"Now You See Me" is a suspense film following four street magicians - Daniel (Jesse Eisenburg), Henley (Isla Fisher), Merritt (Woody Harrelson), and Jack (Dave Franco) - brought together by a mysterious hooded man. The group begin performing together in large venues as "The Four Horsemen" and sponsored by an insurance magnate. At a show in Las Vegas the magicians perform a trick where an audience member seemingly robs a bank in Paris by teleporting then showering the crowd with money. The bank in Paris reports missing money and FBI Agent Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo) is soon on the case. Agent Rhodes is joined, not by his choice, by Interpol Agent Alma Dray (Melanie Laurent). The pair encounter ex-magician Thaddeus (Morgan Freeman), who now attempts to expose magician secrets. Rhodes and Dray track the Horsemen to their next show in New Orleans while trying to learn the magicians' secrets.
This film features an all-star cast and a great script up until a point. I thought everything was good in terms of the suspense and the plot until the ending just really fell kind of flat. This is one where one has to wonder if the writers got tired and tried to go for a semi-shocking ending but lost steam. Currently there is a sequel being filmed that will attempt to pick up where this one ends, which should be interesting. Bottom line: this one is a lot of fun and a nice ride until the very end.
Enjoy it until the end - B
Friday, September 27, 2013
Monday, August 5, 2013
Movie Review: Any Day Now (2012)
"Any Day Now" follows a gay couple, Rudy (Alan Cumming) and Paul (Garret Dillahunt) who in a matter of days fall in love and take in a teenager with Down's syndrome named Marco after Marco's neglectful mother is arrested. Despite Rudy's objections, the couple must live closeted in order to maintain temporary custody of Marco. The truth about Rudy and Paul's relationship threatens the happiness they find parenting Marco, who flourishes in their care. The film follows the legal and personal struggles the gay couple have in the 1970's trying to gain legal custody in this based on a true story.
I really fell for this film, perhaps as quickly as Rudy and Paul fell for each other in the film. I felt though this is not the lightest of stories, it is an important one and is well told in this character-driven drama. The characters and their relationships are well-developed and I especially liked seeing Dillahunt's character Paul really grow from a closeted and timid lawyer to a passionate father and partner to the head-strong and passionate Rudy. One of the best aspects though is that there are moments when the antagonists such as the judges and other opposing forces show sympathy towards Rudy and Paul though the reality is that in California in the 1970's the legal system simply wasn't going to bend for a gay couple in a custody situation. I think this gave an element of humanity to the minor players, who were easy to portray as one-dimensional "bad guys." Look out for the scenes where Rudy sings - I think the staging is especially poignant and effective at conveying emotion.
Overall I think this is a well-done and effective small film that had the benefit of a well-written script and strong acting by Cumming and Dillahunt. Give this one a rental - A-
I really fell for this film, perhaps as quickly as Rudy and Paul fell for each other in the film. I felt though this is not the lightest of stories, it is an important one and is well told in this character-driven drama. The characters and their relationships are well-developed and I especially liked seeing Dillahunt's character Paul really grow from a closeted and timid lawyer to a passionate father and partner to the head-strong and passionate Rudy. One of the best aspects though is that there are moments when the antagonists such as the judges and other opposing forces show sympathy towards Rudy and Paul though the reality is that in California in the 1970's the legal system simply wasn't going to bend for a gay couple in a custody situation. I think this gave an element of humanity to the minor players, who were easy to portray as one-dimensional "bad guys." Look out for the scenes where Rudy sings - I think the staging is especially poignant and effective at conveying emotion.
Overall I think this is a well-done and effective small film that had the benefit of a well-written script and strong acting by Cumming and Dillahunt. Give this one a rental - A-
Saturday, August 3, 2013
Movie Review: Spring Breakers (2013)
"Spring Breakers," written and directed by famed Harmony Korine, follows four college students who are childhood friends and are desperate to find themselves at Spring Break in Florida. The problem for the girls is that they lack the money to fund this much-needed trip of self-exploration. So Candy (Vanessa Hudgens) and Brit (Ashley Benson) devise a plan to rob a local restaurant with fake guns and Cotty (Rachel Korine) as the getaway driver. The plan is a success and even more straight-laced Faith (Selena Gomez) grabs her bags and jumps on the bus to St. Petersburg, FL for fun in the sun and wild partying. Things go well and the girls feel they've found paradise until the police bust a party and they find themselves in jail. A local rapper/gangster called Alien (James Franco) bails the girls out in hopes of bringing them into his world, which three out of the four happily oblige. Spring Break soon morphs from mindless fun into something much darker.
I wanted to hate this movie but it's not all bad. Yes it is filled with the over-the-top partying scenes with topless girls all over the place and the acting (and the dialogue written for them) by the lead actresses is not best but the film is not all bad. First there's an almost unrecognizable James Franco playing a character that is unlike any other I've seen. Alien is a character I almost couldn't take seriously but I couldn't get him out of my head. Second I liked the comparison of the light, idealistic ideal of the college Spring Break (parties, sun, beautiful people) with the seedy violence that permeated through the film, including the really violent act that enabled the girls to take this trip to paradise. Though the girls are often depicted as sweet, immature girls there's this other side to them (with the exception of Gomez's character) that is very dark. The look of the film is unique - it almost plays like an extended music video - quick cuts, bright colors, slick music.
All this said, the script is not the best and most of the acting isn't either. Also this is not the typical fun or light Spring Break movie as there is a good bit of violence and language. C-
I wanted to hate this movie but it's not all bad. Yes it is filled with the over-the-top partying scenes with topless girls all over the place and the acting (and the dialogue written for them) by the lead actresses is not best but the film is not all bad. First there's an almost unrecognizable James Franco playing a character that is unlike any other I've seen. Alien is a character I almost couldn't take seriously but I couldn't get him out of my head. Second I liked the comparison of the light, idealistic ideal of the college Spring Break (parties, sun, beautiful people) with the seedy violence that permeated through the film, including the really violent act that enabled the girls to take this trip to paradise. Though the girls are often depicted as sweet, immature girls there's this other side to them (with the exception of Gomez's character) that is very dark. The look of the film is unique - it almost plays like an extended music video - quick cuts, bright colors, slick music.
All this said, the script is not the best and most of the acting isn't either. Also this is not the typical fun or light Spring Break movie as there is a good bit of violence and language. C-
Monday, July 8, 2013
Movie Review: Gangster Squad (2013)
"Gangster Squad" is a crime action/drama based on events in the 1940's and 50's in Los Angeles when the LA Police Department police chief (played by Nick Nolte) created a special unit called the "Gangster Squad" to combat gangster Mickey Cohen (played by Sean Penn). The Gangster Squad is led by John O'Mara (Josh Brolin) and his men include Jerry Whooters (Ryan Gosling), Coleman Harris (Anthony Mackie), Conway Keeler (Giovanni Ribisi) and Navidad Rameriz (Michael Pena). Complicating the situation is Jerry's romancing Mickey's girlfriend Grace (Emma Stone). The Gangster Squad begins disrupting Mickey's operations while searching for the location of his wire gambling business, which is the heart of Mickey's empire. Mickey meanwhile attempts to grow the wire gambling business and find then punish the Gangster Squad for threatening his "progress."
Despite the big-name cast, this film is largely forgettable. Penn makes a good bad guy but he's up against a very bland hero in Brolin. Decent supporting work by Gosling, Mackie, and Ribsi in particular but the dull script really didn't give them much to work with. Characters were largely undeveloped, especially Stone's, and dialogue is stilted. Chemistry between Gosling and Stone is almost non-existent. The shoot-em up violence is greatly prioritized. On the upside there is nice cinematography and the 40's/50's in LA looks glamorous.
Nice-looking film with much more bullets than depth - D+
Despite the big-name cast, this film is largely forgettable. Penn makes a good bad guy but he's up against a very bland hero in Brolin. Decent supporting work by Gosling, Mackie, and Ribsi in particular but the dull script really didn't give them much to work with. Characters were largely undeveloped, especially Stone's, and dialogue is stilted. Chemistry between Gosling and Stone is almost non-existent. The shoot-em up violence is greatly prioritized. On the upside there is nice cinematography and the 40's/50's in LA looks glamorous.
Nice-looking film with much more bullets than depth - D+
Friday, July 5, 2013
Movie Review: Django Unchained (2012)
"Django Unchained" is a western directed by Quentin Tarantino and starring Jamie Foxx in the title role. Django is a slave just sold at auction when the convoy is stopped by Dr. King Schultz (Christoph Waltz), a German dentist and bounty hunter, who offers to purchase Django once he affirms he can identify a trio of men Schultz is attempting to find. Violence erupts and the result is Django is freed and becomes Schultz's apprentice. The two work together as partners and then work to find Django's wife, Broomhilda (Kerry Washington) who is a slave sold to Calvin Candie (Leo DiCaprio). Candie is a cruel owner of a large Mississippi plantation called Candyland. Django and Schultz attempt a ruse in order to gain access to Broomhilda and persuade Candie to sell her.
First of all this film is definitely a Tarantino-directed film in that there's violence aplenty (some of it directed towards slaves and some of it more of the shoot-em up variety). There's also plenty of language and this film is controversial for the very heavy use of a certain "N-word." The film is depicting a time period when this word was used much more and in particular by people referring to slaves, however the language is somewhat pervasive so please be aware. All that said, this film delivers on telling a different kind of story set in the slavery-era where a freed slave and a German bounty hunter can team up and have this quest to find a princess held captive in a castle so to speak. It's definitely entertaining and very different especially from other films on this time period. I thought the acting was great especially Waltz, who is certainly talented. Look out for a good performance as well by Samuel L. Jackson, who is amazing as Stephen, the head house servant at Candyland. I also liked Foxx in the lead here too and DiCaprio is a charming and cruel plantation owner. Something to listen for rather than watch for is the soundtrack, which I thought was unique and really complemented the film. It's a long film at 2 hours and 45 minutes of run time but the film moves well and doesn't seem over-done. Consider this time well-spent.
This film is not for everyone given the violence and language. If you can get past that then you're in for something pleasantly different - A-
First of all this film is definitely a Tarantino-directed film in that there's violence aplenty (some of it directed towards slaves and some of it more of the shoot-em up variety). There's also plenty of language and this film is controversial for the very heavy use of a certain "N-word." The film is depicting a time period when this word was used much more and in particular by people referring to slaves, however the language is somewhat pervasive so please be aware. All that said, this film delivers on telling a different kind of story set in the slavery-era where a freed slave and a German bounty hunter can team up and have this quest to find a princess held captive in a castle so to speak. It's definitely entertaining and very different especially from other films on this time period. I thought the acting was great especially Waltz, who is certainly talented. Look out for a good performance as well by Samuel L. Jackson, who is amazing as Stephen, the head house servant at Candyland. I also liked Foxx in the lead here too and DiCaprio is a charming and cruel plantation owner. Something to listen for rather than watch for is the soundtrack, which I thought was unique and really complemented the film. It's a long film at 2 hours and 45 minutes of run time but the film moves well and doesn't seem over-done. Consider this time well-spent.
This film is not for everyone given the violence and language. If you can get past that then you're in for something pleasantly different - A-
Movie Review: Side Effects (2013)
"Side Effects" is a thriller directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Rooney Mara as Emily, a woman dealing with seemingly depression made worse by her husband Martin (Channing Tatum) getting released from prison. A suicide attempt by Emily lands her in the hospital where she meets Jonathon Banks (Jude Law), the on-call psychiatrist, who agrees to release her only if she begins seeing him for treatment. Banks begins trying Emily on different drugs in order to treat her depression while he learns that she previously was treated for similar symptoms by Victoria (Catherine Zeta-Jones). Emily begins to feel better after being prescribed a new drug called Ablixa but a side effect of the drug causes her to sleep walk. One evening Emily stabs Martin to death while under the influence of the drug and suddenly she is on trial and Banks finds his world crumbling as his credibility is questioned as a consequence of prescribing the drug.
I found Mara, Zeta-Jones, and Law to be effective in this film and was especially glad to see Zeta-Jones get a juicy supporting role. The direction and script were also very effective at creating a tight thriller with a fair share of twists and turns. The only thing I didn't like was Tatum, who seemed a little bland in his performance though in fairness his part wasn't the meatiest. The ethics of prescribing drugs and also taking money from drug companies was touched on lightly but is an interesting topic that could have been further explored.
Overall I think the casting was good and thought this was a nice thriller with enough twists to satisfy - B+
I found Mara, Zeta-Jones, and Law to be effective in this film and was especially glad to see Zeta-Jones get a juicy supporting role. The direction and script were also very effective at creating a tight thriller with a fair share of twists and turns. The only thing I didn't like was Tatum, who seemed a little bland in his performance though in fairness his part wasn't the meatiest. The ethics of prescribing drugs and also taking money from drug companies was touched on lightly but is an interesting topic that could have been further explored.
Overall I think the casting was good and thought this was a nice thriller with enough twists to satisfy - B+
Movie Review: Broken City (2013)
"Broken City" stars Mark Wahlberg as Billy, a NYPD detective cleared on murder charges but asked to leave the force by the mayor (Russell Crowe) and police commissioner (Jeffery Wright). Billy becomes a private eye specializing in tailing cheating spouses. Years later the mayor calls on Billy while in the middle of a heated battle for re-election and asks him to follow his wife (Catherine Zeta-Jones). What starts as a simple cheating spouse job for Billy quickly spirals into something much bigger as he begins to unravel secrets that could impact the election and Billy's life.
With such a star-studded cast including Kyle Chandler in a supporting role, one would think this movie would stand a chance. I think despite the cast and a good turn from Crowe there's just not much here to recommend. The script is a major problem. It just feels like there's nothing new or fresh here in the story and the result is a film that feels forced and stale. Zeta-Jones is really wasted in her role as the mayor's wife and Wahlberg seems like he's going through the motions.
It's not terrible but there's nothing here to recommend - C-
With such a star-studded cast including Kyle Chandler in a supporting role, one would think this movie would stand a chance. I think despite the cast and a good turn from Crowe there's just not much here to recommend. The script is a major problem. It just feels like there's nothing new or fresh here in the story and the result is a film that feels forced and stale. Zeta-Jones is really wasted in her role as the mayor's wife and Wahlberg seems like he's going through the motions.
It's not terrible but there's nothing here to recommend - C-
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