safe House had as good a chance as any of shaking up the box office and defying expectations.
Set in Cape Town, South Africa, Safe House introduces audiences to Tobin Frost (Denzel Washington), and ex-CIA agent who meets with a rogue MI6 agent and purchases a classified file; this traitorous act immediately makes Frost the target of the brutal mercenaries who were tracking the MI6 operative. In order to escape, Frost surrenders to the American embassy, thereby quickly popping up on the CIA database and warranting immediate removal to a CIA safe house, which is run by low-level agent Matt Weston (Ryan Reynolds). Weston is informed by his superiors that Frost is a high-priority target that has been on the run for years while selling damaging government secrets, thereby putting this inexperienced “housekeeper” at the center of a government scandal; however, Weston’s levity related to this important assignment is soon shattered when the same mercenaries who were chasing Frost breach the safe house and kill all the agents inside. Narrowly escaping with Frost in his custody, Weston is contacted by his mentor, Sam Barlow (Brendan Gleeson), and CIA official Catherine Linkater (Vera Farmiga), both of whom order him to stay off-grid until an extraction team can be mobilized. Clearly troubled by the breach of a supposedly secured facility, Weston begins to question who he can trust, all while trying to dodge violent mercenaries and maintain Frost, a master manipulator who has more than his share of secrets.
Offering a surprisingly high-level of action and suspense, Safe House is bolstered by strong acting and injects some much-needed adrenaline into the spy genre. In addition to bloody and brutal hand-to-hand combat, the narrative throws enough car chases and explosions around to keep audiences on the edge of their seats…anytime you think things might be slowing down or that the dialogue is beginning to drag, you are never more than five seconds away from something violent happening. While I was initially skeptical of funnyman Ryan Reynolds playing a believable spy, he dominates the role, delivering an intensity that has not been seen since Matt Damon first introduced an amnesic superspy. In terms of chemistry between lead actors, Denzel and Reynolds work remarkably well-together, with sinister manipulation and idealistic innocence blending for a deep character study between the two government operatives. Unfortunately, beyond flashy and distracting action and a strong performance from Reynolds, Safe House has some pretty glaring weaknesses.
When I first walked out of the theater, I was raving about the quality of Safe House, but once the excitement wore off and I started to think, I could not help but notice the weak and predictable storyline and the underuse of a veteran actor. While the billing and advertisements would have to you thinking that Denzel would dominate the screen, he serves as more of a secondary character, one who is talked about more than actually seen and receives little character development. In terms of script, the story progression and “conspiracy” are razor-thin, with any twists offered being easily visible from a mile away…I realize that the volume of movies I see warrants some qualification to that claim, but trust me, venture a guess and you will probably be right. I commented earlier about how the film kept mystery intact, but one too many questions were ultimately left unanswered, making have sat through the shaky camerawork a little too anticlimactic. While I wouldn’t go as far as describing the film as mindless entertainment, an awful lot of flaw is hidden behind a glossy sheen, none of which absolutely has to be seen by devoted moviegoers.
Opening up against The Vow on Valentine’s Day weekend, a second place finish for Safe House is anything but surprising…it is the sheer volume of theater attendance across the board for the four new releases that is astounding. Safe House took in just over $40 million for second place, just behind The Vow and well ahead of the respectable $20 million+ performances of family crowd pleasers like Star Wars: Episode I 3D and Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. Time and again I have commented on the historically low draw of the February box office, so you can imagine my surprise concerning the weekend numbers…Denzel can undoubtedly draw a crowd, but analysts have to be surprised at the film’s performance beyond projections. Despite some weaker points, word of mouth has still been very positive, so I don’t think the release of Ghost Rider: The Spirit of Vengeance this weekend will threaten Universal’s chances of recovering the production budget. So, in the end, it is up to you…Safe House is far from perfect, but if you can look past a weak story, I guarantee that you will still be entertained.
Overall Recommendation: Medium
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Chronicle: Short and Sweet
As a truly dedicated and moderately obsessive fan of comic books and the superhero genre, it should come as no surprise to anyone that I was thrilled over the premise of Chronicle. While at first glance the trailer for this newest found-footage entry seemed to showcase another angst-filled teenage horror film, that perception was shattered when the teens started demonstrating superhuman abilities. Looking like a bold mixture of X-men and Cloverfield, this newest sci-fi action thriller was sure to appeal to anyone who has ever fantasized about developing superpowers (don’t kid yourself; you know that you are one of them). 20th Century Fox engaged in a notably guerrilla and grassroots marketing campaign, deciding against releasing too much information beforehand and instead letting Chronicle build considerable buzz through Twitter and other social media outlets. Sure there was the risk that the film wouldn’t deliver, and being released in February (let alone on Super Bowl weekend) certainly didn’t build any faith, but c’mon, it was high school friends using telekinesis to play jokes…how was that not going to be awesome?
Exceeding my expectations in almost every way, Chronicle is humorous, clever, dark, and one the outright coolest films I have seen in a very long time. Though the found-footage format has heretofore been unproven outside the horror genre, it works surprisingly well when blended with superhero elements, showcasing impressive special effects and adding to the reality of the narrative. Yes, I do realize that I just used “reality” and “superhero” in the same sentence, but Chronicle plays on the novelty of developing abilities as a teenager and showcases them in very believable ways, whether the friends are playing practical jokes by moving people’s cars, tossing a football around as they fly through the sky, or becoming the life of a party as remarkably strong Beer Pong players. The narrative should also be praised for displaying remarkable character development and not shying away from some very dark themes, such as the inevitable corruption that follows unchecked power. Sure, Chronicle could have benefited from a little more explanation in its story and I doubt that the female demographic will be overtly thrilled, but the film still displays admirable imagination and is unlike anything you have ever experienced at the theater before.
Overall Recommendation: Very High
Exceeding my expectations in almost every way, Chronicle is humorous, clever, dark, and one the outright coolest films I have seen in a very long time. Though the found-footage format has heretofore been unproven outside the horror genre, it works surprisingly well when blended with superhero elements, showcasing impressive special effects and adding to the reality of the narrative. Yes, I do realize that I just used “reality” and “superhero” in the same sentence, but Chronicle plays on the novelty of developing abilities as a teenager and showcases them in very believable ways, whether the friends are playing practical jokes by moving people’s cars, tossing a football around as they fly through the sky, or becoming the life of a party as remarkably strong Beer Pong players. The narrative should also be praised for displaying remarkable character development and not shying away from some very dark themes, such as the inevitable corruption that follows unchecked power. Sure, Chronicle could have benefited from a little more explanation in its story and I doubt that the female demographic will be overtly thrilled, but the film still displays admirable imagination and is unlike anything you have ever experienced at the theater before.
Overall Recommendation: Very High
Chronicle: Full Review
Chronicle - (February 3rd, 2012): PG-13
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Opening Weekend Box Office: N/A
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $8,650,000
Gross Revenue: $8,650,000
Production Budget: $12 million
Director: Josh Trank
Between classics like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity or more recent entries like The Devil Inside or the upcoming Silent House, the found-footage format seemed to find a permanent home within the horror genre, so it was definitely a gamble for filmmakers to venture outside of a comfort zone and try their hand at sci-fi action. Almost everyone has been asked or has considered the following question: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?...for me the answer would invariably be super speed, but that is another discussion entirely; either way, Chronicle would clearly be playing to that curiosity. The clever trailer demanded your attention by first easing you into footage of seemingly normal high school students, but then dramatically shifting focus as one guy stabs his friend in the hand with the fork and the metal utensil crumples! Offering virtually no concrete information on the film’s plot and failing to give potential audiences any recognizable faces, Chronicle remained shrouded in mystery and 20th Century Fox instead relied on comic book geek curiosity to spread like wildfire over the internet; though I did appreciate the “Flying People” promotion where human-shaped RC planes were launched over New York City. Now, on principle I am skeptical of any film released in February, and I questioned the wisdom of releasing a film during what is essentially a two-day movie-going weekend, but as a member of the aforementioned geek demographic I was nevertheless thrilled to see Chronicle.
Chronicle opens by introducing audiences to high school outcast Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan), who spontaneously decides to start filming the events of his life, much to the skepticism of his cousin and only companion, Matt Garetty (Alex Russell). One night, after an unsuccessful attempt to socialize at a party, a depressed Andrew is approached by the highly popular Steve Montgomery (Michael B. Jordan), a friend of Matt’s who claims that they have found something that should be caught on camera. Reluctantly, the three teenagers wander into an underground cavern and come across a mysterious glowing object that causes their noses to bleed and interferes with Andrew’s camera before everything cuts to black. Weeks later, Andrew, Matt and Steve have become inseparable friends after discovering that they have developed telekinesis, the ability to influence objects with their minds; with practice and concentration, the newfound talent also translates into other capabilities such as flight and invulnerability. The three initially revel in their powers, playing practical jokes and manipulating their way to higher popularity, but eventually the physical and emotional abuse that Andrew suffers both at school and at home takes its toll. As their troubled friend begins to embrace the darker side of his personality alongside growing powers, Steve and Matt must consider the implications of their previous actions and the responsibility that they all now face.
No one can deny that telekinesis, flight, and invulnerability would be unfathomably cool abilities to possess, and the varied applications of these powers are the best and most enjoyable part of Chronicle. You are kidding yourself if you think that you wouldn’t mess with people on at least some level if you could move objects with your mind, or be inclined to jet off to Hawaii if you could fly; and that truth paves the way for considerable humor and novelty within the film. Watching three teenage friends goof around with each other as they discover their powers is just downright cool, such as when they enter a talent show and shock everyone with their “magic” or scare the cheerleaders and peek at their underwear by activating leaf-blowers from a distance; that practical usage adds a welcome element of reality to the sci-fi focus of the story. Speaking of reality, the found-footage format works surprisingly well within the film, whether you are watching the action through Andrew’s camera of security film footage; thereby making the special effects used all the more impressive and a welcome reprieve from some of the over-inflated and obviously fake effects that plague bigger budget blockbusters…remember the god-awful computer animation in Green Lantern? I have even more accolades to comment on, but their impact is much more significant if I first point out the only real criticism that has surfaced regarding the movie.
While a normal complaint concerning a superhero script might be hokey or unbelievable plot elements, the problem that afflicts Chronicle is that there is simply not enough explanation behind the events that unfold, but what is lacking in story is more than rectified in terms of character development. Exactly what unfolds in the underground cave, or how the teenagers develop powers, or the reasoning behind the illogical ending is never fully explained, but not everyone necessarily requires a remedy to that type of mystery. Instead, you should focus on how much effort was put forward to establish distinct personalities for Andrew, Matt and Steven; to infuse their friendship with heart; and to set the stage for Andrew’s descent into darkness. In a majority of superhero stories, someone develops powers and almost instantaneously decides to use them for good or evil, but in Chronicle, the teens understandably have fun and maintain their personalities after transformation. In Andrew’s case, the very-real abuse he suffers under an alcoholic father and cruel classmates, alongside the stress he faces with a dying mother, makes it so that it is not all that surprising and a little understandable when he finally snaps and starts ripping teeth from a bully’s mouth or kicking/scaring the crap out of dad. So, if you are able to look past a few gaps in story and a few unanswered questions, the truth is that you will be rewarded with a surprisingly strong and thoroughly unique film that begs to be seen more than once.
Because of the expediency under which this review was written, final numbers for Chronicle’s first weekend are not yet available, but nearly every forecast has the found-footage metahumans dominating the weekend. On Friday alone, ticket sales brought in a surprising $8.6 million, more than half of the production budget and a strong predictor for Saturday’s numbers. From a distribution strategy standpoint, Super Bowl weekend is essentially a two-day revenue grab, but with The Woman in Black and Big Miracle each appealing to a very specific demographic, Chronicle should still make a commanding debut. At the very least, 20th Century Fox has opened up an entirely new genre for found-footage filmmaking and set the bar incredibly high, so audiences are not going to be sentenced to a horror majority for much longer. I don’t care if you prefer Batman to Spider-man, or would rather be invisible than have super strength, high-profilers like X-men: First Class and The Avengers are no longer the only way to effectively showcase superpowers…go see Chronicle…now!
Overall Recommendation: Very High
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Opening Weekend Box Office: N/A
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $8,650,000
Gross Revenue: $8,650,000
Production Budget: $12 million
Director: Josh Trank
Between classics like The Blair Witch Project and Paranormal Activity or more recent entries like The Devil Inside or the upcoming Silent House, the found-footage format seemed to find a permanent home within the horror genre, so it was definitely a gamble for filmmakers to venture outside of a comfort zone and try their hand at sci-fi action. Almost everyone has been asked or has considered the following question: If you could have one superpower, what would it be?...for me the answer would invariably be super speed, but that is another discussion entirely; either way, Chronicle would clearly be playing to that curiosity. The clever trailer demanded your attention by first easing you into footage of seemingly normal high school students, but then dramatically shifting focus as one guy stabs his friend in the hand with the fork and the metal utensil crumples! Offering virtually no concrete information on the film’s plot and failing to give potential audiences any recognizable faces, Chronicle remained shrouded in mystery and 20th Century Fox instead relied on comic book geek curiosity to spread like wildfire over the internet; though I did appreciate the “Flying People” promotion where human-shaped RC planes were launched over New York City. Now, on principle I am skeptical of any film released in February, and I questioned the wisdom of releasing a film during what is essentially a two-day movie-going weekend, but as a member of the aforementioned geek demographic I was nevertheless thrilled to see Chronicle.
Chronicle opens by introducing audiences to high school outcast Andrew Detmer (Dane DeHaan), who spontaneously decides to start filming the events of his life, much to the skepticism of his cousin and only companion, Matt Garetty (Alex Russell). One night, after an unsuccessful attempt to socialize at a party, a depressed Andrew is approached by the highly popular Steve Montgomery (Michael B. Jordan), a friend of Matt’s who claims that they have found something that should be caught on camera. Reluctantly, the three teenagers wander into an underground cavern and come across a mysterious glowing object that causes their noses to bleed and interferes with Andrew’s camera before everything cuts to black. Weeks later, Andrew, Matt and Steve have become inseparable friends after discovering that they have developed telekinesis, the ability to influence objects with their minds; with practice and concentration, the newfound talent also translates into other capabilities such as flight and invulnerability. The three initially revel in their powers, playing practical jokes and manipulating their way to higher popularity, but eventually the physical and emotional abuse that Andrew suffers both at school and at home takes its toll. As their troubled friend begins to embrace the darker side of his personality alongside growing powers, Steve and Matt must consider the implications of their previous actions and the responsibility that they all now face.
No one can deny that telekinesis, flight, and invulnerability would be unfathomably cool abilities to possess, and the varied applications of these powers are the best and most enjoyable part of Chronicle. You are kidding yourself if you think that you wouldn’t mess with people on at least some level if you could move objects with your mind, or be inclined to jet off to Hawaii if you could fly; and that truth paves the way for considerable humor and novelty within the film. Watching three teenage friends goof around with each other as they discover their powers is just downright cool, such as when they enter a talent show and shock everyone with their “magic” or scare the cheerleaders and peek at their underwear by activating leaf-blowers from a distance; that practical usage adds a welcome element of reality to the sci-fi focus of the story. Speaking of reality, the found-footage format works surprisingly well within the film, whether you are watching the action through Andrew’s camera of security film footage; thereby making the special effects used all the more impressive and a welcome reprieve from some of the over-inflated and obviously fake effects that plague bigger budget blockbusters…remember the god-awful computer animation in Green Lantern? I have even more accolades to comment on, but their impact is much more significant if I first point out the only real criticism that has surfaced regarding the movie.
While a normal complaint concerning a superhero script might be hokey or unbelievable plot elements, the problem that afflicts Chronicle is that there is simply not enough explanation behind the events that unfold, but what is lacking in story is more than rectified in terms of character development. Exactly what unfolds in the underground cave, or how the teenagers develop powers, or the reasoning behind the illogical ending is never fully explained, but not everyone necessarily requires a remedy to that type of mystery. Instead, you should focus on how much effort was put forward to establish distinct personalities for Andrew, Matt and Steven; to infuse their friendship with heart; and to set the stage for Andrew’s descent into darkness. In a majority of superhero stories, someone develops powers and almost instantaneously decides to use them for good or evil, but in Chronicle, the teens understandably have fun and maintain their personalities after transformation. In Andrew’s case, the very-real abuse he suffers under an alcoholic father and cruel classmates, alongside the stress he faces with a dying mother, makes it so that it is not all that surprising and a little understandable when he finally snaps and starts ripping teeth from a bully’s mouth or kicking/scaring the crap out of dad. So, if you are able to look past a few gaps in story and a few unanswered questions, the truth is that you will be rewarded with a surprisingly strong and thoroughly unique film that begs to be seen more than once.
Because of the expediency under which this review was written, final numbers for Chronicle’s first weekend are not yet available, but nearly every forecast has the found-footage metahumans dominating the weekend. On Friday alone, ticket sales brought in a surprising $8.6 million, more than half of the production budget and a strong predictor for Saturday’s numbers. From a distribution strategy standpoint, Super Bowl weekend is essentially a two-day revenue grab, but with The Woman in Black and Big Miracle each appealing to a very specific demographic, Chronicle should still make a commanding debut. At the very least, 20th Century Fox has opened up an entirely new genre for found-footage filmmaking and set the bar incredibly high, so audiences are not going to be sentenced to a horror majority for much longer. I don’t care if you prefer Batman to Spider-man, or would rather be invisible than have super strength, high-profilers like X-men: First Class and The Avengers are no longer the only way to effectively showcase superpowers…go see Chronicle…now!
Overall Recommendation: Very High
Friday, February 3, 2012
The Grey: Short and Sweet
In my past reviews, I have made no secret about how much I enjoy Liam Neeson’s filmography…the man has outsmarted Nazis, trained Jedi, gone toe-to-toe with Batman, and torn through Paris to punish kidnappers. To put it simply, I am huge fan and will see anything he features in, so imagine my excitement when I saw him strap broken bottles on his knuckles and prepare to take on a wolf with his bare hands! Early trailers for The Grey were clearly designed to appeal to Neeson’s fans, but a true survivalist thriller has not hit theaters in quite some time, so there was an understandably high level of interest among both fans and casual moviegoers. We have all questioned how we would react in a life-or-death situation, and it looked like The Grey would be an intense rekindling of that curiosity, sure to keep most audiences on the edge of their seats. Early critical reaction was more than positive, and unless Liam Neeson was eaten by a wolf in the first thirty seconds, I didn’t see any possible way that I could be disappointed in The Grey.
Unbelievably intense and surprisingly philosophic, The Grey is a shockingly good thriller that showcases Liam Neeson’s best talents and will have anyone hesitant to ever venture near the wild or a cold climate…seriously, I had a chill and overheard people discussing their apprehension concerning going home and greeting the family dog! Neeson has always been an unquestionable badass, but the character he brings to life this time around is easily the most hardcore personality he has tackled…he can crack a joke one second and then unflinchingly kill and roast a full grown wolf on a spit. The direction is also surprisingly strong, immersing audiences in the genuine fear of a hopeless situation; all while bringing to life distinct and likable characters and tackling existential musings on faith and survival. If I had one complaint concerning The Grey, it would be that the ending is too abrupt and disappointing, and if it hadn’t been for that, the film would have earned my highest recommendation. Make no mistake, if you are in any way a fan of Liam Neeson or just someone looking for a unique adventure at the theater, then you need to see The Grey!
Overall Recommendation: High
Unbelievably intense and surprisingly philosophic, The Grey is a shockingly good thriller that showcases Liam Neeson’s best talents and will have anyone hesitant to ever venture near the wild or a cold climate…seriously, I had a chill and overheard people discussing their apprehension concerning going home and greeting the family dog! Neeson has always been an unquestionable badass, but the character he brings to life this time around is easily the most hardcore personality he has tackled…he can crack a joke one second and then unflinchingly kill and roast a full grown wolf on a spit. The direction is also surprisingly strong, immersing audiences in the genuine fear of a hopeless situation; all while bringing to life distinct and likable characters and tackling existential musings on faith and survival. If I had one complaint concerning The Grey, it would be that the ending is too abrupt and disappointing, and if it hadn’t been for that, the film would have earned my highest recommendation. Make no mistake, if you are in any way a fan of Liam Neeson or just someone looking for a unique adventure at the theater, then you need to see The Grey!
Overall Recommendation: High
The Grey: Full Review
The Grey - (January 27, 2012): R
Distributor: Open Road Films
Opening Weekend Box Office: #1 with $19,665,101
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $25,256,533
Gross Revenue: $22,256,533
Production Budget: $25 million
Director: Joe Carnahan
With as many successful projects as he has under his belt, one would think that Liam Neeson would kick back and take it easy, but in 2012 the talented actor is going to be a surprisingly prevalent presence with Wrath of the Titans, Battleship, and The Dark Knight Rises, and Taken 2. As awesome as these future projects are guaranteed to be, the first exposure audiences would have to Neeson this year would be The Grey, which had a number of factors working in its favor in addition to the actor’s massive fan base. If the reunion of director Joe Carnahan and Neeson (who worked together on the unquestionably entertaining The A-Team) wasn’t enough to catch your attention, the film trailer had people raving in anticipation. Based on story premise alone, a group of plane-crash survivors trying to fight-off wolves in an arctic environment may have had a few believing that the project could be hit-or-miss, but one shot of Neeson taping broken bottles to his wrists in order to take on a mammoth wolf was enough to shut everyone up. Needless to say, Open Road Films had more than earned my ticket purchase, and I was thrilled to sit and watch one of my favorite actors engage in the type of film and character that he was sure to dominate.
Illustrating the tremendous lengths that the human spirit is willing to go for survival, The Grey introduces audiences to John Ottway (Liam Neeson), a security expert who protects Alaskan oil drillers from the wolves that roam the area. Upon completion of the job, Ottway boards a plane home with fellow workers, but a raging blizzard crashes the plane in the middle of nowhere. Ottway awakens and finds six other survivors, Todd Flannery (Jon Anderson), Talget (Dermot Mulroney), Diaz (Frank Grillo), Hendrick (Dallas Roberts), Burke (Nonso Anozie), and Hernandez (Ben Bray), and together, the seven struggle to collect supplies and build a fire in order to survive the freezing temperatures. The perilous situation goes from bad to worse when Ottway realizes that they are within the radius of a massive gray wolf den, meaning that the men are seen as threats and will therefore be hunted and attacked without provocation, especially by the alpha male. Collecting the wallets of the survivors so that they can be returned to the victims’ families, the group resolves to head south and survive not only the elements and wolves, but also each other and the psychological ramifications of hopelessness.
Well, it should come as no surprise, given that above plot description, that the best part of The Grey is Liam Neeson himself, who demonstrates a surprisingly wide range of acting, transitioning flawlessly from humor to anger, frustration, and despair. Given the variety of characters that I have seen him portray over the years, it is something to say that I believe John Ottway to be Neeson’s most hardcore character; whether he is settling arguments or staring down wolves, this is definitely a guy you want in your corner were you in a life-threatening situation. As for the directing, Joe Carnahan does a remarkably strong job of immersing the audience in the perilousness and fear of the events occurring…you feel uneasy when the plane hits turbulence, you get a chill as you watch the men plow through the arctic, and the hairs on the back of your neck will stand up the second you hear a wolf howl. And despite the relatively simplistic plot, each of the characters receives adequate attention and development, thereby increasing the shared predicament and the intensity of the desire for survival; not to mention paving the way for remarkably deep philosophical musings. Given how much I enjoyed The Grey, it would be very easy to call the film flawless, but there are a few elements that deserve qualification and I feel would be best if future audiences saw coming.
I mentioned earlier that The Grey is surprisingly philosophical, and for the most part this approach to disaster works quite well, but there are times where this deeper agenda is overplayed. When you consider the continuous series of misfortunes that befall these men, it is not all that hard to swallow that they begin to question faith, hope, and acceptable forms of behavior…late in the film, Neeson angrily berates God and demands help in a scene so powerful that it should catch the attention of some ballot voters during next year’s Award’s Season. However, after a while, some of the deeper themes become tiring, and watching the men plow through snow loses its appeal; luckily, a hungry wolf is never too far behind to send the energy level through the roof. And it turns out that my biggest gripe concerning the film is the abrupt and altogether disappointing ending; I don’t want to give away anything, but suffice it so say that there was a collective groan from the audience when the screen cut to black. At the very least, I did discover later that there is a post-credit scene that adds a little more to the story…so don’t make my rookie mistake and leave the theater too soon.
Well, the box office performance of The Grey proves that Liam Neeson still has more than enough draw to fill a theater, as a $19 million debut so late in January, when moviegoer attendance traditionally drops, is impressive. I had to laugh when I heard that animal rights groups were protesting the treatment of wolves within the film, but it looks like most demographics agreed with the logic that those protesters wouldn’t be so liberal if they were being chased by a massive killing machine. Word of mouth is undoubtedly going to remain very positive despite the disappointing ending, so The Grey will likely still make a strong impact against Chronicle, The Woman in Black, and Big Miracle. Within one week, this intense thriller has already recovered its $25 million production budget, so there is little reason for anyone at Open Road Films to lose sleep. You will probably walk out of the theater with the chill and the conviction to cancel all future camping trips, but you cannot afford to miss The Grey…sit back and enjoy.
Overall Recommendation: High
Distributor: Open Road Films
Opening Weekend Box Office: #1 with $19,665,101
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $25,256,533
Gross Revenue: $22,256,533
Production Budget: $25 million
Director: Joe Carnahan
With as many successful projects as he has under his belt, one would think that Liam Neeson would kick back and take it easy, but in 2012 the talented actor is going to be a surprisingly prevalent presence with Wrath of the Titans, Battleship, and The Dark Knight Rises, and Taken 2. As awesome as these future projects are guaranteed to be, the first exposure audiences would have to Neeson this year would be The Grey, which had a number of factors working in its favor in addition to the actor’s massive fan base. If the reunion of director Joe Carnahan and Neeson (who worked together on the unquestionably entertaining The A-Team) wasn’t enough to catch your attention, the film trailer had people raving in anticipation. Based on story premise alone, a group of plane-crash survivors trying to fight-off wolves in an arctic environment may have had a few believing that the project could be hit-or-miss, but one shot of Neeson taping broken bottles to his wrists in order to take on a mammoth wolf was enough to shut everyone up. Needless to say, Open Road Films had more than earned my ticket purchase, and I was thrilled to sit and watch one of my favorite actors engage in the type of film and character that he was sure to dominate.
Illustrating the tremendous lengths that the human spirit is willing to go for survival, The Grey introduces audiences to John Ottway (Liam Neeson), a security expert who protects Alaskan oil drillers from the wolves that roam the area. Upon completion of the job, Ottway boards a plane home with fellow workers, but a raging blizzard crashes the plane in the middle of nowhere. Ottway awakens and finds six other survivors, Todd Flannery (Jon Anderson), Talget (Dermot Mulroney), Diaz (Frank Grillo), Hendrick (Dallas Roberts), Burke (Nonso Anozie), and Hernandez (Ben Bray), and together, the seven struggle to collect supplies and build a fire in order to survive the freezing temperatures. The perilous situation goes from bad to worse when Ottway realizes that they are within the radius of a massive gray wolf den, meaning that the men are seen as threats and will therefore be hunted and attacked without provocation, especially by the alpha male. Collecting the wallets of the survivors so that they can be returned to the victims’ families, the group resolves to head south and survive not only the elements and wolves, but also each other and the psychological ramifications of hopelessness.
Well, it should come as no surprise, given that above plot description, that the best part of The Grey is Liam Neeson himself, who demonstrates a surprisingly wide range of acting, transitioning flawlessly from humor to anger, frustration, and despair. Given the variety of characters that I have seen him portray over the years, it is something to say that I believe John Ottway to be Neeson’s most hardcore character; whether he is settling arguments or staring down wolves, this is definitely a guy you want in your corner were you in a life-threatening situation. As for the directing, Joe Carnahan does a remarkably strong job of immersing the audience in the perilousness and fear of the events occurring…you feel uneasy when the plane hits turbulence, you get a chill as you watch the men plow through the arctic, and the hairs on the back of your neck will stand up the second you hear a wolf howl. And despite the relatively simplistic plot, each of the characters receives adequate attention and development, thereby increasing the shared predicament and the intensity of the desire for survival; not to mention paving the way for remarkably deep philosophical musings. Given how much I enjoyed The Grey, it would be very easy to call the film flawless, but there are a few elements that deserve qualification and I feel would be best if future audiences saw coming.
I mentioned earlier that The Grey is surprisingly philosophical, and for the most part this approach to disaster works quite well, but there are times where this deeper agenda is overplayed. When you consider the continuous series of misfortunes that befall these men, it is not all that hard to swallow that they begin to question faith, hope, and acceptable forms of behavior…late in the film, Neeson angrily berates God and demands help in a scene so powerful that it should catch the attention of some ballot voters during next year’s Award’s Season. However, after a while, some of the deeper themes become tiring, and watching the men plow through snow loses its appeal; luckily, a hungry wolf is never too far behind to send the energy level through the roof. And it turns out that my biggest gripe concerning the film is the abrupt and altogether disappointing ending; I don’t want to give away anything, but suffice it so say that there was a collective groan from the audience when the screen cut to black. At the very least, I did discover later that there is a post-credit scene that adds a little more to the story…so don’t make my rookie mistake and leave the theater too soon.
Well, the box office performance of The Grey proves that Liam Neeson still has more than enough draw to fill a theater, as a $19 million debut so late in January, when moviegoer attendance traditionally drops, is impressive. I had to laugh when I heard that animal rights groups were protesting the treatment of wolves within the film, but it looks like most demographics agreed with the logic that those protesters wouldn’t be so liberal if they were being chased by a massive killing machine. Word of mouth is undoubtedly going to remain very positive despite the disappointing ending, so The Grey will likely still make a strong impact against Chronicle, The Woman in Black, and Big Miracle. Within one week, this intense thriller has already recovered its $25 million production budget, so there is little reason for anyone at Open Road Films to lose sleep. You will probably walk out of the theater with the chill and the conviction to cancel all future camping trips, but you cannot afford to miss The Grey…sit back and enjoy.
Overall Recommendation: High
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Red Tails: Short and Sweet
You might be inclined to think that a World War II epic released in the heart of Awards Season would be a surefire success, but a number of details surrounding Red Tails should have sent up some significant red flags for filmmakers. First off, this war film was the first Lucasfilm production not associated with Indiana Jones or Star Wars in nearly twenty years, so audiences had no true studio reputation to use in order to judge this departure from tradition. Second, the subject matter focused on an extremely narrow aspect of the war that is not necessarily a part of general knowledge, and there were no truly bankable actors to help moviegoers move past that unfamiliarity. Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of both Terrance Howard and Cuba Gooding, Jr., but both have been attracting some negative attention lately, and rumors of the hefty production budget just kept painting this “blockbuster” as one hell of a gamble. Still, curiosity was enough to compel me to see Red Tails alongside my grandfather, a WWII veteran who was more than familiar with the impressive legacy of the Tuskegee Airmen and someone who could validly judge the historical adaptation.
Though it is engaging at certain points and makes no drastic missteps, the reality is that Red Tails still comes across as largely mediocre, thanks largely to poor character development, noticeable overacting, and hokey pandering to patriotism. Because none of the pilots within the film are played by a recognizable actor, there was a larger burden to attach some sentimentality or connection to the characters, but the film failed to rise to the challenge. When one of the pilots makes the ultimate sacrifice in the name of patriotism, you feel little emotion other than annoyance over the cornball music and impatience awaiting the next dogfight. In terms of the recognizable actors, Terrance Howard tries to breathe some life into the script and dialogue, but his efforts are largely squandered anytime Cuba Gooding, Jr. walks onscreen and ostensibly tries his best to destroy whatever credibility is left in the scene. So, aside from some mildly entertaining characters and impressive aerial battles, there is little memorable cinematic magic that compels mandatory attendance to Red Tails.
Overall Recommendation: Low
Though it is engaging at certain points and makes no drastic missteps, the reality is that Red Tails still comes across as largely mediocre, thanks largely to poor character development, noticeable overacting, and hokey pandering to patriotism. Because none of the pilots within the film are played by a recognizable actor, there was a larger burden to attach some sentimentality or connection to the characters, but the film failed to rise to the challenge. When one of the pilots makes the ultimate sacrifice in the name of patriotism, you feel little emotion other than annoyance over the cornball music and impatience awaiting the next dogfight. In terms of the recognizable actors, Terrance Howard tries to breathe some life into the script and dialogue, but his efforts are largely squandered anytime Cuba Gooding, Jr. walks onscreen and ostensibly tries his best to destroy whatever credibility is left in the scene. So, aside from some mildly entertaining characters and impressive aerial battles, there is little memorable cinematic magic that compels mandatory attendance to Red Tails.
Overall Recommendation: Low
Red Tails: Full Review
Red Tails - (January 20, 2012): PG-13
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Opening Weekend Box Office: #2 with $18,782,154
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $35,707,019
Gross Revenue: $35,707,019
Production Budget: $58 million
Director: Anthony Hemingway
Imagine my surprise as I sat in a theater a few months ago and saw the Lucasfilm heading onscreen and wasn’t greeted by a trailer for the 3D rerelease of the Star Wars films…the last thing I was expecting was a World War II epic. Now, normally I am a huge fan of war films, but I confess to being a little skeptical concerning Red Tails, primarily because there were few familiar faces to draw an audience. In telling the story of the African American group of pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen, Red Tails would understandably target a specific demographic, but without major actors outside recognizable names like Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Terrence Howard, hoping to recover a substantial production budget was one hell of a gamble. Rumor has it that a number of studios were hesitant to put up the financing for the film, so George Lucas covered most of the costs himself, even going as far as putting up $35 million for distribution so that the project could move forward. Based on the trailers alone, it looked like there was a definitive amount of patriotism and plenty of impressive aerial action present, so I decided to give Red Tails the benefit of the doubt and see if I could end up pleasantly surprised.
Set in 1944, Red Tails tells the story of the 332nd Fighter Group of young African American fighter pilots, who are struggling with enduring racism in the military in order to prove the validity of the Tuskegee training program, whom many military bureaucrats, including Col. William Mortamus (Bryan Cranston), believe to be a waste of time and resources. Relegated to ground attack missions, the Tuskegee Airmen are desperate for fighter-to-fighter action so that they may kill German pilots, prove their talent, and defend their country just like every other able-bodied American. As such, Col. A.J. Bullard (Terrence Howard) petitions for his men to be accepted as equals, and with the help of Major Emanuel Stance (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), the group of pilots prepares for their first mission as escorts for military bombers, which have repeatedly been shot down due to inadequate protection from glory-seeking pilots. Thrilled at the opportunity, pilots Joe “Lightning” Little (David Oyelowo), Martin “Easy” Julian (Nate Parker), Ray “Ray Gun” Gannon (Tristan Wilds), Andrew “Smoky” Salem (Ne-Yo), and Samuel “Joker” George (Elijah Kelley) take pride in the new aircrafts they have been awarded for the mission, deciding to paint distinctive markings so that they can be distinguished from other squadrons. Quickly building a reputation for strong performance, the “Red Tails” continue to battle bigotry and personal demons as the war continues and they fight for both their country and equality.
Say what you will about the Star Wars prequels, no one can deny that George Lucas has always had a penchant for gripping aerial battles, and evidence of that talent is easily the best part of Red Tails, with the violent and exciting dogfights providing a welcome reprieve from the rest of the film. The film’s narrative is anything but award-winning and some of the dialogue is groan-inducing, but you’ll find yourself patiently waiting for the pilots to take to the air once again and start entertaining. Beyond the exciting flight choreography, the special effects and visuals behind the battles is crisp and impressive, begging the question as to why filmmakers didn’t decide to use 3D in a film where it might have actually worked. In terms of acting, none of the true “Red Tails” is particularly memorable, in spite of distinct personalities, but the one cast member who tries his best to engage the audience is Terrence Howard, who in all honesty gave the film more effort than it probably deserved. These limited positive accolades aside though; there still exists a laundry list of problems that weaken the quality of Red Tails.
Normally, in a war film, it is important to establish a connection between the characters and the audience, thereby heightening the emotion and impact of both death and victory, but in Red Tails, there is little to no empathy in the plight of these pilots. It is not to say that you feel nothing throughout the film, but whatever sentiments you may feel related to pride in victory, shame in defeat, or sorrow in death, can only be described as lukewarm. Now, I was pleased with Terrence Howard’s performance, but the same thing cannot be said to Cube Gooding, Jr., who shamelessly overacts and almost ruins nearly every scene in which he appears…the quality of the film would have skyrocketed had his hack-worthy work been reduced in favor of giving Bryan Cranston more than two minutes of screen time. Finally, one of the saddest gripes related to Red Tails is the pandering patriotism; don’t get me wrong, I usually get a big “AMERICA” jolt with war-period films, but this time around, some of the speeches and music just come across as hokey. So, like I said in the “Short and Sweet” review, I may have seen some worse films in my time, but there is still very little in Red Tails that can be described as special.
Make no mistake; Red Tails could have ended up a complete and utter disaster, so executives had to be pleased when the new release took second place behind franchise juggernaut Underworld: Awakening in its opening weekend. With no overtly bankable actors, an $18 million debut is surprisingly impressive, but with no international presence, turning a profit domestically is going to be a challenge. And the reality is that I don’t see critical reaction or word of mouth lighting a fire under moviegoers, especially since Awards Season is generating interest in the Best Picture contenders that are being granted wider-distribution in the near-future. It is highly unlikely that any of the pilots featured will become household names, but I can see how history buffs and war-feature fans can find entertainment in the overall theme of the film. Plain and simple (forgive the wordplay), Red Tails is nothing that you have to rush to the theater and see, your time is better spent elsewhere.
Overall Recommendation: Low
Distributor: 20th Century Fox
Opening Weekend Box Office: #2 with $18,782,154
Domestic Box Office Gross to-date: $35,707,019
Gross Revenue: $35,707,019
Production Budget: $58 million
Director: Anthony Hemingway
Imagine my surprise as I sat in a theater a few months ago and saw the Lucasfilm heading onscreen and wasn’t greeted by a trailer for the 3D rerelease of the Star Wars films…the last thing I was expecting was a World War II epic. Now, normally I am a huge fan of war films, but I confess to being a little skeptical concerning Red Tails, primarily because there were few familiar faces to draw an audience. In telling the story of the African American group of pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen, Red Tails would understandably target a specific demographic, but without major actors outside recognizable names like Cuba Gooding, Jr. and Terrence Howard, hoping to recover a substantial production budget was one hell of a gamble. Rumor has it that a number of studios were hesitant to put up the financing for the film, so George Lucas covered most of the costs himself, even going as far as putting up $35 million for distribution so that the project could move forward. Based on the trailers alone, it looked like there was a definitive amount of patriotism and plenty of impressive aerial action present, so I decided to give Red Tails the benefit of the doubt and see if I could end up pleasantly surprised.
Set in 1944, Red Tails tells the story of the 332nd Fighter Group of young African American fighter pilots, who are struggling with enduring racism in the military in order to prove the validity of the Tuskegee training program, whom many military bureaucrats, including Col. William Mortamus (Bryan Cranston), believe to be a waste of time and resources. Relegated to ground attack missions, the Tuskegee Airmen are desperate for fighter-to-fighter action so that they may kill German pilots, prove their talent, and defend their country just like every other able-bodied American. As such, Col. A.J. Bullard (Terrence Howard) petitions for his men to be accepted as equals, and with the help of Major Emanuel Stance (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), the group of pilots prepares for their first mission as escorts for military bombers, which have repeatedly been shot down due to inadequate protection from glory-seeking pilots. Thrilled at the opportunity, pilots Joe “Lightning” Little (David Oyelowo), Martin “Easy” Julian (Nate Parker), Ray “Ray Gun” Gannon (Tristan Wilds), Andrew “Smoky” Salem (Ne-Yo), and Samuel “Joker” George (Elijah Kelley) take pride in the new aircrafts they have been awarded for the mission, deciding to paint distinctive markings so that they can be distinguished from other squadrons. Quickly building a reputation for strong performance, the “Red Tails” continue to battle bigotry and personal demons as the war continues and they fight for both their country and equality.
Say what you will about the Star Wars prequels, no one can deny that George Lucas has always had a penchant for gripping aerial battles, and evidence of that talent is easily the best part of Red Tails, with the violent and exciting dogfights providing a welcome reprieve from the rest of the film. The film’s narrative is anything but award-winning and some of the dialogue is groan-inducing, but you’ll find yourself patiently waiting for the pilots to take to the air once again and start entertaining. Beyond the exciting flight choreography, the special effects and visuals behind the battles is crisp and impressive, begging the question as to why filmmakers didn’t decide to use 3D in a film where it might have actually worked. In terms of acting, none of the true “Red Tails” is particularly memorable, in spite of distinct personalities, but the one cast member who tries his best to engage the audience is Terrence Howard, who in all honesty gave the film more effort than it probably deserved. These limited positive accolades aside though; there still exists a laundry list of problems that weaken the quality of Red Tails.
Normally, in a war film, it is important to establish a connection between the characters and the audience, thereby heightening the emotion and impact of both death and victory, but in Red Tails, there is little to no empathy in the plight of these pilots. It is not to say that you feel nothing throughout the film, but whatever sentiments you may feel related to pride in victory, shame in defeat, or sorrow in death, can only be described as lukewarm. Now, I was pleased with Terrence Howard’s performance, but the same thing cannot be said to Cube Gooding, Jr., who shamelessly overacts and almost ruins nearly every scene in which he appears…the quality of the film would have skyrocketed had his hack-worthy work been reduced in favor of giving Bryan Cranston more than two minutes of screen time. Finally, one of the saddest gripes related to Red Tails is the pandering patriotism; don’t get me wrong, I usually get a big “AMERICA” jolt with war-period films, but this time around, some of the speeches and music just come across as hokey. So, like I said in the “Short and Sweet” review, I may have seen some worse films in my time, but there is still very little in Red Tails that can be described as special.
Make no mistake; Red Tails could have ended up a complete and utter disaster, so executives had to be pleased when the new release took second place behind franchise juggernaut Underworld: Awakening in its opening weekend. With no overtly bankable actors, an $18 million debut is surprisingly impressive, but with no international presence, turning a profit domestically is going to be a challenge. And the reality is that I don’t see critical reaction or word of mouth lighting a fire under moviegoers, especially since Awards Season is generating interest in the Best Picture contenders that are being granted wider-distribution in the near-future. It is highly unlikely that any of the pilots featured will become household names, but I can see how history buffs and war-feature fans can find entertainment in the overall theme of the film. Plain and simple (forgive the wordplay), Red Tails is nothing that you have to rush to the theater and see, your time is better spent elsewhere.
Overall Recommendation: Low
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