Deadpool

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1431045/

Stars: 3

Rated: R

Studios: Marvel Entertainment, TSG
and Twentieth Century Fox

Director: Tim Miller

               Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Morena Baccarin

                       TJ Miller and  Ed Skerin              

Length: 108 Min

I am, and always have been, a complete and utter comic book nerd. I grew up reading primarily Marvel; but, every American can say that they likewise have a deep rooted homegrown love of DC as well. Anyone from my generation, and even some from earlier or later, grew up watching the Justice League characters in both film and television. So, given my predisposition to love films based on comic books; it is a good assumption, that I went to see Deadpool opening night.

If you guessed in the affirmative on that question; then, you were absolutely DEAD right. I tried to resist, I really did. I even handcuffed myself to my toilet after I took my kids back home to their moms Friday night. Before long, however, I began to sweat and go crazy. I started referring to myself in the third person and, after about two minutes, I started trying to gnaw my arm off. Since I am not completely insane like Wade Wilson; I realized I had the key, and unlocked the cuffs and headed out to the Carmike Spring Hill. I arrived at the theater two minutes after the film was supposed to start; and, to my great joy, the movie was not sold out. Forgoing the concessions stand, since I had already taken out a second mortgage on my house to buy popcorn last time I was at the theater, I headed in and plopped myself down in my seat.

Now, as much as I wanted to see this film; I was however, apprehensive about the content of the film. Deadpool had been given an “R” rating; and from what I had seen and already read, I was worried that the content would be a little too much for me. I was, however, pleasantly surprised. For all of the hype about the film being a very “hard” R: it was in fact, not quite as bad as I expected it to be. In fact, I had seen plenty of other “R” rated films whose content were much worse. All in all, most of the nudity in the film was contextual to the scenes and not portrayed in a sexual manor. Of course, there is a sex montage between Wade (Ryan Reynolds) and His love interest in the film Copycat (Morena Baccarin). During this montage there is, however, only about a 15 second scene where any nudity is shown; and, both actors are positioned so the audience is unable to see any complete nudity. Other than the sex montage, most of the other nudity is that of Reynolds during his time being experimented on and is not sexual in nature.

There is, however, a scene that takes place in a strip club; and, in this scene there is quite a lot of gratuitous nudity. The scene does not last long; but, it is completely unnecessary to the story and the scene could have been cut so as to minimize any nudity. This one scene, in my opinion, was the one mistake the director made in his final cut of the movie; because, it was only put in for shock factor, and to be offensive. For me personally, if he had chosen to edit this scene differently, I would have enjoyed the movie more. The rest of the content was pretty standard fair for an “R” rated action film, with there being lots of cursing and violence. I did find, however, that pretty much every Quentin Terentino film I’ve had the misfortune of viewing has had more foul language and much more graphic and disturbing violence then this movie did.

Now the story, in all actuality, is nothing really new. Where it is the funniest superhero film I have ever seen; the plot, is nothing new under the sun. In fact, it is pretty basic. Ex-special forces operative becomes mercenary and primarily does jobs that help people; even though, he constantly protests that he is not a good guy or a hero. He meets a girl who is just as screwed up as he is, and he falls in love and then is diagnosed with terminal cancer. He is offered a chance to live by willingly enrolling in a program that will cure him and make him into a superhero. He does; only to find out, that the people experimenting on him are evil and are making him into a super soldier for hire. He escapes, they kidnap his girl and he goes after the bad guys to get revenge. Lots of raunchy jokes and dismemberment ensues and it all works out in the end.

The one element that makes Deadpool different from other superhero films; is that he is completely insane, psychopathic and knows he is only a character in a movie. This fourth wall breaking is nothing new; however, with such films as Ferris Bueller’s Day Off using it long before Deadpool did. Likewise, Guardians of The Galaxy is also a film that takes pseudo heroes and turns them into heroes in a hilarious way; so, even that plot element is not revolutionary. Ryan Reynolds is the perfect cast for Wade Wilson and he fought hard for years to get this film made, and it shows in his acting. In my opinion, I have never before seen a more perfect adaption of a comic book character to the big screen then Reynolds depiction of Deadpool. It was as if he was actually born to play the Merc With a Mouth. There are two Xmen in the film Colossus amazingly voiced by Yevgeniy Kartashov  and Negasonic Teenage Warhead brilliantly played by Brianna Hildebrand. All in all, every member of the cast looks like they are having a rip roaring time making this film; and that shows through in the final project.

Deadpool may not be the best superhero film ever made; but, it could very well be the most enjoyable one. It is a movie that is not for everyone, especially kids; but, it is a very funny film that will make you laugh out loud often, and the fourteen year old in you jump for joy if you let him out. It is raunchy and filled with stupid jokes, over the top and at times ridiculous violence and a plot that could have possibly been written by the strange love child of Nicolas Sparks and a Kevin Smith.  Aside from its few flaws, Deadpool is by far the best superhero adaption Twentieth Century Fox has ever given us. As always, there is a scene after the credits; so, make sure you stay till the very end, it’s worth it. So folks, get yourself some red spandex, but not your kids, and head to your local Cineplex to see Deadpool. I promise you, you will only have to seek out minor psychiatric help after you see it.

This film is rated R for strong violence and language throughout, sexual content and nudity

Pride Prejudice and Zombies

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1374989/

Stars: 3

Rated: PG-13

Studios: Screen Gems, Lionsgate 

Director: Burr Steers

               Starring: Lily James, Sam Riley, 

                       Jack Huston  and Matt Smith                

Length: 108 Min

“Dear Sir, my daughters are trained in the arts of war and not in the domestic arts of the kitchen.” Lets be honest here guys, how many of us have longed to hear a potential father in law say this to us. I know I have. In fact, nothing gets me going more than a woman who can decapitate a zombie in high heels and flowing Regency period attire. Well, if that kind of woman is for you, then Pride Prejudice and Zombies will thrill you in more ways than you can count. In all seriousness though, this film based on the novel by Seth Grahame-Smith is actually quite good. I know right! Who would have thunk it? I mean, honestly we all have to admit to ourselves that when we first were exposed to the title of the film, we all thought the same thing: this film is going to be stupid. Whereas, I did find myself uttering those very words often throughout my viewing experience; they were spoken more out of joy then distain. Right from the opening scene to the very end of the film, Pride Prejudice and Zombies is utterly unbelievably ridiculous. Of course, how can it not be? It is, however, ridiculous in a good way and not in the “Scary Movie” kind of way. To my great joy, what should have been a “B” horror/comedy ended up being a very good spoof on Jane Austin’s novel Pride and Prejudice.

I will be honest, other than the riches and good looks, I always identified with Mr. Darcy as character. He kind of reminded me of the Beast from Beauty and the Beast. In this portrayal of the story, he is played by actor Sam Riley; who portrays him, as gloriously detached, unemotional and as a man who has absolutely no clue how to act around Elizabeth, the woman who he has fallen hopelessly in love with. In fact, I loved his overly honest exchanges with her that invariably shoved him more and more into the dog house as the film went on. Yes, this is a romance at its core, even though there are more elements at work in the story than just romantic ones; so if the central romance is not believable, then the film as a whole is not going to work. Thankfully, I found that the romance captured my attention from the first time Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth locked eyes.

To take a bit of a side trail here, I think that Mr. Darcy is a completely relatable character for the average male man. Unlike most other male creations in the romance genre, he has no idea what to say and do to win Elizabeth’s heart. In fact, everything he does or says seems to be the wrong thing. I know I can relate to that, as I am sure most real guys can. (My brother Josh and best friend Doug excluded from that last statement.) Elizabeth as well, is supposed to be relatively average in her appearance and a person who constantly finds herself in the shadow of her prettier older sister. Of course, Lilly James who plays Elizabeth Bennet is a beautiful movie star; but hey, that’s to be expected. Beauty aside, she manages to capture Elizabeth’s insecurity as well as her strength as a warrior.

The rest of the cast does a fantastic job of drawing us in and making us believe that Zombies could have existed in Jane Austin’s England and the budget is big and very professional; which, adds to the films believability. The only performance that I would say stood out too me other then the two main leads, was Matt Smith’s portrayal of Parson Collins. I am of course biased since he is one of my favorite Doctors; but he is truly over the top and hysterical in this role.

I do, however, have one major problem with the film. The film is supposed to be a comical take on Jane Austin’s novel, which is a comedic commentary on Regency society as a whole; but, I never really laughed out loud at the film. In fact, for a comedy, it was not all that funny. The film has serious identity issues never being sure of what type of film it wants to be. It is neither funny enough to be a comedy, nor disturbing enough to be a horror film and it is not romantic enough to be a romance. Of course, it is a spoof at its heart; but, it would have been more enjoyable if the film had been funnier or more violent. The film does have moments where I genuinely felt a sense of horror; but, those instances were not disturbing enough to make me cringe and I wish they were. I will say, however, that the film is trying to walk a fine line between comedy, romance and horror; which, is a hard road to tread and it does not fail completely in its endeavor. As I said before, it is just ridiculous enough to be enjoyable. 

I do surmise that one good thing will come from this film however; and that is, that a lot of people will have the desire to pick up a copy of Jane Austin’s novel to see just how true the film was to the original story. Who would have thought that a ridiculous Zombie film could promote classic literature, am I right? So, in conclusion, put aside your preconceived notions and your prejudices and take yourself, your girl or guy (But not your kids, since this is a movie about Zombies eating people) and go see Pride Prejudice and Zombies. I promise, if you let yourself, you will have a ridiculously good time.

This film is rated PG-13 for zombie violence and action, and brief suggestive material.

The Fifth Wave

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2304933/ 

Stars: 2 1/2

Rated: PG-13

Studios: Columbia Pictures,

GK FIlms, LStar Capital     

Director: J Blakeson

Starring: Chloë Grace Moretz, Matthew Zuk,

Gabriela Lopez  and Liev Schrieber       

Length: 112 Min

So, since I have no self control when it comes to movies, I found myself once again at the local Cineplex. For me it is the brand new Carmike 12 in Spring Hill Tennessee; which is, thankfully, directly across the street from my apartment. Well, not directly across the street; but, about two minutes from my apartment down the road and across the street. Just ask Dora I’m sure she can direct you too it with no problems. All you need to do is get your talking back pack out, and sing for the talking map. This actually works, I have tried it, trust me. Of course, I was using black magic and had to exercise a demon from out of my kids school backpack; but, I digress. Moving on. Since I am completely addicted to going to the movies and have as much control over myself as Bruce banner has when he is overcome by rage and transforms into the hulk, I found myself at the local Cineplex. I would be lying if I said that there were a plethora of films I wanted to see; but, there just simply wasn’t. Of course, since I had come all this way on the advice of a talking backpack, I was determined to spend my hard earned nickel on something. So, after about a minute of heartfelt soul searching, I decided to go see The Fifth Wave.  I know, I am not a fifteen year old girl, at least not last time I checked, but it was the only thing that truly interested me in the lineup of films that were playing at 9:55 on a Monday night.  Just to be clear, small town theaters only play films after 9:30 on weekends; so, my choices were very limited. Sure, I could have gone with Jane’s Got a Gun; but, I was genuinely curious about this film. So I got my usual from the snack bar for a million dollars and a pint of blood and headed into the theater.

As I stepped through the doors and into the sparsely lit theater my greatest fears were realized, when I saw that I was the only male in the theater who was over the age of seventeen. Well, since hiding my face in a bag was not an option, I stood up strait and owned it. Yes folks I was a single forty-one year old man who had come to see a tween movie without his children and without a date, and there is nothing odd or strange about that. I sat down and soon the four hours of previews began and before long the movie started. Now, before I get too far into my review, I want to say that I was pleasantly surprised by this movie. I came expecting twilight with aliens; but, what I received was so much more. Most of the criticism I had read about the film centered on the fact that they never showed the aliens. Well, in my opinion, this minimalistic approach to the subject matter is what gave the film impact and drew me into the world that the film makers had crafted. Even the score from the always amazing Henry Jackman, was at times hauntingly minimalistic; with, the composer choosing to use simple piano progressions in order to convey the emotions of the scenes that were unfolding. There were times when the film was loud and action packed; but, mostly the story was about survival and holding on to ones humanity in the face of a hopeless situation. I liken the stylistic choices of the director to that of the AMC’s The Walking Dead. No, there weren’t any aliens ripping apart humans and eating them; but, anyone who has seen the Walking Dead knows, it’s more about survival and how much of our humanity we are willing to give up in order to do so. In some small way, this film coveys these ideas through the experiences of the main character who is a high school age girl.

Of course, since the main hero of the story is a high school age girl there is, sadly, a teenage romance in the story. Over all, the romance was not bad, even if it was a little bit farfetched; and, it did take everything in me to not hurl up the M & Ms I had recently eaten. I think we older people forget just how strong the hormones of teenage young adults can be. All of us can agree, that we can remember a time when we fell insanely in love with someone at the drop of a hat or at a wayward glance; so, I won’t judge the realism of the romance in the Fifth Wave to harshly. All in all, it is a pretty shallow romance; but hey, aren’t all teenage romances in the end anyway? This film, however, is just the first part of a greater series; so I am sure, the romance will find its depth in time. Of course, given the poor showing the Fifth Wave has produced so far, I am not entirely sure the studio will choose to make the rest of the series. The romance aside, the rest of the film was surprisingly refreshing and a completely different take on a familiar idea that, quite frankly, Hollywood has done to death as of late. There are a few twists and turns that I didn’t see coming and the actual fifth wave was not what I expected; but, I will not ruin the surprise in the Cracker Jack box for those of you who decide to see this film. Chloe Grace Moretz does a valiant job fleshing out the character with the script she has been given, and I only rolled my eyes a few times at her acting. To be serious, I don’t think I have ever seen a movie she acted in where I was not impressed with her performance; and the Fifth Way was no different. I will just forget the romantic scenes and then she will retain her perfect record for me. Liev Schreiber, as always, gives a magnificent and memorable performance as the colonel; even though, the character is very stereotypical and a bit shallow. Both of the young male leads Nick Robinson (Zombie) and Alex Roe (Evan Walker) are not only forgettable; but, robotic in their performances of the very shallow and uninteresting characters. Again, this is just the first chapter in a greater story; so, if the current wave of tween novels being made into movies holds up, than hopefully both characters will become more interesting in the next two installments of the franchise. I personally won’t be holding my breath in anticipation, because I don’t want to pass out from lack of oxygen to my brain.

Overall, the Fifth Wave is not a great movie, but nor is it a bad movie. It is clever at times and it reminded me a bit of a film that might have been directed by a teenage Alfred Hitchcock with its minimalistic style choices, while simultaneously managing to maintain the cheese of a tween Nickelodeon romance drama; that, let’s be honest here, we all love but are afraid to admit out loud. No matter your interests, or unacknowledged guilty pleasure, the fifth wave has something for everyone; and, both parents and kids of all ages can view this film and find something that will entertain them. I will say one thing, however, there are scenes where children are used as soldiers and they are violent and disturbing at times; so, younger children and parents may find them a bit much. If this is the case for you; then, you might want to skip this film in favor of a PG or G rated film. Whereas the Fifth Wave is not the pinnacle of film noir or art; it is however, a very satisfying weekend blockbuster of a movie that can, and should be, enjoyed with some candy and a large popcorn by the whole family no matter what that looks like. (When I was a teenager I once took my entire group of imaginary friends to the movies. Seriously it cost me fifteen dollars! I would have taken my stuffed animal collection, but none of them wanted to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2.) So folks, get off of your couch this week and go to the theater and catch a showing of the Fifth Wave, I promise you will only be moderately disappointed.

This film is rated PG-13 for violence and destruction, some sci-fi thematic elements, language and brief teen partying.

 

 http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/brave-2012/trailers/


BRAVE

 Stars: 3

    Rated: PG

                        Studios:   Disney/Pixar

                            Director: Mark Andrews,
                                                 Brenda Chapman, 
                                                and Steve Purcell

                                  Starring: Kelly MacDonald, 
                                           Billy Connolly, 
                                                      and Emma Thompson

              Length:   93 Min

I am an avid fan of animation and have been since…oh conception. As a matter of fact, my first word was Disney! Actually I’m lying my first word was most likely baba or dada like everyone else; but, I was not lying about the fact that I have always been enchanted by animation. In fact, I used to tell my parents when I was a wee lad that I was going to work for the great mouse someday. I understood then and still do today that animated films can capture the essence of a story with much more purity and depth then traditional films can. They can take us to places that traditional films can not, and their only limit is that of the imagination of the creator. Even in today’s world of computer effects and digital film there is still something magical about a good animated movie. Pixar is by far the king of the mountain in the new era of computer animation; and even before they had the endorsement of the mouse, they were following in the footsteps of the master himself good ol’ Walt Disney. This is why, I was a bit surprised and even a bit frustrated when I saw Pixar’s newest creative endeavor. Even though the film is deftly named “BRAVE”; it is anything but brave, and I was disappointed that the studio that had been known for pushing the limits of conventionalism had succumbed to the pressure of Disneyification. (Yes folks I have just created a new word.) 

To say that brave is not a good movie would not be doing it justice, since it clearly is another masterpiece of Disney magic. That is the problem however. We have come to expect more from Pixar studios then the conventional Disney fair. Brave is neither new nor exciting and in many ways it is a lesser film then the previous installments of the Pixar library. (Well except maybe Cars 2 which even the voice work of Michael Kaine could not save.)  Brave, however, has one thing that the others do not…Merida’s unruly and beautifully full red curls! Hey now, are you saying that the best part of this film is main characters hair? Why yes, yes I am. In all of my years as a film junky I have never seen such masterfully crafted animation as Merida’s flowing locks. Of course the wonderfully animated shots of the Scottish Highlands are enchanting and engaging as well and draw the movie goer into the very real and magical world of medieval Scotland. This of course, for me was absolutely wonderful since I am, for the most part, a person of Celtic descent; so, to finally have a true Scottish story from Disney was like the sweet sound of bagpipes to my ears. In the area of animation Pixar outdoes itself again as it has done in every other film they have given birth to; and, it is the stunning and at times awe-inspiring animation that is the redeeming quality of this other wise mediocre film.

The story starts out with the king his young wife and their little daughter out camping in the woods on a hunting trip. It is the little girl’s birthday and much to the chagrin of the mother the father gives the little girl a bow for her birthday present. She is thrilled and the family continues on in there merry making. Suddenly a bear breaks through the trees and burst into the encampment menacing the otherwise peaceful scene. The king, voiced by the always enjoyable Billy Connolly, charges head long into the fray as his wife whisks there daughter away on horse back. The story moves along fast and we are soon presented with the now grown girl whose name is Merida and her charming very Scottish family.  From here the story is pretty basic. The queen, voiced by Emma Thompson, wants her daughter to follow the tradition of her people and get married to one of the sons of the Scottish nobles; but Merida, however, does not feel ready to settle down and would rather climb mountains and hunt with her bow then be a lady like her mom. The king and queen set up a tourney for their daughters hand behind her back, and this sets up the rest of the film. Merida sees no way out until a loophole in the tradition allows for her to compete in the tourney for her own hand. This of course infuriates the lord and causes a great rift between Merida and her mom. After a fight with her mum; Merida runs away seeking some way to change her mother’s heart in the matter. While in the woods she comes across a willow wisp who leads her to a lost cottage. Here she meets an old woman who used to be a witch but is now a wood carver and convinces her to give her a spell to change her mom and thereby change her fate. The rest is pretty self explanatory and follows the usual Disney fairytale format; even though, there are a few interesting twists along the way. The world falls apart thanks to Merida and then while learning a valuable lesson about love and family it is all put right again in the end.

Brave is a good film, but not a great film and not the type of movie we have come to expect from Pixar Studios; but, it has enough laughs and action to entertain everyone in the family from the youngest to the oldest, and the visual magnificence of the animation makes this move a must see in the big screen. There is one final thing I have to mention before I end my little review; but, I warn you this is a bit of a spoiler so those with faint hearts should stop reading now. This film has one more thing that no other Disney film has had before it…nudity. (Gasp!) Now now, it’s not like that get your mind out of the gutter! It is actually rather innocent and hysterical when you see it in the context of the story. Merida must sneak her mother out of the castle and her three little brothers are leading all of the lords, their father included, through out the castle on a wild goose chase that ends with them all being locked up on the roof with no way down. All of the men tie their kilts together to make a rope; and of course in true Scottish fashion, they are wearing nothing but their birthday suits under their kilts. The shots of the men’s backsides are brief, but they are there making this film a pioneer in some ways as far as the Disney universe goes. (Walt just rolled over in his grave I think!) I guess, the guys at Pixar managed to find a subtle way to push the boundaries of conventionality after all even if they didn’t with the story. I can’t help but wonder if this was a planed act of subtle defiance to the obvious Disneyification that I can’t help but think must have been thrust upon them by the Disney higher ups. Oh well, we may never know for sure; so I guess it will just have to be one of those unsolved mysteries of the universe like Bigfoot and life on other planets.  

This film is rate “PG” for crude humor, scenes of mild violence and a few bare Scottish bums.

Abraham Lincoln:Vampire Hunter

Stars: 2 Stars

Rated: R

Studios:   Bazeleys Company, Tim Burton Productions,
Dune Entertainment and 20th Century Fox

Director:  Timur Bekmanbetov

Starring:  Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper, Anthony Mackie
Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rufus Sewell, Marton Csokas

Length: 105 Min

A man walks into a bar and says to a young man who is downing a massive amount of alcohol, "A man only gets this drunk when he is either going to kiss a girl or kill a man." No this is not the beginning of a joke but the apparent quintessential pick up line for  Obi-Wan like vampire hunter mentors when trying to coax potential monster slaying prodigies. In many ways, this one line sums up the moderately entertaining film of Russian director Timur Bekmanbetov who is also the director of the comic book action adaption flop "Wanted." It hints at something more and possibly very interesting but never really takes you anywhere new or exciting. I really wanted to love this film being that I am an avid lover of history and vampire slaying; but, I find that even though the film is entertaining and even a bit interesting at times it never truly seems to get off the ground. In many ways Abe Lincoln Vampire Hunter almost seems like two distinctly different films. First off it is a Dan Brown like take on history portraying an unknown aspect of the already iconic story of President Abraham Lincoln; second, it is an anime type action film filled with jaw dropping physics defying adrenalin filled action sequences that seem almost ridiculous at times. The story feels almost cut and then pasted together as if the writers did not know exactly what type of film they wanted to make; a serious retelling of a historic icon, or Buffy the Vampire Slayer with historical characters. I really wish the people in charge of this film had made up their mind and picked which type of film they wanted to make; because if they had, this could have been a great film.

The story starts out with a bang showing young Abe and his parents as they stand up against a slaver who is beating a young black boy. Abe's father works for the slaver and is fired for his insolence. He owes the man a lot of money and the man wants the debt repaid immediately. He refuses and the man tells him that there are many ways you can collect a debt hinting at something ominous. The slaver is of course a vampire and he kills Abe's mother in front of him leaving him scared for life. When he grows up he decides he is going to find the man and kill him. Young Abe tries but fails since the object of his vengeance is an immortal blood sucking fiend who can only be slain by something silver. The man who talked to him in the bar rescues him and takes the beaten up Abe back to his place. The man, of course, is a vampire hunter and in about a 5 minute conversation he has convinced young Lincoln to join in the vampire hunting fun. This part of the film is entertaining and interesting as young Lincoln goes from novice, to his first kill, to being one of the premiere hunters in his area. He works in a shop by day, and studies to be a lawyer and kills vampires at night. He meets Marry Todd who would someday become his wife and life seems grand. This is where the story gets fractured. He gets married decides to go into politics because he wants to end slavery which has flourished thanks to the vampires who are Southern plantation owners who use the slaves as a constant supply of food. He puts up his trusty silver tipped axe and then all of sudden he is the president of the United States, and the vampires of course, are not to thrilled about this. To sum it all up, it all comes to a head at the battle of Gettysburg where the vampires have sided with the confederates trying to end Lincoln’s war on slavery. Of course young Abe dons his axe once again and...well I’ll let you find out the rest. That is if you care to pay the ten dollars to see this film.

This film is not without merit however, and their are a few interesting elements such as the fact that God will not allow vampires to kill their own kind so only the living can kill the dead. What I wanted to see was history being told from the perspective of some hidden war with Abe Lincoln and the vampires; but what I got, however, was a constant tease like the girls I used to fall for when I was a kid from a story that made me feel their could be something more but was really leading me on. (I feel so used!)  I was entertained though so the film did serve its basic purpose. Is it a piece of cinematic genius? No of course not its title is "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter!" I mean seriously! This film is a basic genre film that's target audience is teenagers and anime fans or people who have read the book. Overall, it is a decent film that could have been a great film if it had been done a little better. The effects were adequate but nothing special and the 3D is passé so don't spend the extra 3 dollars unless you really want to waste your money. It is entertaining so if you have 2 hours on a Saturday morning and 6 bucks to blow go see it in a matinee. If not, just wait for the red box since just about any film is worth a shot for a dollar. Well, any film that is except Mission to Mars, or battlefield Earth for that matter. Sadly, I saw both films in the theaters....alone. 

This film is rated R for strong scenes of violence and strong language.

http://meninblack.com/ 

Men In Black 3    
 

Stars: 3 Stars
Rated: PG-13
Studios:  Sony
Director: Barry Sonnenfeld 
                   Starring: Will Smith, Tommy Lee Jones,

                       Josh Brolin and Emma Thompson   
Length: 106 Min. 

The boys are back and ready to avenge the disaster that was Men in Black 2. Can they perform the impossible and bring the the Men in Black movie franchise back from the brinks of film hell by giving the movie going public a film worth spending ten dollars of their hard earned moo-la for?  It has been ten years since the second Men in Black flopped horribly, though I personally liked the film, and most people me included had mixed feelings about Sony's upcoming venture. In truth, I thought it was going to be another Redbox special, but my crack addict like need to go to the movies overcame my sensibilities, and my wallet, and I dragged my daughter kicking and screaming to the movie theaters. What did I find there between the popcorn, M & M's and 3D glasses? Well I'm glad you asked.

MIB 3 survives! In the words of Doc Frankenstein..."Its Alive!" Sony has done what only the Indiana Jones franchise has managed to do and brought a trilogy of films back from a disastrous middle installment. I will say, however, it was not the performances of the usual suspects Smith and Jones that saved the Men in Black, but it is the new comer to the corp Josh Brolin who is the real hero of the film. Brolin plays the young Agent K who a very nasty alien from the future has gone back in time to kill. His performance is nothing short of genius and he manages to capture even the facial expressions and mannerisms of his co star Tommy Lee Jones. To say that Brolin impersonates Jones is not doing his work justice, because he does far more then just impersonate Jones he channels his very essence, and somehow manages to become the character of K making it his character every bit as much as Jones did the original version. I swear that quantum physics is involved in the making of this film somewhere and that Brolin is really a younger version of Jones from another dimension brought in to work his magic. I honestly have to say that I would put nothing past Sony and believe that my hunch could be right.

MIB 3 follows our two heroes K and J as they  go about their normal routine together. Life has become very routine for the two partners and J has finally decided to find out why K is so dour and sad. after an alien assassin from the past breaks out of a lunar prison to return to earth to kill K; J decides he is going to find out what happened to his partner in his past. After repeated attempts to find out are rebutted by the new head of MIB played by Emma Thompson, J decides to finally give it a rest. He goes home and wakes up to find that K was killed in 1969 and that the life he knew has changed. He alone remembers his partner and he has a strange craving for chocolate milk. Long story short, he goes back in time to rescue his partner and restore order to the world. This is not the whole story of course there is a twist; but, you will have to see the movie for yourself to discover what that is. 

Overall, this film is every bit as good a the first one even though the idea is no longer as fresh as it was back in the late 90's. Neither are mullets but they seem to have managed to hang around like a bad rash; and so two does the basic story telling that the MIB franchise continues to follow. Good guys go against bad guys, make us laugh, shoot up some stuff and then make us feel all warm and fuzzy inside at the end. Hey, it still works so why change the formula as Coke found out with their disaster in the 80's called new Coke. The 3D is just ok and the only scene that truly stands out in this format is the time travel sequence where Smith has to literally jump off a building to make the jump back in time; so don't waste the extra 3 bucks unless you really want to. You wont find anything new and exciting in MIB 3, other then Brolin as young K; but the whole family will be entertained and that is after all why we still go to the movies in the age of the home theater generation. (My dad still refuses to go to the movies because he spent so much money on his home theater system.) So get your black sunglasses and your neurolizer and take the whole family out to the nearest cineplex and see MIB 3 you wont be disappointed.

This film is rated PG-13 due to mild violence, some sexual innuendos, strong language and crude humor. 

Hugo

                        
   Hugo DVD     
Stars: 31/2 Stars
Rated: PG
Studios:  Paramount 
Director: Martin Scorsese  
Starring: Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz,  Christopher Lee, and Ben Kingsly      
Length: 126 Min.                                                  



http://www.hugomovie.com/#video

    If you do not have a box of Kleenex tissues in your house then you may want to go to the store and get one before you dare to watch this movie. Of course, if you are one of those manly guys that always seems to get something in his eyes during the climax of a tear-jerker movie; then toilet paper will do for you or a dirty rag if you prefer. Either way, you will most likely either cry or tear up at least there times during this film. (Well unless of course, you are an axe murderer or like to kick small dogs and little children; then you may just find this move mildly funny.) Hugo, like most of Scorsese's films, is a masterpiece of film making; and in today's PG-13 world of family oriented movies Hugo manages to be entertaining for both the parents as well as the kids without all of the hidden adult humor and undertones.
    The movie is over two hours long making this film a bit of a marathon for smaller children; but, the tempo of the storyline and the unique stylization of Scorsese keeps the viewer enraptured constantly wanting to know what each new turn in the story will bring. Scorsese manages to interweave all of the characters in a way that keeps you guessing as to how they all fit into the greater whole of the story, but never seems to confuse you as your imagination tries to put all of the pieces together. My only beef with the film is that some of the characters seem to be thrown in without any introduction or explanation and then never explored.  Christopher Lee, for instance, plays an old book store owner who lends books to and gives books away to people who he feels needs them. Whereas he does lead the two main characters to a book about films that becomes paramount to the rest of the story; Lee's character is never fully realized and it leaves the viewer with the sense that something important about him has been left out. There are a few other characters such as Hugo's father played by Jude Law who are also left unexplored. I guess it is near impossible to adapt a book to a screen play without loosing something in translation.
    The film follows Hugo a young boy of about 12 who lives inside of the walls of a train station in Paris with his Uncle who is his legal guardian. Since his uncle is a drunk he trains the young boy to do his job of maintaining and winding the stations many clocks. Hugo's uncle eventually leaves in essence abandoning the boy to his own deices to fend for himself. Alone now fully, Hugo is forced to turn to a life of petty thievery in order to survive. His only possession in the world is an automaton which looks like a small robot that could have been designed by Leonardo Da Vinci that he and his father had planned on fixing together. Eventually Hugo is caught stealing by a small toy shop owner (Ben Kingsly) who threatens to tell the Constable of his infraction if he does not let him see the contents of his pockets. Upon emptying his pockets a small journal is revealed with pictures of the automaton in it. The shop keeper asks the boy where he acquired the book and the boy refuses to answer; so he takes the book home leaving the boy sad and alone. Why did he do this, and what is the significance of the journal and the automaton? Well, if you want to know you will just have to watch the film for yourself since to tell you anymore would certainly be telling you too much. All I can say, however, is that this film will certainly make you reexamine what it means to truly "work" as a person; and, what it means to truly find your place in the grand puzzle that is life.  Hugo is a sweet film that manages to completely follow the traditional Hollywood formula while still finding away to be surprising and magical at the same time. As my friend Deb put it, "It's like a love song to film. I was enchanted by every moment"; and this one statement expresses it better then anything I have written in this entire review. Go out tonight and get yourself some popcorn and your favorite beverage and rent this film tonight! You will not be disappointed.

Content: This film is rated "PG" for some mild cartoon style violence, some scenes that could be considered to scary for young children and one scene involving a dead body.